1000 Hours Outside :: December

We wrapped up December with only a few hours on our log. We started off with a little heat wave, so it made it much easier to get outside to play. And then it got cold again, and Mommy struggled with a lot of fatigue and sickness...  oh well. I can't help it if we're not outdoorsy in the winter. I'm definitely more motivated now to encourage outside time in the cold, but I'm ok with having limits. Seems to be low 40s is ours...maybe another year in Virginia will help that :)

We went on several neighborhood walks, and even got to go in the evenings to see all the fun Christmas lights and inflatables! The benefit of it getting dark at 5:30pm :)

Bubbles aren't exactly a December activity, but the kids had been bugging me about them, and they were such good helpers while I vacuumed out the car...so bubbles in December it is!

Of course, we also spent time outside when we visited the National Christmas Tree and Holiday Road. And we snuck in one last walk at the end of the year, before all the rain. My children {unknowingly} played Robin Hood with some poor squirrel's acorn stash, redistributing them all around the neighborhood. 

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Even though we didn't hit {or even get close to} 1000 hours, I am really glad we attempted this challenge. I am not going to be the mom who spends all day outside, but I can be the mom who prioritizes more outside time as much as we can. This challenge forced us to get outside more than we may have otherwise, and it helped us get creative with our outside time. And I call that a win!

We will continue tracking on our color sheet, but I won't track our hours on the blog monthly moving forward. There are only so many neighborhood walk and playing outside photos I can post :)

I highly recommend this challenge, as it is a great motivator to get outside and let kids play in nature!

Holiday Road 2021

Last night we went to the Holiday Road light display in Leesburg! The event was at Morven Park, where the Davis Mansion is located. We bundled up and braved the cold {28 degrees!}, but it was such a fun night! We ate dinner at the food trucks, enjoyed some hot chocolate to warm up, and walked the trail of lights.

This was a fantastic, walk-through light display! They really did such a great job. The light displays were really well done, and even though it was cold, the kids did great. It was fun to see how excited they got with each new display. We enjoyed the walk with all the Christmas music, and it was definitely worth it to go!

An attempt at a sibling photo...sigh.

The Davis Mansion

We had such a fun evening, and we look forward to visiting again in the future! :)

National Christmas Tree 2021

Grandma, Papa, and Uncle Michael are in town, and we have all kinds of fun things planned for their time here! Today we loaded up the car and headed into D.C. to see the National Christmas Tree. Eli has been wanting to see the White House, since we have only driven by it the last few times we have visited D.C. So we thought it would be fun to see the Christmas decorations.

Turns out, Eli was less than impressed with the 18-foot tree, but the rest of us still enjoyed the adventure. To his point though, I didn't realize that the National Christmas Tree was so small haha. We did find out after-the-fact that the Christmas Tree at the Capitol is 84 feet...so I can hardly blame him haha. Mommy definitely missed the mark on that one. Oh well. We'll have to try again next year, buddy, and go for the big one instead! Whoops :)

Anyway...we made the trek to the National Christmas Tree outside the White House. It was a little cloudy, but thankfully pretty warm, so it was a nice day to walk around D.C. And thankfully it wasn't too crowded either. 

The walkway around the tree was filled with {even} smaller trees for each of the states and territories, as well as a nativity. The ornaments on these trees were designed by students from their respective states, and the kids enjoyed looking for the Texas and Virginia trees.

We walked around to Lafayette Square to get a closer look at the White House from the other side. I remember visiting in college, so it's kind of fun to share it with the kids now.

So we didn't see the biggest tree in D.C. this time, but it was still fun to walk around and enjoy the nation's capitol. Now we have another adventure to go on next year...see the really tall Christmas tree {at the Capitol}! :)

Christmas at the Corner Market

We spent the morning playing at the Corner Market at Cox Farms! If you'll remember, we visited their Fall Festival in October, and the kids absolutely loved it. So we wanted to check out the Corner Market and see what it had to offer. While it is a MUCH smaller scale than the Fall Festival, it didn't disappoint :)

It's mostly a Christmas tree and wreath market, but they have it set up with lots of fun play structures for kids, and they sell all kinds of yummy Christmas treats. It was a cool and windy morning, but the kids didn't seem to notice. They enjoyed running around, discovering each new play structure around the corner.

Our first picture with one of the iconic Virginia LOVE signs! :)

There were tractors and trains, fire trucks and school buses, pirate ships and so many fun Christmas decorations! For most of the time, we had the whole place to ourselves, which was such a blessing; the kids could just run and play and enjoy their little lives to the fullest :)

The market also sells yummy Christmas treats, so we enjoyed some of their famous apple cider donuts and hot chocolate. 100% Eli, Maddie, and Aiden-approved!

Mommy even got to sit by the outdoor fire pit and enjoy her hot chocolate while the kids played on the pirate ship. Cox Farms knows the way to a tired Mama's heart :)