Stack Family Blog

gone but never forgotten

2012-01-17T20:55:00.000-05:00

It has taken me a little while to be able to write this, but I decided that it may actually help me heal to write it all out.

November 13th 2011, We got that double line on the home pregnancy test that we had been waiting for. Brian and I had decided that we would like to have one more child to complete our family. The timing had worked out great we were goin gto be due on July 22, 2012. That was great because Brian isn't too busy with work during the summer and I have less kids during the summer for daycare. We told everyone the news on Thanksgiving day. We were so thankful!! We had even decided to tell the boys. We never thought that we would miscarry. The boys were so excited. Brady especially! It warmed my heart to see how welcoming my children were going to be to their new brother or sister. We got through the holidays and had our first ultrasound scheduled for Decemeber 29th. THat day we had Brian's parent's watch the boys and we went for the ultrasound. After the tech took us in and started the ultrasound I knew right away that I was not seeing a heartbeat. I didn't say anything at first cause I didn't want to come off as one of the know it all moms. She decided to change over to an internal ultrasound saying that I wasn't too far along and she needed to see some things better. I Still had hope at this point, She switched over to the internal ultrasound and I knew as soon as I saw the screen that there was still no heartbeat. I finally asked the tech if we should be able to see the heartbeat. She said yes and I imediatley started to cry. I asked how big the baby was measuring and she said 8 weeks 6 days. according to the doctors calculations I shoul dhave been 10 weeks 4 days. We went up to my doctors office where we discussed my options. at that point I said I wanted to let it happen naturally but I asked if I decided to have a D&C if I could have one more ultrasound just to be 100% sure. I waited about 5 days and nothing happened on its own. It was absolute torture. to know you are walking around with your dead baby inside of you does something to you. I also had a tiny little piece of hope that they were wrong, that I was going to go back for an ultrasound and find a healthy baby. January 5th I went in for my last ultrasound. my mom came with me and held my hand through the whole the thing. They confirmed my worst nightmare. there was still no heartbeat and the baby was still measuring at 8weeks 6 days. I scheduled the D&C for the next day, but before I left the ultrasound I did manage to get a picture. Jan. 6 2012 I said one last goodbye to my baby. never knowing if it was a boy or a girl I think was one of the hardest things for me. I know lots of people go through this. I was overwhelmed by the amount of people who reached out to me and told me their story. I'm moving forward. This is something I will never forget. I will always wonder what this child would have been like, who it would have looked like, how the boys would have interacted with a new baby. how it would have changed our family dynamics. and of course I have gone down the why? road a couple times but have decided that why this happened I will probably never know. But I know that as a family this is something that we will get through together.

Christmas 2011

2011-12-28T09:38:00.000-05:00

Christmas started for us on Dec. 24th as usual when we celebrate wigilia with Brian's side of the family. I love having such wonderful traditions to pass down to my kids!

the boys exchanging the blessed bread (it has a Polish name but I'm not going to attempt to spell it)

And a kiss!!!

Liam eating like a big boy!

After dinner it was time to open gifts!

Liam loved the paper!

Cameron was super excited!

Brady loved his new scooter from auntie Alyssa

Liam loved his new ball popper

After all the presents it was time for dessert and then we headed home. True to our traditions we put out our reigndeer food!

Ready for santa

The boys decided that Santa needed chocolate milk this year with his cookies.

We said goodbye to Stewie. See you next year!

We read The Night Before Christmas and then went to bed!

And the next morning the boys were ready to go downstairs to see if Santa came.

He DID!!

Liam went right for his new train

Cameron was very excited that he got Rock n' roll mickey

but they were most excited for their DS's

After gifts at home we headed over to Autnie Shanna's house where we had lunch and opened more gifts and had fun seeing Grammy and pappa. After that we headed to Brian's Aunts house where more gifts were exchanged and after that it was time to head home and got to BED! We were all exhauseted after a full day! It was a wonderful Christmas!! Thank you to everyone who made it so special!

Tis the season

2011-12-11T16:30:00.000-05:00

In the Stack house hold we start our christmas decorating right after Thanksgiving so true to form we did that again this year.

This is the tree in the boys room.

giving back

2011-11-22T20:22:00.000-05:00

One of the most important things for me as a parents is to make sure that my children understand how fortunate we are and that there are other people in the world who are less fortunate. Ocasios Karate school raises money through out the year to be able to out together 450 baskets of turkey dinners for those in need. Tonight we went to the Haverhill Studio and helped to put together the baskets. I was a very proud mommy, as you can see in the pictures the baskets we pretty heavy and Brady wanted to do it all by himself and he went through the line as many times as he could until all the baskets were put together. Cameron although he couldn't carry them he pushed the tray through the assembly line and worked hard too.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-18T20:49:00.000-05:00

Although we had a snow storm a few days before Halloween we managed to have a Trick-or-treat. The weather actually wasn't too cold. Brady and Cameron went as Mario and Luigi (the Mario Brothers) and Liam was a pumpkin. I figure I better get in all the cute costumes while I can because before I know it, Liam's going to want to choose his own costume.

Topsfield Fair

2011-10-17T13:06:00.000-05:00

Brady and Grammy

In front of the giant pumpkin

Cameron and his crazy face

Brady going down the giant slide

Last weekend we went to Topsfield fair. Although it was PACKED we still managed to see somethings and have a good time. My parents came with us this year and it was nice to spend some time with them. They even took Liam around for a little while while we watched the tiger show with Cameron and Brady. It was fun spending some family time together.

Belt promotion

2011-10-17T12:57:00.000-05:00

The 3 of us and sempia Munoz after graduation

Brady holding strong doing push ups!

time for our front kick!

Cameron holding strong!!!!

The little Dragon's class

A little congradulations after receiving my certificate

time for some meditation

This past weekend we had our belt graduation. I received my Orange belt, Brady got his green belt and Cameron got his purple/blue belt. I am so glad that we are able to do this together. We all enjoy karate so much and we all look forward to the day when we reach our black belt.

Cameron's first day

2011-09-20T05:54:00.000-05:00

OK While it is a little late I still wanted to post pictures of Cameron's first day of preschool. This year he goes 3 days a week and absolutely loves it. His first day was different this year because I no longer walk him in, we pull the car up and the kids walk into school themsleves. Cameron did awsome! He jumped out of the car said "bye Mom" and off he went. He loves school his biggest complaint is that he wants to go every day! Sooon enough little man, soon enough.

School Days

2011-09-01T20:52:00.000-05:00

This Wednesday Brady became an official Kindergatener. He was so excited and nervous. Tuesday night we went to the open house at the school and he got to meet his teacher and see his classroom. He aslo got a Pollard Pride T-shirt to wear on his first day. (it make s it easier to spot the kindergarteners on their first day)

Wednesday morning Brady got up and got himself all ready and was ready to go on the bus. Luckily we have quite a few daycare kids that get on the bus at our house so he had lots of friends to get on the bus with. He looked so small on the bus I will admit I did get teary. When I picked him up from his first day he was all smiles and couldn't wait to go back the next day. Today was his second day and last day for the week, When I pulled up at car pick up his teacher came over to my car to tell me that she had done her base line assessments for him and that he is already where they would expect them to be by the end of kindergarten. It was so nice to hear. As parents we all think our own kids are smart, but it was nice to hear he is definately where he needs to be.

A trip to the Children's Museum

2011-08-22T13:14:00.000-05:00

Belt Promotion

2011-08-14T19:38:00.000-05:00

Saturday was a big day , the boys got new belts and I got my first belt!! I am officially a yellow belt, Cameron is a purple belt and Brady is a blue belt. Karate has been one of the greatest things that I have done for myself lately. I love how positive it is and how I feel like I Really can do ANYTHING I set my mind to.

Liam's hospital stay

2011-08-07T19:30:00.000-05:00

at the hospital not feeling well

Ready to go home!

On thursday Afternoon Liam all of sudden started being very whiny and just wanted to lay on me so after a while of that I realized he felt hot, I took his temp and it was 102.8 This was a little discouraging as we had plans to go to water country on Friday with friends. We gave him tylenol and motrin all night and his fever was steadily rising. Before I went to bed I checked his temp again and it was 103.8. At this point Brian and I made the desicion to have me stay home the next day and take Liam to the doctors and he would tak ethe kids to water country. I took Liam to the doctors pretty early, by this point he was pretty much just laying on me and sleeping his fever had started to go down. I honestly was hoping for an ear infection, however the first thing the doctor checked was his ears and of course they looked fine. They then did a urine cath to see if he had a UTI and a strep test and sent us for blood work. becuae he had such a high fever adn was presenting so lethargic they decided to give him a shot of Rocefin ( a broad spectrum antibiotic) that would cover him for mostly anything he might have. I went home with the instructions to call them first thing in the morning with an update and the test results would be ready by then. That night Liam was completely lethargic and at that point didn't eat lunch or dinner and had a few sips of something to drink. I put him to bed at 6:00pm, he slept through the night very restlessly. at 5:30 am I was woken up to Liam crying I went in his room and sat in the rocking chair with him and then next thing I knew he threw up on me. He laid on me lethargic for the rest of the morning and threw up every time I tried to get him to take some water. I took him to the doctors and ALyssa, Brian's sister came to stay with the boys. (Brian was at teh High school helping to run the Miss Plaistow Pageant and this was something he couldn't get out of, and something I was supposed to be helping with.) We both were feeling guilty that weren't going to be where we felt we were supposed to be that day so we decided that this was the situation that was handed to us and we would go about our day doing what we needed to do and NOT feel guity about it. I took liam to the Doctors early again, at this point I was pretty sure that he needed to be admitted to the hospital for dehydration, I had NEVER seen him this sick before. The doctor (not our normal doctor) said that his blood cultures were negative but because he was still so sick he would give him another shot of the antibiotic to cover him. he didn't think he was dehydrated cause he had tears and was drooling, when the nurse came in to give him his shot she said she thought he looked worse than the day before. I made the comment that if it were our primary care doc she would be sending us to the hospital cause this just was NOT my son. the nurse didn't give him the shot, but went out and talked to the doctor, next thing I knew they were sending me over to Lawrence General admitting. When we got there was a lot that needed to be done which included another urine cath more blood work and an IV. they started his IV and got him started on some IV fluids while they waited for his blood work, they were questioning how dehydrated he was because he was still making tears and drooling. The docotr came back with shocked look on her face, he had ketones in his urine and his bicarb level was at 14 (they like it atleast at 24) they added more fluids and said they wanted to do more blood work in a little while. right after I got him in bed for what I thought was the night, the team came back in to take blood to repeat some things and add in a blood gas. after that Liam didn't want to sleep in the crib so he ended up sleeping on me for the night, needless to say mommy didn't get much sleep, the next morning they said his levels were doing much better and seeing as all his cultures were negative it probably was a virus, so they would let us go! We have been home all day and he's been drinking a little, we will go back to our primary care doc tomorow morning to follow up but it certainly was an intersting weekend to say the least. Thank you to everyone who sent your love either on face book, in an e mail or in a phone call. You all helped me get through a difficult situation.

Summer vacation 2011

2011-07-30T20:36:00.000-05:00

This year we went on our summer vacation with Dustin and Elizabeth and Meredith Maciver. We started off our trip bright and early Thursday morning. We met at eh Maciver's house for 7:30 and started our Drive to Clark's Trading post. Brady and Cameron watched a movie, but sadly Liam is not a big car sleeper and although he was tired refused to fall asleep and pretty much cried the whole last hour of the car trip. Luckily the older boys were so engrossed in their movie that it really didn't bother them, I on the other hand was ready to pull my hair out! We go to Clark's when they opened at 9:30. We slathered the kids with sunscreen and set off for our morning. We went on the train ride and saw the wolf man, the boys and Brian and Dustin went on the bumper boats and soaked each other, and Of course we saw the bear show and the acrobat show. after all that we had our picnic lunch and hit the road to head to our hotel.

playing in the bumper boats

playing with his brother on the train

the bear show

the acrobat show

and he finally decided to sleep

We got to our hotel and decided to let the kids go in the pool for a while, then headed out to North Conway for dinner. By this time it was 5:30 we were all hungry and there was a wait at just about every restaurant we went to, so we ended up finally getting a table at Friendly's which was fine with the kids because they got ice cream with their meal. After dinner we headed back and got the kids ready for bed. When the kids went to bed the adults actually had time to sit and talk and we played a cut throat game of scattegories. We haven't had a night of just adult time since we have all had kids. The next morning the kids were up bright and early, so excited to be going to story land. We were staying in a condo and had brough stuff to make breakfast so we had pancakes and turkey sausage to start our day. We packed our lunch headed to Dunkin donuts to energize with some coffee and headed to storyland. We were nevouse abou the weather, the day before when we had looked it was saying it was going to be in the 80's and sunny. In the morning when we looked the forecast had changed drastically and was saying cloudy, rain and cold. we decided to chance it and we could always get a rain check and come back the next day, but it worked out perfectly, with it being overcast there weren't alot of people at the parks so we really never waited more than a few minutes to get on rides, it wasn't too hot and it didn't rain until we had left adn were driving back to the hotel. The boys had a great time. Brady went on the polar coaster and the bamboo shoots a couple of times because there were no lines, Cameron still likes the slower rides but did go on the faster rides one time each. Liam was great and slept in the ergo when he needed to enjoyed the rides he could go on. We stayed until 4:30 and then headed back to the hotel, the boys went to the pool while Elizabeth and I stayed in the condo with the babies. We ordered pizza from the hotel and when the boys got back they had dinner and it was time for bed. In the morning we had breakfast and got cleaned up and checked out. we went into North Conway to do some outlet shopping and of course make our annual trip to the life is good store, did some shopping, had a picnic lunch and headed home. luckily this time Liam slept a little bit and only started to cry about the last 5 miles. Much more managable. We had a wonderful time and were happy to share our vacation with our firends the Macivers! It's hard to believe that a year ago we were on the same vacation with an 8 week old and this year he is almost walking. It just shows us how fast time goes and how we need to cherish these moments we have together.

We are looking forward to many more summer vacations to come!

what a differance a year makes

2011-07-30T17:49:00.001-05:00

Ok so Brian and I didn't change but the boys certainly did! Will post about our trip soon but just thought this was neat!!!

2010

2011

A day at the museum

2011-07-25T19:31:00.000-05:00

Today we were all on vacation, Brian is off for the week and I am CLOSED!!!! (insert happy dance) Liam had to go into MGH for his 12 month kidney check so we decided to make a day of it. Brian Dropped Brady,Cameron and Me off at The Museum of Science and he walked over to MGH with Liam. We had a blast, the boys got to see lots of things, we went to the live animal show and to the Electricity show. Once again Brady surprised me when he saw a bike hooked up to a light bulb he said, "Mommy I think the bike is going to act like a generator for the light bulb and turn it on when you peddle" Holy Cow that is a pretty astute observation for a 5 year old. When we got out of the lightning show Brian was back with Liam and we were able to have lunch together and do some more exploring and the boys wanted to bring Daddy back to some of their favorite exhibits. We had a great day and considering we can get the Library passes that get us in for 5$ each instead of 20$ per person we will definatley be going back at some point.

Cameron discovering magnetism

Being creative

waiting for the animal show to start

Liam playing in the kids discovery center

Playing with electricity

Happy 4th!

2011-07-07T07:38:00.000-05:00

So it's a little late but here's a picture of the boys from the 4th of July.

Old Home Day

2011-06-27T19:43:00.002-05:00

The summer is officially here. This weekend we went to old home day, Something that for anyone that lives in plaistow is usually the kick off to their summer. This year I joined Brian in the 5k. Brian and I both achieved our personal goals and improved out time from the turkey trot we did in November.

Brady decided he wanted to participate in the kid contest. He needed to have a talent and he said he would do his #2 front kick from karate. I was a little leary that he may get up on stage and freeze but to our surprise he got up an stage and did the best kick with the loudest aya! I have ever heard come out of him. He ended up winning Little Mr. Plaistow for his age group!

After the kid contest we went home the little ones had naps and then we went back for the parade. This is the first year since having the boys that we have gone to the parade. They really enjoyed it. I love having these town traditions and hope that one day my kids will be bringing their kids to this.

Belt promotion time!

2011-06-04T13:35:00.000-05:00

Today the boys both got their next belts Cameron got his orange belt and Brady got his purple belt. I'm so proud of how well they are doing, and on the next belt promotion I will hopefully be recieving my yellow belt. I think this will be something great to be able to share with my boys.

First swim of the season

2011-05-29T20:30:00.000-05:00

Today was a beautiful day and the pool was ready so we decided that it was a great day for the first swim of the season! Brady swims without swimmies, Cameron is only using swimmies this year and Liam absolutely LOVED the water. It is going to be a great summer!

Kung Fu Panda

2011-05-29T20:27:00.000-05:00

This weekend Ocasio's had a private showing of Kung Fu Panda 2 for the Karate School. After the movie was over the Demo team did a demonstration adn then they asked all the kids to come up and join in. the boys had an awsome time!

Summer photo shoot

2011-05-29T20:23:00.000-05:00

The other day it was beautiful outside and the boys were playing in the grass so I decided to get my camera and go to town! I think I got some nice pics that I may blow up and frame!

Liam's 1st Birthday Party

2011-05-29T20:18:00.000-05:00

Last sunday we had Liam's Birthday party, While we wish the weather had been a little warmer everyone still had a wonderful time. We want to thank everyone who shared in Liam's special day and also thank everyone for their generous gifts. I think Liam now has his whole summer wardrobe set!

Happy 1st Birthday Liam

2011-05-19T19:23:00.000-05:00

One year ago today I gave birth to our third son! Liam Edward Joseph Stack, 7lbs 9oz and the happiest little baby we ever did meet. It's currently 8:00pm and by this point last year Brady and Cameron had been to the hospital to see their new baby brother and were on their way home with Brian. I " was snuggling my little man and getting some rest. I can't believe that a year has past. Liam fit right into the family and in no time we became a happy family of 5!
Liam is up to 20lbs but we won't have the official year stats until next week. He is pulling himself up on a few things and uses the signs for more and eat, he says mama, dada and more and waves "hi" and "bye"
Life is moving so fast and I wish I could slow it down, but since I can't do that I will try to take it ALL in and cherish every moment I get to spend with my children!

A new milestone!

2011-05-10T19:20:00.000-05:00

The other day I went into Liams room to find him standing up in his crib smiling at me. While I wasn't able to get a picture of his first time standing up I did get a picture of him later in the day standing at his play table. He is doing it more and more often and will probably start cruising soon.

Happy Easter

2011-04-25T18:55:00.000-05:00

Easter was a fun day! This was Liam's first Easter and he even got in on the easter egg hunt. My parents and sister and Brother in law and niece came over for dinner and we all had a very nice time.

Liam excited about his easter present

Brady checking out his basket

The boys with Grammy and Pappa

Cameron found an egg

Happy 11 months Liam!

2011-04-22T18:57:00.000-05:00

On Tuesday Liam turned 11 months. I can't believe in less than a month he is going to be 1 year old. He is doing so much now. He is crawling everywhere, and is eating pretty much all foods now. He does the sign for more and please and says "mama" "dada" and more. He LOVES his big brothers. My favorite times are watching the three boys play together and laugh and giggle together. I can't believe how fast time goes by.

Moving on up!

2011-04-10T03:44:00.000-05:00

On Saturday the boys had a belt promotion ceremony. Brady was promoted to orange belt and Cameron was promoted to yellow belt. Karate has been so wonderful for the boys. I have seen many improvements in their concentration and their stamina and most importantly it is a physical activity that they love!

The Paddle Plunge

2011-04-10T03:36:00.001-05:00

Saturday, Brian and 2 of his students jumped into Kingston lake. No they aren't crazy, it was a fund raiser for Camp Lincoln. The students raised 250.00 which will help to send a child to camp for the summer. Luckily although it wasn't hot it wasn't freezing outside.

before

After

Happy Birthday Mackenzie!

2011-04-10T03:27:00.000-05:00

I can't believe my Niece Mackenzie turned 7 this past week, it seems like just yesterday I was inthe labor room with my sister seeing her being born. She is growing up into a beautiful young lady.
This year for Mackensies birthday she had it at my father's flower shop. She had 8 friends come and learn how to make their own flower arrangements. They made arrangements that looked like ice cream sundaes. They then had pizza and cake and played games and opened presents. It was a fun day for all the kids.

Karate Tournament

2011-04-04T19:25:00.000-05:00

Brady had his first Karate tournament a couple of weeks ago. Even though he didn't place, we were so proud of him for getting up in front of the judges all by himself and doing set 3. He even went up to the kids who got trophies and congratulated them.

Brady in front of the judges

Brady and his first ribbon ever!

Our Disney trip 2011

2011-03-25T13:00:00.002-05:00

Free slideshow design created with Smilebox

Introducing the newest member of Ocasios Leadership program

2011-03-23T20:48:00.000-05:00

There he is! His Gi is HUGE on him but he looks so darn cute! After attending classes with Brady for the month (Family Appreciation month) We decided he is doing so well and likes it so much that we would enroll him too. Tonight he got to do leadership portion of the class which involved him using nunchucks, not many 3 year olds can say. I along with his instructors was very impressed with how well he did.

The best part of this was seeing how happy Brady was for Cameron, I think he was more excited to see Cameron get his black and red uniform than Cameron was. When Cameron was going to put it on, Brady called after him, Cameron I'm so proud of you, I Love you!. Well as a mom I almost broke down and cried right there. It made me feel like we must be doing something right. It's those moments as a parent that I need to hold on to for the days when they are fighting with each other.

Happy 10 months Liam

2011-03-22T13:42:00.000-05:00

Liam turned 10 months this past weekend. Unfortunately he has been having some issues with fevers and ear infections so we will be heading to the ENT soon. Liam has started geting up on his knees and can go from laying down to sitting all by himself. He says mama, dada, and more. He still is barely 18 lbs. He had yogurt for the first time last week and didn't have any bad reactions, so once he is over this bout if sickness we will start to introduce milk to him. It will be much easier to give him food once we know he doesn't have the milk or soy allergy. Even though he has been sick he still remains a very happy kid! Whos smile and eyes can touch even the toughest of hearts.

A quick photo shoot

2011-03-02T20:43:00.000-05:00

A very cool setting on my camera

Yummy

Hi mom!

Getting tired after trying to crawl.

Valentines day

2011-03-02T20:40:00.000-05:00

Valentines day 2011

My eligible bachelor

Lover boy

Kisses Kisses

This was the day brady's ear drum perforated so that was the best smile I could get

Brotherly love!

Snow snow and more snow!

2011-03-02T20:35:00.000-05:00

It's no secret that we have has A LOT of snow this winter and the boys have really enjoyed it!

Happy 9 months Liam!

2011-02-28T20:26:00.000-05:00

Liam had his 9 month appointment today, he was 29.5 inches long (90%) and 18lbs (5%). So we have a bean pole. I feel like we have spent quite a bit of time at the doctors office/hospital this winter. I joked with the nurse that they should have a punch card system, you go to the doctors 9 times and the 10th one is free. Liam's stay in the hospital was 2 nights , while it was not fun I do have to say that he got wonderful care and the nurses and doctors were all very good to Liam. We are hoping that he is now in an upswing. His lungs sounded better and his ears were clear! We went to the GI in boston last week and we will be introducing yogurt to Liam slowly to see how he does and then if he does well with that we will start to introduce milk in his bottle. He is starting to not want baby food anymore so we went to Whole Foods and found things like waffles and bread that he can eat. You would be amazed at how many things have eggs, milk or soy in them. We are hoping that by a year we won't have to worry about this anymore.
Developmentally Liam is doing well he is now saying Mama and Dada, he is sitting up well and just recently has begun to get on to his knees and will probably be crawling soon! Look out worl here comes Liam.
Liam is such a happy baby, he is always smiling, even when we were in the hospital the nurses couldn't believe how good natured he was being as sick as he was.
We are so looking forward to our trip to Disney, although Liam is little I still think he'll enjoy it.
Happy 9 months Liam it has gone by way too fast, but it has been so wonderful to watch you start to grow into a little boy.

scrub a dub dub 3 kids in a tub

OH!

my little lover boy!

"I'm composing mom!"

Liam's first bite of mango

Yellow belt promotion

2011-02-13T13:38:00.000-05:00

This weekend Brady had his first karate belt promotion. He was so happy to get his yellow belt. We are very proud of him.

accepting his graduation certificate

His new yellow belt

Brady and his instructor Mr. Munoz

Our proud boy!

Some pics

2011-02-02T20:27:00.001-05:00

Say Cheese

Liam's OH face

Brotherly love

playing around

8 Months old

2011-01-18T20:19:00.000-05:00

Liam turns 8 months tomorow! I CAN'T believe it! He is doing well, he eats 2 sometimes 3 meals (baby food) a day and eats some of the baby puffs. He is sitting up pretty steadily with the boppy behind him, and loves to jump, he has also been going in the go-around and has started taking steps around to get to the other toys. He still is such a good baby, takes 3 naps a day (we're trying to get it down to 2) and sleeps a good 12 hours at night. We can't complain. As always he is always amused by his 2 big brothers, they especially like that Liam is much more interactive, They can ALWAYS get him to smile and laugh. Life is pretty good!

Worth its weight in gold

2011-01-18T20:06:00.000-05:00

Since Brady has started Karate he can earn stipes on his belt for doing things around the house, Brady being the smart kid he is, he listens to what other parents stand up and say they are giving their child a stripe for. Last week one parent said that their child cleared the table without being asked, So Brady decided to take it a step further and wanted to wash the dishes, the nice thing about this is that Cameron wants to be just like his big brother and helps out too.

So Daddy decided with all this extra time.......

He would catch up on his reading.

An aMAZING day

2011-01-17T21:07:00.000-05:00

Today being a holiday we decided to take the kids to amazement, the boys got to get out some energy and Liam had a ball watching the kids play.

A leader in the making

2011-01-17T21:03:00.000-05:00

Brady has been doing KArate for two weeks now and on Friday we had a confrence with Mr. Munoz who felt Brady was ready to start leadership class. When you join the leadership class you get the official Black and Red Ocasio Gi. I have to say I was very impressed, Brady stayed for Leadership class Friday and this class has all different age groups in it even soem adults, Brady was one of the youngest in the class. At one point they split them up into groups of three and had each one of them take a turn being the instructor to the group for pushups. Brady did well in his group of three, then they got back into the big group and the instructor picked a few to get up and instruct the whole class, well he chose Brady, I was so nervous for him and wondered if he would be intimidated. this is how it went
Brady: Attention
Class: Sir
Brady: Push up position
Class Thank you sir
Brady: On my count... 1
Class One sir

Brady lead the class through three push up and then had to return to his spot. I was so proud of him! It was so great to see him have such confidence. I talked with another mom who couldn't believe this was only his second week cause she said her son would only watch for the first month. Brian and I think this is going to be wonderful for him.

Cameron decided to try on Brady's Gi and they both put on their best Warrior faces.

An igloo in New England?

2011-01-17T20:46:00.000-05:00

Only in the Stacks back yard will you find an igloo, As with everything that my boys do it has to be over the top. My kids and husband can't just go out and make a snow man or just go sledding no, no! The have to build forts or rather in this case an igloo. OK so they cheated a little by using black spray paint but come on you have to admit it looks pretty good!

From a fort to....

An Igloo!

The Harlem Wizards come to Sanborn

2011-01-17T20:40:00.000-05:00

Thursday night, Sanborn had a fund raiser for the elementary school, they had the Harlem Wizards (a take of the Globe trotters) come to play against the teachers at the district. Brian being the good sport that he is signed up to play. Seeing as there was a lot of people who came to play each staff member got to play for about 2 min. As soon as he got in the game he got the ball and he did attempt a basket but ubfortunatley didn't make it. Oh well the boys had a blast getting to see Daddy out on the court.

The boys hangin' with Daddy before he goes in the game

The boys watching daddy play

Winter Fun

2011-01-13T14:05:00.000-05:00

We had our first blizard of 2011 the other day, so that meant snow day here, unfortunately Daddy had to work from home which meant he was up in our home office (the bedrroom) on a confrence call all day. He came down 2 times when they took a break to shovel the drive way. Seeing as it was still snowing pretty hard Cameron didn't want to go out but Brady was all about going outside! We had a lot of snow!

The boys had a fun and relaxing day, Liam is still working very hard on sitting up with no support and he is doing a a really good job.

Here we go!

2011-01-07T20:01:00.000-05:00

Brian and I had been trying to think up a good activity for Brady to get involved in, since he missed the cutoff to enter Kindergarten this year he has been a little bored with going to preschool. We finally decided to try him in Karate and after one week we are very glad that we have! Brady can go to the class 3 times a week if he wants but they want them to come at least 2x a week. His first class was Monday, he was very timid. The kid who is usually LOUD all the time at home was very quiet. The Karate studio is the place for him to be loud and assertive, He also found out that he can earn stripes on his belt by doing good things at home, like helping out around the house without being asked, or being kind to his brothers, well let me tell you as soon as he heard that he has been a very well behaved boy, looking for things to help out with and being extra nice and helpful to Cameron. Wednesday night when Mr. Munoz asked the parent's s if any students has earned a gold stripe I was pleased to stand up and tell him about Brady's good behavior. He received his first stripe and was beaming from ear to ear. Also On Wednesday night only is second class I couldn't believe how much he remembered from the first night. He remembered to take off his shoes and get his card to pass in and he remembered to bow and say "vision Sir" before getting on the mat. He was asked to get up in front of the class and demonstrate a move and he did with much more confidence than the first time. We got a call from his instructor last night to schedule his "leadership Academy time" right now he wears the white uniform, but the other kids in the class all have a red and black uniform, the only get the red and black uniform once the instructors feel they are ready and go through the leadership academy so Mr. Munoz feels one more week of classes and he'll be ready for Leadership Academy. Not sure what this will entail but we'll find out on the 19th. We think this is going to be great for him and he so far is really enjoying it!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-06T19:50:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year to you all! We rang in the new year with some good friends and family! With lots of food, fun and laughs.

Brady and Daddy made a snow fort

Liam playing in his go-around

Cameron enjoying some goodies

Before the boys went to bed I got one last picture of them for the year 2010!

We hope everyone had a wonderful new years and the year 2011 will be filled with love and good health!

Bunk Beds!

2010-12-30T14:09:00.001-05:00

We decided it was time for Cameron to leave his toddler bed and and get a big boy bed, seeing as their room isn't huge and Brady's bed was part of a bunk set we decided to bite the bullet and put them together. (the beds were Brian and Jasons when they were little)

The first night Brady slept in the bottom bunk with Cameron because Cameron asked him to, but since then they have been sleeping in their own beds! I can't believe how fast time is going!

Christmas 2010

2010-12-27T17:25:00.000-05:00

Christmas started off on Deceber 24th for us, our tradition is to go to Brian's Grandmothers house and celebrate vigilia (Polish Chritmas eve)

Brady and Cameron with Babcia and Dziadziu

There is a polish tradition in which everyone gets a wafer that has been blessed by a priest and we take a piece off of each others wafer eat it and wish each other a Merry Christmas. The boys really got into it this year.

The boys exchanging their wafer

Then giving each other a hug!

After a fun night we headed home and.....

put out the reindeer food we made!

and of course put out our cookies and milk for santa

The next morning we all opened our presents

and even posed for some pictures.

in the afternoon my parents and shanna, Dave and Mackenzie came over for lunch and more presents

The next day we had Christmas #2 at Babcia and Dziadziu's house.

We had a wonderful Christmas! Thanks to everyone who made it special!

Count down to Christmas

2010-12-23T20:33:00.000-05:00

The kids were so excited for the first snow fall

Cameron loves the snow this year!

My boys so excited for Christmas

One infront of the tree!

Decorating cookies for santa

We may have a future baker on our hands

Brady's cookie for Santa

Cameron's cookie for santa

Our reindeer food to put out on Christmas eve

As you can tell it has been a very busy week! Tomorow night we will celebrate vigilia with Brian's family and my family is coming over here for Christmas day. I can't wait to see the boy's eyes light up Christmas morning when they see what santa has left for them. Watching Christmas through your childrens eyes is MAGICAL!

Clarke Family Christmas

2010-12-19T20:08:00.000-05:00

For as long as I can remember we have had a christmas party with my dad's side of the family. So today in true Clarke fashion we all gathered at my aunt's house for a day filled with laughter and fun. I can remember being a kids and taking my younger cousins and reading them Christmas stories, and now it is those cousins who take my children and entertain them. I looked around the room today and realized there were 4 generations sitting in that one room.

My cousin Gino who has recently joined the Army was on leave and was able to come home and attend our family party, which was wonderful seeing as he got married not that long ago and then had to leave for boot camp.

My aunt always brings wonderful activities for the kids to do and they are still talking about how much fun they had!

Happy 7 months Liam!

2010-12-18T17:25:00.001-05:00

7 months old!

Tomorow Liam will officially be 7 months old. We had a follow up appointment with the GI specialist at Mass General on Friday. Liam weighs 16.9 lbs and is 28.5 inches. While he is still considered small he is following the growth curve so they are very happy with that. We will continue to keep him milk, soy, egg and peanut free. this will prove a little difficult as if you look at baby feed alot of the dinners have either milk or soy in it so we have to go very plain for now. We are hoping that this is something he will grow out of and we will go back in 2 months to talk about when he will do his challenge test to see if he is still allergic. Other thatn his allergies he is very healthy. he has started sitting up for a few seconds on his own, he LOVES to "talk" and loves to watch his brothers play. He also still loves his Jumperoo! He could jump in that thing all day!!!

My 4 boys!

so proud

2010-12-10T19:52:00.000-05:00

Over the past few days I've notice Liam trying and succeeding at pulling himslef up about halfway when I change his diaper. I've been trying to get him to sit up on his own but he usually just fell forward or backward, but tonight for the first time........

He did it all by himself!!!

Frosty The Snow Man

2010-12-09T20:34:00.000-05:00

The other night the boys discovered we have a snow man kit, We've had for 2 or 3 years and I had actually never looked in it, until the boys decided to pull everything out and reenact Frosty the snow man. They are so cute sometimes!

Cameron as frosty

Brady striking a pose

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

2010-12-02T20:45:00.004-05:00

It's only the 2nd of December and we have already had so much going on. On Saturday we went to the Salem Santa Parade, which goes righ infront of my dad's shop so we were able to park in his parking lot and see everything, when Brady got too cold he went in with Grammy and Pappa and watched the parade standingin their front window. It was a nice way to kick off the holiday season.

Tonight we went to the Atkinson Country Club. We got to go on a hay ride and see the ice sculptures. The best part of the night was seeing Santa. While everyone was outside watching the tree be lit, we decided to get in line to see santa, and the boys got to have cookies and hot cocoa. Cameron stood in line but as he got closer decided he didn't want to go up. Brady was all about it and Liam didn't really care either way. They had a fun time. I love that we live in a small community that does things like this. These are traditions in the making!

And in other news, Brady and Cameron now like sleeping in the same bed, mostly due to the fact that we lost power last Saturday and Brady is petrified that it will happen again, however he has convinced Cameron that it is fun to sleep in the same bed. I remember doing this with my sister when we were little. some of my best memories are those talks that we had when we shared a room. I hope that Brady and Cameron continue to have the wonderful relationship they have!

the stats are in...

2010-11-30T20:50:00.004-05:00

Liam had his 6 month appointment today. He is 28 inches tall (90th percentile) and 16.6lbs (25th percentile). He is doing very well. he is rollingboth ways, has found his feet and loves to suck on his toes, he LOVES his jumperoo and "talks" all the time. The doctor decided to forgo the flu shot seeing as he had to be put on the new formula it means he could possibly have an egg allergy so she decided it wasn't worth the potential risk of giving him a flu shot and having a bad reaction. Liam did have to get 2 shots and the roto virus drink, he wasn't very happy tonight, he has a fever of 102 and was very uncomfortable so I gave him some tylenol before bed and hope he feels better in the morning.

I know I say this all the time but I'm really having a hard time believing he is 6 months old. It seems like just yesterday I was in the hospital watching the season finale of Greys Anatomy scared out of my mind with Liam snuggled up next to me. I don't think anyone but a mother knows the love of a mother for their child. I didn't know that this much love was possible but it is and I am truely blessed!

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-29T20:28:00.005-05:00

Thanksgiving 2010 started out very different for us this year. Brian and I ran (well brian ran, I walked briskly) the Turkey Trot at Maudslay State park. The course was more difficult than anticipated but we did it! After finishing the race we came home, showered and went over Brian's parents house where the boys had spent the morning. We had a wonderful Dinner and got to see some family members that we don't see very often. After dinner we surprised Brian's grandmother with a cake for her 80th birthday. It was a wonderful day!

Happy 6 months Liam!

2010-11-21T10:45:00.002-05:00

I know I say this every month but I really can't believe that Liam turned 6 months old. Liam is doing better now that we have switched his formula again. He is on a prescription formula now that has no milk protiens in it at all. Liam can roll both ways and now. He has finally shown this, He used to just do it in his crib but we finally saw him do it the other night while we were playin gon the floor. He also LOVES the jumperoo. He jumps in there like no ones buisness! He is eating a little more baby food, pears and sweetpotatos are his favorite. He is starting to show signs that he he may start sitting up soon. Last time we were at the doctors he weighed 15.2lbs we go for his 6 month appt the week after Thanksgiving and we'll see what he's up to then. He is definatley growing and getting taller. We have pulled out the 6-9 month clothing and he is fitting into them more for the length, but he is starting to fill them out. We are so blessed to have 3 wonderful boys!!

My New Camera

2010-11-15T20:46:00.002-05:00

For my 30th Birthday, Brian bought me a beautiful new camera. I've used it a couple times and LOVE it! I still have a lot to learn and need to really sit down and read the manual but for now I have it on the automatic setting and it's working. Eventually I would like to find a photography class to take, for now I'll just point and shoot.

Happy Birthday to Me

2010-11-15T20:35:00.002-05:00

So this year I turned the big 3 0. Brian was nice and planned a family party for me and then planned a night out in Boston. We went to the Hard Rock Cafe for the Boston Comedy show. It was a wonderful night. A special thank you to all who helped us celebrate.

I have to say that 30 feels no different than 29. Except that I feel like the 30's are going to be my decade. I have lost 15lbs in the last 12 weeks and I'm going to be walking/running my first 5k on Thanksgiving. If a year ago you told me I was going to be doing that I wouldhave laughed at you! I plan on continuing with this healthy lifestyle and passing it on to my boys!

Getting so big!

2010-10-28T18:51:00.003-05:00

The other day I decided to pull out the jump-a-roo for Liam to try, He loved it. He doesn't like to stay in it for too long but he did really like it. He is also eating more baby food now, he gets some fruit and Cereal for breakfast and vegetables and cereal for dinner. He loves to blow raspberries while I'm feeding him, which makes a huge mess but he thinks it is hysterical! Our little baby is growing up already!

pumpkin carving

2010-10-28T18:40:00.004-05:00

The town of Plaistow started a tradition about 4 years ago, the Friday before Halloween they have a pumpking lighting. People from the town bring pumpkins that they have carved and we light them all at the same time. It is quite a sight. So tonight we had th eboys carve their pumpkins, We even roasted the pumpkin seeds and the boys got to try them. Brady loved them, Cameron couls take them or leave them, and Liam well I guess he's not ready for those yet. The boys had lots of fun and can't wait to see their pumpkins lit up tomorow night.

5 Months already?!

2010-10-21T19:11:00.006-05:00

On Tuesday Liam turned 5 months old, he's 14lbs and 26 1/2 inches. Despite Liam having some little health issues he is the best baby! He's on a great schedule, he's sleeping through the night (has been for a while) takes 3 naps a day and eats every 4 hours and rarely cries. His big brothers are always concerned about him or want to play with him, the first thing they ask me in the morning is where Liam is. Liam is starting to take solids. so far he's had sweet potatos, and green beans. we have to go really slow with Liam cause we want to make sure he doesn't have any other allergies, so far so good. We'll head back to the GI in 2 weeks for another weight check to see if adding in the "solid" foods has helped plump him up. We also will get to see the neurosurgeon about the ridge on Liam's head. Hoping to hear from him that we just have an over protective pediatrician. Keeping our fingers crossed.

We are so thankful to have been blessed with 3 wonderful boys!!!

forget the cereal give me the real stuff!

2010-10-15T18:46:00.003-05:00

After giving Liam Cereal 3 different times and having him become very cranky and not sleep well I talked withthe GI today during our appointment and she said to try Earths best Organic cereal or to just try some veggies, like sweet potatoes. So tonight seeing as I couldn't find the cereal I decided to try the sweet potatoes.

The Verdict....

HE LOVED THEM!

Happy Birthday Brady!

2010-10-11T20:18:00.002-05:00

On October 12th 2005 at 6:26 pm weighing in at 7lbs 10 oz and 20 inches long Brady Micheal Stack came into the world. He has brought us more joy and happiness into our lives than we thought possible

Brady, you have become such a wonderful little boy. You are caring and kind and have such a wonderful since of humor. You have welcomed your two brothers into your life with open arms, never jealous and always happy to share in their happiness. You are a curious little boy who never hesitates to find out how something works or why something happens. Keep that curiousity about you for the rest of your life. The world is in your hands to discover!

We Love you Brady!

Topsfield fair

2010-10-11T19:52:00.005-05:00

Sunday morning it was beautiful outside so we decided to take off and take the boys to the fair, We got there for when it opened so it wasn't too busy. Liam slept in the ergo practically the whole time and Brady and Cameron loved seeing all the animals and the big pumpkins and got to go on some rides. Brady even went into the haunted house with Brian and Brian said that he actually laughed the whole time. Cameron on the other hand is like me, he didn't even want to stand infront of the haunted house to wait for daddy and Brady. We had a fun day! It's nice that the boys are getting old enough to like these things and Liam is such a good baby that he just goes with the flow!

Happy Birthday again!

2010-10-09T10:01:00.002-05:00

Grammy and Pappa came over last night to celebrate Shanna and Brady's birthday. The boys loved the gift that Grammy and Pappa got them. They got a bumble bee tent and a tunnel. they have been playing with them all morning along with their new walkie talk ies and buzz light year phone and computer!

Happy Birthday!

2010-10-04T18:51:00.005-05:00

This weekend we had Brady and Cameron's Birthday party. Cameron turned 3 on Sept 25th and Brady will turn 5 on Oct.12th. The boys started off their birthday celebration with a sleepover with Mackenzie. They were psyched that we finally let them all sleep in the same room. They had fun and got to bed at a normal hour.

Sunday morning they were up bright and early! Unfortunately their party didn't start until 1:00. We decided we would give them their gift from us early so they would have something to keep them occupied.

When 1:00 O'clock finally rolled around the boys were thrilled. The kids were able to play outside while the adults mingled and talked. Everyone ate the kids opened their presents and cut their cake! A good time had by all. I can't believe my kids are 5, 3 and 4 months! Time is absolutely flying!!!

Apple picking

2010-09-28T18:43:00.003-05:00

A couple weeks ago it was a nice fall crisp day so we decided to take advantage of this and go apple picking with Shanna and Dave and Mackenzie. All the kids had so much fun, Liam was great and slept in the ergo while we did our apple picking. The kids got there faces painted and had apple cider donuts! Such a fun day we may even go back towards the end of the season to get some more apples.

Time for cereal already?

2010-09-15T19:04:00.003-05:00

After seeing the GI specialist about a week ago we got the go ahead to give Liam some cereal if we felt he needed it. We have to make sure we read the labels of everything because he can't have anything with milk or soy right now. Gerber rice cereal contains some soy, luckily beechnut does not contain soy or milk. We had noticed that when Liam was taking his last bottle of the night he was wanting more and more almost up to 8oz. that's alot of liquid for his little belly so tonight we gave him his first taste of cereal. he did really well with it. I can't believe how fast the time is going. It makes me sad that he isn't a newborn anymore, but happy that he is growing and developing everyday.

Lemonade anyone?

2010-09-15T18:50:00.003-05:00

On Saturday we had a yard sale, along with the Wicks family. Brady and David decided that they wanted to have a Lemonade stand. They did a great job "manning their booth" and Brady being the smart buisness man he is always made sure he got the money first before he gave them their lemonade. The boys made $4.00 which they split between themselves and Cameron and Shaun. Brady and Cameron were both Psyched to put their money in their piggy banks!

School Days!

2010-09-10T15:52:00.004-05:00

This week Brady started back to school and Cameron got to join in the fun. Cameron goes to a 2 day program, Mondays and Fridays and Brady goes Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday.

Brady was super excited to be going back and didn't skip a beat, He hopped out of the car and said "I'm back!" and ran into school. When I picked him up he said he couldn't wait for tomorow.

Cameron had an open house of Thursday to meet the teachers and see the classroom. He was a little shy at first but loved palying in the sand table, they had a red tablespoon measure that he was playing with and for some reason he couldn't wait to go back the next day to play with. So he got up this morning and asked if it was time to go. It was only 7am so no it wasn't time to go. we left around 8:45 and he asked that Brady come with us to drop him off, all he kept talking about was the "red thing" he wanted to play with. When we got there he went in put his bag on his hook walked over to the teacher to give hom the form I asked him to give her, and then headed for the sand table where he found the "red thing" right away. he then looked at Brady and me and said bye! see you later! and we left. I think even brady was surprised at how well Cameron did. When I picked him up the teachers said he had a fabulous day and tried everything and raised his hand during circle time, our little man is growing up.

I am so proud of both of my boys, they both love school and are well behaved when they are there, they are growing up so fast, sometimes I wish I could just stop time for a little while!

Liam is 12 weeks!

2010-08-11T12:49:00.002-05:00

I can't believe Liam is 12 weeks! He is 12 lbs and 25 inches long. He loves to play in his swing and on his gym mat. We have been in and out of Boston with Liam. He has had pretty bad reflux and it was finally found that he has a milk protien allergy, so he has started on a special formula. Also due to the fact that Brady had some kidney issues Liam had to be tested also. We found out that while he doesn't have the kidney reflux issue that Brady had, he has an enlarged ureter and an enlarged kidney so we will be going at the end of september for more tests. While it seems like he has a lot of problems they are all things that he will grow out of. We love him so much and only want what is best for him so we will continue to take him to boston until we get everything cleared up. We are blessed that we live so close to the best hospitals in the world.

The boys first fishing trip

2010-08-06T18:21:00.003-05:00

Today the boys got to spend the day with Babcia and Dziadziu. Brady, after talking to some friends at camp decided that he would like to go fishing, so he asked Dziadziu and of course he said yes! To everyone's surprise Brady and Cameron both caught a fish! They were so excited. They had a wonderful day and have already asked when they are going to do it again.

Family update

2010-07-22T19:16:00.006-05:00

Liam turned 2 months old this week. The time has absolutely flown by. He is getting so big. We have finally seen him smile and he has started cooing now too. We have gotten a few nights of longer stretches of sleep at night. He is starting to be on a little more of a predictable schedule during the day. He loves his swing and his gym mat. Tonight while we ate dinner he layed under his mat and watched the bird and "talked" to him for a good 10 minutes it was so cute. Brady and Cameron thought it was very cute.

Cameron is doing great, he is speaking more and more. knows all his colors, shapes can count to 10 and can sing the alphabet. He loves to swim in the pool, but HATES to get his face wet, he wants to do anything to be just like his older brother or daddy. It is so hard to believe in september he will be going to preschool on monday and Friday.

Brady is 4 going on 40. he always wants to do a project or wants to know what is coming next. We found a camp for Brady to go to that he goes to from 8:30-12:30 and absolutely loves. I love when he comes home tells me about his day and the kids that he has played with. Although Brady will be turning 5 this year he misses the cut ff in kindergarten by 12 days. So he will go back to Rainbow preschool tuesday/Wednesday and Thursday for another year.

We are all doing well as a family of 5! Liam has fit right in. we can't even remember what life was like without him. Another Chapter has begun in the Stack family book of memories!

Vacation 2010

2010-07-19T05:20:00.005-05:00

Last week Brian took the week off and I closed for the week so we could go on vacation. On Monday we left for Clark's trading post for the day. Brian and I had been when we were kids so it was fun to be able to take our kis back. The boys had a blast, Cameron especially liked the bear show and asks when we are going to go back to see them. We took the train ride and Brian took the boys on the bumper boats. Liam was so good. We timed our shows around when he would need to eat so we could sit and feed him while we watched the

shows.

After we were done at Clark's we headed up the kangamangus Highway to go to attitash where we would be staying for the next two nights. After we got to our hotel the boys went in the pool for a while and then we had dinner at the hotel and the boys went to bed. We had a suite so the boys slept in the living room on the pull out sofa and Brian and I had our own room with Liam. Tuesday morning we woke up bright and early had breakfast at the hotel and headed to storyland. We got there right when they opened so there were no lines for anything. We headed to the water rides first and the boys went on each water ride a few times in a row. We followed the boys lead and went on the rides they wanted to go on had lunch and when they were ready to go we left. It got really hot by mid afternoon and they were done, so they asked to go back to the hotel to go in the pool. After we got back Daddy took Brady and Cameron to the pool and Mommy stayed in the room with Liam so he could take a nap, he had slept off and on in the carriage and in the ergo but it was so hot that he never really slept good.

Since we had a kitchen we decided to stop at the store and just pick up so things to make dinner. Brian decided to make a broccoli and chiken alfredo. Unfortunately Brian only got butter so he had to cook the chicken in that and it ended up smoking really bad, so what do you think happened? You got it he set off the smoke alarm. the front desk called up and made sure everything was ok and then sent up maintenance to stop the alarm from going off. oh well we all had a good laugh about that.

We finished our week out with a trip to water country on Thursday and the Boston Children's museum on Friday. It was a busy week but we all had fun. This vacation was obviously the most challenging as we had and 8 week old, but we made it through and had a good time and know that it will only get easier from here on out.

Fourth of July

2010-07-05T16:26:00.003-05:00

This weekend was my Grandfather's 80th Birthday party and of course the Fourth of July.
My grandfather's Birthday was at Kingston Lake, My uncle took us out on his boat and the boys had a blast.

The fourth of July we spent at home with family in the pool. A fun day had by all.

Old Home Day

2010-06-28T17:37:00.005-05:00

Every year we go to Plaistow old home day.

This year Brian decided to run the 5k! He did a great job.

The boys decorated their car and drove it in the children's parade. The boys went in the bouncy houses and got to ride on the fire truck,

we entered Liam in the Baby contest, he didn't win but that's okay, he's the cutest 5 week old we know!

It was a fun day and we will look forward to next year!

Our first beach outing of the summer

2010-06-24T19:19:00.004-05:00

We love the beach, in the summer you will probably find us there about once a week! Today it was so nice and all the daycare kids were gone early so we decided to head out to the beach. the boys went in the water (well Brady and Cameron not Liam) we went and saw the sand castles had some dinner and ended the night with some time at the playground. Liam was great! We got the insert for the ergo baby carrier so Erica was able to wear Liam down to the water. We're hoping the sea air will help him sleep through the night! (well we can hope can't we?)

A fun kick off to our summer, I'm sure we will be visiting there many more times!

4 weeks

2010-06-22T08:27:00.003-05:00

Time is flying by. Liam was 4 weeks old on Wednesday June 15th. He is such a good baby and his brothers are still so enthralled with him. They are constantly asking to hold him and feed him. We go to the doctors on July 1st. I can't wait to see how much he weighs and how long he is. He still does about 3 hour stretches of sleep at night, some night we get 4 hours, but he still young and we can't complain.

2 weeks old

2010-06-05T17:15:00.003-05:00

On Wednesday, Liam turned 2 weeks old. I can't believe how fast time has gone by. Liam is such a good Baby. He is very content and is on a pretty predictable schedule. He eats pretty much every 3 hours. Nursing was very difficult in the begining and due to weight issues and Jaundice we started supplimenting with formula and I began pumping. I have started trying to do some nursing with him and he is doing well. I figure better for him to get it from me than me have to hook up to a pump. He does get formula at night because, sorry I refuse to pump in the middle of the night. I just won't do it. He actually does really well at night. We put him down for bed when we go to bed and he usually wake around 12:30 and then again at 3:30 and some days doesn't get up until anywhere between 6:30 and 7:30.
Liam is so loved by his older Brothers, they have adjusted better than We ever could have anticipated. Brady can't seem to kiss him enough and Cameron loves to talk to him and will make him "food" from his kitchen and if he's sleeping in the bouncy seat Cameron leaves his food next to him. Every night they can't go to bed until they have both given him a hug and a kiss and if they don't see him the minute they walk into a room they want to know where he is. I only have 2 more full weeks of daycare before a couple of kids leave for the summer and it will be a welcome little break, and Brian will be finishing up his school year also, while he still has to work he has much more flexability and NO night commitments.

I was so nervous when we found out we were having another child even though we planned for it, and now I know I was nervous for nothing. Liam fits right into our life and we couldn't imagine our lives without him! Our family has so much love to give that adding another family memeber was a wonderful blessing!

Welcome Liam Edward Joseph, May 19th 2010

2010-05-28T19:20:00.005-05:00

Liam Edward Joseph arrived on May 19th at 2:00 pm. Weighing 7lbs 9oz and 20 inches long. It was quite unexpected as his brothers were both induced.

The Birth Story:

I will admit that some details are very fuzzy for me.

May 18th I had had a weird pain all day in my side, I thought I had pulled a muscle, when we were going to bed I told Brian that if it wasn't better in the morning I was going to have to call the doctor because I could barely stand up, little did I know what was about to follow.

4:00 Am- I woke up with a contraction, nothing new, I had been having them off and on for weeks, but it felt stronger. I thought I had to really pee so I went to the bathroom and next thing I knew I felt a gush. I was sure my water broke. I woke Brian up and called the doctor, because I was GBS positive he wanted me to come right in. We called Brian's mom to come over and stay with the boys. before she got there I decided it might be a good idea to pack a bag. Like I said we were not anticipating this. Brian's mom came and we left for the hospital.

5:10- We arrived at the hospital, had to check in through the ER and then were taken up to L&D. They got me hooked up to a monitor and saw that I was having a few contractions on my own but nothing great. We took a walk around the halls but because my water was broken it was difficult to walk around, and I couldn't walk around for long because they were going to start my IV, as I needed to get started on antibiotics. It took 2 nurses and someone from the lab to finally get an IV and blood drawn, not fun! I did start having some contractions and the nurse said that the doc would be in around 7:30.

7:30- Dr. Zakara (not my usual doc) came in and checked me. I was only 2cm and 60% effaced. because of the GBS he wanted my labor to move fairly quickly so he wanted to start pitocin.

8:00- Started pitocin and contractions started to pick up, but they weren't being picked up on the monitor so everytime I was having one I had to tell them.

10:00 the nurse came on and told me she needed to stop the pitocin because the baby's heart rate was going down and she was going to call the doctor, after talking to the doctor she came in with a shot to give me to STOP my labor. WHAT???? She said they need to see how the baby did for a while and if his heartrate went back up they would start he pitocin again. I got a little bit of rest and then my labor started to continue on it's own, without the pitocin. Luckily the baby's heartrate was back up by now. Now I was really feeling contractions and asked for the epidural, because the baby's heartrate had been dipping and my contractions weren't being picked up the doctor wanted to put in an internal monitor so he wanted me to wait until he could come over and check me and put in the monitors but I could have some stadol, yeah all that did was make me tired. I was feeling a lot of pressure and the nures said she was going to check me. I was 5-6 at this point and in ALOT of pain. I was in and out of it because of the Stadol This is where everything is pretty fuzzy not sure of the times from here on out, I remember the doc comming to do the epidural and I was in so much pain and to top it off he was not gentle on my back it took him almost 45 minutes to get the epidural in which did NOTHING but numb my legs, I could still feel all the contractions. at this point they told me to lay down and it may start to work, by this point I was feeling so much pressure that the nurse cheked me again and I was a full 10. she called the doctor and came back and told me he was detained at the moment and I would have to breath through it and NOT to push. The anasthesiologist came back to see if it was working and I told him no. he said the only thing he could do was take it out and do it again. I said no way, it wasn't worth it at this point.

FINALLY the doctor came in, they set up the bed and in 3 pushes Liam Edward Joseph was born at 2:00pm. weighing 7lbs 9oz. we had every intention of having some family members in the room for the birth but due to the baby's heartrate dips and the sheer amount of pain I was in the nurses kept everyone out of the room. To be honest eveyrthing happen so fast that I really don't remember much. our time in the hospital was filled with visitors and lots of nursing sessions. And of course getting to meet his big brother. They are both SO IN LOVE! Brady and Cameron have adjusted so well. We are so happy to be a family of 5 now!

Congrats Daddy!

2010-05-07T20:23:00.003-05:00

There they are, my Sanborn men! Daddy was named the new principal of Sanborn region High School a few weeks ago. He'll officially take over on July 1st. We are so proud of him, he has worked so hard he really deserved it.

Curious George Live!

2010-05-07T20:17:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago we took the boys to Curious George live at Tsongas Arena in Lowell. They had a blast. They got to have cotton candy and popcorn and really enjoyed the show. We Love taking the boys to shows, we hope to start to foster a love for the arts early.

Let the games begin!

2010-04-20T06:37:00.002-05:00

Let the games begin! As of today I am 33 weeks 4 days. Place your bets as to when you think Baby Liam will be born. all you have to do is click on the box to the right and place your bets. Obviously we already know the gender so no points will be awarded for that. other information is posted on the site that will help. Good Luck!

Easter 2010

2010-04-06T17:22:00.003-05:00

Easter was a busy Day for us this year. We started off our morning with an Easter egg hunt in the house. (the bunny hid eggs for the boys) They got their baskets. Brady was so excited that he got a green Wheel Barrow like Daddy's. Cameron was more excited about the candy! We then headed to Church with Brian's family and then had the lunch at Great Babcia's house. We headed back to our house after dinner to see Erica's family. Grammy and pappa and auntie Shanna and Uncle Dave came over. It was such a nice day the kids played out side for as long as they could! It was nice to have some nice weather for a change. We all had a wonderful day!!

Updates on the boys

2010-03-18T18:55:00.004-05:00

It has been a while since I've done an update on the boys, so I decided it was time.

Brady is doing well, still loving school, he knows all his letters and letter sounds and is starting to put that together to start some very early reading stuff. He also can write his name and all his letters. He of course is loving th enice weather and the chance to go outside. he is a true daddy's boy and wants to do everything daddy does and wear everything that daddy wears. It is very cute. He and Cameron have been sharing a room since December and while it was rocky in the begining ( they enjoyed being together too much and wanted to talk all night) They are doing great now. Brady is so excited about having another little brother, he talks all about when it will be summer and how we can take the baby outside and to the beach. He remembers comming to visit me when I had Cameron in the hospital so he talks a lot about that too. It 's so nice that he and Cameron get along so well and like to play together now. He is forever curious and always asking questions and that's what we love about him.

Cameron is doing great! His biggest news is that he is 'mostly' potty trained. I say mostly because he has only pooped on the potty once. However he has no problem asking to go pee on the potty, we can go out to stores and be out for a while with out even putting a pull up on him. Cameron loves to sit at the table and do things like puzzles or arts and crafts activities, he has a much longer attention span than Brady ever did at his age. He can count to ten and has learned all his colors and has started to recognize some letters, thanks to Brady. Cameron still doesn't fully understand that a new baby is comming but will kiss my belly. He has also taken an interest in a baby that I have during the day for daycare. He will sit and hold the bottle for a good five minutes, it is very cute. I can't believe that next year he will start preschool on Monday and Friday. This is the same age we started Brady and I think once he gets used to it he will love it. Although Cameron has his 2 year old moments he is growing into a caring individual, with a very funny personality.

Baby Liam is kicking around! he will be 29 weeks tomorow, hasn't been giving me too much trouble except for the heartburn, occasional back aches, and tiredness. He is extremely active! I feel like he never stops moving. Luckily I have managed to keep my weight gain to only about 10 lbs so far, which doesn't seem possible because I feel HUGE but I'll take it.

My handsome boys!

2010-02-28T21:36:00.002-05:00

we went to a Baptism today for Meredith Grace! This gave the boys a chance to wear their new Easter outfits. They are so handsome 'if I do say so myself!'

project 365

2010-02-27T12:47:00.003-05:00

We are at the end of the another month. I think I only missed 2 days this month, like I said before. No one is perfect and I'm doing my best to take a picture every day. Here are so me of the ones from this month.

First day of February vacation

2010-02-20T18:59:00.003-05:00

Seeing as we really aren't getting a February vacation we decided to take the boys to the aquarium, which we were able to get passes from the library to go to, and since we have a season pass to the Children's Museum we decided to do both in the same day. The boys thought the aquarium was awsome! they loved seeing all the fish especially since they have watched Finding Nemo tons of times and we watched it in the car on the way up. After we finished up there we had lunch and went over to the Children's Museum. It was pretty packed, but there was a new curious george exibit that we wanted to see. So we saw the Curious George exibit and a few other rooms and decided to head home. After we got home we decided it was too late for naps and was actually pretty nice outside so the boys got to go outside and play for a while. Needless to say it was early to bed tonight!

Snow Day

2010-02-19T14:36:00.002-05:00

The other day, we got some good sticky snow. The first kind of the season to be able to make a good snow man! As you can see from the picture Cameron went out but was back in the house in about 5 minutes. The combonation of cold and wet does not sit well with him. Brady stayed outside for about an hour and made the snaowman with daddy. I will be glad when spring is here and the snow is gone! I am very much done with winter!

Disney on Ice

2010-02-15T13:52:00.005-05:00

For Valentines day this year we decided to make it a family affair. We took the boys to see Disney on ice. We started it out with a ride on the train. Brady thought this was awsome! he was all excited to see the "train master" and get a train ticket.

We arrived in Boston just in time to grab some lunch and get our seats and watch the show. The boys both loved it! They were so excited to see al the characters and when Buzz and Woody came out I thought they were going to jump out on the ice!

When the show ended we had some time before our train came so Brian went and got us a treat. he originally had gotten the boys chocolate covered Graham crackers and us chocolate covered twinkies. Well as you can imagine once the boys saw ours the graham crackers went right out the window. Cameron figured out how to eat the chocolate off of the twinkie and pretty much that's what he did.

We had a wonderful day!!! A time that won't soon be forgotten.

KEEP YOUR SICK KIDS HOME!

2010-02-11T18:51:00.003-05:00

It isn't often that I rant on our blog. I try to keep it very positive, but something has been bothering me for a few weeks now. Now anyone who does in-home daycare will tell you that it has it's challenges. your house is taken over every day, and your children's toys get broken by other kids, and you make a lunch that doesn't get eaten and thrown away. These are things that come with the territory and I have learned to adapt to. The one thing that I am having a hard time with, is parents who send their children to my house when they are clearly SICK! If a child has a horrible cough and disgusting runny nose, please don't bring them to my house to spread their germs, especially to me(pregnant) and my children. I do MY part. I clean the toys, wash down all the surfaces with anti-bacterial spray, clean all the blankets and sheets, but I can only do so much. Please don't bring me your child and tell me that you were up with them all night because they were coughing so they should take a good nap me, or that they threw up yesterday but only once so they must be fine.
Something that really frustrated me was last week when I was really under the weather and was pretty sure I was getting the stomach flu. (something EVERY other child had had) except my own. When I called some parents to tell them, some very nicely said they would keep their child home for the day, Others responses put me over the edge, such as, well my kids already had it so the won't get it back and then sent their kid and kept them here late to boot! WTF! do people have no regaurd for someone other than themself. not to mention all thses sick children managed to get my children sick, Brady got bronchitis and I was unable to close and give him the full attention he deserved while he was sick. I decided to do this job so I could be home with my kids but at times I feel like they get the short end of the stick. So here we are about three weeks since all this sickness has begun and I am now getting sick yet AGAIN! I mean it's hard to avoid when it seems like ALL you are doing all day is wiping snot from kids noses! I have washed my hands until the are raw, quite literally, but I really can only do so much. So here is my plea, if your kids is sick PLEASE KEEP THEM HOME!!!!

** I do have to say not all parents send their children when they are sick. I do have a few great parents who keep their kids home when they are sick. and I'm writing this on their behalf as well as my own.

making pizza

2010-02-06T19:00:00.002-05:00

Tonight we decided to have the boys help out and make their own pizzas. They had lots of fun, and were really into it.

A mom approved remedy!

2010-02-03T09:47:00.004-05:00

So I have heard that if you put vicks vapor rub on a kids feet during the night to help stop a cough, it will help. I must admit I was very skeptical. Well Brady has had a cough for a couple of nights, the first night I gave him Delsym and he slept okay. Last night I had given him Delsym but still heard him coughing so I went up and while he was sleeping put the vicks on his feet and put his socks back on. well within 5 minutes he had stopped coughing and slept the whole night without coughing. I would definately use this remedy again before even giving cough medicine. I think I will try that tonight.

Project 365 continues

2010-01-31T20:35:00.003-05:00

Well it's the end of the first month of project 365. I have done fairly well. I am missing a few days here and theer and I could have very easily thrown my hands in the air and said forget it, but I decided that I would accept that I'm not perfect and continue from here on out and try to do my best. I'm actually not missing as many days as I had thought maybe 3 in total, but I have 3 days of pictures on my phone and need to figure out how to get them onto my computer.
So I'll share some more of our pictures.

20 weeks and it's a BOY!

2010-01-15T17:03:00.003-05:00

Today officially marks the 1/2 way mark. This pregnancy has been very rocky. in the begining we were told that it may not even be a viable pregnancy and at one point we were asked if we wanted to terminate it. After a resounding NO from us, they gave us another week to wait and one last ultrasound. Low and behold at our 8 week ultrasound we were told there was a strong heart beat and it must have just been too early to see on ultrasound before. Then at 19 weeks we had our big ultrasound, we found out we are having a BOY! We are very excited to have another little boy and think it will be great for the boys to have another brother. 2 days after having the ultrasound we were called by the doctor. I knew this couldn't be good, they never call to tell you everything is ok. They told us that there was a part of the babies head that was slightly enlarged and we needed to go to Dartmouth Hitchcock to see a high risk OB. Luckily they called and were able to get us in the next day. So on Thursday we headed up to the hospital. We met with a genetic councilor first and then had another ultrasound and met with the Doctor. Docotor Kaufman was wonderful and didn't beat around the bush in telling us that everything was fine and it must have been the angle that the ultrasound tech was looking at. We were so relieved to hear that eveything was fine.
I'm starting to feel the baby move more and more and can't wait for Brady and Cameron to feel it. Brady came with us to our first Ultrasound and got to see his brother on TV. he thought that was pretty cool. Although it's another boy we are going to need a few things, we need to get a new Carrier as our old one will have expired, and clothes are a very different season. the boys were born going into fall/winter and this little guy is being born going into the summer so we will need new clothes. Can't wait to start buying some cute summer outfits! Only 20 more weeks! or less ( considering I'm usually induced before my due date) until we meet our little June Bug!

Project 365 continues Jan. 5th -10th

2010-01-10T20:21:00.006-05:00

Project 365 day 2

2010-01-04T20:52:00.003-05:00

There are 2 pictures for today. I had to get pictures of the boys in their own beds in the same room. and NO, I didn't turn the light on, I found a really good setting on my camera.