The Fair and the Ferris Wheel

(From the first week in August)

For one reason or another, I usually end up spending a lot of time at the Clatsop County Fair. Ever since Synnove was a baby and we lived in Cornelius, I still ended up back in Astoria spending the week at the fair. We have a pretty small fair in comparison to fairs in Tillamook County, Washington County, or even Benton County. In fact, I would say that many would think our fair is pretty boring! We go to visit, watch the 4-H kids, eat some fatty food, and wander aimlessly through the exhibits. The kids love it, especially when Grandpa is there to take them on the rides!

I am so blessed to have such a wonderful father...even more so, my kids are blessed to have such a wonderful grandfather. His patience, stamina, and knack to spoil are awe-inspiring. Dad was working during fair this year, but managed to find the time to take the kids down to the carnival for one of the days. The kids had been begging to ride the rides even before the fair opened...and they specifically requested GRANDPA. I told them that he might not be able to take them, so they were over the moon excited when he was able to on "buddy day" (buy one ride bracelet and get one 1/2 off). As in years passed, they would ride for hours, break for meals, and then ride even more.

Mom and I met up with them near dinner-time and I caught some photos. The kids even talked Grandpa into doing a balloon-popping game to get a prize. It's been a month since we were at the fair, and Soren STILL carries his prize around (a frog "buddy" with velcro hands that he wears around his neck).

Synnove jumping as she throws a dart...

Grandpa agreed to ride the ferris wheel after finally convincing Synnove to ride it...she was pretty apprehensive...

I just had to include this picture of dad texting while riding...is that legal?

Dad and Soren have their tongues out while Synnove hides from the camera...

You Want Whip With That??

All of last week was devoted to the fair. I was pretty excited for this year as Tonya, Weesie, and I would be working together. Unfortunately, I started coming down with another cold on Monday night. I couldn't believe it...third cold of the summer!!! The weather wasn't supposed to be that great either. Last year, the business was non-stop because of the heat wave, but this year the weather was supposed to be cloudy and drizzly. Like last year, I was going to have to juggle the kids around. Dad was working, and mom was at the coffee shop. FiFi was able to help entertain the kids a bunch while they were at the fair, and Don and Alice pitched in too. Adam drove out after work when Dad wasn't available and Mom came out after work as well. Somehow it all worked out.

Tonya came in early with Elise all but one of the 5 mornings...6:30...uck! People wanted their coffee in the morning even though the fair didn't actually open till 9. All the kids and parents who needed to take care of their animals every day had to be there early like us. At around 10:00 we would get the carnie rush. And they ALL loved their 20 oz. white mochas with extra shots. Weesie was an animal on the coffee machine! Because it was a rented machine, she wanted to be the only one liable, so she made ALL the coffee. Tonya and I would prep cups and steam milk. By day 2 we had a pretty good system.

Elise had ordered a bunch of smoothie mix and brain freeze mix because last year we sold SO much and had to frantically order more. This year, she sold a LOT of hot coffee drinks and not so many of the other. We still made our fair share of cold drinks though. Unfortunately, she has a lot of product left over. ANYway, our busiest days were Friday and Saturday. Tonya had planned to go up to Portland on Saturday to do some dress shopping for her wedding next month, but she sooooo nicely went on Sunday instead. Elise was going to shut down the shop in town so that Henry could work if Tonya couldn't be there. It's really hard to run that booth in a rush with only two people.

Because of my cold, I didn't sleep well all week, and by Friday I was starting to really drag my feet. I told Tonya she could sleep in on Saturday and that I would come in at 6:30. So, on Saturday, I woke up at 5:00 and didn't get home till around 10:30. I was beyond exhausted. So exhausted I was wired...so I didn't get to sleep till after midnight. Sunday, I slept in a bit and woke with a headache. Even Soren slept in till 10:00 that morning!! The kids had a very eventful week and had late nights as well. We didn't go to church. I picked up my exhibits at the fairgrounds that afternoon and went to the grocery store. I had entered a couple of photos at the last minute and got a 2nd place ribbon on my picture of Soren with his baby chick (see 2nd photo down from THIS blog). I wasn't expecting to get any ribbons because the photo was a bit blurry...but in Clatsop County there aren't that many folks who know how to take pictures :)

Because I was in the booth all week, I didn't really get a chance to see much of the fair, or take any photos. I brought my little camera to get pictures of us girls and a few of the kids. Dad took the kids on the rides on Thursday after taking the kids and I out to breakfast. They rode the rides ALL day...literally. Dad sent me updates every so often on how many rides they went on. They would take breaks and come to the actual fair for food, but they didn't leave until at least 8:30! The kids stayed the night with Grandpa that night :)

Me, Wessie, and Tonster on the first day. We're wearing our Shanghaied in Astoria pins and our "I 'heart' Mary Kay" pins. I was doing a $50 drawing for MK at the booth....and Weesie and Tonya are my "MK groupies."

The fair sponsored a craft booth and FiFi took the kids there on several occasions. Synnove is a kitty, and Soren is a tiger (I think FiFi drew the glasses and 'stache.) He LOVED his tiger mask and growled at us all of Wednesday afternoon.
Soren wanted to scare mommy when I got home from my night. He did, and then he fell asleep. This is what I found when I went to check on him before finally turning in for the night...

On Thursday, it was warm enough for us to take our sweatshirts off for most of the day. Weesie had pink shirts made for us girls especially for the fair!

At our booth, we tried to play our own music, but the stage was pretty close by. A comedy duo called "Brothers from Different Mothers" played the stage at least twice a day and their music got to be obnoxious. Anyway, we would poke fun at all the acts to pass the time and decided we needed our own act....we called ourselves "Sisters from Different Misters"...I know...you can't contain your laughter.

Another Week

I realize that I skipped a week in blogging...but the week before last was way too full and complicated to write down, so I'm just gonna skip it altogether. Last week was non-stop as well...


Monday, the kids went to swimming lessons (every day of the week, actually) and afterwards I planned to go just a couple of parking lots over to drop some MK over to my Aunt who works at Park Medical. As I was showering the kids after lessons, I noticed something black stuck in Synnove's hair. I thought it was a piece of fuzz and pulled on it and she said, "ouch!" I tugged a bit more, thinking it was a dark scab that was hanging by a small bit of skin, but upon further investigation, I discovered it had legs! It was a tick! I had never seen a tick before, but knew that if it wasn't removed properly, it could cause infection. So, instead of seeing Aunt Jeanne at Park's, I went to Urgent Care and Park's. Apparently it was still alive, and the doctor removed it without leaving anything behind. Yes, I could have removed it myself...but I just didn't want to risk doing something wrong. I didn't know how long it was there...it could have been there for a couple of days! I had just gotten back from Creation and Adam wouldn't have noticed it because he doesn't "do" hair. The only reason I saw it is because her hair was half up and I could see something black when I sprayed her head in a certain place.

Anyway, we saw Aunt Jeanne after that, then headed home, then came back into town. I had an appointment with a gal in Astoria, and the kids were gonna spend some time with Grandpa while he painted the house. When I got back, the kids were headed to Costco with Weesie and Grandma. We didn't get home till after bedtime.

On Tuesday, after swimming, I headed over to my parent's house to help my dad paint. I stayed there all afternoon and, again, got home after bedtime. That night I opened my camera for the FIRST time since it arrived on the Friday prior. I was SO excited to get my camera...but had NO time to even open the box till Tuesday!

One of the first pictures I took on my new camera on Tues.

On Wednesday, after swimming, I met a gal at the coffee shop for a little MK consult. Then, I went all the way back home to wait for UPS so that I could make a large delivery for a party I had the week prior. Then, I headed back to town to deliver the order, and afterwards, went back to my parent's to help my dad paint again. Dad was on his way out, so the kids and I were there by ourselves. After about 20 minutes my Grandma Barb showed up and we visited while I painted the house on the deck. She left, I finished the part of the house that sits above the deck, we ate dinner, we got home sometime after bedtime.

That night I stayed up passed midnight finishing the invitations for my friend Tonya's bridal shower...they turned out pretty cute.

Thursday we went swimming, did a MK delivery, then headed to Cassie's so that the kids could play. We stayed all afternoon! It was great fun! On the way home, though exhausted, I decided I needed to go to Safeway. Our fridge has been utterly neglected, and has been virtually empty for almost two weeks. That NEVER happens! But, I honestly haven't had the time to go to the store! Anyway, I stopped at Safeway and started to put the kids in the cart. I put Soren in the seat and put Synnove in the basket part. Synnove then decided to whine and throw a fit about not being in the seat. I told her if she continued to whine, then we would have to leave without getting dinner for Daddy. She continued to whine. We left the store. I was too exhausted to care and I don't remember what we even had for dinner...waffles maybe??

Jena and JR have a bouncy house at their house...SO fun!!

Friday was the last day for swimming lessons for that session. Synnove is still in the smallest class (has been to at least 6 or 7 two-week sessions) and will stay there till she puts her face in the water. Soren is in the class above her (has been to 3 two-week sessions) and is starting to learn the basics. I don't think I'll be putting the kids in lessons for the rest of summer. Synnove isn't progressing, and it costs me too much time and money. I think I'll continue Soren's lessons in the fall when Synnove is in school. We'll see.


After lessons I went to the coffee shop to get stamps from Elise for Tonya's bridal shower invitations and mailed them off. Then, I headed back home to meet Tonya and Faith for a playdate. My kids are so blessed to have so many little friends, and I'm so blessed to be friends with all their little friends' mommies!! It makes me almost wonder that if I didn't have kids...would I have as many friends??? Probably not!

Saturday we woke late, made a big breakfast, and got in the car to go to Seattle for the day. Adam's Aunt Chris got married last month, and they were hosting an open house. We don't ever get up to Seattle to see Adam's extended family, so it was a good excuse to go. Adam got to see people he hasn't seen in years, and I got to finally meet some of his extended family (that I hadn't met before). The kids enjoyed running around and playing with Alice and Cash. The drive home was a loooong one. I think we walked through our front door sometime around 12:30 AM.

Chris's husband Ed is a part of a "Mini" club. Here's 3 of the 4 that were parked by our car...

Sunday was meant to be a relaxing "don't have to go anywhere or do anything" kind of day...but it didn't end up that way. After going to church, we drove home to get Synnove fed and changed to go over to Grace's house for the afternoon. Our fridge was still empty and because fair was (is) going to start the next week (this week) I didn't know if a trip to the grocery store was (is) going to happen. SO, I sorta planned to make the trip to Longview to go to WinCo. But, I changed my mind. Sunday was the last day to enter in the fair, and I kinda wanted to enter some photos. I didn't really have any good ones from the year, but I had a couple in mind. I spent the next 2 hours fiddling on the computer and fighting with my printer. I finally gave up and took what I printed to the fairgrounds. Soren decided that splitting wood with daddy was boring, so he came with me.

Of course, when we got to the fairgrounds, I ran into half of my family and and handful of friends and chatted it up a bit. Then, I headed to Fred Meyer to get some semi-expensive groceries. And, of course, I ran into more family and friends. I stayed and the store way longer than planned and didn't get over to pick Synnove up till around 7:00. Once and Grace's house, I ended up chatting with Eddie and Rena (Grace's parents) for over an hour. Yes, over half of my daily existence is TALK!

I ended the week with a massive bowl of Tillamook's "Grandma's Cake Batter" ice cream (the LAST one at the store!!) YUMMY!!

Oaks Park

For Father's Day, we were all invited to Oaks Park amusement park in Portland. Patty wanted to celebrate Steve's Birthday and Father's Day with cake and a potluck. The weather was a bit drizzly, but everyone still had a great time. The kids didn't know where we were going, so when we arrived, they were beside themselves with excitement! I had never been to Oaks Park and didn't know what to expect. It's kind of like going to the state fair. The kids AND the adults had a blast. Since it was Father's Day, all the dad's got to ride the rides for free, and Steve gifted all of the kids with wrist bands so that they could ride to their hearts' content. Thanks Steve!

I got a large handful of photos, but many came out blurry...but here's a few of the kids having fun on all the rides...

Synnove wasn't too sure about this one...

This was Soren's favorite ride...it was like some sort of Lewis and Clark expedition ride and he loved the big scary bear. I think he went on it at least 4 times.

Target practice

It's Safe to Say, We've Been FAIR-ly Busy

It's hard to believe, but my kids didn't roll out of bed till 10 AM this morning! I can count on one hand the number of times that has happened in my kids' lifetime. Exhaustion has been commonplace around here for a while now...for varying reasons. Fortunately, the reasons are good :)

I suppose the madness started to creep a couple of weeks ago. Synnove was starting up swimming lessons again and I was looking forward to using our lazy mornings/afternoons visiting family and friends that I hadn't seen in a while. Well, those mornings/afternoons soon became filled with other plans and the week flew by in a flash. We went to Portland for a shopping trip, spent some warm afternoons at Fi Fi's house playing in her pool, took a quick trip to Longview, and my MIL and niece, Brandi, came for a visit. On Saturday, Adam continued work on the chicken run in the blistering sun while I finally finished laundry and cleaned the house. I was up late that night printing photos and framing them to enter into the fair the next day. On Sunday, Adam left the house early to meet up with his friend Chris and visit his Dad before heading to PGE Park to see his sister Amanda graduate from college. It was gonna be SUPER hot in Portland that day, so I opted to stay home with the kids. I had to do some last-minute things to get my entries ready for the fair, dropped the kids off with my parents, and headed to the fairgrounds. That night, Adam didn't get home till pretty late because the Civic busted a hose. Talk about deja vu!

On Monday, the heat was almost too much to bear. The animals were in survival mode and the bunnies' fur was all sweaty. Bunny-Him was the worst...so Adam brought him inside and put the fan on him. He didn't even want to jump away...he loved the fan! Adam then put one of our window fans above their cages so that they would be cool through the night.


Tuesday was the the beginning of the fair. Elise had asked Henry and I if we would volunteer our time to come and work in her coffee/smoothie booth. I thought it sounded like fun! It was gonna be a bit tricky for me though since I needed someone to watch the kids. Mom was busy working at the shop in town, Fi Fi was busy at the fair all week, and Dad was only really available for one of the days. It was quite the juggling act...especially since Synnove had swimming lessons every morning.

Henry worked Tuesday morning, so I didn't come in till around 2ish. Of course, right when I got there, I headed to the exhibit hall to see how my entries did. My cross-stitch got a blue, and two of the 4 photos I entered got ribbons...one got a third place ribbon, and another got a champion ribbon with a special "judge's choice" award. I was pretty excited, so I snapped a picture of the display.

After that, I headed to Weesie's booth and lived there off and on for 5 days. I don't think Elise realized how busy she was gonna be. We hardly ever sat down and were completely wiped out by the end of each day. Elise was there every day from 6:30 AM till around 10 PM. Henry usually worked in the mornings and late evenings, and I worked everywhere in between. Dad watched the kids on Tuesday. Fi Fi watched the kids at the fair for a few hours on Wednesday till Dad got back from a meeting in Portland. Thursday was tricky because Dad went tuna fishing and took Henry for the entire day. Adam went too and got seriously seasick...poor guy. Anyway, we stayed the night at Mom and Dad's on Wednesday night. Mom got up at 4:30 AM every morning to make fresh cinnamon rolls for the fair...so, she made them, dropped them off at the fair, and came back to be with the sleeping children and take Novie to swimming lessons. I left when she got back to work at the fair the entire day. I was there for like 13 hours without a break...Henry came in the late evening to help Elise close up. On Friday I was draggin' my feet. Dad watched the kids for a couple of hours until Mom got home from the shop (the shop was busy too, so Mom was pretty exhausted every day as well). On Saturday Adam, of course, watched the kids. All three of us (Elise, Henry, and I) worked the entire day. Henry had to leave at around 8, so I stayed late and helped her pack up some of her stuff to take back to her shop in town. I got home at around 11. The whole week was a marvelous success for Elise, and it was great exposure for her coffee shop in town. She'll likely do it again next year.

It was fun, the 3 of us working together.

Nice, Henry...

Through all the madness, the kids got to come to the fair like 4 times. Once with Papa, once with Fi Fi, once with Grandma, and once with Daddy. This year, Soren actually rode the rides without being scared. I was sad to have missed it all. Here are a couple of pics Adam took...

Soren didn't want to ride the "alligator" (as the kids call it) on the first day, but rode it on the last!

On Sunday we all slept in and I headed to the fairgrounds to pick up my exhibits. Apparently, Elise slept in too and I ended up meeting her and my parents there to help clean and pack up her booth. Once at home, I spent the entire day cleaning up my messy house while Adam continued to work on the chicken run and finally fix the hose on the Civic.

The next day (yesterday) I spent the day helping my Dad can the tuna they all caught on Thursday. We filled 96 pint jars! Then we all had a big BBQ tuna dinner with Chris and Elise, Jack and Jeanne, Grandma Barb, and Henry and his new girlfriend Kiley. We didn't get home till after 10.

Today, I plan to do a lot o' nothin'.

The LONG update...

I've been slacking with this whole blog thing lately, mostly because I've just been too busy to take the time to do it. It's now Saturday, and my darling husband has taken the kids down to the "shop" (the giant building that houses all of our "toys") to sift through old aluminum roofing panels to put on our new wood storage shed beside our house. So, I have a few minutes to update you all on what we've been doing in the last couple of weeks.

During the last week in July, Adam was gone for another week for work, so the kids and I packed up and stayed the week at my parents' house. That was also the week of the County Fair, and I think we managed to go 3 out of the 5 days. My mom always buys fair passes and kindly shares them with me so I don't have to pay to get in...otherwise we would go 1 out of the 5 days. Synnove enjoyed the rides this year and wanted to go on the "alligator" (dragon roller coaster) many times. Soren wasn't too keen on the rides...he enjoyed the first 10 seconds and wanted to get off. Here's a picture of them playing on the display tractors. Soren did NOT want to get off!


Early the next week, Synnove decided to take her Power Wheels 4-wheeler down the cement steps behind our house. This picture doesn't show it well, but she got a big fat lip and bruised cheek. This is probably the 2nd biggest boo-boo she's ever gotten...the 1st being when she slammed 4 fingers in the door.

That Saturday we went to the Regatta Parade! The kids loved all the candy. And, surprisingly, Synnove really REALLY wanted to see the clowns. After the parade we went over to my grandparents' house for a little family reunion with some of the people on my grandpa's side of the family. The next day, my sister and future brother-in-law came over for dinner. We needed Chris to help us cut a few trees down by our house. He owns his own landscaping business and is an experienced tree-faller. He cut 3 alders on the side of the house to make room for the wood storage Adam would be building that week, and he cut this monster noble fir behind our deck! We didn't want the root system messing with the foundation of the house someday. I have a video of it, but it wouldn't upload properly.

Here's the conqueror up close =)

The NEXT day, I met up with my old friend Margo and her two darling daughters, Abby and Norah. We went to Tapiola Park and had ice cream and Dairy Queen. Margo now lives in Albany where her and her husband are music teachers. Margo's mom Carol was my first Sunday school teacher way back in the day...I was probably 5. Margo and I were good friends as teenagers, worked together at Subway for a couple of years, and I eventually followed her to George Fox University! She's a great friend =)

Being gone for most of the day, Adam was able to clear away some of the mess we made with the fallen trees and start preparing the plans for the new wood storage. On Tuesday, we made a trip with fellow Svensenites Don and Alice (my uncle and aunt) to Longview. Adam and Don went to get supplies for the things that they are building (Don is working on a new chicken coop). And, Alice and I made a trip to Walmart, Ross, Michaels, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Winco. Their daughter Heidi stayed home with Synnove and Soren. We had a BBQ that night.

Here's a pic of the new wood storage...in progress. Once Adam couldn't go any farther with the wood storage, he started a new project...taking out the old wood stove in the basement. That same day we were planning on going to the stock car races in St. Helens. We weren't planning on purchasing a new one THAT day...but...It's a long story, but by the end of that day we had a new wood stove, my parents had a new wood stove, and my Uncle Don and Aunt Alice had a new wood stove! Adam managed to pick 2 out of the 3 up in Cornelius at Coastal Farm and Ranch (the 3rd was on order) and then met us at the races.

The new wood stove is too pretty for our ugly basement...I'll try to remember to post a picture when it's all installed. This is the old one....

The NEXT day we were planning to go to church, but the kids had a really rough night. We didn't get home from the races till almost midnight because there was a semi-serious accident that took up a lot of time during one race. Then Synnove woke up from a terrible nightmare and wouldn't go back to sleep. We didn't go to church, but we had already planned to have some friends over for a BBQ that night...so we cleaned house and got ready for that. We all had a great time and look forward to doing that again soon.

This last week was relatively uneventful (thank goodness). I've been buying and selling things on Ebay, and I have continued to work out on the elliptical and am trying to stick to the diet plan. Synnove and I cleaned the chicken coop yesterday (dirty dirty work!!), and Adam went to Beaverton to visit his dad. Today, Adam is putting the roof on the wood storage and Adam's mom and niece and nephew are coming for a visit.

Here's one last picture of my grandmother (dad's mom) and all her GREAT-grandbabies. She wanted the picture taken for an "event" that's taking place next month. She's going to be inducted into the Warrenton High School Hall of Fame =)

My kids are on the left, Grandma is holding Tayanna (sp?), Wesley's baby, and Wendey's kids are on the right...Halle and Michael.