Derek's party

Jemma and I took lots of trips together when she was little because Jim was doing work-ups and was away alot. It has been quite a while since just she and I travelled together. We took off Friday after school and headed to MD. We spent the night with Olivia and Jason, who have a very cute house! (I didn't even think of getting out the camera because we had just such a lovely time chatting and catching up!) Olivia made bacon and waffles for breakfast Saturday morning and Jemma got one of the greatest presents... a create-your-own storybook! It was just a quick visit, but I'm so glad we got to stay!

Then, Jemma and I headed to Fairfax for Derek's 5th birthday party. Jemma told me that she was going to marry Derek... I'm glad that she is role playing and learning about relationships. It is very cute... The party was crazy. There were 18 kids with too much energy to be stuck indoors, but it was too cold to go out! The enjoyed pin-the-tail on the donkey (Jemma got the closest and won a prize), pass the present, guess how many M&M's, building Legos, and coloring. They had pizza and cake and ice cream. After cake and ice cream, the kids played hide-and-go-seek. How many kids do you think can hide in one bathtub?It was a party fit for any 5 year old! And I was impressed with how well Jemma played with all the kids. The other kids all go to school together, so I was a little concerned about Jemma being left out, but she fit right in! She was quite the little social butterfly and I was very proud.

After the last kid was picked up, Jemma and Derek played for a little while. They are such good friends!

Then, Jemma and I headed for home. We left Fairfax before 4 pm and didn't arrive until after 8 pm. We only stopped at Panera for dinner (love their new Mac-n-cheese, although Jemma says that mine is better!) and for gas once in Fredericksburg. Traffic on I-95S was horrible, and I'm so glad Jim will be with us on our trip to DC next weekend...