Iowa State Fair 2009

we decided it would be un-Iowan for us not to take roman to the iowa state fair, especially since we live so close! jake took friday off, so we were able to sleep in (yeah!) and then hit the fair mid-day. we knew that aunt carol and uncle eddie were going to be there until 1:00, so we wanted to get there in time to see them for a little bit! right when we got to the fair, we hooked up with ed & carol. we hit up a corndog stand right away - footlong corn dogs - yum! roman got to try his first corndog. aunt carol was very careful not to poke him with the corndog stick. :} after corndogs, the five of us went to the animal learning center (lots of "fresh" baby animals there!) aunt carol took roman around to see lots of the animals. he earned a pair of pig ears while looking at some little piggies. ed & carol took off, so then it was just the three of us. roman really liked looking at the animals - the babies and the big ones, too! it poured rain for about 20 minutes while we there, so we went into a showing ring (not sure what it's called?) and watched two kids braid their horse's hair while we ate our lunch. nice. :) roman decided not to nap at all while we were at the fair (why would he?)... and he started going downhill around 4:00... ...but we couldn't leave before trying a porkchop-on-a-stick! it was a-mazing! roman loved it, and so did jake and I -- we talked about it for at least five minutes!
all in all, a very fun day and i think we will go back next year! :)

the only good thing about humid weather...

can't help but smile when i see roman's hair! :)

backyard project - complete!

When we moved into our house last summer, we had other things on our mind (roman!) and decided we would get to "play" with our yard the following summer (2009)... which is more than half over! SO... in June, it just so happened that Travis (from Chicago) was coming to visit and also Rick (from Denver), so we decided to start our backyard project, which consisted of building a shed and some garden boxes. Over time, we had lots of helping hands -- Jake, Travis, Rick, Charlie, Josh, Derek, Aaron, and even our neighbor Larry! I think that when we started, Jake was hoping to get all/most of the work done in one day. (what an optimist I'm blessed to live with!) :) By the time the last coat of paint was put on the shed and the pavers laid in front of the shed, it was hours before Roman's 1st birthday! It did take longer than what we had thought, but we're so happy with the outcome! Here are some pics from the start to the end... enjoy!


Roman likes to help us with the gardening... we just have to guide him a bit on what to pull and what to leave in a little longer! :)

Happy 1st Birthday, Roman!

This post is getting posted a little late... just wanted to share some pics from Roman's first birthday!

Uncle Rick arrived at our house on Friday afternoon. Roman enjoyed several "airplane rides" with Rick. (I think this pic was taken after he'd had a few rides... Roman's eyes are still moving a little bit!)

Here is Roman eating his birthday breakfast... bananas! Yum!

Roman & Raefe in Roman's new wagon - fun! (This thing is loaded -- has back rests, seat belts, and even cup holders!)

Roman enjoyed opening his presents - he really got into the paper!

Raefe entertained us throughout the night, as well. :)

Dinnertime...

The "grown-up" table -- Grandpa Mark, Grandpa Rick & Kim, Grandma Rosie, Great-grandma Joan (Stotts), and Grandma Susan (who is not in this picture because she is taking the picture!)
The "kid table" -- Ross, Brittany, Raefe, Colette, Roman, Jake, Rick, and Conrad.
Roman loved his cake - courtesy of Grandma Susan!

I don't think that he got as messy as either Jake or I thought he would... which is fine, easier to clean up in the end! :)
He inspected it all before diving in...
Here is Jake, trying to coax Roman to "just put your face in it"... Roman decided otherwise.
We eventually gave him his spoon so he could enjoy it.
...which he did! :)

After supper/cake/ice cream, Raefe and Roman got to play in the sandbox -- dirty, but fun. (Note: Raefe is in his diaper and happily buried up to his waist, thanks to his dad.)
Raefe decided to lay down for a little while... must be hard work to play in a sandbox!
Smiles all around from the boys...A pic with the grandparents before they all went home!
More playtime for the boys, after a bath with lots of bubbles!

It's hard to believe how fast this first year has gone -- so many changes in such a short amount of time! Roman is a funny little guy and we are so blessed to have him in our life!!