Day with the Burkes

Yesterday was a great day-because we spent it with our Burkes. We love love the Burke family. Our kids ages and genders almost directly line up and when they see each other, they just go with their counterparts. And I love any time I get to spend with Amy. So yesterday Amy and I had eight children under the age of seven. It was loud and crazy, so good thing we are completely used to loud and crazy. Plus, there are times when my children (who are quirky, active, extraverted.....) need to be told to "calm down their crazy" but not with the Burkes. It is a party!

 Wyatt and Everett

 Silas and Hampton

 Thatcher and Jasper

 Clara and Everett having a fun conversation over lunch.

 Feeding time at the zoo!

 And my big boys loved playing Star Wars on their Wii. 

A fun day was had by all!!!

Rainy Day Fun

The other day the storms came rolling in early in the morning. The weather forecast predicted storms and rain all day, so it was time to look for some fun rainy day activities!

We first started out by making a tie die banner. 

 I used rolled and twisted baby wipes and the children colored all of the sections. 

 And this is what we ended up with! I then used tiny clothes pins and made a banner. I hung it on the mantle in our playroom. 

 I then set out to make floam, however it did not turn out quite right. So the children just played with shaving cream. 

 Since they smelled like shaving cream, they then played in the bath. 

 After nap time the boys did some of their Beginners Bible activity book. 

 Then we broke out the Perler beads. Big chunky ones for toddler hands. 

 And tiny ones for the big boys. The boys made Minions. We have Minion Madness currently at our house right now!

 Then I made waffles with a side of fruit for dinner! A perfect way to end a rainy day at home. 

Hampton's New Bike

We decided to get Hampton a new bike the other day. He had a very small one from Everett however I had bought it second hand and it just needed to be replaced. So I took the boys to Target and Hampton got to pick it out himself. He was so excited! He kept saying things like:

Can I sleep with my new bike?

She's a real beauty huh?

Check out my new wheels!

Let's see what this baby can do!

Oh I love Hamptonisms. He is too funny. After dinner Eric took the big boys to the park for a ride and by the end of it all, he was doing great! 

 And in the corner there is Eleanor stuffing Everett in the bike box. Never ever a dull moment in this house. 

Play Pals

Painting for the Fourth

My children love to paint. It is a bit of a mess, however always worth it. I saw a cute pin on Pinterest for the Fourth of July, so we decided to make flags (notice Everett's salute).

 I gave the oldest 3 a thin canvas and Thatcher a large piece of painting paper. Thatcher spent the longest time of all of them working on his masterpiece. 

 Everett's looked the most like the pin and he used a pom pom ball to do the dots. 

 Eleanor had some help from me, but mostly did this on her own. 

 Hampton did this completely independently!

 And Thatcher was a bit of a mess, but he certainly had fun. 

A Day in the Life

I love documenting the specifics of our days because they are the most fun to look back and read. Plus it provides a wonderful record and is fun for memory keeping. So this is what a typical summer day looks like for us (Everett-7, Hampton-5, Eleanor-3, Thatcher Reid-2):

6:00-I wake up to the sound of my alarm and run downstairs to make my coffee and get some breakfast (cereal). The children are already awake but downstairs with Eric. I head back upstairs, breakfast in hand, and eat and watch an episode of Seinfeld. After that I do my quiet time and get dressed and ready for the day. I also make our bed and clean up our bedroom. I throw in a load of laundry, set our vacuum to clean the bedrooms and hall, and head back downstairs.

Eric and I then swap and he gets ready for the day and begins his office hours of prepping lectures and doing PhD work. 

I then read and play with the kids. Hampton and I also practice his reading by reading his Dick and Jane storybook. We construct some homemade bookmarks and Everett reads, writes in his journal, and does one of his workbooks. 

I then clean the kitchen and the boys start a puzzle on the dining room table.

 While the tots play downstairs. They also watch an episode of Daniel Tiger.

 Then I get all the children dressed for the day. We then head out to meet our friends (the Kruegers) for lunch and play at Chick Fil A. Jenny and I became very close friends back in the Fall so it does not seem like a normal week unless we have gotten together! The kids had a great time playing in the play place and Jenny and I were able to snack and drink tea and chat. My kind of play date! We then head home and I put the toddlers down for a nap. Eleanor sleeps in the big boys room and has taken a liking to sleeping on the top bunk. She learned how to climb up there without a ladder, so now I just put the ladder down for her. Thatcher naps in the room he shares with Ellie. The big boys watched a movie in the playroom. I then ate some lunch out on our deck, folded laundry, and read some of my book. 

 When the boys were done with their movie, I read aloud to them, Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims. Then we worked on their puzzle together.

Time for the toddlers to wake up! This one has some super cute bed head.

 And she is always a much happier girl when she has gotten a good nap.

 She got stuck up there!

 Then I had Everett read a Little Critters book to me. I then worked on getting dinner together (turkey stir fry) and Eleanor watched me cook and colored at the breakfast table. We then had some time before it was time to sit down to dinner so the children went outside to play on the deck. 

 Time for dinner with Daddy and after I quickly cleaned the kitchen. 

Oh this baby boy and his antics!

After dinner I had scheduled "me time" so I left and went to get a pedicure. Pure bliss! After that I ran by Publix to pick up a few items and then got home just in time to tuck in my babies. After we put them to bed, I folded some more laundry, took a bath, read, and watched Seinfeld with Eric. Bed by 10:00! The days are certainly long, and the summer contains days without as much structure, but I know what a blessing it is to be investing in the lives of these little ones!