Visting Alan at Work...

We had never seen Alan's school before so we decided to go by and visit him on a teacher's work day when we met him for lunch. The high school he works at is beautiful. It's huge and it's spread out into several campuses but the original building is very picturesque! Jackson was in awe of the whole experience. I think it's fun for him to be able to picture in his head where Alan goes to work everyday.
I decided to put Chase in his bear suit. Alan has mentioned that some of his fellow teachers are more dog people than they are kid people. I figured this way I could trick the animal lovers into liking Chase and the baby lovers would just think he looked extra cuddly. It totally worked, I think. =)

From sept/oct

Jackson checked out some of the reading material. He thinks Ray Bradbury is overrated (much like his mother does).

From sept/oct

Chase was in a great mood the whole time. He was smiling and cooing and saying Dadadadada- his latest trick. I think he was excited to see Alan in the middle of the day!

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Here are my three boys together.

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I think Jackson wants to be a teacher. He made me sit at a desk and he handed me a piece of paper and a pencil and told me not to write on my desk. Then he decided to draw on the white board and told me to draw the same thing and spent the next 5 minutes telling me how I didn't do it right. Sigh. School is hard. =)

Who's a Month Behind?

I'm a month behind. Luckily, Oktoberfest seems like it should take place in October. I'm not sure why, something about the name perhaps? It actually took place in Montclair mid-September but we'll pretend this was October so I won't feel so far behind. Kay, thanks? Most families regard holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving as the big holidays. In the Blecksmith family, we love holidays. ALL holidays. We love to celebrate! This includes the celebration of all things German known as Oktoberfest. After all, what says holiday more than a petting zoo, pony rides, a bouncey house, beer, and bratwurst!? So the WHOLE family came from all over the state- Richmond, Blacksburg, Roanoke, and Harrisonburg and came 'home' to Montclair. Home to our mom and dad:

From sept/oct

Sigh. I love them so. =)
Before we left, Dad took Luke and Jackson around the block by pulling them in his bike trailer. Jackson thought it was pretty awesome. Luke had some concerns.

From sept/oct

From sept/oct

Please note the cousins holding hands! Love it.

Here we are getting ready to walk to the beach at the lake where the festivities are occurring. We look perky and all-american.

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Here we are walking to the lake. We look bad A and gang-like.

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And here is Jackson's face upon arriving. Oh, to have the enthusiasm of a three year old every day.

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And here is Jackson being a cowboy on his noble steed, Lucky the Pony.

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And here is Chase looking a little less enthusiastic about the festivities.

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Here is my adorable nephew Luke with his Gpa.

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And the WHOLE family:

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Another successful Oktoberfest for the Blecksmith/Janney/Pierson family.

Baby Chase Laughing

Does it get much better than a smiling, laughing, chubby baby in a diaper!?! I sure don't think so.

Anne's ETSY page

My sister Anne has always been incredibly artistic and creative. I have Anne originals hanging up around my house and I don't hang just anyone's art. Just Monet, Vettriano,
and Anne. =)

Anne's paintings and drawings really are spectacular so when she decided to take up sewing stuffed animals I was a little bit perplexed. Then when I saw her creations, I understood.

From sept/oct

She creates many of her own patterns and she also makes each one into her own work of art paying attention to the little details and the combination of colors and fabrics as only an artist can.

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Her creations make perfect gifts for newborns, toddlers, or older kids who collect a certain animal. She does beautiful hand embroidery and even personalization if requested.

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Many of her creations can double as decorative nursery accessories in addition to being a snuggly toy or pillow for the little one.

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Chase found his star particularly delicious.
She even does custom art for nurseries or children's rooms:

From sept/oct

This is her shop in case you'd like to take a look:
PreciousPeaches
And this is an awesome review that was recently done of her shop:
REVIEW
It's also a really cool blog in general that you should check out if you get the chance!
Okay, just had to brag on my sister because I'm super proud of her! =)

Happy 3 Month Birthday to Chase!

I asked Alan to snap a few pics of Chase when he got home from work in honor of his 3 month Birthday. He took some of my favorite pics of Chase to date.

From August

My little munchkin. I think Alan described him best to me when he said "he just tries to be happy." He really does. He is content and needs so little to keep him happy. If his diaper is clean and his tummy is full and he's had a nap, there is like a 1% chance he's going to fuss. It's like he knows that Jackson requires some of my attention and energy and decided to take it easy on me. Such a sweet heart.

From August

This handsome little smile comes easier and easier these days. I had him in his Bumbo the other day and he would smile and laugh every time I'd say "Hi Chase!" Oh, if only everyone were so easy to entertain. =)

From August

And then there is his laugh. He laughs pretty easily too these days. I LOVE LOVE LOVE his laugh. It's kind of raspy and just adorable. If baby laughs don't melt your heart, then I just don't think you have one. They are the cutest.

And a random Jackson story:
I almost never wear glasses because I have day/night lenses which you sleep in and leave in all the time. Tonight, I decided to wear my glasses to give my eyes a break for once. Alan likes my glasses. He also thinks Tina Fey is cute so his opinion doesn't count for much in this area. Jackson hasn't ever seen me in glasses and when I went in to kiss him goodnight he said "Mommy, boys don't like it when girls wear glasses. Take them off." Hm...thanks for that.

From August

Jackson's Birthday Party...

Jackson's 3rd Birthday this year was a very laid back event. The past two birthdays have been fairly big. This year, due to schedule conflicts for setting a date, we decided to just have family for his party. We had the first party on Saturday with my family (minus Anne, Danny, and Luke who were at the beach- we missed them!). My Mom and Dad took Jackson out to lunch at his favorite place (Chick-fil-a) and then out to the mall. Liz, Becky, Alan, and I (Chase too- but he wasn't very helpful) then went to work at setting up streamers, balloons, banners, making and decorating cupcakes, and donning party hats. We all hid in the dining room and heard Jackson coming in saying "Hey guys!" "Guys?" "Look! Balloons! Ooh!!" Then we all jumped out at Jackson yelling SURPRISE when they brought him inside and he went from looking slightly terrified to completely ecstatic!

From August

He then proceeded to grab a birthday horn and march around the house with us blowing the horn and laughing.

From August

The birthday horn Jackson wouldn't put down.

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Chase did not love Jackson's party.

From August

My favorite pic of the day!

From August

Jackson's football Auntie Anne made him. It's PERFECT because he's allowed to throw it in the house. Check out her other custom made creations: Anne's ETSY shop SO CUTE.)

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A wonderful nap time break with sisters and parents.

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Post dinner walk- working off the cupcakes.

The next day (Jackson's actual birthday), my family packed up and headed home. We met with the Janney family that evening for a fun dinner at Red Robin and then came back for another birthday party and for cupcakes and ice cream.

From August

Auntie Meg and her two nephews.

From August

Debbie (Nana) with Jackson and his new bike. How cute is she in her skinny jeans!? Jackson had a blast and got lots of fun presents that he was eager to open up and show how they worked to Megan, Nana, and Papa. We sang him Happy Birthday and he blew out another set of candles. He definitely woke up on Monday wondering if it was still his birthday since he'd had such an epic weekend with all of his favorite people (minus Anne, Danny, and Luke).

From August

Happy Birthday to my beautiful three year old. I love your sensitivity, your amazing sense of humor, your sweet attitude towards your baby brother, your wonderful hugs, your endless curiosity, your growing love for Jesus, your obsession with all things boy (sports, trains, planes, cars, ambulances, firetrucks, police cars, etc.). I love all the things that make you YOU, Jackson Ryan Janney. It's been an incredible three years! =)

Girlfriend and Cousin Time...

Jackson got to hang out with Emma again recently. For a little background on who Emma is, see previous blog HERE and HERE and if you scroll down to Emma's birthday party in December.

From August

Jackson pretending to be asleep. Emma's not fooled. Yes, please note the forehead sticker.

From August

Jackson and Emma cracking up. Love this one. Amelia, Jon, Emma, and Ella spent most of the day with us and it was so much fun! A lot different from our college roomie days since we now have two babies and two toddlers but still so much fun. =) I didn't get any pics of Ella (she's 1) but she was totally eyeing Chase. A definite Cougar in the making.

These are a couple pics of Jackson with his cousin, Luke. They are taking a "silly bath" at Gigi and Gpa's house together:

From August

From August

I don't think this kid could possibly get cuter!!!

From August

He's pretty darn cute, too.

Neglected Number 2.

Chase is not really neglected. I like to call him that mostly for my sister Anne's benefit. She was number 2 in our family and likes to pretend that she didn't get as much attention as I did. We have a family video of Anne and I modeling clothes for our grandparents. I think I was turning 5 or 6 which means that Anne was 3 or 4. Anne was totally getting an equal amount of attention but at one point in the video Anne says to herself while rocking back and forth "Everybody wants Sarah. Everybody wants Sarah." It is a classic moment in our family video archives which we like to quote a lot. Since Jackson had a whole blog dedicated to him at this age, I figure I should do at least one post of pictures of just Chase. Chase will be 3 months in a few days. He smiles, he laughs, he coos, he can roll over both ways, he loves to watch Jackson and smiles at him constantly. He grabs at toys and loves to rub blankets against his face. He is a great sleeper, a great eater (obviously- please note the rolls on this child), and so laid back and sweet. He is the kind of baby that makes you think having a baby is easy even though that usually isn't the case. I absolutely adore him!!

From August

Sweet little sleeper!

From August

My smiley baby.

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He loves to stick out his tongue.

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Clearly annoyed about another bath tub pic.

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Just hanging out.

A Day in my Life...

When I was younger, I always dreamed of being a stay at home mom. When people would ask me even when I was really little what I wanted to be I'd say "A mom, teacher, nurse, and princess." I didn't want to limit my options. When I worked at a bank for a little over a year I realized that working a 9-5 job with only 2 weeks of vacation was sort of awful. I liked dressing up every day because I...well, I'm just kind of girly like that. =) I liked meeting lots of nice people and having happy hour nights out on the town with co-workers. But I HATED the lack of flexibility in my schedule. I hated that I couldn't take vacations when I wanted to or visit my family for holidays for more than a day or two. I hated the monotony of it all and the lack of purpose.
I quit that job to finish college and get my teaching license. Teaching was MUCH more my thing. I taught in a low income school about 30 minutes from where I lived. I loved that I was able to love kids who came from broken homes and didn't get much attention at home. I taught first grade and then kindergarten and they were both so much fun to teach! I still got to dress up every day (although it was much more dress slacks and flats rather then pencil skirts and heels). I got breaks for all the holidays AND summer. It was so much more fulfilling!
And then Jackson came along and teaching went out the window pretty quickly. I couldn't imagine dropping my baby off at a daycare and letting someone else spend most of his waking moments with him. I got to see every developmental milestone first. The first time he smiled, laughed, sat up, walked, talked, etc. And now I'm getting to do the same with Chase! It is such a privilege and joy. Most days I really love it and can't believe how blessed I am. Other days, I look out the window at my neighbors in their dressy work clothes heading off to their 9-5 jobs and think "Oooh, that must be so nice!" Like sometimes on days where Jackson is talking incessantly and insisting that I play Little People, Thomas the Train, School, Cars, AND Hide n Go seek for the 50th time. Or when Chase is being fussy for no reason (Okay, seriously- that's happened maybe once. That kid is such an easy baby). Most days though, my heart is overflowing with love and affection for my two boys. I laugh so much. I've never been so content and I really believe that's because this is who God made me to be and I'm getting to fulfill my purpose. =)
Here are some pictures of a typical day at home (a side note, my children wear very cute clothes when we go places...underwear and diapers are not the norm!=)):

From August

This is Jackson being a train engineer. He lines up our chairs and plays this daily. I have to...err...get to ride the train. We escape from lions and snakes and go magical places like "Gigi and Gpas house" "church" and "Chuck E.Cheese." Yeah, those are Jackson's top 3 pics.

From August

This is Chase calling for 'HELP!!' Jackson loves decorating himself with stickers and has recently discovered that he really likes to decorate his little brother.

From August

Jackson is very pleased with his work. Chase is not impressed.

From August

Chase's sweet smile.

Ann and Elliot's Wedding...

We met Ann and Elliot about seven years ago when they were both Freshmen in high school. It was back during our Young Life leading days. We got to follow their relationship through high school (off and on ;-)) and into the real world and now into marriage! Ann's the same age that I was when I got married (21) and that seems so young to me now! It was a really fun weekend because Kevin, Leslie, and their new baby Harper Grace came and stayed with us (boo...no pics!). We had Cory and Melynda and Trevor over for brunch the morning of the wedding so we could all hang out. It's funny how most of our college friends now have babies! We're becoming grown ups for REAL! We also got to see our good friends Cassie and Andy. They do NOT have babies unless you count their dog (I don't). They've only been married for a year though so that's probably for the best! =) I also got to see several old YL girls who I'd missed: Whitney, Mary Lee, Megan, and Laura. Here are some pics from the wedding:

From August

Ann and Elliot cutting the cake.

From August

Ann and Cassie.

From August

Family pic! Jackson loved the wedding because he (re)met his old friend Whitney and when we left he told me "I love Whitney!"

From August

Alan and Elliot.

From August

Some of my favorite girls. I don't know why my eyes look so squinty.

From August

Cass and I!