Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Rolling...rolling...rolling!!

Well, we definitely have a little roller on our hands these days. Maylie rolled over for the first time right at 3 months and has really mastered the skill over the last few weeks. I will now set her down somewhere and come back to find her in a completely different place. She can roll from tummy to back and also from back to tummy and thinks she is pretty hot stuff doing it!!

Look Mom, I'm flying!!





She is at such a fun stage right now. I don't LOVE the newborn phase, but after about 3 months I really start to enjoy watching their little personalities start to shine through. I keep telling her to slow down though because this girl is getting too big way too fast. Sure do love our little Maylie Magoo!!

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Mt. Vernon Birthday Trip

I will spare you too many details about our week after New Years. Let's just say it involved a coughing newborn (always scary), a weird rash on one child, some fun potty training moments with another, and a deliciously awful case of lice with the fourth one. Oh, and did I mention that Jason was out of town while this all happened? Yeah it was great...

After we got through those fun parenting moments, it was time to celebrate my 35th birthday!! I definitely don't feel old, but I can no longer claim I am in my "early 30's" any longer. I decided instead of gifts this year, that I would prefer a fun little getaway. We decided Mt. Vernon would be a fun place to visit and once we added in a fun hotel with an indoor pool, the kids were definitely on board too.

My actual birthday was on Sunday, the 18th, but we waited until the next day to take our little trip. The kids had Monday (Martin Luther King Day) and Tuesday off from school so we headed down to Alexandria, VA on Monday afternoon, went swimming and ate my birthday dinner that night. The next day we headed a few miles up to Mt. Vernon where we pretty much had the entire place to ourselves. We started out in the museum/hands-on learning center which was phenomenal. Jason and I both learned a ton about George Washington and the kids were thoroughly entertained by all the exhibits and kid-centered activities. That afternoon we toured the mansion house and surrounding area.

Here are the kids in front of the stables...

A side view of the estate...

The view of the Potomac River from the grounds. It was soooo pretty there, even in Winter. I can only imagine how gorgeous the other seasons would be as well...



A big, big house with our small little family in front!!

I can definitely see why George Washington was a fan of this place!! 

It was a great way to celebrate my birthday. I love doing these fun little trips and made Jason commit to doing more of them in the future. There is so much to see and do around here. I think if we ever moved from the East Coast, I would sure miss our proximity to all of these great tourist areas!