We had a storm Sunday night. I ended up sleeping on the couch because it was so windy and loud on the top floor where my bedroom is. Then the cable and internet were out. Then the basement flooded. On the other hand, we didn’t lose power here at the house, but because it was out in other towns our super crazy busy afternoon ended up being a pretty relaxed afternoon. I’m still so tired I almost fell asleep in the McDonald’s drive thru.

Sunday:

My little pirate tried her first macaron

The face is part of the costume, he liked the cookie

Why does Linc look like he’s 10?

Monday:

Literally the only photo on my camera roll from this day

Tuesday:

Playing trucks while we wait for the bus

Package protector

I bought 4 of these in August when I heard they might be popular. I guess they’re not THAT popular.

Wednesday:

Hello gorgeous

He’s getting so LONG

Things that went through the washing machine this week

Thursday:

HUGS

Friday:

Caroline’s teacher suggested she might want a retake. Caroline couldn’t figure out why, she LOVES her picture. So we’re keeping it.

Fell asleep face down in the cookies.

Saturday:

Fancy fall hair

My little monkies on their favorite boat

He demanded I take this photo

I have this horrible cough that will not go away. I think it’s allergies causing post-nasal drip that’s clogging up my lungs, but whatever it is it’s ruining my week. I have these coughing fits that sound like I’m an old-fashioned lady dying of consumption. It causes a pounding headache and keeps me from sleeping. MOST of the time I’m totally fine and don’t feel sick at all, but then I get hit with an episode. Too bad I can’t take the nighttime cough meds during the day, That stuff is amazing.

Once again, I love fall. I also love staying home and not doing things for several hours a day while the big kids are at school. It’s a good balance.

Sunday:

Pirates at the cider mill

Pirates at the paddleboard rental place

Tiny pirate at the ice cream stand sandbox

Monday:

I suspect the farmer actually paints these himself

Linc is very helpful while I’m editing #not

Wait. No. Stop. Come back.

Tuesday:

Applauding for The Price is Right because he’s a GOOD BABY

This corner of my house = a snapshot of our life

Yo ho ho and a bottle of milk

Wednesday:

Shopping cuddles

Brutus likes the new rug

This is not what I mean by babycakes, babycakes.

Thursday:

Wait for new IDs is way more relaxing when someone else can walk the baby up and down the halls

My bloggy thing at Boscovs was fun and delicious

Linc loves headbands

Friday:

Yay SPORTS

Fridays, man.

FRIDAYS, MAN.

Saturday:

Peewee soccer is adorable

My assistants waving goodbye to a mini session

Saturday mini session success, even with a nursing break in the middle.

So E was gone on an underway this month that ended up being twice as long as it should have been because of the hurricane. To apologize for the unnecessary sea time, work gave him a few days off, which means not only has he been home to help/enjoy all weekend, he gets Monday off too! That means a whole extra day of FALL FUN to do FALL FUN THINGS.

On Sunday morning, we participated in the Mystic Pirate Invasion. We did it last year too and the kids had a blast, Maybe next year I will plan ahead and find them pirate costumes that fit instead of cobbling together dress up from the last 4 years. They got a ton of treasure (candy + beads + plastic gem stones) and I got my 10,000 steps. Linc was strapped to my back (in our pirate/kraken themed carrier, obvs) the whole time, his pirate outfit went mostly unnoticed.

Look! Linc is in a picture!

Scary pirate faces.

Caroline felt is was VERY important that puppy come with us. The child-sized baby carrier was supposed to just be a toy but now it means I don’t end up carrying around the thing she insisted we bring and then loses/drops/wants me to hold. TOTALLY worth $30.

After we ran home and switched to regular person clothes, we headed to WeLiKit ice cream for their 25th anniversary celebration. A friend told me about the ice cream stand over the summer and I have to agree it is some of the BEST ice cream I’ve ever had. And what can be better than a waffle cone that is so fresh it’s still soft and warm when you eat it? It was a tiny bit on the chilly side for ice cream, but the kids did so much running around and general shenaniganery they were plenty warm.

Watching the waffle cone making. Obviously an ice cream stand is the best place to also buy beef.

Indian pudding, my new favorite flavor. It’s molasses and corn meal and if you think that sounds gross we can’t be friends.

p.s. They also sell clam fritters and chowder. Does it sound like the perfect place or what?!

And because I was so happy to be outside after a week of rain, I talked Caroline into playing model for a few minutes. I bought a set of Lightroom presets from Mastin Labs. They’re based on film (remember film????) and while I’m not going to switch over to ALL Mastin, all the time they are gorgeous. I love what they do to greens and shadows. The ones in her tutu were taken in the parking lot of Scotland town hall. The rest were in my yard.

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This week was spring break. We didn’t go anywhere in the stay-over-night-on-vacation sense, but we did go do a lot of things. Especially Caroline and I – we are cut from the same cloth that refuses to just sit on the couch on a sunny day. We need to go “do fun things”.

Sunday:

Can’t stop won’t stop visiting the goats (except probably now, since all the baby goats are getting big)

Treat yo’ self

Evening walk

Monday:

Not a real cow

So excited about the zoo he fell asleep

Art in motion

Tuesday:

Band-aids are really exciting

This is not a good wrap job but the wrap is so pretty I don’t care

If you give a baby a flashlight, he will think that is the best thing ever

Wednesday:

During the treasure hunt, a pirate asked them to sing a pirate song, so they both sang “Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!”

That hat though

Seriously. The hat.

Thursday:

I thought a nice long walk would be fun. They disagreed.

Caroline arranged her own storytime at the library, despite the fact that a) she can’t read and b) she doesn’t know that girl

Don’t let the cute messy face distract you from the path of destruction behind him

Friday:

Maybe I should try to teach her to read

Hide out

That’s his concentrating face

Saturday:

She is very disappointed that no REAL birds will get to enjoy the houses she decorated for them

Wearing his new hat while we enjoy dinner on a deck

These kids, you guys

I am BEAT and I feel about a million years old. I wish I could sleep for 24 hours straight. I feel like I’m right on the edge of getting sick and I do not have TIME to be sick. The kids are supposed to start soccer this week but somehow soccer (which is supposed to be Monday/Wednesday) is now on Thursday during the same time as swim. Obviously they can’t be swimming WHILE playing soccer so I’m going to have to get swim moved (there are other swim classes, there’s just one soccer team). But this swim session is really full and it’s going to be SUCH a pain to work out. I’m dreading making that phone call but both soccer and swim cost too much money to just skip. Stupid sports.

The weather is finally warm enough that I’m confident it’s time to switch out everyone’s wardrobes, but that means it’s time to sort out the donate/consign/pass on piles. Just ONE kid’s clothes could keep me busy for a week – and I have 3 kids with way too much stuff. I suspect absolutely nothing from last year will fit anyone (especially Linc, since he didn’t exist this time last year) so I will be forced to buy EVEN MORE stuff. Stupid stuff.

Thank God spring break is over. I’ve become just a whiny as my children.

Yesterday was gross and horrible. Today is gorgeous and perfect. Welcome to New England in the fall. Or anytime, really. We don’t do in betweens.

Sunday:

On a treasure hunt

I am really glad that is not my job.

Pirates love Friendly’s

Monday:

Wrap = nap, almost every time

Front porch swinging

Even Linc can’t handle how adorable he looks

Tuesday:

Consignment score: $10 total. That dress in the middle is from Harrod’s, the original price was more than $100.

They really love the post office

She fell asleep waiting for her turn to pick the movie

Wednesday:

Halloween is going to be epic

Bring your gingers to work night. Too bad they don’t get along with my clients.

Windy sunset

Thursday:

There’s a kid on Evan’s bus who likes to draw things for him. Since when are kids still making Stussy S’s????

Just keep swimming

A Bacon Turkey Bravo is my reward for an hour at the crowded, hot, LOUD pool.

Friday:

I like wraps because the pattern and the cute baby detract attention from my 4th day hair and no makeup face.

Sunset didn’t quite cooperate for my photoshoot, but the clouds are pretty

What big eyes you have at 11 pm.

Saturday:

The American cheese of VICTORY!

We went to the grocery store just to get a wrap nap

Linc is not fooled by sneak attack kisses

I keep thinking it is only October 2nd or 3rd, maybe 5th at the most. This month is going surprisingly fast and I’m not very happy about it – November is the start of Winter Misery in Connecticut and Winter Misery with three kids is going to be extra miserable. But for now we are going to do all the fall things: Chowder Days and the pumpkin patch and hayrides and apple picking and dragging the kids around town to find the best places for fall leaf pictures.