Summer's Final Beach Trip

Well, we made our last trip to the beach tonight to bid farewell to summer 2008. It was actually quite hot today (for mid September). There wasn't much left to do at Hampton...most of the shops had closed up for the season, but at least we could enjoy a slice of Christy's Pizza and the playground.

So long summer, we are nw ready for fall. Beofre we know it, we'll be hitting the sites at the Big E with the Wicks Clan and then perhaps head out for some apple picking in the crisp fall air next month! We bought a radio flyer wagon just for the event!

2 hospitals in one week.

Last Thursday I woke up at 1am with stomach pains. Brian stayed home and took care of the daycare kids while I stayed up stairs, figuring this was going to be a quick thing and I'd probably feel better by lunch time. This was not the case. by 11:00 I had become so sick that I was dehydrated and was in severe pain. Brian's sister Alyssa came and took me to the ER. I figured they'd give me fluids and send me on my way again not the case. They did an ultrasound, an X-ray which showed nothing then decided to do a CT scan. This showed inflamation in my intsetines, that is when I got the news that I wasn't going home. I was told I could have nothing by mouth not even water. They had been giving me morphine for the pain but that gave me a migraine so they switched me over to dilauded, that made me a little loopy. I got up to a room around 9:30 on thursday night and there I stayed until 7;30 Sunday night. they helped manage the pain with meds and then started me on a clear liquid diet for a few days then on Sunday I finally got some real food, you would think after not eating for 3 days I would have been happy about this but I mainly just ate something to get out of the hospital! A special thank you to Shanna and Dave who took the boys all day Friday and over night, and thank you to Dustin and Elizabeth who took care of the boys and my inlaws who took care of the boys and to my parents who stayed with me at the hospital while Brian was trying to do his part with the boys.

Today Brady had to go to the hospital at 6:30 to have a tube put back in his right ear. He did really well! he asked to go home about 10,000 times but he never really cried or whined. I felt bad for him because he did get sick after comming out of the anesthia but we were home by 9:45 and by 10:00 he was running around like a mad man! A special thanks to Grammy who got up very early and took some time out of work to come with us to the hospital! Thanks Grammy We Love You!
Lets hope that this is the last time we see the inside of a hospital for a long time!

The fall is upon us

My favorite time of the year is upon us. Fall is my favorite time of year, the crisp air, the chance to wear jeans and sweatshirts again, knowing that the holidays are right around the corner. I just love this time of year! With this time of year also comes the begining of a new school year, which for me means more daycare kids. In total including my own children I have 7 kids that I take care of. now some only come in the morning others in the afternoon, there are some overlap times but not all 7 kids are all hear at the same time. This year I have decided to run the daycare more like a preschool and pick a theme for each week. This week our theme is apples. So we are talking about the letter A, we have made apples during arts and crafts time, and today we sat downand talked about things that we knew about apples, the kids are ages 18 months- 4 years and they came up with some great things. Brady I am proud to say came up with, they grown on trees!

Top 5 Things that I'm looking forward to in september/October
Cameron turns 1!
Brady turns 3!
We're going to the big E
All the fairs come around (topsfield, deerfield)
Apple and pumpkin picking

What about you what do you like about the fall??

Pimped-Out New Stack Ride

We aged at least ten years yesterday when we became the proud new owners of a 2008 Chrysler Town and Country. I figured if we were going to buy the ultimate "soccer mom" ride, we should at least pimp it out. This one comes complete with heated leather seats, doors that open with the push of a button, and three DVD screens. There are even connections for X-Box....which means we should get one.

Erica will call this her car, I will take over the Escape, and we are looking for a buyer for the Explorer.

New Kitchen Floor

Today was the day my brother-in-law Dave and I replaced the kitchen floor. Erica and I were getting a little tired of the old, scratched & stained peel-and-stick vinal tiles that we had, so we upgraded to a new laminate floor that looks like tile.

First we had to scrap up the old tiles and lay down some construction paper (because the floor was sticky!!!). Then with a little blood (Dave cut his finger), sweat (Brian was hot), and tears (Camern was hungry), the floor took shape.

Check out the before and after pictures...what a difference!

Out of the mouths of babes

I must preface this blog by saying, NO I am NOT pregnant! Today Brady was going to take his nap and said
"mummy, I need a kiss"
(I give him a kiss) "Have a good nap."
B: I want to kiss your belly
ME: WHY??
B: Because there's a baby in there
ME: no there isn't
B:" "Jack's mommy has a baby in her bell and Thomas is in Crystals Belly"
ME: "You're right about that but mommy doesn't have a baby in her belly."
B: oh, can I kiss your bell?

And the conversation continued and I'm not quite sure if he's convinced that there is no baby in my belly. I guess he figures if most of the other people we knoe have babies in their belly then I must have one too. Out of the mouths of Babes!

11 Month update

Cameron is almost 11 months old! I can't believe it. He has finally learned to crawl (in his own wierd way) and after a lengthy visit from the Early intervention specialists will be receiving services to learn how to crawl better, pull himself up and to get walking. I have had a concern about his shoulder for a while and now that EI is involved they will be able to give us some answers. In the gross motor category he is at about a 6-8 month level. In everything else he was right where he needed to be. I think part of this may go back to this winter when He was so sick and had such a hard time breathing we couldn't put him on his belly alot. No worries though, I'm sure he'll catch up in no time and be running around with brady!
The things cameron can do right now, clap his hands, uses the sign for more when he wants more food, we can give him whole foods now like chicken nuggets with out cutting them up and he takes nice small bits and eats great. He's pretty much off the bottle, he really prefers his cup. He says mama and dada and papa, loves blowing raspberry and playing with his toys. Through it all Cameron has remained a good sport about everything, but I think he is very frustrated that his body can't do what his mind is trying to tell it to do. I will have an ISFP meeting (individual family service plan) with the EI specialists and I will be coming to the table with my set of expectations and concerns. As a parent in the special education field this was a hard pill to swallow, but I just need to be happy that he will get the help he needs and know that I will follow through with whatever they would like us to do. I can't believe only onemore month and my baby will be 1!

My First Baseball game

Hi Everyone, It's me Brady! On sunday I got to go to the spinners game. I had lots of fun despite the hot temps. It was 91 degrees on the field. I got to go in the bounce house, ate a whole box of popcorn all by myself and had some icecream. Although we only stayed through the sixth inning (it was getting close to bedtime) I had a really fun Day!!! Thanks Dziadu and Dad for taking me to my first game!

Disney World, Here We Come!!!!

We've decided the time is coming to venture out on a vacation with the boys. Disney World is our destination, and we are planning to go in March. As it turns out, I will be attending a three-day conference for Sanborn, but we are going to stay six nights so that we'll have some family time. We'll also be traveling with another young administrator from the District, his wife, and their two children (ages 2 and 3).

Now that we have told Brady, he keeps asking us if it is time to go. It is going to be a long six months if he keeps that up!!!

"The Boys"

Just think.....in a few years, these 4 boys will be part of a great football team of DiPippos, Wicks, and Stacks. Here we have Brady Stack, Cameron Stack, Shaun Wicks, and David Wicks. Due up soon: Thomas DiPippo.

62-23-48 HUT!

Go Team!

Dave and Brian's Hawaiian Pig

Start with one 30-40 pound pig, cleaned. Fill the cavity of the pig with 10 whole onions and bread stuffing. Close cavity up by wrapping the pig in butcher twine. Inject a flavor marinade of honey, soy sauce, and pineapple juice into the meat. Cut about 30 slits into the skin and stuff with whole garlic gloves. Place the pig on a spit and put onto charcoal grill. Use heavy-duty aluminum foil to make a drip tray to catch the pig drippings during cooking.

The grill needs a hot fire, so start your fire with a 50 pound bag of charcoal. Plan on adding about ten pounds every hour. You may want to "preheat" the charcoal in a chimney starter before adding it to the hot fire to keep the temperature constant.

Every 10 minutes, mop the pig with a mixture of apple cider vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, and maple syrup. The pig is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 161 degrees. Allow the pig to rest for 20 minutes before carving.

Cameron can Crawl!

Cameron woke up Thursday with a brand new skill...the ability to crawl, and he practiced it all day by crawling all over the house. Here is a sneak peak of the action:

StoryLand!

Yesterday, we took Brady to StoryLand with the Wicks family. The boys (david and Brady, that is) had a blast, despite the rainy conditions. I'm in the process of making a video of our day. Once it is complete, I'll post it. For a more detailed description of our day, visit Pam's blog at www.legendofme.blogspot.com.

Fourth of July

As you can see fun was had by all on the fourth! As you can tell Brady isn't fond of having his picture taken so we don't get many of him these days, ah the life of a two year old. We had lots of fun, the weather was pretty nice, we were able to saty out on the deck most of the day, the kids played the adults chatted and we finished off the day by watching Pop goes the fourth on TV seeing as the kids had to go to be and we couldn't go see live fireworks!

9 month stats and no more baby food!

Here are som pictures of Cameron enjoying his watermelon. This child has pretty much sworn off baby food. I think this is definately early than when Brady gave it up. We are working hard on getting him to crawl. I have resorted to putting cheerios or goldfish on the floor and with a lot of work he eventually gets to it. At his last Dr. appointment Last Friday he was 20 lbs puttin ghim in the 40% and 30 inches long putting him in the 90%. Believe it or not he is following Brady. he's a pound or two heavier but just about the same percentiles. I think he's starting to level off. It's just his cheeks that make him look bigger. But who can resist those cheeks, I mean honestly!!!

update on Pappa

As you can probably tell from the picture this was taken on the fourth of July! As most of you know my dad had quadruple bypass memorial day weekend it has been about 7 weeks and he is doing Fabulously!!!! He's doing his cardiac rehab 3 times a week and is now driving again. He has come so far from where he was 7 weeks ago when I saw him on life support after his surgery. It's weird to say, but I feel like my dad is changed man for having gone through this, he is smiling whole heartedly again, he's laughing at the little things and really taking the time to enjoy his family. I think we have ALL changed for the better having gone through this. We are stronger as a family and as individuals, so dad although this was not a fun experience for you, we have all gotten something out of it, so I guess all I can say is Thank you! Thank you for being the strong person that has shown us what true courage really is! We love you and will continue to pray for your speedy recovery!

Lets Start Walking, Cameron!

At his nine-month check-up, Cameron's doctor was a little concerned that he has not started crawling, pulling himself up, or walking yet. The doctor recommended that we get early intervention services into the house to work with Cam. This has prompted Erica to kick up her work with Cameron to help him get back on track. She is convinced that we'll see results really soon. Here's a video clip of Cameron's first walking session with Erica...and a reminder of Brady's walking sessions at the same time two years ago.

Lazy Summer Days

We've finally had some decent weather...not too hot, not too cold...but perfect for hanging out by the pool.

Happy 4th of July!

Happy fourth of July, everyone! The Stack family spent the day by having a cookout for friends and family. Camon was, well, being Cameron, and Brady helped Dada fix the front door by replacing a door handle.

Nine Month Update, by Cameron Stack

Well, I've now spent as much time in the outside world as I did in Mommy's belly. I can't believe how old I'm getting. Here are some of the milestones I've reached so far:

Food: I have now moved almost completely to solid foods, although Mommy still tries to sneak some fo that baby food in when she can. I love eating crackers, Cheerios, goldfish, watermelon, and anything else I can get my hands on. I'm still learning how to use a cup liek Brady uses.

Locomotion: No, I'm not crawling yet, but I'm pretty close. I can sit up, in fact I love sitting on the floor and playing with my toys.

Other: This weekend, Mama and Dada finally put my carrier away for good. Now I get to sit in a big-boy car seat. When we went to Lowe's this afternoon, I got to ride in the blue race car right next to Brady. We each had a steering wheel, and it was lots of fun!

Everyday I'm learning more and more. I can't wait to start walking so I can play with Brady all day long!

Brady the Ringbearer....Take 2!

Brady can now say he has been in TWO weddings... both times as a ringbearer. Yesterday, my cousin Cassandra was married to her high school sweetheart Scott. What a day for a wedding, the weather was perfect! The ceremony was at All Saints in Haverhill (the same church Erica and I were married at) and the reception was at Brookstone Park in Derry. The night was capped off by a 30 minute fireworks display....what a way to end a wedding.

Brady did AWESOME as a ringbearer. Erica and I were so worried that he wouldn't walk down the aisle, but as always, he never disappoints us.

Congratulations to Scott and Cassandra!!!

He can swim!

Brady LOVES his new "wet suit". He's a natural swimming in the water this summer!

Three Summers in the Pool

It is really hard to believe, but this is Brady's third summer in the pool. I thought I'd post a picture from 2006, 2007, and 2008. Interestingly, there doesn't seem to be too many differences in the past two years.

The weather is 90+ and it should stay this way most of the week. I guess summer is officially here!

What's It Gonna Be?

My brother Jason and his wife Christina are expecting (if you didn't know). They are due sometime in late October...I think.

Anyways, they had their first ultrasound today. I'm happy to annouce I will again be an uncle, but I still don't have a nephew.

Yep, they are having a girl. Congratulations Jay and Christina!

Now....the next stop is guessing their name...hmmm......

Brady's Famous Pancakes

Brady says his pancakes are easy to make. Here's what he said you need to do:

Combine 1 egg, 2 cups pancake mix, 1 1/4 cups milk, and some vanilla extract in a bowl. Spoon mixture over a hot, buttered griddle and cook until bubbling. Flip and cook the other side 30 seconds more.

Stack them high and cover them in maple syrup for a yummy meal, anytime!