State Fair

The state fair started on Friday and goes through next Monday.  Because we'll be in North Platte all of Labor Day weekend, we knew we had to go to the fair the first weekend and maybe once during the week.  On Sunday afternoon, we met Patrick and Emily and Troy and Ashley there.  

Monroe liked seeing the big animals.

This year, they had a butterfly exhibit.  Monroe liked having butterflies on her stick.  A couple of times, she tried kissing them.  Other than that, she was very gentle.

Monroe is a fan of any petting zoo.  She has no fear of the animals.

This was one weird looking goat/sheep.

Ashley and I didn't like the feeling of the camel eating out of our hands.  Monroe had no problem with it.

The pirate show

 Monroe was about an inch too short for the rides, but we thought we'd try it anyway.  We started out with the tamest one.

She was actually bored after the first few times around.

Then, she rode the fish ride.  It was more exciting.

We had a great night at the fair.  The food was one of our favorite parts.  Zach loved his turkey leg, Monroe loved her dippin' dots, and I loved my fried oreos.  

The next day, I took my kids to the fair for our field trip.  Each class tie-dyed T-shirts to help keep track of the kids.  This was my group.  The other adult is my student teacher, Shannon.  We all had a great time and got to see a lot of different things.  It was a fun, but exhausting day.

On Wednesday night, we decided we wanted to indulge in fair food one more time.  Troy and Ashley met us out there again.  We tried to make sure we did different things.

We saw a sea lion show

And rode in a combine.

Troy is sitting on Zach's lap and Monroe is sitting on Troy's.  They were cool with it.

The Eickhoffs were at the fair that night too.  Monroe and Grace wanted to ride some rides together.

First, they did the bumble bee.

Then, they did the gator roller coaster.  I was pretty nervous for this one, but Monroe did great!

We had great food the second night too.  For supper, I had bbq pork nachos.  Awesome!  Zach had a donut burger.  It was a bacon cheeseburger with a donut for the bun.  At the end of the night, I tried fried cookie dough and loved that.  Zach and Monroe enjoyed ice cream.

Having the state fair in town is so much fun!  We always love going!

50 and 30

Within the last week, Zach's parents have each celebrated their 50th birthdays and their 30th wedding anniversary.  Because it all happened at once, we kids decided to have a party for them.  We wanted something big, but they wanted something with just family.  We got a party room at Lazlos in Lincoln.  It turned out perfect.

Zach and his brothers sang a song as a gift to Doug and Melinda

Happy birthday and anniversary!

First Day of School 2013

This is the first year since we started teaching that neither Zach nor I have changed teaching assignments.  We are looking forward to the ease of the familiar, not that our jobs are ever easy.

Here are our annual first day of school pictures.

Good-bye summer

I survived loved my summer!

Heading into this summer, I was obviously looking forward to it, but I was also nervous for a few reasons.  1.  Zach was taking classes and would be MIA for the month of June.  Then he would be detassling the month of July.  I am used to having him home in the summer, so I was nervous to be parenting by myself.  2. Monroe is two, and I was not looking forward to two-year-old behaviors from my strong-willed child.  Like any kid, Monroe listens better to people other than me.  I thought only having me to answer to all summer would bring out some interesting behaviors in her.  I was also afraid she would regress with potty training.

As it turned out...

This summer was wonderful!  Monroe and I had a great time spending our days playing, talking, and laughing together.  She is the coolest kid I know!  When she did push the boundaries, it made me a better mom and she learned where her limits are.   The two of us are closer than we have ever been.  I feel like I got to know Monroe on a different level these last few months.  Monroe tells me she loves me and initiates hugs all the time lately, and I know it is because she feels closer to me too.  I still don't think I could be a stay-at-home-mom, but I can definitely handle it for three months each year.
I am a teacher because of the impact I can have on the lives of my students.  I am thankful that this profession also allows me this special time with my daughter.  Thank you for a wonderful summer, Monroe!  You are such a blessing!  I love you!
(Yes, I cried while writing this entire post)

Lincoln Zoo

On Monday morning, Monroe and I drove to Lincoln to spend the day with my nieces, Kaiya and Samara.  I was disappointed that I hadn't taken Monroe to the Lincoln Zoo this summer, so I decided I was going to take all three girls.  The morning went wonderfully.  They all stayed together and enjoyed the animals.

I borrowed this double stroller from a friend.  At times, it was a triple stroller.

 

 

What a fun day with the girls!