Travels finally started to slow down in August, and we were able to spend some time at home! It was really needed after a busy two months in June and July. Even though we didn't do much traveling, I have a good amount of pictures to share!
Anna came to stay with us for a day! She's such a sweet little girl, and Micah loves having her over. He's getting lots of big-brother practice with Anna, and he does a great job!
The Umatilla County Fair (and Farm City Pro Rodeo) happen the second week of August every year, and now that we've moved, we only live two blocks away. We walked over on Wednesday morning with Micah, and took him to see all the sights. Of course, he loved seeing the animals!
Daddy has most of the carrying duties these days, since Micah weighs at least 30 pounds and I'm very pregnant! He loves being with Daddy!
There is usually a wild-animal exhibit at the fair, and we weren't disappointed this year! Technically I don't think the animals are wild, but they're being rehabilitated. They had lots of snakes - eww, but they're Micah's favorite animal right now - so Micah had a great time at this exhibit. I really enjoyed the TIGER (who was sleeping the entire time) and this little bobcat. Isn't it adorable?
We always like to go to the fair in the morning and then eat lunch there too.
We also went to the rodeo but I, of course, forgot to take any pictures.
I found out some wonderful news in August - Tri-Cities is getting a Great Harvest Bread Company! I am so excited to go there and buy bread. Their cinnamon chip bread is the best for french toast.
Another big development in August was Micah's transition out of his crib and into his big-boy bed. I feel like I have a lot to say about this, so get ready!
We're planning on having our kids share a room once Audrey moves out of her bassinet. So, to prepare, we wanted to make sure Micah had plenty of time to transition out of his crib and not feel like his little sister was stealing his bed when she moves into the crib.
I agonized over finding the perfect bed and considered spending a lot of money on a brand new one. Then, at a garage sale, my friend Heather found these two twin sized beds - and they're perfect! I bought both of them for $100 - which was less than I was going to spend on a new bed - and they're in perfect condition, and almost exactly what I was looking for. The only problem was that they're cream, so I painted Micah's bed white, and eventually I'll paint the other one too. It's sitting in the garage right now, because we're not going to need it for a long time.
I was telling my mom one day that we had Micah's bed all set up, and he was still sleeping in his crib. I told her that I thought he probably could climb out of the crib but didn't realize it yet. Wouldn't you know, that afternoon, rather than take a nap, Micah climbed out of his crib. So, that night was his first time sleeping in his big-boy bed!
The transition at night went really well. He would cry just a little bit, and then go to sleep in his bed. The entire first week, he didn't fall out of his bed! Nap time was a lot more difficult, but after a week or so, he got used to taking naps in his bed too.
The little guy has transitioned really well into his new bed, and we're really enjoying the fact that we can lay on it with him to read stories and cuddle. Every night he asks one of us to stay with him for a while - who can resist that little face asking, "Mama, stay Micah?"
Every morning, we wake up to this face (although he usually has a big smile):
'Moing Mama!'
We've been enjoying opportunities to play in our yard:
August is an important month because it includes Micah's birthday! This year, he turned two and we had a little party with family and friends to celebrate. A lot of people came to the party, and we had a really good time! This was his face when I asked him to smile.
Last year, we had a very themed party (hedgehogs), but this year I just didn't have the energy to spend much time planning and getting ready. I did make this watermelon shark, though, which I found on Pinterest. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be, and it looked really neat!
One of the funny things about Micah's birthday party was his cake. I knew I wasn't going to have the energy (or time, really) to make a fancy cake like I wanted to, so we opted to buy an ice cream cake instead. Micah came with me to Dairy Queen so he could pick the design out himself.
I found a Spider-Man design and a soccer design I thought he'd like, but he said no to both. So then we looked through the designs together for one he liked. He turned down horses and dogs too, and I was starting to worry that he'd either not pick a design, or pick something strange.
Well, strange was the answer, because he picked out the American flag, complete with a bald eagle flying across the front. My grandpa Herm would have been so proud - he loved bald eagles! For a couple of days after his party, Micah was talking about his 'eagle cake'.
Sweet, smiley Anna got to come stay with us a couple more times while her parents were at work. I'm really thankful for having Fridays off, so she's been able to come over a couple of times!
We also spent a day (before David went back to work) starting to organize our garage. There is still a lot to do in there, and it's still pretty messy, but at least we know now where things are. Micah and Maverick kept each other entertained.
I'm so glad Micah is getting to grow up with a dog - doesn't it look like Maverick's enjoying it too?
Thanks for looking at all of my pictures! I feel better now that I've spent some time posting them, and getting up to date a little better. My next goal today is to take some pictures of our house, so I can post them soon - it's only been two months that we've lived here, that's not too long, right?
