The Great Get-Together

Greg took the day off on Monday, and we took the kids to the State Fair. We got to ride a bus, which thrilled Sophie.


Our first stop was at Little Farm Hands. Here, kids got to pretend to go through all the steps of farming. It was so well done! I'd definitely recommend it to anyone with small children.

Getting all dolled up with her apron and bucket.

Getting a bag of corn.

Transporting her feed.

Feeding the chickens.

Collecting one egg. As we walked away, Sophie asked, "Did the chicken move?" She was trying to figure out if they were real. (Um...no).

She planted a seed and got to harvest one vegetable to put in her bucket. She chose a carrot.

Milking a "cow."

Picking one apple to put in her bucket.

At the end, she got to bring all of her products to the "farmer's market" to sell and earn a dollar. At the final store, she got to spend her dollar on one (real) item. She chose a container of Cheerios. It was a very cool exhibit!!

We also checked out the John Deere equipment next door. The kids loved climbing all over the various types of tractors/lawn mowers. Owen got mad when we yanked him away finally.

This was our first treat. A Fudge Puppie. It was a Belgian waffle covered in fancy chocolate of some kind, topped with whipped cream and sprinkles. Very tasty!


The kids and I visited the "Miracle of Birth Center." It was a miracle we made it out alive! It was a madhouse!! It also made me very thankful that I was not a farm animal when giving birth to my own babies. Not a lot of privacy for those poor, knocked up animals. And I wouldn't have wanted all those strange people poking around at my newborn either. Sheesh!!


This picture was taken about 10 minutes before we decided to call it a day and hightail it for home. The kids were getting a little out of sorts, frolicking about in the dirt while we talked to an acquaintance that we ran into. Sophie wasn't cooperating, but perhaps you can see the dirt that covered her face.

It was a bath-night for sure. For everybody. We had a good time, and we ate some good food. The weather was great, and the kids mostly behaved well. When we got home, everyone took naps. Even Greg. That's saying something...

More fun with the W's

The W's invited us over (spontaniously!) for a BBQ and bonfire this weekend. And we (spontaniously!) went over for some fun and good food. The kids played in the backyard while the dads supervised the grilling of the meat.




After supper we made s'mores over the fire. It was a perfect summer evening!

Bear Park with the W's

We had an impromptu picnic with the W's this weekend. We all grabbed whatever fastfood we were hankering for and met up at "Bear Park" to eat and play together. We were hankering for Chipotle--Sophie had a quesadilla, which she was quite pleased with. It cost $0.80. We love Chipotle!


Owen was watching the big kids pay on a bridge over his head. He so badly wants to be a big kid.

See the rock pinched in his fingers? Yeah. He probably chewed on it for a while. He likes to do that with rocks. Until I come along and pinch his cheeks and dig them out of his clenched jaws.

Owen's little buddy Drew (Lydia's brother). Right now they like to stick their fingers in each others mouths and eyes. But someday they'll be good playmates like their sisters are.




Owen was grooving to the music coming from the other side of this fence.

"Sophie! Come down the slide! We'll catch you!"

"It's not scary!"

"Where is she??"

Night at the Toy Store

We spent an evening out at a toy store recently. I don't know why I never thought of this before!! We could have spent a lot more time there, but bedtime was fast approaching. We'll definitely be visiting there again on wintery days.

Sophie and Greg tried to be skaters. Sophie was a little more successful with her skateboard, I think. Notice, Greg's only had two wheels (instead of 4). How do kids balance on those things?? How old do I feel???

Clean-up on aisle four!

Even Greg loved the toy store. He found a "bike" similar to one he had as a kid. I think he crashed into a display on it. I guess you can forget how to ride a bike.

Corn on the Cob

Ah, yes. My favorite food of summer. I could eat a meal of just corn on the cob. In fact, my family used to (we're from Iowa originally). We finally had some for dinner last night, thanks to Great Grandma C, and it was so good!!

Owen got Sophie's cast-off cob to gnaw on for a bit. At first he didn't really know what to think about it.

So Daddy stepped in to help him out a bit.

Then he got the hang of it himself.

Sophie really enjoyed the corn too.

Thanks Grandma!! Feel better soon!

My First Munchkin

These are some pictures of Sophie that were taken when she was 6 months old. Her baby-stage was before-blog, so I thought I'd post a few old pictures of her for old times' sake.


It's amazing to think of how far she's come in the three years since those pictures! Just today we were having a very deep converstion. It went something like this...

Sophie: Mommy, who were you talking to on the phone?
Me: Yellow Grandma.
Sophie: My yellow grandma??
Me: Yes, your yellow grandma. Did you know that yellow grandma is my mommy?
Sophie: (Giggling) Yes! And you're my mommy!
Me: Yes!
Sophie: Do you remember when I was a baby in your tummy and I was borned at the hospital?
Me: Yes, I do.
Sophie: Someday, when you're a baby, you can be in my tummy!


Me: Do you think you'd like to be a mommy someday?
Sophie: Yeah (giggling).
Me: Do want to have a boy or a girl baby?
Sophie: A girl.
Me: What will her name be?
Sophie: Annalisa. And a Drew, like Lydia's baby.
Me: So you'll have a girl and a boy baby. What color will their hair be? Will it be yellow like yours?
Sophie: It will be blue.
Me: (pointing to my hair) Their hair?? It will be blue?
Sophie: Yes. Blue... and green. And their eyes will be blue like mine.