Christmas and the End of 2011

Like I said in my last post, we were very thankful that the boys slept well and didn't wake us up at 4 am. We waited for everyone to wake up and come downstairs before we let the boys dig in to the pile of presents. James was in Pokemon heaven. He got a jumbo card and lots of packs of cards, Pokemon books, a new Super Hero Squad game for his DS, a mini pillow pet, and Captain America on BluRay. John received a Puss in Boots book, a mini pillow pet, a Diego DS game, Rio and Kung Fu Panda 2, and a Scentsy Warmer for his room. Jude received a Tag Junior along with some books for it, Cars 2, a mini pillow pet and a Scentsy Warmer for his room. Jonah received a mini pillow pet, a musical instrument set and a shape sorter. All of the boys received money from Muddy and some wonderful presents from Mimi and Poppa Mike - a remote controlled star wars vehicle, a knight costume, a bulldozer, and a pillow pet blanket. Brian also got some of the things on his wish list - a cool map, tie downs for his truck, a 4 GB flash drive, Green Lantern and X:Men First class.

Once all the gifts were unwrapped, the mess was cleaned up and everyone was dressed, we headed up to my parents house for more presents and yummy food. We arrived just as the monkey bread was coming out of the oven and the turkey bacon was cooking. Much to James' displeasure, we waited to open gifts until everyone had eaten breakfast. The boys had another round of wonderful gifts. James got more Pokemon stuff and John got a fantastic arts and crafts box. I can't wait to see all the wonderful art projects he's going to create. Jude got a little 4x4 ride on toy that he hardly got off of the whole day. Jonah got some great books and toys to play with at Gammie and Poppa's house. We spent the afternoon lazing about watching movies and playing with new toys while the wonderful stand up roast cooked in the oven. We had an early Christmas dinner and then did more relaxing before heading home for the day.

We had a wonderful Christmas and were extremely thankful for all of the rain we received over the long weekend. We desperately needed it.

The last week of 2011 has been spent recovering from the nasty cold we've all been fighting since before Christmas. Lots of cold and cough medicine for the boys and Allegra-D for Brian and I. It's now Wednesday and we're finally feeling better. We haven't been doing much other than hanging out and being lazy. We've run a few errands here and there. The boys spent their Christmas money at Target the other day and I finally made it to the grocery store. James and I went to see Arthur Christmas. It was a really cute little film and I'm glad we saw it before it left the theaters. Today we got a visit from the Weatherwaxes. The kids had a great time playing together at the park and Brian and Jay had a good time catching up. Tomorrow we're meeting up with the Keaslers for some fun at Gattitown and then Friday we're headed out to the land for the long weekend. We've never taken Jude and Jonah with us so it will definitely be a new experience for us. Hopefully they will sleep ok at night. We don't have any plans to get anything done so it will be more relaxing and letting the boys run around outside. The end of 2011 should be lots of fun for our four boys.

December Activites

December has been a busy month for us. Lots of different things going on. Jonah had his 15 month check up. He continues to grow well and is right on track. He had to get three shots and handled them well. Whinnie also had a check up and had to get shots. We celebrated Kristen's birthday on the 4th and then went out to a nice adult only dinner on Monday night. It was so nice to have a peaceful meal with out good friends. James and I finished our Reconciliation preparation by attending the second workshop on the 10th. He's now ready to celebrate his first Reconciliation at our church. Not sure when we'll do it since the service for the kids is the same day as Pinewood Derby in January. Then Sunday we went to the Pack Christmas party at La Finca. We enjoyed yummy Mexican food and the boys got to visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus.

During the last week of school, we had our annual Christmas celebration with our friends. Since they always go up to PA for the break, they didn't feel like decorating their house this year. Thankfully I got the tree up and decorated, the stockings hung and the nativity scene out before our party on Wednesday. We all ate dinner together and then the kids exchanged presents. All of them enjoyed the gifts they received. The Christmas season was off to a great start! Thursday the boys both had their class Winter Holiday Parties. Thankfully the two little boys behaved during both parties and I was able to spend some time with John and James. During John's party, they played in the "home center" in the Kindergarten room. They played with the kitchen and the vacuum. Then during James' party, Jude enjoyed making cookies and listening to the stories. I helped the kids make their craft - a jingle bell made from a solo cup, ribbon, a pipe cleaner and a bell. All the kids got to wear pajamas that day so it was fun to see all the kids enjoying PJ day. Friday morning the boys enjoyed a sing along and then were released from school early. Friday after school, Brian took James and John to Home Depot for a Cub Scout den meeting. The boys learned all about tools and then built a helicopter from a kit. After that we hit the road for a mini vacation!

Friday afternoon we made the long drive to San Antonio. As usual Jonah was not happy riding in the car but what can you do. He has to ride in a car seat. We stopped at Buckee's for dinner and snacks before finishing the drive to our hotel. We stayed at the same hotel as in May. Unfortunately Sea World didn't open until noon so after breakfast, we spent some time in the pool. Everyone got showered and dressed and we hit the road for Sea World. We ate at one of my favorite BBQ restaurants - Bill Miller BBQ. It was so delicious. I LOVE their potatoes. We had a great time at Sea World although we didn't have time to see and do everything. It was chilly but pleasant outside. The boys rode Journey to Atlantis with Aunt Jocelyn and then Brian and I joined them on Rio Loco. Since my mom was turning 60 this year, we planned a surprise party for her at the hotel. We invited all of our family members who live in San Antonio to join us for pizza and cake Saturday evening. Thankfully they all arrived before she returned to the hotel and we were able to surprise her. We had a fantastic time catching up with our Aunts and cousins. It stinks that we can't see them more often but we're all so busy with our families. Sunday we packed up and made our way home. Thankfully Jonah was really tired and slept most of the way home and didn't start fussing until we reached the outskirts of Katy.

On Monday, Judy, Steve and Grandma came to visit us for a few hours. We enjoyed a spaghetti dinner with them and then the boys got to open their gifts from MaMaw and Poppa Steve. They really enjoyed everything the received, especially the Pokemon cards (James) and the Wizard of Oz goodies (John is obsessed with the Wizard of Oz right now). James spent some time showing Great Grandma how to play Pokemon while we waited for their laundry to finish up. James and John went back to Georgetown with them for a few days to visit.

On Tuesday, the little boys and I joined Brian's co-workers at Spring Creek for lunch. Our family friends, the Weatherwaxes, are in town for the holidays and we enjoyed a nice lunch with them and spent some time catching up. Then Wednesday, the little boys and I drove to Austin for another surprise gathering for my mom. This time we conspired with her boss to plan a surprise party for her at work. We ate lunch and then went to DPS to decorate the conference room. I was so thankful that Judy and Steve drove James and John into town so they could attend her party. She was in a meeting when we arrived and had been told they had another meeting to attend after that. We really shocked her and she was moved to tears. We had a nice visit with her co-workers and the boys got to see where Gammie works. She also had a great time showing off her grandsons and daughters. After the party was over, Judy and Steve picked up James and John for one last night in Georgetown and I headed home with the little boys. Jonah had another nice long nap in the car and didn't fuss too much.

Thursday was my mom's actual birthday and we treated her to a special dinner at Perry's where she received her final gift - ticket to the Nutcracker performance on Saturday afternoon. Friday was spent relaxing and gearing up for Christmas, then Saturday John was picked up by Aunt Jocelyn and Gammie to go see the Nutcracker. He had such a wonderful time. He loves that story and watching all of the dancers. I cooked dinner that night - chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes and salad. Then we all sat down and watched Muppet's Christmas Carol. Our copy must have been really scratched because we missed a lot of the movie. I guess it's time to get a new copy. After that it was showers/baths, into pajamas and to bed. John stayed up really late which meant a late night for mom and dad. Thankfully they all slept well and didn't wake us up super early.

November Activities

I'm such a horrible blogger. Another 6 weeks has come and gone and I didn't update the blog at all. For that I apologize. I guess we're just too busy living life to stop and write about it. Let's see, the final six weeks of the semester brought lots of activity for the Hadley Family.

I'm not sure if I wrote about Halloween but all the boys had a FANTASTIC time and came home with way too much candy. I swear we were eating it until after Thanksgiving. James dressed up as Thor. John was Wolverine (huge shock to us). Jude was a member of Lightning McQueen's pit crew and Jonah was a cow. We carved pumpkins at Kristen and Darren's house the night before Halloween and then joined them after dinner for trick or treating. I LOVE to see the first time trick or treating clicks for one of the boys. Jude had a BLAST ringing doorbells and saying trick or treat to get candy. Hopefully we'll get to experience the same thing next year when Jonah is just over 2.

November was also the fall camp out for Cub Scouts. Again, I had a Scentsy event to attend so I couldn't go but Brian, James and John had a great time. Our pack went to a new campground out near Columbus. It was kind of like a KOA but it still had nice campsites. The boys participated in a service project and picked up all of the branches and small pieces of wood around the property. This was very important since there still had not been significant rain so danger of fire was fairly high. John made a new friend and had a great time getting dirty in the sand pits with him.

The following weekend I had a Scentsy event to attend so Brian took the boys to the zoo with the Keaslers. They had a wonderful time and Jude especially enjoyed spending time with Abby. Apparently it was a great day to see all of the big cats. They are rarely out and about, especially the tigers. Brian got some fairly good photos of them.

Thanksgiving was just around the corner and we were so excited about the holiday this year. Since Brian's grandfather passed away at the end of the summer, Judy and Steve drove out to Tucson, AZ to spend the holiday with Grandma. We normally go to their house but since they were out of town, we invited Sally, Jason and Blaire to come spend the holiday here in Katy with us. It was so much fun to spend some time with them and get to know Blaire. Thanksgiving day I ran/walked our local Turkey Dash. Man, it was really cold and my legs were not happy with me. I was really sore for several days afterwards. I don't think I'm cut out for running outdoors. I'll stick to my elliptical machine. After a night hot shower and a nap, we got to work on our dishes for Thanksgiving dinner. We made the stuffing, mashed potatoes, corn and rolls. We just barely finished cooking in time. Thanksgiving dinner was DELICIOUS and as always we had too much food. After dinner, we spent some time looking through the ads and didn't find any real reason to head to the stores that evening/night. Sally and I ventured out after breakfast on Friday to see if there was anything worth buying. We picked up a few items but nothing big. Later that afternoon all of us went to our favorite portrait studio - The Picture People - to take some photos of the boys and Blaire. It was definitely difficult getting 5 kiddos all looking at the camera at the same time. We gave up on trying to get them all smiling. We ended up with a couple of decent photos. Saturday after lunch the Stanfields headed home and we relaxed the remainder of the weekend.

That wraps up November. On to write up December's update.

Photo Catch Up

Here are some photos of our recent activities. Enjoy!

Dewberry Farm

Renaissance Festival

Field Day

Second Six Weeks in Review

Man, I can't believe another six weeks is coming to a close and I haven't updated the blog. It's been another busy month for the Hadleys. The first weekend of October, Brian took John, Jude and Jonah to the Houston Zoo to hang out with the Keasler Family. Unfortunately James and I couldn't attend because we had a workshop to go to at church that morning. The following weekend we attended the Cravin kids' birthday party at the Children's Museum of Houston. All of the kids had a BLAST!!! They've changed up the museum so much since the last time I was there. The boys definitely want to go again. After the party ended, we headed out to Dewberry Farm with my parents and sister. The kids had a blast in the maze, on the roller slides and seeing all the animals. They also had a great time on the hayride and picking pumpkins. You could really see the effects of the drought while we were there. The hay stack was smaller than normal this year and they had no home grown pumpkins like in years past. They had to bring in every single pumpkin they sold this year.

The next weekend, Brian and I took the older boys to the Texas Renaissance Festival and were joined by Poppa Mike, Mimi and Aunt Sarah. The boys were the PERFECT age to really enjoy the festival. They got their faces painted and enjoyed all the shows we watched. They also got to ride and ELEPHANT!!!! We left there that day with wooden swords and shields. The month ended with a great Halloween weekend. We carved pumpkins with Kristen's family Sunday night after dinner and then we all went Trick or Treating together Monday night.

School activities for the month were also lots of fun! John went on two field trips - one to our neighborhood fire station and the other to Dewberry Farm. He had a great time on both class trips. Unfortunately I wasn't able to attend because sibling weren't allowed. Both boys participated in field day the last week of the month. I think I preferred the indoor field day Kindergarten had as opposed to the more traditional outdoor field day James had. While Jude and Jonah had a blast playing outside, I did not enjoy having to wash clothes and give baths after we got home.

1st Six Weeks Update

Wow, we had an EXTREMELY busy first six weeks of school. I think I've been trained in everything possible. I had to attend training for Junior Achievement, Popcorn Sales, How to be a Catechist, Faith Formation Lesson Planning, and PTA General Leadership Training. I spent lots and lots of hours volunteering both at the school and at home. We also kicked off our scouting year with our Rally Night and first Pack meeting. We also volunteered at the Alzheimer's Walk and had our first den meeting. The weather also cooled down enough for us to make a long overdue trip to the Houston zoo. We're definitely hoping to get back several times this fall.

Thankfully all of us have adjusted to the new morning routine of getting up and getting ready for school. Unfortunately, the boys only catch the bus half the time. I just can't bring myself to wake them up if they were up late the night before. They do ride the bus home ever day so they have that time with their friends. A new traffic light was installed at the intersection where the school is which has made morning drop offs a lot quicker than last year.

John seems to have FINALLY figured out life at the big school. The first few weeks were rough for him. Lots of marks (notes in his folder about which rules were broken that day). Thankfully the last three weeks have been a complete 180 and not a single mark. I think he's having a wonderful time in Kindergarten now that he's figured out how to obey the rules.

James' class had it's own share of upheaval this year. His teacher found out she was ill and decided she couldn't continue the rest of the year. James had a long term sub for a couple of weeks and then a new teacher was found. The parents get to meet her next week which will be lots of fun. I've seen his teacher a couple of times in the hallways and cafeteria and she seems nice.

Jude and Jonah are both doing well with big brothers being gone at school all day. We've settled into a nice little routine. They get up in the morning and they eat breakfast while seeing the older boys off to school. We usually run errands in the morning before Jonah's morning nap. Once he wakes up, they eat lunch and and try to do any other errands before they both go down for a nap around 2. Those 2 hours are my time to get stuff done around the house in peace and quiet. I try to clean or do laundry or work on my Scentsy business while no one is asking me for snacks or drinks.

Well that's about all for now. I'll see what photos we've taken in the last few weeks. Hopefully another update will come before the second six weeks ends.

Jonah's First Birthday

We can hardly believe that our last baby boy is one year old already. Where did the year go?? As much as it was a celebration of his birth, it was also a celebration of us surviving our first year as parents of four. In the last month Jonah has definitely said good-bye to baby food and is officially off formula. He's drinking whole milk bottles three to four times a day. We've had to introduce juice because the milk makes him constipated. I'm hoping we find a good balance of milk, juice and water in the next week. Jonah is making strides towards walking and is now pushing his little rolling toys around. No independent steps yet. He now has four teeth and is working on two more. One interesting thing is that he seems to be getting his top teeth before his bottom ones. All our other boys got bottom teeth before top teeth. Jonah still takes two naps a day although some days he fights either the morning or the afternoon nap and ends up only taking one. Thankfully Jonah is not a paci addict like Jude was and only takes it when it's time to sleep. Jonah spent his first birthday sleeping in and then going to the Picture People to take photos. Afterwards we met up with Daddy for lunch and then home for a good nap. We ate dinner at McDonald's that night so the older boys could play on the playground and Jonah took down two chicken nuggets on his own. He's such a good eater. He also enjoyed some of my strawberry banana smoothie. He had a nice visit with Poppa Mike, Mimi and Aunt Sarah before calling it a night. The next day he got to spend some quality time with Poppa, Gammie and Aunt Jocelyn who gave him a push toy to use at their house.

From August and September Blog Photos

First weeks of school

James and John officially started school on August 22nd. John was really excited to start Kindergarten but James was hoping summer vacation would last a little longer. Jude, Jonah and I walked the boys to school that morning and got them all settled in their classrooms. Afterwards the little boys and I went to the back to school social held in the cafeteria. It was nice to catch up with some of the other moms for a bit before walking back home. The boys both had a great first day and rode the bus home together. The first two weeks have gone well so far. John is still adjusting to the new classroom rules and gets a mark or two each day but I know once he figures it out, he'll be fine just like James. James has only gotten two marks so for. Both for talking. His teacher last year was a talkative person herself but his teacher this year is more reserved so he has to get used to a more calm classroom. All in all, the year is off to a great start. Here are some photos from the first day of school.

From August and September Blog Photos

From August and September Blog Photos

From August and September Blog Photos

From August and September Blog Photos

Jonah at 11 months

Well, actually 11 and a half months. Sorry for being so late with this post. Jonah's word for month 11 is TEETH!!! He now has four of them!!! Two on top and two on bottom. Unfortunately, teething seems to be quite painful for Jonah and I have to give him Tylenol far more often than I did any of the other boys. Another new development this month has been the end of baby food. He wants absolutely nothing to do with it. Now he just gets small bites of whatever we're eating. He loves cheese, graham crackers, and macaroni and cheese the most but will eat just about anything we serve him. He's also become very vocal about what he wants and doesn't want. He's quite the opinionated baby boy. I recently moved Jonah up to size 18 month clothes as his pajamas were getting a bit short. It feels like just yesterday Jude was wearing those same exact clothes. Then I remember, it was just a short 15 months ago. There's not much more going on in Jonah's world other than his big brothers are heading back to school in a week so things will be a lot calmer at home. No major steps towards walking. He does like to push things around and walk behind them but no unassisted steps yet.

Niagara Falls

We closed out our vacation with a quick drive up to Niagara Falls, NY before going back to Cleveland, OH to catch our plane home. The falls were AMAZING!!! Just an incredible sight to see. We did the Maid of the Mist boat ride and wore the blue ponchos to keep ourselves from getting soaked. I must admit I had no idea there were American falls and Canadian falls. I just thought there was the horseshoe and that was it. The American falls were very beautiful with all the rocks at the bottom. We were kind of on the side of the boat so we didn't get a great view of the horseshoe but it was incredible seeing that huge waterfall. Afterward the boat ride we decided to take a nice walk to the little island between the two falls and eat at the restaurant there. It was called Top of the Falls and we had a great view of none other than the top of the horseshoe falls. It was kind of a long walk so we opted to take the trolley back to the main attraction area. As many of you know, Brian is an aquarium nut so of course we had to check out the aquarium they had there. It was slightly disappointing but best to see it than regret skipping it. By the time we made it back to the car, the lines to get back into the US from Canada were long and very slow moving so we decided crossing the border wasn't worth the risk of missing our flight home. We then began the long drive back through NY and PA on into OH. It was a fantastic trip and the boys got to cross 4 states off their lists. The flight home got delayed (issue with the brakes) so we got home later than expected. We were all finally home and in bed around 2 am Monday morning. Everyone slept in the following morning and slowly got the day started. We wanted to say a HUMONGOUS thank you to my parents for keeping Jude and Jonah for a whole week so we could have an easier time traveling.

Kristen and Darren's Wedding

Thursday morning we hopped back in the car and began the long drive to Pennsylvania. We definitely took the long way there but it was worth it to drive through a small section of West Virginia. The terrain there was incredible. Lots of gorgeous hills and deep valleys. We ate lunch in Wheeling, WV so we have officially visited the state. We made it to our hotel near Grove City around 3 that afternoon. We unloaded the car and then headed to Darren's Uncle Dave's house where they were setting up the tent and getting ready for the wedding. We visited for a little bit and got to meet lots of Darren's family members. We then parted ways for our Bachelor and Bachelorette evenings. Kristen and I dropped of the boys with all the other kids and headed to dinner with the ladies while Brian and Darren headed out to the lake for a gathering with the guys. Lots of fun was had by all that evening.

Friday was spent running around getting last minute things for the wedding as well as setting up tables and chairs for the next day. Even though we were missing some key members of the wedding party, somehow we managed to start the rehearsal on time with everyone there. And we were done in 45 minutes!!! A storm was blowing in so even though we could have walked to the restaurant (just down the hill from Uncle Dave's house) we all drove. Dinner was super yummy and everyone enjoyed relaxing after a long, incredibly hot day.

Saturday morning bright and early, Kristen and Darren's friend, Tom, arrived to pick me up at the hotel. She had arranged a spa day for us that included a facial (a first for me), a massage, a pedicure and manicure followed by lunch and then having our hair done for the wedding. We had a fantastic time. We almost never get to do anything just the two of us. After we finished, Tom picked us up and took us to Darren's grandparents house to get changed and all ready for the wedding. Kristen was the most beautiful bride I've ever seen. The dress was absolutely perfect!! Being the super efficient moms/engineers that we are, we actually finished early and just hung around a bit before driving over to Uncle Dave's for the wedding. The ceremony went off without a hitch and I even managed to hold in the tears. Everyone there was so happy to see Kristen and Darren become husband and wife. The reception was lots of fun. Some of the guys grilled up burgers and hot dogs and we had a bunch of side dishes. Thankfully Dave and Sherry have a pool so the kids could keep cool. James swam for four hours straight and actually missed eating dinner. Once the sun went down, the guys broke out the fireworks. It was lots of fun but the heat had really taken it's toll and we had to call it quits around 9:30. Thankfully there was a McDonald's just down the street from our hotel so we picked up some food for the boys. We all showered and finally called it a night around 11. It was a long and exhausting day (it was so hot and humid) but we couldn't have been happier to be there to witness the marriage of wonderful friends.

Ohio visit

Ever since we got married, Brian has been talking about taking a trip to Ohio to see the ancestral Hadley farm. With Kristen and Darren's wedding taking place in PA, we decided to leave a few days early so we could spend some time in Ohio. During his preparations, Brian got in touch with a cousin of his dad's who now lives and takes care of the Hadley farm. They graciously hosted Brian, James, John and I for two nights and took us to all the important sites in and around Wilmington. We had a wonderful time getting to know Christine and her husband Gene. They took us to the cemetery and showed us where all of Brian's ancestors are buried. We also got to see the Friends of Springfield Meeting House (Quaker). After that we headed to the Hadley farm which Christine and her sisters care for. It is a state historical site and is very much like a museum/heritage center. We got to see some great old farm equipment in the barn and lots of old photos, clothes, and other household items the Hadleys of old used in their everyday lives. This was actually the home that Christine and her sisters grew up in. It was so great to see actual photos of Brian's ancestors as well as the clothes they wore and the tools they used to run their farm. Once we finished up there, it was time for lunch so we headed into town to eat and then toured Wilmington College where Christine was on the board for several years. Again, we got to learn more about the Quaker religion and about the Hadley family. Once we finished up there, we went to visit one of Christine's sisters who lives in the house that Grandpa Hadley grew up in!! It was so need to be sitting in the same house he lived in before moving to Arizona. Brian even got to take home a brick from the basement. After a lovely visit with her, it was time to get cleaned up and head to Christine's other sister's house for dinner. Again, we had a wonderful visit and had a great time getting to know them. They have all had such interesting lives and it was great to meet them. I know we are looking forward to another visit in a few years once Jude and Jonah are old enough to appreciate the history.

Lasik

So the surgery went off without a hitch. Other than the really long wait before the surgery it was actually really easy. They didn't give me the Valium until right before the surgery so I'm not sure how much of an effect it had on me. The whole thing didn't last very long at all and once I sat up, I could read the clock clear as day. The day of surgery my only complaint was sensitivity to light. Saturday wasn't too bad either until the end of the day when my eyes started burning pretty bad (all normal) and I didn't have my pain meds with me. Thankfully after a good night of sleep, they were fine in the morning. Sunday was the same thing but I was back at home and had my medication which helped tremendously. Come Monday, all the pain and burning was done and I was losing the sensitivity to light. Tuesday I went for my follow up and could see 20/40 individually and 20/30 together. My eyesight improved as the days went on. I can definitely see why people are willing to shell out thousands of dollars for this surgery. It is incredible. I have not been able to see clearly without glasses or contacts since the second grade. I have another follow up on Thursday and I imagine I see 20/20 if not better with my own two eyes. This is by far the best investment I've ever made in myself!!

Updates

Wow, a lot has happened since I last wrote. Get ready for lots of posts and hopefully lots of pictures!!

Bye-bye glasses and contacts!!!

Ever since April, I've been having troubles with my contacts. They bug my eyes and once they get irritated, I can't get them back in for a few days. Finally at the beginning of the summer, I gave up wearing them unless I was swimming. I always said I wouldn't get LASIK until I reached a point where I couldn't take wearing contacts any more. Well I finally reached that point and last week I called Berkley Eye Center and set up a consult. I went in and heard all about the options for my eyes. After talking to Brian about it, I scheduled the surgery for tomorrow, 7/8. I'm super nervous and anxious but so excited about being able to see 20/20 without the help of contacts or glasses. So everyone who reads the blog, please say a little prayer for me as I go in for surgery tomorrow morning. Pray that it all goes well, that I don't completely freak out and that I heal well and quickly.

Photos coming soon

I reached my storage limit in Picasa and had to purchase more. Until the new storage shows up, I can't upload any new photos. Hopefully it will arrive tomorrow and I can upload all of the photos from our recent activities.

A New Endeavor

As most of you may know, I really love scented candles but I hate how much they cost and I really

HATE the smell when you blow them out. I also really like those Glade Plug-in type things but I dislike having to spend a lot of money every time I want to change scents. So you can imagine my delight when I received an e-newsletter from a friend of mine who had recently started her Scentsy business. I took a look through the catalog online and decided to host a party to help boost her business. During the party, I learned of the wonderful benefits of Scentsy. First, there's no open flame so I don't have to worry about the boys getting burned and there's no awful smell when you turn it off. Second, if you want to try a different scent, it only costs $5!! Finally, they have all sorts of other products to help my closets and car smell great. As I anxiously sat waiting for my order to arrive, I started looking at the benefits of being a consultant. I had been looking for a way to make some extra money and I finally found it. I signed up to be a consultant and I'm on my way with a new business!! I can't wait to get my starter pack and start introducing everyone to the wonders Scentsy has to offer.

Jonah at 10 months

How is it that there's only 2 months left in Jonah's first year?!?! This past month has been super busy for Jonah. He's mastered crawling and even pulling up. He's just started cruising on the furniture and is slowly gaining confidence in moving his hands and feet while he's standing. We've also seen him eyeing the stairs and twice I've seen him pull up on the bottom stair and attempt to climb. I'm so not ready for that and I hope he puts it off for a while. Jonah's also enjoying fruit puffs along with his baby food. He occasionally gets to eat a bit of our food every now and then depending on what we're eating. He's sleeping quite well these days. We usually put him down between 7:30 pm and 8 pm and he's up between 6:30 am and 7 am. Naps are a different story. I rarely get an hour and a half nap from him. If he sleeps longer than that in the morning, he really won't take a second nap. I am so not ready for him to go down to one nap a day and I certainly don't think he's ready either. Hopefully once the summer is over, it will calm down in our house and he can get some better sleep during the day. Jonah is a wonderful baby and we're really enjoying every minute with him and cherishing our last months of his babyhood.

Poppa's birthday!

Last weekend, we celebrated my Dad's (Poppa) birthday with a trip to the Star Wars exhibit at the Houston Health Museum. Brian took the boys the previous weekend while I was having a party at our house. They all had a lot of fun seeing the cool costumes and props they had on display. Unfortunately, the line was really long for the Millennium Falcon section of the exhibit. My sister and I were bummed that we missed it so we decided to all go for Poppa's birthday. We got there right when the museum opened so we could do the Millennium Falcon part first. After that, we took a look through all of the other things they had set up. The ships and costumes were super cool. Unfortunately, Brian and I had to take Jude and Jonah to the pediatrician that morning due to an allergic reaction (Jude) and a strange rash (Jonah). Thankfully neither were issues to worry about. The older boys stayed at the museum with my sister and dad and then went to lunch with them while Brian and I took the babies home for a nap. Later on we got together for a yummy dinner at Joe's Crab Shack. We all hope Poppa enjoyed his birthday!!!

Pictures from the exhibit coming soon.

Swim Lessons

James and John spent weeks 3 and 4 of summer taking swim lessons at the Houston Swim Club in Katy. Now that they are older, they really need to know how to swim without life jackets and in water deeper than they can stand up. They did really wonderful and had a great time. They two different teachers during the two weeks. They started out with Ms. Hilary and then had Mr. Wilmer for the rest of the time. At the end of the two weeks, they completed the requirements to finish the Catfish level. I've signed them up for maintenance lessons once a week and they'll start next week in the Starfish class. After watching the other classes going on during their lessons, I can't wait to get Jude started at two and a half. I know Jude will have fun and I'll feel much better if he can at least float on his back if he falls in the water.

Pictures and videos will be posted soon.

Pandamania!!!

Week 3 of summer was vacation bible school and week 1 of swim lessons at Houston Swim Club. This year's theme was Pandamania, where God is wild about you! The boys and I had so much fun!!! Even Jude seemed to have fun in the nursery this year even though he cried every day when I dropped him off. I was actually quite happy to not be assigned to either one of my children's group this year. My group was comprised of 7 little girls who will be starting first grade in August. I think the director knew I had four boys and decided to take pity on me and only give me girls. They were all so sweet and a wonderful change from my kiddos. We all had fun learning the songs and dances and of course the message of the day - God made you, God listens to you, God watches over you, God loves you no matter what, and God gives good gifts. There were also Bible verses for each day but I can't remember them all. I think all the kids' favorite part of the day was skits. The junior high and high school kids do such a wonderful job acting out the stories from the Bible but keeping it fun and entertaining for the younger audiences. We also did a craft each day, ate a snack, watched a video and played games. Everything we did kept in mind the message of the day. I'm sorry I don't have any photos to share. The director told us not to take pictures since some of the parents didn't want their children photographed.

Each day after VBS, we picked up Jude and Jonah and headed back to the family center for lunch. While this was convenient, James and John didn't care for the lunch provided on a couple of days. Next year we might have to pack a lunch for those days. Once we ate lunch and wound down a bit, it was off to run a couple of errands before heading to swim lessons at Houston Swim Club. My mom found the swim club online and offered to pay for the boys' lessons this summer. They had a great first week. I knew James would do well but was worried about John. He doesn't like his face to get wet so I knew that would be an obstacle for him. Thankfully he's been willing to get his face wet and actually swim underwater for his teacher. I'm hopeful that by the end of the two weeks, that he'll be on his way to being a proficient swimmer.

Cub Scout Twilight Camp

Summer is officially underway at the Hadley House. The first full week Brian was out of town for work so the boys and I just laid low. Lots of swimming, relaxing and getting prepared for three busy weeks in a row. The first week was spent at cub scout twilight camp. Unfortunately there are no pictures to share as I was too busy to take any/forgot my camera every day. James and John attended camp and I volunteered. Brian took the afternoons off to stay with Jude and John and get some work done on his truck. Camp was tons of fun but also VERY tiring. It officially ran from 3-8 but we were busy and on the go from 2-9 and sometimes later. Thankfully it really wore the boys out and they all slept late the entire week. James earned the Archery belt loop and pin, Baseball belt loop and pin, Marbles belt loop and pin, and the Soccer belt loop and pin. He's very excited to be receiving awards during the first pack meeting of the school year. There was only one little boy from his pack there but there were quite a few other kids from his school that he saw/were in his group. I definitely got the premier volunteer spot. I was with the Hummingbirds which were the 3-5 year old children of volunteers. The reason it was a primo spot was that we were in an air conditioned building the majority of the time. I think I'll definitely be volunteering for that room again next year when Jude can start attending camp. John was actually with me all week long and was pretty well behaved. We had play-doh which is one of his favorite things to do so he was happy as long as it was out. We did TONS of arts and crafts and spent about an hour or so outside in the little swimming pools each evening. You could definitely tell the kids and volunteers were tired as the week went on. Each day seemed to end earlier and earlier. We had to do a lot of cleaning the last day and the boys and I were still left camp before 8:15. It was a great week for the kids and I think it will be on the list of things to do next summer.

Jonah at 9 months

The word for this month is MOBILE!! Jonah is definitely on the move and while he can't completely control where he ends up, he's definitely going places. He's not 100% crawling yet but the second I sit him down, he's getting onto his tummy and then on to all fours if possible. He mainly moves backwards and in circles but occasionally he's made forward progress. He's figuring out how to move his hands and drag himself along. As I type this, he just managed to get from his tummy back into a seated position which will come in handy for the times he's tired of being on his stomach. I imagine in the next month he'll be a little speed demon.

Not much else has changed in Jonah's world. He's still eating about the same amounts of foods although he has been eating some table foods. He doesn't have any teeth so they are just things he can gum easily. He really seems to enjoy the fruit puffs and the fluffy part of popcorn (I take off the left over kernel parts). He likes to eat with us when we go out to dinner so I have to remember to take some food for him or order him applesauce. He's tried just about every fruit and veggie Gerber makes but hasn't moved on to the meals containing meat just yet. Maybe next month.

Jonah's 9 month check up went really well. Not only is he really tall for his age (74th percentile) but he's been growing by leaps and bounds weight wise. At 4 months he was in the 30th percentile for weight. At 6 months he was in the 40th percentile and now at 9 months, he's just above the 50th percentile. He weighed in at a whopping 20lbs 10oz!!! Not bad for a guy who started out at 5 lbs 6oz. He's still taking Prevacid for his reflux and we haven't discussed when to start weaning him off if it. Thankfully the pharmacist adds flavoring to his medicine so he doesn't mind taking it each morning.

James' End of Year Celebration

Last Tuesday was James' end of year celebration and the boys and I had a great time. Ms. Meyer read a list of some of the things the kids accomplished over the year like how many spelling words they learned and how many teeth they lost. It was amazing to hear just some of the things the kids learned this year. After that, she read out which awards the kids had earned and had them each read something they wrote about first grade. The kids wrote about their favorite part of the school day or their favorite subject as well as something about their favorite field trip of the year. It was so great to see each of the kids reading something they had written out loud to the room. The kids then read of their top ten list as a class. Thankfully John, Jude, and Jonah were all well behaved. John and Jude found some toys to play with in the back of the class while all of this was going on so that kept them nice and quiet.

Last Friday the whole school had their end of year parties with each grade getting a 1 hour party in the gym. Thankfully 1st grade was from 1:30 to 2:20 so it was a great time to leave early for our Sea World trip. The party was a blast for the kids. We served them ice-cream sundaes and a variety of snack foods like cheese balls, chips and chex mix. The DJ the school hired was great. He had all the kids dancing the entire time. Plus he had great juggling skills that amazed the kids. It was a great way to close out the year. Just 2.5 days left of school and then it's summertime!!!

Sea World Getaway

We spent Memorial Day weekend at Sea World this year and had an absolute blast! Even though it was incredibly hot, we all had a great time. James went a few years ago with MaMaw and Poppa Steve but the rest of the boys had never been and Brian and I hadn't been in probably 10+ years.

We left for the weekend on Friday after James' end of year party. The drive took longer than expected due to a stop at Buc-ees and a stop to feed Jonah a bottle. It was also rough because Jonah refused to take a nap even though he was really tired and had not napped well that earlier day. Thankfully it got better once we arrived at the hotel. We had a total of three rooms for the whole family and there were super close to one another. We got the van unloaded and then headed to my parents room for James' birthday celebration. We enjoyed pizza and yummy cake and then James opened up his gifts. After that we got changed and headed down to the pool to swim before bedtime.

The next day we enjoyed breakfast at the hotel before headed to Sea World. The first day we focused mainly on the shows and other attractions they have there. We saw the Beluga whale and dolphin show and the sea lion show. Unfortunately, we had to wait until Sunday to see Shamu since the 4 pm show was full. James and Jocelyn rode the Steel Eel roller coaster and both James and John rode the Shamu Express. The boys also fed the dolphins at the Dolphin Cove, saw sharks at the aquarium and visited the penguin exhibit. We ended up calling it a day around 4 Saturday afternoon because the heat had become unbearable. We got back to the hotel, cleaned up and then headed to Genghis Grill for dinner. Later that night the older boys went swimming at the hotel pool.

On Sunday we managed to do just about everything else at the park. We played at the new Sesame Bay of Play until the rest of the park opened up at 11. The boys did some of the rides and enjoyed the splash pad area. My dad, Jocelyn, James and John headed out to ride the Journey to Atlantis water ride while my mom and I stayed with Jude to watch the Sesame Street show. Jude really enjoyed it and afterwards wanted to say hi to the characters - well from a distance. Once that was finished, we walked over to the ride area and watched the boats come down. We managed to see everyone on the boat and were all ready for them once they got off. Next up was the Shamu show - Believe. My sister and I noted how different the shows are these days. Lots of extras go into the productions. When we were little it was just the trainers showing everyone some of the behaviors the animals learned and educating the audience about the animals. Now it's all lights and film and costumes. Once the show was over, we grabbed lunch and looked into riding the Rio Loco. Unfortunately, the wait was 2.5 hours so we had to skip it. Jocelyn rode the Great White roller coaster which thankfully had no line. After that we were off to the Lost Lagoon water park where we spent the remainder of the day. It was really nice. The boys enjoyed the lazy river and the wave pool. James and Jocelyn did some of the body slides as well. We ended the day with snacks and playing at the Splash Attack. We grabbed dinner on the way back to the hotel - McDonald's for the kids and Bill Miller BBQ for the adults. We got cleaned up and ate and then dad, James and I went to see Thor.

Monday morning we got up, ate and then started loading up the cars. The ride home was uneventful and fairly quick despite the amount of traffic on I-10. We stopped at Buc-ee's for lunch and snacks and have found a new favorite - Beaver Nuggets. I'm not sure what goes in them but they are delicious!!!

All in all, it was a great weekend! We converted our tickets to season passes so we'll be going back again, hopefully when it's not so hot.

Videos from John's graduation

Here are links to the videos from John's end of year program.

Video 1

Video 2

Video 3

Video 4

Video 5

Video 6

Video 7

Video 8

Video 9

John Lost His First Tooth!!!

So in all the posting done the past few days, I forgot to post the John lost his FIRST TOOTH!!! This took place Wednesday before dinner. I checked it earlier in the day and it was soooo loose. I convinced Brian to try one last time to get it out and with a little effort, he was able to pull the tooth out. As an fyi, it's been loose for about 6 months now and had been refusing to come out. That night John put the tooth under his pillow and was surprised to find the Tooth Fairy had taken his tooth and left him three dollars!! I'm still getting used to the gap but he's so proud to have lost a tooth.

From May 2011 Blog Photos

Pack Graduation Camp Out

This past weekend was our cub scout pack graduation camp out. It was at Stephen F Austin State Park which is about 20 miles from our house which turned out to be a HUGE blessing. Brian took the boys up after school on Friday to set up camp. After getting the tent up, John took a tumble and cut up his knee pretty bad. Thankfully there was an EMT at the next site over who cleaned up the cut and got it all bandaged. Later that night, James wasn't feeling well which wasn't a huge surprise since he had been playing with another little boy who had been throwing up. The upset tummy in conjunction with a line of bad storms heading their way and super high temperatures lead Brian to make the executive decision to come home for the night. Everyone slept well in their own beds and nice cool air conditioning. The next morning the boys all got up, dressed for the day and headed back to the camp site. They participated in the morning flag ceremony and service project with everyone. Unfortunately, Brian took a tumble and hurt his shoulder pretty bad. He loaded the boys back in the truck and drove home. Once he got home, I dropped John, Jude and Jonah off with my parents and then took James back out to the park. He had a blast during the water gun fight with all the other kids. They got absolutely soaked which must have felt nice in the 90F heat. After that, he got cleaned up and we finished taking down the tent and loaded everything in the van. The kids played for a while before dinner got underway. The boys didn't eat too much as it was so hot but the parents all dug right in. After we got dinner cleaned up it was time for graduation. We all gathered around the picnic table at one camp site which served as our bridge for the boys to walk over. Our cub master explained the Indian legend of how the cub scout was born and then each den took turns walking over the bridge. First up was the Tigers. All the boys were so excited to become wolves. After they walked over the bridge, the cub master put face paint on them with the four colors of cub scouts. Once all the dens had graduated, we sang our traditional MILK song as well as said the cub scout promise. After that, we closed out for the night. We all headed back to our camp sites to chat and let the boys burn off some energy. James and I got in the van and headed home around 9:30. We got home and he told Brian all about graduation and what he had done the rest of the day. We ended up staying up until 11:30 or so listening to James and finally getting some food in him. Even with all the injuries, it was a great weekend!! Brian and I can't wait to get started with James on his wolf achievements.

From May 2011 Blog Photos

Jude's Second Birthday

We can't believe our little JuJu Bean is now two years old. While he seems like he's been two for quite some time now, he actually celebrated his second birthday yesterday. Jude is such a wonderful little boy. He smiles and laughs so much and is a constant source of entertainment for us. I say it seems like he's been two for a long time because he's been doing things that our older two didn't do until they were much older. Jude moves chairs into the kitchen to be able to reach things on the counter. He's also figuring out how to climb the shelves in the pantry to reach foods he wants. Jude is following in James' footsteps and quickly giving up milk. He'll drink at most one glass a day and much prefers to drink iced tea. I've stopped actually counting how many words he says because he talks quite a lot although we don't understand much of it. The words he does say very clearly are foods - cheese, cookie, chip, tea, etc. Jude loves catsup and would love to put it on everything. If it's on the table, he wants it on his plate.

Jude's favorite toys are his Little People Farm and Noah's Ark. The boy LOVES animals!!! He likes to match up the toy animal to pictures in his books. He loves zebras, giraffes, hippos, lions, tigers, cows, ducks, horses, chickens, pigs, and sheep. He also really likes cars and trucks, much more than the older boys. He loves to push them along and go vroom! Alas, Jude still uses a pacifier. We've found it really difficult to break him of the habit since Jonah uses one as well. I've been throwing out the worn out pacifiers and haven't been replacing them so they should all be gone soon. Jude takes one long nap each day. It had been from 11-2 since that's what fit best with John's school schedule. I'm not sure what it will shift to once summer begins and we no longer have to take John to and from school.

Jude had his 2 year check up yesterday with Dr. Clarke and he's still a big boy. We weighs 30 lbs which is 74th percentile and is 35.5" tall which is 80th percentile. The only downer of the visit was that Jude was diagnosed with Hand, Foot and Mouth disease. Thankfully it's a virus and he's not contagious and the rash will go away on it's own in about a week. I'm also thankful that he doesn't have the sores inside his mouth and the worst of them are on his feet. Oh yeah, and he didn't have to get any shots!

John Graduates from Preschool

This past Thursday John graduated from preschool. He and his classmates had been working on their end of year program for several weeks and it did not disappoint. My parents were able to take the day off of work to come and share in the celebrations. The kids walked in to Who Let the Dogs Out and then started their demonstration of all they have learned in Motor Skills this year. They did somersaults, jumped on a trampoline, did hop-scotch, tossed a basketball into a hoop, hula hooped, and used the scooters. After that, they did the Mexican hat dance before taking their seats on stage. Their teachers then had them play Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star on the hand bells. After that it was time for their songs. The kids were so cute up on stage singing their hearts out. Even though my Flip said it was out of battery, I managed to record everything. Once the songs were over, it was time to pass out the certificates. John was so proud of himself when he walked across the stage. He is a member of the first Top Dog graduates (they formed a new class this year called the Top Dogs). Once all the kids had walked the stage, it was back to the classroom for cake and lemonade. John also received his memory book and spring art portfolio before leaving for summer vacation. John has been flipping through his memory book ever since he got it, reliving special times he spent with his class throughout the year. He's also loved showing us all of his artwork and projects. I really enjoy hearing him describe what he drew or what he had made. John made many wonderful friends this year that I know he'll miss. I know he will especially miss his teachers - Ms. Mary, Ms. Andi and Ms. Elva. As much as I love Child's Play, I will not miss driving to and from school twice a day, four days a week. I am going to enjoy taking a year off before Jude starts in the Fall of 2012. Pictures and video to come soon!

Mother's Day Weekend

Mother's Day weekend always seems to be a busy one for us. Last year we had the older boys' birthday party. This year we went to take family pictures with my parents and sister on Saturday morning. We hadn't taken any pictures with them since John was 6 months old so they were long overdue. I've had that particular photographer a number of times and he always manages to get a number of good shots even with all the fussing, crying for pacifiers, not following directions, etc. I'll have to see if my parents got a CD of the pictures so I can post a couple up here. The boys have changed so much since we took family pictures 6 months ago. Jonah was itty bitty back then and had to be held by James or John and now he's sitting on his own next to his brothers.

Later Saturday afternoon we visited Aunt Sarah at her new apartment in Katy. She accepted a job with Academy and will be living just a few miles from us. We're hoping to see a lot more of Aunt Sarah, Poppa Mike and Mimi in the coming years. Her apartment is super cute and will serve as a nice starter home for her as she starts her new career. Brian, James and John ate a late lunch with them while I cleaned up the house for Supper Club later that night.

Supper Club ended up being more of a dessert club this month. The theme was pies and I fixed chicken pot pie for the main course. While everyone said it was tasty, I think I prefer the frozen kind. I say that it ended up being a dessert club this month because I forgot which course I had assigned the couple that wasn't going to be able to make it. I thought it was dessert so I picked up key lime pie and some apple tarts at the store. Well as it turns out, they were assigned appetizers so we also had peach cobbler and apple pie. Everyone had their fill of dessert as we played several rounds of Wits and Wagers. If you've never played this game, I highly recommend it. We've always had a great time playing it with our friends. The BEST part of the game is that you don't have to know the answer to the questions. Each player makes a guess and then you each bid on which answer you think is closest to correct without going over (ala the Price is Right). Once the answer is read, the player guessed correctly and those who bid on the correct answer win poker chips. Again, loads of fun and highly recommended by the Hadleys!!!

Mother's Day was a lot of fun and busy at the same time. Brian and the older boys made me breakfast in bed - biscuits, eggs, and hot tea. It was super delicious!! After that, I got ready for the day and we were off for a quick visit to the land. Neither Sarah or Mike had ever seen it so we decided to take them up for a quick look around. On our way back to town, we stopped to get the boys some lunch and then drove home to my parents house to have lunch with my wonderful mother and pick up the little boys. She had our new family photos all framed and ready to go up on the walls. I can't wait to see them hung the next time we visit them!!

Jonah at 8 months

I'm a few days late because things have been super busy at our house with the school year winding down. Jonah is growing and changing so much these days. While much of his eating and sleeping habits remain the same, he's definitely moving into a new stage of babyhood. He's really wanting to stand a lot in our laps these days and this morning, I let him stand up at his little play table. He enjoyed the lights and music for quite a while before he lost his balance and fell over. He's also really trying to pull up when I hold my hands out to him. It won't be long before he masters that skill and start cruising along the furniture. Jonah is also starting to babble a lot and I can tell he's trying to communicate his wants and needs in ways other than crying. The other big accomplishment in the last month is that he's definitely mastered rolling from back to front. Unfortunately, he doesn't like being on his tummy and seems to have forgotten how to roll back the other way. I guess the upside is that he'll eventually figure out how to get up onto his knees and hopefully start crawling. These last four months of his first year are going to be a whirlwind of activity for our last little one. I can't wait for all of the coming "firsts".

Happy Easter!!

Our Easter weekend was egg-stremely busy this year. We took advantage of the long weekend to go back up to the land to do some more clearing. We hadn't been since February and even though it hasn't rained even a bit, the weeds were waist high!! Thankfully our wonderful neighbor brought his tractor and brush hog and mowed quite a bit of the weeds for us Friday morning. Brian and I did some more clearing back behind the trailer and started rebuilding the burn pile from our last trip. We cleaned up and then headed into College Station for a while. We visited our favorite jeweler - David Gardner's - to get Brian's Aggie Ring re-sized, ate lunch with my sister, had dessert at Fro Yo Yo - a frozen yogurt shop - and then hit the mall for some new A&M shirts. We spent the rest of the afternoon fishing at Gibbon's Creek Reservoir. It was crazy windy and we didn't catch anything which was disappointing but there's always next time.

Saturday was another busy day of work clearing a section of brush to the right of the driveway between the front corner and the "garden". It took Brian and I until early in the afternoon to get it all cleared out and we created three very large burn piles with all the trees and vines we removed. MaMaw and Poppa Steve came up for the day and brought a charcoal grill with them so we had burgers and hot dogs for lunch on Saturday. They also showed us how to set up the awning so we enjoyed nice breaks in the shade with a nice cool breeze. Later that afternoon, I took the boys into town to see the new movie Rio while Brian relaxed at the trailer. We picked up dinner on the way back and enjoyed a nice quite dinner and a movie before bed.

Sunday morning we got up early, packed up the trailer and headed home for a fun filled Easter Sunday. We got to my parents house and the boys dug into their Easter baskets. There was lots of toys and candy. My mom found these awesome tote bags and matching towels for the boys. It will definitely be nice to have them carry their own swim stuff this summer. After everything was opened, the boys all enjoyed an egg hunt in both the back and front yards. Once Jonah woke up from his nap, we headed to the County Line for some super yummy BBQ lunch. We relaxed for a while and then headed home for Sunday dinner and another egg hunt at Kristen's house. The boys came home with even more candy but hey, it's Easter! I definitely know why we had the Monday after Easter off growing up. The teachers did not want to deal with all the kids after a day full of candy.

Pictures to come soon. I forgot my camera at my parents house and haven't had time to go get it yet.

Bovay Scout Ranch

This past weekend was our Cub Scout Pack's camping trip at Bovay Scout Ranch. In a lot of ways it reminded me of Camp Texlake growing up but it was also very different. Let's be honest. Girl Scout camp does not have pellet guns, archery, golf, or BMX biking. James had a wonderful time and enjoyed all of the various activities regardless of his skill level. I'm sure as he gets older, he'll get much better at his aim. The camp itself was really nice. The bathrooms were clean (well after our service project) and the water was hot (after the guy in charge turned it on). The major downside was that the water park was closed so we had to improvise with water balloons and a sprinkler. We had heard that the food was gross but every thing they served tasted yummy to me. We definitely learned a few things about camping at Bovay that we won't forget next time - mainly to bring your bike and helmet, fishing gear and cleaning supplies to clean the bathrooms before you start using them. We have another camping trip scheduled for the end of May that we're looking forward to.

First Grade Field Trip to the Oil Ranch

Last Friday I was able to attend the first grade field trip to the Oil Ranch. It was a very full day and we were blessed with wonderful weather. It was a bit windy but the breeze kept it from getting too hot. The kids had an absolute blast. They got to see lots of animals in the barn and ride the ponies twice since there was no one behind our class in line. They also got to ride the train and search for stones in these little sifters in a stream of water. I think the only thing his class wasn't able to do was the hay ride and I'm not complaining about that (they make my legs itch). Here are some photos I took that day.

James' First Concert

Last Thursday night James attended his very first concert. Brian's cousins were in town with their band so we took James to go see them perform at the House of Blue's. He seemed to enjoy the music even though he said it was very loud. We were able to go back stage to see the whole band later on in the evening. The drummer was awesome and gave him a set of her drumsticks. He also got a couple of guitar picks from Brian's cousin John. After that, we all headed down to the restaurant to eat a nice meal together before heading home. Here are a couple of pictures we took at the show.

From April 2011 Blog Photos

From April 2011 Blog Photos

From April 2011 Blog Photos

Jonah at 7 Months

One word to describe Jonah at 7 months - Sitting!!! Jonah is massively improved on his sitting abilities over the past month. He now sits in high chairs, shopping carts and in the bath tub. He sits on the floor and plays with toys. He wants to be sitting up in the stroller as well. Jonah is still growing well and is now eating two solid meals a day (when I can remember it). He's eating pears, apples and sweet potatoes. I've also made butternut squash which Jonah will start eating very soon. Jonah moved up to the convertible car seat and seems to like riding in it. It gives him more space and sits up more upright. Jonah is really enjoying his brothers these days. He loves being held and getting attention from them. It's also really great to hear him laugh at James' funny voices and faces. Jonah has had an exciting month with our trip to Granbury and going to the Houston Rodeo for the first time. I imagine the next month will be just as eventful for him with his very first Easter as well as working towards crawling, pulling up, and table foods.

From Photos for Blog

From Photos for Blog

John's 5th Birthday

The past week has been a super busy one for John. Since his birthday fell on a Monday this year, we decided to celebrate the weekend before he actually turned 5. Saturday morning we got up and headed to my parents house. After a bit of playtime outside in the back yard, we made our way to Chuck E Cheese for some fun and games. We definitely made the right decision by getting their first thing in the morning. There were no birthday parties and we practically had the place to ourselves. All the boys had a wonderful time playing the games and riding the few kiddie rides they had. The best part of being some of the only ones there was that we could let them wander and not have to worry about them getting lost in the crowd. After Chuck E Cheese we visited Academy to get some new tennis shoes. Both boys were in need of a new pair. I was surprised at how much their feet had grown. John picked some super cool red and black sketchers. Lunch took place at Steak N Shake and was super yummy. We even let John get a kids shake which of course was chocolate. After lunch we headed back to Gammie and Poppa's house for cookie cake and presents. John received the book from the musical Wicked from my sister, these super cool foam building tiles from my parents and some games for his new DS (thanks Poppa Mike and Mimi) from us. All were super huge hits. We spent the rest of the day relaxing and playing with the new toys.

Monday was John's actual birthday and was a busy day for him. He got to make a body collage for school, bring special treats and have the class stuffed animal. I was a bit worried about how he would handle all the attention but his teachers said he had a wonderful day at school. That night we ate a super yummy dinner at Texas Roadhouse for the Rylander Spirit Night.

The week ended yesterday with John's 5 year photos at the Picture People and his 5 year check up with Dr. Clarke. The photographer was running super late but John handled it like a champ. He took direction really well and get got some really great shots in about 15 minutes. The boys scarfed down some McDonald's for lunch and then we were off to the pediatrician's office. Thankfully the office is right across the street from the mall AND they are connected by a skywalk!! We managed to get over to the office in about 15 minutes which is way faster than me loading the boys in the van, driving across the street, finding a parking spot, unloading the boys and getting up to the office. John's check up went really well. He passed his vision and hearing tests. He's 41 lbs and 3'6" both about average. After the check-up, we walked back to the mall, got our pictures and then headed home. The day was capped off with Kindergarten orientation at the elementary school. Brian took John and he said it went well. John separated with no issues and had a great time playing with the other kids. He and Brian visited Mrs. Moore's (James' kindergarten teacher) classroom and then headed home. John is super excited about starting Kindergarten at the big school in August. He actually wishes he could go now.

Here are some photos of John's birthday celebrations last weekend.

Houston Rodeo 2011

We made our annual trip to the Houston Rodeo this past Friday and had a blast. Unfortunately Brian had to work but thankfully, Aunt Jocelyn decided she wanted to go with us (it was her first time). Jude had a ball touching all the animals in the petting zoo. That child has no fear what so ever. He'd touch any animal he was allowed to. James was the exact same age when Kristen and I first took him to the rodeo. It was so much fun seeing Jude's little face light up the same way James' and John's did. We caught a bit of the livestock show before heading out to grab some lunch. Thankfully it was overcast most of the day so we didn't get too hot. James grew quite a bit from last year and was able to ride almost everything this year. There were only a couple of rides he wasn't tall enough or big enough to ride. He had a wonderful time with Kristen and the big kids. Jocelyn and I took John and Jude on some of the little kid rides including a little roller coaster. Jude loved it and John kept his head down almost the entire time. I guess he's going to take after me when it comes to roller coasters. The biggest ride John went on was the water slide (the one with the log that splashes down into some water). He had so much fun on that ride and kept talking about how his shirt and shorts got wet. We all rode the Ferris wheel and then started to make our way back to the car. Both Jude and Jonah were exhausted from all the excitement and passed out in the car. I think everyone went to bed early that night.

Rhinofest Quilt

Every year for the school's spring carnival, each grade chooses an art project that will be auctioned off. This year the first grade chose to make quilts. Here are the pictures of Ms. Meyer's class quilt which I have been working on all week. All told it hasn't taken long (in comparison with my past quilting projects), we've just been busy doing other things as well.

From Rhinofest Quilt

Visiting the Stanfield Family

We've had a very busy Spring Break this year. We began the week with a trip to Granbury to visit Aunt Sally, Uncle Jason and Baby Blaire. All the boys loved her. John and Jude most of all. John wanted to hold her an give her kisses all the time. Jonah enjoyed playing with her toys and sleeping in her crib (thanks for sharing Baby B!!). We had a wonderful time at the park playing on the enormous playground, in the sand box and on the tire swings. After that we cleaned up (lots of sand in all sorts of places) and went out to lunch with MaMaw and Poppa Steve. We relaxed the rest of the afternoon and all took turns holding a sleeping Blaire. Man, you really forget how tiny they are at that age. She is such a sweet baby. She rarely cried and was happy just taking in the world around her. Saturday evening the older boys headed to Georgetown with MaMaw and Poppa Steve for a few days. We were surprised at how quiet it was in the house without them. Sunday morning we loaded up and started the long drive back to Katy. Thankfully both Jude and Jonah took good naps and we were home in the early afternoon. I wish I had taken more pictures but we were just too busy enjoying our time there. Hopefully I'll do better the next time we see Blaire.

From Photos for Blog

Jonah's First Haircut

This past weekend we took Jonah to Cool Cuts 4 Kids for his first haircut. I had her take just a bit off the top and clean up the sides and back. It's a good thing I didn't ask her to use the clippers because he really didn't like it when she tried to use them to trim his sideburns and neck. He kept trying to find the source of the noise. Unfortunately I left the memory card for my camera in the laptop so the only photos I got were with the camera on my phone. Here's a before and after from that morning.

Before

From Photos for Blog

After

From Photos for Blog

Jonah at 6 months

Happy Half Birthday to our baby Jonah Charles!! I can't believe the first year is already half over. Jonah is growing and changing fast these days. He's almost able to sit on his own. He tends to topple one way or the other after a few minutes. He has mastered rolling front to back but has yet to roll back to front. He's also starting solid foods with apples being his first fruit. His hair is definitely getting a lot longer so it won't be long before we go get it cut for the first time. He still enjoys laying on his play mat and sitting in his exersaucer although neither one holds his interests for too long. He prefers to watch his brothers or interact with Mom and Dad. Jonah has also graduated to spending the night at Gammie and Poppa!! He spent the night with them while we went to work on the land and also when we attended Supper Club. I took Jonah for his 6 month check up yesterday and he's growing and developing on track. He was just a hair under 17 lbs and 26.25" long. Both are just under the 50th percentile. Jonah also just graduated to his crib! YAY, no more sleeping in Mom and Dad's room. He does wonderfully with naps but is still struggling with nighttime sleep. Hopefully that will resolve itself in the next month or so. That's about all I can think of at the moment. Be on the look out for new pictures!

Land Photos 2/2011

February was quite a productive month for us at the land. We were only able to go up once since we were busy every other weekend but we did get a lot done. Brian got some super awesome clippers that can cut anything up to a 2" diameter so I was able to cut down a ton of smaller holly trees. We were able to completely clear the area we nicknamed Darren's Corner. From the trailer we can now see the street and from the driveway you can see the fence. We also made some headway into clearing the area behind the trailer. Hopefully later this spring we'll be able to clear out the area between Kristen's Corner and the garden. Here are some photos I took when we were done.

Sorry for lack of posts

I've been sick the past couple of weeks so I'm behind a bit in updating the blog. I'm finally feeling better and can catch up on everything.

Jonah at 5 Months

I really can't believe Jonah is another month old. This year is going by way too fast. Jonah is growing and changing each and every day. This month he started playing the the exersaucer and thus far he really likes it. I was amazed at how quickly he figured out how to turn the seat and play with all the different toys. He seems to mainly use it as a way to watch his brothers and their comings and goings in the house. Jonah is now completely over the swing. I've tried putting him in it a few times and he arches his back so I can't get him seated. Thankfully he'll still sit in the bouncer and on his play mat while I exercise. Even though he's plenty old enough, I haven't started Jonah on solids yet. He still has the tongue thrust reflex that makes solid feeding next to impossible. Hopefully he'll grow out of that in the next month and we can start with fruits and veggies. Jonah is still in 3-6 month clothes but he's about to move up to 6-9 month. I just need to get them out of the closet and all washed up. We're slowly weaning off the miracle blanket. He's only using it at night now. Jonah is a very observant little boy. He's always watching what everyone is doing. He's also starting to purposefully reach out to grab things. He loves touching my face and holding my fingers. He's also been to laughing and giggling when I tickle him. Thankfully with the help of some Selsin Blue we've almost gotten rid of the horrible cradle cap Jonah has. It was so gross and trying to pick it off was also pulling his hair out. That's about all I can think of that is new in the world of Jonah. Pictures will be posted soon.


Exploring the exersaucer

From Photos for Blog

Cutie pie

From Photos for Blog

January's Work on the Land

As I said in an earlier post, the trailer was placed on the land in the middle of December. We were finally able to go out to the land in the middle of January. It was quite the learning experience figuring out how to turn everything on and get everything connected properly. Once we got the trailer all set up and a movie going for James and John, it was time to get to work. Brian cut down two dead trees that were bordering a large clearing. Once he got them down and all cut up, I moved everything to the burn pile in the center of the clearing. He also cut down a tree that had snapped and partially fallen down. Since the wood was good, we saved some of it for future campfires and put the rest on the burn pile. Unfortunately, it rained off and on all weekend long so that was all we were able to accomplish between the showers.

Our second weekend was very successful as well. Even though there was a fairly high chance of rain, we only got a few light showers the entire time we were there. With the burn ban lifted, we were able to get the burn pile in the clearing all burnt as well as an older brush pile up at the front of the property. We were also able to cut down the two remaining trees we had hoped to cut down the prior trip and start a new burn pile with the branches and logs. Hopefully we'll be able to burn that pile on our next trip up. We also want to continue working to clean up two sections at the front of the property and improve the "curb appeal".

A HUGE thanks to my parents for watching Jude and Jonah for us while we went up to work.

Here are some photos I took. I added captions so you know what you're looking at.