Joshua used to think the tractors at Lowes were exciting

Here we are at the 10th Annual Antique Tractor and Engine show! The kids had a great time and rode as many tractors as they could.
This was the first picture I took of Joshua when we got there. He ran straight to the tractors and climbed up on the first one he got to.
He was super excited. So cute!
they even shared pretty wellZoe was handling the steering and sound effects

notice Joshua in the picture below. They were 'racing'
Zoe and Leah
I think half the fun was just running around in the field. Notice Zoe's progression from boots to bare feet.

It was super hot out earlier today. The weather was perfect when we got there. Cloud cover & breeze! Only a few sprinkles.

Joshua was playing with the thing that took the dried corn off the cob. He must have done about 20 of them
I put my sunglasses on him because little dried pieces were flying everywhere when he turned the crank
This was cute! They are both on the same tractor. Why one tractor has two steering wheels, we couldn't figure out.
(notice Zoe is barefoot)


Everybody taking a break

no more boots.

so proud!

Joshua floored me when I asked him if he could say the Pledge of Allegiance all by himself. I almost exploded, I was so proud of him!!

(how this came about was that I thought I'd be a good Mom and start practicing the Pledge with him, since we say it at Cubbies every Wednesday. I said a line, expecting him to repeat it, but instead, he said the next line, and so on until we had said the whole thing. So I asked him if he could say the whole thing all by himself. Apparently, Joshua and Zoe's preschool is more AWESOME than I thought, and had it all taken care of!)

they're so OLD

Seriously. Every time I see pictures, I realize how much Joshua is getting to be such a big boy. Totally not a toddler anymore, and I couldn't be more proud of the awesome, sweet little guy he is. At night I say "I love you little boy" and he says "I love you big Mommy." I'm dreading the day when he honestly doesn't want me to call him little boy anymore. And as for my little baby Zoe, well, she's not so little or baby anymore either. She just seems so big, and I wish I could make her tiny and babyish again but she's little miss independent and is having none of it. I secretly love it when she gets really upset or wants to be held all the time. I can only say that now because she is not hanging on my leg at the moment.

Miss smarty pants figured out how to spit in the sink all by herself!
She just sticks her toes on the door knobs, it's super funny to watch. She's a monkey!
See what I mean about them being so big?! They're gigantic!!
Where'd my baby girl go?! p.s. Aunt Sara, she LOVES this outfit! And I was so happy to have it this morning because it helped me to avoid the "no, you cannot wear your princess pajamas to school" argument.
He stopped moving & jumping around long enough for me to get the picture. Or I just got lucky, not sure.

Cubbie Joshua

Joshua was very excited for his first night of AWANA tonight. So excited that this past Sunday, he tried to bring his Cubbies bag to church with him, and tonight, when we had to stop at Zoe's doctor & Walmart, he asked why we weren't at the church and when we were going to get to AWANA. I was teach the Cubbies class next door to his, and when we passed his class in the hallway, he was grinning from ear to ear! He recited his first AWANA verse for his teachers, got his stamp & sticker, and said that he had a great time. Zoe wasn't so excited to be in childcare, but that only lasted 1 minute, then she was off to play. She told Joshua "You a cubbie Joshua! You a cubbie!!Joshua in his Cubbie gear. Obviously a very proud Mommy moment!
Joshua said "Mommy, I do think I want to say my verse for Daddy." Earlier, he had told me that he only likes to say it for his teachers.

Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce

We've had tons of tomatoes this year, between the CSA tomatoes and the tomato farm I have in the back yard. Not complaining though! Zoe eats the cherry tomatoes before they even get in the door, and I have over a gallon of tomato sauce and probably just as much ratatouille in the freezer. I had a bunch of tomatoes sitting on the counter just looking at me, I honestly was not in the mood to make yet another batch of sauce... then, I came across this recipe:

http://www.mrsdragon.net/2010/08/oven-roasted-tomato-sauce.html#more

In addition to having a fun blog, this lady has a fantastic tomato sauce recipe. I just finished making it, and it is so good that I might have to find something to use it on tonight! I probably used extra garlic, not as much lemon juice, and about a Tbsp of sugar. I also used the blender instead of the food processor. Only down-side was the 3 cookie sheets I had to wash. Boooo.

Ratty-da-tooty, and other fun sayings

Here's the rest of the outfit I made for Zoe. It's not that I love this fabric so so much, it's just that I have so so much of it that I use it for every project! I think a couple more nursing covers or carseat covers and I will be rid of it :) Nxt time, I think I will make the top longer & the shorts shorter.her hairbow & shoulder straps are the same ribbon. Awww.
Came in to find Zoe on my floor asleep at 1030am. This was, of course, because we were supposed to be going somewhere.Daddy & Joshua having a little fun with the exercise ball. As with all videos of our kiddos, he stopped doing it as soon as he realized he was being filmed.

I just think it's hilarious how they pronounce Ratatouille. Joshua says RAT-ma-tooty and Zoe says Ratty-da-tooty