The Janneys' Journey

Chase Andrew

2011-03-05T22:40:00.002-05:00

Chase is 22 months old. He is almost 2! He is such a joy. He makes Alan and I exchange glances and cover our mouths to prevent us from laughing and encouraging his naughty behavior very regularly. He is such a stubborn child. He says, "No!" and "Stop it, Mommy!" on a regular basis. He has his own agenda and is very adament about seeing it through. He has a glare that he will use on anyone who doesn't please him the way that he thinks they should. He will make himself go limp when you try to pick him, throw himself on the ground, and hit someone with out hesitation if they are annoying him.

And then there is his sweet side. And what a sweet side it is. He is a little snuggle bug. Anytime he hurts himself (which is quite often since he's the clumsiest kid I've ever seen) he will point to wherever it hurts and say, "Ouch! Big hug?" and put those little arms out! Who could resist!? He will come up and just lay his head on my knee sometimes and say, "Aww!" He gives kisses by sticking his cheek up against mine and making a, "mwah!" sound. His precious laugh could melt the coldest of hearts. He blows kisses to complete strangers sometimes and they give him big smiles in return.

He is passionate about a few things. He is passionate about food. The only way we could get him to comply for family pictures was by feeding him while our poor friend was taking pictures. It resulted in a lot of pictures like the one above but at least they accurately depicted this period in our lives. He is also passionate about books. He loves to read and insists on reading many books every day. He'll read to himself. He'll ask us to read. The first thing he did when we got home last week after being gone for over a week was to crawl up into his chair in his room and read book after to book to himself.

He loves his big brother and wakes up every morning with a smile saying, "Hi Momma! Jack Jack? Daddy?" He wants to know where everyone is and to give them all hugs. He loves preschool and his teachers love him. They are frequently telling me how impressed they are by how many words he knows and how eloquently he speaks them. He has no problem at all expressing himself. I think Alan was hoping for one quiet introvert like himself, bless his heart. It just doesn't look like it's going to happen. ;-)

Chase makes me smile every day and I am enjoying my sweet baby so much. I'm looking forward to the next stage as well because it has been my experience so far that it only gets better, but for now, I'll cherish this moment and this day with my Baby Chase.

Jackson Ryan

2011-03-05T22:11:00.001-05:00

My Jackson Ryan is 4 and 1/2 years old. One of my pet peeves is the moms who lament over their children growing up. Yes, at times it feels like it's going by very quickly. But good gosh, at other times it feels like the slowest process that ever took place. =) Jackson is a sweet boy. I enjoy him so much and love the conversations that we have. Sometimes I find myself missing the chubby toddler he was. I find myself wishing that he'd wrap those chubby arms around me once more and say in garbled speech, "I wuv you, Mommy." again. But instead, he wraps his arms that have begun to grow slender around me and says very articulately, "I love you more than anyone. Except Jesus. I love Him the most." We have the funniest conversations on a daily basis. He's constantly trying to understand the world and wants me to be the one who explains it all to him.

He still asks me for hugs. He still crawls into my lap and rests his head on my shoulder. He asks me to pick him up and carry him to bed sometimes. He asks me snuggle him at night and to read him stories. I know that those days are probably numbered so I'm trying to enjoy them while I can. He loves to run fast (faster than ANYONE- according to him). He enjoys preschool very much and constantly is telling me about his classmates and about his beloved Mrs. Donna. He looks forward to treasure box on Fridays very much. He missed it once because he got in trouble and hasn't made the same mistake twice. He is an excellent brother to Chase and is patient with him and holds his hand often. He tries to explain things to Chase that are far beyond Chase's comprehension but that doesn't stop Jackson from trying. He adores his Dad and his face lights up when Alan comes home from work every day. Alan ruptured his patella tendon which has prevented them from wrestling but it hasn't damaged their relationship. Those two love each other so much. He also loves his Gigi and Gpa and Nana and Papa with a special kind of love that makes my heart so happy. =)

I love my Jackson Ryan.

Christmas

2011-01-22T22:57:00.000-05:00

We had another wonderful Christmas celebration this year.
We started off at Alan's Aunt and Uncle's House for our Christmas Eve festivities:

Chase was shocked at how much fun he had!

Chase and Auntie Megan.

Cousin Tanyon.

Cousins Kristin, Jessica, and Tanyon.

Alan, Jackson's back, and I.

Jackson and Tanyon playing a HUGE game of Hungry Hippo.

That night we headed to Alan's Granny's house where we spent the night and woke up the next morning to a homemade southern breakfast (biscuits and gravy, sausage, eggs, etc.) and opening more presents.

Jackson was VERY excited for presents.

Waiting patiently...

Chase is quite possibly the only baby I know who LIKES getting clothes. He tries them on right away.

Granny and Debbie (Nana)- two generations of sweet ladies. =)

Nana and Papa helping Jackson open his BATCAVE!

Debbie opening a present.

Sweet brothers.

LOVE Chase's face.

Then that night we left for my mom and dad's house because it was snowing pretty heavily and only expected to snow more. We drove through the snow and it was a beautiful white Christmas. We arrived at Mom and Dad's around midnight. We celebrated Christmas the next morning with the WHOLE family: Mom, Dad, Anne (aaand baby #2 who is due in May if you want to get technical), Danny, Luke, Liz, Matt, Becky, Alan, Jackson, Chase, and I. We didn't get any pics of the whole family but I anticipate quite a few of those in June for Liz's wedding.

Anne, Beck, and Luke

My Mom and Chasey.

First engaged Christmas.

Anne and Lukey.

The cousins!

Storytime.

Gigi and Buzz Lightyear.

Gpa and Chase.

Chase working on his toolbench.

Just hanging out.

This wasn't technically on Christmas. It was the Sunday before Christmas at church. Jackson was an angel in the Christmas musical and Aunt Boo came to see him.

They love each other. =)

It was a wonderful Christmas. The older I get, the easier it has become for me to love Christmas. I know a lot of people don't feel that way, but I do. It has truly become a celebration of Jesus' birth for me. I am thrilled by the songs celebrating His birth that I hear in all the public venues during the holidays. I love that people actually DO the things that Jesus told us to do- like helping the poor (Salvation Army, Angel Tree, The Rescue Mission, etc.). I love that people tend to smile more and that there is a magic everywhere that people can't quite put their finger on. It's Jesus. He permeates the holiday season and brings a joy that those who don't know Him are drawn to. They know there is something special, something better than the everyday lives they know, but they often buy into the materialistic lies that the world tries to sell. I enjoy presents. This year we got an amazing new dining room table to enjoy family meals around! Our old one was a wobbly, old kitchen table that we've had for 8 years (since we got married) and that my parent's used for many years before that. But presents are not what it's about. I loved looking around at my family during Christmas. I loved seeing the joy written on their faces as we spent time together, as we laughed together, shared happy hour together, as we watched the little ones laughing together. We have been blessed and we know every good thing comes from God. Like Christmas.

Tacky Sweater Party...

2011-01-22T16:25:00.000-05:00

This year I hosted my first annual Tacky Sweater Christmas Party. I had around 30 lovely ladies who were able to come and it lasted until 2:30 in the morning- can you say, success!?
Here are a few pics from that night:

The trophy and voting booth.

I love Christmas!

My amazing mom who came down to help with the party and drove 4 hours down and 4 hours back in less than one day because she's SUPERMOM!

DIRTY Santa exchange. Some dirtier than others.

JULIE WAS THE WINNER! She had Baby Marley a couple weeks later- such a rockstar for being out and partying that close to her due date!

The four with the highest votes for tackiest.

CHEERS!

Thanksgiving...

2011-01-07T22:48:00.000-05:00

Hi. My name is Sarah and I blog...once every three months or so that is. =)
Thanksgiving was at my parents' house this year and it was lovely (as always).
This year we had two new attendees:

Matt Wilkins, my sister's fiancee. It feels like he's been part of the family for quite awhile and we're all very excited to have him for many more Thanksgivings to come. =)

Matt and Liz

...And Stophy. Or Chris McCaffery, as those who haven't known him since he was a baby call him. He is our cousin and we all agreed that we wish we could just keep him for every holiday. Especially Jackson. Jackson was very impressed by Stoph's abilities to rake huge piles of leaves and then to hide in them, as well as his sword fighting. He was pretty devastated to learn that Stoph would not be coming to Christmas.

Stoph and I.

This is the table. We had a gazillion people this year. I don't remember the exact number, but a lot. Becky and I set the table, but really we just put things where mom tells us to. Mom can out Martha Stewart Martha Stewart on Thanksgiving any year.

Seeee?

The Beautiful Pierson Family: Danny, Anne, and my precious nephew, Luke.

Stoph and Becky played football. Or at least did a great job of faking it for this photo.

Dad made and then carved the turkey. He looked a little scary...uh, intense.

Oh, hey to my ADORABLE mom and baby Chase.

Jackson, Chase, and Gigi.

Post dinner we had a rousing game of spoons. Just like the Murphy reunions of ole.

Mom was pretty excited about her win!

My baby sister and I. Cheers.

Dad taking a pic from outside.

Ending the night with sparklers and fireworks! Naturally. =)

2010 was a year that was easy to be thankful for. God has given us so very much and it's hard to imagine wanting anything more.

Lizzy is ENGAGED!!

2010-10-16T18:21:00.002-04:00

My sister, Liz just got engaged a few weeks back to her boyfriend, Matt! YAY! We're all very excited. Alan and I actually knew Matt before Liz did because he was involved with Young Life at Radford University when Alan was the area director. We love Matt. We were super excietd when they started dating. I was even there when Lizzy came back to our house after the first date and I got to see the super awkward conversation that transpired as they tried to figure out how to say goodbye, whether or not they were going to go on another date, etc. It was awesome. But it all worked out and we're looking so forward to having Matt become an OFFICIAL member of the family. He's been an unofficial member for quite awhile. CONGRATS, Liz and Matt!

The BLING!

RIGHT after they got back from him popping the question!

We MIGHT have known about it!

Telling the story of how the proposal happened..."and then Liz saw a shiny bottle..."

Hipster couple

Matt even makes Liz happy in the winter...it MUST be love. =)

Jackson is FOUR!

2010-10-16T17:50:00.000-04:00

Oh, my Jackson Ryan Janney. You are so much fun. You talk more than anyone I've ever known. Well, your dad would say that you talk as much as I do. =) You tell jokes that make me laugh and some that make absolutely no sense at all...so I laugh at those, too. You are a sweet older brother to Chase and give him hugs frequently and he adores you. You love to play with cars and line them all up for races. You also have acquired a collection of "bad guys" and "superheroes" and they are frequently engaging in intense battles. Your favorite movies are "The Cars Movie" and "Kung Fu Panda." You still say "kank you" instead of thank you and you still say "You got for to..." instead of "You forgot to." I love it when you mix those words up because other than that, you are an incredibly articulate little guy. You have quite the following on my Facebook page because I often record the funny things you say and people love to read about your antics. You are a snuggle bug. You hug me often and say sweet things like "You are the best mommy in the whole wide world and I love you to Gigi and Gpa's house and back." I could never get tired of hearing that. You also love attention and I often hear "Mommy! Look at THIS!" I do get tired of hearing that. ;-) You still love to "kung fu" fight your dad and you also love going on "night walks" with Dad. Sometimes you guys bring your flashlights and just explore, other times, Daddy wears a glove and ya'll bring a bag and do "trash walks" and clean up the neighborhood. Some nights you two will lay on a blanket and look at stars and airplanes going over head. Gigi told you that you both can see the same moon when you see the moon and you somehow translated that to mean that Gigi can HEAR you on the moon so you've gotten in the habit of yelling VERY loudly, "GIGI!!! Can you hear me!??!?!" when you see the moon. She didn't help the situation by talking to you on the cell phone one night while you were yelling at the moon and saying "Yes, I can hear you!!" =) You love to sing songs, hear stories, tell stories, and be read stories at bed time. You say the sweetest prayers that I'm convinced must make God smile. You are such a special, wonderful little boy and you bring joy to everyone who knows you, and everyone who meets you.

My smiley 4 year old!

Chase took off...

2010-10-16T17:01:00.000-04:00

While we were at the beach, walking finally "clicked" for Chase. He went from being a walker who stumbled more often than he walked, to a walker who ran more often than he walked. It was so exciting to see him take off. I think the soft sand landing gave him courage along with the carpeted condo. He was used to falling on our hard wood floors at home which was not a pleasant landing place.
Here he is, taking off:

The rest of our beach trip...

2010-10-16T16:46:00.001-04:00

Well, it's October. What better time to write my blog post from our beach vacation, right? =)
Here's a collage of pics with captions of the rest of our trip:

The next few pics are from Broadway on the Beach. Alan's mom stayed home with Chase that night. We didn't just choose to exclude them from all the pictures.


Getting ready to play Putt-putt.


Deep in concentration.


HOLE IN ONE!

The Fire Breathing Dragon came out...

Jackson hiding from the fire breathing dragon...


And running away from the dragon as the fire comes out.

Father and son.

Love this boy.

Megan, Jackson, and I.

Alan and Jackson.


Jackson riding his motorcycle.

In front of the aquarium.

Smiles.

"I LOVE THE BEACH!" (he said it with his eyes).

Jackson playing in the founatins at night.

"HI MOM!"

My boys in action.

Love watching them play together. Total bff.

Lazy river...

Megan enjoying the lazy river with out children.

The way the lazy river looks with kids...

Snuggle bugs.

Alan and Chase walking the lazy river.

Megan and Jackson in the pool.

Family picture time.

The whole Janney family on our 4th annual beach vacation. =)\

Papa and Nana with their grandkids.

The Beach!

Definitely siblings. =)

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Jackson playing in the fountain.

Beach 2010- Part One

2010-08-01T12:25:00.004-04:00

Four days down, Four days to go so far on our beach trip this year. I'm sitting in the lovely lobby staring out at the ocean with the scent of coffee wafting from the ice cream/coffee shop in here and getting on my computer for the first time since I've been here. I haven't missed it either. :) I've been a bit of a slacker on the picture taking (I know, what else is new?) but I've been busy doing things like playing in the waves, swimming in the lazy river, and eating insane amounts of crab legs.

Day 1: We arrived at the beach around 4:00 after a drive that went by REALLY fast this year. It was 6ish hours but the boys were angels and there wasn't any traffic. YAY! We got to the lovely Sea Watch Resort which we loooove. We stayed here last year as well. We checked in, unpacked a little, and got out to the beach as quickly as possible.

He loved the sand.

Jackson tried to fight the waves.

Both Chase and Jackson absolutely adored the beach. It was so nice to discover that they are both at the age where they are completely fascinated and entertained by the sand and the waves. Chase sat contentedly with his bucket and shovel for the longest time digging in the sand. Jackson ran in and out of the waves like a wild man.
We switched over to the lazy river for awhile and eventually headed upstairs to eat dinner (PIZZA!). We were all pretty exhausted and I went to bed not much later than the little guys that night.
Day 2: This was Debbie (my mother in law)'s birthday! We ate a yummy breakfast and I spent some alone time with my coffee out on our balcony with this view:

Then we got the boys ready and headed out for a long day of the pool and the beach.


Boogie boarding (ish).

Busy boys.

Coming back from swimming in the waves.

SUCH a smiley boy.

It's been wicked hot in Virginia the last few weeks so I kind of expected the beach to be hotter (given it's closer proximity to the equator and higher humidity levels). The weather has been gorgeous though. It's been sunny, breezy, and perfect. After Alan and I put the boys down for a nap I went back out and read for an hour until an older gentleman tapped me on my shoulder.
"Uh, ma'am. There is a giant storm headed this way. You really might want to head inside." I looked behind me to see that the sky had turned into a giant, almost black wall and looked around to see that there was no longer anyone in the ocean. I hurried inside and then sat outside on the deck as an epic storm came in. I love storms at the ocean.

Epic storm. The whole beach cleared out so you know it was epic. I also apparently love the word epic.

That night we went to an AMAZING seafood restaurant for Debbie's birthday. It was very elegant and VERY delicious. Jackson thought he had died and gone to heaven when he saw the dessert selection. Chase out ate all of us...as usual.
Day 3: We did the usual. Breakfast, beach, pool, lunch on the beach, more pool, nap time. Interesting fact about vacationing with two young children- it's not so relaxing. Last year was actually more difficult in a lot of ways because Chase was only 6 weeks old and had to be fed every few hours. He still would like us to believe that's the case, but it's not. He also was up at 6:00 most mornings but then would go back to bed for a couple hours. The boys are usually awake by 7:00 which means we are too. Our days of sleeping in on vacation are over for awhile which I don't mind so much. Something about waking up to the ocean and an impending day of fun makes it okay. Alan is less than okay with it.

Alan's morning face.

Then the day consists of chasing two very active children in and out of the ocean. It's not relaxing in the way vacations were when it was just Alan and I and we'd sit on the beach in our beach chairs reading with our feet in the water drinking Pina Colodas. However, it is relaxing in other ways. It's so nice to know that a housekeeper is going to do all the cleaning for me, so awesome to not have to plan out and cook healthy meals, and most of all, I love that our main goal every day is to have FUN together as a family. There are so many smiles and so much laughter through out the day.


Pool time

Jackson loved the waves...unless they knocked him over at which point he'd yell at them and kick them.

I walked to the Pier and back during their nap which was fun. It's so interesting to people watch at the beach. Such an interesting mix of people. That night we had a relaxing night in followed by a night swim and ice cream.
Day 4: Today began with the hotel breakfast buffet. OH MY GOSH. Chefs made omelets and Belgium waffles, sausage, bacon, fresh fruit, yummy coffee, and everything else you can think of that a good breakfast consists of. Then it was off to the BEACH. Today Jackson finally got brave and went into the waves with Alan and I. We went pretty deep and spent a long time jumping over waves. That's one of my favorite parts of the beach even though every other thought is questioning how long until a shark bites me. The boys are napping and we're off to dinner and Putt-putt after nap time.
This may sound cheesy, but I have gone to sleep smiling every night since we've been here and...(Becky, you'll appreciate this) the Taylor Swift song "Today Was a Fairytale" plays in my head. I can't help it! It does. The ocean is a peaceful place for me. Despite the people and the music and the other distractions, the sound of the ocean drowns out everything else and it's so soothing. The evening walks on the beach when the crowds have cleared out and the sky has taken on a golden hue and it reflects in the sand and the waves is my very favorite time of the day here.


Alan, Chase, and Jackson on our night walk.


Alan and Jackson striking their "manly pose"despite the sling Alan's wearing. Chasey holding on for dear life.

Snuggly, sweet Chase.

..The night of day 4 after the boys were in bed, Alan and I went out and got drinks from the Tiki bar and sat on the beach watching the ocean and some beautiful lightning that was sort of a reddish color behind the clouds. We talked about the vacation and how grateful we were that we have in-laws who are so generous and give us the opportunity to take a vacation that we wouldn't have had otherwise. We know it's a blessing a lot of people don't have and don't take it for granted at all. It was fun spending some alone time with Alan. That's rare these days.

Jackson took this pic of us. I love my husband a lot.

Fourth of July...

2010-07-23T17:17:00.000-04:00

We headed up to NoVa for the 4th and had a wonderful time (of course!). I actually left a few days earlier (sans kids and husband) and went up to spend some quality time with my sister, brother-in-law and nephew in Richmond.

Luke and I at story time

Adorable

Then I spent a couple days with my parents and two other sisters. It was amazing. It's impossible to describe to people who don't have kids what a few days with out kids are like. For four days, instead of waking up to a 3 year old in my face whispering loudly "WAKE UP, MOMMY!!!", I woke up when I wanted to. One morning I woke up and went running with my youngest sister and then went kayaking with my mom in the lake for a couple hours. At meal time, instead of feeding a ravenously hungry one year (seriously- his appetite is insatiable) and a picky 3 year old, I just fed myself. I could drink my coffee slowly in the mornings and not worry about whether or not Chase was going to knock it over. My schedule was my own. I could go where I wanted to when I wanted to and not worry about how that affected nap time. I went to see Eclipse (what!? I'm not ashamed of it. Loved it!) with all of my sisters and my mom one night.

Pre-Eclipse sister pic.

I went to Starbucks one day and drank an iced coffee slowly while reading a magazine while sitting outside and stayed as long as I wanted to. I got to hang out with my parents and sisters and have conversations that weren't interrupted on a regular basis by "Know what, Gigi!?" or "Gpa, look what I can do!" It was glorious. =) All of that to say...I was so excited when Alan came with the boys! I was actually pacing by the glass front door waiting for them and really savored the hugs and snuggles I got when they arrived. I loved the time with out them and felt very refreshed by it, but there is nothing I love more than being with my husband and kids.
I mean...it's hard to resist these faces...

My youngest sister, Becky wasn't there for the 4th festivities and we missed her a lot, but we managed to still have fun somehow. =) We did the usual stuff...


Dad did the grilling.

We ate yummy food!


Luke was really cute.


The boys hung out and talked about crazy the Blecksmiths are.

Lizzy and Matt decorated the pear salad.

Chase practiced his walking.

Sister time.

Dad and Mom were the best hosts in the world.


We headed over to the golf course to watch fireworks over the lake.


Aaand we set off a few of our own.

Chase's Birthday Party...

2010-07-23T16:28:00.000-04:00

Here is a brief glimpse of Chase's party and guests. He had so much fun being the center of attention (those moments are a little hard to come by when you're the second child).

The very happy birthday boy riding his new present!

Awkward picture of Alan and I displaying the decorations!

Papa, Nana, and Chasey.


My fabulous Mom and I!


My sister Anne and my adorable nephew, Luke.

Chase's Nana and his Gigi sitting at the kid's table. =)


Chase demanding his cake!


"Look at my cake!"


He finished every bite. =)

And now a run down of the guest list:


Auntie Annie and baby Chase.

Gpa

Auntie Megan

Auntie Liz


Auntie Becky.

Gigi

Papa

Nana

Mom

Daddy.


Great Granny


Last, but not least, his brother Jackson (showing off his new FBI action set because he wants to be an agent someday like his Gpa).

It was a really special day and Chase had a blast. We decided just to invite family this year because I remember Jackson (who was very social) being somewhat overwhelmed on his first birthday and also because even "just family" adds up!

Chase Andrew is ONE!

2010-06-22T16:45:00.000-04:00

My sweet baby boy, Chase Andrew turned one on May 25th. I feel like I should say that I don't know where that year went and how I can't believe he is one. But most days I feel like the year lasted just the right amount of time and I know know exactly where it went. It was a wonderful and full year. We jokingly call him Neglected Number Two sometimes, but he is anything but. He has been cherished and enjoyed by us all.

We had the snuggly and (sometimes) sleepy newborn stage just long enough.

Then the alert, smiling, cooing stage for just the right amount of time.

From August

Then he discovered he had toes and fingers and was fascinated by those for awhile.

From sept/oct

He realized that his brother was his best friend and I hope that's a stage that never ends.

He learned to crawl and to explore his world and which has been exciting to watch.

Now Chase is at the adorable stage where he talks and laughs and imitates and purposefully snuggles and gives out kisses and so much more.

Looking forward to every stage and every day with my wonderful, one year old.

From Summer 2010

Lizzy's Graduation...

2010-06-22T15:02:00.001-04:00

God blessed me with three younger sisters.

Our mom is also one of the girls, of course.

Dad does a great job of putting up with us...

but was pretty glad when the grandsons and son-in-laws started joining the ranks of our family. Now he has people to watch sporting events with and to talk about non-girly topics with.

As a matter of fact, the boys now outnumber the girls in our family because of the husbands, boyfriends, and the baby boys. Who'd have thought it!?

From Summer 2010

My dad with Jackson, Chase, and Luke.

My sister, Liz recently graduated from Virginia Tech with her degree in Horticulture and we were all on hand to celebrate with her!

My adorable nephew Luke and my mom before Liz's ceremony.

Liz and Jackson post graduation ceremony- she DID it!

Liz graduated in four years with a very high GPA and worked her little booty off. We're incredibly proud of her and her achievements and look forward to seeing the fabulous things that she'll do.

We continued with a weekend of typical Blecksmith family shenanigans. =)

Lots of laughing on my porch.

Little bit of this.

Tutorial on the show Glee followed by a Glee spree.

I love family time.

More Spring Break...

2010-05-08T14:50:00.002-04:00

Life is CRAZY busy right now! I realized at the end of April that every single weekend in May was already booked with one thing or another. All very fun things like dinner parties, graduation parties, birthday parties, cook-outs, etc. So, needless to say, my blogging has suffered. It's better that my blog life suffer rather than my social life, I guess. =)
Here are some more pics from our trip up to NoVa. I will try to be better about taking pictures and documenting all the fun things going on in my life!

Jackson and Chase waiting for breakfast being served by Gigi. I'm not sure there are many words better than "I'll take them! You go back to bed and get some more sleep." Love it.

The water was cold, but the day was hot, so West Beach was pretty much perfection.

Could my nephew BE any cuter!? Love that Lukey.

The face of contentment. =)

Chase contemplating how much sand to eat.

Brothers.

Annie with Chase and Lukey.

Chase getting ready to watch some putt-putt (please note his black eye- see last post).

Dad teaching Jackson how to golf. Alan and I stayed home and were pretty sure putt-putt was going to be a disaster. Turns out, Jackson got TWO hole in ones! He's a natural apparently.

At the driving range where my parents said he got in some rather impressive shots which means he is better than his mom at the driving range. I usually make contact with the ball every third time I try to hit. He's a Tiger Woods in the making. Er...but not a total skeaze like Tiger.

More pictures to come of more recent events once I take more pictures... =)

Walkin on the streets of D.C...

2010-04-21T23:01:00.002-04:00

It's been a year or two since I've been to Washington D.C.. I think growing up so close to the capitol (my parents live about 25 minutes south of D.C.) kind of spoiled me back then.

Picture taken by my Dad (nice one!).

I just never really saw D.C. as a big deal. I enjoyed going there usually, but we used to go a LOT when company would come into town. Going back now and seeing D.C. again and explaining the White House, the Capitol, the Washington monument, the Lincoln Memorial, etc. to Jackson made it special again. We went on a gorgeous spring day. My mom and Dad had both taken the day off of work (because they love us so) and we had a wonderful day.

Chase (saying heyyyyy), Jackson, and my mom (Gigi...or Geeg as Jackson calls her because they are tight like that.)

Unfortunately, everyone else in the world also decided to go that day. The Mall was packed! In fact, the President even made an appearance. He and his family were coming home from President Obama throwing the first pitch at the Nationals Game.

Presidential motorcade.

I was so caught up in it all that I wasn't paying very close attention to the sidewalk in front of me and there was a SUPER uneven part that I hit which caused Chase to slam forward into the front of the stroller resulting in...his first black eye. So sad! Mr. President, when you read my blog (as I'm sure you often do), I'd like to request that you fix the sidewalks in D.C. Kay, thanks?

Jackson got to do something I have always wanted to do. I mean, if I was a kid. Or if people wouldn't look at me like I was a freak for doing it now... ride the Carousel on the mall!

Jackson and my Dad (Gpa)

Seriously, this Carousel is right in front of the Smithsonian castle and is pretty cool. It's also surprisingly fast. At least that's what it seemed like the little 7 year old boy behind Jackson thought since he bawled the whole time.

Chase and Gigi watched the Carousel and Chase thought it was hilarious.

Then it was snack time because Jackson knew I had packed some of my mom's homemade banana blueberry bread for a snack and he couldn't stop himself from bringing it up every 3 minutes or so.

"Oh my GOSH! I can't believe how good this bread is!"

Then we got my Dad to take a family pic of the four of us which is quite the daunting task these days (please refer to my Easter picture post a few back). He made a valiant attempt and we got this...winner.

Awesome.

Old Friends...

2010-04-18T00:13:00.001-04:00

There is something special and unique about friends who knew you back when. Friends who know your history and your family and your life. Friends who knew you when you were an angst filled teenager and still loved you. Friends who remained faithful and forgave you more times than you deserved. Friends who you laughed with and cried with and who you experienced so many of the firsts in life with. These kind of friends:

A friend who knew you when you had braces and when you got your first kiss in those braces (and who had set you up with that guy and rode in the same van while the kiss took place after a Haunted House). A friend who you wrote ridiculous notes back and forth to and who you could fight with and make-up with all in a matter of minutes. A friend who you took voice lessons with and who you got sent to "time out" with in the choir director's office for talking too much with.

Tiffany

A friend who you attended youth group with and who you would talk to for hours about all the youth group guys that you were in love with (that week). A friend who you got to go with to the mall unsupervised for the first time. A friend who you took turns with asking each others' parents about sleepovers every other weekend.

Emily

A friend who you went to camp with for the first time.A friend who shared her headphones with you as you listened together to Alanis Morissette.A friend who talked to you about your relationship with God and helped you to grow. A friend who helped you through what you thought was your first heartbreak (even though it really wasn't). A friend who remained faithful in writing you letters and calling you even after you had moved away.

Marianne

A friend who became a comfort and a joy to you in a new place. A friend who knew you when you fell in love for the first time and that was all that you could talk about or think about. A friend who drove you everywhere because she was a year older than you and was always nice about it (except in the mornings when she wasn't capable of being very nice to anyone). A friend who believed in a friendship years after it had ended and forgave the past.

Kari

A friend who took driver's education with you and saw you crash your car into a gate when you got your gas pedal and brake pedal confused and a friend who you worked your first job with and who saw you violate the dress code on multiple occasions with your short skirts. A friend who lived through very real heartaches with you and shared her own with you.

Maryam

A friend who taught you the art of being a social butterfly and of shining your light. A friend who taught you how delicious Caramel Macchiatos could be at Starbucks and also taught you how to be vulnerable at Starbucks as you shared your life and struggles. A friend who taught you that Peyton Manning was (and is) awesome. A friend who showed you that years apart make no difference in a true friendship.

Ashley

A friend who had no choice because she was your best friend from the day she was born. A friend who helped you through your first heart break (this time it was for real) and rubbed your back as you cried and at least pretended to listen as you re-read all the old love notes that had been exchanged. A friend who never, ever failed you. Even when you called her mean names outside of her door for not letting you borrow her clothes and she punched you. Even when she was ignored for other friends. A friend who you could always go next door and talk to when all the other friends weren't there.

Anne

"A true friend is the gift of God, and he only who made hearts can unite them.”
Robert South

Happy Hour...

2010-04-14T23:23:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite things about being at my mom and dad's house is happy hour. When 5:00 rolls around, the wine comes out, the vodka lemonades come out, the margaritas come out, the appetizers come out...the FUN comes out! Well, the fun is actually already out most of the time. =) My Dad has a wine cellar of sorts in his basement. He has some pretty nice red wines that he likes to break open for special occasions.

   My visits, however, are not one of those special occasion. That is probably because I dub Dad's best wines as "inoffensive." I can't help it! I know red wine is better for me and I know that it's what those with a mature wine palate tend to prefer, but I love white wine! Thankfully my mom and I both like Pinot Grigio and my Dad is very gracious about buying me Gewurztraminer and other yummy white wines.
   All this to say, I came downstairs after getting ready to go out to dinner with some girlfriends of mine and see Jackson sitting at the counter with my mom dipping a cookie in his milk (before dinner).
   "Jackson! What are you eating?" He smirks at me with a knowing look since anything Gigi says goes so he knows that he is safe.
   "It's Happy Hour!" my mom chimes in.
   "Yeah, it's Happy Hour!" Jackson repeats smiling. Well played, Gigi and Jackson.

Back from Spring Break...

2010-04-11T13:58:00.001-04:00

"He is not here; he has risen, just as he said." Matthew 28:6

I hope everyone had a WONDERFUL Easter! Ours was fabulous. My baby sister, Becky came down to visit. And by baby sister, I mean my almost 20 year old sister. We had a girls night out with dinner, shopping and a movie. I'm not saying which one we saw because that would embarrass Becky. She's super cool and I'd hate to ruin that for her by telling the whole world that she saw and enjoyed a movie with Miley Cyrus. Oops. I will say that this guy was in the movie and that she was more than okay with that:

Here is the only pic I got of Beck and I. It was taken Easter morning by Jackson. Not too bad for a 3 1/2 year old photographer.

Here is our family pic from that morning before church. Um, preschoolers and infants are NOT awesome at getting their picture taken. Okay, neither am I, actually. Here is Chase pouting and Jackson doing his "cute" face (according to him) which actually looks like he is eating imaginary corn on the cob. Kudos to Alan on producing a normal smile. =)

We headed to church and the service was especially meaningful because...well, He is alive. Then we headed to the in-laws for a wonderful outdoor lunch and an Easter egg hunt. It was sunny and warm and just one of those perfect days where all is right in the world.

Chase hung out with Megan.

Becky and Jackson and Papa found a lot of Easter eggs. Debbie (my mother in law) isn't pictured because she was taking most of the pictures and making our yummy lunch and dessert (the poached pears with ice cream, chocolate syrup, whipped cream, and slivered almonds was absolutely not a flat belly diet meal...but so worth it. =)).

Then we headed to the car and made our way to Northern Virginia for SPRING BREAK! Lots more pics and blogs to come!

Easter Egg Hunts...

2010-04-10T23:30:00.004-04:00

First off, get ready for a LOT of upcoming blog posts. A lot of pictures have been taken, a lot of things have happened, a lot of places have been seen, a lot of stories need to be told. I will probably be blogging daily for awhile. =)
The preschool that Jackson attends is part of a church that does a lot of wonderful community outreach. One of their events is an Easter egg hunt. We went to the same Easter egg hunt last year and I can be seen on the same bench 8+ months pregnant HERE.

I enjoyed having Chase in my lap rather than in my belly this year! Love babies...don't love getting the big ole belly.

Just like last year, Jackson was much more interested in quality rather than quantity. I walked up to find him opening the eggs, contemplating the candy, and then putting the rejected eggs back on the ground. Hmm.

Our friend Stephanie came by to visit and we got to briefly catch up. Steph and I have been friends for 7+ years and we don't get to see her nearly enough. Chase was smitten with her.

My three favorite boys on the bench.

And a photo by Jackson.

P.S. please note that last year, Alan was clean shaven and this year he is rockin some facial hair. In comparing the two pics, I'm feeling the facial hair- what do you think?

Flat Belly Diet Continued...

2010-03-29T20:42:00.000-04:00

A few people have asked me how it's going so I thought I'd fill everyone in who cares. If you don't care...well, fake it. =) I am absolutely not being paid by any of these people to promote their products but if they asked me to, I totally would because they are working for me!

The four day anti-bloat kick off was difficult but worth it. I lost 4lbs in 4 days and have kept them off (it ended last Thursday) and taken an additional pound off. So 5 pounds in one week- yes, please! My jeans are definitely fitting looser. Sidenote: My mom also lost 4 lbs. I'm sure she'll be in a size 2 now. Speaking of, I was looking through my closet for a skirt for Easter and found a really cute GAP pencil skirt. Then I noticed there was actually a line of dust across the middle where it was laying across the hanger. I thought that was odd and then checked to see the size. It was a size 2.There is a very strong chance that baby hasn't seen the light of day in 4 years.

Back to the Flat Belly Diet. Now I'm onto the basic diet plan and LOVE LOVE LOVE it. This helps.

That, my friends, is a MUFA (mono unsaturated fatty acid). With every meal (4- 400 calorie meals every day) I am supposed to eat one Mufa: dark chocolate, an oil (Olive, Canola, etc.), nuts, olives, or an avocado. Obviously, I love dark chocolate. I like doing a TBSP of dark chocolate chips with a TBSP of almonds. Yum! Also, I could eat avocados every day, all day. I'm from Northern California originally and avocados and artichokes were practically their own food group! I'm keeping track of my calories here: http://caloriecount.about.com/
It's my first time ever tracking calories and it's fascinating. I'm full most of the time and when I'm not that's because it's been 4 hours and it's time to eat! My energy level has been UP. Today I ran (not walked, ran) 3.5 miles which is the most I've run with out stopping in...well, as long as I can remember. I think the healthy food and the water are making me capable of much more physically than I was capable of before the diet. I've also been doing my wonderful Yoga Booty Ballet DVDs when I can't get outside or to the gym.

Those are my YBB trainers. The blonde one is my favorite because she always seems a little drunk. She's hilarious. By the way, the book says you don't have to exercise to see results but it will help you to see accelerated results if you do. Yeah, I'll take the accelerated results please.
My favorite thing about the Flat Belly Diet has been that it has completely transformed the way I think about food. I've always considered myself to be a healthy person and my BMI has always (well, except post-pregnancy for a bit) been in the healthy range. But it's more than that. I want to eat foods that will help me to be healthy long term. I now know the scientific studies behind certain foods and which types of cancers they can prevent. I want to be around for a long time because I have two baby boys who need their mom to be healthy and a husband that I want to grow old with. God gave me this body and I'm supposed to treat it well...He calls it a temple. I should be doing everything in my power to make healthy choices. I like thinking this way and really hope it continues! =)

A Day at the Park...

2010-03-27T22:48:00.004-04:00

Last Saturday my sister Liz, who is a senior at a nearby college, came to stay with us. We decided to take advantage of the glorious weather and had a picnic (my 3rd one that week...I'm sort of addicted to picnics). All pictures, except the one she is in of course, are taken by Liz! Here are some of the highlights:

This is Ace. He was a 9 week old Bulldog puppy we met. I wanted to steal him.

This is Ace meeting Chase. Liz and I thought they looked a lot alike. I'm not sure why now.

Jackson was terrified of Ace. He's barely in the shot of the first photo because he was running so fast screaming at the top of his lungs "DON'T LET HIM GET ME!!" Seriously, have you ever seen anything as terrifying as that puppy? Please note Jackson's expression in the second photo as he hides by the tree. And no, Jackson has never had a bad experience with a dog so I am absolutely allowed to make fun of him.

During the picnic, Chase decided that he preferred to eat dirt rather than avocados. I was unaware of this fact until later viewing the pics. Thanks for stopping him, Liz. Or not.

Liz got some gorgeous spring shots of this Star Magnolia (I only know the name because she is a Horticulture major and knows the name of every plant, tree and flower on the planet).

Pretty Auntie Liz and baby Chase.

Alan pushing a very happy Jackson...

Aaand Jackson pushing a very happy Daddy.

The End.

P.S. I'll post about the Flat Belly Diet next post. It's going great! =)

The Flat Belly Diet...

2010-03-24T19:54:00.004-04:00

Recently, I was reading my friend E's blog. After reading about her success with The Flat Belly Diet, I decided to buy the book. I had eyed it several times at Barnes & Noble and noticed it was written by the Editor of Prevention Magazine (my mom's health bible) but E sent me over the edge. The diet starts out with a 4 day anti-bloat kickstart. It means no coffee and no alcohol and no...well, who really cares? Those two are the hard ones for me.

I recruited my mom to do the diet with me because she claims to have gained 5lbs over the winter. In other words, her size 4 jeans are feeling a little snug. Poor her, right? ;-) I complained to her that lots of my friends had chubby moms they could go on the diet with and that it wasn't fair that she was so thin.

This is my teeny mom and my Dad...who I'll get to later.

So, Mom and I are cruising along on day one. It's not super easy, but definitely not hard. I get a phone call from my Dad (who knows that mom and I are doing this) and he says "Hey! Did you know that Starbucks is offering a free pastry with the purchase of a coffee tomorrow?" Thanks, Dad. Starbucks is my greatest weakness. Then day two hits and I'm drinking my big glass of sassy water (water with stuff in it like ginger and lemons) first thing in the morning (rather than my beloved coffee). I'm trying to chug it down and I get a text from my friend, Amanda. "FREE CONE DAY AT BEN AND JERRY'S." Apparently corporate America heard I was doing this and decided to give away all the stuff I like for free. Awesome.

*Finding the clip art for this ice cream was painful. I really want to eat ice cream right now.

I'm currently finished with my third day- only ONE DAY LEFT! I was down a little over two pounds as of last night (water weight, not actual lost fat, my book is quick to remind me). All the same, it's very nice to see the scale moving down. I'm excited to keep doing this for the next month. It becomes much less extreme after the four day kick off.

Here are the things I have learned so far:

I eat an absurd amount of goldfish crackers and baby cereal. There were a lot of days that Alan would come home and I'd lament to him the following, "I hardly ate anything today! No lunch at all. I should be starving, but I guess I'm just too tired to be hungry." Turns out, I just fill up all day on the snacks and meals I'm feeding my children. The first day, I had to go to the trash can and spit out a mouthful of snacks several times that I put in my mouth with out even thinking about it.
I cram in most of my calories after the boys are in bed. That's tv time with the hubby where we snack on chips and salsa or carrots and hummus or popcorn usually while consuming an adult beverage of our choice. This is bad.
I love coffee. I love wine.
I eat pretty healthy. A lot of the food I'm supposed to eat is food I already buy. Avocados, nuts, fruits, veggies, lean meats, olive oil, etc. The problem is that my portion sizes were Americanized (new word?). America is obese.
I will absolutely look like this when I am done:

Yeah, so not really. And I' m okay with that. I just want to get rid of the lingering baby weight. =)

Getting to Know ME!

2010-03-21T22:41:00.005-04:00

1. What year did you graduate high school?

I graduated from high school in 1999...and college in 2006. And no, I'm not a doctor. =)

2. What part of your body do you neglect the most?

My poor abs. I can't even remember the last time I did a crunch. We'll just blame it on those babies I keep having.

This is me exactly two years ago after Jackson but before Chase and during a running phase. That was probably the last of my ab baring days. RIP bikini.

3. Beach house or Lake house?

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the beach and my husband and I always said we wanted a beach house. Then one summer we were vacationing at Emerald Isle and boogie boarding when a BIG shark fin popped up RIGHT in front of us. I'm talking, could reach out and touch it close!! We both went running out of the water (Alan left me behind but he was gracious enough to yell at me "SHARK!") and then we decided on the way home we wanted a lake house instead. Since it's been four or five years since that happened, we have now revised our wish list to be a beach house with a pool. Final answer.

I can't prove it, but I'm pretty sure this is what the rest of the shark looked like.

4. Mac or PC?
I heart my Mac. I also heart my husband's PC. I'm writing this on a PC because my Mac's cord broke. Again. For the third time.

5. Did you wear braces?

Heck, yes I did. Those were a GLORIOUS three years.

And yes, I did use colored rubber bands like seen above. I tended to go with red and blue because those were my school colors. GO IRONS JUNIOR HIGH COUGARS! Yeah, I was awesome.

6. If you could be one person for a day..living or deceased..who would you be?
I'm assuming I shouldn't say I'd be me because that would sound lame but I really wouldn't want to be anyone other than me. If I HAD to be someone else, I'd want to be my husband for a day so I could figure out what the heck is going on in his head. Um, I wrote a really nice blog about him a few entries ago so I'm allowed to say this. =)

7. How many times have you moved in your life?

TOO MANY! Grass Valley, California to Arlington, Texas to Lubbock, Texas to Northern Virginia to Southern Virginia to North Carolina to Southern Virgina. Phew. And that isn't including all the moves our first years of marriage to different places in Southern Virgina...so, 10+

8. Would you rather cook or clean?

No. Oh, I have to do one or the other? Sigh. Cook, I guess. I wish I liked cooking but I just don't. Sometimes when I'm having a dance party in my kitchen and the boys are napping and I'm making something kind of easy, I don't hate it. The rest of the time, I pretty much hate it. Especially since the result is usually my three year old wrinkling up his nose and saying "I don't like it." He is immediately chastised and then the rest of us dig in and silently think "I don't like it."

St. Patty's Day...

2010-03-17T17:10:00.017-04:00

HAPPY St. Patrick's Day!
I like to think I have a wee bit of Irish in me! My mom's Maiden name was Murphy so that should qualify me, right? She claims to be 100% Italian (she's not- at all) but with our green eyes she really should be embracing her wee bonnie lass Irish roots. I've been using the terms wee and bonnie and lass and lad excessively today. I'm allowed since I'm Irish.

While I was helping Jackson pick out his clothes today, I was explaining to him that we were all going to wear green! He wanted to wear blue. So I explained to him that the Leprechauns would pinch him if didn't wear green. He wanted a long explanation of what a Leprechaun is. I told him they are sneaky, little guys that make mischief and hide pots of gold and pinch people who don't wear green. Close enough, right?
Well, after dressing Chase and Jackson in green, we started to head downstairs. Jackson realized I wasn't yet wearing green and burst into tears as he looked frantically around for a Leprechaun. Hmm. I think he had something like this in mind:

I quickly revised what a Leprechaun was. They are friendly, funny, little guys who don't pinch you unless you leave the house with out wearing green. And their pinches don't hurt. Despite this, he spent the whole morning being a little skittish and frequently checking outside for a Leprechaun. We left for the mall and an argument ensued in the car on whether or not my green scarf would suffice as a green thing since Jackson (who was now an expert on St. Patrick's Day protocol) said you actually have to wear a green SHIRT. Here he is rolling his eyes at me. I have NO idea where he picked up this trait. Certainly not from ME.

We had our (new) traditional Chickfila lunch and Jackson nodded approvingly at all the employees wearing their green hats and at all the green flowers and decorations. Every now and then someone would come in not wearing green and Jackson would shake his head and say (loudly) "The Leprechauns are going to pinch them."
We played at the play area where Jackson made a new friend. The friend's father was a (very nice) pastor of one of the large, local churches and he handed me this pamphlet (I must have looked unsaved today):

Chase proceeded to eat it. Chase also rocked a faux hawk today and received a lot of compliments.

Then we rode the hippo train and Jackson took a (blurry) picture of us right as a group of teenagers walked by snickering. Whatever, teens. You should be in school getting your education. Yeah...take that.

And then to finish our St. Patrick's Day festivities, Jackson rode the train with the...Easter

bunny.

Lottery Shmottery.

2010-03-17T15:45:00.004-04:00

This week's topic:

'I wish' .... I could win the lottery REAL soon, and I would ______.

The real question is: would you...

1.) quit your job/career

2.) continue working

So, I've read probably four or five of the responses to this question and I hope I don't come across as self-righteous in my answer. I totally think everyone should be allowed to spend their (imaginary) lottery winnings however they choose with out judgment. =) I just have a different take on it. I saw a special on some channel (probably TLC) about lottery winners and almost all of them squandered their money (MILLIONS) and many of them ended up broke, bankrupt, etc. It was horrible to watch! The only ones who did okay were the ones who kept living like they had before the money with very little changes. My husband is a high school English teacher and is on part time teaching staff with Young Life. I am a stay at home mom. It might be difficult to deduce, but we are not rolling in the money. ;-) We live very carefully and try do everything that Dave Ramsey tells us to! We also have parents who spoil us from time to time which is VERY nice. We are really, truly, honestly, incredibly content. When I see people with nicer stuff than me, I try to quickly remind myself of people in third world countries living in a one bedroom shack and it helps me to snap out of it really quickly. =)

I think what I'd like to do most is to give EXTRAVAGANTLY! I loooooooooove 2nd Corinthians 9:7- "Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." What's more fun than being a cheerful giver!? If you don't know, try it sometime. Find someone to give to that makes your heart happy. I would give my friends Pam and Jeremy enough money to adopt the children they have been waiting so patiently for. I would give lots to my church since they support Young Life and The Rescue Mission (where my sister in law works). I would tip waitresses 100% when I could tell they were having crappy days. I would be on the look out for people who just can't seem to catch a break and anonymously help them out. Seriously, do you see how much fun this would be!?

I would most certainly not quit my job. I love being a stay at home mom. Well, that's not true. I would TOTALLY bail on the cleaning part of it. I would hire a maid and pay her really, really well. =)

Make-up...

2010-03-13T20:56:00.009-05:00

From clip art

Awhile back my friend, Crystal did this post on make-up. I was thinking about it earlier when my husband was telling me all the reasons that it's ridiculous that I feel like I have to put make-up on before going to the grocery store. I think her post stayed with me and came to mind all these months later for several reasons.

1)I felt somewhat convicted by it. There is definitely some truth to what she said. God did make us beautiful and it's important to take notice of that sometimes. I should be less dependent on it. I am ABSOLUTELY a girl who will not leave her house with out make-up on. I was raised in Texas and spent my early teen years there. You can't survive Lubbock, Texas as a teen with out make-up on. Okay, that's probably not true but it certainly seemed that way. Even though I've been a Virginia girl now for 13 years or so, that Texas mentality stays with me...ya'll.

From clip art

2) I don't totally see make-up that way. I do not have flawless skin. I have days where my skin has yucky spots on it and I'd rather people look at me in my eyes rather than stare at said blemish. On that note, I once had a boyfriend who told me that for the first YEAR of our relationship, he thought the freckle on my chin was a zit. Super. I guess some things even make-up can't help.

From clip art

The above girl is not me and she should really take it easy with the toothpaste.

3) I enjoy make-up. I'm not crafty. I'm not good at decorating my home. I AM good at applying make-up. I can have fun and put a lot on when I'm getting glammed up. I like to try to make it look as natural as possible sometimes. I love to experiment with colors and with new techniques. I love doing make-overs on other people. They are like canvases and I get to pretend to be an artist! My friend even asked me to do her make-up for her wedding day. I turned her down for fear I'd be too heavy handed and she'd look like a whore in all her wedding pics and our friendship would end. I see make-up as a fun accessory to enhance and play up our natural assets.

From clip art

4) It sort of annoyed me. Don't get me wrong, I love Crystal. She's smart and ridiculously talented (just check out her blog and ETSY shop). But have you seen her? Of course she feels that way about make-up. She has perfect bone structure and flawless skin. I've seen her in person and she's not one of those people that you even notice that she's not wearing make-up. People who look like that with out make-up don't get a say. ;-)

Top 10 reasons why my husband rocks...

2010-03-10T10:42:00.013-05:00

I use this blog mostly to document what's going on with the boys since it started as a way for out of town family to read and see updates, but I'd like to start using it to do some writing just for fun. My husband hasn't gotten a lot of "blog love" and I'd like to change that. Here is my Top 10 list for Alan.

The Janneys' Journey

Chase Andrew

Jackson Ryan

Christmas

Tacky Sweater Party...

Thanksgiving...

Lizzy is ENGAGED!!

Jackson is FOUR!

Chase took off...

The rest of our beach trip...

Beach 2010- Part One

Fourth of July...

Chase's Birthday Party...

Chase Andrew is ONE!

Lizzy's Graduation...

More Spring Break...

Walkin on the streets of D.C...

Old Friends...

Happy Hour...

Back from Spring Break...

"He is not here; he has risen, just as he said." Matthew 28:6

Here is the only pic I got of Beck and I. It was taken Easter morning by Jackson. Not too bad for a 3 1/2 year old photographer.

We headed to church and the service was especially meaningful because...well, He is alive. Then we headed to the in-laws for a wonderful outdoor lunch and an Easter egg hunt. It was sunny and warm and just one of those perfect days where all is right in the world.

Chase hung out with Megan.

Easter Egg Hunts...

Flat Belly Diet Continued...

A Day at the Park...

The Flat Belly Diet...

Getting to Know ME!

St. Patty's Day...

Lottery Shmottery.

Make-up...

Top 10 reasons why my husband rocks...

9 months...

My favorite three little boys...

Blizzard of 2009!

Things I don't want to Forget.

Fall is Here!

Jackson's Latest Tricks...

Visting Alan at Work...

Who's a Month Behind?

Baby Chase Laughing

Anne's ETSY page

Happy 3 Month Birthday to Chase!

Jackson's Birthday Party...

Girlfriend and Cousin Time...

Neglected Number 2.

A Day in my Life...

Ann and Elliot's Wedding...

Any Similarities?

Beach- 2009

Apparently I'm a genius.

Camping...

Little Lukey...

Visit to the lake...

Maybe not so slowly after all...

Time goes by so slowly...

More of Chase...

A Family of Four...

I'm off...

Last Day of Preschool...

It's my birthday and...CUTE!

Induction Date Set...

Barefoot and Pregnant...

Slumber Party...

The Duck Pond

Maymont Gardens...