Not My Usual Montgomery County... PSF/GMYBS/M-I-F

As you may know, we live in the suburbs outside of DC... in Montgomery County, Maryland.  As I commute to work into the city (I work 6 blocks from the White House) and usually shop/live around heavily-populated suburban areas, I often forget that there's a large part of the county that developers haven't gotten to (yet!) and is farmland!

The Montgomery County Agricultural Fair takes place a mile from our house, in a highly populated area, and is a very big deal around these parts!  We've gone in the past, mostly for the carnival rides, but since we have a nearly-2-year-old on our hands, we knew this year's focus was going to be on the other festivities!

Bonus: We all decided to go on my nephew's 2nd birthday!  When DH asked his Sis if they wanted to join us, she told him that they were already planning on it! How perfect is that?!


Birthday Smooches (Yep, they'll hate this one later!)... and walking into the fair together!

  Now, I can't remember if I've covered this here (so my apologies if I have), but Doodle has been kind of obsessed with "Horsey" rides.  She and her Daddy went on a carousel at a smaller town fair in July and she's been talking about it ever since!  She wants a horsey ride on your back, from the dogs, and will even sit on the arm of a couch and yell "Horsey!" We walked in last night and saw that they were doing actual horse rides for kids.  Yes, it cost extra and had she not been over-the-freaking-moon about it, it would have been considered a rip off.  We even splurged for a crappy cowboy hat and it turned out to be a smart investment...

Oh, yes.  This girl loves a horsey ride.  I see many years of her begging for a horse in our future! ;)

We spent most of the night in the livestock area - it is an Agricultural Fair, after all - looking at sheep, pigs, goats, cows, bunnies and chickens.  Dagny got to pet a calf that had been born at noon that day (in the birthing barn... yes, I was hesitant to even go in there!)!  The John Deere tractor area was a huge hit with the both of the kids, although I know Mason loves them way more than Doodle does! ;)

The Birthday Boy got his very own ice cream cone to celebrate... and even shared it with his cousin! What a sweetie!

Finally, because I am trying to get in front of the camera a little more often, here are a few photos for Momma in Focus Friday!

As you can see, it's nearly impossible to get Doodle to look at the camera... especially with cows walking by and flashing/bright lights in the distance!  I'm cracking up at DH as he was singing "ice cream" to Doodle to try to get her attention... he did get her attention, but got the Dozer-pout for not actually having ice cream in his hand. No worries-- she did get a milkshake out of the deal! ;)

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli



Momma in Focus... Although I'm Not His Momma! ;) GMYBS/PSF

Let's face it... this week has been all about Cliff.  And rightly so-- it's not everyday you get a new baby in the family!  Doodle has been looking at the photos and saying, "Baby Cliff," with a huge smile (although it sounds more like "Baby Tiff!"), so I'm pretty sure she's okay with him in the spotlight.  Heck, she doesn't even know she's been in the spotlight thus far, but we'll see how she reacts when she meets her new cousin next weekend!

This week's "Momma in Focus" on Love Roars is going to be more like "Auntie in Focus" as I share some photos of me hogging Cliff just an hour or two after he was born:

See, I wasn't lying... once I got him in my arms, I didn't want to let go!  I'm so grateful that Mary grabbed the camera and took some photos of me-- that's always the hardest part for the photographer (you're usually taking all of the photos, so others rarely think to take one of you!)!

Uncle Colin, Uncle Steve & Aunt Kristen, the Grammes, and Grandpas were all there to celebrate Cliff's arrival... I felt bad that Ally was so out of it because it was truly a very cool moment as this little guy brought two families together forever!

p.s. I graduated High School with Cliff's (twin) Uncles Colin and Patrick... and while they were far more popular than I could have ever wished to be, they're the nicest guys ever!  Aunt Caitlin and I were on JV Cheerleading together my junior year (still need to find those photos!)... she's now on TV (wwnytv.com) and will surely be the cool aunt (much like my very own ABC!)! Also, one of my best friends is married to one of Dave's best friends... both Dave and I were in their wedding party (he started dating Ally a few months later!)! I'd say "It's a small world," but that's just Willow Grove!

p.p.s. I can't lie... Since I knew Cliff was on his way when I got dressed that morning, I totally picked out my favorite dress (Lilly Pulitzer Clare in Hotty Pink First Impression)  to make sure I looked good when he first met me! You know, because babies remember everything from the second they're born! ;) This is seriously my favorite dress and don't be surprised when I'm wearing it in nearly every photo you see of me. Doodle even has a matching one!

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli



Momma In Focus... Love ;)

This week's theme is about love... well, what's not to love about being a Momma?!  I know-- the tantrums are getting increasingly worse and some of the diapers should require a hazmat suit, but for 99% of the time I do truly love being a Mom.

I have a bunch of recent photos of me and Doodle that I wanted to share... and I LOVE every one of them! ;)

Easter Brunch at Gramme & Kippy's Country Club

Easter Egg Hunt at Willow Grove Memorial Park (Kippy's Park)

Painting a sign for our new garden on Mother's Day

Listening to the Yo Gabba Gabba (or Gabba! as D calls it) song, "Don't Pick Your Nose."  Since she's not allowed to pick hers, she tried to pick mine... and thought it was hilarious!

How could I not LOVE this girl?!

Sick Day on Bayridge Dr...

We picked Doodle up at her Grandma's last night and received the report that she didn't sleep at all on Wednesday night... She fell asleep without a glitch (D + Crib = Sleep), but I could hear her wheezing through the monitor.

She woke up around 3:30am with the most pathetic cry and I realized that something was up. I brought her into my bed (which is probably the 2nd or 3rd time ever) where she rolled around, in and out of sleep, for the rest of the night.  I took her temperature when my alarm went of... 101!  Ut oh. For the 1st time ever, I called in sick to take care of my sick kid.  We made it to 19 months, so I feel kinda lucky that we made it this far!

After a quick trip to the pediatrician, we're at home with some amoxicillin to treat a nasty ear infection.  Boo!

A sick baby doesn't make for exciting photos, BUT I'm trying to stick with the idea of taking photos with me in them. So...

...and I even managed to sneak a little yellow in!

For those of you who asked last week: We LOVE the trike!  She's too small to pedal (her feet barely touch the pedals if she's reaching for it), but loves being pushed around in it!  After a little tantrum when we tried to put it out back, it has now been integrated into our living room set up...

Mama in Focus...

I just happened to be stalking reading a friend's blog and she has recently linked up to her friend's new meme... Momma in Focus.

As I'm usually the photographer, and rarely in the photos, I'm going to make an effort to provide a photo-- with me in it-- on a weekly basis.  This week's theme was inside/outside, so I'm sharing these photos from today...

 Yes, we bought Doodle a trike.  No, it's not her birthday (or even close to it or any other gift-buying occasion)... I just decided that it would be more fun to ride a trike to the park than walking or riding in a stroller!  The fact that it was on sale at Target just expedited the process a little bit! ;)

And, in Doodle-fashion, she couldn't let me sit at the computer without hopping up on my lap to type with me... here's a little Photobooth fun!

Thanks, Lindsay, for introducing me to this great link-up!