Where does the time go?

I really don't have much to say today. I haven't really had much to say for a while. I have been busy with the usual mommy stuff. Laundry and dishes and picking up toys. It seems like there is some place we have to be every day. Even the short trips are starting to wear on me. I will kind of be glad when summer is over and the world goes back to routine (well, for those with school age children). Daughter will be starting preschool next week. She is looking forward to it and so am I. I think she will have a lot of fun and make some good friends. I look forward to watching her learn. She is a little sponge, soaking up everything around her.

This week will continue to be busy. I am preparing for Son's first birthday. I can't believe it is here already. My son will turn one and my daughter will start preschool in the same week. Where does the time go? You must enter into some sort of warp speed universe when you have kids. Everyone tells you how fast the kids grow. But you can't appreciate what they mean until you experience it first hand. I still see the little baby I brought home from the hospital each time I look at my children. I wonder if all mothers do. Does my mom still see me that way even though I am an adult? I am beginning to understand why some children will always be their mama's baby.

And she goes on...

Daughter has become an endless source of chatter. The talking is non-stop. When she isn't telling me something, she is asking twenty million questions. And between all that, she is singing or yelling or making some sort of noise. I love my little girl and I love our conversations, but something has got to give. Some nights, she even talks in her sleep. It is hard for Hubby and I to have a conversation because she is constantly talking to us. When I try to talk to Hubby, she tells me to stop because she is talking to him. The first time or two it was kind of funny. Not so much anymore. I am glad that my child is so full of life and that she has so much to say. But sometimes I wish she would keep some of it to herself. I know there will come a day when she doesn't tell me every little thing. Of course, that will be when I want her to talk to me all the time. She is like the Jabberwock. A lot of what she talks about is nonsense (at least to me). Even now, as she is eating a cookie, she is still humming as she goes. I really don't think she knows how to be quiet. God bless my little chatterbox (and I really need to invest in some ear plugs).

I went to the animal fair

Today, Hubby and I took the kids to the county fair. I always enjoy seeing the animals. But what I enjoy more, is watching my children enjoy the animals. It is so fun to watch them interact with farm animals that they don't get to see on a daily basis. Daughter seems to gravitate towards the rabbits. I envision that someday she will have a bunny of her own and show it at the fair when she is old enough. Son likes goats. He thinks it is funny when the sniff and nibble at his toes. If my kids had their way, we would live on a farm. The truth is, I would love to live on a farm too. But that's just not in the cards right now. However, I do see a few animals in our future. We will have to start small though. I have no problem with rabbits or ducks. Maybe even a few chickens will be okay. But if we are going to raise anything larger, we are going to need to fence in a lot more land (and add a barn, etc.). Still, I have dreams of a hobby farm someday. I would like to start a little orchard, have a garden, a dairy cow, and a few hens. I don't care to be entirely self-sufficient, but there is something special about the food that you work for.

In addition to animals, there were plenty of games and rides for the kids. And of course, there is fair food (some of the best stuff on earth). We had a great day together. I have quickly learned that kids don't need an expensive toy or a big vacation to have fun. The county fair is free admission (or sometimes there is a parking fee), and it is a lot more educational than an amusement park. Don't get me wrong, I like amusement parks too. And we have taken the kids to one. I just don't think children should be accustomed to such trips. I want my children to be excited about simple outings like the fair, a state park, a lake, or even just playing on a swing set. My mom and I talked the other day about how easily kids get bored these days. When she was a kid, and even when I was a kid, you spent almost all day outside. You came in for lunch, went back out, came in for dinner, and went back outside until it was dark. Now kids want to be entertained. They don't want to entertain themselves. I am trying to keep my children form becoming like that. I want them to use their imaginations and be active. I don't want them to rely on the TV or video games, etc. to have a good time. There is such a large world out there with many wonderful things to see. These wonderful things are usually small things and they are different for everyone. They are the things that make you happy. For my children and myself, one of those things just happens to be animals. Think of us the next time you see a cow.