Meet Me at the Fair

It's the end of July? There is 90 degree heat? The scent of deep fried goodness in the air? Must be time for the Ohio State Fair! We headed out for a day at the fair with Uncle K. and Aunt Susan yesterday. The grown ups had concert tickets for the evening, but the boys stayed with us until about 5:00, when Grandma and Grandpa H. picked them up. We had a really busy day!

The boys and Aunt Susan head into the fair.

 Now, my favorite thing to do at the fair is eat. I allow myself to indulge in all kinds of bad-for-you food and I love every second of it. I guess what I'm saying is, be prepared for lots of food and eating pictures.

Ryan is a total popcorn addict. I don't think we were inside the fair gates for 5 minutes before he started asking for popcorn. I honestly think he would have been content to munch and wander for most of the day.

This cupcake place makes cupcakes that look like traditional fair food. We HAD to try this! 

This "hot dog" is actually a vanilla cupcake, a chocolate frosting "dog" and yellow frosting "mustard." Wesley chose this for us to try.

Although he looks less than impressed in this picture, Wesley really liked the sweet hot dog looking treat.

Ryan liked it so much, he two-fisted it!

Aunt Sus couldn't indulge in fair food, so she got a henna tattoo.

Chilling with Uncle Kirk. Well, as much as you can chill in the summer heat.

We spent most of the rest of the day riding rides - or watching the boys ride them. I'm almost embarrassed by what we DIDN'T do at the fair. We didn't see the butter cow or the livestock. We didn't go to the displays of cakes and quilts (which are my favorites). We didn't go to the Natural Resources area. Nope. We pretty much lived in kiddie land - and spent WAY too much on rides.



We can see this Ferris wheel from the freeway we drive every day. Wesley and Ryan were DYING to go on it. Now, some of you may remember the fiasco when I took Wesley on the little Ferris wheel at the Pumpkin Show last fall. I am really afraid of heights and kind of freaked out a little on the ride. This time I stayed safely on the ground while Duane and Aunt Sus took the boys for a spin.

That's one cool tractor dude!

Wesley was a pro at milking the pretend cow.

Mommy and Aunt Susan were happy to pose for a picture. The boys? Not so much.

After a little coaxing, Wesley tried his first corn dog. He loved it!

He also tried his first frozen chocolate covered banana - another hit!

This year's deep fried weirdness that I tried was deep fried s'mores. They were actually VERY good! And don't worry, I didn't eat this whole thing. I shared with Kirk, Wesley, Ryan and Duane. Ryan really liked them!

Both boys won inflatable hammers. Gee, I don't foresee any problems there.....

We did some more rides and checked out the petting zoo before the boys were picked up. Then the grown ups scouting the junk buildings for a while, grabbed some dinner and went to see Meat Loaf in concert! The man may be 63 and his vocal chords may be pretty much shot, but he still puts on a fun show.

We pretty much closed the fair out and walked back to the car by the light of fireworks going off. It was a long day and my body aches and my throat is raw from singing and screaming at the concert. Today's plan is to clean out my van, possibly bake and totally relax.

Wesley Short Stories

• Last night we went out to dinner and sat in a corner booth. Wesley was scanning the restaurant when suddenly he stopped looking around casually and started staring.  "What are you looking at?" I asked him.  "That girl in the green dress," he answered, mesmerized. "She's beautiful," he sighed. Then he quickly added, "But I'm still going to marry C."

• Wesley packed a trick or treat bag with everything he thought he'd need for an overnight at Grandma and Grandpa P.'s.  What were the essentials? A Leapster, some games, a couple of his brother's cars and his bear. He slung the bag over his shoulder and proudly announced, "A Wesley scout is always prepared!"  I'm not really sure what he thought he was prepared for with that stash!

• Wesley leaned in to give me a big hug and kiss the other day. "I love you, Mom," he said. I told him I loved him too and returned the big hug. I was just about to give him a kiss when he pulled away and said, "Mom, I'm not really interested."

That'll Get Your Blood Pumpin'

Ok, is that not the freakiest shower curtain ever? Bet you know what today's post is going to be about.

This morning started out no different from any other. Duane woke me up before heading out to work and I went downstairs to get in the shower. Sanders (my sweet old man cat) followed me into the bathroom like he does just about every morning. Before Duane and I got married, Sanders would sit on the edge of the bathtub between the shower curtain and the liner while I took my shower. Every now and then he'd stick his furry little head around the curtain to meow at me and make sure I wasn't drowning. Our current house has a stall shower, so Sanders has to be content with sitting on the sink.

Anyhow, I did the whole shower thing, brushed my teeth, wrapped up my hair, opened the bathroom door and proceeded to scream loudly. Why did shake up my morning routine with a scream? Because Ryan was sitting on the floor right outside the bathroom door! Not only did I almost step on him, but between the sound of the shower and the fan in the bathroom I had absolutely no idea he was there.

"Ryan!" I said once I recovered a bit. "I didn't know you were there!"

Ryan looked up at me with those big blue eyes and said, "But Mommy, I knock."

That little jolt was almost enough to make me skip my morning coffee.

Mr. Strong Man

On the way to Grandma and Grandpa's yesterday, Ryan saw a big truck by a field and a couple of workmen next to it.

Ryan: Mommy! You see dat big truck?

Mommy: Yes, I see it.

Ryan: Dat a big truck!

Mommy: Yes, it is.

It was quiet for about 15 seconds during which time (at a stoplight), Ryan watched the workmen intently.

Ryan: My daddy is da strongest. He stronger than Ryan, or Wesley, or Mommy.

Mommy: Your daddy is pretty strong.

Ryan: He is da strongest and da coolest. He could pick up dat truck and put it in a bag and carry it to work!

Guess I should start calling Duane, "Mr. Strong Man."

Not Me Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to http://www.mycharmingkids.net/ to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I did not make the kids gigantic chocolate chip pancakes for dinner one night. What kind of mommy essentially feeds her kids big cookies for dinner? Not me!

I did not watch as the boys jumped onto the bed from the dresser (that was pushed up against the bed). Someone could get hurt doing that and it would be completely irresponsible of me to sit idly by.

I know I did not end up with a bloody lip when Ryan jumped into the pool (and my arms) with a water gun. That would mean I got pistol whipped by a two-year-old.

I am not trying to grow my hair out just because my hubby likes it long. And I'm certainly not cursing it every morning when I get ready because it's too short to be long and too long to be short.

Happy Birthday Ryan

WARNING: This post contains TONS of pictures! The really good ones are from Aunt Susan. Check out her blog at http://sightofasparrow.blogspot.com

Well, my baby boy turned three today. THREE!! How did that happen!?  He had a pretty good birthday today. 

For weeks Wesley has been telling Ryan that when he was three, Wesley would let him play with his toy Mystery Machine. As soon as Ryan came downstairs this morning, Wesley made good on his promise. Wesley also told his brother, "I love you, Ryan. And since you're three now, I'll be kinda nicer." That would have been sweet, except it really was the nicest Wesley was all day long. But I'm not going to grump about Wesley in this post. I'll just focus on the birthday boy.

Ryan was really excited to tell everyone at church that it was his birthday. And I do mean everyone. He told the greeters, two of our pastors, the woman who was in charge of VBS and random other congregants. Luckily, everyone acted very impressed with the birthday boy and it made his day.

After church we headed over to Chuck E. Cheese for his birthday lunch. We were there about two hours and Ryan was in seventh heaven!

Don't worry, this game wasn't nearly as violent as it looks. You use the guns to shoot food to the zoo animals. Needless to say, it's the one shooting game that Wesley loved.

Look out! Stay off the sidewalk!

Wesley always says Ryan drives him nuts. Who knew he meant it literally?

Up, up and away!

Such a happy birthday boy!





After we had our fill of pizza, games and all the kid type fun that CEC provides, we headed to Grandma and Grandpa H.'s for some cake and ice cream - and a squirt gun fight!





Another amazing cake decorated by Daddy!

Licking the icing off the candles.

A new piggy bank to replace the one that shattered at Grandpa P.'s last week.

Mommy and her boys

Overall, it was a really good birthday. I think Wesley was a little disappointed though. On some level he thought that Ryan turning three would suddenly make him a big kid. When we got home Wesley looked at Ryan, turned to me and said, "Mom, I don't know if he's three yet 'cause he still talks the same."

Trust me. He's three!

Back in the Swing of Things

I went back to work today after my "VBS Vacation." I know it seems kind of strange to go back to work on a Saturday, but I kind of like it. Since there was only one other person in my department, it was very quiet and I could get a lot done. I went through all 286 emails that had piled up in my inbox. Only about 76 of them required an answer or action on my part, so that wasn't too bad. I got the issue books taken care of, the mending done and the mail gone through.

The only bad part about going back today was leaving Ryan. He's been a bit of a mommy's boy this past week and he did not want me to leave today. He climbed up on my lap and said, "Mommy. You stay with me." So hard to leave!  But we'll get back into the routine soon enough.

Completely Non-Scientific Personality Analysis

So I've been watching my boys eat today. Yes, today was one of the rare days they both ate. Anyhow, I'm convinced that their food choices tell something about their personalities.

Breakfast: One pancake and one piece of bacon each. Wesley ate all of his bacon and then all of his pancake (dry). Ryan went back and forth between bacon and pancake and dipped his pancake in syrup.

Lunch: To celebrate the end of VBS we went and got pizza for lunch. Wesley got pepperoni (the ONLY kind he'll eat) and Ryan got plain cheese. That may seem like a boring and safe choice for Ryan, but you have to figure in what they drank. Wesley had lemonade because he hates soda. Ryan got Mt. Dew. And yes, I did have a very hyper Ryan this afternoon.

Dessert: We went for some frozen yogurt with Grandma H. The place we went had about a dozen flavors to chose from and it's self serve. Ryan changed his mind about 6 times and ended up with chocolate. Wesley immediately chose vanilla. He ended up with chocolate though. What I find interesting is the next part of the yogurt shop. There is a topping bar and you can choose what ever toppings you want and as much as you want. Ryan chose gummy bears, skittles, lucky charms and mini-marshmallows. Wesley chose nothing. Just plain ol' chocolate yogurt.

Snack: Wesley had regular goldfish crackers. Ryan had hot buffalo wing flavored pretzels.

My food analysis? Wesley is cautious. He knows exactly what he likes and doesn't like to change things up, just in case he the new thing isn't as good as what he already knows. This holds true with the books he chooses, the tv shows he watches and the food he eats. Ryan is my daredevil. Yes, he makes conservative choices sometimes, but he likes to experiment (although often on his own terms).  He takes risks.

So my methods aren't scientific. And I'm the first to admit they are biased, but I do think they are fairly accurate.

Major Purchase

We went and bought mattresses for Ryan's big boy room tonight. Duane is getting ready to move the furniture back in. Do you want to know what Ryan is most excited about concerning his new room? The $2.50 blue plastic stool we bought at Target.  He's even watching TV with it.

Whole Lot of Not Much

I'm sorry I haven't been posting much this week. There really isn't a whole lot going on. VBS is keeping us really busy and it's been so hot that we've much hid in the house and watched movies in the afternoon. We did go swimming with Grandma and Grandpa P. yesterday, which was a lot of fun, but other than that we've been laying low.

Duane hasn't let the heat slow him down though. He's been working on transforming Ryan's room to a big boy room. Everything had to be moved out of the room so he could paint. He finished painting last night. Check out this color!

Hopefully it will seem less.....vibrant...after the furniture is back in.  The bed rails to convert the crib over should be in any day now and we are going to order the mattresses tonight.

In the meantime, Ryan and Wesley have been sharing a bed. They don't fall asleep well together, so I've let one of them crash in my bed to start, then Duane moves him over. Amazingly enough, they sleep well all night. And check out how I find them in the morning.



VBS Update

This week is Vacation Bible School at our new church. Well, it's sort of our new church. We're not members yet, although we'll probably become members next month, and we've been attending church there for about a year, so I don't know how new it really is anymore.

As you may know, Duane and I made the tough decision to seek out a new spiritual home about a year and a half ago. We had been attending my church - the church I was baptized in, grew up in, was confirmed in. It's a wonderful faith community, but it's awfully grey. We felt very strongly that we needed to seek out a church that had a vibrant children's and youth ministry in progress and we found it!

I've been really excited about VBS this year. Our previous church didn't have VBS because there were no kids, so Wesley has never been. I wanted this to feel like the big deal I believe it is, so I took the week off work to volunteer for the preschool VBS session. The women in charge asked if I'd do the Bible story every day (really a 20 minute scripted lesson) and although I was a bit nervous, I accepted.

The whole W. family spent part of Sunday afternoon helping decorate the church. Duane and I ended up in a completely different part of the church than the boys, but it worked out great. Everyone in the building kept an eye on the boys and gave them little jobs to do so they could help too. Ryan latched onto a boy who looked to be about 10 and helped his carry buckets of supplies to the classrooms. If you ask Ryan about the boy he'll tell you, "The boy in the blue shirt is my friend." Wesley helped hang inflatable animals and did little odd jobs as well.

Yesterday was our first morning at VBS and it didn't start out as smoothly as I had hoped. Both of the boys were really excited about going, but when we got to church, Wesley started whining and being VERY clingy. I was actually embarrassed by his behavior when I left him with his class. I reminded his teacher that I would be up in the library if he needed me and forced myself to go. Ryan did just fine being dropped off in his room. He's too little to actually enroll in VBS, but he goes to child care room so I can do my sessions with the kids.

I'm essentially doing 4 20-minute storytimes each day. I was pretty burnt out on storytime at work and even though I fill in now and then, I don't really miss it. However, I am having a blast doing this. Maybe it's because it's for a limited time, but I am finding I can just throw myself into it.

Today went really well too. Wesley did much better being left with his class. He made a new friend yesterday - a little boy, which is kind of weird since most of Wesley's friends tend to be girls. This kid is pretty cool though. It's fun to watch him and Wesley together.  I am enjoying a little bit of celebrity at VBS. When the kids were entering the church today, several said "Hi, Miss Heather!" and one little girl told her dad, "That's the Bible Story Lady!" 

I'm so glad I'm spending my vacation this way - even if it means I still have to get up at 6:00 every day and follow a dress code.

Not Me Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to http://www.mycharmingkids.net/ to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I did not allow Wesley to play with my iPhone after he had been eating marshmallows outside in 90 degree heat. That would have resulted in a super sticky phone.

There is no way I spent an obscene ammount of time drooling over insanely expensive dolls and their accessories in an American Girl catalog that showed up at my house.

I know I didn't drop a library book in a bathtub full of water. What kind of librarian would that make me?

I have not been going to sleep embarrasingly early (even for me). Who wastes summer and extra daylight by going to bed early!?

I did not allow Ryan to use his finger to swipe icing off his "pre-birthday" party cake. And if I did, I certainly did not use a knife to smooth over the evidence before serving to said cake to the family.

Pre-Birthday Party

Ryan is 2 years and 51 weeks old today. We celebrated his birthday a week early tonight. Ryan had told us he wanted to go to a baseball game for his birthday, so Grandma and Grandpa P., Uncle Kirk and Aunt Susan and the W. family headed to a minor league baseball game.

Now, you have to understand that going to a baseball game with a 5 year old and an almost 3 year old means that there is very little game watching going on. It's about eating and wandering the ballpark and the experience of the game, rather than the actual game. Let's just say we had a great experience.

Including the time we wandered around, we made it through the seventh inning stretch before the heat got to us and the boys were ready to call it a night. As we made our way out of the ballpark Wesley asked me, "Mom, why is it called baseball when a bass is an instrument?"  Okay, so Wesley isn't a jock. We knew that.

Back at home we had cake and ice cream and Ryan got to open some gifts from Grandma and Grandpa. Ryan did a nice job thanking his grandparents for his gifts and even remembered to read the cards. Pretty impressive for an almost three year old.

Chocolate on the face, cotton candy in the hair and no pants. Now, that's what I call a party!

I'm so happy we were able to have this special night for his birthday. It was so much fun and I know the pre-birthday boy had a great time! Thanks to Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Kirk and Aunt Susan! We all love you!