PHEW!

Fair Hill.  DONE.  Crappy weather Thurs and Fri.  Gorgeous Sat and Sun when it really mattered.  Nothing I was in charge of died.  Yet.  I consider that a rousing success!

I've been the Fair Hill blogger for the weekend, for the most part.  So here's what I've been doing for a week:

http://fairhillinternational.blogspot.com/

And, here's the cute small child:

Found a Picture

I was looking at my little camera, seeing if I could take it to Fair Hill tomorrow.  And saw some pictures I hadn't downloaded yet, from Milburn Orchard last week.  Mmmmmm.  Apple cider donuts.

I need to go to bed, after I slather some Ivy Dry on my HUGE poison ivy rash on my leg.  It's awesome.

What'd I say yesterday?

Today's not looking good, either.  Sorry!

Here's what I did all day:

http://fairhillinternational.blogspot.com/2011/10/some-more-behind-scenes-from-sunday.html

In between checking out all the fun jumps, I tromped through some poison ivy, held posts while Russ pushed them in to the ground with the tractor (AT LEAST a million times better than me pounding them in, like I did yesterday.  I almost kissed Russ when he suggested this method.), put up tons and tons of snow fence with 1,000 zip ties, and lay in the grass in the shade with Buddy while eating our lunch.

Tomorrow looks like a drive around in the truck running errands kind of day.

Also, holy hell IT'S HOT.  I wasn't even working hard today and I was sweating bullets.

Buddy advertising for Fair Hill.  He's a good model.

I can only update one blog a day...

Today is not your lucky day.

Tomorrow's not looking good, either.

So, here - check out this post I just put up on Fair Hill's blog.

http://fairhillinternational.blogspot.com/2011/10/3-people-12-hours.html

Aaaaand, that's pretty much what I did all day.  I am tired.  I think I killed the dog, too.  He hasn't moved since we got home.

OK, OK.  FINE.  Here's a picture of the cute child, too.  Watching football.  Because we are awesome parents.  Happy now?

A Banner Day

What makes a banner day around here?  Simple things, really:

Snuggling with your husband for six minutes before the alarm clock goes off.
Getting out of bed early enough to have plenty of time to play, and no need to hurry, before school.
Doing a tough work-out with a new friend cheering you on.
Swimming in the really really big pool with your son, but mostly spending a lot of time watching the "sun place" appear and disappear as the sun goes behind the clouds.
Hearing your son say that he decorated his "cool pumpkin" with "sprinkles"
Hearing your son say that Miss Danielle made some really good cupcakes with sprinkles.  School was all about the sprinkles today...
Eating bananas and green olives for lunch.
Reading "Horton Hears a Who" before AND AFTER nap time.  That's a hella long book, but I do really enjoy it.
Dexter taking a long time to fall asleep for nap time, thus making an extra long nap.  I got lots of stuff done.  Fair Hill - it's-a coming up soon!
Dexter asking to eat snack outside, and me having the ability to say "Sure!  What the hell.  We have coats."

Man, I love where we live.

Daddy coming home early from work to mow the lawn and roll around in the grass with the child and the dog.

Stomping and jumping in puddles and getting really wet.

Calling off dinner early because Dex wanted to make "I Love You" shadows on the sun place on the wall.

Post-puddle-stomping

Going outside to watch the sun set and see the moon.

Making a really big Dexter Sandwich before sending the boys up to bed.

Waaaay up at the top is the moon.  "I think it's a crescent moon," says Dex

Banner, man.  Total banner day.

POOPED

John put Dexter down for a late nap today at, oh, 3:00 or so.  It's now 9:05.  Haven't heard a peep from him yet.  Feel a little bit bad having him miss dinner (especially since he missed my awesome cabbage lasagna) but hey - the kid's been busy this week.  And also not napping, damn him.  He needed some sleep.

Here's what we did Friday and Saturday.  Tomorrow, weather depending, we have plans to hit another fall fair, with a HORSE SHOW.  Killer...  We'll see if it's raining or not.

I'm a bird - TWEET!

Just hangin' in a birds nest, at Winterthur

Look at Mr. Muscles pumping water

With our friend Tommy

The boys get ready to jump together

1-2-3 JUMP!

Mushroom sitting.  They had steam that came out of them.  Very cool to two small boys.

Love this shot from a little bridge in the Enchanted Forest.  This was our first time at Winterthur.  We spent the entire time outside - did not even set one little toe in to the enormous art museum they have there.

Today at the Harvest Moon Festival.  There was a plethora of farm animals to pet.

And wooden cows to pet.  Oh!  Aunt Jeanne is here!  Yay!!

Take Two.  With Mama.  Who finally put some contact lenses back in her eyeballs.

Aunt Jeanne helps Dex pet a baby chick

"You are in the CORN!" he exclaims gleefully.  Jeanne and I finally got bored with the corn (and of yelling at other people's rotten children) and pulled Dexter away from the pool of corn.  TOTALLY doing this at Fair Hill this year, though.

Petting a huge snake.  Notice how Aunt Jeanne did NOT help him do this.  She was as far away as she could get.  When the lady pulled the snake out for him to pet I said sure, just as long as I don't have to hold you for you to pet it.  Cuz Mama?  Not going near that thing.  Jeanne could not believe that he loved petting the snake and the lizard, but freaked out when I tried to get him to pet deer fur and skunk pelts.

CHEESE!

DOUBLE CHEESE!!

Things I forgot

I forgot to post two pictures the other day.

Picture #1:  Amazing sunset we had on Thursday evening, which was well-needed after an afternoon of toddler melt-downs over completely trivial things, plus meeting program deadlines for Fair Hill, plus general "I am a bitch, how about you don't talk to me" attitude by me.

Picture #2:  Dexter and I watching the drummer in the Elvis band at a community picnic on Saturday.  The band started playing and Dexter looked over and listened for a little while, then saw the drummer, pointed, said something about drums, and ran over to see.  We watched for many many songs.  The boy is fascinated with drums, lord help us all...

He was also very sad that we didn't let him climb on the moon bounce inflatable obstacle course thing there.  It really was too big for him, and Daddy tried to explain that he was too little.  Dexter's response?  "You want to be BIGGER!"  He was only mildly appeased by the fire trucks.  And then he saw the "train crossing" go up and down to let people in to the retirement community.  His little eyes lit up and you'd have thought he'd never seen anything cooler.  Want to go inside this fire truck, Dex?  NOOOOOO.  Want to watch the train crossing.

My kid is weird.  I was encouraged today at the playground, though, when he was actively playing with his friends, calling them by name, and saying hi and bye to them.  AND he went up to a strange boy and asked him his name.  Love it!