weekend in charlottesville!

Decided to pack up the girls and head down to Charlottesville for the weekend; we got a great place on the downtown mall, and had nothing planned…..well, we were going to go to the uva basketball game, but it was sold out.  We got down around 7 on Friday night and went to mellow mushroom for dinner; the corner was packed with college students.

On Saturday we got up early for a run then took the girls to UVa campus to walk around; we went into a few classrooms, bookstore, the chapel were wendy and mike got married, and the rotunda.  After we had lunch on the corner at michael’s bistro.

That evening we took the girls to the discovery museum on the downtown mall; it was great; tons of things to do and we were not able to get through everything before it closed.  Afterward we took the girls home to get ready for the babysitter, Shannon, who is a student who always watches the girls when we’re in c’ville.  Mike and wendy had a great time out at the new commonwealth sky bar; we met a bunch of other northern Virginians who were visiting c’ville for the weekend.

On Sunday we packed up and make the short drive home; later that day the weather was so nice we went for a hike at upton hill.

 

With oconn at the wiz game- big g-wiz fan

 

 

Valentines day……and feb 17th weekend

the week started off with valentines day; the girls got a ton of presents; thanks to mimi, pap, aunt lynn, aunt becca, and everyone that sent something; the girls had so much fun, ate the traditional waffles for dinner and now probably think v-day is like xmas.

Now for the weekend…..

Crazy fun weekend in Arlington; on Friday night we took the metro down to clarendon so we can go to pete’s pizza; afterward we went over to rabbit for red velvet cupcakes.  That night josh came over for a  few hours to catch up- we hadn’t seen him in awhile.

On Saturday mike too the girls to clemyjontri; we met up with the Campbell and colin Petersen and Charlie Blanchard; the Matthews girls loved the park…..they played for 3 hours non stop, and were completely wiped by the time we came home for naps; check out the pix of piper watching riker on the tire swing- no way she would go on!  The petersens came over that night and we had quesadilla and cupcakes.

On Sunday we all went down to the national museum of American Indians; it was awesome, tons of kids stuff and cools displays…..the girls loved the interactive kids section where they could listen to birds and tour the tepees.  They also loved the life sized canoes and boats.  On Sunday night we just relaxed, even though we have a light presidents day on Monday.

 

Check out riker ipad pix

 

On the metro to clarendon

 

cold feb 10th weekend

Cold weekend in Arlington; got down to the 20s by the end of the weekend; we spent most of the weekend inside.  Friday night we went to clare and don’s; they had a band playing inside so we spent some time dancing after dinner.

On Saturady we woke up to snow and cold; we were supposed to run a 5k in Arlington but with the girls being a bit under the weather we did not think it was good for them to be out in the cold.  So instead mike took them to chuck-e-cheese.  Most people are not aware that chuck-e-cheese opens at 9am, so we  had our run of the place for a couple of hours before the birthday crowd came in around lunch.  we lost piper for a mintues, and found her at a birthday party table…..she snuck into the party!

That evening the O’conns came over; we had pizza and the girls had the run of the house so the parents could relax and have a few brews.

On Sunday it was below 20 degrees; we took the girls to the pentagon city mall to go shopping; mike got a suit, riker got stockings, piper got dora pjs and wendy got a new coat….everyone was happy.

 

superbowl weekend

We had  a fun, and relaxing due to the steelers not playing, superbowl weekend.  On Friday night we went to “the ramp”, as the girls call it, otherwise known as pizzeria orzo.

On satruday wendy took riker on a mom daughter day out; they went to the mall, shopping, got their nails done and went out to lunch; mike took piper to the park- she is quite happy doing just that.  Saturday night we went over the carrier to let the kids go crazy; we had a great time as always- they are so hospitable.

On super bowl Sunday, which will someday be superbowl Saturday, we went peytons birthday party at the johnson’s house in the morning; then home to watch the pregame and then the superbowl…..riker actually watch a quarter with us!

 

Kids in bed- parents hangin’

 

Kids fun at carriers

 

Feb 27th weekend; weather in the 50s

Nice weekend in Arlington; on Friday night we had Caroline come over to baby sit so the parents could have a night out in clarendon; we first went to eventide for dinner, then got recruited by the 2 young SI all-stars to go to Hunan one, which unbeknownst to us had a 20s style happy hour…..definitely reminded us of 10 years ago, but it was fun even though we were probably the oldest ones there

On Saturday we took the girls to Greenbrier Park near Yorktown high school and afterwards decided to cash in the kids piggy banks….we figured the money was doing no good just sitting there…….that evening, after much debate with the kids, we went to stray cat cafe for dinner.

On Sunday we took the girls and back to glen echo park; wendy had not seen it before and last time we went were not able to go to the kids center, which we did this time…..the girls were able to pet snakes and run around the gardens,…..mike even went for a run on the c&o canal, which ran along the Potomac river; great views.

 

Parents night out with SI all stars

 

jan 20th weekend with mom

It’s great to have mom back home for the weekend; on Friday night we went to our old standby, Clare and don’s beach shack….we got the royal treatment by Dave, the owner.

On Saturday morning we took the girls down to the Rosslyn spectrum theater for the Teatro de la Luna bilingual celebration; they did art and puzzles with all the other kids before going to see the Hansel and Gretel play….riker watched the entire thing and piper laid on the floor for most of it

That evening we went down to Clarendon to do some shopping and eat dinner at Pete’s new haven pizza; we got a great booth for the girls to hang out so the parents could relax (see pix at the top).

On sunday morning mike took riker ice skating at reston town center while wendy took piper shopping (we figured piper would not be able to ice skate); riker was very excited, but got nervous quickly, we did about 3 shaky laps around the rink before she called it quits.  that was okay; it gave mike and riker a chance to have lunch together at Jacksons.  The rest of the day we cooked, watched football, and the girls played on the ipad.

 

jan. 13th weekend

This weekend was just mike and the girls as wendy went to New Mexico to be with her mother during her final days (LINK).

The girls were great all week; listening, eating and sleeping (although I did start a bad habit of letting riker sleep in my bed at night).

The weekend was a nice relief; on Friday we went to pizzeria orso after ballet; we got their early and beat the crowd

On Saturday we woke up went downtown to the natural history museum; riker was talking all week that she wanted to see dinosaur bones, so we checked those out.  Not sure if it was the MLK holiday, but down town DC was crowded; too an hour to find a parking spot.

On Sunday, we went downtown again, but went to the oconnell’s to hang out with neve and josie…..you can tell these girls are going to be good friends; riker and neve were scooter’ing all over the neighborhood, and josie and piper played great.  We went to a kavanaghs for lunch.

 

GrandMary Riker – 5/28/42 to 1/12/12

“Death is not extinguishing the light, it is putting out the lamp because dawn has come.”

–Rabindranath Tagore

With sadness and a heavy heart we remember the life of Mary Christopher Riker (Christy), 69, _­of Cochiti Lake, New Mexico—formerly of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Surrounded by her husband of 37 years William Riker and her beloved children Christopher Riker, Rachael Schultz, Rebecca Riker and Wendy Matthews, Christy passed away peacefully in the early morning of January 12, 2012.

She fought her cancer valiantly for two years and did so with great resilience, being strong for her many grandchildren:  Liam and Rhiannon Riker, Lucas and Nathan Schultz, Riker and Piper Matthews, Allen Scolese and Sam Siple.

Her family and friends will miss her delightful ability to charm and engage them, her creative cooking flare, her zest for life, her remarkable way of leaving a positive impact on her children and the children she taught and inspired, her affection for animals, her love of Independence and Christmas Days and her effortless pride in her family.

Thank you all for the support, love and well wishes that were sent during her journey and for your friendship during her life. We know that she loved each and every one of you very much.

When I die

Give what’s left of me away

To children

And old men that wait to die.

And if you need to cry,

Cry for your brother

Walking the street beside you.

 

And when you need me,

Put your arms

Around anyone

And give them

What you need to give to me.

 

I want to leave you something,

Something better

Than words

Or sounds.

 

Look for me

In the people I’ve known

Or loved,

And if you cannot give me away,

At least let me live on your eyes

And not on your mind.

 

You can love me most

By letting

Hands touch hands,

By letting

Bodies touch bodies,

And by letting go

Of children

That need to be free.

 

Love doesn’t die,

People do.

So, when all that’s left of me

Is love,

Give me away. 

~Merrit Malloy

In her memory please consider making a donation of blood, as it is a reflection of her generosity to give back to the living. If you care to make a monetary donation in her name to a charitable organization, she was actively involved with Futures for Children located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, or please consider any local animal rescue organization.

 

Success at the dentist!!

 

post holiday hangover?

Getting back into the swing of things after the holidays; we went out to dinner on Friday night at the beach shack; piper ate an entire plate of pasta with butter.

On satruday we went to hains point park in the morning to let the girls run around for a couple hours,….i don’t know what it is about this park but someone always seems to get hurt; piper nailed her head, but was okay.  That evening we went over to the petersens to watch football and eat hotdogs and chili,….the loughs, brantleys, and blachards were there- 10 kids!

Sunday mike took the girls to glen echo park so wendy could pack for her trip to new mexico to see her mom.  This park was very cool; it’s an old amusement park from the 1930 that still has all the buildings, but none of the rides,…regardless, the girls loved running around it for a few hours.

 

 

Clare and dons night out

 

xmas week 2011

Mimi and pap came into town on Wed and we went to pie tanzza; on Thurs. Steve came into town and the Matthews went up to university of Maryland for Pap commencement speech to the Maryland business school graduates.  Pap did a great job addressing the crowd of almost 1000 people; check it out on line if you have a free 15min.  After the commencement we went right to riker and pipers xmas recital at building blocks; both girls did an excellent job singing and dancing- riker had a bells solo and even wore a steelers santa hat.  That night we got a sitter and the adults went out to dinner at willow’s; we had a great time catching up with mimi and pap.

On Fri riker took mimi to the rough faced girl play in Shirlington as her xmas present; mike went with but went to the Shirlington Library to do some work.  That night we had a home cooked dinner by pap then steve mike and wendy went to Clare and don’s while mimi and pap watched the kids.

On sat morning mimi and mike took the girls to the international spy museum; then home to listen to the steelers whoop up on the rams.  That night was xmas eve; so we wrapped presents, went to church, and then tracked santa on his way to Arlington, va.  Riker was scared that santa would come into the house and made mike guarantee he’d keep watch on the stairs.

Sunday was xmas and damn were the girls excited; they were up at 8am and did not finish opening presents until 10am; before heading off to the airport we took the girls to the park so riker could ride her new scooter that uncle steve gave her.  We dropped everyone off at the airport and picked up aunt lynn on the same trip; she is in town for a few days to watch the girls so mike and wendy can make their annual trip to NYC.

On Monday morning we had a great breakfast, opened presents from aunt lynn, then went to clemijontri so the girls could get some energy out; Aunt robin and kate met us there.

On tues morning mike and wendy took the train to NYC we had a blast; we stayed at kenny’s princes place in the west village; we went to time square, out to eat a few times, saw phish and the disco biscuits, hung out with schaivi, jess, pete, and marshall, and took the subway up and down Manhattan.  It’s a great annual trip and so fun and easy on the train.

We got back home to well taken care of kids by aunt lynn and played it cool for a few days; Julia and Bridges came into town on the 30^th; we hung out with the kids and watched the phish show on tv; definitely a strange experience.

On new year’s eve we first went to jammin java for a kids concert, rocknocurous; it was so cute to see neve, riker and oliva jammin’ at the front of the stage!…..all our friends were there and afterwards we went to a local park to let some energy out……that night we went to the carrier’s to get the kids together; we knocked open a pinnate then faked a NYE countdown at 9am then put the kids to bed and the adults (and drew) watched the real count down,…..it makes you feel old to spend NYE this way, but it’s always been armature night when you go out on NYE.

 

riker knows her NFL teams

 

Matthews go to church

 

xmas is near; ballet and work parties dominate the weekend

Christmas is near; we had a great weekend leading up to the holidays.  On Friday we went to riker and kayla’s ballet recital; it was a culmination of the work she does all year.  She was very excited to see us there and ran over to us a few times.  After wards we went to pie tanza for pizza and meatball sandwiches (rikers new favorite food for this week)

On Saturday was mike’s work party; so that he could prepare wendy to both girls down to olive and gigi’s birthday party at the lough’s house; they came home with whistles.  On Saturday afternoon was Mike’s work party to celebrate the recent ocelot win.  We rented out the downstairs bar at clare and don’s; Dave and Rebecca (owners) put on a great event that exceeded expectations.  We had tons of food and bought drink tickets for all 45 guests.   They party was only supposed to last until 5pm, but folks stayed until 8pm.  It was great.

On Sunday, after being awoken by whistles, we went down to union station to shop and get train tickets for our upcoming trip to NYC.  Wendy went for a run while we were down there, and mike took the girls to the national postal museum.  After a nice lunch in the train station we headed back for naps.  Sunday evening was a big event for riker; she went to the Kennedy center for the real nutcracker ballet.  Wendy took her along with the johnson’s (Kayla) and her friend Casey from school.  They even had a tea party at the Johnson’s beforehand.  Very cool.

 

Letters to santa- going in the mailbox

 

uncle steve in town; pot luck weekend

Good weekend as we ramp up for the holidays; uncle steve came into town thurs. night for business and we met up with him at the Arlington roof top bar to watch the steelers browns game.  He gave the girls presents; they were excited

On Friday evening we went to pizzeria orso; we got a great booth and the uncle steve joined us for dinner.

On Saturday we prepared for our annual pot luck party; this year we said “no kids allowed” so the adults could enjoy the evening.  Wendy set up the house while mike and uncle steve took the girls to lyon village park and gravelly point park, before dropped steve off at the airport.

Saturday night was the big party; it was great having all the adults, just like old times.  We had 28 people over and everyone fit nicely in our house.  The girls went to the Johnson’s where we got a sitter for our two girls and the Johnson’s two girls.  Stayed up a bit later than normal, but it was worth it.

On Sunday we went to the mall to do some xmas shopping at ballston commons mall; santa was there, although he looked kinda creepy; the girls were initially excited to see him, but once we got within a few feet of him they would not get any closer.  We also finally got our xmas tree; we’ll decorate it this week.

 

Decorating the xmas tree

 

At arlington roof top for the game w uncle steve