Farmchick's Farm Photo Blog Hop

The corn around here is in full tassel! THANK GOODNESS I DON'T HAVE CORN ALLERGIES! ;) This picture doesn't do the view from my front porch any justice. The tassels of gold just shimmer in the breeze. So beautiful!

Hey Whatever Floats Your Boat

Sleeping upside down in bed works for me!

And in other news, Blaine has got the baby fork down pat! We hadn't tried it lately and this morning I got it out and he was a pro. [If stab the food first LOL].

Country Woman: TIS FATE!

Country Woman magazine contacted me a year ago about doing a story on me and my pumpkins to be published this year. Who knew magazines worked a full year ahead?! I had never even heard of the magazine, but I do subscribe to Country Magazine and a friend told me they are published by the same company (DUH). Well look what just came in Country Magazine this month?! IT IS FATE! This way I can get the free issue [THE ONE I'M IN!] and then cancel. :) Can't wait!

Toddle Along Tuesday: In Picture!!

If this isn't "Toddle Along" than I don't know what is:

I'm pretty excited it is officially sweet corn season in these parts! Super yummy!

I'm mad and you can't figure out why!!!

Our 1st: Farmers' Market

Yes it seems everywhere I look we've got something growing. In three separate garden areas. So imagine my suprise [frustration, fear] when I called FIVE separate farmers markets and they were ALL FULL WITH LONG WAITING LISTS. I know I can put a sign out front, but come on, I'd be lucky to make $5 a week doing that. Not many people stop; but at farmers markets you've got a concentrated ammount of people coming to you who want to buy your stuff.


I lucked out and my cousin told me of a brand new market only 15 minutes from here. AND THEY WERE ACCEPTING VENDORS. FOR FREE. Both biggies [most farmers markets charge a vending fee and some are pretty steep]. So we signed up and went for our first time last Saturday. It was a fun experience considering I've never even been to one in my life[embarrassing I know]. The name I came up with in a pinch was Pumpkin Blossom Farm. We don't even have a farm and I sort kinda definitely copied off a blogger [don't tell anyone either of those confessions haha].

Pumpkins are getting bigger!

GOLD STAR!

YIPEE! WE MADE IT! BLAINE GOT A GOLD STAR! [What I think is just an arbitrary thing that nurse ie grandma barbara invented hehehe].

But still it is something worth shouting to the rooftops: BLAINE MADE IT TO HIS ONE YEAR BIRTHDAY WITH NO DOCTORS VISITS FOR ILLNESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just his well visits and that one weight check. I'm probably reallly in for it this next year. EEK! Crossing fingers that the breastmilk magic can continue to keep my babe healthy awhile longer 'cause we all know I'm not super careful with germs. Yes he touches shopping carts and playground toys and dirt and floors and once even a public toilet (EW).

The stats are in:

Height = 29.37 inches = 40 %

Head = 18.35 inches = 60 %

Weight = 18.54 lbs = 3 %

The doctor says the low weight can mean he's either going to be a little guy or he has a disease. However, NO SIGNS ARE POINTING TO A DISEASE AT THIS POINT. So, "keep doing what I'm doing." I didn't get in trouble at all. Phew!

Toddle Along Tuesday: Daddy 'n Me

It's Tuesday! Errrr Monday night!!

Not a mistake that Blaine's first word was Dada! It took me about a month to be CONVINCED that he was using it in the right context. But he definitely uses it right! Nick is Blaine's hero!

Nick REALLLLY made Blaine's day today when he took 1/2 day off of work to spend the afternoon with the birthday boy! Love watching their relationship grow!

The Big 1.0

Today's the big day! In true Blaine style he got up at 2:53 AM last night so he'd be awake at 3:09 AM to celebrate! We had his party yesterday and it was amazing thanks to his super awesome grandparents who helped out hosting, cooking, baking, etc. He is one blessed little guy and we are blessed to have him in our lives!

The last year flew by and was everything I thought parenting would be and more. He is the light of my life and his smile melts my heart.

My friend is going to take some actual "One Year" pictures later this week; my skills just aren't up to par! But I made the white 1 to use, since stores only seem to sell letters. I'm excited!

Blogger Meetup: Kristin from Sea Cow Circus

I have never met a blogger in real life before yesterday! I jumped at the opportunity when I saw Kristin from seacowcircus was coming to Ohio to visit her family. I knew she grew up in the same county as me from reading some of her archives so thought it'd be great to meet her and baby Elle when they were in town.

I've met people from the internet before but they've mainly been big pumpkin growers, who I "knew" from reading their posts on bigpumpkins.com and following their diaries on that site. WELL NORMALLY THEY ARE NEVER WHAT I HAD PICTURED. Not even close!

I think blogging is different. You read more indebt things about people's life and get a more true picture of what they are "like". Well Kristin and Elle were everything I had pictured they'd be! Delightful, super nice, and very down to earth! I'm so glad she agreed to meet; I had a great time chatting over icecream while watching the babies together!

P.S. Most of those pictures were Kristin's! Mine didn't turn out too well. :)

Friday Farm Chic's Photo Bloghop

It's FRIDAY, YAYAYAA!! This is an overhead (sorta, I climbed on a water tank) pic of our giant pumpkin patch. Doesn't look like much but I'll make a point to retake the same photo in a month. The pumpkins will be HUGE by then [hopefully hehe] and the patch will have fully filled out with leaves. You are seeing 5 plants!

Headwaters Adventure Race: RECAP

A friend in Wisconsin posted on her facebook this spring that she was doing a race that was a run, bike, and canoe. MY THREE FAVORITE THINGS ALL IN ONE?! I had to find one. Googling I went and came up pretty empty. There were a few I found in Ohio but they were all on the other side of the state. I sort of forgot about the idea until a few weeks ago when I was googling again and found an adventure race series right here in Northeast Ohio! DANG EXCITED! The problem? I haven't really been training. For anything. At all. I mean I take Blaine on recreational runs (3 miles or less) and fun bike rides (5 miles or less) but haven't really been in a training pattern since April when I was training with a friend for her half marathon.

I found the race about a week and a half before. It was a 2 mile run, 10 mile bike, and 5 mile canoe. Very do-able! So I made a point to run 2 miles a day and that was about it. We signed up for an "All Phase Team" which meant both Nick and I ran, both biked, and then canoed together in the same boat. We could have done relay but heck if I was paying the entry fee, I was doing the whole dang race!

All in all it was a great experience! I was sore the next day from the CANOEING (!!) but nothing else. I mean how often do you RACE a canoe for an hour? LOL. We did a lot of passing people during the canoe part suprisingly! Our 2 miles run took 14 minutes (pretty good considering Nick was deathly ill all week and hates running) and I biked the 10 miles in 48 minutes (Nick demolished me with a time of 38 minutes or so and waited at the canoe livery for me to get there) and had a total finish time of 2 hours 5 minutes.

Changes for next time: TRAIN before hand (lol), borrow someone's road bike (there were some majorly wicked hills and everyone on road bikes made people on normal bikes look like they were standing still), and possibly learn to kayak so I can enter the solo division.

The next race in the series is August 6th but unfortunately I have something going on that day. After that, it is October 22, and has participants orienteering, rock climbing, canoeing, biking, and running! YIPEE!

Nutritious Snack: PEA PODS TO THE EXTRRRREME

Old photos but just got them off my sister's camera onto my computer. Classics! He apparently likes the pods just as well as the peas. ;)

IT'S COMING!!

Tomorrow is 7/13 and 7/13 was my DUE DATE last year! Which only means one thing: THE BIG DAY IS COMING! I'm not crying because my baby is growing up; in fact quite the opposite! I love this age so much. Now if he could just stay a 1 year old forever and never turn 2 then that would be great. :)

With the first birthday upon us, so is the 12 month well-visit. HONESTLY I THINK I WILL FAKE AN ILLNESS TO STAY HOME THAT DAY. My goal was 19 lbs for Blaine by one year. Well he was 19 lbs 1 oz last week and then for the last two days he was 18 lbs 8 oz. WHAT THE HECK. His weight fluxuations and lack of weight gain cause me waaaaaay too much stress. I'm not worried about him but I'm worried about what will be said to the fact that HE REALLY HASN'T GROWN IN 6 MONTHS. We both washed our worries away by sharing a drumstick today. Trying to fatten that kid up. ;)

Doesn't Get More Exciting Than This....

Our 4th of July was spent at a family reunion on my grandma's side. Her brother owns a HUGE dairy farm and Blaine was in baby heaven. Tractors, cows, fishies, OH MY! We'll have to get him out there more often (it is only about 14 miles from here). Fun times for sure!

Toddle Along: Like Father Like Son

Matching farmer's tans!

[yes, i use SPF 50 on Blaine but he's a tanner!]

Check out Toddle Along Tuesday!

Farmchick's Farm Photo Friday Blog Hop

IT'S FRIDAY!

This was one of the most fascinating things I've ever seen. I'm not really a bird watcher, but I've had fun watching these barn swallows (? if that is wrong I appologize) babies get fed by their mommy. They were perched on my deck all day! [photo credit goes to Nick]. They chirped and flapped their wings as mommy approached and she'd feed them with her mouth while she was still in flight! CRAZY! It did get dangerous though because mommy didn't like us close to her babes and swooped us. LOL.

ANGRY BIRDS!