Putnam County Fair

The Putnam County Fair is a big deal to the Doolin Family. It is a tradition that we have tried to carry over with our children. This year was Ella's first fair. It was a lousy weekend as far as the weather went, but we still managed to have some fun. Friday morning was special because they honored Brent's dad by renaming the tractor pull after him. From now on it is the Raymond Doolin Farm Truck and Tractor Pull. Before the pull started they had a ceremony where they gave the family plaques and remembered Raymond. We all wore the shirts that were made for the occasion. The guys wore the Raymond Doolin caps as well. It was a very nice honor for the family. Brent's mom and Gracie gave me a smile while they were sitting on the golf cart.
Here are a few of the grandkids posing with Mama. (Left to right - Madison, Jaden, Kalyn, Gracie and Lucas)

Gracie took a picture of me with Ella in the poultry building. It's taken from a short-stuff angle.
Gracie wanted her picture taken with the huge turkey that won a real blue ribbon. (Only those that have ever ridden in the car with us would understand the blue ribbon joke!)
Gracie and Kalyn got to pet one of the lambs. They thought that it was pretty awesome.
Good buddies Gracie and Kalyn posed with one of their 4-legged friends at the fair.

What a little hillbilly! Gracie wore her mud boots and rolled her capris up to be shorts. They were covered in mud, so it was a good option at the time.
Ella got to experience her first fair. She was so happy to be outdoors that she rarely fussed.

Ella was eating a Mum Mum and was trying to cram her fist into her mouth. Notice her little bracelet. Gracie made beaded bracelets for the girls to wear that would match our orange shirts.

Gracie wanted to try most of the rides. She was very brave. The Tilt-A-Whirl was one of those rides that required bravery. Brent gets too dizzy, so I rode with her. She didn't cry, but didn't want to ride it again, so I guess it was a little scary for her.

This ride was a big dragon that rocked back and forth. I was too tall to ride it, so her cousin Sydney rode with her. You can barely see Gracie because as soon as it started rocking, she buried her head in her arms so that she couldn't see what was happening. Another one hit wonder!
The boat was more Gracie's speed. I can't begin to tell you how many times she rode this one!
Gracie with her daddy on the merry-go-round. She had to choose an animal that went up and down, when she usually chooses a stationary animal.
Brent did double-duty holding onto Gracie and Kalyn. They had a good time on this ride.
Not exactly a Harley-Davidson, but Gracie enjoyed zooming around on this ride. She kept going around and winking at me while giving a thumbs up! Too cute.

Our Cuties in their PJ's

Gracie looked so cute in her pj's this morning after I fixed her hair. She loves to be in pajamas and on days when I don't work, she gets to stay in them a little longer than usual. I think everyone can agree that it feels good to be in their pj's!

Speaking of cute, Ella looked pretty stylish in her Old Navy pj's that one of our neighbors got for her. They are peppermint swirls, and she looked sweet enough to eat. (Notice that she can pull everything off of her cubby shelves behind her. She likes to make a mess yanking things down.)

No Pictures...Just Stories

It seemed like Gracie did a lot of things today that were funny. They may not translate as funny to anyone else, but I'll try anyway.

1) This morning we were getting ready to go to the library, and I asked her if she needed to go potty before we left. She said, "No. My potty isn't loose yet. I think it will be loose by the time we get to the library and I can use their potty." All I could do was say, "OK." :-)

2) This afternoon Gracie said, "I'll be right back." I didn't even reply because I thought she was just going to her room to get something. Next thing I know I hear the interior door that leads to the garage open, then the garage door went up. I quickly ran to the window to see what she was doing. She had slipped on my sandals and was trotting down the driveway to get the newspaper. She then came back in, pushed the button to shut the garage door and proudly walked upstairs with the newspaper. Amazing!

3) I made tuna salad today. Gracie loves to participate in any cooking session involving eggs. She loves to crack eggs, whisk eggs, or use the egg slicer. She helped me put all the ingredients in the salad, and then I tasted it to see if it was OK. I asked Gracie if she wanted a bite, knowing in full confidence that she would say, "NO. I don't like it." (Obviously I have heard this before.) Today she surprised me and said, "Yes. I'll have some." It didn't end there. She asked for more...and more...and more. I just told my mom last week that she is in a stage where she will try almost anything. I'm loving it! My picky eater just might broaden her horizons.

4)The final thing she did today that amazed me involved our trip to the library. We usually go weekly, but last week we just didn't for some reason. So two weeks ago I gave Gracie our library card on the way to the library and told her she was in charge of it. I asked her to read me our number, and then told her to remember it so that she could tell the librarian when it was time to check out her books. Fast forward 2 weeks...we were on the way to the library today and Gracie said, "Our library card number is 165." We hadn't talked about that in 2 weeks, and I didn't give her the card today, so that means she just remembered it. I was shocked. It probably sounds like a simple little thing, but I just couldn't believe that she would remember such a trivial little thing. I obviously need to start teaching her our phone number.

Happy 7 Month Birthday, Ella!

It's hard to believe that 7 months have come and gone in Ella's life. She continues to be a very happy baby who makes us laugh daily. She usually takes a bath with big sister, but today we got out her little tub so that she could sit up. She really enjoyed sitting up like a big girl and playing with the bubbles. Unfortunately, I think Ella's trying to get teeth, and she has been running a temperature all day. She's extra snugly and very sleepy. Hopefully it's just the teeth.

Sunday Celebration

We drove over to Unionville today because Brent's good friend Rustin was in town. His dad was being baptized, and Rustin and his brother Ryan had the honor of baptizing him. It was a cool thing to see. After church the whole family and some close friends had lunch at the church. We were invited to stay, and obviously Gracie was glad to get to eat!
Gracie and her cousins Kalyn and Madison eating together after church.

Brent and Rustin haven't really changed that much since high school. Well, maybe their looks have changed a little, but their humor is still the same. They have a lot of laughs together.

Last Saturday of August

It was such a beautiful Saturday that we spent most of the time outside. We walked down to our neighborhood park and Gracie wanted Ella to try out the baby swing. Ella wasn't thrilled, but she didn't seem too bothered by it either.
While we were at the park we played a little racquetball. Gracie is getting much better, but still has a little coordination issue to work out. That would be my genes at play!
We also drug out the bounce house and put it up in the front yard. Two neighbors came over to play with Gracie but after they left, Ella took a turn. I had filled it up with bouncy balls so the kids could bounce around and the balls would jump up, so that was really all Ella was interested in. She didn't get to stay in for long since she could easily choke on a ball.

Brave Gracie

Today Gracie had to do a very big thing. She has had a little issue with warts. It started with one wart that she got when she was two. Several people, including one doctor, said due to her age we should wait to treat it. I think that was a bad move, because now at 4 years of age she has 5 warts on her hands. Two were so tiny that we didn't even know they were there until the doctor mentioned them, but 3 were growing larger. Today she went to a dermatologist in Kirksville to have the first 3 frozen. She did a good job.
This was a very happy Gracie before the procedure.

Here is a proud but slightly bandaged up Gracie. She was heavily rewarded by the doctor for being such a good patient, so 3 stickers and one sucker later she was all smiles! The next trip won't be as pleasant since she will know what is coming, but at least round one went well.