vacation week

we are having a great vacation week... lots of fun family time. we haven't really done too much, and it is perfect! after 2 months of running around, getting ready for the baby, then the holidays, i finally can just sit down and enjoy the moment.

the kids are having a blast playing with all their new toys, and the "blizzard" was the perfect start to the week. i just loved being home, hanging out in my pj' and having nothing to do. by the end of the week, i will be ready to get back to our schedule, but it is nice to take a break every once in a while.

here's our week in photos...
hadley and her baby






6 weeks old



blizzard of 2010



snow much fun!





i am taking full advantage of having craig home. so far i had my 6 week pp appointment, a blood pressure check with my primary, and tomorrow i am getting my hair cut and colored. then it will be new year's eve... man, this week is going by fast!!!

Merry Christmas!!!

we survived our first christmas as a family of six... we have an obnoxious amount of toys to show for it. we really had a great day, and enjoyed the memories.

plans changed, and my dad had to work on christmas... so we switched some things around and we went to my parents on christmas eve day to celebrate with them. we exchanged gifts with them, had some coffee and munchkins, and then were on our way. it was a quick visit, but it was perfect!






soon after we got home, craig's family came over. again, the kids loved all of their presents and really started getting excited about christmas morning. everyone left by 5:30, and we enjoyed a yummy dinner. after dinner the kids decorated some treats for santa, then enjoyed some dessert for themselves.


after baths we snuggled and listened while craig read "twas the night before christmas", and then we put out cookies for santa, and sprinkled some reindeer food on the front lawn. after a long fun filled day, the kids were out cold! then it was time for santa to get busy.





this morning carter came into my room around 5ish while i was feeding graham... i told him it was a bit too early, to lay back down. at 7:00 he came back with mason and they jumped on our bed. it was party time!!! the boys went into hadley's room and woke her up. she had no idea what was going on, since she was half asleep.

we all walked downstairs together, and carter shouted "we hit the mother load". it was so funny! they kids were so happy and they loved everything!!! santa did great!! craig ordered me my "graham" charm for my necklace, and i love it!!! i ordered craig and i north face jackets, and i love them... so warm! the pictures say it all! we had a fabulous day, played with all the new toys, stayed in our pj's, ate chinese food.









craig is on vacation this week, and i am so excited to have him home! the word on the street is that a blizzard is rolling into town tomorrow night, and we are "suppose" to get a foot of snow!!! i wonder if i'll be able to make it to my 6 week post-partum appointment on monday? i was excited to see my doctor.

anyways, i'm going to go finish watching "my sister's keeper" and cry my eyes out!!! i hope everyone had a great christmas, and enjoyed spending the day with the people they love.

what a difference a year makes...

i can't believe how fast the last year has gone by... last year when i went in for my 10 week ultrasound, we discovered that i had miscarried. the news was devastating, and heart breaking. it was not the way i had imagined the holidays. we were so excited to share our news with our family on christmas, but instead i had to call my mom and tell her that i was pregnant and miscarried all in one sentence.

i spent christmas eve recovering from a d&c, and not enjoying the magic of chirstmas with my kids.

this year not only will i be able to really enjoy christmas with the kids, but i will be able to snuggle with graham. he is so perfect, and there is something so special about having a newborn over the holidays.

i try not to live in a world of "what ifs" but i do often wonder about the baby we lost... but i also know that without that m/c i wouldn't have graham. and now that he is here, i couldn't imagine my family any other way.

christmas traditions

i am really trying to set our family traditions... it's tough because we don't have a a large family, or traditions that have been handed down to us.

i don't have any siblings to share the holiday with, and even though my sister in-law lives in the next town, they are spending christmas eve and day with her husband's family. i really wanted to celebrate x-mas eve with them, i thought it would be great with the kids, but they are just going to stop over after nap time to do presents. my inlaws are jewish, and we really have no desire to spend any extra time with them.

so we really have no plans on christmas eve... i am trying to figure out a meal that my family will eat without fights, then christmas morning. my parents will come over for lunch/dinner and we will have a spiral ham, salad, roasted potatoes, and some veggies.

growing up i have so many fond memories of getting together with cousins, and neighbors. my grandparents always came over with a huge bag of toys, and it was so much fun. i want for my kids to have memories that they will cherish, and one day (far far away) when they get married and have kids, we can continue with some traditions.

craig and i both really wanted a large family, and i want to start traditions with them now. so if anyone has the perfect meal idea, or special tradition, please pass it along. so far the only thing we have been consistent with is christmas pj's for the kids on x-mas eve.

also, do all your gifts come from santa, or do you make sure some are from you too? i grew up with only santa gifts on x-mas, but now i am hearing all about parents taking some credit. last year we gave the boys the wii from us, but i'm not sure what to do this year.

thanks in advance for any help/suggestions.... merry christmas!!!

p.s. i always buy a new personalized ornament for the tree to represent our family. and craig loves to read twas the night before christmas, and we make treats for santa.

after i wrote this post earlier i was talking with the boys about ideas to help make this year special. i think we are going to make rice krispie treats (since carter doesn't like cookies), and pick up some bagels from panera for christmas morning. for christmas eve we are just going to have pasta - i know it's boring, but at least everyone will eat it. (and i make my own sauce) i struggle because i want the kids to be happy, and all they want is mac and cheese or pb&j. i really don't want to fight over food.

a couple years ago we decided to just stay put on chrsitmas day and let my parents come to us... best decision ever! the kids stay in their pajamas all day and just play.

i also think i am putting a lot of stress on making this year special since last year just sucked! on the 23rd we learned about my miscarriage, and then i had a d&c on christmas eve. i felt so guilty last year, and i just want this year to be perfect!

busy busy...

wow, this time of the year can get busy. i thought i was actually doing well, and then all the little last minute things seem to really add up. on top of all my own stuff to do, i am the class mom for mason's class, and coordinated the teacher gifts. it was fun and i love doing it, but it was just a lot of running around.

yesterday we hosted a work party for craig's team. it was also fun, and even though i ordered most of the food, i still had to get the house ready and organized. oh, and i have four kids to manage while trying to get everything done... just a couple more days until christmas, and then hopefully we can just rest and enjoy!!!

here's my holiday card this year... i just took a picture of it, so the quality isn't the best, but you get the idea.



in other news, i am squeezing myself into my regular pants and jeans... they are tight, but they fit! i think i still have about 5lbs. still to lose, but i am not going to worry about it until after the new year. i donated all my maternity clothes, and lots of newborn items. it sure does feel good to know we are done having kids and i don't have to keep bins and bins of clothes for the next time. there will not be a next time... and yes, i'm sure! craig fulfilled his part of our agreement that once we had four kids he would get a vasectomy. back in september he had his consulation, and booked his procedure. last week, he went in, got it done, and came home to rest. he said the procedure itself was painless, and fine, and he just had a bit of soreness after. i think his exact words, was that he felt like he got kicked in the balls... anyways, i am so happy that it is done, and we are done and we can move on now as a family of six.

i am a bit sad that graham is my last baby... i LOVE babies! but i know my limit, and i am there. just look how cute he is...



i am so excited that we have a few friends that are having babies this spring, so graham will have some buddies. my friend cindy just found out that she will be having her fourth boy in may... her oldest is friends with mason, and she is also the one who took the picture for my holiday card. my other friend ilana will be finding out soon what she's having, and craig's best friend from his childhood is having his first boy. it's such an exciting time!!!

ok, and here's 3 of the kids in the tub together... we usually don't do this, but we were in a time crunch the other night. usually hadley and graham take a bath, and the older boys shower.

1 month

my big boy is now 1 month old... how did that happen? he is such a little peanut, and a complete joy!

it's funny when you have a baby... in some sense it feels like he has been here forever and i can't remember a time without him, but then again, he is only a month old.

so far, life with four kids is still going good... graham is just the most amazing little guy! he loves to be cuddled, doesn't fuss too much, and seems to be enjoying his role as the baby in the family.

we survived!!!!

we survived our first attempt at getting photos of all four kids!!! i was stressed, and not looking forward to it at all.... but with the help of bribes and threats, we did it!!!

here's the link if you want to take a look...

http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/viewalbum.aspx?a=778952

The password for the album is jacobs

would you like an insult with your latte?

yesterday after hadley's 2 year appointment, we went target to waste some time before we needed to pick up mason from school. on our way out, we stopped at starbucks so i could get my favorite peppermint mocha latte.

we were not in a rush, everyone was happy, the day was going good... i ordered my latte, and the lady looked at me and asked if i was ok. i told her i was fine, and kinda looked confused... did she know something that i didn't?

she then proceeded to tell me that i looked tired and down. well, ok then. tired, sure even if i was tired, did you have to tell me i looked tired? you know i am here getting my caffeine fix. but on top of looking tired, you are going to tell me i also look down today?

really people, if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all!!!! i see this women all the time, and hello, you can see i just had a baby... she also told me she always wanted four kids, but couldn't get past two. she was full of information.

i actually came home and took a picture of myself to see if i looked as tired and down as this women said.... i thought i was looking just fine.