One

Monday Musings

• Haircuts
• One-year-olds
• Hy-Vee Triathlon (go Tyler!)
• Fall mums
• Birthday CAKE
• Outdoor patios
• Three-year-olds
• Classroom changes
• Yoga
• Balloons
• Whole milk
• Football
• Pictures
• Pumpkins

Have a GREAT week!

Hurry.Home.Daddy

And, a BIG THANK YOU to Papa for taking care of Will for the past two days, who came down with ear infections and pinkeye :(

5 day old Will and Papa

Dashing Through the Rain?

Before I share a video of tonight's big race, I couldn't help but show this:

State Fair: Diaper Dash Winner - Video - KCCI Des Moines

William Arlin did not prevail with a month supply of diapers, but we did have a lot of fun. To recap:

First, we pumped our contestant full of a large energy drink

Then, we dressed him in uniform. Lots of thought went into the #5 :)

And, then the big dash...

As you can see, a diaper grabbed the attention of our young lad, while the speedster who won was already giving his acceptance speech to Steve Karlin.

We may not have been victorious, but we found the holes in our game and will come out much stronger next time. And, if anything, a friend in our church is a cameraman for KCCI, so Jack got some extra air time during the 5 o'clock news :) And, I'm fairly certain Will is pleased with his performance...

For being such a supportive big brother, Jack received a large Diego balloon

and we predict our little dasher will sleep soundly tonight :)

Nothing Compares

Our 2011 trip to the Fair was a success!! We have 2 exhausted boys sleeping soundly tonight and while we didn't "do the Fair on a dime" this year, we made out O.K. in my book.

John tried to make a joke while walking around the Animal Learning Center by loudly proclaiming "I would like to congratulate my wife for spending less than a $100 today" Bad mistake in front of a half-dozen sweaty, fellow female fairgoers. One lady without hesitation responded, "I hope she spends more!" It quickly turned into something you would see on The Jerry Springer Show. Hooting, hollering and heckling my daring husband and father of two who tried to mock his sweet, innocent wife. Bad timing, Mr. Mills. Your dashing smile was no match for those women!

Let's add up the day:

2 roundtrip DART bus tickets $4

2 adult Fair passes $20 (kids 5 and under FREE)

One delicious corn dog upon entry $4

One bucket o' popcorn for the Man of the Household $5

Water and Powerade $4

Giant Slide $10 (thanks to the fellow fairgoer who gave us a FREE ticket!)

Peanut Butter and Jelly on a Stick $2 (new to the Fair this year!)

Bag o' Donuts $4 (dessert anyone?)

Plus, lots of smiles

Except for the two who were stuck on the bungee ride for 2 hours

Photo: Des Moines Register

Thus, according to my math, that is $53, Mr. Mills, for a day at the fair and we completely agree....Nothing Compares!

Sunday Funday

A birthday BBQ at Grandpa and Grandma's (including tractor rides and fresh veggie picking) and a backyard baseball game at Nana and Papa's

Raise your hand if you are ready to go to the STATE FAIR???? Me, me, ME!

Take a look back at our trip last year and our trip in 2009

Straw Polling

We wandered around the Iowa Straw Poll, held earlier today in Ames.

To prevent any confusion as I crossed enemy lines, I wore my Democrat bracelet :)

Boys will be BOYS!

When they were babies, I would say a bath was calming....what happened? :)

Diaper Dash

Set your DVRs!! Our crawling bambino is going to be one of 8 contestants in the Iowa State Fair's Diaper Dash next Thursday, August 18th at the Anderson Erickson Stage. 8 babies are going to crawl for the winning prize LIVE during the 5 o'clock news :)

We've started Will on a training program that includes whey protein and cardio :)

Dinner

We enjoyed dinner the other night on a rooftop patio. In August. In Iowa. Amazing!

Also, I just noticed all of Will's forehead bruises :) He has started to walk around furniture, which means he suffers the consequences of falling, too :)