A New Tradition

A week ago today was a day of remembrance in the Mangiaracina family.  Last year, on October 24th, we decided to visit Arlington National Cemetery in honor of Ed's Dad who passed away in 2010.  Well, this year it became an official tradition ~ one that was even more special since this time, we were able to share it with James.  We figure it is a great place to go to pay our respects since we can't visit the actual cemetery that Grandpa Mangiaracina is resting in peace.

It was a beautiful day here in the DC area and we started it with some breakfast at IHOP in Arlington.  It was so surreal to sit in the booth with my husband and son having breakfast when a decade ago I would sit in the same booth in the wee hours of the morning binging on pancakes after a night of drinking at Carpool.  James was all smiles during breakfast - I think it was because he was able to sit at the table and see everything that Mommy and Daddy were doing.

We arrived at the cemetery and decided to take a different route than we did last year.  No matter which way you go, the cemetery is breathtaking.  Each view is more magnificent than the last and with the fall foliage, it was truly a gorgeous site.

We made our way past the John F. Kennedy memorial and up the biggest hill in creation and made it to a lovely area where the old amphitheater lives.  It was such a beautiful location and it had just enough shade for us to take a break, give James and bottle and change his diaper. :) 

James was having a ball all day.  Especially since he decided his feet were REALLY fun.  He kept on grabbing at them and playing with his toes.  I mean, they are great toes.  If I had his toes I would play with them all day too!

After our bottle/diaper break, we happened upon the Arlington House which was the home of General Robert E. Lee before and during the Civil War.  It's a beautiful house on the top of a giant hill and boasts amazing views of the city.  We tried to capture the beauty on film, but just did not do it justice.

After touring the grounds of the Arlington House, we made our way back down the giant hill and to the car.  It was a great day at Arlington National Cemetery and one that we plan to continue in years to come.

Cox Farms Fun

We bit the bullet over the weekend and decided to be one of the many to visit Cox Farms this fall season.  We hadn't been to a pumpkin patch yet and heard that this was the "mother of all farms" so we packed up the kid and headed to the farm.  And what a farm it was!  When we arrived, the parking lot resembled that of an amusement park - rows and rows of mini vans with attendants telling us where to go while we dodged many a stroller.

We headed to the mega line, paid the mega entrance fee and walked into the mega farm.  What a place ~ we didn't know where to look first!  From the 42 pound watermelon that took first prize at the state fair, to the variety of slides, to the many kettle corn stands, we were in awe.

We decided to check things out and made our way into the farm.  Along the way were all kinds of photo opps that we just HAD to take advantage of.  James was a big fan of the bales of hay that were scattered around the place.  He was so busy checking it out that he could not raise his head for a photo. I mean, come on people ~ it's HAY!

We made our way over the Milk'n Parlor and caught the final minutes of Farmer Joe milking good ole' Bessie. Okay, so I made up both their names but you get the idea.  :)  It was a cute show and got the bigger kids involved in the milking process.  James decided to pass on assisting and just watched with us from the side lines.  

After the show, we decided to check out some of the farm animals.  James has never really been around any animals other than Lucy (and we don't even consider her an animal!).  He was in awe - did lots of staring and actually reached out on a few instances to touch the cages.  My personal favorites were the piggies, but I think James really liked the bunnies.

In the end, we were able to pick out some pumpkins to bring home and get that always important "baby with a pumpkin" photo.  James was really more interested in mouthing on the pumpkin, but we managed to get a few pictures.

So there you have it.  Our time at the farm was fun, but I think that next year will be much better when the little man can take advantage of more of the offerings.  Happy Fall Festival!!!