Dixie Classic Fair & Pumpkin Patch #2

So, so sorry in the delay in posting...I have been busier than I thought....I planned on posting this blog last night but we were celebrating my mom's birthday with the whole family here at my house....it was so much fun having a house full of my favorite people but boy we were all tired last night! :)

Luke, Landis, and I are continuing to enjoy this gorgeous fall weather. Last Sunday, after church, we took off to the Dixie Classic Fair and had a great time. On the way, I sat in the back seat and fed Luke his lunch. As he ate, he started telling me about his "Click, Clack, Moo" book that we read each night. Lately, Luke will all of a sudden start singing songs that we sing with him or start quoting words from the books that we read. On this occasion, he started saying, "We're closed. No milk. No eggs." (which is what the cows type to the Farmer in the book). After Luke says this, I will say to him, "and Farmer Brown was...." and Luke fills in the blank by saying, "FURIOUS!" (with great enthusiasm). It's very cute....I have a video of him quoting this book at the bottom.

Now, after he repeated these lines several times in the car, I asked him, "Luke, why did the cows and the hens tell Farmer Brown that there would be no eggs and no milk? What did the cows and the hens want?" Luke very clearly said, "Electric Blankets." Wow! I was amazed!!! Anyone who has read this book knows that, yes, that's exactly how the story goes....the cows and hens are cold and ask for electric blankets and when Farmer Brown want give them any, they refuse to make milk and eggs. My 21 month old son can comprehend a book better than some Kindergarteners. If there was ever one ounce of a doubt in me that reading to children develops language at an early age, there is no doubt now....I have read to Luke since the day we brought him home from the hospital and, boy, it is paying off now. :)

Anyway....enough of the bragging....let's move on to the fun at the fair....

We started off at the fair by looking at the old tractors and lawn mowers. Luke just sat in his stroller and talked about all of them that he saw. Then, while Luke was still content in his stroller, we went through several different animal barns - we looked at the goats and the cows. We couldn't believe the many different kinds of goats that were there. They even had a goat show and a cow show that we watched a little bit of. They had children of all ages showing the cows. I was amazed at how stern those children could be in order to get the cows to obey. Next, we continued into the petting barn. Luke didn't really want to feed the animals himself. He enjoyed looking at them and he talked about them but when I asked him to feed them, he would say, "Mommy do it." So....daddy and I fed the animals while Luke watched with excitement.

Continuing on in the animal adventures, we saw the pony rides. We were all excited about this! I have been wanting Luke to have the opportunity to ride a pony and here it was! :) Luke picked the pony he wanted to ride and off we went. Our pony's name was "Andy" and he was beautiful! Luke was a little nervous at first and wanted to lean towards me to make sure he wasn't going to fall off, but, after a few minutes, he started telling me all about riding the pony. At one point, he said, "It's alright, Andy." I thought this was so sweet - I guess he was worried about the fact that he was sitting on top of Andy the pony. :) Maybe he thought he was hurting him.

After the pony ride, we put Luke back in the stroller and continued walking to see what else we could do. Along the way, we saw a mini-parade with a huge bear on a skateboard and a woman on stilts. Luke just watched in amazement.

Our next stop was the food court - yummy, yummy fair food! Luke loves lemonade so we started out by getting me and him a large squeezed lemonade. Luke drank this quickly and then wanted to taste the lemons. He tried his best to eat a little bit of the lemon - the face was priceless! :) I was too sticky to get a picture but the people around us sure did get a good laugh at him. :) The next thing we tried was delicious funnel cake. I mean who comes to the fair without eating one of these. :) It took all 3 of us to eat that thing - it was big! Luke ate so much that within no time he was on a sugar high. He got quite silly and began running around like a wild man. He ran around and around a little gazebo that we were eating in and then started trying to climb up on the benches. Before someone snatched him up, we had to put him back in his stroller and move to different scenery.

As we were walking, Luke saw one of those games where there is a pond full of fish that kids get to pick out fish and get a prize that corresponds with a certain name on the bottom of the fish. At the last fair that we went to, this was Luke's favorite game, so as soon as he saw this, his face lit up. We paid our money and Luke began fishing. The fish went around and around pretty fast so I had to help him a little. He stuck his whole arm in the water trying to get the fish and his little face was glowing as he played. He was so proud each time he put one of the fish in the basket. After getting three fish, the lady told us the three prizes he could choose from. Luke actually could have chosen one of the biggest prizes they had - one of those huge blow up toys- but that's not what he wanted....he chose the small stuffed dolphin instead. As soon as he saw this dolphin, he grabbed for it. It was quite cute to see how much he wanted to hold the dolphin. As soon as he realized that it was his, he gave it a big hug. :) He held on to this dolphin for the rest of the day.

After the game, Luke, Landis, me, and the dolphin headed to the carousel. This was an awesome carousel - it had two levels. We tried to find a horse on the top level but they were all gone. So, I let Luke choose his favorite horse on the bottom level. Luke loves carousels and this one was no different. He smiled and smiled as we went around and around and up and down - he pretended to swim his dolphin in the air as we went around and around and then he would all of a sudden give it a nose kiss. :) I enjoyed watching him ride and ride. :) I probably kissed him 10 times in this one ride. I can't help it.

After the carousel we headed to another one of Luke's favorite things - the train. This train was quite smile but I still rode with him. We sat in the caboose which was the perfect seat for us to wave at daddy from - a few times, Luke would hang his head out of the window and yell for daddy. He was so happy and silly and just having a blast still holding his dolphin tight.

After the rides, daddy was ready for some ice cream so while Daddy ate his ice cream and listened to some blue grass, Luke and I went to explore the old timey part of the fair. You know the part that has the buildings that look like Old Salem. First, we went into one of the buildings that had one of those John Deere peddle tractors that we could register to win - Luke tried it out while I took some pictures and filled out the form and then off we went. (We didn't win it by the way) Bummer! :)

We continued to play around the old buildings. Luke did what he does best - explore! He picked up sticks, rocks, climbed steps, hid behind trees, looked at tractors and the old fire truck. He would use sticks to draw in the dirt and then he would toss some rocks around. I also sat him up on the edge of the well so he could see how that worked. He found him a little acorn that he kicked around for several minutes. Even with the awesome rides and his cool dolphin prize, this part may have been his favorite - any time you put Luke outdoors in a new place, he has a blast just exploring! :)

This exploration time ended our trip. We headed back to the car - tired and broke (he, he) - but with a green dolphin and a happy toddler. When we were getting Luke out of his stroller, he looked at me and said a sentence that I couldn't understand. I asked him to repeat it and he said it again. I was so confused because I still had no clue. Finally, I remembered - he was saying the sentence, "It's for you, Bob!" I laughed and laughed. This is what the Duck says in one of his Click, Clack, Moo books....he all of a sudden started that book quoting again - who knows what makes him think of those books but all of a sudden he starts quoting them. :)

On the way home, Luke sang and talked and hugged his dolphin. He gave the dolphin a few nose kisses and tried to see if he wanted one of his pacis. (Yes, he still has those in the car and at bedtime.) I know, I know, working on it soon....:)

Back at home, we ended our Sunday night with some great family time. During dinner, he ate great (to my surprise after that huge funnel cake). He would act so silly and then say to me, "Mommy act silly." So, I would make funny faces and noises and giggle with him. After dinner, we made a family parade around the house. Luke pushed the lawn mower. I pulled the tractor (on a string), and Landis pulled the train (on a string). This was Luke's idea....he now tells us what he wants us to push or pull with him. I knew the parade was over and Luke was ready for a tickle session when he said, "Mommy tickle me." So....I did....I tickled him like crazy on his Elmo couch.

Luke was still quite energetic so we continued to play. He rode in his red car while we sang a few songs. He loves for me to sing this song, "Wiggle it just a little bit. Yeah!" He will sit in his red car and shake his little hips. (He gets his dance moves from his daddy, not me-and that's a good thing.) :)

After the red car, he decided to start mowing again. This time, he mowed in straight up and down lines in our bedroom. As Landis and I watched, we noticed that it looked like the way that Landis mows our yard - in lines. We looked at him and said, "Luke, what are you doing?" He looked back at us like we were the dumbest things and said, "I'm mowing!" Like - duh - mom and dad - what does it look like??? Well, excuse us! :) He continued with the insults when he said, "Daddy needs to mow the yard." Oh my - we are going to have our hands full one day.

Bed time got closer and closer and he was still going strong. We let him stay up just a little later and snuggle with daddy and play with his Noah's ark. I finally had to stop him from playing and begin the night time routine. He handled the transition well. Even though I think he would've played all night, he didn't fuss much - just did what I asked him. I read to him for just a few minutes and he was out like a light!

This was a great day! Luke was in such a good mood - he didn't whine, he wasn't cranky, he just had pure fun all day long and when he's having fun, we are having fun! On days like this, I wish I could "can" him and preserve him just like he is....no more growing up....let my little boy stay little with his sweet little voice and tiny ways of communicating. He brings me and Landis pure joy - there's nothing else better than days like this! :)

Here are some pictures from our fair adventures!

Oh, but first....a few random ones...this one was taken last Saturday night at Mark and Melissa's...he's all bundled up and on the move....

This one is priceless....Luke usually gives us his pacis pretty quick each morning but for some reason on this morning, he had them a little longer than normal. While I was toasting our bagel, I looked over and this is what I saw....
Luke in Daddy's boots....now, that might be a picture for the yearbook one day. :)

Now, the fair pics....

Here are a few more random pictures....for some reason, the other day Luke wanted to put on one of my t-shirts....I let him put it on and this is what he looked like...

This is Luke showing me that his feet do not stink...

This is Luke after eating some pudding at dinner...

Luke playing outside with his tractor...

Being a little silly...


And....now....on to this weekend's adventure to Pumpkin Patch #2. Daddy plays golf every Saturday morning so Luke and I get to take field trips wherever we want to go. This is the only season that we have the chance to visit Pumpkin Patches so, even though we visited the High Rock Pumpkin Patch last week, I wanted to visit one more that I found on the internet and I'm sure glad that we did - it was great!

To be honest, I can't remember the name of the farm - it was a huge farm right beside of Eastern Guildford High School in Gibsonville (which is about a 40 minute drive). It was another gorgeous day and we had a wonderful time. To make it even better, Heather and Silas joined us for a pumpkin patch play date.

The boys started out with some wagon rides. Luke had a great time pulling the wagons and riding in the wagon through the pumpkin patch. See...

Those wagons and pumpkins sure do make some pretty pictures...don't they??? Oh yeah...and, do you see that tiny pumpkin Luke is holding? That is the one that he picked out. Out of all the big, beautiful pumpkins, this is the one he wanted to "take home". At least it was cheap - a whole 50 cents. :)

After playing with the wagons and finding a pumpkin, we rode on a mini hay ride close by the farm. The boys enjoyed a few snacks while riding. Then, the best part....we rode the cow train. This was awesome! It was about 10 wooden cows on wheels being pulled by a tractor. It was quite a long ride around the field and through the corn maze. The first time we rode it, I rode with Luke...
After the cow ride, we explored the farm for awhile. Luke climbed the big hay stack, rode on the bouncy red car, climbed through the tires, swung on the swings, played on the see saw, and played in the corn pile. We also went for a ride on the big hayride that took us for a tour of the farm. This was neat - we had the chance to learn all about the different types of crops that were grown on this farm. Heather and I learned a lot. The boys enjoyed this part because they were able to see a ton of big, old, tractors - all shapes and sizes. Here are some pictures of Luke playing on the farm...yes, he still has that pumpkin...he was so worried someone was going to take this from him...he carried it the entire time...
On top of the huge hay stack...









Because the cow train was so much fun, we couldn't resist riding it again...this time, I let Luke ride it alone. It was so sweet watching him. He loved it! :)




We ended our morning at the Pumpkin Patch with eating some snacks on a rock under a tree. This is always one of my favorite parts - sitting down with Luke to talk with him about all the fun things we have done, especially in this beautiful setting. I distinctly remember sitting in front of him on the rock and thinking to myself, "It doesn't get any better than this." And, boy, it doesn't. What a fun time!

If you haven't visited a pumpkin patch yet, you should go visit so you, too, can ride the cow train! :)

Before I get to the videos, there are a few more random thoughts that I need to journal.

(1) As you all know, Luke's mammaw (my mother in law) who keeps him each day is one of the most faithful people that I know. She reads her Bible, prays, and has a consistent, close relationship with Jesus. A HUGE reason why I'm so thankful that she is keeping Luke.

The older and more verbal that Luke gets, I have the chance to see more and more of how Carolyn is influencing Luke (in a good way). This week, two things happened that made me smile. First of all, the other day, he dropped some cheerios on the ground and he looked at me and said, "Oh me gracious!" I couldn't help but giggle. My mother in law has always used the phrase, "Oh my gracious!" as her way of expressing her frustration. Well, Luke has picked up on this and I'm totally okay with the saying he chose - if this is what he says when he's frustrated, then that is just fine with me.

My mother in law's good influence presented itself again the other night at dinner. While we were eating, Luke looked at me and said, "joy, joy, joy." I was confused but continued to listen. He said the same thing again. I said, "yes, joy, joy, joy" (pretending to know where this was coming from) when all of sudden, Luke said, "Mammaw has that joy, joy, joy." Oh, duh, he was singing the Christian song, "I have that joy, joy, joy down in my heart. Where? Down in my heart...." This song is on one of his CDs here at home so I guess him and his mammaw have been listening to it and she has taught him to put other people's names in the song. What a great song for Luke to have stuck in his head! :) Once again, if these are the types of songs they are listening to while I'm gone (which means he's not sitting in front of the TV)....I'm thrilled! :)

(2) Last random thought....I promise....I just have to mention that Luke's new favorite dance is the Bunny Hop. He will ask me to show him this You Tube video of a whole family doing the bunny hop in their back yard. He loves to watch this! The other day while we were watching it. He grabbed my hands and started doing the motions. We did the Bunny Hop together! I need to catch this on video - I'll try my best! :)

Speaking of video....here you go....you have to watch all of them!!! :)

Video #1: Luke riding the cow train. He's in the second cow behind the tractor.

Video #2: MY FAVORITE - YOU MUST WATCH!! This is Luke saying the quotes from the Click, Clack Moo book that wrote about earlier.

Video #3: Luke walking around with my shirt on in my shoes. Not daddy's favorite video - but I think it's quite cute! :)

Video #4: Luke's first pony ride.

Video #5: Luke giving his dolphin a nose kiss in the car on the way home from the fair.

Thanks for reading the Toddy novel (he, he). Have a good night and a great week! My birthday is Saturday - I can't wait to celebrate with my two favorite men!! Stay tuned for my birthday adventures! :)

Toddy