The Iowa State Fair

Yes, we did visit the fair twice this year and I think the boys could have gone again! The animals are the hit and it's always fun riding a few rickety rides on the midway. I think I blogged earlier about going to the fair and maybe I even posted a few pictures already but these I just couldn't resist. They capture the lure of the fair so well! If I listed everything that Ethan ate, I think it would make me sick just thinking about how much sugar we all consumed...that's what makes the fair so special! I like to think it's more about the farm animals and the giant butter cow that is a hit among most fair goers every year. You haven't been to the fair until you've seen the butter cow, as well as the largest bull in America! It's gigantic!!! We enjoyed going with my family the first time around and then we met up with the Fawcett's the next week. The fair is definitely something we will be making a tradition every year! After all, it all started 5 years ago when Thomas and I went to the fair for a concert on a date that was very early into our relationship. We already have so many memories at the fair and are hoping to make many more! Every year seems to get more excited for us as we watch the kids grow and enjoy the sites even more. The first picture pretty much sums it all up! Two very tired children (you can't see Simon very well but his head is hanging very low), incapable of making it home to fall asleep in their beds!

A Child's Perspective

When Thomas told me that he would love to help me out one afternoon and take the kids to the grocery store to pick up a few needed items, I was a bit nervous. Not because I thought Thomas couldn't handle it but I just wasn't sure if he would ever go again. The kids really do a great job at the store but I really have a system down and if you aren't familiar with the system, it can get a bit crazy trying to get all the shopping done. Needless to say, Thomas did a wonderful job and Ethan documented the whole thing. I thought I would post a few pictures of what the grocery store looks like when you're riding in the "boat" with your little brother sitting up front and Dad smiling down at you! I think the camera was a quick way to buy some time for Thomas and it worked!!! He didn't even forget anything off the list! Way to go Thomas!

Summer's End

It's hard to believe that September is approaching so quickly and the neighborhood kids have all started school. Ethan keeps talking about going to school because he is all about doing everything that Caleb, his older cousin, is partaking in. He always assures me that he doesn't want to go to the school where Mommy can't come. We'll have to work on this a bit but in the meantime, I really enjoying the attention and the closeness that we feel. I am taking on a few new endeavors in the fall with the boys. I have researched and researched for a homeschool preschool curriculum and have landed on one that I think will suit our family just fine and am planning on starting this with Ethan in a few weeks. He is excited to begin his school and learn alongside Mom everyday as well as spend some special structured time with me while Simon is napping. Ethan has pretty much resisted naps for about a year now so will now officially spend that time doing his "schoolwork". We have also joined a preschool co-op that meets once a week in which all of his friends are a part of. He is super thrilled to join his buddies for a few hours of structured play and the best part is, I get to teach once every couple of months! All the "teachers" are mothers and most are good friends of ours. The co-op was created by a good friend of mine and we are really excited to be the guinea pigs this year and get things rolling. I am really looking forward to adding some more structure on to our day and really teach Ethan how fun it can be to learn and explore the world around him. We have also planned some "field trips" which hopefully I will get around to documenting and posting some pictures of. Should be a good time and a great year!

Here are some fair photos. The boys had a blast at the fair both times we were able to go! Thomas and I had a major realization while we were there...we cannot ride any child fair rides without feeling tremendously sick. =)

Good times!

Summer 2010

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It's hard to believe that we are quickly approaching The Iowa State Fair! It seems like the snow just melted and we were enjoying all the blossoms of spring. I know we always say it, but the summers do seem to go so quickly. This past week we spent in West Branch once again but this time we were able to stay for a whole week! It was great to see all the family that was back in town as well...cousins, aunts and uncles and distant relatives. We kicked off the week by enjoying a whole lot of sweet corn and celebrating Sweet Corn Fest. We picked, shucked, boiled and cut a lot of corn off the cob to then be placed into bags and into the freezer. It was quite a group effort and I couldn't believe how quickly we finished. The rest of the week we spent swimming at the pond, playing with cousins, enjoying long and tasty meals together and making many new memories with our family and friends. It was a great week! Thomas and Ethan even slept over night in an authentic Teepee that Grandpa Fawcett made at the pond! We all roasted marshmallows together around the camp fire and then the boys headed out to rough it overnight. Uncle Jon and Grandpa told stories to the boys (Cousin Owen and Ethan) before they went to bed. I don't know how much sleep either of them were able to get but they sure had a great time.

I thought I would include some photos of our garden here in Ames. Thomas built an amazing fence around it to keep the rabbits out and we started planting right away in late March. We planted quite a bit this year, and are planning to learn through trial and error. This year we planted beets, tomatoes, beans, peas, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, zucchini, 5 herbs, brussel sprouts, onions, radishes, and swiss chard. Everything is growing quite well now that we FINALLY caught the ground hog. It took some time to keep plants early on because she kept eating all the young sprouts right away before they had time to establish. So, with some persistance and several different traps, we caught her and took her out to the country. The garden looks great and it's really starting to produce. We've had so much rain, so we are still waiting for tomatoes to ripen but there sure are a lot of green ones. The peppers unfortunately also taking a hard hit. They caught an airborne fungus (or so we believe) and I sprayed them with fungicide but I think it's going to be to late to come back. Next year, we will be on top of it!

Today, we decorated cookies and Ethan got a tummy ache from eating too much frosting. Every time he got some "accidentally" on his fingers, he "had to lick it off". It was a joy to watch the two boys create and make a mess all over themselves. I wish these days would last forever!