The Fair

 

 

Ah, the State Fair.  I've always liked the fair, though I'm not sure why.  When I really think about it, greasy food, crowds of people, rides thrown up overnight, booths with pushy salespeople, and smelly, fly ridden animal stalls aren't something to get excited about.  But, somehow, all of that gets forgotten and you want to try it again.  To be honest, we haven't been in several years but we always talk about going.  This year, Corey was out of town and a friend of mine texted me letting me know it was FREE fair day.  Psh.  I figured, why not?  It was short day at school anyway, and with Corey gone I didn't feel guilty about not bringing him along with us, so we went.  It was so much fun!  The boys ate mini donuts, cotton candy, and slush puppies, practiced their cow-milking skills and admired all the randomness the fair offers.  They liked all the animals and the petting zoo (a zebra, cool!), and sitting in some old army vehicles...especially when a nearby man showed them where the horn was.  Yes, I was very grateful for that kind gesture. 

  

We did meet up with my friend, Donna for a bit and made it over to the pig races.  I've never seen them before, but they were a huge hit with the kids.  They chose Asher to be the 'Team Leader' aka the kid with the flag that gets a prize if their team pig wins.  Wouldn't you know it?  His pig won and he became the very proud recipient of a pooping pig key chain.  I am not kidding.  I believe the disgusting little piggie now resides in his 'treasure box' under his bed.

It was a fun time at the fair!  And while we did miss Corey being with us, we definitely made the most of it...just me and the boys:)

Birthday

Yes, it's birthday time again.  This year, Corey was out of town, doing Wood Badge, on my big day, which was not my favorite, but really not too big a deal. It was a really busy Saturday anyway with two soccer games, and helping out with a youth temple trip that night.  Jen and Josh decided to make it special for me by sending his parents over to my house with a huge chocolate cake and some ice cream to boot.  It was SUCH a surprise, and such a thoughtful gesture.  I loved it, and the boys and I loved eating it.  Yum.

Corey, being at Wood Badge for the whole weekend, had zero cellular phone access. BUT, he did figure out a way to get access to the scout office phone.  He and his group of fellow Owls called and sang me an awesome rendition of 'Happy Birthday'.  It was my very own a capella boy band.  The bad news:  I missed the call.  The good news:  I have it on my voicemail to play whenever I so desire!  It was a very fun b-day surprise.

I was supposed to help out with the youth, but alas, Beck had a high fever, so it was out.  I cancelled the babysitter and stayed home with my boys instead.  They were such sweeties, wishing me happy birthday throughout the day, then doing their best to make it festive that night.  Besides eating cake, we put up a banner my mom had sent along with some other b-day prizes.  Both boys made me sweet, thoughtful cards and Beck gave me some of his treasured polished rocks:) Cute little party animals...they just love a reason to celebrate.

After the boys were in bed, I treated myself to a bath and a book.  As I sat there, I spied the canister of Crayola Colored Bath Tablets, took a second to consider, then grabbed a couple and plunked them in. Who says they're just for kids?  And maybe, just maybe they shaved a couple of years off of my age...fountain of youth, anyone?

It was an unexpectedly fun birthday. Thanks everyone!

P.S.  We had a family party the following weekend with presents and super duper salted caramel chocolate cake.  Also fun, except that Corey ended up with a migraine and he insisted on suffering through a dinner out.  Poor guy:(  Thanks for being an amazing husband and making it another great year.  Love you.

A New Way to Ride

My Asher, who is now 7, hasn't had a whole lot of interest in riding his bike sans training wheels, but we decided it's time and that he could do it so off they came!  Being Labor Day weekend, we had some extra time and also a track at the local middle school that would be free...the sun was shining and the time just seemed right! 

Corey and I quickly learned that teaching a child to ride a bike takes patience, and that you should hide your frustration at all times, which of course I wasn't perfect at.  That being said, he was riding in no time at all...probably 10 minutes or so.  He did great!  He was cruising around the track like a pro in no time.  Now he just needs to perfect starting and stopping and we've got a rider! His bike's getting a little small for him too, so we need to start thinking about an upgrade. Just look at this handsome little biker!

I'm so proud of him. He picked it up SO fast and is excited about his newest skill.  I feel bad we waited so long to get him out there on 2 wheels.  Way to go Ashman!