The Family at The Fair

The Spofford family always goes to the Texas State Fair as one big group. I wasn't able to go last year as I was 9.5 months pregnant and suffering from a sinus infection (the infamous Sinus Infection of Fall 2010), so I was thrilled that the timing worked out for us to go this year. Everyone takes a half day off of work, and we head down about 3pm, giving us the afternoon and evening to have fun. We went on a Wednesday as it was Bring Three Canned Goods, Get In For $2 Day. A HUGE savings! And as people under two are free, our family only cost $4!!

Not only is it fun to go with our whole family because we get to hang out together, but it's fun to go as a big group because you get to sample more food that way! I sampled: Fried Oreos, Fried mashed potatoes, Fried PB&J with banana, Fried grilled cheese, nachos, cotton candy, ice cream, lemonade, and a caramel apple. The fried mashed potatoes were my favorite with the fried Oreos at a close second. It's so great to be able to try one bite of everything and only pay for one or two things!

Austin got to play a couple games and go on a merry-go-round, and overall, I think he had fun. He didn't eat much all afternoon/evening, but wasn't in a bad mood either. Seth's mom commented several times that he was doing so well. I guess maybe we're spoiled with him, but I didn't expect anything different than his perfectly-happy, smiling self. And that's what we had! I'm already looking forward to next year!

Mr. Austin is such a cool dude in his shades!

"Woah! Look at all these tickets Nonnie and Gramps gave me!"

security enjoying some of what the fair has to offer...

Austin's second-ever time playing The Duck Game.

He was much better at pulling out the ducks this time around!

And he won two prizes!

There are kitties in the greenhouse, and the worker stopped to give Austin a close-up with one of them.

We had some points left on the game card, so Austin played this frog game (which should have been fish, I think).

And thanks to Uncle Spencer's help, Austin won the biggest prize possible!

After the parade, we watched the light show and then headed home.

Austin's First REAL Haircut

Austin finally got his first official haircut! His hair had been growing slightly out of control for a couple months, now, and it was great to have someone even things up. I opted to just use the girl who cuts my hair (Nicole at Pure Salon-Valley Ranch) as I trust her and she charged me less than the places designed for kids. She was happy to help out and was very patient as Austin was his typical wiggle-worm self! The cut looks great and is exactly what he needed before his birthday and getting his 1 year pictures taken. Thanks, Nicole!

waiting very patiently...

We couldn't get Austin to look at the camera, but Nicole looks GREAT!

This kid is gonna be a math wiz!

Some of you might remember a situation we had about three months ago wherein a stranger commented to Seth and I that Austin's math ability was in jeopardy because he wasn't crawling yet (he had just turned 9 months). We were so stunned that we didn't much reply. And then left the restaurant. Those that know me know how I stunned I must have been in order for me to not give a quick reply in a situation like that. ! I literally said nothing and kept walking.

I thought later that this lady must be crazy if she thinks I'm concerned about his algebra scores when he's not even feeding himself yet! And well, a week later he crawled. And now he's walking.

Hall's Pumpkin Farm

When Seth and I lived in Atlanta, we went to a Corn Maze/Pumpkin Patch every year. It was a huge event, involving almost all of our friends carpooling to north Georgia. So when our first fall in Texas came and went and we hadn't gone, I about went crazy! It was like the period for corn mazes just passed us by and we had been too busy to even notice! 

For the following year, I kept 'going to a corn maze' in the back of my mind, and regularly asked seasoned locals where to go. We were directed to Hall's Pumpkin Farm in Grapevine. People said it was the best in the area, so we made plans to go with some friends. But then, the dreaded sinus infection of Fall 2010 came, and I was so miserable and extremely pregnant, that we cancelled the trip. I was totally bummed but we vowed that come you-know-what or high water, we'd go in the fall of 2011.

On October 8th, 2011, Seth and I made our first trip to a corn maze/pumpkin patch in three years! It was WAY overdue. We met up with the Windsors and put the boys through several photo opps (They should be about used to that by now!) and then stopped and had lunch together. We had a great time and definitely want to do something like it next year. This pumpkin patch was about 1/5 of what Seth and I are used to, so we might try a different one next year, but overall it was a very good experience, and our pumpkin looks great by the front door! Yay for fall activities! And yay for friends! 

Where we ate lunch. :-)

Home is Where Your Heart Lives: Our New Neighbors!

A house on our street had been for sale for the past several, several months, but we didn't even notice when the For Sale sign disappeared! When we got back from our trip to Fredericksburg, my MIL mentioned that our new neighbors had moved in over the weekend (she had seen the U haul and boxes, etc). We were a bit shocked at first because we hadn't seen the sign disappear, but then we were delighted and I immediately wanted to go meet them!!

It turns out, though, it would be over a week before we could get down there as a family. Seth was out of town all week (M-F) and Austin had (what they think might have been) Chicken Pox, so I wasn't even leaving the house. So, come Friday, I baked up some oatmeal/chocolate chip cookies with stuff I already had on hand, with the hopes of taking it to them on Saturday. I put the cookies on a plate with ribbon and a note with our contact information should they ever need anything.

Then, early Saturday afternoon, we headed down the street. Two doors. The husband was in the yard trimming trees (the wife arrived home shortly afterward) so it was easy to start talking to them. I am just thrilled to have them on our street! They seemed very nice, are in a similar life stage, and have an 8-month old lab puppy. We had Georgia Mae with us (of course) and we all commented on how they could be best friends. It was very fun. 

I'm always a sucker for things like this... things that build community, things that foster connections, things that make your heart warm. With all the ways people have to connect electronically, I feel like we've lost the ability to connect physically (in the PG way!) ... By actually going to the new neighbors and saying "Hello! Welcome!" As a person who believes in snail mail, plates of cookies, and hugs, I challenge everyone reading this to pick one thing you could do for someone else that doesn't involve a computer, the internet or your cell phone, and do it this week!

The only problem is that they have a large OU flag in the front yard. ;-)