Maryland State Fair

We took a trip to the Maryland State Fair tonight with Jed, Kate and Stacey. For as slow as we walked through the fairgrounds, we sure were tired at the end!

As a reward for eating a good dinner, we headed straight for the tractors!

Of course, this was the highlight of the night for Josh!

This was a HUGE tractor. Katelyn found a spot next to the seat that was just her size.

The highlight for Katelyn was the animals!

Kate shows her the piglets.

Josh and Katelyn both smashed their heads together reaching for the sheep.

Jed scored some free ride tickets from work - thank you!

We were able to get Katelyn on a bunch of rides even though she was technically too short. Next year she'll be able to ride all of the rides!

Josh's favorite ride - making Daddy proud!

After rides and ice cream, we headed to the rodeo. This was Josh's expression while watching the bullriding. He kept saying, "Whoa." Katelyn clapped when everyone else clapped. We went to the stables and got to feed one of the horses treats which was fun. Katelyn was brave and let the horse take the treat from her hand. I don't have any pictures of that, but wish I did. It was really a cute sight to see! We watched Mutton Bustin' and Josh decided he would be ready for that next year. Then we left after Barrel Racing. It was a fun evening!

It's Party Time!

We had a Toy Story birthday party for Josh on Saturday. It was a really fun morning and we are so thankful for our family and friends who celebrated with us!

Molly and Madison got started decorating their rockets right away!

Charlotte, Jackson and Parker

Time for Pizza Planet Pizza!

Time to sing, "Happy Birthday!"

We can't believe he's 3!

Yummy alien cupcakes

Now this is a serious face!

Zurg's Water Balloon Blaster Time!

The spectators

Ania and Jon try to get away!

We eventually just pulled out the sprinkler for some more fun

Josh's first surprise of the day was his new bike from Stacey, Greg, Nan, Kate and Jed!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!
He's been walking the bike around the house all weekend since - we're working on pedaling. :)

Then Granddad delivered an excavator! Josh has been digging up sand and rocks in the backyard. That was the first thing he asked to do when he woke up this morning.

Josh had a wonderful day and we are so grateful to everyone who helped celebrate and love this special little boy!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Josh!

Though at times it seems like a blur, there are still moments from the day that Josh was born that are vivid and sweet to remember. It was such a miraculous event to be a part of!

Jeff holding Josh for the first time - just beaming!

We would just stare at him for hours.

And how little he was in the carrier when we brought him home from the hospital!

And here we are three years later!

Happy Birthday, Josh!

We took a ride on the Light Rail in the morning -

Shawan to Falls Road and back is now our regular route.

You can't beat a ride on the "choo-choo"

And then dinner at Red Robin!

As Josh put it, "We had ice cream. They didn't have any cake."

Katelyn would be happy to join anyone on a birthday celebration!

She took a big scoop of whipped cream...

...and licked the spoon about five times to make sure it was clean.

She polished off the entire sundae too - makes a mama proud! :)

Painting Fun

We've had our fair share of rainy days the past few weeks, so we've spent lots of time painting.

Check out the determination - love Josh's little tongue sticking out!

It's been really fun to see how much Josh has grown and improved his painting skills in the past year. Notice how he's staying near the boudaries now!

Katelyn has fun learning how to paint too! She's very serious about her work.

What Katelyn is up to

Keeping her brother company while he's in timeout - again

Focusing quietly on pealing stickers...

...with Baby in hand, of course!

Hanging out with her pal, Macy

Imitating Josh

Being super cute!

And making her famous face - she's either saying cheese or looking grumpy - here she is happy! :)

Reading a goodnight story with Daddy and Josh. She found this stuffed elephant tonight and now has added it to her entourage.

*And just to add...Katelyn went on the potty for the first time tonight! She's been wanting to sit on the potty for the last week, but this is the first time something happened! Josh said, "I'm so proud of Katelyn!"

Hard at Work

Josh and Katelyn have both been building at the tool bench this morning.

Josh insisted that we post a picture of him with his tractor. It is busy mowing the grass all day long!