More lovely pictures from Christy.
Scenes from Peyton’s birthday! Out best girl turned two over the weekend and we were happy to celebrate. I snapped a bunch of photos for becca so she could just relax and enjoy the party and celebrate her sweet girl 🙂
Jackson has been requesting “song! Dance!” daily for a week or so. He is referring to the gangnam style performance from the AMA’s featuring MC Hammer. He dances the entire time, bringing in moves I’ve never seen before (the shoulder roll & gallop are the most recent). Also he can pretty much do the actual dance. My kid is too cool.
My bossy dictator of a son, telling me to ‘stop it’. This happens regularly, especially if we have his toys
He now refuses to share. Zac pushed the noise button and he started yelling “wopp it!!!!” (Stop it) and ran over to have tug of war with the truck truck hahahah #toddler
Holiday Cards have been ordered (first two shots are 2012 – the last two [obvi.] are 2011)! We are keeping with the Jackson + lights theme like last year. There is really nothing cuter than Jackson, and I have a feeling that people would much rather look at him than me ;). It was much harder to get him to sit still with the lights this year (hence the standing shot). Now, who wants one!?!
We spent Thanksgiving with my dad and his lady this year, and as usual it was glory. We ate a lot of turkey and far too many sides, watched football (boo), and enjoyed togetherness, because that is what its all about – right? There was a lot of this going on with the littles:
It was gorgeous outside (no coats required! Abby took it so far as to only wear a single shoe) so there was a great deal of exploring the forest. Abby had dirt all over her face and nose 🙂
Mama Bails loved on Jackson (and yes, his mom does rock!)
So did Papa Carson 🙂
There was more love for the Lawn Jockey today
I took some photos of Bailey, and learned (again) that she is the perfect combination of sweet & sassy:
I also learned that Carson & Bails would be the most adorable child couple….if they weren’t brother & sister of course. Instead, I see how she looks up to her big brother, and though he brushes her away and says that she is gross, I can still see his shy smile – he feels her adoration too.
I tried to take some photos of Carson, Bailey, & Abby for Ang:
Mostly, they turned into this:
Jackson saw all of the fun, and got jealous, so he photo bombed them. Notice his hand around Carson’s neck, he was totally including himself in the family photo. Papa Carson also made his re-apperance in the top left, and maybe I am weird, but I look at this shot of him and see visions of his future, and the children he might have one day. Amazing.
I don’t think there is any question that I am most thankful for all of these little people. The keep me on my toes, teach me, let me know how it feels to grow up, all the while showing me what it is like to be young and carefree. They are the greatest.
This has been happening nonstop since he woke up from nap. Interestingly, when I showed him this pic, he stopped. Vanity….
In all of my days, I don’t think I’ve seen anything cuter than this boy.
Your daddy was outside cleaning his boat this afternoon. The two of you had just returned from a morning out and about. You were so enamored with him and just had to climb atop your chair and watch him out the window. You were banging on it and waving to daddy and yelling “BOAT!!!” You stood on top of that chair until your dad came back inside. It is so fun to watch your love for your daddy grow bigger and brighter – he is definitely worthy of your adoration, that I can assure you.
(I am so behind on this post) Last week, my best girl and Jack’s best girl met us for lunch, and to have a play date. Becca has a great deal of experience with kids, and so she knows about all sorts of awesome places to hang out in the area and let the littles run free. B suggested that we go to this amazing place called the Heritage Farm Museum. If you live in Northern Virginia or the DC Metro. area, it is definitely worth checking out. Located in Sterling, VA, the Heritage Farm Museum’s mission is to “preserve, promote, and bring to life Loudoun’s rich agricultural heritage and the history of rural life.” (A far cry from parts of Loudoun County today). The museum has a gigantic warehouse style play area where kids can ride fake horses, tractors, and shop and a general store. It. was. awesome.
Lately, I have been plagued with a great deal of mommy-brain, so naturally I forgot my camera. Lucky for you guys, I have a smartphone. Here is our outing through the eyes of instagram: 
How cute is this general store?!
Kids can go in and take a basket and fill it up with all sorts of (fake) veggies and fruit and other essentials.
They also have tiny mops, that Peyton (aka athlete) thought could be golf clubs or hockey sticks – she put them to good use:
Jackson was also very dirty – she mopped him too 🙂
It was actually a challenge to get Jackson to do anything BUT ride the tractors (such a boy) – he kept trying to bring one into the store:
After awhile they got tired of the store and tractors and needed to ride the horses to have a nice home-cooked meal:
And pause for a family photo:
The chicken coop had a milking cow and a bunch of fake chickens and eggs. Jackson thought it was appropriate to load up the wheelbarrow with a single egg and wheel it around.
It was so funny to watch these two. Without any encouragement, they gravitate towards such gender roles. Jackson ONLY wanted to ride the tractors for 95% of the visit. Peyton gravitated more towards shopping in the store and riding the horses. It’s so interesting to me to watch his little personality develop over time. He genuinely loves anything dealing with trucks, tractors, and trains. Such a boy. (Let me be clear – if he chose to play with dolls, and dresses, and ponies, I would be all for it – I am a fan of encouraging his interests and individuality, not gender roles, and if he identifies himself as Jacklyn and not Jackson, then cool. I am down with that!)
Bottom line – this place was awesome. I think it has GOT to be one of Loudoun County’s hidden gems. I never knew it existed, and I have lived in this area for the entirety of my life (minus college – those were a well-spent four years at the beach). Its tucked away in a little woodsy area, and is totally worth finding if you are looking for an indoor activity when the weather is cold or rainy. We can’t wait to go back!
if you want to find me on instagram, i snap photos as @christylately
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