County Fair

The county fair was here a couple of weekends ago, and since the fairgrounds are right behind our neighborhood, we thought we'd make a Saturday of it.

The first thing Trent noticed as we walked in the gates was the Mutton Bustin', and of course he signed Preston right up.  Preston was all for it, until he saw what it actually involved.  They went to put a vest and helmet on him, and he kind of freaked out.  I won't lie to you... After seeing some of the falls the other kids had taken, I was secretly glad that Preston lost his nerve.  Trent, on the other hand, was totally crestfallen.  He was looking so forward to seeing his kid take a digger off the back of a sheep.

So, we moved on to something a little safer instead... The Merry-Go-Round.

You can never go wrong with the Merry-Go-Round.

We made a little mistake on the next ride though.  I didn't take into account Trenton's motion sickness and the effect that all of the spinning would have on him.  Needless to say, after the ride was over, he was looking a little green for the next half hour or so.  I was the one who had the luxury of sitting next to him, and I must admit, I was a little worried I was going to walk off the ride wearing his lunch.

If I never see this ride again it will be all too soon.  I used to be a huge fan of roller coasters.  I loved them!!!  Especially the ones that would flip you upside down.  I don't know what has happened to me over the years, but I found out at the fair that I don't much like them anymore.  Especially the ones that flip you upside down.  All I know is that when we were suspended upside down, my harness didn't feel as snug as I would have liked it to, and I was sure that at any moment it was going to flip open, and there I would be, plummeting to my death!  I haven't been that scared in a long time.  All I could see was my children without a mother and my hubby without a wife.  I know.  I am totally over dramatizing, but those are the thoughts that were going through my head on this ride.  So we moved on to another safe ride.  The Ferris wheel.  Did you know that the first Ferris wheel was built for The Chicago World's Fair in 1893?  I found that out when I read "Devil in the White City" several years ago.

They had a fun little kid section full of rides for just the little ones.

Preston loved all of the rides that were just his size.  The best part is that there were no lines.  He just went from one ride to the next without any waiting.  Loved it.

We couldn't go home without a funnel cake.  Yummo!
As we were getting ready to leave, Preston said to me, "Mom, I'm ready to ride the sheep!"  Of course.  Thank heavens the Mutton Bustin' was over for the night, or Trent probably would have signed him up again!

Get to Work!

We had a fun time tonight over at grandma and grandpa Stock's. They had invited us over for Sunday dinner, which I am always up for because it not only means we get to spend some quality time with the grandparents, but it also means that I don't have to cook. We arrived a little early, so I headed to the kitchen to help out with any last minute things that needed to be done. Trenton, who has recently found that he loves cooking and helping out in the kitchen, promptly volunteered his services as well. Grandma put him to work making some muffins, and after several minutes of measuring and mixing, he looked down into the family room and noticed grandpa sitting in the chair watching football. Apparently, this was not acceptable to Trenton because next thing you know, we hear, "Grandpa! Stop being such a couch potato!" Now if there is anything that Trent's dad is not, it's a couch potato. Plus there was also the fact that grandpa had just barely sat down not two minutes before Trenton's snappy little comment.

Grandpa continued to stare fixedly at the TV screen, apparently unaware of his grandson's insolence. Well, in Trenton's mind, this just would not do, so he started in again with, "Geez grandpa, can't you at least set the table?" Poor, poor grandpa. All he wanted was a few minutes of R&R, and do you think he could get any? Thank goodness he has such a good sense of humor. He got some jabs in at Trenton though, don't you worry.

As Trenton put oven mitts on his hands to pull the muffins out of the oven, grandpa said, "Oh look, we've got Mrs. Trenton helping out in the kitchen tonight."

They affectionately became known as "Couch Potato" and "Mrs. Trenton" to each other for the rest of the night. All I know is, Trenton better watch out because I've never known anyone to come up with better nicknames than grandpa Stock. :)

Cousins

Trent's sister, Stephanie, her husband, Ryan, and their five kiddos were here visiting from Austin, TX recently. Since going to Texas is not a quick ride in the car, and 6 plane tickets are pretty spendy, we don't get to see them all that often, so when we do get to spend time with them, it is such a treat.

We played and played at the park while they were here. Vivi was in seventh heaven to have her cousin Fo (Taryn) in town. She has been dying to see her.
They just have the best time together.
We all played a little tennis.
The boys were excited to practice some of the things they had been learning in their tennis lessons. Trenton loved having Trevor on his team.
Every chance she got, Fo was snuggling with her uncle Trent.
She loves Trent.
Tate the Great, AKA Tater Tot. Although, I'm not sure if he likes the Tater Tot nickname so much anymore, being twelve and all. ;) I'll have to ask him. Tate had tons of card tricks for us this visit. My boys, well all of us really, were pretty amazed.
Tristan and Trenton had to make cookies together. It is becoming tradition for them to make cookies whenever the cousins come to town. BTW, what is with my son's crazy faces? Every picture I take of him, he has either a super crazy face, or he is really serious and into posing. What a goofball. :)
We also were able to go up to Steamboat (my most favorite mountain town) with them for a couple of days. Colson couldn't get enough of Trevor. Every time I turned around, Colson was hanging all over him. Trev sure was a good sport. Oh, do you love Trey's face? In the restaurant, there was a TV right by our table and the X Games were on. At one point or another, all the men/boys had a look like this on their face while watching the TV.
Vivi, Taryn, Trisy, and Ryan. All the girls wanted to sit on Ryan's lap.
They had these bronze statues of famous people all over downtown Steamboat. I can't remember who this guy is though.
The kids and Albert Einstein, and Ben Franklin is behind and to the left of them.
We must have worn Preston right out because he layed down next to Trent, and within 30 seconds, he was gone. I love how he put he his hands behind his head, just like his daddy.

We had so much fun with Ryan, Stephanie, and their family. We can't wait until we can see them again!