Puyallup Fair

We finally got to go to the Puyallup Fair this year and the kids LOVED it. I haven't been to the fair for about 10 years and it was great going back and seeing all the things I loved there growing up. They had the onion burgers that are so yummy and the scones are the same as they were when I was younger. They are so good! I love the smell of the food in the air and the screams of people on all the rides.

Adam and I went out to the fair by ourselves first. We went with Celeste and my dad. Adam and I watched the hypnotist show, which was hilarious. Adam had an onion burger (I had just a bite since I had the stomach flu earlier that day- bummer!) and we ate scones. It was fun to see all the different things for sale, like the VitaMix show where he let us sample tortilla soup made in the mixer! We got to sample some fudge and I saw the cutest bows that were way overpriced, so instead I just looked at how they made them and I'll make them myself sometime.

The next day Adam and I took the kids to the fair. They were ecstatic the entire morning. It was so fun to see the joy in their eyes! The rides were super expensive so we bought a ticket package and let them choose 3 rides each. I'm surprised how okay they were with that. Jack wasn't big enough for some of the rides, but he was happy with his choices. He went on the motorcycles while Olivia went on the spinning bears, and then they went on the cars together and a helicopter together. They got to see the animals and the petting zoo and DORA! It was a fun and exhausting day, capped off with fresh scones and cotton candy!

Jack and Olivia on the helicopter. I don't think they knew it went up and down because they were so excited when their helicopter went up!

Cute little Madelynn. She was so good in the stroller the whole day!

Can you see Olivia inside the bear? It spins. I hate spinning rides!

I love how excited she is after her ride. I wish the rides weren't so expensive because I wanted them to be able to go on all of them. One of these days...!

Thumbs up! He loved this ride!

You'd think they were actually driving. They had a blast.

Dora and Boots and Backpack! At first Jack and Olivia just sat there next to her with her perma-smile. Finally Jack hugged her! I think he was starstruck!

See? Here is Olivia with Dora. And Jack. He wouldn't stop staring and smiling at Dora!

Petting some baby chicks.

They also got to pet a bunny. They loved all the animals they got to pet, including a goat. And then I washed their hands at least twice and then they got Purelled!

My Latest Obsessions

There are a few websites that I check regularly, as in every day. As soon as I log online in the morning, I check my email, check my Facebook, check some news, and then I visit some of my favorite sites and I thought I'd be nice and share them with you all!

Layer Cake Shop: Seriously, the cutest baking site I've seen in a while. I L.O.V.E. their cupcake baking cups and their cupcake kits, although their other things (sprinkles, candies, boxes, etc) are super adorable too. They have something for pretty much every occasion and are really cheap too. LOVE that it is all about cupcakes and baking. Totally my thing.

Kyla's Kreations: This is where I buy all my bows for Olivia and Madelynn. She also makes interchangeable headbands in nylon and crochet. She has a ton of colors and lots of fun ideas, and you can't beat $2 flat shipping, no matter how many bows you order. Her bows usually have a non-slip clip too, which I really like. She's super nice too!

Sister's Cafe: I love this recipe site. It's a lot like my recipe blog, where most of the recipes are not the authors, but recipes that they have gotten from websites, TV shows or friends and familie members and they post them on their site for people to see. They have a lot of fun dishes and I've tried a few that I really like.

Picky Palate: This woman actually makes up her own recipes for the most part and has been on Food Network Challenges and has won lots of recipe contests. I've made a lot of her things and have never been disappointed. She is a big chocolate fan too, which never hurts.

Bakerella: Are you sensing a theme here? Anyway, Bakerella is everything dessert. She makes these cute little cake pops that are super easy to make and way cute. I've made some of her cupcakes and tortes before and have always loved them (a little too much!). She is funny too.

Cake Wrecks: Last but not least, Cake Wrecks is seriously funny. It's a site that I'm sure most of you have seen or heard about. It shows professional cakes (like store ones or bakery ones, or even ones done by regular ol' people) and how they can be done terribly but funny! I always go to this site for a laugh!

Well, I hope you enjoy this list! On my sidebar there are a few more sites that I love, like my friend Mary's craft blog and my friend Summer's etsy store as well as some others. LOVE those sites too. Mary's blog is all about cheap ways to be crafty and redo things, like how to reupholster a chair for cheap. Summer's store is super cute and I have a few of her wooden boards in my own home. Check them out!

What We've Been Up To...

We've been pretty busy lately. Adam's work is starting to get more busy, Olivia finished her first week of kindergarten, Jack has given up his binkys (finally!) in place of a Spiderman doll (I mean action figure- sorry!), and Madelynn has been trying to crawl. I've been keeping myself busy by canning peaches one night until 2am with my mother, sister and aunt and then making peach freezer jam with the leftover peaches. I've been busy taking kids to and from school, going to the park, running at night with Celeste (well, walking is a better word to use, but I'm trying to run more!), and catching up on Burn Notice season 2 while I anxiously wait for my fall shows to start! Here's a look at how fun we are (don't you all miss us?!):

Madelynn has been taking baths in the kitchen sink and playing with the sink strainer (we sanitized it first- I promise!). She L.O.V.E.D. it. Can you tell?We went to the SuperMall in Auburn that is really not all that "super". I couldn't find any great back-to-school deals, but they did have a fun carousel for the kiddos. Yeah, that's a creepy cat Olivia chose to sit on.Madelynn has been wearing some big bows and has such a fun personality now. We love her. She's definitely a keeper.Madelynn has also finally got a high chair to sit in. We love the Space Saver one. She's loving feeding herself the star cereal and sometimes actually gets it in her mouth.

Adam has been dressing like a 5-year-old. Literally. He and Rix were both wearing tan shorts and blue ringer shirts. Kinda cute in a creepy way.On Patriot's Day all the local fire stations had an open house. The kids got to sit in a fire truck and see the inside of an ambulance, then they fed us all hot dogs and chips. All for FREE. It was a fun little activity. I think the steering wheel is as big as Olivia is.Jack is trying to give the fireman thumbs up but is obviously having issues. It looks like he's dancing instead.All the kids (minus Cole) inside an ambulance. I was so nervous they were going to mess something up but they were all really good about not touching anything. I really hope to never see the inside of one of these things for real. It kind of freaked me out.

Rix and Olivia "driving" the ambulance. Rix is already a scary driver.Adam and I went to lunch with Madelynn the other day. All we could see of her in her high chair was her head because the table was so high. It was so cute I decided to take a picture, and then she pulled this face. She looks a little annoyed, hopefully with the table height and not my picture taking!

Olivia's First Day of Kindergarten

Olivia started kindergarten this past Wednesday. She is going to the morning class at the same school my mom works at and she is in the same class as her cousin, Rix. Getting up and having her ready by 7:20am is hard, but I figure I'll get used to it (and use Saturdays as my major sleeping in day!). She and Rix eat breakfast at school (it's free!) and then go to class at 8am and we pick them up around 11am. I'm not too thrilled with half day kindergarten. Not that I want Livvy gone all day, I just don't think she can learn a ton in the two and a half hours she's there. Oh well!

She picked out her own backpack (My Little Pony) and her own outfit for the first day. She was super excited, and Jack was super sad because he wants to go to school too. Celeste and I walked the kids in to the gym/cafeteria their first morning and showed them where to get their breakfast and where to wait for their teacher. Then we walked to the classroom with them when their teacher came to get them. I thought I would be all emotional, mostly because it's like an unwritten rule that either the child or the mom (or both) were supposed to cry the first day of kindergarten. It was the opposite for us. Olivia has been in preschool for two years so I'm used to leaving her, and she's used to being left at school for a couple hours. Instead, we were both excited for this new chapter in her life.

Olivia and Jack at home. Jack insisted on hugging Olivia and Olivia had to be talked into it. Usually it's the opposite, but I think Jack was going to miss her!Olivia and Rix waiting by the wall in the gym for their teacher. I love how their backpacks are almost as big as they are!Olivia and I waiting together. She was super excited to start kindergarten, which made it so much easier for me to leave her there in a new place. Here she and Rix are looking for their cubbies to hang their backpacks.Olivia and Rix on the carpet. They each have to pick a square to sit in for the morning activities. It was cute, Rix sat down first and called for Olivia to sit by him. He said "I saved you a square!" Although I've learned that if Livvy is going to wear a dress to school, she needs to wear some little shorts underneath it. She is SO not lady-like in a dress!

I couldn't find Jack for a moment, then looked over at the carpet and spotted his little red head. At least he follows the teachers directions even if he's not in the class, right? He sat right down on a square (after getting into the dress-ups). I had to bribe him to leave the classroom.

Olivia, I know you are going to love kindergarten and learn so much this year. I hope you learn to be yourself and make new friends. I hope that this passion for learning that you have will stay with you all your life. I hope you will always be this excited to go to school!

Hair Drama

Jack was beginning to look a little like a third daughter, so we decided it was time to cut his hair. The little curls around his ears were kinda cute, but in a girly way, so we chopped them off. I always hate cutting his hair because part of me thinks that it won't be red anymore! We took him to Great Clips because after the last time I realized it's a multi-person job to get it done!Before- when he still was semi-clueless about what was going on.During- obviously very aware of what was going on. Adam had to hold him the whole time while most of the time (when I wasn't documenting) I had to hold his face in my hands and talk to him so he would keep his head still. The stylist was so nice to work with us! What ever happened to the boy who thought it was funny to get his hair cut?!After- Yeah, I think he's flipping me off. Definitely. But he looks so cute. Adam is just happy to have his little boy back!