The Hadley Family's Adventures: October 2010

Monday, October 25, 2010

Zoo Boo 2010

This past Sunday, we made our annual trip to the Houston Zoo for Zoo Boo. We all got up early, the boys got their costumes on, and we made our way down to the zoo for the first time in several months. James is going to be the red Power Ranger, John is a skeleton and Jude is a cow. It was a bit hot for Brian's taste but I thought it was perfect - sunny with a nice cool breeze. This year the zoo has a dinosaur exhibit so we decided to check that out before doing out usual path through the zoo. James and John really enjoyed looking at the different dinosaurs. I'm not sure what Jude thought of it since this is his first trip to the zoo as a slightly bigger kid. After the dinosaurs, we hit the carousel for a ride. Jude loved going up and down on the animals and sitting between his two brothers. Then it was on to the Children's Zoo where the boys had a snack and played on the playground. They also got to go see the fruit bats being fed while Jonah got his meal. The boys all loved getting candy at the Trunk or Treat stations they had set up around the zoo. They also got to decorate their own little pumpkins in the pumpkin patch. After that we had to head home and get ready for the rest of the day's activities.

John's first gymnastics party

This Saturday John went to his first party at Westwood gymnastics. As much as that boy loves to run and jump, he shocked me by not wanting to leave my side when the party began. Thankfully once I walked him over to the group, he joined right in and had a blast. He loved the pit and the trampolines. Unfortunately, I didn't get many pictures because he was kind of far from where Jude and I were sitting. Jude also enjoyed himself. There was a toddler area where he climbed on some mats and sat on the trampoline while I bounced him up and down. Of course both boys chowed down on the cake and ice-cream that was served after the time on the gym equipment. Here are a couple of photos I got.

From Westwood Gymnastics

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Two in cloth!!

We now have two in cloth diapers and I couldn't be happier!!! I was so tired of having to run to the store every few days for a pack of diapers for Jonah that I broke out the cloth diapers. Thus far things are going well. No rashes or anything. Jonah is definitely a heavier wetter than Jude was and his diapers are really wet when I change him. I know some people think I'm nuts but it really does save a lot of money and it's not that much more laundry for me. Here's a couple of photos of Jonah sporting his cloth diaper. You can see that he's finally putting some fat on his bones and his cheeks are definitely getting chubby.

From Photos for Blog

Downtown Aquarium

Since Brian was going to be up at the land all weekend, my parents and I decided to take the boys to the Downtown Aquarium for the day two Saturdays ago. I hadn't been since it first opened up back in 2001 or so. Since then they've added so much stuff since then. The best part was that Brian finished early at the land and was able to meet us around lunch time.

We met my parents there around 10 and got our day passes. Then we rode the train that takes you over to the shark tunnel. It was really cool and we got to learn a lot about the different types of sharks they have in the tank. After the train ride, James begged me to ride the tower ride with him. Man, my stomach can't handle those types of rides anymore. Thankfully I had an empty stomach. Otherwise I would have lost my lunch. It took us up and dropped us at least 10 times. Two or three times is fine but definitely not ten. While James and I were on that ride, my dad took John on the carousel. Once we were done with those activities, it was time to meet Brian for lunch.

Lunch was AMAZING. The food was fantastic and the boys really enjoyed walking around the huge aquarium they had in the restaurant. We got to see a couple of birthday parties while we were there eating. Man, I don't even want to know how much those cost. After lunch, we walked back downstairs and went over to the aquarium exhibit. We got to see tons of different types of fish and other aquatic animals. The highlight of the tour was the white tiger habitat they had at the end. We got to learn all about the tigers from the keepers and after the speech, we got to watch them play together.

After the aquarium exhibit, we headed back out to the rides. We rode the train again so Brian could go with us. Then we rode the Ferris wheel together. James kept begging to ride the tower thing again and thankfully Brian volunteered to go with him. He had a blast again!! I have a feeling he's going to be our thrill seeker. My mom took John on the Ferris wheel again while James and Jude rode the carousel. It was Jude's first time on a carousel and he loved it. Once we were done with the rides, we let the boys play in the splash area for a while before heading home. There were lots of slips and falls but all in all, they enjoyed cooling off. Everyone had a wonderful time and the boys all passed out on the drive home. Thanks Mom and Dad for a fantastic outing!!!

Here are some photos I took that day.

Land Update

Two weekends ago, Brian was able to get back out to the land and finally tackle the burn pile. He left town just after lunch on a Thursday and got camp all set up before the sun set. Then early Friday morning he and his mom got the fires going. The large pile at the front of the circle drive burned really quickly while the back section containing larger logs took a bit longer. I had the chance to go up last weekend and was amazed at how awesome our land looks now that the HUGE pile of brush is gone. And I really mean gone. The only remains are four large trees that we didn't have time to cut up before. I'll try to dig up some before pictures and have Brian send me the pictures during the burn. Then we'll be sure to post some after photos as soon as we take them. Seeing the burn pile gone has definitely motivated me to get back out there and start clearing again. Hopefully we'll be able to set aside a weekend where we can get some work done.

Car Washing with Daddy

We've had some really beautiful weather thus far this fall which has allowed us to spend lots of time outside. Recently the boys helped Brian wash the truck. All three of them had a blast playing with the hose, splashing in the soapy water and using the sponge to wash the truck. Jonah, Whinnie and I had fun watching the whole event. Here are some funny photos.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Whinnie's first Westie cut

Our Westie finally looks like a Westie. Whinnie had her first full grooming session yesterday with Cruisin Canines. They are a mobile groomer that comes to your house and grooms your dog in a van in your driveway. With four kiddos, I'm willing to pay the few extra dollars to avoid the dropping off and picking up that comes with taking her to Petco for a hair cut. Whinnie looks super cute with her Westie cut and is no longer a ball of white fur. Here are a couple of photos of our cutie.

From Photos for Blog

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Gaining like a champ

I forgot to post what Jonah weighed at his one month check up. Our pediatrician said he should gain an ounce a day so all totaled up, he should have gained about a pound in the just over two weeks since our last visit. I was completely shocked when I put him on the scale and saw 7 lb 7.5 oz!!! He gained over two pounds in just over two weeks!!! Let's hope he continues to pack on the pounds. I love chubby babies.

James' New Sport

For a couple of years now, Kristen has been telling us about the fencing place in Katy Mills Mall and that we should take James. We called about a year ago and they recommended kids wait until age 6 to start. Well he's finally at the right age so this past Monday, Brian took James to give it a trial. A little boy from James' class was there so he had a friend there with him. He really enjoyed it and begged to go back on Tuesday. So off they went again on Tuesday evening and got officially signed up. There was a different coach there who was definitely more into instruction. James learned several moves Tuesday night. James wanted to go yet again on Wednesday but Brian was teaching Faith Formation and I'm not quite ready to take all four boys out by myself. Hopefully he'll get to go at least twice a week depending on our schedule. I'll post the pictures Brian took on his phone soon.

From Photos for Blog

Chuck E Cheese galore

Last weekend was another Chuck E Cheese marathon. Saturday night we attended the Cravin kids' birthday party and then Sunday night was a party for James' friend Kaelyn and her sister Ashlyn. Saturday was the first time James went off to play games on his own. Well not entirely on his own. His friend, Cameron, came along since we knew there wouldn't be any other kids his age there. I took John and Jude around to ride the rides and play games. Jude had a wonderful time on the little kid rides although he didn't much care for the ones that were high off the ground. He also had a great time chowing down on the pizza and cookie cake. I swear he ate more than John. He ate two slices of pizza and two and a half pieces of cookie cake. I didn't get many photos while we were at the party but I'll post what I did take. The next day James and John got to enjoy Chuck E Cheese again. James had a blast playing with his friends from school while John drug me around all the games and rides. Both enjoyed the pizza and cupcakes and I enjoyed some time with only two kiddos. All in all, it was a fun weekend.

From Photos for Blog

First Den Meeting

Cub Scouts is off to a good start for James. He's attended his first pack meeting (all grades) and his first den meeting (first graders only). There are a couple of boys in his den that he knows from his Kindergarten class which is nice. His den has 12 boys in it now which is a pretty big increase from the three or four that attended the pool party back in August. James is having a lot of fun and earned his Bobcat badge which he'll receive at the next pack meeting. Coming up James and Brian are going to some sort of area event for Tiger Scouts where they'll complete a lot of the requirements for the Tiger badge. They'll also attend the boy scout fishing classic at the big park in Katy so look for updates and pictures from those events in the coming weeks.

From Photos for Blog

Saturday, October 2, 2010

New baby wrap

Just this past week, I received my new baby wrap in the mail and thus far I LOVE IT!!! I ordered it from LoveyDuds.com and it's very similar to a Moby wrap. I decided to splurge and get a wrap to replace our old Snugli. I used the Snugli quite a bit when Jude was little as there were many times I couldn't put the infant carrier in the shopping cart. Unfortunately, the Snugli never fit my body very well. I have a short torso and the frame is much better suited for someone with a longer torso. It was uncomfortable to wear and carry a baby in. Thankfully the wrap is truly a one size fits all. I've had Jonah in it five or six times now and it's fantastic. It will definitely do the job of the Snugli without causing me any discomfort. Below is a link to their website and a picture of Jonah in the wrap.

http://loveyduds.com/

From Photos for Blog

Jonah is 1 month old!!

The saying is definitely true. Time really does fly when you're having fun. Jonah continues to be a wonderful addition to our family. It feels like he's been with us for a lot longer than a month. He's still sleeping well at night and only requiring one feeding between the time I go to bed and the time I wake up in the morning. At his one week appointment, he was down to 4 lb 15 oz but was back up to birth weight by 2 weeks old. He'll go back to the pediatrician on Monday for another weight check. I can definitely tell he's growing as he's out of newborn sized diapers and fits well in the size one diapers he's wearing now. Plus his newborn clothes are starting to fit much better. He's no longer swimming in his pajamas and onesies. When Jonah left the hospital, we were lucky to get 20 mL a feeding and now he's easily consuming anywhere between 85 and 105 mL per feeding. He's still eating 7 times a day as well.

Recently, Jonah is having longer awake periods, usually one in the morning and one in the evening. It's so nice to be able to look him in the eyes and talk to him. Speaking of eyes, I think his are going to be brown. They really don't have any hints of blue. I don't think they'll be dark chocolate brown like John's. I imagine they'll be lighter brown. Jude still loves to kiss Jonah's head all day long and has been very gentle with him. The only bad thing - if you can call it that - is that Jude takes Jonah's pacifiers and puts them in his mouth. Jonah's had a few baths now that he's at home and thus far is not a fan. Jude used to hate getting a bath but loved to have his hair washed. Jonah hates the entire thing and cries from the moment I undress him to the moment he's dressed and back in someone's arms.

I am so happy and thankful that Jonah's settled into a routine this early. I really stress the thankful because with getting two kids to and from two different schools, a routine is really necessary. I think there's only been one day where Jonah's been hungry at the wrong time - right when I need to get John ready to go to school and right when we need to leave to pick John up from school. For the most part, Jonah eats when I wake up and before the other boys wake up and then is fine until after we get home from dropping John off at school. He also eats at 1 pm so he's done before we need to get back in the van at 2 to go pick John up. I hope and pray he continues to make my life easier by eating at the right times.

Here are some photos of Jonah since we've been home.