hadley's first trip to the beach

we went to the beach today to celebrate craig's grandmother's 85th b-day. it was beautiful when we left out house, but when we got there, the temp. started to drop and it was so foggy... we made the best of it. the kids didn't seem to mind how chilly it was. i always forget about the sun on the cooler days, and my back got quite the burn. i put sunblock on the kids, and my face before we left and didn't think i would need it - boy was i wrong!!!

i am looking forward to going back soon... the kids had so much fun!!!

Carter - off to 1st grade

we officially have a kindergarten graduate! i can't believe how big my little boy is!!! he is 6 going on 16!!! where is the pause button when you need it?

carter had a great year with Mrs. Lamb. she was a wonderful teacher, and i really liked her a lot. carter can read now, and is very interested in math. on the last day of school they have "move up day" where they get to meet their new teacher for next year and see who is in his class. since carter is our oldest, we really don't know anything about the teachers. lots of parents like to gossip about what teachers are better than others, but i think it is all crap. i don't personally think it is a bad thing when a teacher is strict... there is plenty of time for fun and games. i want carter to learn, and i want the best environment for him to do that in. ok, back to my thought. next year carter got Mrs. Riccio, but as i said, i don't know anything about her. he is VERY excited that one of his best friends from school will be in his class next year.

here are a couple of pics from the end of the year... the weather here has been really cool and rainy. field day got canceled and then when they had the make up day, it wasn't the best of days either. even on the last day of school it was pouring out, and we couldn't do pictures outside.



Carter and Mrs. Lamb (who is due with a baby boy in oct.)



last day of school... waiting in the house for the bus.




and here is the first day of school to compare... what a difference 9 months makes!!!!

happy (belated) father's day

yes, i know this is late, but better late than never...

craig, i hope you had a wonderful father's day this year. we all love you so much and you are a great dad. you really take time to be with your kids, and i thank you for that.



here are a couple of our other father's day pictures from previous years.




side note - now that we have a girl, everyone ALWAYS asks us if our family is now complete. (that is a vent for another day.) when i mention that we would love to have 4 kids, and we were never concerned with gender, i always get a look as if i am a bit crazy. the truth is, if craig wasn't such a supportive and involved husband and father, i don't think i would want such a big family. from getting carter on the bus in the morning, to giving baths at night, craig makes his children a priority, and i love him for that.

tubes are in

yesterday hadley had her surgery for ear tubes. i know it is a simple procedure, in and out, but when it is my baby, and she is only 6 months old, it seems more like a big deal. thursday my mom came to stay with us, so she could watch the boys while we went to the hospital.

hadley's surgery was at 7:30 am, and they wanted us to be at the hospital at 5:45 am. we had to get up at 4:00, and leave by 5:00... and since i couldn't sleep the night before, i was up until 1:30. it was a long day!!!

i just have to say, that hadley is a happiest, easiest, and overall, best baby. i realize i am biased, but it's true. she is always happy, and always has a smile on her face. i am so in love with her!!!

oh, and i loved having my mom here. not sure if craig feels the same way, but she is a big help. she helps the kids, and cleans up, and just goes with the flow. while hadley was napping after we got home, we were able to clean out the play room. we brought all the toys that the boys don't play with to the basement. we brought up baby toys for hadley. we moved things around, and organized. hopefully this weekend, we can get a new area rug for in there, and then it will be perfect.

today we are back to normal... hadley is doing great, and my mom left. and i am getting some much needed computer time!!! :)

chunky monkey

we had miss hadley's 6 month checkup today. she didn't have to get her shots b/c of her surgery is on friday (they don't allow any immunizations 2 weeks prior to surgery). she now has fluid in her ears, but they are no longer infected. pedi isn't concerned that she is not into eating her solids. she said to take a couple weeks off and try again. nothing else exciting...

all of my kids were chunky babies. but hadley is bigger than her brothers were. here are the 6 month stats -

Hadley - 19 lbs 8 oz (95%) 27 1/4" (90%)
Mason - 18 lbs. 11 oz, 27 1/2"
Carter - 18 lbs 10 oz, 28 1/4"

6 month pics to compare

happy 1/2 birthday

today miss hadley is 6 months old!!! how did that happen??? time is going by so fast, i wish i could just slow it down a bit. i keep hearing "you're gonna miss this" by trace adkins playing in my head over and over again.
she is still the sweetest thing... she is happy, and lovable. she has more than her fair share of rolls and pugde, but that just makes more to cuddle with.

hadley loves to watch her big brothers... they really love their sister too. when i am busy trying to get something done, the boys will sit on the floor with her and show her all the toys and play with her. it is really cute to watch. carter will often say to mason, "i love her more, i am the one who wanted a sister, not you."


in the last week hadley has started sitting up on her own. she is still in the beginning stages, but it is a start. solids are not going that well. she doesn't open her mouth and eat, she tries to suck the food off the spoon. we have tried oatmeal, apples, sweet potatoes and bananas. this time around i am not making my own food...i have tried it in the past, but we are using the earth's best baby food. btw, i think bananas make her sick. she threw up the first day she had them, and the other times she spit up after. i am thinking we need to put them away.




she is still a great sleeper. she has been sleeping 7:30 pm - 6:30 am, and take 3 naps a day. her morning nap is 1-2 hours, her afternoon naps can be up to 3 hours long, and then she takes a little rest around dinner time. i try to keep her on her schedule as much as i can, but with 3 kids, sometimes she needs to go with the flow and nap on the go. thankfully she does well with that too.


truth be told, it has been 6 months and i still have days where i can't believe i have a daughter. or 3 kids for that matter!

when i told the boys that today is hadley's 1/2 birthday, they wanted to have a party for her. well, i didn't want to do a big party, but we did make 1/2 a cake and some cupcakes for the special day. i am not the best cake decorator, but i am sure it will taste good!!!

longest baseball game

this weekend carter participated in the longest baseball game. our town is trying to get into the guinness book of records and will be playing baseball for 36 straight hours. each player was asked to get donations and the top fundraisers can win a dinner with curt schilling. here is carter's page if you want to take a look...

http://longestbaseballgame.org/profiles/?player=carterjacobs

we had a lot of fun yesterday at the field. we played in the longest game, and then we also had our scheduled game. the kids had a blast, and mason is always excited to play with his friend rowan. i managed to hit my quota of socializing.

tonight they are asking all the players to return to the field at 7:00 for the final hour. after the game all the players will be on the field to throw their hats in the air.

ETA: here is a link about the game.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2009/06/wrentham_kids_t_1.html
it was amazing to see all the kids on the field at the end of the game when they threw their hats in the air.

Picture Time

here are some pictures from last week... we went to the Lappins house on sunday for lunch. livie loves hadley, and just wanted to hold her, and hug her. it was so cute!!!

and i think we need to put mr. swing away... it doesn't really swing so well, since she is a bit on the chunky side. so sad that baby stuff is already going away... first the bassinet, then the infant car seat, and now the swing. i am sure the bouncy chairs will be next, since i only use them when i am in the shower.

oh, and here is the bingo chart. it has more squares colored in now, so they are doing good. still a struggle, but they are eating it.

June... already???? (and a little vent)

wow time is going by so fast!!! i can't believe it is already june. the school year will be ending, and summer will be starting. miss hadley is growing up so fast! she will be 6 months old next week. it feels just like yesterday i was put on bedrest and was stressing about christmas shopping.

ok, here's a quick vent. i don't think craig wants to hear about it anymore, so i figured it would vent it out here. so, part of the end of the school year is getting the teacher an end of the year gift. for the last 2 years i have been really involved with carter's class and helping/organizing the teacher gifts. this year i decided to sit back since i was pregnant, and wasn't sure how much i would be able to do. so the "class parent" collected money at christmas time, and we never heard how much was collected, or what was bought for the teacher and teacher's assistant.

so, last week we got an email saying that it was time to send in money for the end of the year gift. everything is completely optional, and there is no set amount to give. so i emailed the "class parent" back asking how much she thought was average based on what she collected at christmas... she avoided the question. i then asked what she was going to get Mrs. Lamb... she mentioned a summer entertainment set (plates, cups, etc.) for outside entertaining. really? i guess i should add Mrs. Lamb is pregnant with her 1st baby, a boy who is due in Oct. i mentioned that i have talked a lot with mrs. lamb and spent time in her class and she seems to really like Vera Bradley... what about a the VB diaper bag, and then get a babies r us gift card with any of the extra money. well "class parent" doesn't like that idea. she said that she really wants to get her a gift for her, not the baby.

i guess i am a bit of a control freak and i tend to think i have great ideas! :) so, i gave up my battle with that... after many emails back and forth i wasn't getting anywhere. after talking with my friend laura, whose daughter is also in the class we came up with a cute idea. next week at the class picnic i have asked each student to bring a small baby gift for Mrs. Lamb, and to make a card. i am going to get a basket, and put all the items in it, and give it to her from the students. maybe because i am in baby mode, i just don't feel right not acknowledging the fact she is pregnant.

it always feels good to vent... now i am no longer sitting here thinking about it. my pictures are finally uploaded so i can add some soon!!!