Big Horses, Giant Pigs, Little Pigs, Sleepy Pigs

The last few sights we saw at the fair were the big horses that freaked Phoebe out, the world's biggest pig and the world's second biggest pig, some little baby piglets, and two tired, sweaty piggies in our wagon...it was time to head home!

Winding Down...

As you can see in the wagon photo, right about now was when the heat and the excitement started to really get to the kids...but they rallied back in time to pose as Twinkie the Kid, which is all that counts! :)

Whew! That's One Crazy Bee!

Matt's thoughts and reflections on the bee ride: "It was fun for all- neat- I liked it!" Now who would have thought, with Matt's general hatred for bees, that he would have had SUCH a good time on this ride? Maybe it was the company... :)

Bumblebee Ride with Daddy

Daddy took Phoebe on the flying bumblebee ride, and it was a BIG hit too! He was just all smiles, ear to ear, and it looked like Matt had a good time too! :)

Hot Air Balloon Fair Ride

Hot Air Balloon Ride

Mommy and Phoebe took a ride on the hot air balloon ride (pretty similar to the Dumbo ride at Disney World), and Phoebe must have said "WHOOOOAAAAA!" one million times! Every time the little balloon basket-car we rode in went up, she'd say, "WHOOOOAAAA!!" Then it would come down, and she would laugh like a crazy maniac- then it would go back up again, and the whole thing would repeat! Mommy laughed so hard her face hurt by the time the ride was over! (Mommy's hand was also sore from clutching a hold of Phoebe so she didn't float out of the useless seat belt- yikes!)

Fun at the Fair

Some highlights from the Indiana State Fair this year: animals, though not the big horses in the barn, as they were too big and scary, walking like a big girl with Ddady, free peanut butter ice cream and the little wooden spoon it came with, gigantic scupture inspired by the American Gothic, and getting measured for the rides!

Horse Ride

Just a quick glimpse at the fun...

Phoebe's First Pony Ride

Matt always wanted a pony when he was a kid...I think he was a little jealous when Phoebe got to take her first pony ride at the Indiana State Fair! As with most thinbgs in life, she approached this new adventure with her head high and without fear- I set her on the horse, and she grabbed onto the saddle and looked ahead, smiling, like she had done it a million times! She bobbed along on her little pony, Oliver, smiling, waving, and calling out to Grandpa and Daddy as they took her picture!

Playing at the Pool

This summer has been so much fun, and it's only gotten better with all the trips to the pool! Thanks for coming with us today, Grandma Derringer! Phoebe's been talking about our trip ever since!

Splash Park with Grandma Derringer!

While Matt hosted his Fantasy Football Draft party on Saturday, we took Grandma to luch, shopping, and to the splash park and pool! The kids OF COURSE had an awesome time in the water, and between Phoebe playing with everyone's toys but her own and Joey trying to break his head or drown at every turn, we had a great time!!

First Day of Preschool: A Great Success!

I think that I will remember the look on Phoebe's face here for the rest of my life: when Matt and I came to pick her up at the end of her first day in preschool, we stood at the door with the camera poised to catch the look on her face when she found out that we were there to get her, and it was PRICELESS! She came running over, jibber jabbering about all the wonderful things she had done that day! She couldn't wait for Bubba to get down on the ground so she could take him by the shoulders and tell his how great it was to be a preschooler! (And all the little girls in Phoebe's class couldn't wait to get at Joey too- he became the life of the party: they girls were all petting him, stroking his hair, smiling at him, and asking "What's your name? What's YOUR name?" He was in 7th heaven...heaven help us when he gets into high school...oy...) Phoebe talked almost the whole way home about her day, and here were some of the highlights we could decipher from her ramblings: she went down the slide, but it was hot outside, she sang songs, she played with friends, she hit friends (and had to "Sit Down" because of it two times), she then kept "hands to myself," she had a cheese sandwich for lunch, she did not take a nap, and she had FUN! She then had dinner, a quick bath, and fell asleep immediately one she hit her bed...what a great first day of preschool!

Learning Rocks!

I had only a minute to snap a few pictures of Phoebe starting off her preschool experience at the music center before I had to pull down my big, dark sunglasses to hide all my Mommy-tears-of-joy-and-separation-anxiety before I got labeled as a blubbering buffoon...sigh...but look at her face! She is right where she belongs!

Phoebe's Classroom

Phoebe walked into her classroom like she owned the place- no hesitation, no hiding behind Mommy, no way! She looked around, assessed the situation, shrugged off her backpack, and jumped right in! It was all I could do to grab a quick hug and a kiss before she took off, immersed in the excitement of it all! I did exactly the two things that I told myself I was NOT going to do when I dropped her off: I cried, and I told the teacher all these things about Phoebe that she didn't really need to know- you know, like how she likes to hold her blankie, what she says when she needs to go potty, how she acts when she's tired, how she interacts with kids at home and at the Y, and all these other irrelevant things...blast! But the teachers were very patient with me, listening, smiling, and nodding...boo hoo!! My baby's growing up!!