Allison's many faces and highly skilled parenting

The other night at dinner, we were trying to occupy Allison so Brent and I could talk about our day, but she wasn't having it. She brought us in some snow globes and started posing for my camera that was sitting on the kitchen table. I just grabbed it in typical parental paparazzi fashion and started snappin'! I then requested specific poses--happy face, sad face and mad face.



We continued to be entertained by Allison's antics until she decided to hit the snow globes together. It was one of those moments--I'm thinking, "She really shouldn't be doing that, it's going to break"--over and over in my head. No action was taken in that matter, instead I ended up continuing to take photos. Low and behold, it broke. Not good parenting at all, but at least I caught it on film.

Oh the weather outside is frightful.........

We endured a huge snowstorm this weekend and cabin fever has set in! We got over 20 inches of snow at the house and Brent spent all day Saturday shoveling at intervals. He would shovel for a little bit, it would quickly collect and then he was back out shoveling again. Allison and I decided to brave the elements and join in on some fun with Daddy. We made snow angels, sprayed the snow with food coloring and had buggy rides. Then we ventured to the back yard and played on the swingset. That by far was the most fun since going down the slide resulted in a big pile of snow! We came back in and drank our hot chocolate and dried off and then spent the rest of the day watching the snow collect.



Sunday, we dug out and played some more. We also met our friends Tony and Aubry for lunch at Allison's favorite place! It was nice to get outside and actually leave our house. Monday the government was closed so Brent stayed home with us and we played some more. This time we stayed exclusively in the backyard and played on the swingset and even Bailey was acting like a younger version of himself and playing in the snow. So fun. I venture to think that by Christmas, it will just be a big mess. Although I imagine the surgeons I work with are very excited to start treating a variety of fractures, dislocations and tears!

Tumble Track

Here is her tumble track "routine"

Tumble Track at Gymnastics from Katie Booker on Vimeo.

Seat drops

Allison took another session of gymnastics at Cardinal gym in Burke this fall. She did fantastic! By far her greatest achievement was mastering her seat drops on the trampoline. She just all of a sudden got it! Below is the video of her achievement and you can hear Miss Elena saying "very gooood" in the background :)

Allison masters seat drops at gymnastics

Untitled from Katie Booker on Vimeo.

Red Robin Serenade

Allison's Serenade at Red Robin from Katie Booker on Vimeo.

Happy Birthday Allison!

Really, really, really, my baby is three. I can't believe it! I am really having a hard time with the three year milestone. It makes me sad for sure. I am reminded by it when I hold her and her legs extend down past my knees. I can remember when she was born she was as long as my torso. The old saying that the days are long and the years are short is so true.

Allison was full strength into Cinderella this year and after going to Disney World I knew it was going to be a princess birthday party.
The birthday celebration started that Friday when Brent and I went to Allison's school for cupcakes and a party at school. It was also one of Allison's friends Mikayla's birthday so we did a double party! The girls were so thrilled!<
The next morning was the actual day of the party. I had done most of the party decorating and preparation earlier in the week so this morning was basically spent getting organized and getting things out. We were a little nervous because it was snowing! Ironically last year on Allison's birthday it was also snowing. When she was born it didn't snow, but it was ridiculously cold! Gigi and Nana came early to help set up and they also brought food. They were a huge help!

I made our basement into a castle. I made towers with each of the princesses' names on them and had a red carpet runner going down the stairs. Notes were left on the walls from Cinderella and Prince Charming that I read to the princesses. For craft, we made crowns and magic wands and for games we played Cinderella's chores and the girls needed to find Cinderella's glass slipper. The girls all had a lot of fun. Allison still walks down into the basement and talks about her friends being there.
I worked tirelessly on Allison's cakes. I made her a Cinderella cake and a castle cake. The cakes really weren't hard to make but man that decorating was not a lot of fun. The most frustrating thing is the icing would get too warm in the bag and then would come out runny. I then would put it in the freezer only to have the tip freeze and then it was back in warm water and the process started all over again. It was worth it when Allison came down and saw her cakes and asked me if I made them. When I told her I did, she said, "Wow, Mommy!" In that instant it was worth it!




The next morning, Sunday was Allison's actual birthday. We went out to brunch with Stephanie and Dave and then made a snowman when we got home. We spent the day cleaning up and playing with our new toys and then headed out to dinner at Red Robin. Which is of course, Allison's favorite. She went dressed as Cinderella. It was so cute. I told the waiter it was her birthday so they serendaded her with happy birthday.

Thanksgiving 2009

We are in the midst of a snowstorm here in VA and I decided it was finally time to get caught up on the Booker events. I'm in denial that I still have a TON of wrapping to do, lucky for me I have a wonderful husband who loves to wrap.
Thanksgiving this year was a little different than previous. Brent woke up that morning not feeling too well and slowly but surely starting breaking out in hives. This was eerily similar to our trip to Boston when we spent the weekend in the ER, wasn't looking forward to that possibility so we loaded him up on Benadryl and sent him to bed. Allison and I then headed to Jeff and Debbie's house in Woodbridge for the feast Ferlazzo-style. It really didn't feel like Thanksgiving since Brent wasn't there but I got to spend time with family and hold some babies, so it was good. <
The next day was the Booker fest. I worked on the day after Thanksgiving, I usually do and I usually don't like it, but this year every patient that I treated actually said thanks and expressed their gratitude for us being there and working. I think we were the only office open! That kind of makes it worth it...
We did our usual kid crazy Thanksgiving and it was chaos for sure. Brent and his brothers were highly entertained with the water resistant tablecloth. I think we spent about an hour chasing water beads around the table cloth. It of course became a competition in true Booker style. Andrew was Andrew when he found Gigi's hiding spot for presents. Fortunately for us they were all for Allison's birthday.
We had a lot to be thankful this year. Brent's brother Michael made it safely home from Afghanistan. We spent our first year in our new forever home. Allison continues to thrive. Brent is greatly enjoying his shorter commute to work and me too! I am thankful to work for a boss that helps me balance my profession with my family. We are eternally grateful for family that are there for us at a moments notice. And we are thankful for friends. 2009 was a bittersweet year but we have a lot to be thankful for and we are definitely looking forward to 2010.

Fall visit with Aunt Jeanne and Great Gigi

Veterans day weekend was a family-filled and fun! Allison was recovering from a breakout in hives, which later turned out to be strep throat, so we were slow moving but doing okay. Friday night Aunt Jeanne, Great Gigi and Gigi all came over to visit and then babysit so Brent and I could head out to the Capitals game. Allison kept them busy with playing restaurant, school, reading books and making art projects. That Sunday we all got together, minus Mike and Jen and their crew, for a lunch at Gigi's. We ate yummy acorn squash and all sorts of fall vegetables. This inspired me to expand my garden next year to include some squash and kale. Yummy, oh how I miss my garden.
Allison enjoys playing with her cousins so much. The weather was nice enough for us to go outside and ride scooters, bikes and blow bubbles. And of course there is climbing in Gigi's front yard tree.
We will miss Great Gigi at Christmas this year but we are very grateful to have spent this special time with her.

Bippity Boppity and Boo at the Zoo

Halloween at the Booker's was a two week event. Allison dressed up as Cinderella and I was the fairy Godmother. We are in full Cinderella mode after Disney world. We were fortunate enough that Pepaw was kind enough to purchase Allison's Cinderella dress, gloves, tiara and purse. We did the traditional Halloween photo card for the family and she loved playing Cinderella. After I got the photo that I wanted, we pretended that we were at Cinderella's house again and that I was meeting Cinderella for the first time. Oh, how I love her imagination.


This year was also the first time that we went to Boo at the Zoo (National Zoo). I had pretty low expectations and I was pleasantly surprised! I picked up Allison after work and we took the metro into Brent's office, changed into our costumes and then headed to the zoo. I was in a frenzy to get some decent food in her stomach, so I basically force fed her a jelly sandwich and some carrots as we walked into the zoo's entrance. Once we were in, we were amazed! Kids literally went trick or treating all around the zoo and they had some of the animal attractions open and even created special attractions for the event. Tons and tons of candy and some good stuff too! We came home with coloring books, crayons, flashlights, movie posters and magazines. The most attractive give away was a light up lollipop. It literally was a lollipop with a light inside of it. Allison saw the masses with them and immediately wanted one. Brent and I had to stop and think--is that safe? Really? We went ahead and got her one but Mommy "accidentally" left some wrapping on the outside so it wasn't very good. :) The best attraction we went through was "Getting eaten by a Tiger". We walked through a tigers mouth, into his lungs (complete with respiratory sounds and warm air blowing on you), then the stomach (they hung "stomach contents"--stuffed animals, body parts from the ceiling" and then made several 90 degree turns around the intenstines until wouldn't you know-the tiger passed some gas and we got out. Hilarious. Once we were out, Allison announced, "Mommy, the tiger shot the bunny and we got out!" She really enjoyed walking around the zoo and it was a safe and family friendly event that we will do again!


So, this year was our first trick or treating experience in the new neighborhood. I gotta say I don't for a second miss our old house or neighborhood, but part of me did on Halloween. Halloween in South Riding was like Mardi Gras for kids and our current neighborhood has a lot of school aged kids but they are older elementary. My mom came over for her first Halloween, which was nice since it was on a weekend. I made a pot of chili, cornbread, she brought a salad and we had some Halloween cookies and brownies and of course candy for dessert! We headed out after checking the weather and our street was a little quiet--which by anyone else's standards would have been normal, but in SR things are hoppin'!





We took Bailey with us, we figured he would go bonkers at home with the door ringing and some exercise for the old guy can never hurt. Allison initially stuck with me and we would go to each house. After we did, she announced, "Daddy, Nana they were home and I got some candy!" She did this at every house. I was quite impressed with her manners and her confidence with talking to people that were otherwise strangers to her.
We ended up trick or treating for about an hour. We ended up coming home since Cinderella wouldn't walk anymore and it really started raining. Once we were home, Brent inspected her candy and then she kindly went through it and handed out everyone else's favorites. I was so proud of her sharing and it was very unprompted!

Disney withdrawal.......

It's a small world.......over and over........and over from Katie Booker on Vimeo.

Allison and Church

Allison says by far the cutest things in and around church. This past Sunday, we were sitting in the service and she all of a sudden became panicked. She looked at me and said, "Mommy, Mommy, we have to pick up and put together our trash, they are going to pass the bucket soon!"

The bucket being the offering.....too adorable.

Holy Tomato

I tried gardening, organic gardening for the first time this year. I had a VERY difficult start with all our rain, but all in all had a wonderful first year in the garden. I grew tomatoes, carrots, green peppers, cucumbers and zucchini. The most successful was by far the cucumbers! It was very enjoyable to go out in the afternoon and pick our vegetables for dinner that night. I made zucchini bread, lots of fresh tomato sandwiches and used the green peppers in a variety of recipes. Connie had asked me if I wanted to can any of my tomatoes around July. My tomatoes got off to a slow start, but I was interested in learning how to can. And boy did we can. I ended up buying a box from a farmers market and combining that with what I had in my garden and we canned 21 quarts. No small task for sure. Allison got in on the fun although I wanted to keep her out of the kitchen while things boiled and were transferred from the cooktop to the sink. And it was messy.....once we were done, I had little desire for ANY type of tomato product. But now that they are done I am enjoying making my own tomato sauce, soup and lasagnas. :)

Paging Dr. Booker......

Allison is full steam into imaginary play. We play beauty shop, restaurant, school, store and doctor ALL the time. It's amazing to see her little imagination just take us to places and scenes that I have never imagined. As far as my job goes, Allison knows that I'm a Doctor but not like Dr. Ben (her pediatrician) since he takes care of kids and "mommy fixes the broken people". When really when you think about it, is what I do. Along with that job, I do have pieces of various medical equipment around the house--electrodes, blood pressure cuffs, tubing and stethoscopes. Seemed perfect to get her her own medical bag and show her how to use them. It also has proven to be super helpful at the pediatrician's office.
This particular day, I had some extra gloves in my purse, don't know or much less remember why, but I did and of course she found them. She also got into the first aid kit and took out some 4x4's and coban wrap. It appeared to be a bad injury for her baby.

Happy 90th Birthday Great Gigi!

Great Gigi celebrated her 90th birthday in September, however we travelled to Indiana and celebrated the big event after the Booker Family reunion. Great Gigi lives in the very small town of Scottsburg, Indiana about an hour south of Indianapolis. We basically hung out at her house for most of the weekend and then headed to Great Gigi's party.
The first day that we were in Scottsburg we headed to the park and off to feed the ducks. All the cousins went and had a ball! I was worried that Allison would fall into the lake, but she didn't!



On the other side of the lake was a playground. Once we were out of bread and the ducks were well fed, we headed around the lake to go to the playground. Most of the playground equipment was donated by a local proprietor who owns the area's McDonald's. If he gets some new playground equipment, he donates the previous to the local park. Once we were there, we played and played! It was so much fun!





After an exhausting day at the park, we headed back to get ready for the birthday party. It was just a family gathering and the food looked good. I was sick, sick, sick so I didn't eat anything. Turns out before we left Indiana I had three awful spider bites on the back of my legs and I, Dr. Booker :), believe that the bites made me sick. I had no appetite but I endured dinner and was just trying to make it through the evening in one piece. Brent's mom and Aunt purchased a welcome book for folks to sign and leave messages to Great Gigi. Before dinner, we had a blessing by Jen and then Great Gigi opened her gifts. We all chipped in and got her a digital photo frame. Then Brent's Mom, Connie and Aunt Jeanne had a photo created to simulate a wedding picture for Great Gigi. She didn't have a wedding picture done when she married her husband, Bruce. They weren't able to afford it. The look on her face when she openend it was priceless! It was an awesome gift idea and something that she will always treasure!

Gymnastics

Allison has always been interested in tumbling, flipping and twirls. That may be due to my PT training--we do a lot of gross motor but honestly she does pretty well. We decided to enroll her in gymnastics for the summer. It was a perfect arrangement since the class was held on Saturdays which allowed Brent to attend and some weeks give Mommy a "morning off". Every week we were really impressed with her ability to jump on the trampoline while doing specific things with her arms and legs, swing on the rings, roll and spin. Her teacher Miss Eleana was from the Czech Republic. Allison hasn't been around someone with such a strong accent. Miss Eleana was tough. She even reminded me from time to time to point my toes. Really? She still does her routine on the carpet in our house and has asked to take classes again this fall. So we signed her up. We will see how that goes.

Bookerpalooza

As a kid I loved going up and down waterslides, I was super excited when I saw this slide in the pool of the Abe Martin Lodge. Of course my daredevil daughter embraced the challenge and went down several times! It was so fun. They also had a lazy river with a pretty strong current that Allison was able to "float" along with some help from Mommy and a noodle.

The next morning, we got up and went horseback riding. We were a little hesitant to see if Allison would actually get on the pony and go around the ring. But she did and then we went back the next day and rode with her cousins. That was fun.....Andrew's horse took off around the ring. I was with Jen aka the laid back parent and she "on the verge of freakin' out" began to flutter her arms and jump saying, Oh no, Oh no, OH NO! Eventually Steve barracaded his horse in the runaway horse's path and it stopped. We got a mouthful from the horse caretakers. It was quite a memorable moment. Only Andrew.