Fair

So, once again I have misplaced my camera, which has all the pictures from the summer on it. I have not seen it since we got back from the river. I just hope it didn't get thrown out with some of the fast food trash from the trip. I keep thinking it'll turn up... but until then, I'll have to chronicle the boys' days in words, which certainly don't do justice to those cuties. This week was the Lee County Fair..."not big like the West Virginia State Fair" according to James, but all the fun, just the same. Ken and I took James and Nathanael, leaving Cooper with his parents. He's too little to know he was missing something, and too little to ride most of the rides anyway. He got personal mawmaw and pawpaw time, which was equally as fun for him. We also took our neices, Elizabeth and Heather, which they were a HUGE help. They rode all the rides with the boys so I didn't have to get sick on them!! Typically, the boys are in bed around 8:30....9:15 at the latest on the weekends. Well, between the expense of the fair (we sure couldn't take them a second day!) and all the fun they were having, I couldn't stand to tell them we had to go....so it was 10:00 before they hit the sheets. They rode tons of rides - it really wasn't very crowded. They did the hall of mirrors at least 6 times, Nathanael rode a live pony while James rode one "bog boy" ride which scared him to death, they all had cotton candy, we listened to some music, and rounded the night out with watching a circle track dirtbike race. Could you really ask for more? What exhausted boys this morning!! They all took good naps at daycare/pre-K today.

The sensory-seeking child

So you spend your evening entertaining and discipling your three little boys. You try to teach them to play nicely, share, be kind, and by the end of the night, you are yelling at them to speak nicely to eachother, don't talk so mean and "god-almighty, if you hit your brother one more time I'm gonna pop your hiney"!!! How exactly is that teaching tolerance? How does one teach 3 toddlers to play nicely? Whether it's a structured activity or a "free" play time...it always seems to result in disciplinary measures...or in some cases, hysterical laughter after they've repeated something you've said. Case in point:
Nathanael: "Mama, I wanna go ride bikes wit you!!! Why can't I go ride my bike wit you?!"
James: "Because Nate-Nate! Mommy's going to lower her blood pressure!"
10 minutes on a bike never felt so good. Even though I was pulling a 31 pound 2 year old behind me. At least he quietly enjoyed the ride!