State Fair, Concerts, and BFF's...what gets better than that?

Well, I will first apologize for basically not blogging the month of August. Let's just say things have been busy and I can't believe a month has past and I am not even caught up with stuff from July...so I am just not going to think about all of that and just let you know about my fun week I had last week.

First of all- It has been State Fair time which is always exciting no matter what but I will say that this year I set a record (for me) for number of visits within one fair timeframe. But don't worry- I didn't set a record for amount of fair food eaten (but haven't seemed to step on the scale to find out), but probably did spend a record amount of money at the fair/events this year. Soooo...my first visit started out with Jamie and me and the kids. We had concert tickets that night so our entry was "free" so we decided to make the most of it and eat both lunch and dinner there. The kids saw baby cows and pigs, giant boars and the biggest mules I have ever seen. Got to eat my first corn dog and elephant ear and all were happy. We headed home in between and Jamie probably got a nap, but I decided to go for a root canal. And this is totally off base, but I seriously love the guy who does my root canals (sad to say I have had 3 in the last year)...but he is awesome. No problems, hardly sore, very nice.

ANYWAYS, that night Jamie picked me up and we headed back to the fair for a concert (and some potato curly fries of course). It was Mercy Me and Jeremy Camp which are two of my favorite Christian Bands. The concert was AWESOME. Seriously the best concert I have ever been to. Amazing songs sung and words spoken and God just fed my much hungry heart that night. I really needed that. No pics that night, but of course we looked awesome! ha!

Then Thursday one of my highschool bff's flew in from Texas for the weekend. It was soooo amazing to see her. I hadn't seen her in years and hadn't hung out for multiple days in a row since highschool. She is the same girl I knew back then and it was amazing to get together and really catch up. But I will say this...she got put on some serious Technology detox for weekend. I picked her up and on the way to grab some lunch I told her the bad news;

Me: Melanie, I just want to let you know that I don't have cable...

Melanie: What??? (in sheer total disbelief) You are joking right? Do you have like one of those like box things too? hahaha...

Me: Ummm....yeah because my tv is from college.

Melanie: Huh??? Wow, I seriously didn't know people like you existed out there. I saw those commercials reminding you to "get your converter box before its too late" and I was like- Who doesn't have cable? pleeeease!

Me: Yeeeah...and um Melanie...I have some other bad news....I have dial up internet.

Melanie: Oh My Goodness!!! Where are you taking me???

Seriously the conversation was really close to that...it was actually pretty funny (and I am sure scary for Mel...wondering why I haven't caught up with the 21st century)

But once the shock wore off we had a great time and I even took her to Zumba (latin/hip-hop dance aerobics) that night and had a blast! The next day we went downtown to the soup kitchen to volunteer, got hit on by some firemen at the grocery, and then headed to the spa. Soon after that Stephanie (another highschool bff) showed up and the party was ready to begin. You can read her blog for more fun pics and details...but here it is in fast forward.

We got all dolled up and ready to head out to a Kelly Clarkson concert (yes, back at the State Fair)My bff from college showed up and we quickly snapped a pic before heading out to pick up two more! Here we all are at the concert...after we had eaten our share of fair food that is...(wow, that makes 3 meals now). The concert was REALLY good. Kelly's voice is amazing. I really wasn't that big of fan before, but I would have to say she won me over.

The next morning...before dawn, I quietly snuck out of the house to meet Tim and the kids at the Fair for the anual hot air balloon race. It has been a tradition and I didn't want to miss it. For some reason, Mel and Steph didn't want to wake up before the sun!

proof I was there before dawn Luca and Lilly thought it was pretty exciting, it is so much fun to watch there reactions.

The united van was new this year which was fun It went up practically right over us!

And here they all are off on the race! And of course after they were out of sight I stuck around just long enough to eat some fair food breakfast- haha! When I got back home the girls were still sleeping and didn't even know I was gone!

Another bff (my little sis) showed up mid morning and got to hang with us the rest of the weekend. We hit the pool, downtown circle center, st.elmos (bc I had a gift certificate I won at a golf outing -woot!woot!), and a movie (with a celebrity movie reviewer). Good times had by all...wished all the girls could have made it.

And just to end my story, I did go to the State Fair one more time! Last day was yesterday and Tim and the kids and I headed over to grab my infamous carml apple watch a little demoliton derby. It was actually the first derby for all of us, wasn't sure exactly what the point was when it first started but it was suprisingly entertaining (although very loud). We even finished off the fair by watching fireworks from the back of Tim's truck before we pulled away. 2009 State Fair was very memorable this year, not sure next year can top it...but I can always try! :)

oh how they grow

Well, the group hasn't grown any since last year...(and actually dwindled in size for the picture op). Haven't been able to get the entire old Highschool girlfriends group together all at once this summer, but we are spreading out the love. Actually going to have a few girls here in August with no children which should be fun as well! Below are some fun pics from a few weekends ago when I got to see a friend who was in town from NJ and of course was hosted by the lovely Stephanie. Of course we always forget to actually get a picture of us...what's up with that?

four boys in the middle of three beautiful ladies.
i love the expressions in this one...my kids are such cheeseheads.

here is the one from last summer.

and here is the three of us from two years ago.

and here we were 14 years ago. ha! who would have ever thought?

Ummm...what was suppose to be a Throwback Neocon Post

Ok, so first of all I wanted to apologize that the last post was just a random picture of me. That was a mistake. It was suppose to be this post, but I only got one pic uploaded and thought I hit the save button when I must have hit the post button? Needless to say when I was up North at my friends house and saw a glimpse of my blog I was a little embarrassed.

Soooo....what the blog was suppose to be about was my Neocon trip to Chicago that happened over a month ago now. (I am soooo behind on blogging it isn't even funny). My Interior Design co-horts and favorite sales reps headed up to Chicago to the infamous Merchandise Mart to see all the latest and greatest that the furniture, carpet, wallcovering, fabric, lighting, and any other misc finish world has to offer. It was definitely less busy than in years past but that just made it easier to get around for us!

Neocon is essentially about seeing the latest and greatest, getting wined and dined by the best reps ever and enjoying a few "kid free nights" where you can get dolled up and hit the town is definitely a bonus!
The Mart itself is filled with fun photo ops- this one was a favorite...I mean how often can you sit inside a wood laminate "cave"?

And the pic you got to stare at for over a week. Sorry!

It is my new favorite self-portrait. And I did earn a new nickname "hotstuff" while we were there...which I guess has come from my "over-confidence" during Neocon. Recently I have been using a reverse psychology of sorts- where if you tell yourself (or other people) something over and over again then maybe it will actually be ingrained into your head as being true vs. what you really think of yourself? Not sure it is working and may come off snobbish at times? But I do feel better about myself lately (which is interesting considering the circumstances).

Hang time

Two weekends ago we headed to Kokotown for Lucas' bud Ethan's birthday. The party was held at a gymnastic place which the kids had a blast.

Here is Lucas, Lilly and the Birthday boy in the foam cube pit...which kinda turned into a mosh pit of 1-4 year olds.
Lilly and Aly climb across one of the "circuits"

And here is Lucas swinging from the monkey bars. Good upper strength- need to get both of them into some sort of tumbling class or karate or something. What do your kids enjoy?

It is official...I have a 4 year old.

Well, I have been calling Lucas "almost 4" for a few months. And I think you can definitely see a difference when this age hits. It is a fun age to watch b/c he asks ALOT of questions trying to understand everything, talks back quite a bit (and sits in timeout quite a bit), and really just has so much understanding but at the same time, so much innocence. Some questions catch you off guard and some make you laugh. I think at the very least the next year will be quite an adventure and I am looking forward to it.

So, the dinosaur birthday bash went well, small crowd but it was nice. My favorite part actually happened after most people left... Lucas runs into the house after playing in the garage on his new Batman "motorcycle" (tricycle), "Mom! Am I still 4?" "Yep, you are still 4!" I answered. And with so much enthusiam and excitement he ran back in the garage to tell Hannah that indeed he was still four years old! Too cute.

And thanks to watching the skills of my cousin at Lilly's party, I attempted a 3d dino cake...have to say I was pretty impressed with myself!

Lucas loved his stegoaurus cake and his first request after blowing out the candles was, "Can I have a piece now? I want to eat his head!" (Nice).

And by now, he was a professional gift unwrapper and did not need any help from his friends or sister...but they snuck it in anyway.

Thought I would share some other funny pics of the little dinos that rocked the house. Kids are just too funny and cute.

There were all kinds of dinosaurs at the party;

scary drooling dinos, rock star dinos, dancing dinos, and even bus driving dinos. Good times.

Anyone else stir crazy?

It is kinda funny how the last few weeks every mom I have talked to has seen a bit stir crazy. They seem ready to go get a drink at the drop of a hat, more phone conversations and stir craziness then I have seen in awhile. I thought maybe it is the lack of Vitamin D from the sun, or the business of the holidays. I didn't really put it together until I was talking to a friend and I realized what it is...winter. Yes, winter (although not offiical yet) has kept us indoors, which has therefore kept the germs indoors, which has therefore kept our kids sick, which has therefore kept our kids crabby, which has therefore raised the stress level, which on top of typical "get ready for the holidays" stresses can really add up, which has therefore turned most moms I know into women who need a break. Well, at least I am speaking for me.

I was able to "get away" this past weekend. Headed up north to one of my best friends from highschools house on Saturday. We met up with a few of our other girlfriends, shopped at an insane mall, ate dinner in a bar where no children were allowed, found people from highschool on facebook, taped off a stripe to be painted on a dining room wall, went to a choir concert at our old highschool in the same auditorium we use to sing in, then I finally headed back home. It was perfect. Just enough time to relax, breathe, shop, girl talk, laugh (and then tried not to during the concert). Good times that were much needed, I did miss the kids but it was only 30 hours and they had great bonding time with daddy.

Thought I would share some funny pics. Reminissing in the old halls of highschool, next to the infamous art murals.

Had a great time ladies! You were a blast!

And if YOU still need some quality girl time (always a must to maintain the fact that even though we are moms/daughters/friends/sisters/wives we must take care of ourselves every now and then too)...feel free to drop me a line and we can get together!

Wordless Wednesday...How many kids can you fit on a couch?

The weekend...what a zoo

The crazy weekend began late Friday night picking up some special visitors at the airport and then Saturday morning we put one of them to work making the animal cakes for the party.

She had LOTS of help (as you can see) and did an AMAZING job!

Thanks cousin Kristin!

The cakes were the hit of the party! Kids were screaming "I want the lion!" or "I want the monkey!" I couldn't cut them fast enough!

I love this picture, not only b/c Lilly knew exactly what she was doing and was so excited but because the looks on the other kids faces just says it all.
She was an expert present opener and of course looked so adorable!

And the best part of the weekend was that we finally got to meet Miss Rita!! She was adopted in February from Russia by or cousins out in CA and we were so excited that they were able to come and visit us for the first time. She is a bundle of energy and fit right in with our little ones. We went to the Children's Museum on Sunday but I forgot my camera, so when I figure out how to upload pics from my new phone (or get some from someone else...hint hint), I will blog more about the great weekend. Thanks to all who came- especially the SanDiegoans!

On Lilly's actual birthday (Tuesday) she got to open her present from us...a HUGE doll house! Hopefully this will last for years to come! She was very excited and Lucas thinks the elevator is pretty cool and has already taken his hot wheels for a ride! I am sure that Barbies and Superman will get along well in the house. Everyone is welcome to come on over and play!

Throwback Thursday

Well, football season has begun again. We missed the first game due to the wedding last weekend, but this coming Saturday we will be roasting hot dogs, playing corn hole, throwing the football around, trying not to use the port-a-potties and of course cheering for the best college ever- GO PURDUE!

What a difference 4 years can make...

Tailgating 2004. All four ladies were expecting their first babies.

Jamie- March, Meghan- April, Me- January, Kelley- January

At least we all made it through the football season...gotta keep priorites straight, right? Can you imagine sitting in front of the four uncomfortable pregnant ladies...hope we didn't knock anybody over. Now we all have two children and actually enjoy our tailgating times b/c they are not typically there. Thanks to all the grandparents and friends who watch the little rugrats while we enjoy a day in the sun (or rain) with our friends. Looking forward to the goodtimes this year!

Go Boilers! Go Boilers!

We likes to party...

Well, if you couldn't hear us rocking in the "burg" than you must live in San Diego. ;)

I had decided along time ago that when I turned 30 I was going to have this giant party. Well, it may have not turned out so giant but we did have a good time. And really it was just an excuse to have a party without children. Got to have adult drinks and adult conversation...and on top of it all there was an amazing band that rocked the night away since there were no children to wake up!!

As everyone has told me, 30 really isn't all that bad.

I was so excited that my highschool girlfriends came all the way from the region to help me celebrate! Thanks for also helping me set up and get ready! It was sunny for about an hour before the rains came down, so we didn't get to fully enjoy our outdoors. But we did get to still enjoy the deck for awhile b/c my brilliant husband had put a giant tarp over the pergola. Thanks Tim! One day we will have a party that isn't cold or rainy...really. But when the rains started to really pour the band started rocking the house! Matt & Roy 2(squared) + Dave can really rock the house! Roy on drums, Matt on Guitar & Roy Sr and Dave traded off playing the bass. I think everyone joined in for vocals but I know Roy was losing his voice by the end of the night! You guys were amazing!! Thanks!!

These were the back up singers. Good job ladies!

And here is Tim singing some Mellancamp.

Not sure who this base player is, but thought I would spare you the video of her belting out (and dancing to) Baby Got Back. (It is even hard for me to watch). Thanks to all who came!! I had a blast, hope you did too!