The Nevada County fair

We went to the Nevada County fair on Friday. We decided against going to the State fair this year because it was too expensive for what the kids would get out of it. And it is a big fair. Really big. We had also heard stories about some of the kids and teenagers there, and we remembered how true those stories were from last year's visit.

So I looked around for other things for us to do as a family, and found the Nevada County fair. It is a bit of a drive from Sacramento (it tooke an hour and 20 minutes to get there; and hour and 45 minutes to get back). But it was totally worth it.

First, it was only $9 for entry and $7 for parking. And they let you take in all your food. In fact, people take in so much food that they have covered picnic spots all over. That was very nice. Second, it is smaller, and very family oriented. They have face painting and all kinds of kids stuff for cheap or free. It is very family oriented. We loved it.



Of course our kids had to eat soon after we got there. That was fine. We put them in the stroller with snacks and meandered our way to the horses. The horses were great. No one cared that we stopped by every horse (in and out of stalls) and petted them. We talked to them all. The owners all came up and talked to use about the horses and Nicholas got a bunch of his "why" questions answered by the owners (somehow, he didn't want me to answer them).



Then we went to see the cows, pigs, goats, chickens, and rabbits. Everyone was super nice and let Nicholas pet anything he wanted to. They had some saddles sitting on hay bales that the kids could get on and use ropes to rope sawhorse bulls. Nicholas had a blast. I finally got a good picture of them both where they are looking at the camera.



The US Forest Service and CalFire all had fire trucks there. There was a nice young man who was a CalFire firefighter that talked to Nicholas for a LONG time. He put Nicholas up on the fire trucks, showed him where the wheel and horns and sirens were. Answered a TON of questions like, "Why are fire trucks red?" He was very nice and very good with kids. I am continually amazed how good firefighters are with kids. Although I guess they see a lot of them.

It was a great fair. They had a dog show that was great. After the dog show we had some meltdowns by both kids and decided to leave. On our way out we got cotton candy and some cold water and only spent $4! I mean, you can't do that at bigger fairs.

It was a blast and I am glad we went and will totally put it on the calendar to go next year too.

Motherhood

There are sometimes when I think I am blessed to be a mother and sometimes when I know I am blessed to be a mother. Don't get me wrong, motherhood is very rewarding, but sometimes I do forget that most of all, I want to be a mother.

Those days are few and far between. I have my moments: When the neighbors know my children's full names and people on the other side of town can probably do an impression of me saying, "What in the world happened here?" But those moments always fade from memory once the offender curls into my lap and says sorry (usually after he has to clean up the mess).

Motherhood is filled with all sorts of fun. When else do you get to go to a park and run around as an adult? Or have a good excuse for playing in mud, building sand castles, playing in a kiddie pool, and cleaning the kitchen floor with sponges on your feet? Or playing hockey with ice cubes on the kitchen floor, watching cartoons, and snuggling in a bed with stuffed animals? There are the fun times with reading and art, watching kids build new skills, and being proud of them when they do something great.

But then there are the other times: The late and never ending nights, the days when everything a body can produce has been produced and dumped on you, the frustration of wondering if a record player could do just as good of a job as a parent since you spend all day saying, "What are you doing?" and "Really?" and "No," and "Why did you do that?" and "Stay away from the road," and "be nice to your sister," and all those repetitive phrases. And the nights where you finally get to sleep, only to be woken up by someone at your bedside saying they are scared and won't sleep unless they are in your bed and cuddling with you - not their father who is blissfully sleeping, but you.

Anyways, sometimes it just helps to remember that motherhood is a blessing overall.

And when all else fails, put the kids in the back yard with some dirt and trucks and watch them make a mess :) It will bring a smile to anyone's face.

Davis Ranch Sweet Corn Festival

On Saturday July 16, 2011 we went, for the first time, to the Davis Ranch Sweet Corn Festival. I have been on a country music kick, and heard about this festival on the radio. Then I checked it out online. I saw the words "free" and "tractor rides" and knew Nicholas was going to love it.



Look - Jon and I actually got a picture - taken together - with no kids! We can now have one from our wedding, and from 2011. It seems that between the 2 kids, we hardly get any pictures taken anymore. As a side note, I was standing on a hay bale with my boots on (1 inch heel - western boots). That's why we are almost the same height. I don't think this would fool anybody who knows us. And I fit into my western boots - which means I have been losing weight :)



Nicholas did the pony rides. At first he didn't want to. Then he saw that the ponies were "little horses" and thought it would be fun. These were not free, but I ponied up (haha) and let him ride. Oh my, the fit when the ride ended. I think someone is going to horse camp next summer.



He had a blast on the tractor rides. They did 2 in a row. Nicholas had no intention of getting off the tractor. They rode forever and ever. Which was fine because I held Abby and we wandered around and she yelled with excitement. Then she crashed in her stroller and took a nice nap and I got to sit in the hay bales, in the shade, and smell the cows.



I got a picture of me and Nicholas too. I don't have many of those since I am normally the one behind the camera. This picture was taken at the hay bales where you could sit and listen to music.



They had free bounce houses too. Nicholas probably spent an hour or so bouncing while Jon and I sat and watched and Abby napped. We got to talk - which we don't often get to do during the day with the two kids. And then the band started playing. I am all for giving people a chance, but the music wasn't that awesome. They had sound problems (the lead female vocalist had her mike up WAY too loud), and they simply weren't that good. I don't mind semi-professionals, or even people who just do it for fun, but then you shouldn't be overly ambitious with the songs that you pick as a band.

We did stop by their produce section before leaving. They have fabulous produce at great prices. Nicholas and Jon picked strawberries and we ate them all that day. We also have corn galore and love it. Nicholas even eats the corn. So I have found my new produce spot.

We loved the festival and will return next year and for the gourd festival in September.

Things you forget...

There are things you think you will never forget about kids. yet by the time the second one comes around, you have forgotten them.

For instance - I have forgotten how messy they get when they are first learning to eat. And how they get into EVERYTHING when they start crawling - simply because they can.

Abby is quite the proficient crawler right now; at least when she wants to be. Sometimes she decides it is not worth the trouble and cries until you come get her, but when she wants to, she can move. I left them in my sight while I went to the bathroom, and when I got out, I knew she had crawled away. To the diaper bag she went, in search of food. She found the Cheerios, emptied the container out onto the floor, and was happily munching away. This is about 10 minutes after she ate strawberries, a chicken nugget, yogurt, and some baby food. Nice to know both my children can be motivated by food.

Nicholas doesn't like that she can crawl and reach his toys. He likes to have "races" with her while they crawl outside. But not when she's trying to get his toys. He's getting a quick lesson in the reasons he needs to pick up his toys instead of leaving them on the floor. That quick lesson is called Abby. if he has it, she wants it. My girl likes cars and trucks - since that's what her brother has. I tried to get her a doll, and she has no interest. She does like the stuffed cow. She tosses it around and rolls all around the floor with it. She always ends up on top of it, holding the horns, eating the cow. So I figure she's going to be a rodeo super star and a carnivore. Not a bad combo.

Jon and I are doing well. The gym has been a great savior for me - it gives me "alone" time every day I go. Not time by myself to do what I want, but time alone - without the kids - to just focus on working out. It's a great mental stress reliever. And physical stress reliever too.

Hope everyone is doing well and Happy 4th of July (almost)!

Dresses and skirts

I have been on a sewing kick lately. I have made 2 skirts and 2 shirts for me, and some clothes for Abby. I have a problem buying daisy dukes for babies, and those seem to be the only shorts that exist for little girls, so I make hers. I also make skirts and dresses.

On the left is the newest dress; a heather gray jersey 2-way stretch knit with ruffled shoulders, gathered skirt, a black and white bow with fuchsia sequins and a black and white waist band with fuchsia sequins. The top has an elastic band around it so that I can simply adjust the back velcro when she gets bigger and the top will expand with her.

It is important to me to make clothes that she can grow with because then it isn't a waste of fabric or time to make her clothes. She's currently wearing 24 month clothes, and she's only 7 months. It is also why I make the dresses longer. I don't like showing off her diaper, and I don't know how to make the pants that go under the dresses, so dresses get made longer.

Isn't this a cute picture of her in the dress with her headband on? She got her picture taken right before church and right after a nap so she's still happy and smiling.

Next up is her purple skirt. This started as a tiered summer dress and ended as a skirt. I cut the fabric, then waited 2 weeks to sew because things kept coming up. So the top of the outfit didn't fit her. So I cut off the skirt portion, put in an elastic band at the top, edged it with some ribbon, and now she has a happy summer skirt. The fabric is really lightweight so I had to double it (or line it). It's simply gathered with elastic, nothing dramatic. No tulle or anything.

My next project is a new top and dress for me. Hopefully I will get to cut it sometime this week and sew this weekend. We shall see.

Our potatoes are in!

Today, while we were outside to try and make everyone happy, I realized it was time to harvest potatoes. I use harvest slightly loosely, since I have about 10 potato plants in a planter box on the ground in our yard - I don't have to walk far (about 10 steps) to get them, and there are not a lot of them. But it is fun to plant them because they always grow for me (this is not true of everything).

Nicholas decided he wanted to help. After he pulled up a strawberry plant, thinking it was a potato plant - and no, I don't know how he got those mixed up - I put him on washing duty. He loves playing with the hose, so this would be perfect for him. See his surprised face when the water splashes from the potato onto him? This happened the first time when he held the potato too close to the hose while cleaning them, then it happened again and again. I figured he could only be surprised so long, but he loved it.

Hoses are great toys for kids in the backyard.

I heard a news article about how hoses are bad for kids these days. Yeah right, I lived through hoses as a kid. I had no problem with them. My son can handle the "problems" that come from a hose. I love hoses for kids - he loves them, he gets to cool off, he drinks water (for a change), and he gets clean. How much more can a mom wish for?

He put all the potatoes on the grass and then gathered them into his lap for a picture. He wanted a picture with "his" tomatoes.

He also spent some time inside today. We are dealing with a sick baby girl, so sometimes we have to spend time inside that I would rather spend outside. And here's a great picture to explain why I prefer outside - there are no toys to cause problems with. He gets rather creative with new uses for toys.
This used to be his bouncer, and is now his sister's. When the seat cover had to go into the washer this morning, he decided it was his new "exercise" gym. He hangs in the middle and bounces, then he lays himself over the top and bounces. Who knew bouncers for infants were really for kids?

Rolling and teething.

Abby is moving and teething. Unlike other children, Abby has to move by rolling. I joke that it is because she's so big she doesn't have the muscles to support her crawling. But really it is because she simply prefers that way. Plus, it is faster. I was standing about 20 feet from her, talking to Nicholas when all of a sudden she was pulling on my jeans. So she can move when she wants to. She would rather scream and cry until someone comes and gets the toy she wants, picks her up, or whatever she needs. Nicholas generally is the obliging one. I like to try and get her to stretch herself before I do it for her.

She's also teething. For those people who don't have a child who has gone through teething I will tell you this - kids are so different. With Nicholas he cried and whined, but with Tylenol and some teethers he would calm down and sleep. He didn't get sick or refused to eat. He just kept on eating a ton, drooling a ton, and the teeth came in. After which I would promptly get bit.

Abby, on the other hand, doesn't want to eat thank you very much. It hurts. Even with Tylenol. She's not a good teether. Yes, she likes to munch on teethers. But she prefers cell phones (if anyone is crazy enough to leave them out for her), fingers, shoulders, your clothes (preferably the ones that get ruined or see-through when wet), paper, and toes. When none of those are available, her older brother will do. Nicholas doesn't like this much, which results in some serious crying from Abby and a scolding by Nicholas. Nicholas says "Abby. mouths are for food only. And apple juice." (Can you tell we have gone through this before with him?) It is kind of funny. It would all be funnier if it was happening to someone else, or at some other time.

I'm still going to the gym most days. I had to skip today. I had great plans today. I was going to go to the dentist, then come home and get the kids, go to the gym, go swimming with the kids, do Costco, then do our UC Davis visit, then play outside. It's a nice day outside - not too hot. well, the dentist appointment turned into a root canal. So Costco and UC Davis got done, and the rest didn't. This root canal really hurts. It hurts even more when people "snuggle" against my face because they are tired and refuse to take naps when their sibling is still awake (both children refuse to go to sleep if the other one is awake - makes for fun at our house).

Anyways, that's the news from the Wunderlich's. I will try to be better about blogging, if only because it lets me get some of our funnier experiences out there for records.