March and April

Whew!  We survived the move back into the Crest Street house.  It required a ton of work and organization to sort through two sets of deliveries, including one from Kyiv for which we had no time to purge or prepare.  But we survived and could not be more delighted to be back in our home. Pulling into the driveway is a treat every. single. time.  But before we get to our move over spring break, I should catch up with the last of our February photos and then share the highlights from our March.  I have to say, I'm quite proud of us as a family for managing to find joy through the past 18 months of upheaval. I feel certain that we are more closely bonded as a family unit.  But we are also super relieved to have the light at the end of the tunnel grow brighter and brighter as we head toward summer and the official end of our Kyiv tour.  Even as we settle back into our new peaceful normal though, our hearts and prayers will remain with the Ukrainian people whose tunnels, unfortunately, remain quite dark.  

We ended February with a visit from our friend Jon who treated us to an awesome night out with dinner at Le Diplomate and a concert for his client, Morgan Wade. 

Both Susannah and Sarah Avery finished out their basketball season.  This was the best photo we could manage of the post-last-game cupcake celebration for Sarah Avery's team.  

Sally continues to be my daily walking partner.  This day, she found quite the mud puddle during our off-leash fetch session at the park.  

One unexpected highlight of March was our Saturday at a goat farm an hour outside of Alexandria.  We heard from a friend about their baby goats and knew Sarah Avery had to experience it.  

All of the snuggles and laughs were totally worth the $75 fee to hang with these precious babies for an hour.  

Every second was a delight. 

By the end of our hour, we had all named our favorites.  

I could literally feel my blood pressure dropping as I snuggled this baby.  It was the sweetest way to spend a Saturday. 

Afterward, we stopped by the little country store that the family keeps open on an honor code policy.  They sell t-shirts and goat cheese and fresh honey.......all without an attendant manning the place.  The customer is simply asked to total the amount owed and Venmo.  It restored my faith in humanity a little.  

The other significant March highlight was Susannah's choir trip to New York City.  She left early on a Friday morning to head to the train station.  

Honey and Sally shared my sentiment about her send-off.  :)

The group arrived in NYC in time for lunch and a scavenger hunt at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  

Then they headed up to the new Summit One experience to take in the views. 

These two are racking up the world's travel experiences.  

The next event was the World's Largest 3D Art Exhibit.....an Allison in Wonderland-themed experience.   

Here, Susannah ran into her friend Freya who was visiting with a totally different group!  

The highlight of the trip for Susannah was definitely seeing one of her favorite musicals, Six, on Broadway.  

They ended their visit with a performance in the beautiful and historic St. Thomas Cathedral.  

Sarah Avery missed her sister but was delighted by this souvenir that she brought her from FAO Schwartz.  

The following week, it was time to pack up the Air B&B that had been our home for 14 months and head home to Crest Street. Our spring break 2023 was chaotic and full of much more work than play, but Grammy's Easter package arrived just in time to give us a much-needed sugar boost.   

The Easter Bunny got the memo that we had moved and brought great baskets to Crest Street.  

Alexandria had beautiful Easter Sunday weather.  It was so fun taking family photos in our yard again.  

Both girls performed with the adult choir as part of the Easter Celebration.  

We feel so incredibly blessed by our new church home.  

After church, we headed to the Buchanans for our annual lunch and egg hunt.  

April has been full of Lacrosse games and practices.  Sarah Avery has found a little niche as a goalie this season.  In this photo, she's being escorted by her team after being named MVP for her four saves.  

Susannah has been incredibly busy as she has juggled Lacrosse and her rehearsal schedule for the middle school musical.  She was so excited to be cast as Darcy, and we were all so proud of the hard work and dedication she showed during the crazy rehearsal schedule.  

April has also been filled with house projects.  My favorite was adding these built-in bookshelves.  Peter's hard work paid off as they add so much to the space.  

April also brought the opportunity to chaperone these two besties on their 3rd-grade field trip to the Natural History Museum.  

We had the most gorgeous weather which was perfect for stretching legs and picnicking after a morning spent touring the exhibits. 

We are so thankful for these kind and hilarious friends that Sarah Avery has made.  

Had to take a photo in front of the iconic Elephant in the rotunda.  

The girls liked the fossil exhibits too.  

And it's always fun to ride a school bus!  

The past two weekends, all of Susannah's hard work has paid off with 6 wonderful performances of Newsies Jr.  This photo was from opening night.  We were so proud to be her cheering section. 

Post-show smiles.  

Another weekend, another Lacrosse game for our goalie!  

Susannah had an amazing cheering section for her first Saturday matinee performance. These friends are "the family we chose" and we are so incredibly grateful for them.   

I love my afternoons with this girl.  Susannah is always busy with rehearsals or friends, so we have lots of one-on-one time to play board games or Mario Kart.  She's so much fun.  

These two were Peter and my dates to the last Friday evening performance of Newsies.  We had dinner at one of our favorite spots beforehand and indulged in the best donuts in the world as our dessert.  

Peter was able to snag some photos of Susannah during the show.  

She played Darcy, a freelance photographer that snaps the photo that starts the Newsies strike.  It was a fun role because she got to use this vintage camera and participate in several scenes.  

Greeting her 3rd-grade fans after the show.  

And one more photo with Mom and Dad.  :)  

As I type this, Susannah is at school on a Sunday morning, breaking down the set with her castmates.  This afternoon promises to be a wet and chilly couple of hours on the lacrosse field.  Time is flying and we are doing our best to soak in each incredible moment.  It feels so good to finally be home.