you're gonna miss this

yesterday while i was driving up to the hospital for my u/s the trace adkins song You're Gonna Miss This came on the radio... and as i listened to the song i started to tear up. i remember really paying attention to the lyrics after hadley was born and it helped me get through the first 3 months of sleepless nights and chaos. as i listened to it yesterday, it had a whole new meaning for me.


You're going to miss this
You're going to want this back
You're going to wish these days
Hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're going to miss this

this is the last time i am ever going to be pregnant, and the last time i will feel a baby move and grow inside of me. it is such an amazing experience. although at times the symptoms can be a bit much, all in all it is such a blessing and i am trying to enjoy the whole experience.

You're going to miss this
You're going to want this back
You're going to wish these days
Hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're going to miss this

carter is at a great age... he is old enough to do so many things by himself, but he still has an innocence to him. he still loves to come into my bed and snuggle in the morning. at school he does really well, and i always get great feedback from his teachers. he is not an aggressive kid, and sometime struggles to find his "clique" at school. he loves sports, but is intimidated by the jocks, but he doesn't quite fit in with the boys who are in the boy scouts. this year he is doing amazing at soccer, and after scoring a goal 2 weeks ago, i think it really gave him a boost in self esteem and he went on to score 2 goals last weekend. he loves his siblings, even though at times mason gets on his nerves. craig is his hero, and they just love spending time together.

You're going to miss this
You're going to want this back
You're going to wish these days
Hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're going to miss this

mason is our happy-go-lucky 4 1/2 year old. he loves life! everyday he wakes up excited to start the day. he loves going to school, loves his friends, and loves hadley and carter. carter is his idol and he wants nothing more than to be just like him. he wants to play the same sports, wear the same clothes, and have the same toys. we often have to remind him to give carter some space. craig jokes that mason has rainbows and lollipops running through his head all day.

You're going to miss this
You're going to want this back
You're going to wish these days
Hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're going to miss this

hadley is currently the princess in the house, and she takes her role very seriously. she has her brothers and her daddy wrapped around her little finger. she is so funny, and makes me laugh all day. she is talking up a storm and loves to dress up. from the moment she wakes up in the morning, she asks to put on her "pretty" (aka necklaces and bracelets). she also has a love for sesame street, and all the characters from the show. soon enough she is going to be a big sister, and no longer be the baby of the family. i am absolutely loving this age... i wish i could just press the pause button.


You're going to miss this
You're going to want this back
You're going to wish these days
Hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're going to miss this

i'm not sure how the family dynamics will change once we bring home our 4th and final addition, but i'm sure we will figure it out. i really feel blessed with my family, and i try to not to take anything for granted.

16 years

16 years ago i went on my first date with craig. wow, i can't believe how fast time goes!!!

craig and i met after i dialed the wrong number. he called back, and for whatever reason we started talking. after 1 month of talking everyday, we decided to meet. my parents did not want me going out with an older boy who lived an hour away that i didn't know, so i did what i thought would be best.... i lied to them and off i went.

i still remember how nervous i was... and really, who could have ever imagined that a wrong number could lead to a lifetime of happiness.

craig, thank you so much for building an amazing life with me!!! i love you so much!!!!

this and that

- i am 30 weeks pregnant! wow, it is really going by fast!!! 3/4 of my pregnancy is done... never to be experienced again. now i only have 8-10 weeks left, and i better get things ready. although last night when i was telling craig all the things that i needed to do, he said he could handle it all.

- sunday night i went out with the girls to see The Town. it was a great movie, and i loved it! usually we see a good chick flick, but we branched out last night and it was good. i love seating up in the lux section and i now order the same thing every time. so good, so yummy... the best way to see a movie.

- i have no problem yelling at other peoples kids. i can not stand when kids are rude and obnoxious... and it especially pisses me off when i see the parents sitting there doing absolutely nothing. so yes, sunday night at the movies i yelled at a group of kids for spitting spit balls in the movie theater lobby. how gross is that? seriously, how do you sit back and let your kids and their friends do that?

- i am getting sick and tired of people asking me how i do it. what do they mean? i have no choice... life goes on, the kids still have a schedule, and i still want to be involved with everything. what am i suppose to do all day? just sit with my feet up and eat bon bons. of course i have days where i am tired, and just want a nap, or stay home in my pj's all day, but that is not my life right now. and guess what? i love my life and my family. i love going to the boys soccer games, and taking them to birthday parties. i love going to events at the schools and really getting to know the other parents and teachers.

- insomnia, leg cramps, and heart burn, oh my! yes that is how most nights go... i have now set up shop in the bonus room, so i can be propped up with pillows to help with the heart burn. and i can watch t.v. when insomnia sets in. once i feel like i am in a good sleep i will head back to my room and try to finish sleeping there. the best is when someone asks me if i'm tired.... my first response is to ask them if i look tired. i try really hard to get dressed, and make an effort on how i look before i head out. and then there is my need for caffeine... a little coffee in the morning goes a long way!!!

- i am so thankful for thursdays... we have nothing to do, no reason to rush out the door, and can just do what we want for the day. today we went to the grocery store, so really, not so exciting, but i wasn't rushing to do anything else. tonight is also the start of the new thursday night shows. i love grey's, private practice and the office. thursdays are my new favorite day of the week.

apple picking

today we went apple picking!!! it was the most perfect day! we headed to the orchard after carter's game this morning. the sun was shining, the weather was gorgeous, and the trees were filled with apples!!!

the boys had so much fun running and picking apples... hadley had no interest in picking apples, but she sure did love eating them.

after our bags were filled, we headed over to the farm stand to enjoy some warm cider donuts and apple cider. pure yumminess!

i love the fall... it is by far my favorite season!!!!

soccer mom

we are a soccer family, and i love it!!! i'm sure there is a chance the boys will some day move away from soccer and join the world of football, or another fall sport, but for now soccer it is!

carter is getting better every year. his team is made up of 1st and 2nd graders, and our friend john is his coach. john is a great coach and although i didn't want craig to be an assistant coach, he is on the sidelines helping.

carter is finally getting more aggressive this year, and he actually scored a goal today!!! (go carter go!) it was so amazing to watch!

so, from now until november we will be at the soccer fields on saturdays cheering on carter's team! although it is not fun waking up early and rushing out of the house, i do love the early morning games. sundays in the fall are usually all about the Patriots, and yummy food. this year we signed mason up for a soccer league and the games are every sunday at 1:00. other than the bad timing, this league is great!

mason's goal in life is to be just like carter... he looks up to his big brother so much! playing soccer is just another way for him and carter to be alike, and mason couldn't be happier.

unlike carter, mason is aggressive on the soccer field. (and compared to the other 4 year olds, he's good.)

i look forward to watching hadley join the fun in the next couple of years... she loves to watch her big brothers. i can't believe right after soccer season ends this year, we will be welcoming our 4th baby into our home!!!

Wiggles and Giggles

yesterday hadley and i went to her first wiggles and giggles class at the ymca. i am excited to do a class with her before the baby comes. actually i am really enjoying my 3 days a week i have with her while the boys are at school. i am trying to give her a lot of attention and quality time.

my sil and niece are doing the class too, so it is a good chance for the girls to see each other. even though we only live 10 minutes away, it seems like we never make time to get together.

here are some pictures from yesterday... i didn't get too many, i was trying not to be "that mom" with the camera out the whole time. we had so much fun!



here is another pic from this week... we were meeting a friend for lunch, and hadley wanted to get her "pretty" before we left. she cracks me up!

oh, and if you couldn't tell what a girly girl she is... these are the shoes she had to have... while shoe shopping for the boys, she saw these and loved them. what can i say, i'm a sucker! they are so cute!

questions from the kids...

the kids ask lots of questions, and i always want to write them down so i don't forget. of course, i never remember to do it. today i had a conversation with carter, and i thought i would jot it down now.

C: What's adopted mean?

M: Why? Where did you hear about that?

C: My friend on the bus told me he was adopted.

M: Well, you know mommy has a belly in her baby... and once the baby is born it will live with us forever, just like you, mason and hadley. Sometimes a mommy can't take care of the baby that is in her belly, so they can find another family to love them and help them grow. it is a very special situation, and the baby has 2 mommies who love them.

C: So, i'm adopted?

M: Well, no... you only have 1 family. You were in my belly, just like this baby, and then you stayed with us.

C: Oh... so the oldest isn't adopted?

(now i'm thinking... are we having the same conversation????)
M: No Carter, there is no rule about adoption, and you were not adopted. You belong to us.... always have, always will.

C: Ok, i get it... but you know (kid from the bus) isn't really nice, and likes to bully people.

M: Well that has nothing to do with adoption, so just stay away from him if he isn't a good friend.

--------------

speaking of the kids talking, mason started speech again today. he is doing so good! last year he had a hard time opening up and would say the least amount possible. now he is a little chatterbox. seriously, non-stop talking all the time. i have even had a couple people question why he is in speech, because they don't see it. well, i know he does still needs it, and even though he is making great progress, i want him to continue.

oh, and hadley's speech has really taken off too! she is putting lots of words together, she tries to sing the alphabet, and count to 10. she also has an obsession with elmo. she has 3 elmo books that she walks around with and talks about them all day. she has also discovered that she likes sesame street, and asks to watch daily. finally she has a show that she will sit down and watch so i can attempt to get something done during the day.

Mason's first day

today was mason's first day of preschool. he was so excited to go, and even more excited to use his new lunch box and thermos.





hadley wanted so bad to stay and play too... she left crying! i was on the fence whether or not to send her next year, but i am pretty sure she will be ready to go!!!!




poor hadley was a little sad after we came home. she was roaming the house calling for "mae" and "car-cer".... she sure does love her brothers.

back to the grind

so the lazy days of august are over... september's schedule seems to be filling up fast.

Carter - school M-F (7:30 - 3:00 bus pick up/drop off)
soccer - practices thursday nights, games saturdays
CCD - sundays 8:45 - 9:45

Mason - school MWF 9:00 - 1:00
speech tuesdays (he qualifies for 2x a week, but that is just a bit much right now)
soccer - sundays

Hadley - wiggles & giggles - wed.

Me - doctor's appointments every other week.
room parent for mason's class and co- vice president of the parent board
back to school night for carter's school
board meeting for mason's school

Family - 3 birthday parties
yard sale fundraiser for mason's school
pizza night @ mason's school


28 Week Update
i had my appointment today. i gained 6 lbs in the last 4 weeks, which i'm sure has nothing at all to do with the ben & jerry's i eat every night. so total gain of 16 lbs now.

the baby's heart rate was in the 160's... everything is measuring right on track. my b/p was elevated (140/90) so i need to start checking my pressure at home, and if it continues to stay high they can increase the dose of b/p medication that i am on.

i did the glucose test today, so i am praying that i pass that and don't have to be subjected to the 3 hour one...

that's about it. all is good, and baby is growing!

a poll for fun...

i added a poll just for fun.... so, what do you think baby jacobs #4 will be?

now that we made some purchases this weekend i am so getting ready for this baby! i want to buy an outfit to bring the baby home in, and a cute little hat. i also need to get out the newborn clothes and get them washed.

can you say nesting???

next step, nail down baby names....

28 weeks/Labor Day Weekend

here is my 28 week photo... the belly is sure getting big!!! the little bugger is moving and grooving like crazy too. i am really trying to enjoy every moment and movement, because i know it will all be over soon.



my parents took the kids last night so craig and i could go out to dinner with some friends. we had a great time! steve and samantha live in new york, so we don't have the chance to see them often. rick and ilana also came, and they live in the same town as us, but with our busy schedules, we rarely get to go out with them without the kids.



my mom called this morning to tell me hadley had a rough night, and was not feeling well. i felt so bad! she had a fever on friday, with no other symptoms. yesterday i thought she was feeling better, or i would have never let her sleepover. today she wasn't feeling so well, so we picked up the kids and brought them home. hadley and i took a nap and craig and boys went swimming at the ymca. i had all these great plans for the weekend, but once i had a little patient to take care of, plans changed. let's see how she feels tomorrow.

yaya and papa always get the kids a present when they sleepover. this time it was pillow pets!!! they loved them, although mason who wants to be just like carter, was sad that they didn't get the same one. tonight after dinner we watched The Lion King. how cute are they?



craig and i also made some purchases to prepare for the baby... yes, we are finally acknowledging that there will be a new baby joining our family. babies r us is having a sale, and if you bring in an old baby item, you can receive 25 % off a new one. not a bad deal... so we traded in our old infant carrier and old britax car seat and purchased a new infant carrier, and another pack n play. guess it's time to start getting ready for baby #4!!!

Carter - 2nd Grade

yesterday was the first day of school for Carter... he had a great day!!!!

Back to School

10 Misconceptions of Moms and Back-to-school

Misconception Number 1: Moms miss their kids when they go back to school .
Seriously. I’ve had enough of you by now. Every morning with the “what are
we going to do today, Mom?” is finally over. I’ve had looked at your face
twenty-four seven for the last 77 days. It’s time to go learn something. No
more asking me about the pool, when is the next snack or if you can stay up
late and watch a movie. It’s over….There is a Christmas morning for parents and it’s
called “back to school”.

Misconception Number 2: Moms like to go school shopping. Are you freaking
kidding me? Why do I pay taxes?…so I can rack up a 200 dollar bill at
Staples for crap that we have laying around my house in junk drawers. Why
does it have to be new pencils? What’s wrong with the chewed up, broken
strawberry shortcake pencils sitting in the bottom of the toy box for the
last 6 months? And how many subject books can you possibly need? What
happened to reading, writing and arithmetic. If they added a couple of
things for parents to that list I wouldn’t mind so much….why not pencils,
erasers and vodka …..or some Nyquil.

Misconception Number 3: Moms like back to school night. Why must we do this
every year? I got it already. You’re the teacher…I’m the parent. My kid is
either going to be smart or dumb. If he gets a certain number or colored
dot on his discipline chart, he can’t get a prize from the prize box.
Pretty simple stuff. Listen, I’m pretty old school. If he doesn’t listen to
you…you can throw something at him. I don’t care. But I got a lot of work
to do at home and I’m paying a babysitter right now. Plus, I’m pretty sure
you are going to assign some project on wigwams made by some Indian tribe
I’ve never heard of, so I need to get home and start my research. So, I got
it. We’re all here for the betterment of the kids. Blah Blah Blah. Can I
leave now?

Misconception Number 4: Moms like school paperwork. How many trees are
you planning on killing to tell me the same stuff I had to pay a babysitter
to listen to the other night? You know our name, where we live and our
emergency phone numbers. He doesn’t have a nickname….call him “stinkbutt”
for all I care. We don’t have any “special circumstances” that you need to
know about. He lives in a home with two parents who may or may not like
each other at any given time and they will fight. If that qualifies as a
reason he can’t get his homework done on time then he won’t be able to
function as an adult and have a real job so you may want to “educate” him
on that life lesson.

Misconception Number 5: Moms like covering books in that annoying sticky
paper. What exactly will you be doing with these books that I have to
cover them in a plastic laminate? Do you often teach in the rain? Or while
the children are drinking soda and eating soup? Do you know how long that
takes? Has any parent in the history of education been able to do it
without any air bubbles in it? From now on I’m covering it the old
way…brown paper bags. That way I can cover the books and pack their lunches
at that same time. Who says moms can’t multitask? PS. Please tell my son
if he can’t find his lunch to look in his science book.

Misconception Number 6: Moms like helping you with your homework. What? I
am scared out of my mind. I’m pretty sure that I forgot everything I
learned in fifth grade by the time I was in sixth grade. I have no idea
what you are talking about most days. I don’t really know my 12 times
tables, I read the cliff notes to all your summer reading and I don’t know
how to conjugate anything but I do know that song “conjuction junction
what’s your function” if that helps at all. And please don’t even say the
words “new math” to me. What the heck was wrong the old one?

Misconception Number 7: Moms can’t wait to pack your lunch every day until
we die. I hate doing laundry. Making dinner every night is the bane of my
existence, so making your lunch every day for an entire year, in terms of
“mom fun”, lies somewhere between brushing plaque off the dogs teeth and
scheduling my annual pap smear. Listen, as a child I hated what my mom
packed me for lunch. But, like every kid before me, and every generation to
come you will find a kid to trade with…I’m sure someone likes sardines.

Misconception Number 8: Moms love after school activities. I don’t know
who made up this idea of organized clubs and sports but they should be the
ones in charge of carting your ass around. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not
against all after school programs. I just wish they would offer it during
hours that would work best for me so that dinner wasn’t at 8:30 at night
followed by 4 hours of homework. Why not do it on the weekends and call it
“after-hours activities” so mommy and daddy could actually go out one night
and pretend that we have a life of our own. Don’t worry about us though I’m
sure that me and “what’s his name” will be married a very long time.

Misconception Number 9: Moms don’t mind taking you to school if you miss
the bus . Your bus comes at 7:10 am….which means that you should be
standing by the door at 7:05 am. Not eating breakfast, chasing the dog
around the house or in the bathroom, asking me to check your homework while
I’m taking a shower. Get it together! I don’t like running down the street
in my jammies at 7:12 screaming , “Please wait” or “If you stop , I’ll
show you my boobies.”

Misconception Number 10: Moms cry on your first day of school . We do cry
but they are tears of joy. I have done my job. I have successfully kept a
human child alive for at least 5 years without doing any major damage.
Motherhood is the hardest job in the world!! Sure, doctors save lives and
CEO’s run million dollar businesses but…you teach a kid not to poop their
pants and then you can say you’ve made the world a better place