Monday was Labor Day. We started off going for his 4 year photos. Unfortunately there was a mix up with the schedule so we had to wait a while for an opening. We spent time at the play area at the mall, getting a snack, etc. I also found some dress shoes for him. This made me happy because I had tried countless stores and even bought a couple of pairs, but hadn't been happy with any of them.
We got home in time for lunch and then we went down to the local parade. We missed the beginning because apparently it started about an hour before we thought it did. There were lots of politicians in the parade, some bagpipers playing US patriotic songs (which sounded odd on pipes), and lots of Shriners. After the parade we went home for nap and then he played in the pool for a while.
On Tuesday (no nap) Bennett fell asleep on the way home- no detour needed. I used my extra free time to get glitter all over the house. (Birthday project.) It also was the first day of school. However, since Bennett's preschool is at the daycare there really isn't much of a difference. Just now they will spend a little more time working on the alphabet, etc.
On Wednesday (no nap) Bennett had his first day of speech for the academic year. After school Bennett watched some construction being done on a house across the street (roofing is extremely interesting when you are almost four) and then he played in the sandbox. After Bennett went to bed I finished up my glitter project. (As I write this two weeks later, I'm still finding glitter all over the house, even though it's been vacuumed numerous times.)
On Thursday (no nap) Bennett once again fell asleep on the way home from school.
On Friday (no nap) I had another day off from work. I finished up a project for the party and started on my costume. Yes, that's right. We'll have costumes. Bennett played outside for a while after school and then he watched The Rescuers.
Saturday (yes nap- 2 hours!) was Drummer's Call at Sturbridge. We started off by watching the Oxford Light Infantry have target practice. Later in the day we watched a number of Fife and Drum groups.
It was extremely hot out so Bennett cooled off at the pump. We did this a few times last summer, but this was the only time this year.
Bennett put on Daddy's backpack and opened up the map.
After his awesome nap, Bennett and I went to visit Mimi while Daddy went to pick up some things that he needed for work.
Sunday the weather changed and it now feels like fall. Daddy spent the day doing yard work. I finished up my costume.
On Monday (yes nap) Bennett played outside with Daddy after school. He found a stick and pretended to go fishing.
On Tuesday (no nap) Bennett fell asleep on the way home. We did have to take a detour to extend our commute since we could tell that he was on the verge of falling asleep and we knew he needed the sleep. If we'd just gone home he wouldn't have been able to go to bed for an hour or two.
On Wednesday (no nap) Bennett must have been hungry. After eating a rather large dinner he asked for more food and ate a banana. He very seldom asks for additional food!
On Thursday (yes nap) he played outside briefly after school. I took the day off from work (I had extra vacation time) to work on his party.
Friday after school we went shoe shopping. He was very well behaved at the mall. When we got home he played in the backyard pretending to go to Kimball's. The swingset was the bumper boats and he also played mini golf and ate icecream.
In the morning I was being sluggish and didn't want to get out of bed.
Daddy: Telly Mummy to get up.
Bennett: Mummy, get up.
Mummy: mumble mumble
Bennett: She doesn't want to get up. She's still tired.
On Saturday at Sturbridge Dave and Rhys were cleaning out the cattle yard. Bennett didn't want to help at all! Daddy tried shoveling some manure, but nope, he still wouldn't try.
During lunch I showed Bennett how to use my camera. This means we now have pictures of the table, his fingers over the lens, and this one of Mummy and Daddy.
In the afternoon (after nap) we went to JoAnn's to get some items for the party, and when we got home Bennett watched Horton Hears a Who. He was just as emotional about it as last time, if not even more so. I think we may have to wait a long time before he tries watching that again.
On Sunday Daddy went in to work to work on the "set" for Bennett's party. Bennett started his morning by watching Fievel and then we went to Uncle Andrew and Aunt Gentry's to get some scrap wood for a project before heading off to do our grocery shopping. We attempted (and failed) a nap after lunch, and when Daddy came home we decided to go to Kimball's. We only did the bumper boats once, as well as one round of mini golf. We had bracelets that would have allowed us to do more, but we just weren't up for it. So after getting ice cream we headed home.
For those keeping track, I think we had naps twice this week.
On Monday (no nap) Bennett and Daddy made pizza for dinner and then Bennett played in my craft room for a while. After Bennett went to bed we started making some teepees for Bennett's party.
On Tuesday (no nap) Bennett discovered the teepee we left in the living room. He loved playing in it and brought lots of toys inside. After he went to bed we finished it up.
Wednesday (yes nap) after school Bennett watched Monster's Inc while I went for a run. He saved his carrot sticks from dinner but said he didn't want them for
lunch for pirate week (next week). Instead asked if he could bring them
to Sturbridge as a snack
On Thursday (no nap) after school he played in the teepee some more and built a "sawmill" with blocks.
Friday (no nap) was another day of Bennett falling asleep on the way home from school. I'd taken the day off from work so I made a second teepee, and worked on some other things for the party.
On Saturday (no nap) we went to Sturbridge. Bennett helped saw a log and we went on the Pasture/Woodland walk (haven't done that one since pre-Bennett). We also learned that there is a problem with the bake oven at the farm. Hope they can get it fixed quickly!
After rest (remember, no nap today) Bennett played in the backyard while I did some cleaning up in the garden.
On Sunday Bennett hung out with Uncle Andrew and Aunt Gentry. He thought he was going to be spending the night so he first said that we had to go to school to get a mat for him (we've borrowed a nap mat in the past that he uses when he spends the night at their house) and then he asked if he needed his suitcase, toothbrush, etc. Finally I think he understood that this would just be a daytime visit. Given his napping pattern lately I suggested that they not even try to have him take a nap, so of course he fell asleep in the car on the way home around 4:00. I transferred him to bed, but he woke up a short time later very disoriented. He seemed tired still but he didn't want to go back to bed, so we let him get up and a few hours later he went to bed without any problems.
While Bennett was away Daddy worked on finishing up our front stairs (he started replacing them a month ago). They aren't quite done yet, but they're getting closer. I ran errands and worked on a few things for Bennett's party.
Bennett did nap on Monday which allowed us to make the decision to go to Uhlmann's (ice cream) for dinner. This was a bit of a switch considering about a half hour before we had decided to have salad. It was an interesting conversation in the car with Bennett on the way there. "This is the way to the ice cream place, right? It's on this side, right? We can't be going there because it's not dinner."
On Tuesday Bennett didn't take a nap. When we got home he watched part of Peter Pan. After he went to bed I made some peach jam. Unfortunately it only used a few peaches, hardly making a dent in what we had picked. I guess I still need to make lots more jams, salsa, peach butter, etc.
After school on Wednesday (no nap) Bennett played with his Duplos before dinner. He "made a place for a dog, a place for a cow, and a house."
No nap again on Thursday. It was camping week at school and Dianne brought in her camper. So exciting! It must have been a busy day because Bennett fell asleep on the way home from school.
On Friday Bennett finally took a nap. This worked out well because Grandpa and Susan came over for dinner. After we ate we were chatting about the Pinewood Derby, playing with LEGO/Duplo, etc. Bennett decided that my stagecoach needed some horses to pull it and some people to drive/ride.
On Saturday Daddy woke up with a fever. Bennett and I left him at home and headed off to Sturbridge for Textile Weekend. We happened to notice that Doc and Blue had broken a fence and were out of their yard so we tracked down an interpreter so that that could be fixed. Bennett helped fill the wood box at the farm but he didn't want to whisk eggs. It was interesting being there with just the two of us.
Bennett napped on the way home and in the afternoon I left him with Chris watching TV while I went out to do some grocery shopping.
Luckily on Sunday Chris was feeling a bit better, but we still stayed at home. I made peach salsa and peach butter (and I still have more peaches!). Bennett and Daddy went to the playground down the street and ran around for a while. Bennett did not nap. But before bed he also made up a song, "I love Farmer Boy. It has oxen and cows, and Star and Bright."
So I'm now over a month behind with my blogging. Time for a little catch-up.
On Monday Daddy and Bennett played a little croquet while I went for a run. I guess Bennett was inspired by all the croquet playing while everyone was visiting. I started reading Farmer Boy at bedtime. It's interesting for me to see how similar many aspects of the story are to how life is presented at OSV. And for those keeping track of these things (maybe that's just us) it was a no nap day.
On Tuesday Bennett did nap (woo hoo). He played outside for a little while after school. And it was a momentous occasion for us, we sold the crib. Ok, not really all that momentous, but a definite sign that Bennett was growing up. It was PJ day at school, so Bennett wore his "Smee" PJs.
"No pictures"
Wednesday was another day without a nap. Another sign that Bennett is growing up- I started working on the invitations for his birthday party.
Thursday was another day without a nap, but this time Bennett fell asleep on the way home from school. I went for a run, and then worked more on the invitations, finalizing the design.
Continuing the no nap trend, Friday was another day without a nap. Bennett played outside after school and then drew a picture in the card for Aunt Suzanne's birthday.
Saturday was a busy day. We started off by meeting Uncle Andrew and Aunt Gentry for breakfast and then we went to the Bolton Fair. We checked out the animals, participated in veggie races, and rode some rides. It was HOT, so we headed home at lunch time so that we could avoid overpriced fair food and also so that Bennett could take a nap.
We were glad that Uncle Andrew and Aunt Gentry were there because Chris and I don't like Ferris Wheels.
After a long nap, Bennett went to Nana's for the evening. What did Chris and I do with our free time? We went grocery shopping and then shampooed carpets. I know, we're lame.
On Sunday I went for a run in the morning and then we picked Bennett up from Nana's house so that we could take our weekly trip to Sturbridge. At the farm Bennett helped Victoria set the table and make a salad. He also helped fill the wood box.
On Monday we got back into our normal routine. And once again Bennett was back to not napping at school. Instead he fell asleep in the car on the way home. He woke up a couple of hours later very disoriented. We put him on the potty, changed him into PJs and he went back to sleep. I took advantage of the extra time and went for a run.
Tuesday was another day without a nap. This time he stayed awake on the way home. Without lots of other people to play with at home I think he might have been a little bored. He asked to watch George. This was the first time we turned the TV on in over a week. After an early bed (remember, no nap) I went for a bike ride.
Since it's "Car week" at school we brought in the Derby track to school on Wednesday so that the kids could have their own race. They enjoyed it so much that we left it set up for a second day for more racing fun.
At home Bennett enjoyed playing with some second hand Legos that we recently got. We also discovered that with a random assortment of bricks like this he does ok using his imagination and building creatively. However, if it comes from a set he is a firm believer that it much only be built in that specific configuration. And for the record, he did nap today.
Thursday was another day with no nap. And I guess he was pretty tired because he was falling asleep at the dinner table.
On Friday Bennett did nap which allowed us to go to Wegmans after school for dinner and food shopping.
Saturday's weather was a little iffy, but ok in the morning. We went to Tougas Farm and picked blueberries and peaches. Yum! Most of the blueberries got frozen to be used in pancakes. The peaches still need to be figured out. Some are being eaten as is, and others will go to jams and who knows what else.
After lunch and nap Bennett watched The Rescuers. He did really well
with it, which surprised me, given that there are a few scary parts.
And then we decided to try a bike ride. He started off doing ok, but was a little hesitant. We didn't make it very far before we decided to try to work on stopping. Bennett wasn't having any of it. We tried bribing with a sticker chart and a promise of new Legos. He seemed ok with that idea, or at least he understood the concept.
On Sunday we went to Sturbridge for their annual Redcoats and Rebels event. It definitely is a very different experience with so many other people there.
Why yes, we did put him in a British shirt for this. :)
Watching the skirmish
Dan as the potter. He is great with all of the kids!
Fifes!
After nap I took Bennett out to try his bike again. This was an even bigger failure than the day before. I couldn't even get him to sit on the bike. He managed to get his helmet off and then wouldn't let me put it back on. There were lots of tears.
I wish I knew how to get him to try again, but for now we're not pushing it. I know that in the great scheme of things it's not that important. A month prior he was pedaling just fine. I imagine the issue is that we stressed learning to stop too much, and there were some raised voices. I do wish though that he could/would express what the issue is (to confirm our suspicions) so that we could work through it.
As I mentioned at the end of my last post, Chris' family is visiting. And they are all staying with us. It certainly made things a bit chaotic, but it also was nice to be able to spend so much time with them. Plus having extra people to entertain and watch Bennett was certainly helpful.
So how exactly did we fit 8 extra people in the house? Well 3 of them (Michael, Rebecca, and Elizabeth) were sleeping outside in a tent. Chris' parents were on an air mattress in the living room. Bennett was on his old crib mattress in our room so that Suzanne could have his bed. Rosaline and Dekota were on an air mattress on the floor in his room. Having Bennett in our room was a bit entertaining for us because we could see how much he moves around in his sleep, rolls off the bed (he doesn't normally do this), sleeps with his hands down his pants, gets up to use the potty, etc.
For meals we ate what we could outside so it wouldn't be quite so cramped. Adults were around either the porch table or the dining room table, and the kids were at a card table, either on the porch or in the kitchen, depending on where we were. Food was set up buffet style on a counter in the kitchen.
On Monday we headed off bright and early to Battleship Cove. For some reason we had to get there right when it opened. As much as I thought this was silly, after we had been there for a few hours and more people were around, I was glad that we had been there when it was a little more quiet.
Storming the beaches of Fall River
Getting 4 kids to look at the camera at the same time is challenging!
Getting Bennett to pretend to sleep is also challenging.
Hugs from Grandpa
We finished up around lunch time, but decided to head home for a late lunch rather than pay the inflated prices for food on the ship. Bennett took a nap in the car and woke up just as we were turning onto our street.
After lunch, we played the first (of what would be many) game of croquet for the week. Growing up when we played croquet we always set the wickets up wherever we wanted and I'm not sure we had well defined rules. This was NOT the case in the Tedford family! Given the space available in the yard we had some obstacles around the garden and the slide, but I think that just added to the fun.
On Tuesday we started off at home. Chris had a dentist appointment so the rest of us just hung out. After lunch we went bowling. You're probably wondering why bowling is so special, but Candlepin Bowling isn't something generally found outside of New England. Bennett was a bit antsy because he was overdue for a nap, but getting him to sit and relax with so much activity going on around him is next to impossible.
This next picture probably doesn't mean much of anything to most people who read this blog, but I was surprised to see it, and when I texted it to Andrew he was surprised as well. This character is Dennis the Menace, from the comic book, Beano. When we lived in England we read Beano. Not sure why he was on a gumball machine style game that distributed bouncy balls. None of the other graphics on the machine were related to the comic at all.
Bennett fell asleep on the way home and then he was successfully transferred to his bed so that he could continue his nap. In the afternoon there was more croquet and also some ladderball after dinner.
We had nothing planned for during the day on Wednesday, but there was a request for some shopping, so we headed off to Shopper's World to hit of AC Moore and Barnes & Noble. We also took the opportunity to go to the baby/kids resale shop to try to sell a couple of things. While we were there we picked up a birthday present for Bennett as well as a few bags of Legos.
In the evening we went to a Lowell Spinner's game. We had great seats- 2nd and 3rd row- right on the 1st base line.
Bennett did about as well as expected at sitting still and watching the game, which is to say, not great. However, we did go to SwampLand, the kids play area, and he had a blast on the inflatable slides and obstacle (octopus) course. He tried the bounce house but wasn't a fan of that.
Being forced to meet the mascot. He wasn't a fan.
We made it until the 7th inning when a thunderstorm came through. We got to our car right before the rain really started. The game was slow moving though, so it's probably a good thing that we had to leave early. I'm not sure how much longer Bennett would have lasted. Plus Thursday was going to be a long day so we were all happy to get home.
Like I said, Thursday was a long (but fun) day. Chris and I had to be at OSV at 7:30 for a secret activity that I alluded to back in March. I wish I could say more, but this was definitely special treatment that we were getting, and it's not an activity that they want to open up to the general public. As such, it was requested that I not broadcast what we were able to do. Anyway, it was really neat being in the Village before it opened and seeing some places that most people don't get to see. Plus it was a nice chance to chat in a more relaxed fashion with some of the interpreters. We asked what they thought of us coming every week and they quickly replied that they didn't think it was crazy. I wonder if they were just being nice, but based on the fact that they volunteered to do this activity with us, plus some other things, leads me to believe that maybe they were being truthful.
We met up with everyone else just before the Village opened. Between the pass that I got from the library (thanks Andrew!) plus a deal that OSV is offering for kids to get in free with a paying adult, we definitely were able to save some money. For the 8 extra people, they only paid the equivalent of 3 adults, rather than what would have been 5 adults and 3 children.
It was a rather disjointed visit due to wanting to see different things at specific times in opposite sides of the Village, so we started the day off walking back and forth a bit. When we got in we went to the Small House, Friends Meeting House, Fenno barn and house, and then quickly made our way to the Sawmill to watch that demo and also to try fishing.
Chatting with one of the interpreters. We don't know his name, but a month or so ago we saw him at BJ's and Wegmans.
Then it was up to the Craft Center so that people could forge iron hooks. Unfortunately the forge was broken, but Derek decided they could use the Blacksmith shop instead, so we all trudged back to where we had just been.
Michael was up first making his hook, followed by Dekota, Elizabeth, and Grandpa. What was nice was when the other blacksmith who was working saw me at the side door taking pictures, he told me I could come inside (on the opposite side of the chain). Knowing the interpreters definitely has its advantages, but I think he likely only did this because he trusted me enough to leave if other visitors came near. Later on I wanted more pictures so I let myself back in. :)
While the blacksmithing was going on, back at the Craft Canter Rosaline and Suzanne were working on some yarn sewing.
They came back and joined us at the farm and everyone showed off their completed hooks.
We hung out by the farm for a while, collecting eggs (Bennett and Dekota), helping to split rails (Dekota), feeding the pigs (Rosaline), learning about making raspberry shrub (which we will be able to sample on Friends' Day), and watching Victoria get ready to start some ironing. Rosaline and I were enjoying watching that, but everyone else was waiting for us to go get lunch, so we had to leave. This was definitely the downside of visiting with so many people- trying to appease everyone's interests.
At the Fitch House Rosaline and Dekota got dressed up. I think they need to get a few more costumes in a variety of sizes. Dekota's waistcoat is a bit too small.
We also rode the stagecoach. Not everyone wanted to ride, but we
did squeeze eight of us in. I also discovered that some of the design choices that I had been making on my Derby car weren't quite accurate. Oops.
Waiting for the stagecoach.
By this time we'd seen most of what we were going to see so we headed out, stopping on the way so that some people could dip candles, and of course hitting up the gift shop.
But remember how I said it was a long day? Yup, we weren't headed home. We headed off to Kimball Farm. My work was having its summer outing which meant that Chris, Bennett, and I got to go for free. We arrived a little before the party so sat in the car to let Bennett nap a little longer. Then we went to get food at the party while everyone else got dinner. After eating we coincidentally met up for mini golf. We lucked out and were able to play right behind everyone else.
Next up? Bumper boats! Bennett loved them. He rode with me, with Chris, with Grandpa, and then with me again. The other kids really liked them as well.
Then it was time for an ice cream break. Chris, Bennett, and I went back to the corporate area for sundaes and everyone else got the "small" ice cream that they could get with their bracelets. (Pay $35 for a bracelet which allows you 5 activities/ice cream.)
Yes, this is a "small".
Then Michael came over and joined us at the driving range. But Bennett and I didn't last that long as the mosquitoes were pretty bad and he was also getting antsy. So we headed back to the car. Chris and Michael finished up, Chris joined me to head home, and Michael joined everyone else at the arcade.
Friday was supposed to be a day for relaxing a little, but it didn't really turn out that way. I started off by going for a run and then mowing the lawn. Big mistake since I hadn't eaten breakfast yet. This set me back and I was exhausted for most of the day. After I ate and showered we went shopping to buy food for the Derby. While we were gone the remaining adults were in charge of lunch and putting Bennett down for a nap. He wasn't settling well, but after Uncle Michael threatened him with a time out if he didn't nap, Bennett quieted down and went to sleep. (Really? How exactly does a time out during nap work? :) )
After the grocery shoppers were back and had eaten lunch, Michael, Chris and Dad Tedford headed off to get the tents for the Derby from the Doucettes. I took a much needed nap. When they got back it was time to finish up our Derby cars (which we'd been working on all week in spare moments during the day and when others were going to bed). We also realized we needed to make Blast Cars still. Chris cut out wedges and they got some quick paint.
Saturday- It's Derby Day! After getting dressed we went into the basement to make final touches on our cars. Yup, this is pretty typical, but I was done with about 3 hours to spare. :)
By now we've fallen into a bit of a rhythm which makes Derby set up seem as if it went much more smoothly than usual. Plus having the extra helpers didn't hurt, especially since Chris' parents have been around for the past few Derbies so they are used to what needs to be done. Also I don't think we had as much food prep this year as we sometimes have had. So we got the tents set up, tables, etc. I made an ice run and picked up a few things we'd forgotten. And before I knew it everything was set up and there was time to spare. This never happens! Of course some people were late to arrive, but that's also to be expected.
Rather than add even more photos to this post, I will direct you here to see all of the Derby related photos.
After the races when things were starting to quiet down a bit we took some time to take a family photo. Getting 11 people to look at the camera, smile, etc can be a bit tricky. Not to mention finding a space to squeeze 11 people into is a challenge. I think we need wider stairs!
And then that brings us to Sunday. It was a pretty low-key day at home. Dekota had requested that I make him a costume for a birthday or Christmas gift. So the night before I ran out to JoAnn's to get fabric and I spent Sunday morning sewing. I'm glad I got it done because otherwise it would have been one of those projects that I would put off for a long time. Plus it was handy having Dekota there so that I could fit it on him.
It rained most of the day so we were cooped up inside, but by late afternoon the rain stopped and we were able to go outside for some croquet.
And that pretty much sums up the week. I did ask everyone what their favorite activity had been. It was interesting to hear what each person enjoyed.
Rosaline- bumper boats
Elizabeth- arcade
Dekota- OSV
Mom - OSV
Dad- OSV, specifically making a hook
Michael- Kimball's
Rebecca - Mini golf
Suzanne - OSV
Boy Chris - coming in 2nd at the Derby
Girl Chris - OSV, specifically the secret activity
Bennett - Kimball's/ Swampland
