Jessica's 1st Concert

This was Jessica's first 6th grade strings concert... boy, did this bring back memories!! I never played a stringed instrument but I do remember playing my flute in a jr. high band concert in the school gymnasium. Uff da. Anyway, since these kids are just starting out, this concert wasn't very long. I think each song was 1.5-2 minutes in length. But they did well... considering. Jess was pretty excited about it. I'm glad to see she's doing well in school! And I know it means a lot to her for us to be there. She's really coming into her own... she's such a beautiful young lady already! Seems like just yesterday she was a little 2-year-old, trying to be independent and telling her mom, "No!" My how time flies.

Dirt, Hay and Pumpkins

A few weeks ago, we decided to designate a Saturday afternoon to having some Harvest fun so... we took a short trek to a local Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze! Yeah, I forgot that the lack of rain in Idaho can make a hot, dry day in a cornfield even worse. As soon as we got out of the car, and I realized that the type of dirt we'd be walking on was the type that poofed a great cloud of dust out from under our shoe every time our foot hit the ground, I knew that there'd be extra mud and grime in our bathtubs that night! I was seriously covered, from head to toe, with a layer of gritty dust after this outing. And that, coupled with a fairly moderate breeze, made for an uncomfortable tractor-pulling hayride. Probably won't be doing that again - ever! I was trying to cough that junk outta my lungs for the next 2 evenings after that! At least the kids had a good time. We bought a couple of snacks to share and some water for everyone at the little "snack shack" there. The kids got to ride in these painted barrels being pulled by a smaller tractor. Wild times, I know! We all ran through the much-smaller, less-formidable hay maze. And then we picked our own pumpkins! Each person was told: "You must find a pumpkin that you're willing and able to carry on your own!" Of course, L.J. and Jensina went for the bigger ones and they were having quite a time hobbling to the scale with their finds... and then they had to hobble to the car after that! Uncle Brent found the perfect pumpkin, in size and roundness, for us. I picked out a tiny pumpkin and a couple of small colorful gourds for the center of my table. Jessica, Jillian and Jacob each picked out 2 of the small pumpkins since they were only a quarter a piece. They had quite the line-up once they finally got them all home! Aside from the flying dust-dirt, we all had fun. Yes, we were exhausted... but that just made for a better night's sleep. :)

At the Fair

I'm not sure that I ever really blogged about our day at the Fair this summer, so I'll go ahead and do that now. Oh, wait. You know, now that I think about it... I may have written a quick blurb on another blog. Perhaps I'll cut n' paste that here with just a few more details and some extra pics.

Here's what I wrote:

So we went to the Canyon County Fair recently. Instead of having our usual Game Night with our small group, we all decided to meet up at the Fair. It was fun. Nothing like the Clackamas County Fair that I'm used to... but it was fun. The kids enjoyed it. They were able to go on a few rides, got their faces/arms painted, and picked up a bagful of nifty "toys" from the AARP booth in the Expo hall. Yeah, I know... there's something extremely amusing about 5 kids under the age of 12 taking visors, bookmarks and stress balls in the shape of potatoes from the AARP folks. There was even a fun booth on how to wash your hands the right way in order to get rid of all the gross bacteria germs! We all put on this "lotion" (a.k.a. germs) and then stepped into a dark area to look at our hands under a black light. Ew. Then we went to the restroom to wash up (we were told to scrub our hands for the entire length of the ABC song) and then step into the black light area again. That was supposed to tell us how well we were washing our hands on a regular basis. Well, even after washing, we all still had the "germs" on the backs of our hands and around our fingernails. Jacob needed lots of help. It didn't look like he had even attempted to wash his hands the first time! Back to the wash basin. Jessica sang the alphabet song aloud for us while we scrubbed. That was quite entertaining. We walked around and saw quilts and vegetables and photos... most were decorated with 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place ribbons, honorable mentions and what-not. The kids even got to sit on a tractor to get their picture taken. Riveting. Once outside, tactical maneuvering was required... lots of food vendors and miscellaneous-eye-catching-trinket vendors who were trying to get us to buy things we didn't need. We made it through without a scratch! After almost 4 hours at the Fair, we knew it was time to go home when the little ones started getting fussy. All in all, it was a fun day and the kids really had a great time.

Now for some extra highlights:

If you'll notice in the pictures above, there's a definite transformation that takes place in Jillian's facial expression. Between the 1st picture of her on the Ferris Wheel (at ground level) and the 2nd (about half-way up to the top), the change is dramatic! The Carousel was definitely more her speed. I think her smile in that photo is one of relief... being safely on the ground and, yet, still having fun. As far as I can remember, she's the one who's always had an aversion to heights. However, she does like to be held by Uncle Brent... so perhaps that's a phase that she'll soon grow out of. Then there's Jensina who's leaning over and looking down to wave at me. She's fearless. In case you couldn't tell in Jacob's picture, he's showing off the "tatoo" that was painted on his arm. (You can click on the picture to enlarge for the full effect.) The last photo is my version of the tractor picture. I think mine is a lot better than the polaroids that the "Farm Bureau People" took. All the kids climbed aboard this John Deere tractor and were told to smile. Jacob looks utterly thrilled. Of course, he is, by far, the most independent of Jodi's kiddos... so if you tell him to smile, he won't. I'm pretty sure that he is "Opposite Boy" from Bizzarro World. Another fun thing: We saw a clown handing out stickers. She would take a sticker from her big roll of stickers and ask each kiddo if they could tell her what the letters on the sticker were. Once they said, "IYQ," she would say, "Awww, I wike you too!" and stick the sticker on their shirt and give 'em a hug. It was cute!

Just Me...

...putting a different self-portrait in here just in case I want to change up my profile photo in the near future. This one is a little bit funny since my nephew is half-way in the picture, too... and his finger just happens to be in front of me... in a very peculiar spot. Heh heh. But don't mind that. Nonetheless, I like this picture. It's one that my niece, Jillian, took. And we're being our usual "hammy" selves... that's what matters. ;) 

Happy Birthday, Jacob!!

Happy Birthday to Jacob!! He turned 4 earlier this month. Aunt Pam signed everyone up for the Red Robin Birthday Club so each kiddo will receive an e-mail for a free burger on their birthday! Jacob was the first to get one... and while his mom took him to Red Robin, the other 4 kids hung out at our place helping to bake a cake and wrap gifts. Then Jodi called to let us know that they were almost to the house... everyone hid really fast behind chairs and bookshelves in order to surprise him when they came in the door. We totally made him scream... not the scared scream though... it was more like laughing and screaming at the same time. :D So after we got settled down, we had some cake and ice cream and then he opened his gifts. It was a fun evening and it was cool to be able to spend a birthday with our youngest nephew!

I Made the Switch!

I must admit, I was a little nervous to switch from Original Blogger to Beta Blogger for fear that things might get lost... that's (mostly) why I started a new account so that I could check it out without the threat of losing all my previous postings on which I worked so hard! Yay, I did it!! And it does look a little more user-friendly... so perhaps I'll change my other account. ttfn

My Very First Post...

... in my new blog! I always like starting new and afresh! It's like getting new socks and wearing them for the very first time. Always comfy and cozy! Just the right fit... not stretched out yet... not faded with washings and time... not holey. Perfect.

Until next time...