State Fair 2012

Well folks The Great State Fair of Oklahoma is happening this week and the Sanders' Trio couldn't be more excited. We were planning on only going once this year, but after all the fun we had today we might just go again later this week.

It finally feels like Fall outside and I'm lovin' it!
What about you?

We arrived pretty early and since the fair wasn't at all crowded (yet) we let Reese loose to roam wherever her heart desired. One of the destinations she took us to was this fountain.

Then we saw a longhorn and some horses. 

She really wanted to crawl in the stalls with them. 

She kept pointing saying, "Cow." "Moooo." 

I had to remind her which were horses. 

I would neigh and she'd laugh.

Is it OK to gnaw on corn on the cob at 10 am? 

Reese and I did, loved it, and we'd recommend doing it!

Corn on the Cob thief!

She loves it like it's her baby--hey, I know the feeling!

After a quick snack we were off to the Agricultural building. This is where Reese was able to pet and see all sorts of different animals. Like this freshly hatched baby chick.

Seriously made this little girl's day.

These must be the chicks' Mamas.

She was so gentle with this bunny. 

I was very proud of her.

They had this area called "Be a Farmer for the Day." It was a bit too old for Reese to understand, but she still sat there and watched the demonstration on how farmers plant seeds.

And how they pick their crops.

Apple Picking Fun!

She definitely knew what eggs were. She loves to help me crack eggs when I make them for breakfast.

Reese said "Baaaa" when we saw this sheep.

And "Mooo" again when we saw this cow.

At the Petting Zoo we got to pet a deer, a pig, goats, and llamas. Right after Joe took this picture this deer started to eat my shoe laces and while I was busy re-tying my shoes it tried to eat Reese's shirt. Needless to say we quickly moved on to petting the other (non-clothes eating) animals.

The very last stop was the Auto Show. Reese enjoyed getting in a few of the trucks--showing off her steering skills. Soon after this picture was taken Reese had a bit of a "I'm tired and overwhelmed so get me the heck outta here" meltdown. It was a doosey let me tell ya. We came home and she was asleep in a matter of minutes. Maybe her 5:30 mornings are finally starting to catch up with her? Yeah, I'm hoping that's a phase we're soon to be over with.

Nevertheless--meltdown and all--the State Fair 2012 ROCKED! Just like I knew it would.

Laboring on Labor Day

We almost always find ourselves laboring on Labor Day. Why is that? We are suppose to be taking the opportunity to relax on our extra day off from work, but don't. I labored by cleaning and doing some rearranging in Reese's room. 

This is a shot of Reese's room when you first walk in. 

I expanded her reading area a bit. She really does love to read, so I thought giving her a bigger area to do that was a good idea.

She still sleeps in a crib. I have no desire for that to change until she's ready. She still loves her crib and has never tried to climb out of it (thank goodness). Occasionally she even wants to be in her crib when it's not time to sleep. We have added a blanket and pillow though, so now it's a "big girl" crib. Reese still lets me rock her at night and sometimes in the mornings. I just love doing that.

This last room shot is where her many stuffed animals live and where you'll find her baby's crib. She checks on her baby most mornings and gives her a bottle. I have to prompt her many of those mornings by saying, "Reese have you checked on your baby? I think she's crying for you." She'll start making crying sounds and then run over to pick her up--still by the head of course. Learning to be gentle is something we're working on.

Joe labored by taking apart the downstairs coffee table. It's an injury waiting to happen so we've hid it for now until Reese is a bit older and not so high energy. In other words, it'll be awhile!

We bought and Joe put together a four seater chair and table set. Reese loves sitting at it while watching her cartoons and eating snacks. It's a perfect size for her and you can tell she feels so proud sitting there by herself.

Reese loves tinkering with Joe's tools. She loves figuring out how things work. She will "keep at it" most of the time until she's mastered it. Joe's very handy around the house. He can do all sorts of things. I told him he's going to need to teach Reese all the handy things he knows. He says he plans to if she wants to learn how. I think she just might.

Thankfully, it wasn't all laboring on Labor Day weekend. I got to break free for a few hours to celebrate this handsome Labor Day birthday boy teenager. I actually attended two celebrations for him on the same day. Man, where does the time go Jackson? All grown up.

Happy, 

Happy, 

(13th) Birthday to you, Jackson!

Hopefully, it was filled with love

and labor free!

Mommy Guilt Monday

Why do Mommies feel so guilty?

Is it just me? Please tell me it's not!

I have Mommy Guilt all. the. time. people.

Guilt for the things I did.

Guilt for the things I didn't do.

Guilt for not knowing.

Guilt for knowing and not doing.

The list is truly endless.

To help rid some of my Mommy Guilt I plan to unload some of it each Monday. If you're a Mommy reading this I fully expect you to join in and respond with some of the things that give you Mommy Guilt. It can be old guilt or new guilt. PLEASE join me! Don't leave this Mommy hangin'!

Ok! Currently I have Mommy Guilty about...

(1) Turning the coffee machine on each morning BEFORE anything else. Like greeting my daughter, or fixing her a cup of milk, or changing her very wet diaper. I said it. There I feel better. On to the next...

(2) Leaving Reese in tears this morning at Mother's Day Out. Full on tears. The ones where she's reaching out to me, and crying so hard she can't catch her breath. That sucked big time and this momma feels guilty about it. I looked at her in this condition and just walked out. I am not sure if I'll ever feel right about doing this.

(3) Hoping Reese gets all the poop out of her system either while Joe's watching her or at Mother's Day Out. It's one less dirty diaper that I'll have to change. I know, you may find this silly to feel guilty about--right? As Reese's Mommy I should want to change all her diapers. Well, I don't.

Are You Mom Enough to admit what gives you Mommy Guilt? I don't even know what that Time Magazine article meant when it asked "Are You Mom Enough?" Did anyone else? It just made me feel even more Mommy Guilt about not breastfeeding Reese longer and letting her sleep in bed with Joe and I.

Please unload your Mommy Guilt.
There will be no judgement.
Promise.

Now I must have another cup of coffee to enjoy with my Biscoff cookies. Have you ever had a Biscoff cookie? If you haven't go immediately to the store to buy some. It's my cure for Mommy Guilt. Or, really they're a cure for most anything!

The Calm Before the Storm

Well, "before the storm broke", the storm being Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease, we had an awesome weekend. It all started at the Zoo on Saturday. This was the first time I've noticed Reese truly "getting it." You know, recognizing where we were, the animals we were seeing, saying the noises they make. It was pretty neat to see her into it and understanding it. The weather was absolutely beautiful that day and all the animals were out, too, which isn't always the case.

One of our first stops was to see the elephants. She ran to the elephant statue and insisted Daddy make an elephant trumpeting sound. Joe can actually make a very authentic elephant noise. It's impressive.

I can't make an elephant sound to save my life (it sounds like a kazoo), however, seal noises are a completely different story. Hey we all have our hidden "animal making sound" talents. What's yours? 

Mother-daughter picture.

Reese was SO EXCITED when we saw all the primates. There was one right up to the glass--looking straight at us. Reese kept going "hi" "hi" and laughing. She was also making her monkey noises. This is for sure her animal noise speciality.

One of our last stops was the Children's Zoo section. It has a waterfall that flows into a rock creek bed for the kids to play in. They also have a mini splash pad. This area of the Zoo is always a highlight.

This girl loves getting wet, so I always pack a change of clothes. After she got as wet as she possibly could (and changed) we headed to pet the goats. Since she didn't feel like petting the goats she instead sucked her thumb while bench sharing with a goat. Both are acceptable.

On Sunday we had a nice family day shopping. Reese did something at the mall for the first time. She rode a coin toy machine. Yep, she's never done it! We let her choose which one she wanted to ride and she went for the fire truck. Papa Bear would be so proud.

I had never wanted her to ride these things because I know how germ invested they are. This is actually laughable now that I know on the night this picture was taken Reese spiked a fever and then broke out into a rash the morning after. I know she didn't get it from this machine, but I wonder how many other kids caught the virus, already in her system, after she rode it?? Hmmm.

Well, tomorrow Reese will be returning to Mother's Day Out after beating this nasty, nasty virus. Did I mention it was NASTY? I must say thank goodness for M.D.O because this Momma needs a day's rest after the last couple of weeks!

We rode this storm out.
This post is to remind me how nice the calm was.

Sometimes all it takes is a good storm to appreciate the calm. It does for me at least.

Taking Care of Baby

Lately that's exactly what's been going on in the ol' Sanders' household. We've been taking care of our baby girl who came down with Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease. Where she got it--I'm not sure. Maybe Mother's Day Out? Maybe Gymboree? Maybe the Science Museum? All I know for sure is this--it's a nasty virus that doesn't ever seem to want to go away!

Speaking of baby care.
Reese has been taking care of a baby, too.
Her new "get better soon" babydoll from Nana.

I am not an expert on newborn baby care, but if my memory serves me right--babies prefer to drink bottles from their mouths versus their eye sockets don't they?

I also believe they prefer to be cradled versus held up by the clothing from around their necks. Right?

And do they enjoy being picked up by their heads? 

I forget.

I guess Reese is going to have to learn a thing or two about motherhood. Don't we all though? It's one big journey filled with ups and downs, however, something tells me she's going to take after me and love that baby girl of hers unconditionally. 

Through nasty viruses and all.

Mother's Day Out

Or should I call this post "The Start of Letting Go"?

I dropped Reese off this morning at Mother's Day Out. It's being held at a local church and although I felt very comfortable leaving her, there was still a tinge of sadness that swept over me when I did so. I have never left Reese in the care of non family members before so it was a big step in letting go for me.

I read in an article once, where a mother was being interviewed, that she thought motherhood was a slow process of letting go and she felt the only time mothers really had their child(ren) completely was when they were in the womb. If this is true I predict I will have many more moments of sadness in letting Reese go--and happiness, too.

Here are some pictures of Reese and I together this morning. She's all ready for her big day!
I'm still trying to convince myself I'm ready, too.

Once we arrived she was all about exploring her new surroundings.

It's been strange not having her around this morning. The dogs are looking around for her and it's awfully quiet. I hope she's having fun and making new friends. 

Is it 2:30 yet?