Ben found a motor set in the Lego bin and asked Wade about it. Wade showed him how the motors could be controlled from an app on a phone or iPad. Ben couldn’t wait to build a car for the motors and for his iPad time to roll around tomorrow so he could test it all out.
Toadfrogs
Ben refuses to let a box leave this house untouched. Today he created a five-headed monster and he couldn’t wait to show it off.
KitKat spent the entire day inside and seemed to move from one napping spot to another.
The littles wanted macaroni and cheese for lunch. When it was all served, there was just a bit left in the pot. I turned around to find that Alex had a spoon and was helping himself to what was left. I asked him if he was having lunch and he said he had already eaten. The extra macaroni and cheese was just a snack.
Today’s agenda was rather light. Ben and his last soccer practice from 9-10. They played several mini games and then the kids got their snacks and medals!
We spent the rest of the day doing random things – chores, lunch, raking leaves, playing outside. Thankfully Wade happened to mention Kaitlyn’s soccer game or I would have completely forgotten to take her. We made it just in time and Kaitlyn played the best game of the season. She scored two games and hustled like I haven’t seen all season. It was so fun to watch! Even better was at the end of the game the team chose her to win the hustle ball!
Right before bed, Ben and Kaitlyn worked together to gather all the supplies to make their own volcanoes. Ben has a volcano and earthquake book from the library and we have been reading it the last few days. He got so excited when he found the page detailing how to make a volcano. The kids loved the reaction so much the first time that we repeated it over and over.
I checked the mail today and found the sweetest envelope inside our mailbox. It was obviously hand delivered (with no stamp or return address) and inside was a note from a neighbor and a picture of KitKat sleeping on our front porch.
Teague had his yearly checkup with Dr. Hunter. We have been waiting for this one! Teague broke his glasses two weeks ago and our wonderful neighbor was able to work a fix to last us until this appointment. Two days later, Teague was jumping on the trampoline with Ben and Kaitlyn. He decided to take off his glasses. Instead of taking them inside, he put them in his pocket. This time when they broke, they broke into 2 pieces and couldn’t be fixed. He has been without glasses ever since.
Pictured below is what happens when you show up at an eye appointment with broken glasses. They “create” glasses for you.
Our local ski hill opened up crazy early this year. They only have a tiny, tiny bunny slope but they are offering 3 weeks of lessons for kids under 9 who have never skied before. The weather was unusually warm this past weekend but they still had snow. I bundled Ben up in the ski gear I managed to find and get him into. We dropped Teague off at tutoring on our way to the snow hill. Ben loved his first lesson!
Through an unfortunate set of circumstances, Wade and I both ended up with new cars within weeks of each other. My minivan had 230,000 miles on it. Thankfully we had never had a major issue, but we wanted to avoid encountering one. Wade’s car was starting to have lots of expensive problems. We had been test driving cars for me to figure out what I wanted and had narrowed it down to a Chevy Traverse and a Kia Telluride. Wade had a couple he was interested in but finally decided on a Kia Stinger. He actually found one not too far away and was able to get a good deal. A few weeks later we found one for me at a dealership in NJ. After a month of bargaining and paperwork, mine was finally delivered.
There is nothing Kaitlyn hates more than sports in the rain. When we left for cheer this morning it was already spitting rain. I brought my large umbrella but I was hoping the rain would hold off until after the game. After about 15 minutes, the rain started. It was pouring! Kaitlyn was immediately miserable. Thankfully her coach had brought some ponchos, but the poor girls weren’t even really cheering. They were just huddled under the umbrellas. Thankfully by halftime it had been decided to send the cheerleaders home!
Ben has a love of all thing accessories. He never leaves one behind.
Wade and I used to be able to track the pumpkin carving party years with how long we’d been married. Then we skipped a year when we first moved to MA and then COVID messed us up even more. Here we are at the 17th annual party and also the largest! We had over 50 people attend this year. We also had the best weather. The day hit a record of high 70s and was gorgeous blue skies all day. (Tomorrow is supposed to be 50s and raining all day.) My kids helped me clean and cook all day yesterday and most of the morning today.
We had school friends, neighbors, and church friends attend. We had groups of high schoolers, middle schoolers, and elementary school kids. We had parents take their kids to other places and then come back to hang out. It was a wonderful time and somehow I think I took the fewest pictures ever. We once again got a late start on carving and ended up with a group photo in almost darkness but we persevered and only one family left before we got to the picture.
Today was Pumpkin Lab day. Kaitlyn’s teacher had sent home a signup sheet weeks ago asking for donations and volunteers. I was happy to do both and ended up both volunteering and signing up to bring 2 pumpkins, and multiple sets of dumbbells. I did not think through the logistics of getting all the donations to the classroom. I’m sure I was quite the site walking into school – I had a backpack with 16 pounds of dumbbells and was carrying 2 pumpkins in my hands! I made it to the classroom and got setup with my four students. (Thankfully I had done this lab a few years ago with Teague.)
The kids were pretty easy to keep on task. Some of them enjoyed measuring and counting. Some of them enjoyed cleaning out the inside (others hated it – Kaitlyn). All four of them wanted to carve the pumpkins so we compromised and worked out 2 designs and carved two sides.
The little elementary school no longer celebrates Halloween in the schools. They instead have a day for a Book Character Parade and Fall Party. Ben didn’t have strong feelings about his costume (and his Halloween costume isn’t ready yet), so I picked the Chicken costume we have. I laugh every time Ben puts it on. For the parade, each child also brings the book that corresponds to their costume. Ben brought “Chicken Little.” I am a class mom for Ben’s class this year so I went early to help the kids get ready for the parade.
After the parade, we went back inside for the Fall party. We read a book about Spookely the Square Pumpkin, then there was a pumpkin craft, and a pumpkin game. The kids were a little crazy but it was a fun afternoon!
I may end up really liking Alex’s choir teacher. She has a Halloween concert and the kids are required to dress up in costume. Alex hasn’t dressed up the last few years but now he has to! We helped him come up with a costume and I thought Waldo was perfect. He definitely looked the part. I was impressed with some of the other kids’ costumes and was amused at costumes I couldn’t even recognize.
Wade decided it was time to teach Alex a very important life lesson.
Wade was going to be gone during dinner and I was feeling uninspired when it came to cooking. Alex suggested make-your-own-pizza and I thought that sounded perfect. One of our local grocery stores sells their own fresh pizza dough and I bought enough for all the kids to make their own pizza.
The last couple of months, both Kaitlyn and Ben have been packing their own entertainment for church. Kaitlyn normally brings a book and Ben brings his little blue bag of goodies. It’s been so nice leaving my bag of tricks at home and simply bringing a purse to church. Sometimes Ben brings cars or crayons or random little toys, but today he had an entirely random selection. My favorite were the three beer bottle caps. Wade and I don’t drink beer so I’d love to know where he got them?!? Thankfully these items (plus a backstretch) kept him entertained t he entire service.
Kaitlyn had a cheer competition today in Lowell. We got up and were out of the house before 8. Thankfully we’ve been to the same place numerous times so we knew where to park and how things work. The girls did a great job and were fun to watch, but they didn’t place.
Kaitlyn and I stopped for lunch on the way home and then it was back to life per normal in the Burch household.
One of our PTG’s biggest fundraiser’s is the FunRun. I spend a lot of time helping with the prep and then I spend all day there on the big day. Today was that day. I always bounced back and forth between the two schools but this year I had Ben and Kaitlyn running, one at each school. By the time we were done with the running, I was worn out. The other girls and I had a quick lunch tougher and then I headed home for a very short rest before my next activity of the day.
Then it was on to Teague’s cross country meet. Because it is the last one of the year, it was a little special. The coach had arranged to have the meet at Houlden Farms and it the most gorgeous scenery! The parents were allowed to walk the course and most of us took advantage so that we could see more of the property. Kaitlyn joined me and got to play with some friends. Wade showed up right before the start and there was ice cream afterwards.
There is a playground at the soccer field where Kaitlyn has soccer practice, but we are always in a rush when soccer practice is finished (or it is dark). I have been promising her we will go back to play and today we did!
Ben learning to read has mostly been a joy, but it has created a few challenges. Most town events are advertised by signs on the Common. Because of the location of our house, we drive by the Common several times a day. Ben has spent the last week reading all the signs. He saw the sign for the Scarecrow Contest and has been asking to go all week. I was hesitant to promise anything due to our crazy schedule – Kaitlyn has a football game (so she and I won’t be available) and Wade has been gone a full week.
I forgot to warn Wade that Ben would ask to go. Ben evidently drew a design and then begged Wade to take him. Wade, being the creative guy that he is, helped make the design a reality. Wade, Teague, and Ben went up to the Common and created a scarecrow. “Poppy” the pop-tart was born!
This is a very typical Saturday for the Burch household. I dropped Kaitlyn at cheer practice at 8 am. Then I went with Ben to soccer at 9 am. Because all Saturdays are rainy, Ben played in less than desirable weather but we did avoid a downpour.
Because I haven’t figured out how to be in two places at once, Wade picks Kaitlyn up from cheer at the same time that Ben’s soccer ends. Then we have a slight break till Kaitlyn’s soccer in the afternoon. Thankfully the weather improved and it was dry enough that I didn’t have to convince Kaitlyn to play in the rain.
I came home from running errands to find that Ben and Kaitlyn were attempting to create a big leaf pile. They were working so well together and had created a cute little pile. Then Alex heard about it and ran and jumped in their pile. They were so upset that he jumped in it first. Thankfully Alex stayed outside and helped them create a HUGE pile and the three of them had a great time.
The cross country season is winding down and today’s meet was at Knox Trail. The run looked quite difficult and full of hills, but the kids did a great job and Teague definitely ran hard.
Race time – 15:59 (1.6 miles)
I have texted with Wade most nights, but I haven’t talked to him or heard a ton about his days. It was nice to be on Facebook today and see these pictures on the church’s Facebook page.
When we got to church this past Sunday, we happened to arrive in the parking lot at the same time as one of our favorite ladies. Miss Janet has been a few rows behind us since we began attending church five years ago.
Sometime this summer, Ben was entertaining himself during the service and wrote a note saying “God is happy. I love you.” After the service was over, he asked me if he could give it to Miss Janet. He did and she loved it. We found out the next Sunday that she had stapled it to her Sunday School bag and carries it with her every week.
Today was the perfect opportunity to get a picture of the two of them and the bag!
Kaitlyn and her friend were thrilled last night when they went to put on pajamas and realized they had matching pjs. This morning they made pumpkin-shaped pancakes and ate them our favorite way – with cinnamon sugar and powdered sugar (hold the syrup). Then it was time for the trip across the street. I looked outside to see that the girls had attempted to dress alike and were driving all the overnight items in the Jeep.
Then Ben and I wanted to introduce Kaitlyn to Mount Watatic and its incredible view. The big boys were adamant that once (see here) was enough and they would rather stay home. Last time we hiked there was no one on the trail. This time we passed quite a few people and the top was almost crowded. Kaitlyn once again started out running and was determined to stay ahead of the rest of us the entire hike. Because the top had so many people, there were lots of people offering to take pictures. I rarely get a picture with all of us on a hike that isn’t a selfie (which means the view is never included).
Kaitlyn had a packed day today. We started in the morning with a football game in Grafton. Kaitlyn cheered and had a great morning.
We made it home for a quick lunch and then our neighbor came over for a playdate. The girls were so cute and played so well together all afternoon. As the playdate was ending, they begged for a sleepover and we were able to work that out. They ended up cooking dessert, having dinner, and watching a movie with popcorn.
Wade is leaving for a week of mission work in Virginia. He is joining a group of guys that go every year. They left early this morning and won’t return till late next Saturday night and will spend the week doing house projects of all types.
When I got back to the house, three of the kids were up and Ben had a recipe for donuts in his hands and was begging to cook. It’s a holiday weekend and most of the sports this weekend have been cancelled so we have a very relaxed weekend planned. I said yes and we got to cooking.
The cross country team had its fourth meet today. Thankfully the race was in town so not only could Wade come to watch, but Kaitlyn decided to join him. Teague and his friend ran together as they have the last few races. The only downside was the random heat wave we’ve had the last few days. Poor Teague had to run in it.
Race time – 19.53 (1.8 miles)
Everyone wanted to bake tonight. Sometimes we only have desserts on the weekend. Sometimes we only cook one dessert per night. Tonight I decided the more the merrier. Teague made churros. Ben wanted to make chocolate crepes and Alex was helping before too long.
After a bit of a wait, the men arrived today to cut down our tree. Although I’m glad to have my yard back, I hate that we had to cut the tree down. The backyard feels so empty without it!
This fall is one of the busiest we have had. Because we actually wanted to be able to enjoy Korea Day, we pushed our celebration from September 26 to a few days later. We tried to order takeout from our favorite Korean restaurant and were sad to hear that it had recently been sold and was under new management. We tried a new Korean restaurant and some new dishes!
Kaitlyn got a baking kit from Raddish Kids last week and has been anxious to make a Victorian Sponge Cake. Our days, and especially evenings, are always hectic, but we finally had a bit of time today before I started painting the laundry room. Kaitlyn did a fantastic job and made a lovely cake!
We had horrible rain all day yesterday. Kaitlyn’s soccer game late this afternoon has already been cancelled. Ben’s hour of practice/game continued as scheduled. The fields were muddy but there was no rain. Ben obviously loves soccer, but he was not interested in listening to his coaches. (Especially when they wanted him to take a time out to let another player have time on the field.) He was very focused on trying to get a goal and very disappointed when he personally didn’t get one and when his team didn’t do as well as their opponents.
More pictures from the last cross country meet! I was so excited to get an email with links to additional pictures from yesterday’s meet.
The cross country team had its third meet today. Three teams met up in Auburn, walked the course, and then ran all together. Teague ran a great race and thinks he knocked several minutes off his best time. That would be amazing considering his hurt foot (courtesy of a lego injury last night). We should get exact times from his coach soon and I’ll update this post. We do know Teague came in 55th out of three schools combined.
Race time – 17:23 (1.6 miles)
Half-days are always crazy. I feel like Alex is coming home just after I got Ben out the door. Then poor Ben doesn’t get off the bus till 1 and is starving for his lunch.
Today Kaitlyn had a playdate. Alex had a friend show up at our house and they disappeared toward the middle of town. Teague then showed up at our house with two friends and one little sister, who happened to be friends with Kaitlyn and her friend. There were people coming and going all afternoon, but a lot of fun was had!
Ben brought home this drawing today and I thought it perfectly depicted our weekend at Apex. He drew his favorite game – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT). I also loved that he worked so hard on his writing. He is writing every change he gets.
For humor’s sake:
I have no idea who Jac is – there were no kids named Jac and nobody in the TMNT game with that name.
The writing on the left says – “I went to the arcade”
The drawing on the right shows a dice game. You roll the black dice and get an amount of tickets corresponding to what you roll. I have no idea what the person is saying.
Ben has been carrying around a pile of Raddish recipes for a week or so that he desperately wants to cook. Top on his list is Family Fun Fondue. Tonight we finally made it happen, but of course Ben added his own flair.
Ben has had quite the weekend. He had one birthday party yesterday and another today – both at the same place! He was very excited to return to Apex today for a new friend’s party. This one was quite a bit bigger than yesterday’s but equal fun! Ben loved playing with his new friends and the Pokemon theme was perfect.
We got home right before the downpour to find Alex had friends over. It wasn’t long before the three goofballs were outside playing in the rain…
Our weekends in the fall are always busy. In the morning Kaitlyn has cheer practice and Ben has soccer. This morning, I got up at 7 to find that Kaitlyn was already up and had muffins (from her princess cookbook) already mixed and ready to go in the oven.
The weather was supposed to be horrible, but the rain held off most of the day. Ben had soccer practice and is continuing to love it. He and the other kiddos on his team ran around and had a great hour on the soccer field.
We had a couple hours of downtime and then Ben had a birthday party for one of his preschool friends. He had such a great time seeing his buddies from last year.
Tonight was the elementary school’s Back to School picnic. I had to be there early to help out. Teague agreed to come and watch Ben. Alex stayed home (he is officially too old and none of his friends even have siblings attending). Wade took Kaitlyn to soccer and they left early to come to the picnic. Eventually we all met up and had a quick picnic dinner together and the kids had a treat from the ice cream truck.
Teague had his first away cross country meet. He was required to ride the bus with the other students and the parents met the students at Oxford. I’m not sure why, but this meet was really slow to start. Due to the nature of this particular course, the girls and boys had to run separately, which also made this meet much longer. I was supposed to be at Ben’s back to school night at 5:30, but I realized the only way I was going to make it was if I left immediately after Teague finished and didn’t cheer on the girls. Teague wanted to leave with me and I’ll know to allow plenty of time next time just in case.
Because most of the course was in the woods, we only saw the boys at the very beginning and very end of the race. I knew Teague was almost the last runner but I didn’t know the full story till I got the below in an email from the coach.
SHOUT OUTS:
TEAGUE BURCH: Teague sacrificed his own time to assist the last-place Oxford runner, who was struggling to finish. Teague talked him up and encouraged him all the way through to the finish line. If you were there, you remember.
Race Time – 24:33 (1.7 miles)
A few days ago, Ben saw Pepper drinking water from the toilet. It bothered him quite a bit for some reason. Today he decided to do something about it. Now there are signs outside each bathroom showing dogs aren’t allowed to drink out of the toilet.
Kaitlyn waits all year for the pumpkin bread from Pepperidge Farm. It’s normally sold from September to November and I stock up in November so that she can have it through December. This year she seems to be particularly worried about having enough and her brothers keep eating it too. To make everyone happy, I just wait for it to go on sale (which it does periodically) and then buy all that a store has. Kaitlyn is still rather unhappy when someone else has a piece, but we definitely aren’t going to run out anytime soon!
It turns out another parent likes to take pictures and is rather good! We were just emailed a link to pictures from Teague’s track meet last week and I was pleasantly surprised at the awesome pictures of Teague I found.
We finally had an activity-free day. Some of us took naps (mostly Wade and I), some of us played video games, some of read, some of us cooked, and some of us played outside. It was a pretty perfect end to the weekend.
Kaitlyn had her first cheer competition today – FunComp. Thankfully it was local and she didn’t have to be there till 9 am. Her group did a great job but didn’t win a trophy, which bummed the girls out a little bit.
Kaitlyn had a few hours of downtime before she had to be at her soccer game. Her team was short quite a few players today so everybody played the entire game.