OC Fair

A few weeks ago, our family visited the OC Fair for a great deal. $2 per person to get in since it was the last weekend. This was the first thing we visited-the petting zoo and the llamas. Now if anyone knows me, you know that this animal is the true meaning of "haughty." (inside joke for those who don't know what I'm talking about.) Looking at these faces...
just make me laugh...and the teeth that jut out of the front...just gotta love it. It was a great beginning to the day. Then we were off to the barn. Lynnea found a willing participant who wasn't going to get up for anything and quickly made friends. Unfortunately, she noticed that there was a large "hole" in a certain part of the pig and began to fill it with "filling."Throughout the entire "my-ear-is-being-filled-with-sawdust" routine, the pig didn't manage to move a muscle. I expected a twitch, a shudder, even a snort...nothing..and this is how Lynnea reacted...poor pig.

Of course we had to visit the drive your own tractor exhibit so that Tyler and Lynnea could play a little. Mikayla tried to be a big help and push Lynnea but she decided that only mother would do so I got "down and dirty" in the sawdust making sure she had a good time.
On to the chicks. These little guys were so cute and even cuter when the woman watching over them gave them the petal off of a little flower to play with. It was the most amazing thing. All of the chicks started playing "keep-away" with the flower petal. Whoever had the little red piece would be chased by all of the other ones until it changed beaks and then they went after that one. It was so much fun to watch.
Then we encountered a first. Mikayla lost her first tooth!! While she was sucking on a sugar-laden candy stick, it just fell out in her mouth. When she handed it up to me it resembled a half-eaten piece of peppermint stick and I just said, "that's nice" but when I figured out what it was, we gave it a cozy little space in the cupholder and prayed that we wouldn't forget it in the stroller when we got home. The tooth fairy gave her $1 the next night. (I know, big spender!)
All 3 of my kids, fascinated by a water spout. Believe me, they do see that kind of thing at home. For some reason, it was so enticing at the fair.
Then we tackled the big events, the rides. We had bought a few tickets so that the kids could ride a few rides but we ended up double spending since we had to ride with them. They were too short to ride alone. I got the priviledge of riding down the mega-slide with Tyler. There was really no way to slow down and I'm sure the whole park heard my screaming and heard my rear slam down on the slide after it reached maximum air time during each bump. I think I sounded kind of like an ambulance and Will made it clear that it was exceedingly loud. You've got to give me some credit. Climbing the tower of terror was hard enough since I'm afraid of heights and then I had to get down-the hard way!! It was fun.
Before we left, we had to partake in some funnel cakes, a tradition with the Lee's. We got 2 so that we weren't all scratching each other in an attempt to score a piece and it worked out well. So yummy!!
All in all, a fun day at the fair. Can't wait for next year!

Can't have too much sand, apparently

Yes, yet another blog about the beach. For some reason, this past month we've found ourselves covered in sand on more than one occasion. I'm actually getting used to the ritual of what to pack and how long is too long in the sun.On this particular weekend, I had planned a social for our Adult Fellowship class but mistakenly chose a day and a place that was impossibly crowded. The few couples that were going to go turned around and went home after 1/2 an hour of parking-lot searching and one other couple and I ended up at another, less crowded beach. I was by myself with the older 2 since Lynnea had a fever and was at home with Will. As you can imagine, I wasn't about to turn around and go home after packing the car for what seemed like an overnight camping trip. The 3 of us and our kids had so much fun building sand castles, watching the HUGE waves crash onto the shore and almost getting washed out to sea. Here are a few pictures of our day.

Tyler didn't like the waves touching him so every time a wave came in, he would turn in the other direction and run like the wind. Mikayla welcomed the danger.
Valerie and me watching Jeff and the kids make sand castles.
One of the surfing-worthy waves. They were beautiful!
Caught with a "tiger" face. He was pounding the sand like he was angry at it. It's that inner boy aggression or something.
And, finally, the sad farewell to the day at the beach. Thanks to Jeff, who thought perching on the edge of the "water-doesn't-pass-this-far" cliff and assuming that there was a boundary for where the water stopped, we encountered a wave of massive proportions that swept all of my dry towels into a wet and sandy heap. This wouldn't be that much of a problem if it wasn't for the fact that the blue and white quilt, used by my parents for every trip, picnic, and camping trip we went on, got covered in sand and grit. It had already been showing its age through ripped seams and protruding batting and I couldn't imagine how I'd clean the sand from inside the tears so I asked Valerie if it was worth it to keep the ruined masterpiece (hand quilted, by the way). We both decided that it wasn't and I left it in a dumpster at the beach. I must admit, I had to take a moment and tell myself it was ok. I'm pretty sentimental. Hopefully the next blanket will be just as loved and used.

Here is the last photo I took of it... *sigh* Rest In Peace...

Weekend Fun

A few weeks ago, my friends came into town and brought with them their 3 adorable kids. It is mandatory that they get together every time they come so Mikayla and Madeleine spent hours playing together and developing their friendship. Here are some shots I took of the weekend.
These past few weekends we've headed toward the water for some reason. This particular weekend we found ourselves at Redondo Beach after attending a Hawaiian festival which was so hot we found ourselves purchasing extraordinarily large shaved ice cups. Since we were already in the area, we decided to make the most of the day.
Lynnea really got into the whole sand thing. There was sand on every part of her body.
Then the next week was VBS at our church. It was a camping theme, as you can see. I thought it was a pretty good depiction of a campsite thanks to the girls who worked with me and seemed to have all of the perfect decorations for the event. I had a lot of fun playing with the kindergarteners but it was quite a week of waking up early and no naps due to overstimulation. It was a trying week to be sure but Mikayla really loved being a "big girl" and attending the real VBS. Almost a first grader! I still can't believe it!
These two definitely have a strong bond but Lynnea is using her force more often lately. If Tyler teases her too much or play wrestles too much, you can be sure Lynnea will defend herself. Most of the time, Tyler will find himself the victim of a hand slap or a mean pinch. He's quickly learning that the smallest isn't necessarily the weakest.
...and this is what happens when I leave Lynnea near a wading pool outside...pure and absolute saturation. Look at the legs too. Why is it that kids can get absolutely, disgustingly dirty in the span of 30 seconds? At least she had fun, right?