The Fair...

Tuesday night we all went to the county fair. We saw the birds, small mammals, llamas, pigs, cows, goats and sheep. We ate fair food (a currywurst, curly fries, and an elephant ear). We saw the tractors, listened to some music, and checked out the 4-H projects. And we left with big, happy grins on our faces.

You see, it was a fun time, sure. But it was more than that. For me, it was a chance to start to share with Luke and Max something that was one of my favorite childhood experiences. In the scope of my summers, the fair was HUGE. GIANT. Absolute Heaven. And since the other night, I've been trying to figure out why.

Starting in the 4th grade, I was semi-active in 4-H. First it was cooking and sewing, and after a few years, I switched to raising market hogs. Now, anyone who knows me probably recognizes that there isn't all that much I miss about country life, and I never loved the work that went into getting a pig ready to show at the fair (as my terrible showmanship record can attest). Really, it was all about that one week payoff at the beginning of August.

When fair rolled around, the rest of life stopped. Erin and I were on grounds most days from early morning until late in the evening. From barn duty shifts, taking care of our animals, showing our animals, and working in the 4-H food booth, we were busy. But there was also a huge element of freedom that didn't exist anywhere else in our lives. Mom would arrange check-in times, and sometimes I was responsible for my little sister. But there were hours every day that we got to wander the carnival, hang out with friends, and revel in the warm weather. There was also a sense of responsibility and a feeling of being an important part of our community. Heck, even now, I can't stop grinning, just thinking about it.

That's something I want for my boys. No, there isn't space in our backyard to raise a 350 lb pig, and I don't even necessarily mean a love of a county fair. What I mean is a time in their summers that fills them with joy, freedom, value, and pride at doing something outside their "regular" lives. Involvement in something that makes them happy. Memories that last forever. A grin as they tell their stories to their children driving home through a warm summer evening.

That's what I want. And maybe another elephant ear...

PS. - Thanks, Mom. I'm just starting to get what a headache fair must have been for you!

Hey...

Don't I have two kids?

Don't worry - I haven't forgotten about Luke. Truth be told, he just doesn't say or do as many funny/crazy/frustrating things as Max does (yet!), so I don't post about him quite as often. Isn't that the truth of the second child? I'm sure my sister would attest to that.

Really, Luke is a great kid. Over the last month, he has moved out of the easy-as-pie happy go lucky lump mode, and is starting to really express himself. First of all, his facial expressions kill me. He has this great fully-wrinkled-nose, sparkly eye grin that cracks me up. And that toothy smile (we're working on tooth number 8) is quite cute - until it latches very firmly onto my shoulder. Biting is becoming a bit of a problem, but fortunately I'm usually the only victim. We're still waiting for our "Charlie bit me" moment - but I'm sure it's on the way.

Food has also been an adventure with Luke lately. At first, he took to solid foods (baby purees) like a champ. But a few weeks ago, he totally rebelled. It took some real trickery to get him to even open his mouth for the spoon. Because he's such a big guy, we didn't really worry about it, but it was getting frustrating. Well, turns out, he will eat just fine - if he can do it himself. Load the spoon up, hand it to him, and he's good to go. A little messy, but he'll eat plenty that way. He also has embarked very happily on the journey towards finger foods. Chunks of fruit and veggies on the tray are a hit, and oatmeal is so much more fun than rice cereal. What can I say - that stubborn, independent streak shows up early in my kiddos (they get it from their mama!).

Probably the biggest change in our world lately is the increased mobility of this youngest Young. He can now army crawl with the best of them, and scoots with rapid precision right into whatever it is that big brother does not want him in. We are definitely entering a new stage with all of that. Luke loves being able to move around more - the jury is still out for how much Max and I like this change.

Here are a couple recent pictures of our cutie - and thanks for indulging me the update!

Three...

..is a magic number! At least we're hoping so. Max turned the big 3 yesterday, and what a fun and busy affair that was.

On Monday night, we had a small family gathering for dinner and marshmallow cake. It was funny - we had asked Max what he wanted for his birthday dinner, and suggestion number one - leftover noodles. Suggestion two? Tomatoes, white rice, and animal cookies. While that may have been amusing, we were happy when he came up with suggestion number three - hamburgers. Dessert was also his choice, and there was no dissuading him from his desires for a "marshmallow cake". Now, I wasn't sure what that was, so we improvised - fudge cake with marshmallow cream and fudge filing, and decorated with marshmallows. It seemed to meet his approval.



He had a wonderful time opening presents, and the hardest part of the day was convincing him that he needed to go to bed - after all, he had all these new presents that needed to be played with! He got some wonderful gifts, including a fun dollhouse (my craigslist find), a great paring garage and fire station, some new Thomas Train toys, and a bubble lawnmower that he couldn't wait to run around with.

Yesterday several of his playgroup friends came over to play, and although I was trying to get away without throwing a birthday party, they brought some very thoughtful gifts, and enjoyed cupcakes. Max was thrilled to pass out birthday hats to everyone, and was so excited to have his friends over.



Last night he recieved his "big" present from us - a big boy bike. Though he's an inexperienced peddler, he enjoyed coasting through the neighborhood before busting out the bubble lawnmower and running through the sprinkler with it. All in all, lots of fun.




I have to say that this was my favorite birthday yet. He was so into it - had definite wants (the birthday banner, marshmallow cake), presents he hoped for and received, family and friends that he adores. It was really cool. Maybe we'll do it again next year...

Oh - and the sweetest thing? As I put him to bed last night, he says "Mama, I want to be two again - that was a pretty good year..." Sounds like he's just as ready to grow up as I am to have him grow up.

Seriously....

Not much to say - just had to share this picture. THIS is my oldest. A manic, crazy, passionate ball of energy with a grin that can thrill and terrify me at the same time. Oh - and at this time he was busy being his current favorite superhero - STICKERMAN!

Need evidence? Here ya go:




Beware - he can break hearts and litter your floor with gooey pieces of paper in a single bound!

Back again...

Well, I think that's it. For the most part, I believe our summer travels are over. After wonderful trips to all parts of the state and a couple thousand of miles on the car, we are home again. And as much as I love traveling, I love being at home just as much. I love the time to get things done that need to be done, visit with local friends, and watch the boys in their own element.

All that said, we had a wonderful vacation this last week. We went to visit Dan's grandma, and had a great time hanging out with his whole family. While visits with his parents are pretty common (they live in town), it is rare for us to spend much time with his grandma, aunt, uncle, sister and her boyfriend. Max and Luke ate up all the attention, and it was great to have extra hands to help out. I actually read a whole book, and am starting to learn to knit (thanks to my amazingly patient sister and mother in law). We took our first family bike ride - and boy did Dan get a workout hauling 70 lbs. of boys and trailer! We also played in the pool (Luke really enjoyed splashing and kicking around, Max likes to stick close), on the playground, and threw the Frisbee around. But I think Max's favorite part was riding the golf cart (or as Grandma Joyce calls it, the easy-go) around the Maxwell Ranch and carefully examining the tractors.





I know I say it a lot, but I really just can't believe how fortunate we are. We have such wonderful families who love us and our boys unconditionally. We enjoy spending time with them, and are lucky enough to have the time to do it. Our boys will grow up with a strong sense of where they come from, and we have the support we need to be better parents. You can't ask for much more than that!

Catching up...

It happens every year, and still I find myself surprised. How is summer so incredibly busy? The school year always feels hectic during the week, and I desperately need my weekends to be relaxing just to survive. But during the summer we (I) work so hard to get every bit of "enjoying the season/time off work" out of it that some of the daily tasks get pushed aside.

That said, we've been having a wonderful time. This last week was full of wonderful birthday parties (all of our playgroup friends are turning three right now), car shopping, and hanging out at the cabin with my parents. Max has been in heaven!

So today is picture overload. I'll tell you right up front that none of them are great technically, but I love what they are - little bits of time that I get to keep.

Luke hanging out on the deck at the cabin:
Max and Mema hard at work (playdough time):


The boys' first bath together:


Probably one of our most enjoyed summer purchases - a variety of dress-up clothes from goodwill. The construction vest and hat are worn every day, and other pieces get tossed in at random:


Sprinklers have been a big hit for Max this summer - he really just goes for it any chance he gets. These are a couple from just hanging out in the yard:



And last but not least, the shot that shows just how different our summer morning pace is:

Have a great day - we're headed out again for a few days to spend time with Dan's family. Then maybe we'll be home for a while and things will slow down.

Yeah, right.....

First Movie...

Dan and I are undeniable movie addicts. Going to the movie theater is one of the few things we miss from our pre-kids life (well, that and not spending major parts of the day wiping faces, noses, and bottoms). We have been eagerly waiting for the time when we can go to movies as a family.

But to be honest, we are movie snobs. Not terrible, but enough that we turn our nose up at the mention of most children's movies (and my mom would add anything that is happy or popular, too). So now that Max has reached the age that seems "old enough", we have been keeping our eyes out for the movie worthy of being his first movie theater movie.

[Side bar - Actually, Max and I went to two mommy & me matinee movies when he was a couple of months old. But who really wants their kid's first movie to be "Wedding Crashers" or "40 Year Old Virgin"?! So we are pretending those don't count. Just so you know.]

To this point, we have enjoyed all things Pixar. So when we learned about Wall-E coming out, it became clear that we had our "first movie" . And fortunately, we were at the beach when it came out - meaning built-in babysitters for Luke. Max wasn't sure why Daddy and Mommy were so excited, but when he heard that it was like a really big TV, he couldn't have been out the door any faster.

I know, I'm rambling on and on. So here's the short version: we loved it, he loved it. He didn't understand it, but that didn't seem to interfere with his complete captivation the entire time. And his favorite part? Getting to eat popcorn and watch a movie at the same time. He is his mama's boy.


I hear "Kung Fu Panda" is great. But I'm not sure I'm ready for my whirling dervish to come home trying to "kung fu" everything. Any suggestions? I'm ready to do it again!