Fall Break and the State Fair

School started in the middle of August and it was time for a break.  I wasn't originally planning on doing a fall break, but it was time.  We had a three day school week and the kids were so excited for it.  Monday was the realization that the week was almost over, Tuesday was the day before the last day of the week, and Wednesday was the last day of the school week.  I didn't want to plan too much, but this weekend happened to coincide with the only day Tim would have time to attend the state fair.  He had to work on the morning, but was able to sneak out at a good time, so we had most of the afternoon to spend at the fair.  It was a blast, but we have come to the conclusion that morning it best.  We have always gone in the morning, so this was our first afternoon/evening trip.  It was packed and ride lines took forever.  With it being so close to dinner and two of the kids not getting naps, it made for a difficult finish.  It was also a little sad, because this will be our last fair in North Carolina.  We walked past the spot where Tim and Lila took a little nap three years ago.  Of course we took a picture to recreate the memory.  Super cute the second time too!

The kids got to see lots of animals.  Liam was amazed at them.  It's so different seeing the animals in person versus in books.  He just loved it.  We also saw the giant pumpkins, bees, and giant watermelons.

The kids did some dancing with the One Man Band and received some fun medals from him.  It was really cute to watch them.  I didn't know they had so many moves.

Liam was a champ.  He missed a nap and couldn't really fall asleep with all the action.  He was getting punchy by dinner, but he help on and I think he enjoyed himself.  He had some walking time, but spent most of his time in the stroller.  The crowds were crazy and it would have been very easy for the kids to get swept away and us not be able to see them through all the adults.

The kids got to bed late.  It was funny listening to Lila talk about the night.  Our kids have an early bedtime, but she is also young and nights aren't in her memory bank yet.  We had running comments on headlights and taillights, not being able to see cars or anything really, and the fact that the sun was disappearing.  Life is so much more exciting when you experience it through the eyes of a child.

As part of our fun time off, we made Halloween cookies for Lila's preschool.  They enjoyed mixing, cutting, and frosting.  Mostly they enjoyed eating them.  

We also went to the library for homeschool.  They did coding for the first time.  It was a little over Lila's head, but Hyrum really enjoyed it.  They had these cool robots that you coded by coloring patterns to make them spin, go turbo (guess whose favorite that one was), and reverse.  I say it every time, but I the library does a great job and it's always something new and exciting.

Hyrum and I also made some knight armor to bring to a close our medieval/dark ages study.  He enjoyed helping me.  It was a little more advanced than I thought, so next time I am going to change things so that he can do more.  Lila enjoyed her princess costume and coloring princesses.  I snapped this photo of her that really shows her personality.  Lots of color, princesses, bows and clips.  Oh, and you can't forget the shades.

Tim was super busy as usual.  High school football in coming to an end.  His weekends will be a little more free as regular games, tournaments, and playoffs come to a close for the each of the sports he is covering this fall.  He is also gearing up for an away game with UNC at the beginning of November and his interview in Arkansas.  

The baby has kicked it into high gear...literally...this week.  I have noticed a lot more kicking, stretching and repositioning to all the most uncomfortable positions like my bladder and sternum.  It's crazy to think we are already at 24 weeks.  My mind is already switching gears to the things that need to be done in anticipation of a new baby and what I don't really want to deal with with a newborn and most likely moving.  I actually packed a couple of boxes this week.  I had a couple of half boxes, so I redid them and added some things I knew we weren't going to need before we moved.  I also decided that once Tim has a more open schedule, that he is going to take all the kids somewhere so I can go through all the girl clothes.  I was convinced that I was having a girl, so when I had an opportunity I didn't do it because I didn't want to have to go through things twice.  Well, now I need to go through things because it's another boy.  There are a couple of other areas that I want to tackle as well, just because it will make things a little easier.  

We'll finish off with what I call the Turkey award.  It goes to Lila and I'm not sure any of our kids will ever be able to top her turkeyness.  I've lamented, whined, complained, and vented many times on how frustrating it has been to potty train her.  We have been potty training for over a year.  We've had our ups and downs and successes and fails.  She is good for the most part, but we still have some sort of accident at least once a week.  One thing we have failed at consistently is night training.  I have spent...I kid you not...12 months waking her up to try to go potty to help train her to wake up and be alert enough to go potty.  Well, I've always met with resistance, crying, fussing, and refusing because she's too tired.  It's even worse for Tim.  In the 12 months, I can count the number of times on one hand that she has actually gone.  She is a very deep sleeper, but after a particularly trying week, we came up with a new plan.  We were going to give her a treat in the morning if she went potty at night.  Well, it didn't go well and in a moment of desperation I just said if she went potty she could have her treat right then.  She stopped crying long enough to ask if I meant right that second and immediately after I said yes, she smiled and went potty.  We have met with much less resistance and had more potty success this week than we had in a combined 12 months.  And right now I am okay that my child is eating sugar at 10 pm, because she has a smile on her face as I brush her teeth and merrily runs back to bed without a tear.  So, that is why the Turkey award goes to Lila.  May we have continued success now and forever in the potty training department!