Sausage Fest

Back on September 8th . . . we attended one of our favorite festivals--the Vancouver Sausage Fest. It's the annual fundraiser for St. Joseph's Catholic School. However, it is really a weekend-long event with LOTS of food booths (we LOVED the elephant ears, thanks Mona!). There are also bands, dancers, classrooms full of crafts for sale, and carnival rides & games. And, if we're ever lucky enough to find a babysitter one of these years, we might wander over to check out the Beer Garden! (maybe when Nick turns 21 . . . LOL)

Nicholas had a great time! His grandparents, aunt, uncles, and cousins were all there. We ate lots of good food. Nicholas enjoyed his giant ear of hot, buttered corn. Then, we let all the kids burn off some energy on the school's playground before we headed over to the carnival rides. Nicholas navigated the house of mirrors and rode the rolling fish, the carousel, and the giant slide. Several times, we had to tear Nicholas off a ride. He'd try holding on tight and yelling "I go again! I go again!" (See the slide show below for all the fun.)

After an evening full of food & rides, we (as a family) took over the water target carnival game. We figured if we all took a seat, someone in the family was sure to win. And, sure enough, Nicholas did!

(OK, Mommy was helping him aim the squirt gun, but he was holding on tight too)

Nicholas named his dog

"T-Bone" (after one of the dogs on the show Clifford the Big Red Dog). T-Bone & Nicholas are almost inseparable these days. There's almost not a day that goes by that I don't hear a little voice calling out,
"T-Bone (are) you?" as he runs around the house searching for where T-Bone might be hiding (too cute).

Storytime

Every day after lunch, Nicholas and I head upstairs for "storytime" before he takes his nap. He picks out 3 books. Then, we sit together, rock, and read.

Nicholas is the KING of routine. Often, he picks out the SAME three books several days in a row. Today, was no exception . . . EXCEPT, Nicholas changed the order.

First, we read A Fly Went By. Then, we read Hop on Pop. But, before I could close the book. Nicholas jumped up in my lap and grabbed the last book, Go Dog. Go!, from the top of the bookshelf next to us. Then, he sat right back down with it.

I thought, "Hmmm, he must be really tired and wants to finish his books quickly so he can go to sleep."

As I reached down to help open the book, Nicholas pulled it away from me. "No Momma, I read," he said.

"Oh, do you want to help Momma read the book?" I replied.

"No Momma, I read You," as he started turning to the first page.

And with that . . . my little 2-year-old started "reading" every page of that book. He must have memorized it from hearing me read it to him. But, with over 100+ books, I was still in shock by how accurate he was with many of the words.

Suddenly, he didn't seem so little anymore. But, I loved MY storytime.

Where's the pantry?

For all you "inquiring minds" . . . yes, there is a third wall of shelves in the pantry, BUT my camera doesn't know how to shoot around a door, yet.

And, finally, HERE is where my pantry is living . . . maybe I should add "find the dining room" to my task list (LOL).

7 Year Itch

Last weekend was our 7 year anniversary . . . well, for our house. It's hard for me to believe that it's been 7 years since we packed up everything and moved up here. So much has happened in 7 years. And yet, as I look around the house, so little seems to have been done, too.

Why is it that for all the work we put into our homes, it NEVER seems to end?

So, for my "house-iversary" I chose three projects to tackle by the end of the month. My office was NOT one . . . I'm at least trying to be realistic - LOL. I decided to 1) trim and reshape the maple tree by our driveway; 2) clean/re-organize/paint the kitchen pantry; and 3) finish the relandscaping plan for the front yard.

So, how am I doing? Well, let's see:

1. Maple Tree - DONE
2. Pantry - Painting DONE, contents of pantry all over dining room
3. Front Yard - In Progress

WOW! The month is 1/3 over and I'm at least one third done. Eeeks! I might actually finish by the end of the month . . . STAY TUNED.