Family + Fair + Football = Fun, Fun, Fun!

I say it every time, but we had a great time in Kansas. Next time we come back (in mid October) we'll get to have to sono and find out if we're having a boy or a girl! I can't wait! Since I'm just now at 4 months, I'm not really showing, but I'll post some belly pics soon so you can watch me grow :)

While in Kansas we hit the State Fair in Hutch.....wait, let me re-phrase that. We ate our way through the State Fair in Hutch! It was an impressive showing of Pronto Pups, Funnel Cakes, Hot Dogs, Ice Cream......and on and on!

We also got to attend two football games while we were back: Cousin Brandon's high school game (Free State won BIG....yea Brandon!) and the KU vs Duke game on Saturday. We left Bailey at home for that one, but Kale had a wonderful time hanging out with Cousin Kaden. Between the two of them, they had 2 hot dogs, lemonade, a snow cone, skittles, and a bottle of water......all before half time! My brother made the comment that at that rate we were going to need to take out a small loan to afford their eating habits. The first picture below is with former Coach Fambrough, a KU legend b/c of his strong dislike of Missouri :) The second picutre is a Missouri Street sign someone covered with Fambrough's name!

Saturday night after the game we headed to Brett and Kelly's for a family bbq. We had Temples, Ballards, and Hammerschmidts, so a lot of laughs were shared and it was a great time! The kids had a "dance party"...Bailey felt the need to wear Kaden's backpack for some reason!?

All I Want for Christmas.....

My son is like any other four-year-old boy. He loves dinosaurs, mud, cars, spider-man, and any sport. Lately he has been fixated on one, and only one thing he is CERTAIN he wants for Christmas: A "Touch-N-Brush."


I know what you're thinking....a Touch and what?? Don't worry. You're not behind on the latest kid toy. A "Touch-N-Brush" is a wonderful gadget advertised on TV. It is a small plastic looking thing you mount to the bathroom wall, stick a tube of toothpaste in (any kind!), and it magically dispenses the perfect amount of toothpaste with no mess. My son thinks it is WONDERFUL, and he is quite adamant that he really, really wants one for Christmas or his birthday. Chances are (and pending they cost under $20), I will end up getting him one, simply for the purpose of teasing him later in life about how he desperately wanted a toothpaste dispenser when most kids are asking for toys and games :) And just in case you think you might want one for your bathroom.......a visual aid:

Game Day in the Hammer House

(This picture of Bailey was taken in May....look how much she's grown since then!!)

Also, Kale insisted on wearing his basketball jersey, not his football jersey....that's one of those "I'm four and I want to make my own choices" things that I've learned to let go.......

Rock Chalk!

"So Fun"

Now that we're living in a third-floor apartment, we've made some changes to our nightly schedule, namely that we venture out almost every night after at least one round of indoor basketball, football, soccer, wrestling, or combination of all four. Once outside, we walk anywhere from 15 minutes to and hour, then the kids usually play at the playground. It's not that we're trying to be super-parents, it's just that our sterile, white, box of a home gets a little boring, and Ogden has many walking trails. Dain and I have also talked about how much more energy we have now, and the fact that it makes the nights a lot more enjoyable.


Anyway, the other night we went for our usual stroll, and Kale brought along his football so he and Dain could play catch. We took a different path and headed around the cluster of medical buildings that sit across from our apartment complex. Kale and Dain would stop and toss the ball around, running plays on the grassing lawns while Bailey and I looked on. Kale kept saying over and over, "Man, this is so fun," with the biggest smile on his face. It really was adorable. And the best part? His pure happiness was as simple as turning off the TV and heading outside :)

And a few of my favorite quotes from my favorite 4-year-old over the past few weeks.....
(Kale) Can we go to "No Davies" today?
(Me) I have no idea what you're talking about!
(Kale, repeated about 5 times, getting angrier each time) "No Davies, Mom" "No Davies"
(Me, still no idea what he's saying) Maybe another day.
(Kale, as we drive past Old Navy) "THERE! No Davies!"

(Me) Look Kale, there's a praymantis outside our door!
(Kale) Whoa, cool! Dad, Dad, we found a Carry-Cantis!

(Kale, very serious after we left the dinosaur park) I think I know why the asteroid that his earth killed all the dinosaurs.
(Me) What happened?
(Kale) I think the asteroid crashed into the backs of all the dinosaurs with spikes, you know, like Spinosaurus. I think their spikes made it explode and they all died.

Days Fly By......

Kids with Great Grandad Sutton

Bailey reading with Grandpa Ballard

Kale feeding a tortoise at the wildlife park

Miss Bailey petting a goat

Kale with Great Grandma Ballard

Bailey with Great Grandpa Ballard

Our three-week "trip" (I use that term loosely b/c Dain was working 99% of the time) flew by quickly. Days were filled with 4-wheeler rides, playgrounds, cartoons, cousins, books, unloading all of my mother-in-law's cabinets (thank you Bailey), a trip to a wildlife park with Grandpa Ballard, and on and on. Dain learned a lot at the class he attended in Wisconsin 2 out of the 3 weeks we were back, and my trip to New York to visit my best friend was amazing! Bailey apparently grew during the time we were back; the last week she was finally able to swing her leg over Grandpa Hammy's recliner and shimmy up by herself. We're finally back in Utah in getting back into our daily routine again. My grad class started last week, so I'm having to learning to read academia text again; a slight change from my "beach reads" and the kid's picture books :)

In Case You Hadn't Heard.......

The third (and final) member of the Hammerschmidt household will be joining us in March......I'm almost 10 weeks pregnant!!

We are very excited. And in answer to all of the questions you're wondering let me just say.......

#1 No, we did not plan on baby number three right now. We wanted three, but not for a year or two........funny how quickly plans change!

#2 I am feeling okay, I get a little queasy now and then, but eating small meals seems to help.

#3 Yes, I am still going to work on my masters and I plan on "returning to the workforce" next school year.

#4 No, we are NOT completely insane, we just like a good challenge now and then :)

Visiting Grandma and Grandpa

We made it back to Kansas with no major incidents......well, I DID get yelled at on the plane by a grumpy old man who has obviously never traveled with a toddler, but I figure you do the best you can and let it go, right? Aside from that, we've been enjoying our time at the farm. We're eating so well.......bacon and eggs for breakfast, fried catfish, enchilada casserole, and pulled pork dinners, plus homemade cookies and treats........we may never leave! I've already warned Dain not to get used to the gourmet food because he won't be getting it when we get back to Utah :)

We've got some good pictures of the kids playing at the farm and from our trip to the Topeka zoo. Dain heads to Wisconsin and I head to New York tomorrow, so keep Grandma and Grandpa Hammerschmidt in your prayers; they may need it to get through 4 days with our lovely children :)

"Cooking" at Grandma's House

Kale watching Gerdie cool off in her water tub

At the zoo and Bailey fast asleep on cousin Emily afterwards