Thurston County Fair--2012

The day after Ethan's birthday party we packed the kids up and headed to the Thurston County Fair.  We really wanted to make a trip to it again this year since Ethan had enjoyed it so much last summer.  We caught the free shuttle again, a.k.a. a school bus, which made Ethan sooooo happy.  He LOVES school buses!  

I love his wacky face in this one, even though it's not a great picture over all.

 So excited to be riding on a school bus!

 We spent most of our time there checking out the animals.  Ethan was really interested in the pigs this year.

 I love how the pig's snout is sticking out...I think he smells Ethan's sucker!

 I loved how Ethan wouldn't take his eyes off the pig so we could get a picture.  I guess you never know if you can trust a pig!

 Carter did pretty well being pushed around in his stroller.  We stopped by the goats and got a picture of him with them.

 My boys and the llama

 We also stopped by the bee keeper's exhibit.  Tristan is interested in keeping bees at some point, so we thought we would get some information.  Here Ethan and I are checking out the "hive" and looking for the Queen (she had a dot painted on her back).

 No fair is complete without a tractor...and Ethan found one!  Love those blue lips.

 Snack time!  Carter was so funny...he kept holding his goldfish in his mouth like this.

 Happy boy!

 Carter LOVES his daddy!

 We stopped by the chickens and spent some time with the chicks.  Carter was very interested in them.

 Time to pet the cows!  This calf was so soft and sweet.

 Carter getting in on the action.  He actually did o.k.!

 We ended the day by stopping by this field and having a picnic.  Carter and Ethan spent some time watching some older kids with the hula hoops.  After they put them away Carter went exploring on his own.  He actually got a good distance from us and never looked back!

 Found one!  O.k., hula hoop, do your thing!

 I think he thought the older kids made it look a lot easier!

 Ethan trying it out

 We decided to stop by the horses at the last minute.  Ethan was really scared of them last year and we wanted to see how he did this year.  He was a little less scared, but definitely not comfortable.  He was holding on to Tristan so tight!  Maybe next year!

 Riding the shuttle back to our car...Carter was pooped out!

I'm so grateful for the family time we have to spend together when Tristan is home.

Ethan's Birthday Party--8.30.2012

Ethan's birthday was a full-weekend event this year.  Lots of fun, but also exhausting!  The Friday before his birthday we had a little party for his friends at my parents' house.  We got pizza, let the kids swim and play and ate some cupcakes.  We had a great time and had beautiful weather--it was one of the hottest days of the summer!

The mamas sitting and visiting

 The kiddies enjoying the pool in the heat

 My aunt and uncle stopped by for a visit--Carter enjoyed some attention in the shade (like he never gets any!).

 The kiddies playing on the playground

 Anderson taking a turn in the car floatie

 Cupcake time!

 Make a wish!

 Carter getting some snuggles from Aunt Kelly

 Dylan going for a cruise

 Time for some gifts!  Ethan was spoiled by his friends.

 Ethan and Anderson enjoying a "private" pool

 Ethan and Caitlyn cheesing it up!

 Wheeeeee!

 By the end of the party Carter was pooped and took a nap in the shade.

It was so fun to celebrate Ethan's 3rd birthday with some dear friends!

The Great Outdoors

Both of our boys love the outdoors.  L. O. V. E. it.  Carter throws a fit when I make him come inside from playing.  Needless to say, they have made great use out of our backyard this summer.

Even before Carter could walk he just crawled around all over.  It didn't even phase him.  He just wanted to play just like Ethan did.

 Watching his big brother

 Ethan going fast, fast!

 It was nice to have a place to do the messier projects, too.  Here Ethan was trying out his new easel that he got for his birthday.

 Carter got to paint, too.

 Carter even learned how to climb up the slide before he was even walking...I knew I was in for it then!

I'm so glad that  we had such wonderful weather this summer so we could enjoy doing what our boys love best!

A Helicopter Tour

The Olympic Flight Museum brought helicopter down to the Hands On Children's Museum one day so kids could explore the inside.  So, of course, we had to go check it out!

Ethan exploring the cabin 

 Taking his turn in the pilot's seat!

 Now trying on the co-pilot seat

 The state capitol building (where the helicopter was located)

 We ran into several friends down there.  I was able to snap a few quick pics of the Marlatt boys.

Skyler looking out the window

 Dylan and Skyler

 Dylan hammin' it up

 Allisha and Dylan

 Trying to get a pic of the big boys...Ethan wouldn't cooperate.

 Afterwards, we let the boys burn off some energy by running around the capitol campus.  This is one of the fountains on the campus.  I took a picture of Carter in front of it to prove he was there with us!

 Skyler and Ethan running around

It was fun for Ethan to be like his daddy for the day!

Summer Fun with My Boys

All summer I have been thinking about how grateful I am to be in a home rather than an apartment.  We have had so much fun here as a family.  I have felt so much more relaxed and more able to enjoy my time with my boys.  Carter is growing so fast.  He wants to be big like Ethan and is doing a pretty good job keeping up with him!

He is a MESSY eater.  I know there are many things about parenthood that I will miss when my boys are grown and gone, but having to literally mop the floor after EVERY meal is not one of them--I am sure of that to my core!  On the positive side, he is a good eater and not picky at all.  Here's a picture of him enjoying dinner one night.

 He has discovered the washer and dryer and is fascinated with them.  He loves to watch it spin around and around.

 One day I went to go check on Ethan during quiet time because it had been a little TOO quiet for a bit.  I walked in to find an empty bedroom.  I started to panic, wondering where he could be.  I searched his bed thinking maybe he was just balled up under the covers--nothing.  Finally I looked in the closet because that was the only place left to look.  Here is what I found:

 Ethan had apparently crawled in there to play and fallen asleep.  I was so relieved and was then able to laugh about it.

 I love it when I catch little moments like this...they were looking at a book together and it was just so cute how they were sitting together.

 One day I couldn't find Carter so I went back to my bedroom calling for him.  He cam crawling out of my bathroom with toilet paper following him.  He had made a huge mess, but I couldn't help laughing when he popped up with this look of accomplishment on his face!

 We enjoyed going to our ward park playdates once a week.  One week a sister in the ward brought a parachute and some balls to play with.  Ethan loved it (he's wearing the read shirt with the blue and white stripes).

 This pop up tunnel has been the center of our summer inside fun quite often.  Ethan has always loved it and he and Carter have so much fun playing in it together.  Carter loves it so much that he will crawl inside of it even when it is folded up.  What a silly boy!

We have had lots of fun just being at home together this summer!

Summer Camp Out

Costco had these great tents on sale and after shopping around we decided it was too good of a deal to pass up.  It's a 10-man tent, but we figure that really means 6 or 7 and we already have 4 people.  Throw in another kid or some friends who want to come along and we should have no problem filling it up!  We decided to set it up and check it out one day and then decided we should have a family camp out!

 Ethan and Carter both loved the tent and loved playing in it.  Once we got Carter down for the night we headed out to the tent to watch Up! and eat popcorn and candy.  Ethan thought it was so fun to hang out in the tent as a family.  And then the MASSIVE thunderstorm hit.  I mean, I don't remember EVER having thunder and lightning like that in Washington.  You could barely hear the movie!  But we made it all the way through the movie and got to test out how waterproof the tent really was!

 After the movie I decided to move inside since I was worried the power would go out and the baby monitor wouldn't work and Carter was inside by himself.  But Ethan made it through the whole night with his dad and we still had lots of fun!

This is just a random picture of our head of cabbage that came from our garden...It doesn't really fit in with any post, so here it is!  We had a good turnout from our garden this year and are looking forward to another harvest next year!