Jackson in January - Our Active 10 Month Old!

Jackson talking Babytalk!
Lovin' Daddy's Keys~

His two favorite "toys"! Keys and a plastic cup!
J on the train the McNiffs gave him for Christmas :)
Jackson stood up for the first time on Jan 13th! (This was taken on the 13th)
Jackson enjoying Daddy's keys and organ!
Future Organist Jackson!
Just wait until the pipes are put in, babe!

Our Life in Cradock; An Update

Hello All!
Here is our recent news :

Jackson turned 10 months old this week... He is one active little guy! He wakes up at about 6 am, takes ONE NAP around noon for an hour or two and then goes to bed around 8pm. He has been going to sleep earlier recently and when I stay up until midnight each night, I start to miss him! Over Christmas Jackson mastered stair climbing (Tony installed gates at the top and the bottom of our stairs when we returned home from Burke!) ~Jackson is a VERY FAST crawler and is into Everything! The other day he crawled under my desk, unplugged the lamp cord and put the plug prongs of the cord into his mouth! Thankfully I took that away from him as quickly as I could! ~Jackson's favorite "toys" are plastic cups and keys. His Grandma (my Mom) gave him measuring spoons and measuring cups as apart of his Christmas gifts - he loves them! Whenever Jackson sees Tony's "Virginia is for Lovers" Heart shaped key chain hanging out of his pocket Jackson grabs for it-and Tony gives him his keys and Jackson happily plays with them for quite some time :)

~Tony continues to work second shift at the Shipyard, working a weekend or two each month as well... The poor dear does nothing but work and sleep! We are so thankful he has a good job as a machinist at NGNN!... On Tony's weekends off he enjoys working on his organ. The organ is slowly coming together again! It looks beautiful- but the pipes are not in it yet! :) He is greatly looking forward to playing it again in the months ahead!

~I enjoy caring for Jackson and my new favorite outing is my weekly visit to my local thrift store. I usually spend $20 or less each time I visit... nearly all of our clothes are from there now :). They have great prices and they are getting "new" items in all the time! I also enjoy finding books there- I found "My Utmost for His Highest" yesterday for 45 cents! ~~~ I am also very excited to be getting closer to weening Jackson... I am now down to 4 pumps a day and Jackson has 3-4 bottles of milk a day... It is wonderful to start to have A LIFE again! I am excited that I am going to make it to a year on exclusively feeding him Momma Milk :)! What a roller coaster ride of emotions EPing has been! I now understand verses on "dying to self" MUCH better!!!! ~~Now that I have some free time I am getting involved in our community. I am a block captain for the Neighborhood Watch and I am making friends in the neighborhood! I am good friends with Officer B---(our NIO :Neighborhood Enforcement Officer) and he often stops his police car and has a chat with me. He calls me, "Smiley!" ~~ Also, I've been cleaning up our street weekly for a few months now (picking up all the litter!) and people are starting to notice! Ted L--- (head of the Neighborhood Watch) told me that over Christmas (when we were in NOVA) people asked him, "Where is that girl who picks up the trash?" :) The street was quite a mess when we got home, so I got right on it and picked up two large bags worth of trash! I love seeing the looks on peoples' faces --- of utter shock when they see me on my knees picking up trash ;). I am so thankful for our little home and I am excited to see what our neighborhood will be like in the years and months ahead. There are so many sweet people who live here... the others are slowly on their way out ;)! ~K~

Our Day After Christmas Visit to Longwood Gardens!

Tony caring Jackson in the Ergo, Jackson reaching out to touch a leaf :)
Jackson crawling on the floor of the Organ exhibit!

Tony, Jackson and Grandma Ceije!

Jackson loved playing with the water in the Children's Garden! The Organ! Tony was drooling! Too bad only the string division was playable! Me helping Jackson reach for a pitcher plant!

We went up to Burke (Northern, VA, my hometown) for Christmas. Jackson enjoyed his first Christmas. While we were at my Mom's house Jackson mastered climbing the stairs! On the day after Christmas we went up to Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA! It was a rainy day, but we had fun looking at the lovely flowers and Tony drooled over the organ! :)

Christmas In Cradock '07

Lights in Afton Square
Singing Christmas Songs at the Gazebo
Santa arriving in the Cradock Fire Engine!
Our little home decked out for Christmas!
Close up of our door
Jackson crying on Santa's lap in the Gazebo
Nervous baba on Santa's lap!
Kissing Jackson in the Ergo :)

Saturday December 1st: Christmas in Cradock! Tony worked this weekend, but Jackson and I walked down to Afton Square for Christmas in Cradock '07! Jackson cried when I handed him to Santa, but overall he was so good... it was cold in the 40s!

November 17th - Day Before My Birthday Visit to Williamsburg

Me and my sweet baba!

Had to get a photo on this bench... Tony took a photo
of me sitting on it four days before Jackson was born! :)

Tony ADORES his Son... Awww! Momma and baby again... it's great to be

thin again and have him on the outside... hehe!
Jackson is such a sweet, happy baby!
The Little Family in the Stocks!

On Saturday November 17th, the day before my birthday, Tony, Jackson and I went to Colonial Williamsburg :) It's my favorite place to visit in the area. ~ Before I was married, my family went to Williamsburg almost every Thanksgiving. Every few years my birthday falls in the same week as Thanksgiving (as it did this year), so I spent quite a few of my birthdays in Williamsburg. ~~ I love that we now live within driving distance to Williamsburg! I enjoy caring Jackson around in the Ergo Carrier around the old streets.... Tony even took a turn with Jackson in it at the end of our visit. We always end our visits to Colonial Williamsburg by a visit to Pierce's Pitt BBQ for dinner... another place my family went when I was growing up. I remember having BBQ there with my family and my Grandma (who passed away in 2001) and also once with my Aunt (who passed away October 2006). Williamsburg has so many old memories for me... and I look forward to creating new ones with my husband and son! ...Oh! And when we were in the Williamsburg Toy Shop we saw our first fellow Ergo Baby! A lady had her daughter on her back, in a cream-colored Ergo and I said, "Another Ergo Baby!" :) It was great!

Jackson and Kitty Toy/ Feather

Katie took this video of me and Jackson... too bad she took it sideways! It is very funny though, Jackson laughed so much when we tickled him with Tiffany's Kitty Toy. :) What a great weekend! ~~Video taken at Katie's apartment on 6th Street on Capitol Hill :)~~

Weekend Trip to DC to Visit Katie!

The National Gallery of Art


Better Photo of Me and Jackson taken by a stranger :)

Jackson enjoying the Mall


Me and my Sweet Baby!

Two lovely Captiol Hill Homes

Loved the Purple and Red Mixture! Barak's House (Red Shutters)





Dancing Queen!

Tiffany, Rebecca, Katie and Me at Glen Echo!
Union Station

The view from Katie's Bedroom! So amazing!!!

This past weekend (November 1st- 4th) Jackson and I went to DC to visit my friend Katie who lives on 6th Street on Capitol Hill. It was a MUCH NEEDED visit/ break for me… I kept thanking Katie over and over again. I was able to have quite a few breaks. (Jackson is all over the place right now, he crawls and pulls himself up to standing… he goes non-stop. He takes ONE nap a day now! All I do these days is chase Jackson around the house, it's good for losing baby weight (I did it, I'm back to 133!), but it’s not so good for having "a life"! = I don’t get out of the house much.) So needless to say, I was so thankful for all the baby sisters I had this weekend! : Katie’s sister Allison watched Jackson Friday night, her roommate Tiffany watched Jackson Saturday afternoon and my Mom watched Jackson Saturday night! Thank you all!

~Highlights of the trip:~

~Friday I enjoyed walking to the Smithsonian while Katie and Tiffany were at work. Sadly, my visit to the National Gallery of Art was very short, as they would only allow me to take my camera and wallet in, I had to check in my backpack/baby bag... arggg! (?!?!) I went through the Tuner exhibit very quickly, as I was so afraid Jackson would start crying for his bottle of Mommie Milk and it was all the way at the other end and basement of the museum! Not a baby friendly place! So we left and enjoyed the afternoon sun on the Mall. I fed Jackson some Cheerios and then took some photos. It was such a beautiful day!

~ Saturday Katie and I had a late lunch at Union Station and that night we went Swing Dancing at Glen Echo… that was the BEST… I could have danced every dance (I was asked to dance every dance!)… I finally had to turn a man down so I could get a drink of water! What an encouraging evening it was for me! I loved telling a few of my partners, "Guess what? ...I have a eight month old baby at home."… The look of utter shock on their faces was priceless!!!

~ Sunday morning we walked to Capitol Hill Baptist Church! Afterwards Jackson fell asleep in Tiffany’s arms… my Mom told me he had been up since 4:30 am! Sunday afternoon after I took a nap, Katie and I took a short walk around Capitol Hill and then we packed up my car and said our goodbyes…. Ohhh, it was such a wonderful visit! Katie told me she is recuperating from the weekend… but she has already extended an invitation for my next visit…hopefully I’ll be back in February! Hoo-ray!!!

(P.S. Sorry these photos are not in order, I don’t know how to upload more than five at a time, and they get all out of order every time I add five more!)