31 Oct

Halloween With Wind And Rain

It was a doozy of a Halloween. It wasn’t just a dreary day, but a stormy, day with lots of rain. The rain let up enough in the early evening that we took Kaitlyn and Ben up to the Common for some trick or treating (but that was only for children under the age of 10). My photographer friend has a studio on the Common and was “treating” with photos of kids in costumes. Her shots were adorable. Then we ran the two littlest kids to the Community Center for some indoor trick or treating.

I got Ben and Kaitlyn into their pajamas and snuggled in with a movie. They were so happy to answer the door and hand out candy while Wade took the big boys out trick or treating door to door. It was a win-win for most of us (maybe not for Wade). When the big boys got home, they did some candy trading with Kaitlyn and then it was off to bed to warm up.

29 Oct

October 29, 2019

One brother loves to drive. One brother loves to do anything his brother does. It’s a match made in heaven.

28 Oct

Backyard Fun

Throw a couple of kids in the backyard with a dog and they have fun for hours. The key is adding a new kid. If they are all siblings then it sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t. We had a friend stop by to drop something off and her daughter ended up staying to play for quite a while. The kids were just having a blast playing outside with Pepper. Sometimes it’s so easy.

28 Oct

October 28, 2019

We had a friend stop by and an impromptu play session.

27 Oct

Carving Party Hangover

We are all struggling to get back in the groove after our fun party last night – except for Ben. He’s ready for another party.

26 Oct

Pumpkin Carving

It’s that time of year again! Today was the 14th annual Burch Pumpkin Carving Party! We had so many friends gather and had a wonderful time socializing, talking, eating, and carving pumpkins. Only one small child got lost and my neighbor was kind enough to bring Ben home – oops (Wade and I are such wonderful parents)!

25 Oct

Choo Choo

Having a somewhat empty room (for the moment) has worked out perfectly for Ben and his trains. I love having them out of the way and he loves getting to spread them out.

24 Oct

Baby Love

His love of babies is well documented but I really can’t let a picture go unposted.


24 Oct

October 24, 2019

I find it hilarious that Alex doesn’t seem bothered at all by the pants tucked in the sock and is happily walking out the door to school.

24 Oct

October 24, 2019

Always reading – just sometimes in an unusual place.

24 Oct

October 24, 2019

These two are adorable every morning walking to the bus stop.

23 Oct

Little Bakers

I love to cook with my children, but I know myself well enough to know that I do best when it’s one on one. Tonight everyone wanted to cook and I decided to be hands off and just see what happened. Both Alex and Teague had Raddish Kids recipes. Alex made burgers and Teague was in charge of the apple pie. Teague even let Ben help. I loved taking pictures and did my best not to cringe at what was happening to my kitchen. Dinner turned out perfect and the kitchen was eventually put to rights.

23 Oct

October 23, 2019

Alex was so excited to make burgers for dinner tonight.

22 Oct

October 22, 2019

Kaitlyn required a sick visit to the doctor, a first for us. Strep throat – another first for our household.

22 Oct

Entertainment

I love that Ben isn’t quite old enough to be sucked into cartoons yet. The big kids are watching away and Ben is happily playing with toys. I’m sure the countdown is on, but for now it makes me smile.


21 Oct

Morning Chef

Teague surprised us all with pancakes this morning. What a treat!

20 Oct

October 20, 2019

Ben knows that headphones go with iPads. He just doesn’t quite understand the details. Notice they aren’t plugged in or on his ears.

20 Oct

Auburn Tigers

Sometime this weekend I got the following picture from Wade. I’m glad to know they had a good time. Next time I’m going to demand he take the big boys with him – especially if there is a cheer competition!


19 Oct

October 19, 2019

Taking all four to a cheer competition was crazy, but we made it work.

19 Oct

Cheer Rah-Rah

When Wade scheduled this weekend to attend a football game with his family, none of us realized it would also be the same weekend as a cheer competition. Normally I would have just gotten a babysitter, but Kaitlyn and I had to leave the house at 6 am. I couldn’t ask a sitter to arrive that early! Instead, I got everyone up earlier than they would normally awaken and we went on an adventure. I bribed with the promise of extra electronics and extra treats later in the day. My biggest concern was Ben, who is still too young to bribe. We got to the competition and I paid the insane ticket price for all my kids to “watch” the competition they cared nothing about. Kaitlyn did a great job and I had fun attending and taking pictures. The boys did a good job of being quietly present.


18 Oct

October 18, 2019

What a great big brother Alex was today. He helped Ben build a train track just because his little brother asked.

18 Oct

October 18, 2019

I love when Teague cooks – tonight is Chicken Pot Pie.

18 Oct

October 18, 2019

This girl is so excited to have Halloween costumes for her babies.

18 Oct

Never-ending Projects

Painting with kids is hard. Really hard. I have been trying to put the last coat of paint on Kaitlyn’s drawers for..forever. I am passed the point of painting outside so now I need enough time to paint them inside that they will also be able to dry without anyone “accidentally” touching them. Obviously I could do this most nights, but honestly, most nights I don’t want to! I keep thinking I’ll get motivated soon so that I can move everything out of my office, but it hasn’t happened yet. Ben, however, is thoroughly enjoying the drawers, rubber mallet, paint stick, and other things he finds laying around.