At the beginning of December we spend a weekend in DC with our friends the Townsends. It was a cold one! We got the first snow of the season and it was wet, but we tried to make the best of it and enjoy all of the holiday festivities around the city.

This picture about sums up the mood when we were outside. “Please let us go in and drink hot chocolate!” Lauren is only smiling in this picture because she was bribed with hot chocolate (good parenting). They had put up Christmas trees for each state and decorated them with items that were symbolic for the state. The girls are standing on front of Pennsylvania.

Much happier after they got their hot chocolate and cupcake rewards 😉
Lauren and Bella get along really well…

…which also means that Sophie felt left out, which is obvious in this picture. She was not thrilled to be forced into this picture. This was taken in front of one of the many trees (indoors!) around the city. Crystal planned our whole weekend and we ate at some fantastic restaurants – this was in a lobby attached to one of them.

The girls and Dave also went ice skating (their third time this year so far). I stayed outside long enough to take a few pictures and then found a nice spot in the warming hut 😉

Since we got engaged (15 years ago!!), Dave and I have been going to NYC for a weekend in December, but last year we just decided it was too much – too expensive, too crowded, full of cranky New Yorkers, etc. So when the Townsends suggested meeting in DC instead we decided to give it a go and it was great! The City was beautiful, clean, and not at all crowded. We ate fabulous food, enjoyed all of the festivities, and didn’t have to spend a fortune and wait in hours of lines. I think a December DC weekend will be our tradition moving forward.