Another busy weekend for the Hadleys

We had yet another busy weekend. Sally and Jason came to visit us for the weekend with their dogs Gus and Georgia. We hit the Houston zoo for the first time this year Saturday morning. The weather was perfect for the zoo and the boys enjoyed seeing all the animals. After that we went to Lupe Tortilla for lunch. The boys played in the sand box before the food arrived. While we were eating lunch, James noticed blood on his quesadilla. Brian ended up pulling his second bottom tooth out there at the table. Thankfully it didn't bleed for long and we all finished up eating. After we got home, Brian and I put up the tent to patch a hole we saw at the end of our last camping trip. We decided to leave the tent up for the night. Brian and the boys slept out in the back yard that night. Sunday was John's birthday. That morning Brian went to church while James and I went to CCD. Once we got back home, it was time to drive up to my parents' house for lunch, cake and presents. My parents, sister, Sally and Jason joined us for the celebrations. We hung out with them for most of the afternoon watching The Princess and the Frog. Later that afternoon, we headed home for Sunday dinner with our friends. After dinner, Jude amazed us and started walking using a push toy. He can only do it on the carpet as it offers some friction for the wheels on the toy. The moment he gets to the tile, the toy slips away from him and he topples over. We were to proud and happy for him. We think walking will begin in the next few weeks. Here are some photos and videos from the weekend.

John is Four!!!

We have been so blessed to have John in our lives these last four years. While we definitely have our difficult days, he really is a joy to be around. He can and will talk the ears off anyone who will listen. He is really enjoying his preschool and talks about his friends and teachers. His speech is definitely improving as time goes on. I know we made the right decision to have him attend four days a week starting in the fall. Not only will being around kids help his speech and conversation skills, it will also help him transition to full time kindergarten the following year. John still really enjoys the Disney Princesses but has recently gotten into Handy Manny and the tools. He also really enjoys the Tag reader he got over Christmas and will read his books for long periods of time. John is also becoming more responsible for himself. While I still pick out his clothes in the morning, he gets dressed all by himself and puts his dirty clothes away. He also cleans off his plate and puts it in the dishwasher when he's finished eating. He's able to get his own snacks out of the pantry as well. John had a great birthday this year. We went to Steak and Shake to get his favorite meal - macaroni and cheese. The cake he picked was Tinkerbell (a new favorite) and it was super cute. John enjoyed everyone singing Happy Birthday to him. He got a remote controlled CAT truck, a tool box and tool set, two new movies, a new book and a big boy bike and helmet.

Jude at 10 months

I'm a day late but yesterday was super crazy at our house. I couldn't believe it when I noticed today was the 21st and Jude is a whole month older. Not a whole lot has changed in the last month. Jude is pulling up on everything he can get his hands on and is gaining the confidence to start cruising. He's still eating mainly table foods and drinking four 6 oz bottles a day. He still doesn't have any teeth although I think the bottom ones are getting ready to break through the gums. He had a rough week sleep-wise but seems to be getting back on track with two naps a day and sleeping through the night. He's definitely become attached to his hippo and will hopefully use it as a lovey for the next few years. He reaches for it and pulls it in close every time I lay him down in his crib. Jude is wearing 18 month sized clothes now and will definitely be in 24 month before the weather starts to cool off again. Jude loves to be with his brothers and will search for them in the house. He had a blast standing up next to the tub while they were taking a bath. He was just laughing his little head off at their silly antics. I tried to get a video but he stopped the second I started recording. I'll have to snap some photos tomorrow as I didn't get a chance before he went to bed tonight.

From Photos for Blog

From Photos for Blog

Houston Rodeo Trip

To finish off a busy Spring Break, I took the kids (yes, all three of them) to the rodeo last Friday. Granted, my best friend, Kristen, and her oldest niece (our babysitter) also came which was a huge help. The boys had a great time seeing the baby animals, collecting cards, learning about where milk comes from and hitting the petting zoo. After that, we headed outside for some super yummy lunch and then we were off to the carnival. We got super lucky this year with the weather. It wasn't super hot like last year and there was decent cloud cover. James was really brave and rode a couple of really big roller coasters. Poor John got really upset when he wasn't quite tall enough to participate in everything big brother was doing. Hopefully next year he'll be taller and can go into more of the fun houses they have. Jude did a great job and even took two fairly decent naps - one after lunch and one on the walk back to the car. It was a really long day but we had a great time. Bye-bye rodeo. We'll see ya next year!

One down, several more to go...

James has officially lost his first tooth. Thankfully he and Brian waited until we got home Monday before pulling it out. James was so excited and proud. He really didn't fuss or cry much. He actually lost the bottom tooth first even though the one on top has been loose for longer. He sealed the tooth in an envelope and put it under his pillow Monday night and woke up to find an envelope containing $3 and a note from the tooth fairy when he woke up Tuesday morning. He's going to continue working on the top tooth and if it doesn't come out before he goes to the dentist on April 8th, I'll have the dentist pull it then. Here's a photo of James Tuesday morning showing off his gap.

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Oh no...

Looks like we may have another chocoholic on our hands. By the way, I'm not sure what exactly he was eating at the time of this photo. I do know that he got plenty of cookies over the weekend.

From Photos for Blog

Spring Break Camping Trip

This year we were finally able to make to to Bastrop State Park for a weekend camping trip (must remember to make reservations in January from now on). I think the most valuable lesson we learned is that 9 month olds and camping do not mix. Jude wanted to be down and all over the place all weekend long. Thankfully Brian had the brilliant idea to bring our big play pen and place it over a tarp on the ground. Jude played quite happily in the pen provided someone was in there with him. The other big challenge is that for reasons unknown to us, Jude has decided to become a really crappy sleeper. He fights sleep like no other and wakes up in the middle of the night crying. This did not make for great sleep while camping. On the up side, our sites were right next to the playground and the bathrooms. All the kids had a blast playing outside, hiking, fishing, and getting dirty - especially John. James even made a friend at the playground and played really well for almost two hours. We brought our own wood this time and had really great campfires both during the day and at night. The last night we got the fire super hot and had fun throwing random stuff into the flames. The highlight was when Will dropped a unopened soda can in the fire and we all waited for it to explode. Also that night, James almost lost his first tooth. Darren was about to pull it out with some pliers when I pleaded to wait until we got back to more sanitary conditions. Overall, it was a good weekend away and we're all looking forward to camping at Huntsville State Park for Easter weekend. Here are some photos I managed to snap.


Jude in the play pen

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Happy Baby

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John playing in the sand. I wish you could see just how dirty he was.

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Super hot fire

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James roasting marshmallows with Kyle

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James and his marshmallow

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Sweet John-John all clean again

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Kindergarten Rodeo

After a fun night at the Houston Rodeo, we all had to get up early to get James off to school. Last Friday was the Kindergarten Rodeo which I volunteered to help out with. Of course, I didn't leave early enough to get a parking spot in the teacher parking lot so I had to unload all of the stuff for our game (Rattlesnake Toss) and then go find a parking spot on Falcon Landing. Unfortunately, we arrived a bit late and didn't get a great spot to view the square dance before the games. Thankfully I spotted James and he spotted me so he knew I was there watching. It was so much fun to see him perform all of the songs he's been singing around the house for the past few weeks. After they finished singing and dancing, the kids headed back to their classrooms for a water and potty break and to pack up their back packs. This gave us volunteers time to set up the games. I brought stuff for the Rattlesnake Toss and some logs for the Cactus Races. John was a really great helper and picked up all the snakes after each kid had their turn. Jude on the other hand was super clingy and kept spitting up on me. Thankfully the event didn't last as long as planned and before too long all three boys and I were headed home for some rest and relaxation. My pictures turned out horribly. I don't know what it is about that gym but I can never get a decent shot. I did however get some video of the kids dancing and of John doing the Cactus Race. I'll be sure to get those posted soon.

First Trip to the Houston Rodeo

James and John had their first trip to the Houston Rodeo (actual rodeo events, not just the carnival and educational sections) this past Thursday. Brian's co-worker wasn't using her two tickets so we decided last minute to take them along to the Brad Paisley concert. James sat with Brian in our original seats and John and I sat in the two extra seats. James had an absolute blast since all they have been talking about the past several weeks at school is cowboys and rodeos. John was definitely entertained and had a great time trying to find the horses, cows and bulls down on the arena floor. Once the bull riding was finished the couple next to John and I left for the evening so I called Brian to come over and join us. Right about that time John passed out (it was getting close to 9 pm) but James managed to stay awake for the calf scramble, barrel racing and mutton bustin'. He even stayed awake during the portion of the concert we stayed for. We called it quits around 10 as we knew we had a long walk back to the car and a longer drive home. All in all, we're very proud of how well the boys did being out so late and in such a crowded place. I forgot the camera and only snapped one photo with my phone. I'll have to figure out how to get it uploaded soon.


James getting ready for the rodeo to start

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Having a blast at the rodeo

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All tuckered out

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Jude's 9 month stats

Jude is still far and away our fastest growing child. At 9 months, Jude was 23 lbs 12 oz and 31 inches long. For some perspective, James was 24 lbs 2 oz (just a mere 6 oz more) and 31.25 inches tall at 15 months old. John was 23 lbs 14 oz and 31.5 inches tall at 15 months old. I'm really hoping that with all the crawling and hopefully walking in the next few months, that this growth rate will level off/slow down.

How cute is this?!?!

I was checking James' daily folder a few weeks ago and found this. How cute is this?!?! The little girl who sits next to him on the bus and lives a couple streets over made this to invite him over to her house to play. I don't hang on to much but I definitely have to keep this. Kaelyn is super into Star Wars and plays the Wii Lego games James really enjoys. Both James and John went over for the playdate. James and Kaelyn played the Wii while John and Kaelyn's younger sister watched a movie.

From Photos for Blog

From Photos for Blog

Chuck E Cheese Marathon

This Saturday was a Chuck E Cheese marathon for the Hadley boys. Both James and John were invited to birthday parties hosted at our local Chuck E Cheese. John's was at 10 am and thankfully it was not crowded at all. Just a few other groups of kids and only two other small parties at the time. John had an absolute blast playing the games and spending time with his friends outside of school. John's favorite ride, far and away, was the Jett something or other ride. It's sort of a virtual reality ride where the kids sit on a reclined bench seat and watch the screen. While the little movie is playing the seat goes up and down, back and forth, and shakes based on what is happening on the screen. I think John must have done all three movies plus the bonus movie four or five times during the time we were there. Overall John had a wonderful time at the party.

After getting home from John's party, I had a two hour break before heading back to Chuck E Cheese for another party. This time it was for a classmate of James'. The place was so crowded when we got there. I think there were only a few other parties scheduled for that time but ALL the other tables were occupied and the game area was full of kids. I was so thankful that this party was for James' classmates because I don't think John could have handled the crowd. At first James was very timid about going off with his friends but eventually my sister and I were able to relax with Jude at the party table while James played games with his friends. James must have been starving because he scarfed down four slices of pizza. Even Jude ate almost a whole piece! James really enjoyed the birthday party song and dance the hostesses and Chuck E Cheese did and loved playing up on the stage in front of the camera. James used up all of his tokens so after cake and ice-cream, we said our good-byes and headed home.

If any of our kids ever request a Chuck E Cheese party, I will definitely insist on the earlier time slot. It was a pure madhouse in the afternoon. John had some tokens left over so we might take a trip over to Chuck E Cheese during the week sometime so he can play some more games.

YIKES!!!

James has a second loose tooth!!! This one is on the bottom. I know it's going to be busy summer for the tooth fairy.

Jude's First Infection

Well he had a good long healthy streak, much longer than either of his brothers, but Jude has finally had his first infection. This past Sunday, he started running a fever so I took him into Katy Urgent Care just to make sure he didn't have ear infection. The nurse practitioner on duty couldn't find any source of infection and indicated it was viral. She gave us antibiotics just in case which we started Sunday night. They really seemed to help until Wednesday morning when he broke out in a rash. I took him into our pediatrician who confirmed it was viral and that was how many viruses worked - two to three days of fever, no fever and then a rash. He instructed us to stop the antibiotics and that the rash would go away on it's own in a week or so. Jude isn't eating nearly as well or drinking as much as he normally does but hopefully that will get better as he starts feeling better. The poor thing has just been pathetic. He's finally starting to get some of his energy back. He used to just sit around and whine whenever I put down. Now at least he's crawling around to come after me when I move on to another room. Hopefully he'll feel much better by the end of the weekend.