'Tis the Season.. for Snow

 We mostly staycationed this holiday season, but enjoyed a holiday gathering at the EEOB,

Kirin's winter concert and a Christmas walk to the National Mall,

 

special visitors from New Jersey

and holiday lights in the DMV

Kirin's plans to stay up until midnight on New Year's Eve were temporarily threatened, but he woke up to rally and watch the ball drop

But the real celebrations began when what was supposed to be the first day of school after winter break turned into 3 snow days (parents were less excited about this development)

Makeshift sleds (out of cardboard boxes) and ice skating!

Fall on the East Coast

 We spent the last days of summer and the fall settling into our new home in Arlington, VA

Here's the big playground near our place

I attended my first work gala

Kirin has been learning about Virginia history, so we went on a hike at Great Falls to see the fall line

Kirin found his dream breakfast of muesli and yogurt at Tatte

It was 80 degrees on Halloween!

We spent Diwali with family in New Haven

Some of our favorite destinations so far:  Top Golf, Cub Scouts hike at Great Falls, Veteran's Day at the zoo, Planet Word, and the ClimbZone

Summer Goodbyes

We said goodbyes to our wonderful community in California before beginning a new chapter in Arlington, VA

 

On our bucket list:  riding a waymo!  The picture doesn't quite do it justice...

Milan and Kirin both celebrated their summer birthdays with their buddies

 

 

And we said goodbye to our dear after-school program

 

Our neighbors were always willing to lend a hand and were a great source of comfort

And our friendships built over decades will continue on in different forms
 

We look forward to visiting soon!

 

European Travels

  We started our trip in Paris with iconic and triumphant sites

 

 

 

Not shown:  our run in with the metro police after mistakenly throwing away our paper ticket moments before the ticket checkers were checking them...

We got to see our dear friends in Brussels and Aachen, Germany (which involved many pillow/cushion fights) -- and also completed a labrynth where 3 different countries meet (the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany)

 

We rode several forms of public transportation in London, Milan's favorite tourist activity (plus:  high speed trains through the chunnel)

 

Kirin acquired a pair of binoculars at the London Eye that also allowed him to examine the tube up close

 

The Bank of England museum offered a nice illustration of how monetary policy impacts inflation

We timed our visit to the Tower Bridge to see it open for a boat below

 

More London sightseeing