Mammy and Pop's Visit

Mammy and Pop, self-avowed leaf-peepers, came for a visit in October, and as opposed to the unfortunate case with BeBe and Poppy, we were able to grab some pictures!

We took a few outings to some local trails to enjoy the brilliant colors, mysteriously undocumented in these pictures...

Trust us, though. The leaves have been absolutely stunning in all their autumnal radiance (especially for Floridians).

Last year Mammy and Pop stayed in and toured the Amish country -- and promptly fell in love with it! So they took us over to Pennsylvania to experience it for ourselves.

Far from disappointed were we! It was a beautiful picture of rural America and, in a sense, a peek into the past!

But if you were to ask Emmy, the highlight of the trip was when our buggy ride host handed the reins over to her! Be very afraid...

Snow!

So we knew that the weather here in Maryland would be very different than our typical Florida year, and for the most part, we are excited to experience new seasons and such. However, we weren't necessarily expecting snow in October...

And while it didn't stick for long due to rain and sun, we enjoyed watching it gently fall and the confectioner's sugar-like dusting that covered everything! Speaking of confectioner's sugar, we had a ton of fun making (and eating, of course) some celebratory donuts!

Harvest Party

Covenant Life's youth group hosts a harvest party for children in the area each year, and we had the privilege of attending with this adorable little clown. :)

Also in the party were Pocahontas, Belle, and a colonial milkmaid, plus a few non-costumed people.

We met up with a few of our other friends -- Snow White, Cinderella, and a couple of ninjas.

After a few other staged photographs, the girls were ready to play some games (and earn some candy, too).

Quite a few rooms in the church were set up with a different stations with different games. After the children played, they could collect some prize candy.

Daddy was able to come upstairs and join us after some long study hours!

Though she protested, Emmy Xiang participated in this donut game and shared her reward (the donut) with us!

A fun evening, for sure!

Mama's Birthday

Mama had a "big" birthday this year... And we celebrated twice. The first little party was a joint one with another PC wife whose birthday is the day before. It was great fun to cook out and enjoy fellowship with all of our new friends.

The second one was a little more intimate with our dear Hoffmans and Manasi, a neighbor whose birthday is also on the 31st. We enjoyed a little tea and carrot cake (Mama's favorite!).

Colonial Market Day

Whilst searching for some places for our weekly outings, Mama came across the Claude Moore Colonial Farm, a living history site reenacting the earlier colonial era. Each season the Farms hosts a special event for visitors, and this October was their Colonial Market Day. However though the Market Day was penciled into the schedule, a curious virus was not.

Saturday morning came, and we deliberated. Finally it was decided that those healthy enough would attend. So Jane Ellen, Gracie, Emmy Xiang, and Mom drove southwards to the beautiful Virginia and the Market Day.

We began our visit with a self-guided tour of the farm. First we came to the tobacco shed. Autumn is an interesting season to visit a colonial farm, for in place of all the areas marked "tobacco" or "wheat" or "rye" were fenced off fields of grass and wildflowers. All the crops were hanging in the tobacco shed or in the house to be used for the coming winter.

And then we came to the house. We loved walking around and through it. Actually, it quite reminded us of our playhouses back home when we used to "prepare" for winter, harvesting crops, gathering firewood, and drying meat (or in our case, pieces of bark...).

Of course, no farm would be complete without a few animals. Amongst many others were some pigs...

... and some sheep.

After the farm tour, we came to the market area. Here we found numerous vendors had set up shop and were making and/or selling their wares. This potter was most impressive. As he carefully and diligently formed a beautiful pitcher out of a mound of clay, we marveled at how our heavenly Potter forms and shapes each one of us so delicately, so intricately, so uniquely. Mama aptly hoped that this man had an apprentice, for what an incredible craft he knows!

Many ladies had shops brimming with clothes and jewels, soaps and perfumes, dishes and toys. But our favorite lady-shopkeeper was this one. She would, in less than ten minutes, cut silhouettes from black paper freehand. Nothing but the paper, some scissors, and a lot of talent!

A definite highlight of the market was the food that roast over a lovely fire. Filling the air with tempting aromas, the chickens on the king of all spits and the sausages in the largest of cast iron pans roasted to delicious perfection. We splurged and got a few bites -- they were heavenly!

Though Katie was unable to enjoy the atmosphere with us, she was there in spirit, for Mama succeeded in taking a "Katie picture," nice and artsy. :)

We had such a lovely time and are now eagerly anticipating the spring event at the fair. Hopefully no ailment but spring fever will plague us next time!

Festivities and Friends

We've enjoyed celebrating two birthdays recently with our new dear friends from the Pastors College. These families are in our fellowship group and we are loving getting to know them better. May the Lord continue to bless and grow these relationships!

Homeschool Happenings

The girls recently enjoyed a science experiment in which they made models of cells with jello (cytoplasm) and various candies (which represented different organelles). I think their favorite part was eating it afterwards. :)

This little praying mantis showed up on the back deck a few days a go, so we snapped a few pictures and Emmy Xiang has enjoyed drawing him for nature study this week.

She loves doing her school. That's for sure.