None of our local sports teams ended up doing pictures this year, but one of my friends in town (Deirdre Rakus Photography) is a photographer and she offered to do sports pictures for anyone that wanted them. I did them for my kids and even got pictures of my two lacrosse players together!
This story starts with my laziness. I had an Easter wreath on my front door and was quite lazy about taking it down. At some point I realized we were WELL past time it should have been down and I should really do something about that. I finally walked to the front door and swung the wreath down. The “swung” part is quite important here. When I swung it down, I saw something go flying and then saw bird eggs splat on my front porch. I immediately felt horrible. I had no clue there was a nest built in the very top of the wreath where I couldn’t see. I use the front door every afternoon to get Kaitlyn off the school bus and never had a clue.
A few weeks later, I was walking by the side of the house and I saw birds flying around my side porch. I got smart and wondered if those birds had built a nest in top of that wreath. I watched them and confirmed that they had. Since we only use the side door to retrieve packages, I didn’t think too much about it and continued with daily life. Late one night, I opened the side door to put some items on the porch for pickup. Normally the parent birds fly away when I open the door. This time, a bird flew in the house! It took Wade and I quite a while to convince the bird to go back outside. We had lights off, windows and doors open. I had a broom and he had a lacrosse stick. Finally Wade had to catch the bird and escort it outside. It had toured our entire downstairs before it went back outside. Now the door is entirely off limits to use.
I took a picture of the babies today to see how big they are and how close I am to being able to use my door again. It looks like I am getting close!
Ben and I had a free day today so we decided to spend the morning hiking the Storybook trail. I had heard they finally updated the book after several years so I was hoping Ben would be excited to read the pages as we hiked along. It turned out that the story wasn’t quite as engaging as the previous Eric Carle book, but we still enjoyed the hike. (We also saw a snake on the trail. We both jumped a little and then quickly took a picture before it slithered off because we knew Kaitlyn would be mad if we didn’t.)
This evening was the Spring Choir Concert. Alex was not excited to attend but Wade and I couldn’t wait. We have thoroughly enjoyed these events now that we can attend kid-free. The kids did a great job performing and we even got a picture with Alex and two of his good friends. (I did offer to pay $3 per kid in the picture…)
As the school year wraps up, there are all kinds of fun events at all the schools. Today was field day at Kaitlyn’s school and Wade was kind enough to stay home with Ben so that I could volunteer. I worked the parachute station and it was HOT. Thankfully I was only there a few hours and I loved getting to see the kids. There is also a short 20 minute break where each class gets to see Waddles (the mascot), have a popsicle, and take pictures with friends and family. It’s a great way to start wrapping up the year.
We decided to grill hotdogs for dinner and then ended up spending the entire evening outside. The kids ran around, Wade and I sat and talked. It was perfect. Kaitlyn decided to dig out her bow and arrow and do some practicing before dinner. Then Alex picked it up after dinner – that’s what started the battle. Wade and I got such a kick out of watching the battle that followed. Teague brought his nerf bow down and the kids played forever. The little kids were content retrieving arrows and chasing the big kids. (No one ended up in tears – a miracle.) Why can’t every night be like this?
Sports Sundays are coming to a close. Today was Alex’s last lacrosse game. Thankfully it was another Sunday where both Alex and Kaitlyn played at the same time at the same field. I watched half of each game and won’t miss these Sunday morning games at all! Then we had just a little down time before we headed to Kaitlyn’s soccer game. She was overly fascinated with the dirt on the field and sometimes forgot to watch the ball. She also came home covered in grit, but she had a great day. One last sports Sunday for Kaitlyn this season.
Today started early with FunFair setup. My awesome family started the day with me for setup at 8 am and was there through cleanup at 4 pm. (The actual event was 10-3.) Alex was the true rockstar because he was also there last night from 3-6 to help with setup. Wade and Alex were on volunteer duty all day. Kaitlyn ran wild with her friends and Teague was in charge of Ben. I heard later that Teague ate his weight in cotton candy – definitely an impressive feat.
As if that wouldn’t have been enough for one day, we also had plans to go to Monster Truck Jam! Wade and I bought tickets not realizing it was the same night as FunFair. We rushed out a little early from cleanup, cleanup the best we could, and met some friends for dinner before racing to the stadium. We had a great time, but I made a major miscalculation and didn’t bring warm enough clothes for everyone. Kaitlyn and I ended up with Monster Jam branded clothing out of it. The big kids were ho-hum with the night but the little kids loved it!
Alex was kind enough to recreate one of the pictures I remembered from his first Monster Jam experiences in 2012. Here’s a comparison. (Note he’s wearing the same headphones – a happy accident.)
Poor Ben gets dragged along everywhere. Today he got dragged along to another book fair. (He spent all last week at the book fair at the other elementary school.). He was a pretty good sport with his iPad and snacks while I worked the cash registers. Thankfully this book fair was geared to young children so he made out like a bandit in terms of bringing home books.
We are in desperate need of volunteers for the Fun Fair – including cake bakers for the game Musical Cakes. Teague offered to make 2 of the needed 200 cakes. He did a great job and loved being completely on his own in the kitchen. I told him I had so much going on that I couldn’t help at all. Teague did a great job. He made a funfetti cake with blue icing and sprinkles and a chocolate cake with chocolate icing covered in mini chocolate chips.
I got feed back later from the winners of Teague’s cakes that they were delicious.
I have spent the past few weeks heavily preparing for the upcoming Fun Fair – one of our biggest PTG fundraisers. The entire board has been fundraising, planning, and generally working very hard to get ready for this event. Today, I was in charge of buying all the drinks. It took me two trips through the store because I couldn’t pull the cart it got so heavy! My car is now full of drinks and I can’t wait to drop them off at the school tomorrow.
Today was just warm enough to get out another water toy. Ben begged for the slip ‘n slide – having no idea what it was. All of the kids joined in and had a great time. Alex was going for style points and cracking us all up.
Wade decided to up our outdoor movie game this year. He recently bought a new projector so he decided we needed a new setup for our projector too. He and Teague spent the afternoon building a stand for the screen and then the big boys invited friends over for a movie. (Those boys ate an entire tubs worth of candy – which normally lasts several movies – impressive!)
Most things have returned to normal in the last year, but birthday parties are still few and far between. Kaitlyn was so excited to have a birthday party this weekend and I rather enjoyed sitting and talking with the other mothers.
Ben and I decided it had been much too long since we went hiking. He wanted the hike with big rocks so we headed to Purgatory. Ben love it and flew through the trail. He had grabbed a map at the beginning and was fascinated with it. I convinced him to to try a second trail and we also walked Charley’s Loop. Ben was worn out at the end but had just enough energy for the playground before we headed home for nap.
Ben had his last soccer lesson today. He was okay with going, but got grumpy pretty quick. I’m not sure how he will feel about soccer after this is all over, but he asked to play before it ever started and then ended the session just like last year – flat out in the middle of the field.
Ben had his last day of school today:
Every year Ben’s preschool holds a graduation ceremony for all the kids that attend – whether they are returning next year or not. It is usually held at the Common, the families bring picnics, and sometimes there is music and bubbles. Tonight the location was different, but we had all the rest.
Alex has spent the current lacrosse season saying his feet hurt after every practice or game. At his yearly checkup, he mentioned it to his pediatrician and she set him up with a podiatrist. It turns out that Alex has flat feet and needs a little extra support in his shoes. Today he is getting molds for shoe inserts. Fingers crossed that this helps his feet!
The kids love an evening truck ride almost as much as a ride in the back of the tractor. It doesn’t hurt that Wade loves driving the kids around too!
Today was hot. Very, very hot. We got out the pool, tried to blow it up, and realized it had a small hole. We stuck with it anyway and the kids did get to play in it, but the pool had a date with the trashcan after today. The kids had a short swim before Ben’s nap and then Kaitlyn and Teague played while Ben was napping. It was a day meant for the water.
The minute the kids heard it was going to be insanely hot today, they begged to get out one of our blow up water toys. Of course we said yes. What surprised me the most was that Alex joined in and then stayed for the entire time. The kids had a blast and I haven’t laughed so much in ages.
Wade has been pulling double duty lately in the parent department. I have been running in overdrive with a lot of school activities/meetings – both during school hours and evening meetings. Earlier this week, Wade came home to all the kids running wild in the house (I had already left for a meeting) and no plans for dinner. He handled it all, but several things seemed to all go wrong that night – he couldn’t mow because both mowers had issues, Alex’s helmet got broken at lacrosse, Alex’s gaming headset was chewed by the cat, and he discovered that Ben had taken a small piece of his paint sprayer from the tool bench and lost it in the yard.
Of all of them, the part with Ben was the worst. Ben has been told repeatedly not to touch tools on the work bench, but Ben is a notoriously poor listener. Wade had Ben look for the part, but it is small and Ben had no idea where he put it and our yard is quite large. The part can’t be replaced by itself and a new assembly was not inexpensive.
To salvage the day, Wade sat down and ordered a new paint sprayer assembly, a new headset for Alex, and fixed Alex’s lacrosse helmet. I came home to find everyone in bed and Wade having a bowl of ice cream and some alone time to try to restart his evening.
Fast forward to today, when the two littles and I are playing in the sandbox. Ben crawls under the slide and suddenly starts yelling in excitement. The crazy kid found Wade’s missing sprayer piece! Now Wade can return the new paint prayer assembly.
Today was Soccer Thursday. I’ll admit that I was checking my email up until we got to the soccer field. I kept hoping to see that they had cancelled soccer on this yucky day, but no such luck. Ben was a trooper. He loved the games they played and stayed engaged the entire practice. (I was hiding under the one tree with a few leaves and wishing I had brought an umbrella instead of just wearing a rain coat.) We stuck it out till the end, but I was amused to note that the already diminished numbers were down by half before the practice was over.
After a few years of no field trips, the schools are cramming a bunch of field trips all together. The kids are loving it but it makes for a hectic spring. Wade was available to chaperone the 5th grade field trip to Boston for the Freedom Trail. Teague was so excited to have his Dad tag along. He was up insanely early this morning packing his lunch and getting ready for the day. Wade took a few pictures along the way and one of my friends snapped a picture of Wade and Teague having lunch.
I had a doctor’s appointment today so Ben was staying home with Wade. Wade had a few important phone calls so I helped set Ben up with a TV show before I left. He was adamant that he needed his “friends” and arranged them so that everything was ready. Then he requested a picture and how could I say no? (I’m going to let you guess what TV show he wanted.)
Kaitlyn and I had a few minutes before the bus and took a picture.
Wade and I spent the morning together at the high school watching Alex and Kaitlyn play lacrosse. This is only the second time they have played at the same time at the same location, but it is so nice for us. We get to leave the two other boys at home, sit together, and watch both kids play. It definitely makes our mornings more enjoyable. The weather this week was significantly nicer than last week too! (No wind or freezing temperatures.)
Then we had a few hours down time before it was off to Kaitlyn’s soccer game.
The kids have been asking for weeks and today we finally planted our garden. We are mostly sticking with things we have had success with in the past, but we are trying a few new things too. The list includes – tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, strawberries, pumpkins, corn, and flowers.
Everybody seemed to be up extra early today so Ben and Kaitlyn set up their own cooking school to entertain themselves.
Finally an awesome soccer day. The weather was perfect. Ben got to take his new soccer ball. He seemed to stay engaged and enjoy all the games (except that he did not get picked to be a ghost in the last game). After soccer, we stayed and played on the playground with most of the other kids for a few hours. It was a fabulous day.
Sometimes when you are the only kid home with mom, you get special treats. This week, Ben had to tag along when I paid the ice cream man who was treating the teachers for Teacher Appreciation week at the schools (job of the treasurer) and he ended up with a free ice cream.
Once again it’s the time of year when the kids want to spend the evenings outside and Wade joins them as soon as he is done with work. The kids practiced lacrosse again and Wade recruited them to help on the front path. Now we just need the temperature to increase by 10 degrees or so.
I was pleasantly surprised to look out the kitchen window and see everybody practicing lacrosse together. Even Ben was trying to figure it out.
Wade and I laughed at the sports schedule for today. We have two lacrosse games (scheduled for right during church) and a soccer game in the late afternoon. The only good part was that for the first time the lacrosse games were at the same time and at the same place so Wade and I got to both see Alex and Kaitlyn play and we got to sit together. We watched Kaitlyn’s first half and Alex’s second half. The kids (or rather the leagues) surprised the moms and presented flowers at half-time. Due to the number of games, I had quite the bouquet by the end of the day.
Weeks ago we promised the kids a night of putt putt. The afternoon wasn’t too bad – the sun was out and the wind had died down. Kaitlyn had been begging for putt putt and ice cream and we agreed. Then we arrived at our destination. It was freezing. The sun was gone and the wind was strong. Most of us thankfully had jackets – some with hoods. Kaitlyn and I even had gloves. The only upside is no one else was playing so we didn’t have to worry that our group was too big or slow or that Ben was running wild all over the course. We also convince the kids that hot chocolate and donuts might be a better treat afterwards than ice cream!
Ben was adamant that today called for macaroni and cheese. I was only too happy to agree. He also wanted to help me make it, which isn’t quite as usual, but I enjoyed the help. After lunch, we made oobleck, which was a recipe from one of our Raddish kits. Ben loved the idea, but didn’t love the actual texture. He played with it for 30 seconds but was happy to head upstairs for a nap and move the oobleck to the trash.
I was hoping a warmer day would fix everything related to soccer for Ben, but he wasn’t overly excited for soccer this morning. I all out bribed him with the promise of a new ball after practice. (I realized he was using the same ball Alex started with when he was 3 years old and it was definitely showing it’s age.) The promise of a new ball got him pumped. He was also really excited to show off his super-man shirt to the coaches. The games they played today kept him interested for all but the last 5 minutes so I’m going to call today a win.
Kaitlyn’s school hosted a specials night. We got to visit each special, meet each teacher, and do an activity. Kaitlyn loved spending the evening with her classmates in school but with a little less structure.
Ben and Lucy (one of Ben’s preschool friends) got to go on an adventure today! Emily and I bought them tickets to the Paw Patrol Experience and they have been counting down the days. We loaded them up in the car today and drove to Burlington. We got there a little early and played in the mall before entering the CAMP store. The kids loved the car that had a working lights and sounds. Then their tour guide gave them a few rules and let them explore to find the “hidden door” before entering the adventure.
The kids love the swing set, but the round swing is by far the biggest hit. Even Teague can be found out there just swinging by himself. Wade did a good job picking that out all by himself!
Most of our Sundays have become consumed with sports. We made it to church today and then Kaitlyn and I immediately got in the car to drive an hour to a lacrosse game. We got home and had 30 minutes before we had to leave for her soccer game. During all that time, Wade drove Alex to his lacrosse game. Someday soon I hope to get to see Alex play!
Wade had a load of mulch delivered while we were all gone for break week. Some other chores/projects took longer than expected so the mulch sat untouched. Today was a gorgeous day and he was determined to get the pile off the driveway. Teague even offered up his services (probably in hopes of getting to drive the tractor), but help is help.
I am on the PTG board this year as treasurer. That also means a lot of work for many of our school and community events. One of those was the adult only Spring Fling, which was tonight. It was a night of food, music, raffles, and silent auctions.
Ben’s last foray into soccer showed us he probably wasn’t quite ready. (He spent a lot of time laying on the field, asking when the 30 minute lesson was over, and taking excessive water breaks.) It’s been a year and he seemed excited to give it another try.
He spent the morning talking about soccer and even wanted to get Little Ben dressed too. We showed up at soccer and the man immediately remembered Ben from last year. I shook my head in shame and he laughed. He told me he only remembers the really good and the really bad kids. I told him I knew exactly which one Ben was. I tried to be prepared with multiple layers but it’s hard to have fun in 40 degree windy temps. Ben did pretty well for about 25 minutes. The other 20 minutes most of the kids had a hard time. (Spring is taking it’s sweet time to arrive this year.)
The kids have loved their new swing set. Ben goes out to play all of the time – even by himself. Kaitlyn swings all of the time and is now attempting to learn how to cross the monkey bars.
Ben and I arranged a playdate for today. It was so nice to get out and spend the morning with friends!
Today was a full day! Ben had preschool but we still managed to play outside on the new swing set and make Mac & Cheese for lunch. Then it was a short nap before picking Kaitlyn up from school and rushing to swim lessons. Then those two were back on the swing set. The rope ladder came unattached and Kaitlyn was nice enough to hold it tight while Ben climbed up and down. Thankfully Daddy will be home tonight to come up with a new knot to keep it secure.
Then we had a second birthday celebration for me! That meant Mexican take-out, cake, and gifts. Teague was nice enough to take over my camera so I got more pictures of the evening than ever before.
Today was a crazy day. We got up early and made it home in time for my meeting and Kaitlyn’s soccer game. Below are all the fun pictures from the last week that didn’t fit into any other posts!
When I travel with the kids, I always have a long day first and then a second short day. Due to some commitments tomorrow, today had to be an even longer day than normal. I planned out our 13 hour drive and booked a hotel room. I had the car loaded last night and got everyone ready to go at a reasonable time this morning. Gram packed everyone lunch and snack bags. The kids were amazing. The only two times we stopped were once for gas and once for a combined gas and dinner stop (at Waffle House of course). We all commented that it was a great day for us and a day Wade would have hated.
Funny note – Teague isn’t sleeping under that coat. He goes to extreme measures to make his iPad charge last as long as possible. He has the brightness turned down as low as possible and is using the coat to allow himself to see it in the daylight hours. The kids all own portable chargers but Teague takes great pride in never needing his.
Teague had a request to make fudge and of course Gram said yes. They spent the morning baking and I spent the afternoon eating fudge – win win.
Today we decided to make the boys have some fun. We picked up Harper and Mackenzie and took them all to Atomic City. Lucky us, it turns out that Thursday is wrist band night. We bought them for the kids and they had unlimited fun all night long – go karts, bumper cars, laser tag, and mini golf.
