pictures, pictures, pictures...

end of summer and new beginnings...

this summer seemed to have flown by. i can't recall it being the best summer weather-wise, but i will say we made the best of it regardless. after school let out, we kind of just decompressed. traveled a bit to saratoga, stayed local & ended things with our annual hilton head vacation.

while i was a bit wary of juggling three kids on vacation, especially one with a pretty specific schedule (read: finn), i would have to say that this might have been our best vacation yet! we had amazing weather, the kids were obsessed with the beach, jack got to play golf with the guys, everyone was well-behaved and it was all in all just a great time. perhaps being a mere 3 rows from the beach had something to do with it;)

it's no surprise that jack loves the beach, but i would have to say that this year he was more into than ever before. from the moment he woke up he was ready to get down there. he swam and dove into the waves, built many sand or drip(his favorite) castles, attempted to skim board(thank you uncle greg for the gift!) and took beach walks aplenty! there were definitely some tears on the last day. i love how much he looks forward to this trip. he knows his way around, and remembers where just about everything is!!

when we got back, we had a week to unpack and organize before school started, and while there never seems to be enough time, we were able to squeeze in a couple last days of summer pool days and get togethers.

jack met his teacher and took a school tour yesterday, and now here we are right back into the swing of things. my little boy is no longer, as i watched him get on the bus this morning for the first time with quite possibly the biggest smile ever. *sigh* time has flown by. i know he is more than ready, and i know that this is part of life, but these growing pains force me to catch my breath and hold back tears. it really was just yesterday that he was placed into my arms. i know i'm being a bit dramatic, but these moments of change are always the hardest...

i have to upload from my camera, but i have a couple random pictures;

thank you disney;)

 seriously...this "planes" movie isn't even out yet, but jack knows every.single.character. talk about marketing! he cannot wait for this movie to come out. lucky for him, it comes out while we are on vacation, so i foresee a movie night in his future!!

things have been busy this summer, and we have spent a lot of time at mimi and apa's house, completing swim lessons and trying to make the best of the otherwise lame weather!

jack has recently become quite sassy(can you call a boy sassy!?). i know that it comes with his age, but it is so infuriating to hear some of the things that come out of his mouth. especially because i know he knows that it is wrong. ugh.

on another note, he got his kindergarten teacher/time slot. thankfully he will have am k, because i had no idea how i was going to figure out our schedule if he got pm and daley was going to preschool in the am!? as it is i will spend most of my day driving everyone back and forth. poor finn, i hope he continues to like the car!?

here is a fun pic from july 4th-i believe they were mid-song. the hand holding is priceless:)

post-nap bed hair anyone...when did he get so big!

love this one, even if "baby" finny is in the picture(he comes with us a lot of places these days!)

eric and schroeder

i know i've mentioned that jack has two imaginary friends. they come and go. sometimes they're in mexico(know idea where he came up with this), often times they can be found during their "running" races, but most recently they might have made my most favorite appearance...

*quick back story: greg took jack out to dinner one night. when it came time to be seated, the conversation went as follows;

jack: (whispering as they're about to be seated) can we have that table for four over there?
greg: why?
jack: yeah, we needs seats for eric and schroeder.
greg: (as i imagine it since i wasn't there, trying to hide laughter) uh, uh...
jack: oh never mind, they brought their own chairs.

i'm am still chuckling thinking about this going down. who knew having kids would be so fun! the fact that he takes it so seriously is what kills me!?

trip to nyc, end of the year and summmmerrrrrr

i'm not even looking at the date of my last post, because it is just plain embarrassing. i fully admit that i seem to be sucked into some sort of alternate universe where i don't even remember what day of the week it is. forget it now that school is over...every day seems to blend into the next?!

so in may(yup, haven't even blogged in the month of may), we headed to nyc for uncle greg's graduation. jack had an absolute blast. they went to the garden, caught a couple of rangers t-shirts(ya know back when they were still in the playoffs), ate at a "rangers" fan pub the night of the game, got his "callahan" t-shirt, oh and uncle greg finally graduated(i say finally because we all had to deal with his wretched demeanor throughout the process, i kid, well, i half kid;)!! you would think jack had lived there his whole life, nothing about it phased him...the mass of people, the sometimes not so lovely smells, the noise...he loved it! i mean he still asks when we're going back! makes me a little homesick...

fast forward to june, the end of t-ball(boy did that go by quick), his end of year concert(ridiculously adorable) & his last day at ridge hill ever(i still get sad thinking about this). he never ceases to amaze me though. he goes right with the flow of things for the most part. the day after his concert he wanted to know if kindergarten was starting!!

of course, we've been eagerly awaiting summer, who has really taken her sweet time. jack continues to be a complete fish, and while his swimming skills amaze me and when asked he says he doesn't need lessons because "he already knows how to swim," both he and daley will be taking them! with the end of hockey season (longest sports season ever!), has brought on golf season. jack has already been out a few times, and would probably play 18 holes everyday if asked...his stamina and attention span amaze me.

our summer tends to be busy, and i try to keep it mostly schedule free, aside from swimming and hockey skills...i'd like to have as much time with him as possible since he'll be off to kindergarten and graduating college before i know it!?

spring art show, t-ball opener and some funnies...

i'm not even going to rationalize or explain the fact that i haven't updated in forever. i just haven't...my life isn't my own at the moment, and the fact that jack has made it to school on time every day is a near miracle!?

things have been a little hectic, but with lots of help from my dad and mike stepping it up in the mornings, we are in a groove. of course that doesn't mean it is a frantic rush out the door;)

jack finished up hockey, had a month break and is now onto t-ball. he had his first game this past weekend, and didn't tackle a single teammate! for those that got to watch a game last year, this is a big improvement-lol. it wasn't as if jack was the only one tackling, but it seems that their mentality was that they needed to dive on top of the ball regardless of who was there first!? here's hoping he will actually learn how to play the game and we don't have to yell to stop tackling his teammates from the sidelines this season!

we also had his annual spring art show at ridge hill this weekend. jack did a phenomenal job. actually, the teachers did an amazing job working with the kids and teaching them about different mediums and artists. jack would come home each day and tell me who he learned about and why they were notable. he was very excited to show us his work, and i'm obviously biased, but he did a great job!

i'll leave with a quick funny, mostly because i want to document it, but also because if you're aware of jack's "brothers" (eric & schroeder), you will certainly get a kick out of this.

quick backstory: i was waiting to here back from the dr. on whether or not she was going to make me trek into boston on a rainy friday with all 3 kids or if she would just call in the rx. i was talking to mike on the phone and mentioned how much it would stink if i had to drag us all in, especially given the fact that i was in a lot of pain. this was jack's reply(he was sitting next to me);

j: mom, you don't have 3 kids, you have 5(in his most "duh" voice).
me: huh?
j: actually mom, you have 7-my "brothers" and daley's "sisters"

you kinda had to be there, but it was hilarious...i'll take imaginary children any day, but i think i'd walk out the door if i had 7 kids!?

easter egg hunt 2013

looks like the easter bunny was good to jack:)

valentine's day, the big game and st. patrick's day...

so valentine's day came and went, jack became a big brother for the second time, he got to open up for the providence bruins hockey team and celebrated his irish heritage. that just about sums things up!?

in all honesty, the game was probably his most favorite part of the last few weeks. he was so excited to play, have his name announced in front of the crowd and see the game. it was all he's talked about since he found out. thankfully, it did not disappoint. he had a blast! i wish i could've been there, but introducing finn to the ice was a bit premature. besides, there will be years of hockey games to come, and if jack has his way, little finn will be playing right along with him;)

on another quick note, we have decided to hold off on having his surgery done. we are going to try a few other non-invasive options to see if that relieves his congestion first. fingers crossed this works, because i dread putting him through surgery!

poor jack...

he just can't seem to stay healthy. we've gone for round 2 of a couple vaccine boosters. we've increased his probiotics. he's had blood work. we've seen an ENT, and despite hoping all of the above would eliminate the colds and viruses he picks up, it hasn't. we are at the last resort, we have to have his tonsils and adenoids removed. he has unusually large tonsils and adenoids, and my hope was that it was something he would grow out of, but he shows many of the side effects and it just isn't fair to have him suffer when he doesn't necessarily have to. he doesn't even know yet. i am beside myself thinking about sending him off for surgery. of course with only 3 weeks left in my pregnancy, trying to figure out when to schedule this is beyond overwhelming. i pray that this all goes well. if i could do this for him, i would in a nanosecond. ugh.

polar express, christmas, hat tricks, oh my!

this is by far the longest i have gone without posting. in part because life has literally taken over, but i've also been having some serious problems with my computer and editing program. hoping to take it in to the genius bar so they can work their magic this week!

backtracking a bit, we kicked off the holidays with a surprise ride on the polar express. the kids had no idea. they still didn't question it when we got them dressed in their christmas pjs and took them to dinner ahead of the ride!? needless to say when we pulled up and jack caught wind of the train, serious excitement ensued!! they had a lot of fun, and even though it was a "quick" trip to the north pole, we all enjoyed it.

two days later santa came for a visit, and brought jack something i do believe i never though i would allow him to have-a power wheels dune racer! this car has some serious power...and in typical daley fashion she immediately hopped in and told jack "jackie you sit here(pointing to the passenger side) and i will drive you!" we all know who wears the pants in that relationship!! needless to say santa did not disappoint and jack received almost everything he had on his list minus the ipad, which made the list for the 2nd year in a row!

switching gears to hockey, jack's season has recently gotten underway. in the beginning it was purely instructional and skill focused, but now they have a game every saturday. i'm amazed each time i go with his progress. he has improved tremendously, and really loves playing. each week we have a the "how many days until my game?" countdown! last weekend was an especially proud moment because he not only scored his first goal, but also had a hat trick (3 goals)! he was so excited, he had a smile on his face the rest of the day. i think it was even more special because uncle greg was there to see him play as well. in even more exciting news, he will end his season opening for the providence bruins(AHL team). he and his teammates will play a short period on the their ice, have their names announced and sit on their bench! he is beyond excited!

finally, jack received his mid-year progress report. he is doing wonderfully. the only thing he needs to work on are his scissor skills, which unfortunately for him is a little more difficult because he is left-handed. it is a right-handed world, but i know he'll figure it out!