And every chase ended the same way - a fast ride down the tallest slide. Thanks to her tutu style skirt full of polyester, the fast slide became a ride of marginal control. This girl is a thrill seeker.
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Fall activity abounds. Starting with the County Fair, which always strikes in the midst of September. The weather tastes like summer, but there's a different energy once the school year starts. Nancy and I conspired for the past year how we would take Alex and Enzo to the fair this year at dusk. Our children are finally old enough to endure the nighttime experience, and oh baby, they were amazed and energized.
I love this fair. There's a beautiful balance of 4-H competition, animals, forbidden foods, and carnival activity that parallels childhood memories of the fairs in Baker, Oregon. However, Baker failed to deliver pig races.
We were all captivated.
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| (I love capturing the gentle embrace.) |
And after eating a little bit of carnival fare,
it was time to get this party started.
Really, I don't think she stopped laughing the entire evening until we hit the mechanical bull. Yes, the girl has a set too, and proved to be strong especially when the controller decided to tip the bull slightly forward and backwards.
The night flashed before us, and at 10pm, Nancy and I found ourselves eating our dinner (dipped soft-serve ice cream) from afar, watching our husbands and children dancing in a field in front of a live band. Here we expected to meet everyone out by the cars with the children laced in their seats; but the wish for those last 5 minutes trump.
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On to Pennsylvania to visit family and deliver an belated birthday cake. Going "home" to me is always a crush of time and obligations; and I struggle with the balance of how many people I can see. And this trip was all about one word - family.
We had a play date at a local park with my father, brother and his family.
The playground was diverse enough that the cousins barely overlapped.
Missy and I started having fun after we caught Alex taking her pal Sally down every slide.
Next thing you know, we wrapped Sally up in a sweater and placed her in a tree like a chrysalis. Evil I know, but it has me seriously thinking about making a photo book about the adventures of Sally. She's much more than just a doll.
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Seeing that time has not been my creative side-kick lately, I schlepped Christina's birthday cake supplies to PA, and started the process at my in-laws at 10pm. In the back of my mind, I knew that I wanted Christina's 40th birthday cake to reflect her beauty and grace, which translated to me as sleek with clean lines.
I succeeded.
If anything, it gave the opportunity to try a new technique and now I'm inspired to try this layered look with an ombre effect; but baby, I see the ombre effect on a 3 tired cake with no additional decor.
I'm always reminded that nothing I create compares the pride I feel when I give Alex her own cake and the space to decorate by her own terms. I do love this moment.
And this moment, catching her lying on the ground on a cardboard box, singing "The Sound of Music" at the top of her lungs. Vibrato included. I need to catch this on video.
And this too. Alex is imitating the Gilda Radner Muppet Show act of "Tap Your Troubles Away." She rehearses and has requested that we glue planks of wood on her shoes to reflect the props from the original skit.
She has even gone as far as to pluck chunks of wood out of the firewood pile and use her white glue to complete the task.
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And there's so much left to enjoy this fall. So here's wishing you the opportunity to take the time to soak it in.
3 comments:
So happy to see the fun you've been up to!
Wish I could send you some Edelweiss. Great Pictures, Great Cake, Great Memories. Keep up the good work.
Miss you! xoxo -kbh
these images are great
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