Pumpking Carving

The boys were quite excited to finally get to carve their pumpkins. I didn't dare brave it on my own while Daddy was away. We opted for one with a BOO mouth and another that appears to be roaring. Not too shabby :) Hayden wanted to do it himself, so he got to turn pumpkins into a bat and cat...and put on a jack-o-lantern face on another with wooden decorations - a great option for independent kids. We reuse them every year.

Blame Aunt Christina

I stole this idea from her MySpace :)

Get your own Family Sticker Maker & MySpace Layouts.

Help The Baby!

Rolling over is still quite the cause for upset, but at least now she can get her head off her playmat to scream it to the world...

The Hawk Is Back!

Nick's mohawk fell for a few weeks, but now it's back in effect. New hair is holding up the ultrafine newborn hair and he is a rockstar once again!

While he was here, he discovered something weird on the side of Grace's head...an ear!

Baby Friends

We had a park playdate with Hayden's preschool chums and Grace's baby girlfriends. We wanted to do a group shot of the babies...but Grace is refusing to sit up. She can do it for a moment, but then she realizes she's sitting and throws herself back so she can wiggle around.

So we just laid her on the playmat...I think the other babies thought she was a toy for them to play with...

Airport Open House

Living by the airport has it's perks...and not just on airshow weekend. They did an open house with lots of fun kid activities -- and an airplane shaped bouncy house. The boys came home with a goodie bag to rival the one from Fall Festival the night before. I really wish I'd thought to have pictures...blogging isn't as much fun without pictures...

Fall Festival

The boy's school put on a Fall Festival, basically a carnival for the kiddos. They have lots of games for the kids to play...and a dunk tank.

See, my boys love a dunk tank. They waited and waited while one of the 5th grade teachers was in the tank...then it was time for the principal to take a turn. They were right there. Unfortunately for them, they aren't skilled pitchers. Hayden tried 3 times to hit the target with a baseball...and when that didn't work, the kid rushed the target and punched it in. Down went the principal!

Bayley went 0 for 3 on his pitching skills as well, but we held him back when he tried to repeat Hayden's performance. It's only cute when you're in kindergarten.

Hayden got the idea from Bayley...he'd used that move twice before, once on the vice-principal!

Fun Kid Clicks

Jackson Pollock
How Many Of Me :: There are 127 people in the U.S. named Grace Burke. There are 3 people in the U.S. named Hayden Burke. Just one Bayley...we all knew that...
Restaurant Bingo

Pumpkin Patch

Gracie made her first trek to the pumpkin patch today! Hayden and Bayley have been asking to ride the train and the boat at Lakeview Farms, but with all the birthday parties this month it's been hard to find a moment.

We went late in the afternoon, which is the time to go! We usually go in the morning...when everyone else goes. In the afternoon it is warmer, the lines are shorter, and it's dried out! Fabulous!

You'd think...

I'd remember to put them on the same blanket each time so y'all could see how long they are getting...one of these times I'll get it right. Likely when they start crawling off the blanket...

Zoo-Rific

School was out and it wasn't raining...so even though it was a bit chilly we headed to the zoo to check out the new frog exhibit and the baby elephant. Grace & Nick got to ride around all bundled up in their new strollers.

Bayley just finished reading Eve of the Emporer Penguin, so he wanted to make sure we saw the penguins. We usually skip it as I'm not fond of the smell...I'm not sure what was in that book, but it seems Bayley has learned how to taunt penguins with the zoo map...maybe he's trying to show them how to escape?

The frog exibit was heated! The different kinds of frogs were great too, but it was a chilly day so the heat was a bonus. The boys enjoyed climbing on the giant frog side as much as looking at the different kinds of frogs.

The baby elephant was as cute as I hoped. It was amazing how he was able to walk beneath his mother without her tripping over him. I trip over my boys all the time.

The zoo is under construction -- lions are promised next year. It means I can't take my usual route around the place, and Hayden panics that he will miss his hippos. Once he got to see them, he was thrilled to find they had sauntered out of the water.

The boys wanted a Zoo Key - a key that lets the animal exhibits play a recorded message about the animals. They didn't seem to listen to what was said, but they wanted to be the one to turn the key. Anyone think the key will make a second trip to the zoo?

Picture Day!

School portraits were today. I had matching polo shirts selected, but Hayden spied this dress up outfit and asked to wear it...I was shocked it fit! He hasn't worn a size 4 in over a year, but it worked out. Bayley was thrilled with Hayden's 'handsome' choice -- he didn't have to wear a shirt with a collar.

Not to be outdone...Miss Gracie Mae donned her cheerleader outfit as her third wardrobe selection of the day. Uncle Gabe got this the second he learned she'd be a girl.

Teddy Bear...

This outfit has made it through all three kiddos...

Gracie things she's number one!

Gracie's new seat

We decided to embrace the girl thing and got Grace a pink 'tea party' activity seat. The boys had a farm theme one, but many of the animals are missing...

The end of a series...

Bayley has become a reading machine! His favorite stories seem to come from series chapter-books -- stories of around 100 pages, with pictures and recurring characters. He's so fond of them, he's read everything in the Weird Planet series (6). And Junie B Jones series (27). And the Andrew Lost series (18). And Magic Tree House (40!).



I have to find a new series for him. He's on the P's (Panda Puzzle) of the A to Z Mysteries!

New Published Author in the Family

Bayley wrote a story this week...and it was featured in the Roemer Recorder (his classroom newsletter). He is so proud to be a writer like Mom. Here's his fantastic first story ::


WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH THAT ROCK?
By Bayley Burke


One day Mr. Fexx found a huge rock in Antarctica. He thought it was a meteor.
He was leaning against it when he said, “I wish I could ship this ginormous rock back to base.”


Then he started to spin!!! He yelled for help, but no one came. As quickly as the spinning began, it stopped!
He said, “I’m at base! This rock is magic.”
Just then his boss came up to him. “What are you doing with that rock?” yelled his boss.
Mr. Fexx said, “This is no rock, this is a magic rock.”


“Then take me to Hawaii,” said his boss in a gruff voice.
“Which island and where on that island?” asked Mr. Fexx.
“On the third island and by the beach,” his boss happily replied.
So Mr. Fexx told his boss what to do and were off then instantly. They were sitting on the shoreline listening to happy music.


“Now I want to go to the summit of Mt. Everest.”
But first they went back to base to get snow gear and climbing gear. Water bottles too.
Then Mr. Fexx said the words to go to Mt. Everest. Then as soon as they started spinning, Mr. Fexx’s boss threw up.


When they got to Mt. Everest, Mr. Fexx asked his boss if he wanted to go home. His boss answered yes, so they both went home and lived happily ever after.