The SNAC Pack: November In Review

We finished up our training in VA and headed back to Tallahassee on December 14. But before I get to that, let me give you a little review of our November :)

Carter got his first haircut! We took him to a super cute place called Pigtails and Crewcuts where he got to play with train tables while he waited, sit in a police car while he got his trim, and watch a movie on a big screen TV! Can I please get my next cut at a place like this?! He did so great and the lady who trimmed his hair was super nice. Although, we really didn't get enough cut off...he's past due for another one! I just love his long hair and wish we could push his bangs to the side, but they tend to want to hang straight down in his eyes..

pre-haircut from the front

pre-haircut from the side

pre-haircut from the back

train table in the waiting area

police car chair

he was so good!

finished product :)

Some of Nick's family came to visit one weekend which was awesome! His Aunt Becky and Uncle Phil drove from Pennsylvania, stopping to pick up his Uncle Jeff and Aunt Ann on the way. Also, his brother Joe and his girlfriend Jane joined us from North Carolina and Pennsylvania. We spent the afternoon showing them around campus and visiting during Carter's nap before heading out to a yummy dinner.

We celebrated 4 birthdays in our 'quad' (we shared a main living area with 4 other families heading to the Americas) including Nick's 26th! That meant lots of parties and more importantly, lots of cake ;) For Nick's we had several friends over and enjoyed playing Catch Phrase and eating an assortment of cupcakes, which of course included some Justin Beiber themed treats!

Carter fell asleep standing up with his head in my lap while we were playing Catch Phrase - it was bizarre!

We had Thanksgiving at lunchtime in the cafeteria :) But the staff did an awesome job of preparing us a FEAST and then provided to-go boxes so we could take some to our quads for dinner as well. After lunch, all the kids decorated a Christmas tree in the dining room and after we put Carter down for a nap, Nick and I played flag football with some of the new friends we've made. Somehow, I managed to be the ONLY girl to show up...but it was still fun! That evening we celebrated Thanksgiving again, this time with the other families in our quad. We each made a dish in our tiny kitchens and enjoyed some fellowship together :)

The day after Thanksgiving, everyone loaded up onto 3 charter buses to head to Washington D.C. Our goal was to go around the city observing and engaging people from other cultures. After an interesting morning experience on the metro, we made it to Wheaton, MD where we ate at a hispanic restaurant and found a Brazilian shop where we were able to visit and speak with native Brazilians. It was a really neat experience! We visited the Lincoln memorial before we headed back to the bus depot to make the trip back to VA. Carter did awesome and though it felt as though we walked 50 miles, we had a great day :)

riding the metro: