Richmond is now our home!

It was an eventful move from Lexington as Jackson got sick for the first time. Yes I know we are blessed to have gone this long without an illness but his timing was impeccable! After a late night visit to a walk-in clinic in West Virginia, we got him on the path to wellness and continued on our journey to Richmond. The same day we arrived in Richmond, we became homeless because we sold our house in Lexington. Yeah, what a big relief! Thankfully we have a place to stay in Richmond. Our move-in to Eleanor's went smoothly and all four of us are learning to live together! We are thrilled to be here! It seems like Jackson already knows the routes to the parks as we've been spending on average 3 hours a day there since arriving. The weather has been wonderful and I know we'll have to be creative with our outings as the weather turns cold because Jackson loves to be outside and moving!

The Move is Coming Soon, But First...A Vacation for ONE of us in the Carlyon House

I enjoyed a fun and fabulous trip out to San Francisco and the California Wine Country at the end of September with my UVA college roommates Jenn, Kelly, Danielle and Lauren. One of us (Kelly) left her newlywed husband for the long weekend while the other four of us left our babies at home with the husbands and headed for some much-needed girl time and R&R (In my case, make that my oh-so-wonderful mother-in-law AND husband). Every minute was a joy with these ladies. I wish we could all pick a city and a street to live on so we could be together all of the time. But alas, I will continue to enjoy the times we are able to get together. Here is my longwinded recap:

We all met up in San Francisco from all over the country: DC, Denver, Seattle, Park City and Lexington. Danielle and I, the east-coasters arrived in the early-afternoon so we took some time to tour around and have lunch (MarketBar...YUMMY!) before heading to Fisherman's Warf and Ghiradelhi Square. Once Kelly and Lauren arrived, we walked around the city and had a bite to eat. Jenn arrived just as we were getting in bed. So at the end of the day, all of us had finally made it to this long weekend that we'd been planning for months. The next morning, we had breakfast at Buena Vista, home to the famous Buena Vista Irish Coffee, before heading up Highway 101 towards the Sonoma Valley. We stopped at several wineries and vineyards on the way up to our final destination, sipping and laughing all along the way. Our stops included Schug, Domain Chandon and St. Stupery. It was a nice mix of boutique-type wineries as well as the big brand power places like Domain Chandon. After crossing over the mountains from Calistoga, we arrived (just in time) to check into our rental.

Jenn had found us a place to rent through VRBO.com back in the spring. It was a great price, right in Healdsburg, could accomodate 5 people, etc. Well about 1 week before our trip, the women managing this particular property informed Jenn that the property owner's had decided that they wanted it for the weekend. AND SO...she "thinks" she can find us something. This goes on for the better part of a week, with Jenn mainly leaving messages for a woman who won't return her calls. So on Wednesday, two days prior to our arrival, I randomly and virtually stumble onto a Rental Property Company with rentals available.


YEAH - so we didn't have to sleep in the car. It was a great house that overlooked the Dry Creek Valley and was about 5 miles up a dirt and gravel road.

Once we checked in, we headed out to the town of Healdsburg to walk around and have a delicious dinner at Ravenous. We've come a long way from college days too as we were all happy to say our good nights and get in bed around 11pm, which remember for me was 2am! The next morning, we had breakfast at this great bakery Costeaux before heading over to our Spa Morning. I had never been to a spa before but I now understand why they are so popular. Wow - what a treat. I had a volcanic mud bath, followed by a massage and facial. Everyone was glowing afterwards from all of our pampering. We did some shopping and stopped by 2 tastings rooms (Toad Hollow and Thumbprint) before heading to lunch. Afterwards, we stopped by Dry Creek Winery before settling back into our home away from home to have dinner and enjoy our last evening together.






Cheers to an amazing trip!






As much as I enjoyed myself, I have to say I was missing the JRC so much! I knew he was in good hands but I wanted to hug and kiss him everyday. This was just the trip I needed to rejuvenate my mind, body and spirits so that I can try to be the best mom to Jackson. Plus it was a heck of a way to celebrate turning 30!

Now it is on to Richmond!

Did you hear it here first? We're moving!

It's official...We put our house on the market today and we are leaving Kentucky. Wow-o-wow, it's really happening! Take a look:

Where are we going, you ask? Jackson holds the clue...

First He's Walking, Now He's Got Wheels

I just had to share with you, Jackson's latest toy, courtesy of Grandma & Poppa. I'm sure in just a matter of months, his feet will touch the pedals. Then he'll really start making laps around the neighborhood. We just love the Kettler Navigator with the pushbar for us!

Beach Trip #2, More Birthday Cake & Of Course More Fun!

After a fabulous week in HHI, we headed up the coast to meet Emmy in Emerald Isle, NC (part of the NC Crystal Coast in the Lower Outer Banks). We stayed in a great beach house --- oceanfront! It was so fun to walk right out of the house down our own private walkway to the beach. There were rocking chairs on our porch that we made much use of to enjoy the sights and sounds of the ocean. Jackson calmed down a little this week and didn't run quite so much at the beach. We think one reason is that the beach was pretty narrow in comparison to the SC beach. Plus he wasn't so overwhelmed with people because it was much more private than in SC. But he still loved running into the water! We found a great seafood market just a few miles away so we dined everynight on local, fresh seafood. YUMMY! We made cioppino for the first time too --- DOUBLE YUMMY - and drank lots of great wine, some from our CA adventures last year (Coppola Sofia, Pisoni)! Emmy made Jackson a dinosaur cake too for his official July 16th birthday which tasted so good. And he's quite intrigued with his new activity cube that Emmy, Jason and I gave him for his birthday, especially the bead maze and fun gears.

Beach Trip #1, Turning ONE, Birthday Cake & Lots of Fun!

Wow we did it. We survived and Jackson is 1! Hip hip hooray!


Like most parents, I immediately say to myself "where did the time go". But when looking back at all of the pictures, videos and clothes he's outgrown in a flash, I quickly realize how blessed Jason and I are to have spent this past year with such a wonderful little boy AND just how many fun activities we packed in along the way. In just 1 year, Jackson has been to 7 states, 1 wedding & wedding reception, 3 beaches, flown across the country twice, 8 birthday parties including his own (of which there were 3!) and celebrated Christmas in NC and VA. He's seen fish and jellyfish at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, slept soundly on top of a magnificent overlook in Big Sur, enjoyed the scenic CA wine country and run on the beaches of South Carolina and North Carolina. He's played in the bubble room at the Lexington Explorium Museum and picked raspberries for my homemade scones. He's slept soundly in his stroller while mom lunched with friends and later ran around the restaurant forcing me to get a to-go box instead of dining in. He's laid quietly by my side while I practiced breathing and did my cat pose at Baby Moon and squealed in pure joy as I pushed him on the swings at Shillito Park. He's sat in the laps of his great-grandmother Gran, great-grandfather Poppie and great-grandmother Sweetpea. He's had many play-dates with his little buddies: Casey, Sophie, Alex, Tanner, Ari, Cerise, Eliza, Harper and Aina where most have edged their way in front of one another to play with the LeapFrog LearnAround Table. (Or what we refer to as "the base of operation.") In sum, it's been an amazing and fun-filled year and we're excited for what's ahead in this next year and beyond!

THANKS to all of our friends and family for helping us to make it such a wonderful year! From the visits you made to Lexington, to the moral support you gave me when Jackson wasn't sleeping to the wonderful gifts you spoiled Jackson with to the lunch outings we shared together and the many phone calls and e-mails, your friendship and love has made all the difference.

Now on to our most recent outings...

We had a wonderful trip to the beach! Make that twice! We first went to Hilton Head Island with Grandma, Poppa, Uncle Brant, Kim and Katelyn. What a fun week we had! In order to get Jackson to sleep, he needed his own room (um...can you say prince?). So we put him in the Master Bathroom where it was dark and where no one would interrupt his sleep! So from the hours of 7pm to 5am everyday, there were 7 of us sharing a bathroom (thank goodness we are family and love each other, JK). He loved the beach and ran ALL OVER THE PLACE! Jason and I baked a cake together (which had it moments!). But in the end, it came out great. Make that YUMMY! Poppa was on nap duty in the afternoons which gave Jason and me a chance to relax on the beach together. Thanks Dad!


As Beach Trip #1 came to an end, we packed up and hit the Cracker Barrel one more time with my folks (it's now their road trip tradition along with the rest of America). Then we parted ways on I-95 to head on to Emerald Isle.

AND HE'S OFF...........

Ladies & Gentleman, watch out! Jackson's been practicing for the last 2 weeks and is now an official card-carrying member of the Walkers! Does this mean he's no longer a baby and is now a toddler? (sob, sob, why must he grow up so fast?). Wow - just when I think I've gotten everything out of the way, he's in to even MORE things!

We had a fun visit to Ridgeway to stay with my folks while Jason was up in DC for NIH grant review. We got to go to the pool and visit lots with Sweetpea. I had a free day and evening shopping with Jo & Eliza, thanks to Grandma and Poppa. The weekend ended with Eliza's graduation from high school - and Jason was able to join us for that. Jackson did great and clapped through most of the ceremony.

Today, he got his first balloon while we were shopping at the LiquorBarn. He's played with it all day long. I dread the moment if & when it bursts!

Fun in the Sun for Casey's Birthday!

On Memorial Day, we went to a birthday party for one of Jackson's pals, Casey. We were out at the UK Farm, where AJ, Rodney & Casey live. It was hot, hot, hot that day so the kids loved cooling off in the pool. We all got a kick out of them in it together. At the end of the party, they were quite pooped as you can see from the Dads, Babies & Bottles picture!

Backtracking to Mother's Day

Although this entry is out of order, I wanted to share some cute photos of my Mother's Day outing with Jason and Jackson. We went to a local winery here in Lexington, Jean Farris Winery, for a tasting and brunch. It was a lot of fun - a gorgeous day - and Jackson seemed to really get into the tasting as you can see. I guess you can say he's got the taste for it as some of it may have at times ended up in his breastmilk if you know what I mean. ;-)

My First Blog Entry - Jackson's first Artwork

I thought it would be fun to blog about our going-ons with Jackson. He amazes us everyday with the new things he's learning to do and say. Enjoy!

Last week, Jackson and I attended his very first art class. He mainly wanted to eat the sponges but we ended up with what I think is an impressive piece of work! It's like a Renaissance painting where you may not know for sure who's hand did what...the master (Jackson) or his apprentice (Jackson's mommy).