Evergreen State Fair

The first day of the Evergreen State Fair was toward the end of August and it was FREE. So, Samuel and I decided we would make our way out to Monroe to have a fair day. Unfortunately, it was on a Thursday so Kyan couldn't join us because of work. However, Samuel's cousins were able to meet up with us a little later in the day.

Samuel LOVED the animals. We saw cows, chickens, roosters, goats, sheep, rabbits and goats. He thought the little piglets were so cute. They were only a few days old at this point in time. 

We also had a good time sitting on trackers of all shapes and sizes. His legs were a little to short to reach the ground on the little green tracker trike so I had to help him drive it around. He had fun.

I don't know if you can tell but Samuel is making tracker sounds and pretending to drive it. He has a thing for trackers....well, I suppose he also has a thing for airplanes, trucks, buses, and basically anything that has wheels.

After we had met up with the cousins, we decided to go watch a pigs race. I have never seen one of these races before but it was pretty funny and entertaining to watch. Samuel thought it was hilarious. He apparently really enjoyed the event because it was one of the first things he told his daddy about that evening.

The Big Night of August 10th

I have been prepping Samuel for a month now about the 'BIG BOY BED' that he would be moving into. I made it sound exciting and fun and the place to be. Finally, after the room was painted, the curtains were made, and the bed posts were sanded, stained and coated with polyurethane, I was able to assemble the bed and transfer Samuel to his new room and new bed.

August 10th was the first night in his room. He was so excited. He giggled and wiggled in his new sheets and gathered all his stuffed animals around him. Our little baby was now officially a boy. He would from this point on, sleep in a twin bed.

However, we took a chance and didn't put any guard rails on the side of the twin bed but decided to lay a body pillow on the ground and surround him with his stuffed animals. He had only fallen off the bed twice in the first week or so but has had no problems since. I did walk in on him during his nap time once to check on him and couldn't find him anywhere. I quickly thought to look under the bed and sure enough he had fallen asleep playing with his animals and reading his books. Silly boy. 

A Summer Evening

Samuel and I have been to Newport Beach our fair share this summer. However, this August summer evening was extra fun and extra special because "Daddy" was with us. As you can see, Samuel had fun being thrown into the air by Kyan. It was a wonderful way to spend a summer evening together. Sigh...Isn't this what summer is all about?

The Adventures of August

I woke up this morning only to realize that we are already halfway through the month of September. Holy craziness. The whole "nesting" has set in since September and I completely forgot to post about all of the fun August activities. 

I've been busy getting the house organized and projects completed before the baby comes. You may ask....what is there to get done besides washing the baby clothes and sheets for the crib? Oh, honey, if only you knew how O.C.D. my personality can be sometimes. This characteristic of mine helped me excel in my college career and it has also helped in keeping thing tidier and more organized at home. But, when it comes to getting ready for a baby the list of things that MUST get done seem to be a mile long. And, for some reason, when one thing gets completed, one or more items get discovered and are then added to the list. See my problem? But, before I go into detail on some of the "nesting" things I have been doing, I want to talk about many of the adventures we have had in August. 

AUGUST started out with a lovely evening hike with the best two boys in my life: 

My lovely husband....  

And my sweet little boy.

The following week, Samuel and I discovered the perfect blackberry bush to pick from. After picking blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries this summer, Samuel has fallen in love. He CONSTANTLY asks me if we could go berry picking. He eats more then he picks but I suppose that's half the fun, right!?!

You can't tell but Samuel is also wearing his favorite Thomas the Train backpack. He carried his own water on our little walk/bike ride to the blackberry bush in our neighborhood. We had a wonderful walk/bike ride there and a nice time picking berries. But, shall I mention the way home? Do I admit that my child threw a fit and wouldn't ride his bike and insisted on running away from me? Oh, did I mention I was pregnant, carrying a large bucket of blackberries and holding his bulky bike in my other hand while attempting to run after my child because he decided it was funny not to listen to his mom? 

Nah...I just like to remember the good parts. That's all you remember in the long run anyway, right?

I hope so. :)

A Much Needed Haircut

Samuel was in need of a haircut. His hair was getting long and shaggy and it would often get tangled and poofy in the back even after I had brushed it. So, after his bath yesterday, I got out the cutting shears and scissors and went to town. Of course, Samuel got a treat (a lollipop) during the process. However, we had to rinse it off a time or two because it got hair on it. It didn't seem to bother him. :-)

BEFORE

AFTER

Daddy Time

I love those moments when I find my wonderful husband and my sweet little boy spending time together. Samuel adores his Daddy and I believe its because he spends such quality time with him. How can you not love someone who plays with you and loves you. 

This is a video that I captured while they were playing "Ring Around The Rosie" and tickle monster combined. Unfortunately, you only get to see the tale end of it. Samuel gets distracted when I pull out my phone to video or take pictures. He's old enough to know what I'm doing. It's cute nonetheless.

Raspberry Picking

I woke up Friday morning and looked out the window to see clouds. Yup, clouds. And the first thing that crossed my mind was....."What a perfect day to go raspberry picking!" So, I called up my Mom and my little sister Kimberlee and we went raspberry picking at Harvolds Farm. We had a blast. 

 Samuel was such a good help. He would actually pick a few and then contribute them to the raspberry box. However, once he realized that Grandma would simply pick a handful and put them in his bucket for him, he stopped picking his own and kept asking Grandma for more. 

I did pretty good. I went away with 10 lbs of fresh raspberries. Only $2 per pound! Oh Yum! However, when we went to pay for our berries, a lady before us opted not to buy all her raspberries. So, Mom and I decided to split the box and buy her leftover box of 9 lb raspberries. So, I actually went home with 14.5 lbs of raspberries. 

Once Samuel's belly was full of raspberries and he was bored with asking Grandma for more raspberries, he decided to have a little fun. 

This is a video of Samuel chasing Kimberlee around and trying to get her sparkle shoes. I think Kimberlee is the first in all of history to wear sparkle shoes while picking raspberries. Shall we just say she is twelve years old. I think only twelve year olds think that sparkle shoes will help in the process of picking berries. I'm not sure, did it work Kimberlee?

We had a lot of fun together. I love how a simple thing like picking berries can create good memories, strengthen relationships, and provide our tummies with fresh, sweet, juicy goodness.