HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Ok, for the first time since Jacob was born I felt like something was harder with three. We went over to our neigbor's house for pizza before trick or treating and we looked like we were going out of town for the weekend! We had a huge shopping bag, a camera bag, a stroller... and still ended up coming back home for things we forgot! The girls were so excited --they'd been counting down all week! I think we made it all the way around our neigborhood in record time-- if only I had known that all it took was a piece of candy on every doorstep to speed them up-- I would have lost pounds by now :) Anyway-- tons of pictures so here we go!

Pre-trick-or-treating: Ashley (Supergirl), Tanner (Frankenstein), Jacob (dragon), and Hannah (Bratz Pirate)

Striking a pose!

The gang with Taylor (Bride of Frankenstein and Tanner's sister in real life)

Jacob and Daddy catching the last glimpse of the setting sun! (Love Jacob's orange, sweet potato face)

"But I don't like the hood!"

"I do like the bucket--where's the treats?"

"Oh no, the hood again!"

Checking out the loot!

"So where is mine?"

"Argh, a pirate's job to enjoy the booty (that doesn't sound right, does it?)!"

Hope everyone had as much fun as we did!

Long time, no post...

So things have been busy! We've had field trips, visits from family, visits to family, mixed in with a lot of work! I'm really not complaining :)

So let's kick it off with Ashley's field trip. I was so excited to go with the Kindergarten class to the pumpkin patch this year. As Ashley excitedly told me that I could go with her class-- I thought to myself, "Its only a matter of time before she's going to want to be dropped off at the end of the street so that nobody sees me-- enjoy the time that she's proud of her momma!". So I did-- we did-- Ashley and her 3 friends that were "assigned" to me for the day tore the place up! I know it doesn't look like she was having much fun here-- but she was actually intently listening to the instructions for the corn maze. I can't post any of the cute ones because other children are in them-- and since I don't know the parents-- I can't ask permission ;)

Then the following week, on my birthday-- who is counting?-- I went with Hannah on her field trip to the D.C. Zoo. It was a great day for the zoo- at least if you wanted to see the animals. It was an overcast day-- actually sprinkled a few times while we were there. I think the animals like to come out when the sun isn't out. For the first time ever, we saw something other than the Panda's bootie! They were strolling around playing and eating! Yay! Of course, the highlight of the kids day was seeing the monkeys with the funny bottoms-- ugh! Ok, they did like the seals, too!

And one more picture of Hannah studying this week's spelling words and enjoying the fall weather!

As for an update on Jacob, he has 8 teeth now! He went from 2 to 8 in just a few weeks. He now has 4 on top and 4 on the bottom. He's moving around everywhere-- not really crawling-- but scooting. I think he may walk before he crawls. Who knows?

Marc and I went to New York last weekend for a visit. We stayed with Steve and Oxana (Marc's brother and his girlfriend) in Manhattan. Even though it was rainy... so no pictures (shame on me), we had a great time. We even had dinner next to Woody Allen. I love visiting the city-- but as much fun as it is to visit, I am a country girl at heart and could never live there-- at least not in this chapter of my life.

So tomorrow is Halloween! I'll have pictures of my little spooks soon :) Stay safe and have fun!

Kings Dominion or bust!

Last Saturday, Marc took the girls to Kings Dominion. I was supposed to go, too... but I was still recovering from my chest cold. I sent the camera along hoping that I'd get to see a little of what they did. Like a good daddy, he took some pictures throughout the day. Hannah rode the Rebel Yell coaster and loved it! They drove cars, went to a magic show, played games... and won some "little" stuffed animals. Did I say little-- check it out below... and she did it all by herself! Marc said she carried it from the park to the car and since getting it home, she has slept with it in her bed every night! Nana and Papa Buddy came for a visit and were waiting when they got home, so they spent the rest of the evening and the next day catching up with them. They even went to the Pumpkin Patch on Sunday! Talk about a weekend of entertainment... no wonder this weekend has dimmed in comparison! A few pictures and I promise I'll update more later since I'm feeling better!

Finally on the mend... I think

We've had a terrible cold at our house. First Hannah, then me, now Jacob. I think I got it the worst though, I can hardly talk without coughing. Not fun. Anyway, lots have happened since my last post. Hannah lost ANOTHER tooth. I can't believe it-- this kid has no teeth!



Jacob is getting a top tooth. It hasn't poked all the way through yet, but we can tell it is only days away! He's also started waving bye-bye and saying ma-ma-ma-ma. The first of our children that haven't started their vocabulary with da-da-da-da.

Papa brought home pumpkins yesterday and Jacob loves to sit and pat them. We played with one in the yard today-- and when we came in, guess what I found between his thumb and forefinger? A tick!! At first I thought it was dirt, but after it didn't brush off, I knew it was a nasty little bugger. I had one last week and Hannah had one last month. It was barely attached and easily removed, thank goodness!




Ashley is doing so well with her writing and numbers-- it seems that she may turn out to be a pretty good student. However, she did have to remove two of her smiley faces at school today and conveniently doesn't remember why.... hmmmm!





We're going on a trip to Kings Dominion on Saturday-- they've never been. I think they'll have fun!

I think that's about it-- here's one last picture of Jacob with his "Hoos your Daddy" UVA football shirt on-- I know you can't really see it :) It was Hannah's when she was his age-- Marc had a matching one which has somehow made it to my t-shirt pile.





Hopefully tomorrow will be a healthier day for us all! I know my neighbors at work hope so. I've annoyed them all week, and I don't think Marc has gotten an uninterrupted night's sleep yet-- between me, Ashley, Hannah, and Jacob--- we're lucky we get any sleep!

Cast your vote...

Jacob is in a photo contest at the following site-- check him out and cast your vote (last I checked there was something wrong with the voting link). I've included a sneak peek at the picture below.

http://happyheinys.com/contest/contest_result.php?cid=12

Under my Umbrella...ella... ella...

These pictures remind me of the Rihanna song-- had to share them :)

Crawling soon?

So who wants to make bets on how long it takes for the little man to start crawling. He's already up on the hands and knees trying to figure out what to do next. But so far he just crashes face first into the ground or toy.

Rub-a-dub-dub...

Three Zees in the tub :) Jacob took his first bath with his big sisters the other night. He loves water so as you can see, he had a blast. I'm a paranoid mom-- so I censored Ashley--hehe!

You've got the cutest little baby face...

This little guy makes some of the funniest faces. I've yet to catch him doing this slurpy tongue thing. It's so cute and funny. These made me laugh!

A slew of appointments...

On Monday and Tuesday, I met myself coming and going! Let's summarize the schedule:

Monday:

7:35 get Hannah on the bus for school
10:00 Optometrist appointment for me
11:35 get Ashley on the bus
1:00 Jacob's 6 month checkup
2:45 Get kids off the bus
6:00 Feed kids
7:00 Homework
7:30 Bath
8:30 Bedtime

Tuesday
8:10 Annual well-woman appointment for me (which was rescheduled to 9:00 because the doctor was running late)
11:35 - get Ashley on the bus for school
12:30 meet Marc at the tile place to select tile for the kitchen
2:45 get kids off the bus
5:00 highlights and haircut (I had 2 inch long roots, yuck!)
7:35 home 5 minutes and Jacob threw up all over his bed, me, and the bathroom floor (yummy!)
8:00 finally have time to sit down and help Hannah with her homework

Well by the end of all this-- my Wednesday in the office is seeming like vacation :) A couple notes.

Jacob's 6 month stats:

weight 21 pounds 2 ounces (off the chart)
height 29 1/2 inches (off the chart)
head circ. - can't remember (off the chart)



He got 3 vaccinations and a flu shot-- poor baby! We also learned that he can go off of his Zantac after this week. He has had a rash on his bum for a month or longer-- not a painful looking rash-- more of a contact dermititis rash-- looks a lot like Ashley's eczema spots. We've tried changing diaper brands, using sensitive wipes, using only water to clean his bottom. I don't know what it is that he's allergic to, but I'm determined to find out. I finally decided yesterday to purchase some cloth diapers to try. Have you seen cloth diapers these days? They certainly aren't the same as when I was a kid, that's for sure. First of all, I had to call the store to get an education on terminology, what to buy, how to clean, etc. The lady at Jillian's Drawers was just the most helpful lady ever! The diapers have fun names like Happy Heineys, BumGenius, and Fuzzi Bunz and they look super cute with all the color choices. Now when Jacob makes his first stinky and I have to do more than wipe his hiney and throw it away-- I may change my tune :) At first, I'm planning to only use them at night to see if they work for us or not... then I'll evaluate next steps. I'll keep you posted!



Update on Ashley and school

First of all, so many people wrote to tell me that they felt so sorry for Miss Ashley after reading my post last week. I'm happy to report that after the first day, we had no more tears! In fact- she loves school and loves her teacher. Unlike Hannah, she's very excited to share everything about her day-- which makes me smile. I can already tell an improvement in her handwriting. I can't tell you how happy I am that she likes school - I was worried about it a little!



Update on Marc and my diet

Marc has lost 12 pounds-- as of this morning, he weighed in at 180. He's a champ at sticking to it and encouraging me to exercise. I, on the other hand am a big fat cheater! I have lost 6 pounds-- I'm down to 133. However, I cheat every day! I'm a picky eater and those nutrisystem meals just don't do it for me. And how many salads and fruit can one person eat? I'm doing well about controlling the sweets and carbs, though-- so I think that's my saving grace :) We're planning to drop nutrisytem after this month and just incorporate the healthy habits into our regular meals. With a little planning, I know we can do it!

Shhh, don't tell Daddy...

I'm in love with another man! He's short, chubby, and drools like crazy!

World's funniest pictures :)

So my girls picked up the camera the other night and proceeded to terrorize me with it the way I do them-- I played along and they got the biggest kick out of the results. I promised them that I would post a few less incriminating ones. Most of the pictures are badly out of focus, but I think they are too fun not to post!I hope you laugh as much as we did!

First Day of School and a surprise from Jacob...

Well, today was the first day of school and it definitely had its ups and downs.

The Ups

Hannah was so excited about 1st grade she could hardly sleep last night. She even made a checklist of the things she needed to do when she got up this morning. It read:

1. Get dressed


2. Brush teeth and hair


3. Eat breakfast


4. Kiss family goodbye


5. Get on the bus

So needless to say the biggest challenge about getting her off to school will be the getting up at 6:30! She's alreadly pretty fond of her teacher and even though she only knows a couple kids in her class-- we know she's going to love it! We hear that they will have homework every night-- she's going to be a tired kid!



The downs

So next came time to get Ashley on the bus. She acted excited and not really nervous. She watched TV and kept asking when it was time for the bus. So I took her outside a few minutes early to take a few pictures beforehand. That's when I should've seen it coming-- looking back at the pictures it was written all over her face. She was NOT looking forward to getting on the bus. The bus pulled up and I saw the look of fear in her eyes. I was crying inside for her-- but I couldn't let her see that. I walked her around to the steps and she clutched my arm even tighter. I told her that I couldn't come to school on the bus with her and that's when the tears started (hers, that is). I walked her up the steps and started to sit her down next to a little boy named Nicholas-- I could see she didn't like that. So I saw a little girl sitting alone and sat her down next to her. They all wear name tags so I introduced Ashley to the little girl and told her that I had to go. I kissed her and got off the bus-- I know she was crying, but I didn't want to look back at her. For a split second I thought about taking her off the bus and driving her to school, but that would only prolong the inevitable. Luckily our house is the last stop before the school-- so hopefully as soon as she got to the familiar classroom, she settled down. I guess I'll see this afternoon. I'll update the post then!





Jacob's Surprise

And I'm pleased to report that the little man is sleeping in his crib at night and for naps. He slept all night in his crib last night and has taken two naps in the crib today! This is a MAJOR accomplishment. For those who don't know why... he slept in his carseat until he was five months old (with his reflux this is the only place he felt comfortable). Only in the last month has he started sleeping at night in the bed-- but it was our bed. We knew the day would come to get him into his crib and reclaim our bed-- I've had way too many kinks in my neck over the last month and some pretty funky bed head :) Anyway-- he's graduated! Yay! Oh, check out Jacob's arm "muscles" in the picture. How many do you count? That's only cute on a baby!