The Fair...part 2 OR Cotton Candy Nirvana

The thing the kids were most looking forward to when we went to the fair? Cotton Candy!

To their absolute joy, they got cotton candy bigger than their heads!

We ran into about a hundred people we knew... a happy surprise was running into my friend, Kim. She works with me and we have a good time. She was very happy to have a giant corn dog.

Really happy with her giant corn dog.

The kids got to drive bumper cars for the first time. That's Libby in the car on the left...

Roan having a ball...flirting with a girl, like usual! The fair was a huge hit. It was a great time...and a new annual event!

Cole County Fair...

Ok, I have to admit it. Shannon and I are awesome parents. We braved the heat wave and the crowds and took our three kids, plus a friend to the fair last night. Help me Rhonda, it was HOT! And to make it worse, our A/C pooped out over the weekend, so we had been suffering for 3 days in hot house, then went for further suffering to the fair. Anyone who knows me knows I HATE to be hot and I HATE to sweat. But, it was actually pretty fun... especially seeing all the sights through the kids' eyes.

Libby and Roan have been to the fair before, but they were much younger. Now, they're big enough to ride practically any ride there. For a 6 and 7 year old, this is big stuff.

Roan standing in front of the sign marking the height requirement for a ride. Walking up to it, he was muttering "I just know I'm gonna be too short...I just know it...dang it!!" Much to his surprise, he was tall enough with several inches to spare! He was shocked and happy!!

Libby was another story. She KNOWS she's tall for her age. She never doubted she could go on the bigger rides....

The games were so tempting...they didn't understand the concept of 'rides first, games last'. They didn't care because they think Mom is the pack-mule. Libby getting ready to show her muscles...she rang the bell the second time she tried!

What can I say? Never a serious moment with the boy. Some days, he reminds me so much of my Grandpa Jones. He never had a serious moment either. Same blue eyes, same big chest, same silliness...sorry, I digress.

The Merry Go Round...this one rocked! It went FAST. You can see Roan hanging on for dear life!

Part of the fun of going to the fair is people watching. I wished all night that my friend, Suzie, was with me...we people watch so well together. I wanted to take some pictures of the more noteworthy specimens of Cole County...but I was afraid they might hurt me. It would appear that the new fashion trend is Daisy Duke shorts with cowboy boots. Don't get me wrong, this can be cute on the right person. The right person didn't come along very often last night. A lot of the girls' shorts were SHORT. Way short. Body parts falling out-short. Wow.

We stayed out til after 10pm. We were sweaty, dirty and tired, but....we came home to a cool house. Yay for Mike, the A/C guy!

Best Friends Forever...

I'm still friends with my best friend from Kindergarten. Sara and I went all through school together, and although we don't get to see each other often anymore, we always manage to pick up right where we left off. I have lots of friends like that... Karen, Suzie, Michelle, Sharla, Sarah B. I'm so lucky. Libby's pretty lucky, too. She and Clara met when they were 9 months old. I was taking her to swim lessons at the YMCA in Jeff City. Clara was there and I struck up a conversation with her mom, Amy...and friends were born! Clara and Libby were born in the same hospital, 3 days apart. In fact, we figured out that Amy was checking in to have Clara the same time I was checking out with Libby to go home. They went to the same preschool when they were 2. Even when we moved to KC for a few years, the girls kept in touch. It was so cute to listen to them talk on the phone to each other when they were just little.
Clara and Libby at Libby's 5th birthday party. They're so little!

Now that we're back in Jeff City, the girls get to spend a lot of time together. In fact, they've been in summer camps together this month.

This is Libby and Clara now. They were in Art Camp together last week, and this was taken at their Art Show on Friday. Can you believe how they've grown? It's hard to see, but they both have on Hello Kitty shirts. They're such good buddies; I hope they stay friends for the rest of their lives!!

Life Lessons at Camp TLC

I waited a really long time to have kids... I was never sure I had it in me to love someone like that. Turns out, I do have it in me.
Remember the movie "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle"? I love the scene where Rebecca DeMornay goes to the little girl's school playground and has a come-to-Jesus meeting with the school bully. I did that once...and I'm not ashamed to admit it. There was a little boy at preschool who pushed Libby head-first down the slide. I saw it happen and nearly lost my mind. I don't know what came over me, but I guarantee that little boy never bothered my daughter again. I had another moment like that one the other day. This summer, Roan has been attending "Camp TLC" at Trinity Lutheran Church here in Jeff City. He's loved it so far, and never complains about going. (If you know my boy, you know that complaining comes easy...). The other night, he mentioned that two boys were ugly to him at Camp. He said they were painting pictures and these boys messed his up. I asked him more about it, but honestly didn't think it was a big deal. The next morning, one of the teachers approached me and told me more about the situation. I guess these boys were taunting Roan, ruining his picture and calling him names. I just couldn't believe it. If those boys had been in front of me, I might have pulled the Rebecca DeMornay move again...but I restrained myself. I work very hard to teach my kids to be kind to others, not to use ugly words, not to tease, etc... It kills me when other kids are mean to mine. It breaks my heart...and I hurt for them. I know it's part of growing up, but I don't like it.

So instead of losing my mind on two little boys, and instead of crying, I gave my sweet boy some extra lovin'. I hope it helped... and I hope this doesn't happen again. 'Cuz if it does, Rebecca may have to rear her head again. And believe me, nobody wants that.

One lucky girl... me!

The Man is on my mind, so I decided today's blog post would be about him... I've known the McGowin family since about 1988. Sharla and I were roommates, and she's still one of my best friends, today. When Sharla, Michelle and I shared a townhouse, Shannon brought his kids, Jay and Mallory, up to us to babysit. I remember seeing him for the first time and thinking "Wow!". Then I remembered he was married with two small children. And that I was 19 and he was 29. I probably cried. I don't remember. So, over the years, we've been at various McGowin family functions. I'd get verklempt, and tell Sharla "He's so handsome...I don't think I can stand to be in the same room with him!" She'd say "Oh, Sonia...he's my BROTHER!". She can't talk about how hunky her brother is. So, in the interim, I got married, had kids, got divorced... and I never forgot about him. In February 2009, Michelle and Sharla came to KC for my birthday. We were sitting in a hot tub and Sharla mentioned that her brother was single. I told her that I'd long ago given up on him... to which she uttered six fateful words: "Just give it one more try." So, I emailed him. I had just gotten divorced and needed some advice about how to file my taxes. Who better to ask than a CPA? (Which he is!) So, we emailed chatted intermittently for a few months. Then, I finally got the nerve to ask him on a date. My BFF Suzie always goes to a super-awesome Halloween party and she suggested I ask Shannon. So I did. And he said YES. And I thought I was gonna hurl. So, he came to KC and the rest is history. I am so totally in love with him, for lots of reasons:
He took me to Memphis on a vacation last year. He took me to Graceland and fed me good food. This is a picture of my two favorite men.

He likes my cooking. When something is really good, he closes his eyes during the first bite...and shakes his head a little bit. That makes me happy. And every night after dinner, he stands up and gives me a kiss. That's my little 'thank you' for whipping up something yummy. Then he does the dishes. Who wouldn't love that? Oh yeah, and he can grill and make great french fries and onion rings from scratch. And the kids insist that HE make the macaroni and cheese...

He is my rock. He is the same every day. Some say 'predictable' is a bad thing. I love it. I always know what to expect. And there's no drama. There's no going out with the boys. He's happy at home with us...

He is a good and generous provider, even to kids who aren't his. He's great at teaching them how to do stuff like fold paper airplanes, kick a football and turn out the lights when they leave a room. The kids say he's a little strict sometimes, but I think that's a good thing. And, he never fusses if I spend $10 on another snowman or another flower.

We're a good team. We cook together, we built a room together, we travel well together. We talk and laugh and have so much fun every day. He has taught me how to relax, and how to sleep late on Sunday mornings. And along with him comes a terrific family. I get to have lots of people over for dinners, which makes me happy. How did I get so lucky? I guess it's good that I was patient. It only took 20 years!

Nap time

One of the best things I ever did as a parent was to make a very strict routine at bed time. Every since they were babies, we had the same routine and the same bed time. Wow, has it paid off. Even Shannon is impressed with the lack of drama in the evenings.
I was also pretty strict about nap time when the kids were younger. When 1:00 pm came, pretty much everything stopped and it was time for sleep... the few times when our schedule wasn't working, for whatever reason, I paid for it in VERY unhappy kids. I found, especially with Roan, the better his nap during the day, the better he slept at night. Bad nap = restless night. I love this picture. They're napping on Nana's bed. Roan's wearing a Cheerleader's Halloween costume. The dresses were always a struggle at that age.

Roan dressed as a cheerleader... and Libby is naked. Again. I love how they're touching hands in their sleep. My advice to new parents... set a firm bed time and stick to it. Establish a routine and do it every night. Even tiny kids can learn to anticipate a routine. Trust me, it will pay you big rewards. There are some nights Roan will get in bed on his own and is asleep without me realizing it. There's no fussing, no begging for a drink or a snack... it's wonderful! I'm glad I did something right!

Renaissance Festival 2007

I laughed out loud when I saw these pictures... the kids were 4 and 2 1/2. We ventured out to the Renaissance Festival in Kansas City...one of my all-time favorite things to do. My friend, Michelle Brockhouse went with us... she doesn't have kids, but got a good dose of mine that day. Libby and Roan thought the murals with the face cut-outs were a hoot. Secretly, I did, too!

I think this one is hilarious!

Doesn't she look thrilled?

I hope we can manage to make it back to the Ren Fest this year. The kids are old enough now that they can do a lot more stuff. The Fall is always such a crazy time for our family, but maybe we can work it out!

Memory Lane

I've been feeling nostalgic lately, for a few reasons:

• I've been unpacking some boxes (finally!) and I found a big box of pictures. They are mostly of the kids when they were babies. I love to look at them, but then I feel sad because... well, just because, and then I have to feel guilty that all these pictures are not in albums yet. At least they're sorted...right?


• Libby is heading for a birthday. She'll be 8 next month. How can this be?


• The kids are getting ready to start school again in a few weeks. First and second grade. WHAT?

So in the midst of my nostalgia, I run across a file of pictures in my computer that were saved in the wrong place. So, so funny. These are from Christmas 2006. This was my attempt to take a picture suitable for our Christmas card. I had just started Chiropractic College. Libby was 3 1/2 and Roan was not quite 2. Wow, how they've changed!

Roan was so tiny! He is wearing the dress I got for Libby to wear to her preschool Christmas program. When he saw it, he HAD to put it on. When he had to take it off, he had a complete meltdown. Today, he swears he NEVER wore Libby's dresses. I have proof. And I'll use it...someday.

OMG, I love this picture. It was totally spontaneous. Today, Libby probably wouldn't kiss her brother voluntarily if I paid her!

Look at Libby's curls! Drives me crazy that the reds in their outfits don't match... oh well.

Silly little girl. She has such a baby face in this picture... I can't believe how much she's grown.

This is the picture I finally ended up using for our card. I love it... Roan was just so tiny. Where did the time go?