Blake's 3 Year Check-up

Blake had his three year check up this week.  Summary of the docs comments, "he's going to be a big boy!"

Weight 39 lbs  97th percentile
Height 39 3/4 inches 95th percentile

I took him for new shoes today, they are big too!  A size 10 1/2 extra wide at age 3! 

Farming wore him out.....

Fall Harvest

One of my favorite things about fall is spending time at my parents house enjoying harvest.  We were there last weekend and enjoyed awesome weather.  Blake spent the entire day Saturday and half the day Sunday between the TJ and grain cart, semi, and combine.  Lauren got to spend quality time with her cousins and Grandma Marcia.  I can't wait to go back in a few weekends!

Soccer Season

Soccer season is in full swing!  Lauren is doing much better this season than last being more agressive and getting to the ball more.  Its still fun to watch young kids play as they don't understand field spacing at all.  It's just a heard of kids going after the ball.  

Reagle Eagle

On the 17th, our school sponsored a 5K and 1mile walk/run contest.  Lauren, Grandma Vernitta and I participated in it.  I tried to get Lauren to practice running a few weeks before this so she was prepared.  Well, she refused.  Then the day of she said, "mom, we should have been practicing for this!"  What a novel idea dear daughter!  So the race started and Lauren took off and a great surprise to me she didn't stop running! She ran the whole mile!  I was very proud of her and had to chuckle when she said her heart was pounding in her chest.  Great job Lauren!  

Blake is 3!

Blake turned three on September 10th.  We celebrated with a party for Blake and Delaney on the 11th.  A tractor theme for Blake (he couldn't decide between a Ford tractor cake or John Deere tractor cake so Grandma M made both!)  and a Super Why theme for Delaney. 

Blake's main concern the few days leading up to his party was whether or not I was going to make him take his shirt off to eat his cake.  I reassured him that was only when he turned one and he was entitled to eat a whole cake with his hands, now he only gets a piece and eats with a fork.  He also didn't want us to sing Happy Birthday to him, only Delaney.  As you might have guessed, when the time came to sing, he was quite happy to have him sing to him also!  He got lots of very nice gifts from his family which he is happily showing in the picture below. 

September 7, 2002

 

Bradley and I celebrated nine years of marriage on the 7th.  The time has flown by and gotten better everyday! 

Farm Progress Show 2011

Bradley and I took Blake to the Farm Progress Show on Tuesday this week.  Since we had taken Lauren to the Taylor Swift concert we thought it would be great to take him to something that he loved and have some quality time with mom and dad.  Needless to say, it was a good choice.  He loved the show and especially the field demonstrations.  He climbed on lots of equipment, shopped for new toys and just had a great time.  My mom, dad, and brothers were there too so it was great!  Bradley and I also enjoyed catching up with old college friends.  Notice the picture of Blake with his new Magnum tractor, he was so excited! 

Ozark Weekend

We went to the Ozarks last weekend to have some fun at Bradley's bosses house.  They recently put in a three level infinity pool complete with an inground water slide at their home.  The kids had a blast!  They must have gone down the slide a 100 times.  We also went out on their boat and jet skis.  Unfortunately the kids were not a fan of the jet skis because the water was really rough.  It was a great final hurrah of the summer and possibly the last swimming we'll get to do. 

Blake's 1st Day of Preschool

Blake started preschool on August 23rd.  He is attending Rainbox Preschool two mornings a week for a total of six hours.  He was so excited to have a big boy backpack in John Deere colors.  When we arrived at school, we discovered there is another Blake in his class and he has the same back pack.  How ironic! 

Although he is younger than I started Lauren in preschool, I decided to start him so he could get some socialization skills.  Although he has cried every day that he has gone, it is getting better.  He says he likes school, he just doesn't like me to leave him. 

Fence Building

We recently put in a vinyl fence in our backyard to divide between our yard and the cattle pasture.  It was a very difficult process due to the drought we've had making the ground like concrete.  Bradley and his dad worked so hard!  The kids got in on the action some and helped move posts and rails. 

Nanny McPhee

Take a look at that dangling front tooth!  She looks like Nanny McPhee!  Since I'm behind on blogging, I'm happy to report she finally lost this tooth the next day!  Now she has four teeth missing in the front and has lost a total of six teeth. 

Thresherman's Show and Tractor Pull

This year was the first in the last five that I have not had to help the youth group from our church with their food stand at the Balloon Festival.  So we went as a FAMILY to the thresherman's show in Pinckneyville.  It is a tractor paradise for Blake who had lots of fun sitting on various tractors and shopping for toy tractors.  Then we went to the tractor pull.  While everyone enjoyed it, Lauren really surprised me with how much she enjoyed it.  She must get that from Grandma Vernitta who also loves tractor pulls. 

Lauren's 1st Day of 1st Grade

Lauren started school on August 18th.  Although she was not excited about going back to school beforehand, it all changed after we went to open house on the 17th.  After she saw her friends, met her teachers (she has a sub for the first 6 weeks while Mrs. Lampe is on maternity leave) and saw her classroom she was excited again.  What a difference a year makes because there were no tears for mom this year as she boarded the bus. 

Illinois State Fair

The kids and I went to the IL State Fair on August 16th.  We watched the Angus open show where our friends were showing their heifers.  My parents met us there which was really nice.  The kids had lots of fun seeing the butter cow, playing games in the dairy exhibit, milking a cow,exploring the farm exhibit, climbing the rock wall in conservation world, riding bikes in the kids zone, and seeing the antique tractors on display, just to name a few.  Grandma Marcia taught Lauren the art of getting freebies at the various exhibits which Lauren thought was great.  She brought lots of new treasures home :) 

Taylor Swift

August 13th couldn't come fast enough for Lauren.  We had purchased tickets for the Taylor Swift concert back in March and she was so excited.  The day of she took time to make a poster declaring her love for Taylor.  Unfortunately our seats were so high up that there was no way for Taylor to see her poster which disappointed Lauren.  Nonetheless, we had an amazing time!  Bradley and I both agree it was the best concert we've ever been to.  It was very theatrical and high energy.  Taylor is very sincere in her appreciation of her fans and honestly very humbled by the attention she gets.  It was really a great night!  I've included a small clip of the concert of Lauren's current favorite song of Taylor's Haunted. 

Six Flags

We went to Six Flags in August with Lauren's friend Kaylee and her mom Selena.  The girls had earned free tickets for reading at school.  The kids all had a great time riding the rides.  Lauren's favorite was the log flume (she must get that from me)! 

Play doh creations

Lauren and Blake both love to play with play doh.  Lauren got super creative one day this summer and this is what she made. 

Little Gym - yet again

Blake finished his super beast class this summer.  It was his last parent child class which makes me sad.  Since he is almost three he moved up to a funny bugs class for the fall. It will be a big change for him to go in the gym by himself with the teacher.  I can't wait to see how he does! 

North Carolina Vacation

We took our first driving family vacation the first week in August.  We traveled to Pinehurst, NC first to visit my aunt and uncle Anne and Peter.  We had a wonderful visit with them, exploring the zoo, swimming, and enjoying my aunts awesome cooking!  Then we drove three hours south to Kure Beach, near Wilmington to spend the rest of our vacation.  It was the kids first trip to the beach and they loved it.  We took in the local aquarium, a ferry ride, and spent time with our friends The Culbertson's.  We had a very relaxing and fun vacation as a family.  I've posted the link to view the digital scrapbook I made of our trip here