Grandma Croker came to visit for Christmas and New Year’s, and the kids all taught her the fine art of playing “Settlers of Catan”.  By the look on his face I’m not sure Jonah is excited about Ian’s demands.

Our Chickens which hatched in September of 2013 were almost fully grown, and we finally had to concede to Ian that his beloved Chicken “Cupcake” was, in reality, a Rooster.

Logan participated in his second Pinewood Derby as a Cub Scout, and received high marks for his shark-inspired design.

Although when we bought our house everyone swore that it “doesn’t really snow much in Virginia” and that we “shouldn’t worry about the driveway since we’ll never have to shovel” we spent many hours shoveling.  For the record our big Ford van never got stuck, but it did spend a few nights at the end of the driveway instead of by the garage just to be safe.

It wasn’t quite a Colorado winter, but enough to keep the kids entertained.

Eva really enjoyed the snow.  Our big Ford van, on the other hand, did not.  But that’s why we also have a Subaru.

By the end of the month the snow had melted again, and Jessica got to work breaking ground for our garden.  The previous owners never really had a vegetable garden, so we had some work to do to frame in beds and get fencing in.  We weren’t sure how successful we’d be, given the number of trees and amount of shade on our property, but we figured we’d give it a shot.

Ian’s birthday was next, and he had a great 7th birthday celebration.

After the snow broke, the chickens started laying eggs and Jessica’s dream came true: five chickens who lay five different, individual eggs.  Do you know who laid your egg?

Jonah’s birthday came later in March, and for his party he wanted a cook-out.  The kids have a clearing in our woods they call the “Campsite” which works pretty well for campfires and roasting.

For his birthday, all Jonah would ever say he wanted was a “Creepy Rubber Horse Mask”.  Both Jessica and I refused to get him one, but his dear sister spent her own money and surprised him.  What else could a 12-year old boy possibly want?

Brenna really enjoys our little flock.  Here she’s having out with our Bantam “Hunka-Munca”, who lays pretty green eggs.

Also in March, Barry was able to travel to Israel for work, and he brought his March Moustache with him.  On this particular day they flew helicopters from from Gaza to Golan and everyone in between–it was quite the trip.

Not to be outdone by her Mom, Eva started teaching her own Yoga classes in Jessica’s studio.  Here she is instructing a combination of upwards and downward facing dog poses.

Eva is a busy little girl, but we are so thankful to have her as a part of our family.

The Washington D.C. Cherry Blossom Festival is world-famous for a reason.  It’s difficult to even describe the sight of so many flowers everywhere you look, like here at Arlington National Cemetery.

We made a valiant attempt at family photos in front of our neighbor’s cheery tree, but not all children would cooperate.

So we had to have a little fun with it…

Easter was in April this year, and seeing that we had plenty of eggs to go around, we dyed our first-ever batch of home-raised eggs.

Our zip-line, which had been dormant since living in Ohio, was also resurected.

For Barry’s birthday, he raced a local 13-hour Mountain Bike race with a few of his cycling buddies.  It was a long day, but the three of them took home overall top honors with a convincing win.

Now that the threat of winter was finally gone, and the garden boxes ready to go, we put in the first crop of cool-weather plants including peas, lettuces, and kale.

Although she technically is Brenna’s chicken, “Gilbird” is the only one who would let Eva catch and hold her, so she became Eva’s favorite.  I’m not sure what Gilbird though of all of this.

Brenna turned 14, and had a birthday cake of mini-cheesecakes.  We sure love this girl.

Jessica’s Yoga practice continues to evolve as she juggles homeschooling, home making, and pursuing her own dreams.  Along with teaching friends in our home, she also took a part-time teaching job at a local Yoga Studio one night a week.

She had a great birthday as well.

May means time for Father-Son campout, and while it wasn’t quite as exciting as some of our Colorado camps, it still was a great weekend of only-boys time.

Hunca-munca went broody, so Jessica got her some chicks to take care of.  The kids had a blast learning how mother hens raise their young.  Baby chicks sure are cute.

There are so many things to do for a Homeschooling family in Virginia, like Colonial Williasburg.

Barry continued to work in the District of Columbia the first half of the year, always looking for new places to ride his bike. 

The kids got in some bike miles as well in and around our neighborhoods.  We are quite the crew when we roll.

The weather was warm enough to hit Virginia Beach, which was in all regards Eva’s first time to the ocean.  She wasn’t super excited about getting in the water.

Instead she was in heaven digging in the sand.

Ian on the other hand, stayed in the water all day.  Literally all day.  He is part fish I think.

At Virginia Beach we found an eight-person bicycle.  How could we not rent such a contraption?

Barry wrapped up the month with a 7-day Mountain Bike stage race in Pennsylvania called the “Transylvania Epic”.  Epic it was, and a lot of fun.  (I’m just grateful my dear wife let me disappear for a whole week! -ed)

After nearly a year of commuting by bicycle to, in, and from the District, Barry had his first run-in with an automobile.  Thankfully his wheel took the brunt of the accident, while Barry just caught the Metro to work.

Eva, as our youngest, is pretty good at holding her own against her older brothers and sister.  Doing things her own way is pretty standard.

Granny and Papa Hone came to visit, and unlike their last visit, the weather was perfect for some sight-seeing in and around Washington D.C.

Hunter always can stand out in a crowd.

While Jonah on the other hand, blends in (sometimes).

A local state park near where we live put on a weekly mountain bike race series, with a great kid’s category.  Three of the boys did a couple of races, and had a great time.

Logan made the podium in his first race.

The only thing better than having your own pool is having a neighbor who let’s you use their pool.  We are grateful for all the hot summer days the Luciw’s let us cool off  at their house.  Eva was much more interested in pool-swimming than the ocean.

Summer means Scout Camp, and as the Troop’s Scoutmaster Barry took Jonah and nine of his companions to Camp Marriott, in the Shenandoah mountains.  It was a great week with a great group of young men.

Breanna’s dream of being a bee-keeper came true when our neighbor invited her to help work on his hive.  Later on in the year she saved enough money to buy two hives, and hopes to start raising bees in 2015.

While it was not the best garden we’ve ever had, we did well enough to enjoy a few harvests of peas, beans, and zucchinis (before the blight took them all out).

The mountains of Virginia aren’t quite as big as the west, but are always fun to visit.

Our fourth-of-July fireworks tradition continued.

Jonah put his bow to good use to finish up his Archery Merit Badge for Scouts.  What you can’t tell from this photo is it was about 99 degrees and 100% humidity.  East coast summer at it’s finest.

Logan also chose to have a cook-out for his 10th birthday.  In short, the fire pit got a lot of use this past year.

Barry and Jessica got to steal away for a few nights to Pennsylvania for their 16th Anniversary.  The kids mostly survived, but I hear the babysitter was worn out.

Barry also raced his bike at the Mountain Bike National Championships on a hot and rocky Pennsylvania course.  It wasn’t his best National’s finish, but good enough to make the trip worth it.

Near the end of the month, we packed up and headed north to New Hampshire to visit friends and family we hadn’t seen in many years.  The kids really enjoyed the New England coast.

In memory of Barry’s Dad, who died several years ago, friends and family donated a bench at Odiorne Point State Park, in Rye, NH.  This was the first time that we had all seen the bench together.

New Hampshire beach isn’t quite as fun to swim in as Virginia beach.  For the record, Barry and Jonah did stay in for more than 5 minutes each.  (I think the water  temperature was lucky to be in the high 50’s).

Barry’s sister just moved to a new place on the Exeter river, a great place for the kids to explore.

And the fire pit tradition continued at their place, with marshmallows (and starburst) roasting.

Before leaving New Hampshire, Barry and Jessica spent an afternoon with Mark and Shandi, up in Warner.  Barry and Mark were able to ride together for the first time in more than a decade, and reminisce on the many years they spent riding together growing up.  (Mark, it was great to see you –ed!)

As summer wound down, we spent as many hot afternoons as possible in the Luciw’s pool.

Barry started a new job outside of the District, which was good for his commute, hard in other ways.  His new position at the National Reconnaissance Office requires monthly travel to the West coast, and a new uniform several weeks at a time.

As the summer ended, so did the humidity, and time outdoors became even more enjoyable.  These two are getting pretty good on their bikes.

And these three have become inseperable.

For her 3rd birthday, all Eva said she wanted to do was “eat cupcakes and go to the [Washington D.C. LDS] Temple with her babies”.  So we went.  She was in heaven.

The last dog-days of summer were spent exploring the local state parks, before getting back into the habit of Homeschool and another year of learning.

The playground, and apple-cider donuts also are a big hit.

We are not sure where it came from, but Hunter has a thing for what he calls “Tikis”, or any carved-wood face like a totem pole.  In September he declared “National Tiki Day”, and made an assortment of Tiki faces.  Such a fun kid.

After just about a month, our two-week kitchen makeover was complete.

For our family, just about every day is a school day.  Here’s Brenna showing Eva the wood frog she caught in our yard.

And here’s Logan teaching Eva how to roll a hoop (a very useful skill I might add).

In October the leaves started to fall, we spent many weekends clearing off the driveway and lawn.  We gave a family photo another shot for the year, and made out a bit better.

And actually got a few that we like (although Logan is a bit tall in this one).

October means Halloween, which for some reason is our kid’s favorite holiday.  They aren’t into the scary part, as much as the costume-making part, which can get quite unique.  This year Jonah was “A Brush With Death” (think grim reaper with a broom) while Logan was a Chicken.

Ian was a gnome, Eva a princess, and Hunter an Army Guy (sorry, no Air Force this year.)

Eva loved her dress.  She always wants to be a princess.