Today we put the trampoline back up and it’s one time when all four get along and jump together. Alex was rather proud when he managed to pin all of his siblings at one time.
Some friends and I planned to take the kids to Purgatory Chasm today for some hiking. Ben and I had been before but the others hadn’t. Ben was so disappointed when we arrived and found signs saying the Chasm was closed due to construction. (I was also very curious what kind of construction closes a hiking trail. It turns out they are building an overlook to make it more accessible.) There was a very nice ranger inside the visitor center and she said the trail should be open within a month or so.
Thankfully there are other trails so we decided to hike Charlie’s Loop and the kids had a blast. They had numerous snack and lunch breaks, played in the stream, and tried to move countless boulders, sticks, and roots. Afterwards they played on the playground until we finally called it a day.
In other news, Alex can now levitate objects while unloading the dishwasher.
Teague and his never ending homework – at least in his mind.
Due to laundry issues, Kaitlyn was without her pillow case for several days. She was extremely happy to have it back tonight.
Ben does not play iPad silently. He either talks to himself constantly or wants lots of help. Today he wanted a lot of help in Minecraft. Poor Teague was trying to do his math homework.
Tonight we tried something new – Apple Chicken Curry. Kaitlyn was happy to help and we all enjoyed the latest Raddish recipe.
Here’s a little secret: There are some perks to being the oldest. I would never let the other kids have pie for an after school snack. However, Alex gets home before everyone else and while Ben is still napping. He can have it eaten and cleaned up without anyone else knowing. (After all, he did bake the pie…)
Wade has been putting in all new doorknobs and Teague followed him around keeping him company.
Kaitlyn has been working hard to move up this time in swim class, but she finally passed the test and moved up!
Today was a muffin-kind-of-day.
Sunday roundup.
Ben was full of energy this morning (just like always), but today he requested to do some workout videos. A while ago we discovered that YouTube has some great kid workout videos and Ben loves them. He kicks, punches, squats, etc at dinosaurs, sharks, and bad guys. Today he even participated in a video game.
Bingo night at church. This guy wasn’t sure he wanted to come, but he had a good time after all.
Bingo night at church.
Bingo Night at church.
Bingo Night at church – Ben is holding his winnings close while enjoying dessert.
Our church hosted a potluck and game night. The kids were in various stages of excitement to attend, but we all got there and I brought their favorite Chimichurri sandwiches. As luck would have it, the games were Bingo and trivia. (We haven’t played Bingo since the last time we were in KY and now we have played twice in three days.) The younger kids were very excited by the prize options – candy, toys, etc. Alex was being a teenager but didn’t put up too much fuss and willingly played the games. Kaitlyn even got to call numbers and tell some of her favorite jokes to the crowd.
I heard Ben crying in the night and found him in the hallway talking about his eye. When I got him into the bathroom with some light, I realized there was some blood. When he was calmed down and cleaned up, he told me that the drawer on his bedside table had been left open. (He keeps legos in it and plays with them right before going to sleep). I knew he had a cut on his eyelid but it didn’t look horrible so I put him back to bed and went back to my room.
The next morning, Ben had scrapes on the side of his head, a large cut, and a black eye. The best part was when anyone asks him what happened to his eye, he responds, “I tried to turn over and thought my bed was bigger.” That seems accurate enough. Poor guy.
Some nights this is exactly what game night looks like.
(If you look closely, you will see that Wade now has his own gaming computer.)
The elementary school had a fundraiser tonight for the 6th grade’s trip to Nature’s Classroom. The PTG and the principals worked together to coordinate the event. Parents donated baked goods to sell for dessert and 6th graders donated their time as wait staff. I was there early for setup and to man the cashbox. Wade brought the family to the second seating. Ben was so excited for his “bingo” and Kaitlyn helped him choose a prize. The goal was $1000 and they got pretty close to their goal!
Pasta and Bingo Night at the elementary school.
Bus stop dash. Teague and Kaitlyn always race each other from the bus to the back door. Obviously Teague got a head start today.
Only my youngest kids still bring home artwork. (The little artwork done by my oldest two doesn’t seem to make it home.) Obviously we don’t keep everything they bring home, but I still love to see what they are working on and how their skill are improving.
Everyone wanted to challenge dad to a game tonight.
School was cancelled last night and the kids trickled downstairs at all hours of the morning. The rain turned to snow around 9 am. It snowed all day long but the accumulation was minimal, only a few inches. We definitely didn’t get the 8-10 that were initially predicted. My kids probably got too much screen time, but Alex got his server working, I got some computer work done, and everybody had some fun. In the late afternoon, Ben did ask to go outside. I warned him it wasn’t going to be fun snow, but he insisted he needed to take Pepper out for a walk. He went out in the slush for a little while and had a great time.
It’s 3/14, which is Pi Day. Alex took it upon himself to make us a chocolate chip pie.
Teague was bored with the snow day by dinner time and offered to help me cook dinner.
Snow day donuts.
I was putting away the remains from breakfast and lunch making when I caught Pepper and KitKat having a moment.
Alex hunting through the “shoe basket.”
Teague was demonstrating how he was going to return his friend’s forgotten hat.
Kaitlyn doesn’t mind at all helping Ben with his games after her iPad time is over.
Guess who had an eye appointment today?
We gave Teague a day of skiing for his birthday and today was the first day we could make it happen. He and I had a perfect day. It was sunny skies and mid 40 degrees. The lift lines were fairly long, but we didn’t mind. We had a lot of fun.
Sunday lineup.
(Just for you Gram the big boys are not wearing red plaid shirts.)
Alex is rationing the bread his MKE friends brought and has found his favored method of toasting it.
Playate central at our house today.
When I put out a call for bedtime, Ben showed up in mismatched pajamas, my tennis shoes, and with a shirt-full of cars. (Not pictured is the football helmet that he attempted to sleep in.)
Kaitlyn was cooking, Alex was unloading the dishwasher, and Teague was playing with Ben. Then Alex asked Teague to come in and talk to him about their latest video game. Brother bonding and a plus that Teague helped him with some of the unloading.
I was packing lunches and Ben was begging to have this book read. At some point I realized the chaos had calmed down and Kaitlyn was reading to Ben. I love to see them being sweet to each other.
Kaitlyn has stepped up her cooking lately. She couldn’t wait to try out her latest recipe – Sicilian Pizza. We doubled the recipe to fit our family and all of the topping preferences in our household. The cheese lovers loved the recipe as written – fresh basil and large round slices of mozzarella.
Alex does this multiple, multiple times a day. I used to really wish he would get a glass. Then I look at the number of glasses Teague uses a day. There is no win here.
Turns out Teague’s apple bread is an after school favorite.
Amazing that she still wants to match Mom.
Exposing the woods with friends after gymnastics class.
These three are a mess. Today they decided to go exploring in the woods outside of their gymnastics class. It kept them quite entertained while the moms c hatted for a while.
Kaitlyn is challenging Wade to a game of chess every chance she gets.
Teague decided to try a new recipe – Apple Harvest Bread. It was a hit with everybody!
Kaitlyn begged to take Pepper on a walk in the yard before the bus and I thought it sounded like a great idea for both of them.