"Hello? I'm okay..."

So Tara loves to pretend she's talking on the phone, and she'll often repeat things she's heard us say while on the phone. Lately, she'll take a random toy, whether it's a block or a lego; and it will become her telephone. Here's her conversation lately...



Tara: "Hello? I'm okay. Uh huh. Okay. See you soon. Bye!"


What a goof!

As a matter of fact...

So Tara is always surprising me with the things she says, and the words and concepts she picks up on. Earlier this evening she was playing with Emily (her favorite baby doll) and also drinking her cup of apple juice. At one point, she decided to pour some of the apple juice on Emily. It's one of those dolls where the head, arms, and legs are made of plastic, but the torso is a cloth outfit. She got it all over the fabric, and I knew I'd have to wash it. So I scooped up Emily, and Tara got upset that I was taking her baby away from her. I told her that I had to wash Emily, and get all the apple juice out, so she could play with her again. Tara just stared at me for a moment with this blank look on her face. Then she said so matter-of factly "Just wipe it." I laughed SO hard when she said that!!! The fact that just taking a baby wipe to her would do the trick...her rationale is so cute sometimes ;)

First baseball game as a family!

So last night we saw our first Ems game together-and we had a blast. Sean had been dying to take her to a baseball game for some time, and he was SO happy to finally be able to do it. He had called me earlier that week from work to tell me that his boss had given him two tickets to the ems game that following saturday, and kids under 3 (I think) are free. So we went, and had a great time. We had awesome seats, the ems won, and Tara lasted through 5 innings before getting wiggly. A woman at the entrance had given her a balloon that she had attached to the gate, and Tara didn't let go of it the whole time! Tara really got into it, clapping and yelling when everyone else did; screaming "Yay!" every so often...it was so cute! And it was SO nice to see how happy Sean was, finally having brought his little girl to a baseball game; a small dream come true. Minor league or not, it was a ton of fun for our family. And a plus for prego here? There was a heavenly cool breeze blowing the whole time, so despite hormone-induced body heat; I was feelin great! Here are some of the pictures we took...






There she is with her balloon, holding on for dear life :)



We've got one happy daddy...



Haha She got a little sleepy towards the end of the 5th inning.



There she is munching on snacks and watching the game-just like everyone else! lol



The mascot was hilarious! Most of the stunts he pulled had me laughing so hard I almost cried!



Aww....daddy-daughter bonding moment :)







She crashed on the way home-clutching her balloon...

Birthday...

So my birthday was on the 23rd of August, and I got to start my day with the cutest little girl in the world asking to sit and watch "Cat in the Hat" with all and I mean ALL her stuffed animals and babies sitting with her. Sean and I got a kick out of it. What a fun way to start the day. It was a good day though, for the most part. Glad I got to share it with Rachel and the kids, Rachel and I are birthday buddies-only 12 hours apart. Her birthday's the 24th, but we celebrated together this year ;) In the couple weeks leading up to my birthday, Sean bought me a beautiful plant for our patio, and a book he knew I'd love; amongst some other things. What a sweet guy...He made it more of a birthday month for me :) Gotta keep him around...

Yummy Food

So we've been enjoying all the foods of summer. Lots and I mean LOTS of fresh corn on the cob (see exhibit A). Tons of fresh berries, hand-picked mind you...(see exhibit B). Tara loves it when I toss a handful of blueberries or blackberries on her cereal in the morning. She knows they're the ones that we picked together :) More watermelon than I care to mention-a disgusting amount of watermelon has ended up in our tummies this summer. And the list goes on...We love fresh whole foods, readily available this time of year. Hope you guys are enjoying the season too!



EXHIBIT A




EXHIBIT B

Lane County Fair!

So since we got married, Sean and I haven't been able to go to the fair each year. This year we finally made it, and it was Tara's first fair experience. She loved it! We went with Rachel, Olivia, and Mason-and we all had a blast. We looked at some of the exhibits, we looked at the animals, the kids all went on a few rides; and we ate yummy fair food. I was a little bummed, because I've always gone for the rides & the food. I've never been one for the exhibits, seen the animals already, let's hit the rides! I couldn't go on even one, because "No expectant mothers allowed." Bummer? Kind of-but I'm getting a really cute baby out of the deal :) So next year...Plus this year was so special because when the whole experience is centered around your child, and making sure they have a special experience-it's a whole other world at the fair. When you look at every sight, sound, and smell through a toddlers eyes-it's like seeing everything for the first time. So taking her was such a special experience, and I got a bit teary with her first fair ride ever. And the second, and the third...it was all so new! And fun. Okay, enough blabbering-bring on the photos, right? Okay:






I absolutely LOVE the look on her face!!!




They had these areas set aside for the little kids to play in, and one of Tara's favorites was where the whole area was set on a floor completely made up of corn kernels. Tara loved scooping them into the bucket, and pouring them back out. She did this over and over for minutes on end, huge smile each time :)







She got to see a real live rooster crow! So far they've only been in books. How exciting!















































First they went on the boat ride. They had a great time, and the joy on Tara's face was unmistakable! She couldn't contain her excitement!!!



"Mom, Dad! This is so fun!!!"



For heaven's sake-would you look at that expression? Priceless!




Next they went on a car ride-and they were in control of it this time ;)



Tara and Mason







Look at that grin on her face!



Next they went on the New York Fire Brigade. How fun! She loved it-and she never got scared!








Look at that! I was nervous for her-unnecessarily it turns out :)







Daddy greeting her at the end of the ride :)



She got to eat cotton candy for the first time!



Later that night, once we got home-she crashed hard once she actually crawled in bed! She was hyped up for a while afterwards though, and was telling us all about what she saw and did, even once we got home :) It was so cute...




So it was a great experience-can't wait till next year!

Blueberry Season!

So I love summer for so many reasons, and one of the main ones being the fact that so many yummy berries become available for the picking-and there's nothing like eating a handful of freshly picked blueberries. Tara and I have spent the last two days at Adkins farm, picking blueberries. Lots of loooong hours in the hot sun, plenty of branches in our hair, dirt on our clothes-and so worth it! It's a special high, being on your hands and knees, crawling underneath a bush and discovering a TON of big fresh blueberries....so fun :) And it was a blast because we went with my good friend Rachel, and her little ones. We had so much fun, Rachel at one end of a row of blueberry bushes, me on the other end, and the kids darting from me to Rachel and back; and then winding in and out of the rows, cutting through bushes, eating tons of handfuls of berries, smiles on their faces...That's the life :) And of course, at times the sun would be a little too much, and the kids would be kids... "She took my toy" "he took my book" "I hafta go potty NOW", but overall we had an amazing time. And Tara's become quite the blueberry picking pro! She was so cute, just listening to her this afternoon as she was helping me fill the bucket. "Just blue ones" and she'd drop a couple in the bucket. "Oh, nope-that one's green, nope." And watching the kids feed each other blueberries-so precious! This morning~


Tara (as she popped a blueberry in Mason's mouth):"Here you go!"

Mason: "Thank you."

Tara: "You're welcome."

Tara: "Mommy-let's go pick more!"


Between yesterday afternoon, and going back today-Tara and I picked about 5 lbs worth of blueberries! And the amazing part-were the prices. Yesterday, it was $1.00 per pound. Today, it was FREE BLUEBERRIES ALL DAY! Amazing.


Sorry I don't have any photos yet-hopefully I'll be able to get them posted soon :)

Such Cuteness!

So I just have to post an update about how much our little girl is changing...She's been acting older lately in the things she says, the things she understands, it blows our minds. For example-usually when she starts telling a story about something, and I say "Oh yeah?" she'll just smile and go back to playing. However, these last few day-it's a bit different. A few days ago Tara started telling me a story about her baby doll Emily. Apparently Emily was doing all sorts of exciting things, and Tara was telling me all about it. She was SO animated while telling me what Emily was doing, and I said "Oh really?!?" And she looked up at me with a huge grin on her face and said "YEAH!" and went back to her story, telling me even more about Emily's escapades. I was beside myself with laughter...She was too much :)

Then last night while Sean was making dinner, Tara and I were reading one of the new books we just got for her. It's all about wild animals, and the sounds they make. Now, for a little backstory, I must regress for a moment:

Whenever a certain word has a song associated with it, Tara will start bopping her head up and down, and look at me expectantly like "Come on mom-sing the song!" For example, if Tara hears the word "star" she wants me to sing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". If she hears the word "sun" she wants me to sing "Oh Mr. Sun", and so on.

So back to last night: we got to a picture of a giraffe, and she starts bopping up and down, and looks at me expectantly. I laughed and said to her "Honey, mommy doesn't know any songs about giraffes". So without missing a beat, she starts singing in a melodic tone "Girrraaaafffe...., Girrraaaaaafffeee" and then looks at me with a big smile, as if saying "How could you not know the giraffe song, mom?" lol It was hilarious!


Such a sweetheart, that Tara. And apparently, so much more I have to learn :)

Floating Soccer Field

I came across this video this morning, and thought it was incredibly inspirational. I hope you all enjoy it, and take something away from it :)

Saturday Fun

So Tara loves trains. She calls fire trucks "train!" A few weeks ago we had a chance to spend some time at a local fire station. I thought it was a great opportunity for her to see how things go when they get a call, and start up the trucks and leave. She heard the message come through, she heard the alarm, and she got to see two fire trucks peel out of the station. As they left-she was saying "Bye Train!!!" So...needless to say, I wanted to take her to the train station to see what a real live train looks like! So this last saturday, we took her down to see a train. She loved it! And mommy loved it too...[Ever since I was little, up until now; I get a thrill from seeing a train!] lol So it was fun for all :) Here are some photos~










Waiting for the train to arrive...















We were all captivated by the train as it pulled into the station :)







The train station is also a special place for Sean and I, because it's where we met in person for the first time. He and I had met online, an LDS website; and a few months after meeting online, he hopped a train to Eugene to meet me in person. So we have very special memories of that first hug, first kiss, first time we got to hold hands, look in each others eyes...Kinda sappy when we go back to the train station. So we got to explain to Tara why it's such a special place to us :)


After we took her to see the trains, we had lunch; and headed off for a local park to play. We were trying to teach her how to roll down a hill, but she never took to it. She preferred to run at breakneck speed right into daddy's arms! It was such beautiful weather, we couldn't have asked for better. Here are some photos from playing on the hill~



See her pigtails flying behind her? She was bolting down that hill as I took the photo!



Peek-a-boo!



There go those pigtails again!







"I'm having SO MUCH FUN guys!"