The End of October

We have been so busy in the last couple of weeks. That is not the norm for us but we are enjoying it nonetheless.

At the end of October we took Ian to the NC State Fair for the first time. Buck was able to change work around for the day so he came with us. We had basically counted on not riding anything but Ian surprised us by asking to go through the funhouse and on the ferris wheel. It was a cool moment to be up in the air on a glorious day with my little family.

He and I shared a big turkey leg and corn, we looked at cows and various poultry, and Ian rode a real pony. Ian's favorite thing at the fair though was the cow robot. There was a plush cow who was riding on a mini John Deere tractor. The cow could talk and he could hear us talk too! Ian spent a long time just watching the cow from the sidelines. After a while he felt comfortable enough to approach the cow. He talked to the cow a bit and gave it a pat on the head before running off.

There can be only one

HowManyOfMe.com

There is: 1 person with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

It's been a while

I almost forgot I had a blog. I haven't written in over a year now. Ian is almost 2 and a half. He is lots of fun and very chatty. Some of his favorite things now are: cars and trucks, Star Wars "guys" (action figures), his supey Superman cape, drawing, dancing, singing, trains, swordfighting with Dad and hanging out with friends and family.

We went to Virginia earlier this month. We all really enjoyed visiting Jamestown and Busch Gardens. We were pretty tired by the time we got to Williamsburg on the last day so we left early.

Ian is always learning new stuff and testing out new theories. In this picture he was plugging his ears while humming and talking to hear the difference in sound. We love to paint together, he enjoys sorting silverware and listening to music. He is cool.

Do I have to think of a title?

So I have been bad about writing.....We have been having a fairly busy summer. Ian and I spent the last week of June with the in-laws. We had a good time and Ian had a couple of "very important" firsts while we were there. While at Wendy's one day he both learned to drink from a straw and dip a fry in ketchup. He has been wanting to use a straw for a while now so that was cool. The dipping was a fluke. I had done the typical mom thing of breaking up fries and some burger into small pieces and putting them on a napkin in front of Ian. We were all chatting and not paying attention to the boy. All of the sudden he grabbed a fry out of his aunt's fry box and dipped it in her ketchup and ate the whole thing. For some reason my aunt started crying at this (since it is a rite of passage in American culture) and so I snapped a picture.

We went to Nottley Lake in Georgia one day during our visit. Ian didn't think much of swimming but enjoyed running around and tripping over a concrete culvert that drained into the lake. At lunch he would have nothing to do with the hard boiled egg or hot dog that I had broken up for him. He grabbed a whole hot dog and started eating away. In my head I always think "Baby eating hot dog = Choke! Choke! Fire! Alarm!" but he would not be deterred from doing it himself. This is one of those times when I just let him do it himself and keep a close watch on the proceedings.


We are heading to Florida this weekend for our official summer vacation. I am hoping that we will be able to see the shuttle launch on the 13th. It has always been my secret wish to be an astronaut. I will turn 28 while we are in Florida. I will write and post pictures upon my return.

Mother's Day

We had a gorgeous picnic on Mother's Day. We had my aunt and cousin in town for the weekend and on Sunday we drove them halfway home. We met my mil at a rest stop and had a huge picnic for lunch. My mil went all out-she fried chicken, made cole slaw, potato salad, and brownies. She also brought strawberries, grapes, tomatoes, chips, carrots, dip, and watermelon! It was great fun to watch Ian eat his first slice of watermelon;he mostly ate the rind and of course he made a mess. It was such a beautiful day and we sat in the grass and talked and played for a few hours before we loaded up to drive back home.


In other news, my sister had a baby boy on May 10. He was 7lbs. 11oz. and he has ten fingers and ten toes. She hasn't picked out a name yet, but she better tell me soon:). This is her fourth baby (and her third boy!). Now there are 8 grandkids in the family and Ian isn't the youngest anymore. Welcome to the world, Little One!

Are you going to the Renaissance Faire?

I guess it has been a while...there's not too much going on here. We were kept very busy at the end of March and the beginning of April by the Renaissance Faire. My husband teaches Medieval martial arts (swordfighting, hand to hand combat, whip, etc) at a school here in NC and they always have a booth at the Faire. Last year's faire almost coincided with Ian's birth (but we missed it by a week) so I guess Buck would have been telling me to push while wearing chain mail :). Anyway, we had a good time at the faire this year but I am glad it is over and I am glad that I have my husband back! Here he is in his armor:

And here is a picture of Ian after sharing ice cream with me.

I started going to Curves last week. I am loving it so far. I feel more energetic, I am in a better mood, I feel less sore, I just feel great in general when I go. I have only gone 5 times so far but I think I already feel a difference. I am starting to firm up a little bit. I hope I lose weight but even if I just continue to feel better it is worth going.

Easter

I hope everyone had a good Easter. The Easter Bunny came to visit and left us with a basket full of candy (which is almost gone now...), a duck, and a book. The book is "Poems to Read to the Very Young" and it's illustrated by Eloise Wilkin. She illustrated my all-time favorite kid's book "The Visit". Just another way that my husband, A.K.A. the Easter Bunny, shows that he is paying attention and that he loves me!