August

Jaxon adores rides.

Sierra like the carousel, and that's about it.

Corvallis Knights Game!

Dance camp

Happy birthday, Daddy!

So many plums this year!  The kids loves to help pick them.

Snack time!

Sierra spends all day every day making forts/messes

Two of a kind

Beautiful grape year!  They are so delicious.

Part of the garden

This is what 14 years looks like :)  It's our anniversary this month.

It's August!  It was a very busy month.  We always spend several days enjoying the fair.  Jaxon absolutely loves the rides, while Sierra prefers to stay close to the ground, not move too fast, or go around in circles....... so she likes the slide and some of the silly houses that you can walk through.  Jaxon loves to go up high, around fast, and whatever he is big enough to go on.  We tried a ride at one point that looked slow enough for Sierra.  It did go up in the air though, so it took her a while to talk herself into going with Jaxon and I.  Oops.  She panicked the second the ride started and I ended up singing Amazing Grace the whole ride to keep her calm.  After that she stuck to the slide and did go on the Carousel several times.  She's afraid of very few things but gets motion sick easily and does not like heights.  Jaxon is afraid of most things, but likes the crazy rides.  Seriously.  It's so hard to figure out what goes on in a kiddos mind.

After a long day of rides, we told the kids that they could do one more and we would head home.  They decided on a fun house and both headed in.  On the way out, we all watched as Jaxon lost his piece of gum on the floor of the house, bent over, picked it up, and put it BACK in his mouth.  I.Almost.Died.  Of all of the places to do that, he picks the floor of a fair ride.  This child doesn't like to very many regular foods but will pick a piece of gum up off of the floor and put it back in his mouth.  I stood there with my mouth wide open.  I don't even think I said a word.  I was going through scenarios in my mind of him coming down with Hepatitis, Ecoli, or testing positive for meth.  I honestly felt my hair turning gray, or at the very least my brain was short circuiting.  Good grief.  The next day both kids came down with colds and we didn't go back to the fair.  And he is never going to have another piece of gum in a public place ever again.  Yuck.

We also got free tickets to another Corvallis Knights game this month and were able to stay for fireworks.  It was a long game but the kids had fun and we brought Jaxon's earplugs for the fireworks.  They put on a great show and we all enjoyed it.

Sierra spent her second year at dance camp this month as well.  They spend a week (3 hours a day) learning dance techniques of all kinds and some cheerleading.  The girls learn a routine and usually perform at one of the high school football games.  She loves it. She likes me to stay and watch which can be a challenge when Jaxon is with me :)

School started the last week of August.  This year was absolutely a breeze.  Sierra has grown up so much this summer.  She has become more independent and is able to handle disappointment much better.  We have talked over and over about how important it is to do what you love even if it's different than what other people are doing.  I keep telling her that we were not made to be like everyone else, we were EACH made special and different.  She was excited to go to school this year and when we dropped her off on the first day she gave me a quick hug and sat down at her desk without a second glance.  I was amazed, proud, and relieved.  Hopefully school continues to go well for her and hopefully I can keep Jaxon busy without his favorite playmate.  Time will tell.