Fair 2011

Do you remember THIS post?

or

THIS post?


Ahh, now you remember? How Terrified Joel was last year of any rides? Well! we went to the Elkhart County 4-H Fair the other day. We got him a wrist band again. I feared that it would go the same as last year. A lot of screaming, forcing, and him TRYING to be brave enough to get on the rides.

Well.

Ladies and gentlemen, let me tell you what. Joel LOVED the rides this year! He loved them so much that he was jumping up and down the whole time we were in line for them.

He rode those rides until we had to drag him away from them!
and he still loved the bunnies. we had to drag him away from those as well.

The helicopter. Only the Spiderman one of course.
He really like the boats as well. While in line, you can put your hands in the water and play. In line wasn't a big deal. Although, 5 kids (and their parents mind you) budged Joel. One mom even asked me, "are you in line?" i said yes, and she stepped in front of me! Maybe i should have said something, but is it really worth it? No. It's a Kiddie Ride at a fair. Seriously. Joel was so patient! He was such a good example :)


Again, the Carousel. Really bud? You'll go up in the air high, bug you won't ride a fake horse?!
And then, the train. He rode this ride probably a dozen times. I wish i would have got a picture of him and his new friend, Anna. She looked at him and really spunky said, "You need to hold my hand. I'll help you ride this train." Joel smiled and loved that a "big kid" was talking to him. Her mom came up and apologized for her forthright nature. I didn't mind. Joel loved having someone to ride with!


We're so proud of you, buddy! You were so brave today!

It's been too hot!

So, we've been inside for the past week because temperatures have reached up to 98 degrees. Poor Joel has been pretty much freaking out. He's now found a new inside game called, "Throw Pillows at Evie." Good thing she likes to play! They played for about 45 minutes together. I loved watching.

Lately he's been really into playing with Evie. Like, "Evie needs to play with me." Or, "Evie! JUMP! MOM! She's not jumping!" He pretends to be turtles or puppies with her and she just kind of ignores him. A taste of his own medicine.

A Pick Me Up.

"Rather than dwelling on the past, we should make the most of today, of the here and now, doing all we can to provide pleasant memories for the future…If you are still in the process of raising children be aware that the tiny fingerprints that show up on almost every newly cleaned surface, the toys scattered about the house, the piles and piles of laundry to be tackled, will disappear all too soon, and that you will, to your surprise, miss them, profoundly."
-Thomas S. Monson

9 Months

Sweet Evie turned nine months yesterday. She's growing so big and so fast that i can hardly believe it!

She can:
Crawl
Walk while holding hands
Cruise on furniture
Feed herself (finger foods)

She likes:
Joel
FOOD! (Ironic because she, in the beginning of her life, had a hard time with it.)
Playing Peek-a-Boo
Her dolls
Dumping things. I put them in, she takes them out.
Trying to walk

She dislikes:
DIAPER CHANGES!
Anything that makes her sit still
Car seat
Stroller
Going to bed
Being whacked by Joel (Most of the time. sometimes she laughs which makes it hard for me to teach no hitting)

She is typically a super happy kid. Teething is hard, but when is it not? She's friendly and so delightful. Plus she's super goofy! She has this face that kills me! She scrunches up her nose and snorts.


We love you Evie! You're so awesome!

Disclaimer:
I do not profess to be a good photographer or how to use Picassa properly. Bare with me.

A few new Joelisims

I know, I know, I know. It's getting old. But he comes up with funny stuff everyday! I don't want to forget it!

"Drats! Double Drats!"

"You have got to be kidding me!"

"You can't be serious!"

Any time i put my head down because I'm tired or just don't want to keep it upright i always here,
"Mom! Don't cry! It's not sad!"

or when i blow my nose.
"It's ok mom! It's ok! It's ok!"

and oh. my. goodness.
Joel met his Hero last Friday.
Joel is obsessed with the Wonder Pet. He has been since he was a little guy. That is hands down his favorite. For those of you who don't know the Wonder Pets, its a Guinea Pig named Linny, a Turtle named Tuck, and a Duckling named Ming Ming. They save baby animals in need of help. Well, our good friends, the Woods, happen to have a Guinea Pig the same coloring as Linny. we went to their house the other day and he about HAD A COW!! He was so excited to see the "real Linny". He kept going to her cage and saying, "Linny! Get out! Save the day!" I need to get some pictures of them together. He was so so so so so happy.

Plus the kid ate SIX hard boiled eggs this morning. SIX! I was amazed! It made me a little sick to my stomach.

More Joelisims.

"i has to go to work now. don't cry."

"umm, i seenk so."

Pointing to Jared's chest hair:
"Dad, you's gots weeds here. Dry weeds!"

Evie was crying. Joel enters room:
"She misses his dad." ::pats on head:: "It's ok Evie."

Me: "what movie do you want to watch?"
Joel: "i seenk.. ummm... i seeenk... ummm.... Credbows ( The Incredibles)"

"Don't sing that song!"

"NO kissing, ok!"

He often repeats movie scenes and plot lines.

We like having him around :)

The Toney Family Photo-shoot, 2011

Well, this was an interesting time to say the least. I knew the memory would be a funny one considering in December when we tried to get a family picture taken, it took us THREE separate appointments for only two decent shots.

So this is how THIS photo-shoot went down.

First and foremost, we had to wear white. It looked awesome, don't get me wrong, but... come on. we should have know better. Second of all, we had to wake Joel up from a nap. Anyone who has been in a five mile radius knows what happens when you wake him up mid-sleep. He's not a happy camper. After much screaming, we finally convinced him to go outside with us when Evie spit up carrots on not only herself, but on poor Aunt Amber as well. We finally got outside and Joel would not sit still. (hence none of our immediate family pictures came out well. no fault to Lori. ) I convinced Joel to blow on a dandelion for a while and then he was done. He saw the wheelbarrow and proceeded to take rides. Want to know why the "boys only" pic was weird? Because Jared walked in circles, stopped for a picture, then kept going. We moved on to other pictures until IT happened. Joel, in his lovely white shirt, fell into the fire pit. He was no longer his previous white, but now a lovely shade of gray. Nice. So, Grandma Toney gets the awesome idea to turn his shirt inside out and finally someone gets the idea to bribe him with candy!! (we're all a little slow for not picking up on that one sooner.) We finally got a few shots of Joel smiling at the very end.

so there you have it. taking pictures with children is HARD.

My awesome sister-in-law took on this task and did a fantastic job once again. Thank you so much