Puyallup Fair

Saturday was our last chance to make it to the Puyallup Fair. It’s was our only soccer free weekend we’ll have for a few months so we took advantage of having a free schedule and make the drive down. Since it was the last weekend of the fair (and beautiful weather) we knew it would be crowded, so we arrived shortly after the gates opened. Grandpa Fletcher came with us which is always fun because he’s a big fan of fair food – just like us. Before we did anything we chowed down a large basket of curly fries. We also indulged in some other favorite fair foods throughout the day: grilled corn on the cob, scones, and free samples of chocolate milk.

Before we got there we told the kids that we wouldn’t be doing any rides – they are ridiculously expensive and so we try to avoid them every year. They were told to not even ask and in the 6-7 hours we spent at the fair we didn’t hear a single request.

We spent a lot of time looking at the animals. Katie still hasn’t been to a zoo (she’s such a deprived child) and Jason has also had very little exposure to animals so they were both very excited.

Jason and Katie were fascinated with the baby chicks.

The small petting zoo was also a hit.

The big kids got their faces painted. A dolphin for Jason, a butterfly for Carly, and a teddy bear for Abigail.

For further entertainment we watched a funny and quite impressive illusionist show as well as a children’s show that hasn’t changed a bit over the years. Two years ago my Mom was pulled out of the audience to participate in the performance – video clip here. Jason was so fun to watch – he cracked up at all their funny little routines. Abigail wanted to see the show because she knew she’d get to pick out a book on their big bus after the show.

Katie tolerated the day much better that I imagined. She’s usually taking two naps a day still so being in the stroller all day could have been disastrous. She did awesome though and just as we thought we were winding down for the day she fell asleep in her stroller without any fuss. Yeah, Katie!

As we were leaving (for real this time) we caught the tail end of the acrobat show – I think is new to the fair this year(?). Next year we’ll have to make sure we see the whole act – it looks pretty amazing.

Another great year at the fair!

Happy Birthday Dad

Today is my Dad’s birthday – he’d be turning 82 years old.

13 years ago today was his funeral.

This morning I was reading the latest Ensign which is entirely dedicated to the Book of Mormon. The first article was written by the prophet, President Thomas S. Monson. The first few paragraphs describe a conversation he had with a man on his deathbed. It touched me personally because as my Dad faced the end of his earthly life I remember talking with him about the purpose of life and what lies ahead for us when our journey here ends. There are many life lessons that can be learned from the experiences my Dad had during his life, but tonight I felt it was most important that my kids heard his testimony.

I hope they felt the love that my Dad had for his family and for the gospel.

I hope we are making him proud.

Def Leppard

When I got the email from Groupon that Def Leppard was coming in concert there was no question I was going. After seeing Bon Jovi perform last year, Def Leppard moved to the top of my concert wish list. Justin knew this was something I wanted to do and didn’t hesitate to agree to go with me. Last Thursday was the big day.

There was a small opening act before Heart took stage. Amazing that these two ladies can still belt it out.

I took some video with our old point-n-shoot camera. Even though the quality and sound are incredibly poor I would have filmed the entire concert if I had enough memory – just so I could relive the night again and again.

Heart performing Barracuda:

Not everything was heavy – here’s Heart playing one of their softer favorites. This video is even worse (I was filming the big screen and didn’t realize you couldn’t see anything), but you can still get the gist. Notice the gal on keyboard – she was awesome… I told Justin that maybe Abigail could be play keyboard to some great band someday.

After a short intermission it was time for the real show to begin. The one, the only, Def Leppard!

So they aren’t as easy on the eyes as Bon Jovi, but they've got talent.

It’s amazing to me that even after a decade without listening to their music (cause let’s be honest, it’s not very kid friendly), I still knew the songs as well as if I listened to them everyday. Some things just don’t get old. Ok, well the band members have definitely aged a bit, but they are still incredible musicians.

I love the acoustic portion of Rock music – I think the guitar solos are my favorite. I love how they opened “Rocket” with this little piece.

Yes, the guitarist is not wearing a shirt and appears to be slathered in oil, but he is incredibly ripped so I felt it was acceptable.

And the drummer! Did you know he only has one arm? A.maz.ing!

I realize it’s a bit surprising to some to find that I enjoy this type of music. I don’t quite know how to explain it. To some it might be agitating but it's the opposite for me. Maybe I’m wired a little differently than most, but this was my kind of concert. They played every single song on their best hits CD – I couldn’t have left in a better mood. It was awesome.

And what did my country boy from Texas think of it all? Not really his thing in fact he only recognized a few songs all evening. But not once did he complain or act in any way that minimized my enjoyment. Though when we got in the car to head home (after nearly four hours of LIVE 80’s Rock and Roll) and the Def Leppard CD in the car resumed play, he did ask if we could listen to something different.

So now what’s next on my concert wish list? I’m not sure. I’ll have to dig though my old CD’s for a refresher. Chances are there are only a few bands still playing (or still alive?). Justin’s already told me that if Metallica makes my list I’m all on my own.

Preschool

Jason started preschool this past week and he's got the best teacher ever... me! {Did you catch the sarcasm there?} A gal in our ward sent me an email several months ago asking me if I would be interested in participating in a co-op with five other women. I would never consider doing something like this however the preschools here are ridiculously expensive so the frugal side of me couldn't say no, though every other part if me wanted forget she'd ever asked.

When I was at Ricks College I actually took a teacher prep class. Toward the end of the course we took a test that would tell us what grade we are best suited to teach. When I got my results I wasn't at all surprised to see that instead of recommending I focus on teaching a specific grade I was told that if I wanted to pursue a career in education I would be much better suited in administration.

And while I'm not one who thinks it's absolutely necessary for children to attend preschool, I knew this would be something Jason would love and a great opportunity for him to make some friends here. The mom coordinating it all seems to be very well organized and I think as long as there are consistent expectations and rules from house to house I can survive this. With five of us in the rotation I will only teach the boys about six weeks during the year and it's only two mornings a week for two hours. I can handle that, right?

Here's Jason ready for his first day of preschool.

I feel bad that I didn't even get the poor kid a backpack... I dug out a tiny sling pack though so he could have something to put his Epipen in. The conversation we had on the way home from his first day of school is further proof of my lack of preparation.

Jason: {surprised, yet very matter-a-factly}

"It’s at someone's house, mom."

Me: {oops, did I forget to mention that?}

"Yeah buddy, we get to take turns having it at everyone's house. When we have it at

our house I get to be your teacher. Isn't that neat?"

Jason: {chuckling}

"Dat be so funny Mom!"

Yeah, it is a little funny. Wish me luck!

D.A.D. Day

The arrival of fall brings with it cooler temperatures, back to school routines, busy soccer seasons, and a demanding work schedule for Justin. It's his busiest time of the year as he works to complete and file the state tax returns for T-Mobile. His biggest deadline is October 15th, but September 15th can be quite a dozy as well. So basically we usually don't see too much of him for about a month and a half. I think every year he and his co-workers have taken October 16th off as a get-out-of-work-free-day. (Not really free considering he'll often be working 16+ hour days as their deadline approaches). Yesterday marked the passing of deadline #1 and his director gave everyone in the group today off. I hereby dub these days as D.A.D. (Day After Deadline) Day.

D.A.D. Day is a special day because we get to enjoy having Justin a part of our everyday routine. It started with him waking up with the kids (difficult to do after our late night at the rockin' Def Leppard concert last night). He managed to make sure the girls showered, ate breakfast, and packed up their homework and the lunches he'd prepared in time to catch the bus to school. I stayed in bed and finished reading a book. As lunch rolled around we decided to take advantage of the opportunity to eat out with only two children in tow and headed to one of our favorite places - The Cheesecake Factory. The food was wonderful as usual; unfortunately it took 45 minutes to get it so we had to eat quickly because Katie's restaurant manners were wearing thin. Turns out Miss Katie's behavior was justified because later that afternoon she was running a fever. I gave her a bath and medicine, but what the girl really wanted was her Daddy. Thankfully, I was able give her what she needed.

The girls get out of school early on Fridays and each wanted to play with friends. Justin is very pro-playdates which is understandable because he's not the one who has to deal with playdates... usually. First let me say, I want the kids to have friends in our home, but it's not always easy... first you have to call around and try find someone without plans, then there are transportation issues, and messes, sometimes arguments (Jason won't leave us alone...), and the most frustrating to me is when they approach me and say they can't think of anything to do. But since Justin was here and all for it - everyone had a friend over to play. Oh, did I forget my least favorite thing about playdates - is that within two minutes of friends arriving Katie is prematurely awaken from her much needed nap. Good thing it was D.A.D. Day cause she was content to hang out with her Dad while he played with all the kids outside.

Our evening was relaxing - much needed after an incredibly busy week. Justin made quesadillas and fresh salsa for dinner while the girls and I watched the finale of Design Star. Then it was off to bed for the kiddos - as usual I got Katie to bed quickly after a short story and snuggle. As I type this Justin is still up with the three oldest. He, as usual, takes his time getting them to bed (though, at this point I’m thinking he may have fallen asleep with them). I know that they love the time he spends visiting with them each night as they lay in their beds. He's such a great Dad.

After our awesome D.A.D. Day today, I look forward to our next... too bad we're going to have to manage without much of him for a few more weeks.

Running Behind

The kids are nearing the end of their second week back in school and I’m still struggling to find my new groove. It’s like someone flipped some switch and suddenly life is crazy busy and I’m running around like a wild woman. Which doesn’t quite make sense because shouldn’t I feel less busy with only 2 kids at home instead of 4? I’ve even been late to several things lately and I’m never late (unless it’s “fashionably” acceptable and expected). Seriously, I have a reputation for being very punctual. It makes me NUTS to run behind schedule.

SUMMER HAS ARRIVED!! Yes, it’s a few months late and unfortunate that the girls have already gone back to school, but we have had the most beautiful weather the past week or so. Thankfully it coincided with a holiday weekend so we could spend some time enjoying it as a family.

We spent lots of time in our backyard. There’s nothing pretty about our backyard (unless you include Justin’s thick green grass), but it’s a good size and we’ve spent lots of time enjoying it this summer. One of our favorite things to do is play “volleyball”. Unfortunately, I don’t have a picture, but basically we set up our badminton net between two chairs (so only about 3-4 feet high) and we play volleyball with a huge beach ball. Usually it’s boys against girls and 9 out of 10 times the girls win (though I’m told winning isn’t everything). It’s lots of fun, surprisingly good exercise, and we laugh a lot.

Below is the kids hitting the ball around with Justin without the net set-up.

Katie enjoys sitting in this little beach chair we bought several years ago. She is quite the little daddy’s girl - every time Justin moved somewhere else in the yard she would pick up her chair and move it closer to him.

We also enjoyed a few BBQ’d meals from Justin over the weekend. I’m not at all into eating hamburgers and steak, but I did find a new pleasure in relaxing on a blanket on a nice sunny evening. Next summer I’m thinking a hammock would be a great addition to the backyard.

Saturday morning Justin took the three big kids on a hike. Without a hiking pack for Katie, she and I stayed home. Justin will post some pictures soon of some of the fun things he and the kids have done this summer sans baby and baby-mama. There are times it’s just easier for us to split up. Stay tuned for summer-a-la-daddy.