Off To The Fair

The tractor above is the same tractor that Brian's grandfather used to mow/plow the fields.

Girls on the Train Ride. Hannah was laughing and laughing and Anna was just looking too darn cute!
riding the car

Now this was one of the highlights of the evening. Rebecca on the mechanical bull. When we walked up a small group (maybe 5) high school kids were standing around. Then Beck got on the Bull and a sudden crowd appeared to witness the ride. She did a great job!!

The kids watching Becca ride the bull. It was the first time all night they were silent and watching the same thing!!

Hannah petting a cow with Daddy.
Farm Boys
Walking to the car

Can you believe the traffic????

Rain Rain Go Away

Today is again a cold and rainy day. The kids love to watch the rain fall and they love to listen for the thunder. Although once in a while a big truck drives by and Hannah yells "thunder"!

So our day started with 30 minutes of Mickey Mouse's Clubhouse

Next we made pancakes with some help from Daddy.

Eating our pancakes.

Playing. We played in the window seat most of the day, but we also spent an hour or so in the basement. It has been a very trying day. The kids are playing together but they are not being very nice. We had to deal with some biting this morning.

Fancy Nancy

Today, was the second very rainy day and from the looks of the weather it is going to continue until next week. So I decided to get the kids out of the house. We have a great playroom with lots of really fun toys, but they are the same toys that we always play with. So when you are stuck inside for days at a time and you don't want to watch movies/TV all day you need to be creative.
So we took a trip to the library. Hannah and Carter love going to the library because we usually go for story time and they give us snacks. Today we didn't get any snacks, but we had a great time!! I don't know if I have shared this with you, but our library has an entire floor dedicated to the children. They even have a toddler area where the kids are contained and can read board books, do puzzles, play with blocks or play with one of the many stuffed animals/dolls. I usually try to get the kids to sit and listen to some of the stories in the reading area which is a circular room with stadium seating. It is so fun to just cuddle with the kids and read books. Today we read about 4 books and did a lot of playing/exploring.
I love going to the library because I love books. I am so dangerous if you let me loose in a Borders or Barnes and Noble. However, at the library I can pick up as many books as I want and it is all free!! Not to mention that if I don't like the book when I get home I can just take it back.
So today I found the book Fancy Nancy, which I've heard is a truly wonderful children's book. Well today I read the book and I LOVE IT!! I feel like it is so fitting for myself and especially Hannah. For those of you who have read the book I can see Brian sitting at McDonald's wearing a crown and gold slippers trying to lay low with his sunglasses on, but Hannah would be so proud of her Daddy she wouldn't let him keep much of anything on the DL. What about the part where she tapes the crown on her little brother to teach him to be fancy. I think this may already have occurred in our house. Poor Carter really takes a lot from his fancy sister. Hannah likes to make sure that Carter has a purse and baby at all times. I am trying to teach her that Carter just wants to carry his mobile phone and a football. Anyway I could talk about this book for a long time, but I will just stop by saying that if you haven't read this book you need to!! I think I need to buy this book for Hannah's birthday!!

Baby Turk

Here is a recent photo of Baby Turk. I know the ultra sounds are so bad sometimes, but I just wanted to share. It is a picture of the baby's face.

Uncle Matt

This photo is posted in honor of Uncle Matt. While we were in Pittsburgh Hannah told everyone that if you poop on the potty you get a cookie. Well my brother, Matt (14 years old), thought this was the funniest thing he had ever heard and continued to bring it up. So I thought I would post a photo of him to show that he pooped on the potty for a cookie once too!! We love you Uncle Matt.

Moving

This weekend starts the big move for my Dad. He just bought a new house and it is charming!! He closed on it this afternoon and is already moving boxes over. Unfortunately, I am too pregnant to be much help with this move. Bummer!? Although Brian is doing a great job of helping. Thanks Honey!! Truth be told that Brian did tell my Dad that they should just go play 18 holes today and let the movers worry about all the stuff. Needless to say Brian is moving boxes as we speak.

I am very sad that I forgot my camera so I won't have any photos!!

Anyway the kids are doing great!! Hannah is really loving that she gets to help Grandpa move. She went and picked a bunch of black eyed susans and put them in a cup of water for Grandpa's new house. This morning we went to a local playground and Hannah was amazing!! I cannot believe all the things she was able to climb! We had a great time playing and then we went down and walked in the stream. The kids thought it was so fun to walk in the rocks and water. Although the water was VERY cold!!

Well I should get back to the move. Blog ya lata!

Darrenkamp's Market

The store front of the original Darrenkamp's

I am so bummed that we didn't have the camera for this one!! Tonight our neighbors, Joann & Earl, told us about the new grocery store opening. Brian and I have never been to a grocery store opening so we thought we should check it out. As we pull up people are just pulling their cars off the road into a corn field and jumping out and running to get in line to enter the store. Brian was really bummed that we didn't plan a tailgating party!! After waiting in line to get in the store you wait in line to get through the store. At every other aisle there is a person offering some type of sample. You are not able to buy anything. It is just the viewing of the store for the first time and tons of free samples.
Okay I need to take a moment to talk about these samples. They were very good crab cakes, cookies, salads, salsa and chips, soup, soda, and much much more. Now here comes the part we need to chat about... the people were SUPER RUDE!! People would just cut in and grab the sample and move on. YES we are in line and we are waiting for the same thing, but it was truly amazing to me that people weren't even phased by this behavior. I don't think that some of these people had eaten in a week. I was really waiting for a fight to break out amongst the silver hair. I felt like if any one should be cutting and grabbing it should be Brian and I with 2 little kids and a huge belly.
Anyway the store was beautiful and the staff was great!! They even have 'shopper in training carts', which are real carts made for little people like Hannah. It has a really tall flag on it so you can see them coming and it says shopper in training. I think this may be one of the reasons that we change grocery stores. The other big reason is that it is a local family that owns and operates the store and we love to support local businesses.

Anyway here is the link if you want to check it out. Just CLICK HERE.

'dicky' road

As a parent I have learned that my favorite days are not the kids favorite days. I love to go on adventures all over town, but the kids would love to stay in pajamas and play at home all day. So today was all about the kids. We watched Mickey Mouse and ate our breakfast. Then we went down to the play room that Brian and I built this past weekend. We had a blast Hannah was playing house and Mommy, which meant that Carter and I had to be very quiet because her baby was sleeping. Needless to say Carter and I got in trouble a few times for waking up the baby. Oops! Carter and I were playing race cars, puzzles and ball. I cannot believe how well Carter is throwing the ball. Of course he threw the ball behind himself a few times, but for the most part he was throwing it right to me. I just love to watch the kids grow. It was really fun working on the puzzles with Carter because I remember working on the same puzzles with Hannah while I was pregnant with Carter. After playing for a while Hannah decided we should have a story time, which means that we put a blanket on the floor and get lots of pillows. Since we were in the playroom we had our GIANT stuffed dog, ruff, who made a great pillow. We read all the Elmo books we own. I think the kids just love to hear my silly Elmo voice.
Next, Brian came home and decided to have a meeting in our dining room. So we had to get dressed for the day. LOL. So off we went to the bath tub. The kids had so much fun and I had even more fun watching them. Hannah washed her baby over and over telling her to look up so she didn't get water in her eyes. Carter was eating the bubbles, which meant that he looked like an old man with a beard. After brushing teeth and drying Hannah's hair we went on an outside adventure. We walked all over the development. Hannah kept saying, "don't walk on the road it is 'dicky' " When we did have to cross the road she would tell Carter, "no touch Carter, or you will get all 'dicky' and I don't like to get 'dicky'". Next we took the Cozy Coupe out for a drive in the back 'ward'6 (that is how Hannah says back yard).
Believe me that I was ready to go in for lunch before we even got outside. I still think it is TOO HOT to do much of anything outside. So we had a peanut butter and jelly lunch with Daddy and went down for naps.
This brings us up to the current time. I am just loving our kids today. Oh I forgot to mention that Carter is talking up a storm now, but Hannah keeps correcting him. Since she is the language expert, which is illustrated in the above paragraphs. Carter will say "ruck" and Hannah will say, "Carter that is not a ruck it is a truck". It is so fun to listen to them figure out the English language!! Well I am going to take advantage of this quiet time. I hope all are doing well!!

Sleeping on the Job

Early this morning the trucks arrived to pave our road. The kids were awake and so excited unlike the worker driving the truck above. Oops!

We ate our breakfast on the front porch so we could see all the TRUCKS!!

Even our friends Christian and Elizabeth came with their babysitter Kelsey.

After watching the trucks for about 2 hours the kids decided to go play in the backyard. We had such a fun time!!

After playing and a quick bath to clean them up we were off to the dentist for the first time. Hannah did a great job!! After we left she kept saying, "High Five Momma. I did such a good job." Way to go Hannah we are proud of you!

Twirl Skirt

Hannah woke up from her nap this afternoon and found this skirt. It was given to her on her 1st birthday by a friend who bought the skirt for Hannah while she was in Italy. I've had it in the closet for a while because it is too big and it still is. When Hannah runs around it slowly starts to slide down; however, tucking in the shirt will prolong the skirt at the waist. Anyway today Hannah convinced Daddy that she wanted to wear the skirt to our Life Group. She calls it her princess twirly skirt. She spins and spins and spins. Brian thought that she would wear it around the house and change her mind but that was not the case. Actually Hannah even wanted to sleep in the skirt. She also wants to wear it tomorrow to visit the dentist. Well we will see how many times in a row Hannah can wear the skirt. Brian just wants me to get a shirt that actually matches. Maybe I will get some video of Hannah spinning and post it?!

Time

Nancy @ age 3

This morning I was laying in bed looking at the above photo, which is me when I was 3 years old. As I lay there looking at the photo I was suddenly amazed that God knew at that moment that I would grow (literally) to be a mother. Looking at the cute, curly haired, pout face girl with not a care in the world I realized how amazing life's journey is.

Can you believe that was me?? Recent Belly Photo

Right now I am on my third pregnancy and I am TRYING to enjoy every moment of it!! I have really had a difficult time lately with pain, sleepiness, and just the difficulty of having a HUGE belly while caring for 2 babies. It is funny to say 'babies' because I really look at Hannah Grace as a grown child, but just the other day a women made a comment that she is still such a baby and to enjoy every moment. I realized that having 2 other babies made Hannah grow up really fast in my eyes. EXCEPT for the potty training thing. wink.wink. Although she is now doing a great job! So anyway I am really grateful to take the time today to stop and share how grateful I am and how much I am enjoying everyday. Hannah continues to surprise me daily with new words and concepts. My favorite is when she does something and I suddenly realize that I do the EXACT same thing to her. For example, this morning I was laying on my bed in a very fragile state trying to relax my back as I was having SEVERE pain when suddenly through the air comes my darling, flying, 18 month old son who lands right on me. I yelped out in pain, which of course scared Carter. Then, here comes little Mommy "Carter tell Momma you are sorry. That is not nice to jump on other people. You hurt Momma now say sorry!" Hannah demands. Then she comes to my side and starts to rub my head and says "Momma, just lay down and relax. It was an accident. Carter is very sorry. He doesn't want you to be sad. RIGHT Carter?!" I really just love how she comforts me. She always gets me a blanket, rubs my head, arm or back and tells me to just relax. Moreover, Carter is such a character!! He really is a happy and animated little guy who is SO loving. I love when you give him some thing and he says 'dank ew'. Now I have this other baby who I just can't wait to meet!! Everyday I wonder is it a boy or a girl, are they prepared to deal with the crazy Turk house? Then, I realized that I should just enjoy the moments that I can see/feel this life moving around and be so grateful. Really I should be grateful for the amount of sleep this baby lets me have now. Funny Story: when I was pregnant with Hannah I remember being up in the middle of the night due to some discomfort being late in pregnancy and I thought to myself 'it will be so great when this baby arrives for I know that she will keep me company when I am awake in the middle of the night'. As most of you know that is not the case!! After that baby pops out sleeping is so much easier and now you have this baby who you keep company in the middle of the night. Ha Ha. The things you learn being a parent are priceless.

I think they should make one of those commercials about being a parent. Something like; At age 16 you get your driver's licence: $25. At age 21 you have your first beer: $5.50. BUT age 24 you become a parent: priceless. Although it could be so funny to say something like 2 year old locks you out of the house: priceless.

Okay I know that I am just all over the place with this babble, but I just want to share that I am so grateful to have a loving husband, great kids and friends and family that care so much!! I know that many of us can't wait for baby Turk, but for now I am going to be selfish and enjoy every moment of this pregnancy!!

Game Time

The Terrible Toddlers

In Action! The kids are running around the house swinging the towels and yelling the only football words the know, TOUCHDOWN TACKLE TOUCHDOWN TACKLE. I am just glad they are not tackling each other yet!!

The Terrible Toddler Towel

Powder Nose

Hannah Grace eating a powdered donut. She looks so cute and has NO idea that she has sugar on her nose.

PBK

All Smiles!!

I know that you have missed seeing photos of the kids so I put a few in today's blog entry.

We got up this morning and I was feeling very motivated. So I decided it was best to take advantage of the burst of energy. We got ready and ate our breakfast. Hannah made a trip to the potty before we went to get into the car. As I opened the front door all the energy pumping through my body was suddenly sucked out. The humidity is so intense that I felt like I swam to the car. I think this is the hottest summer and it makes it even hotter being pregnant.
Moving along... I had a blanket from Pottery Barn Kids and when I washed it I noticed a large hole. So I decided today was the day I would exchange it. So we got the the store and on the front display was a ton of backpacks. I thought the gator one was so cute! Not to mention that a big 40% off sign made me pick it up. I have been looking for some type of book bag for Hannah. In the letter they sent home it stated that the kids needed to have a bag with NO zippers. Needless to say it is hard to find a book bag with no zippers. So when I picked up this bag and found that it had a Velcro flap with NO ZIPPER I looked at the price $5. How could I pass this up?!?!

So now I want to have the flaps monogrammed. I hope to find as good of a deal on that!! Anyway Hannah loves to wear her book bags around the house, but Carter has never worn a book bag until today. I think he thinks he is just as big as Hannah and will be going to school in September. Either way they look so cute!!Ready for School?

Lancaster County Tradition

Tonight we were invited over to the Hostetter's house for dinner. It was a rocky start, I wrote the house number down wrong and we went to the wrong house. I really wasn't sure what to say. I've made many wrong phone number calls in my life, but I've never gone to the wrong house. I am sure the women was shocked to open the door and find a family of 4 ready to eat.

Anyway Jena made us a traditional Lancaster County meal with ham loaf, pineapple stuffing, cheese potatoes, green beans, and fresh fruit. Jena was a little concerned about the ham loaf. She told me before hand that we will either hate it or love it. I must say that we LOVED it. I think I will go buy one tomorrow!! It was sorta like a honey baked ham, but even better. After dinner Brian went outside to check out Ryan's extreme hammock. If you haven't read the story please visit the Hostetter Hangout August 6th entry. Brian was really excited about it. I think he may try and join Ryan on the trip next year. The kids had a great time!! Thank you Hostetter Family for having us over!!

Photo of the Hammock.

Yummy!

I have been getting many requests for this recipe. So I thought I would post it on the blog. I hope that some of you will try it and comment. Tonight I made it and melted the cheese over the red peppers and it was really good.

Grilled Cajun Chicken Sandwich
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:
4 skinless, boneless medium chicken breast halves (about 12 ounces total)
Olive oil or cooking oil
1/2 to 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese with peppers
2 to 4 tablespoons Thousand Island salad dressing
Few dashes bottled hot pepper sauce
Roasted or fresh red sweet pepper strips
Lettuce leaves
4 Kaiser or whole wheat buns, split and toasted


Directions
1. Rinse chicken; pat dry. Place each breast, boned side up, between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Working from center to edges, pound lightly with the flat side of a mallet until chicken is just less than 1/2 inch thick.
2. Brush with oil; sprinkle with Cajun seasoning. Grill or broil as directed.
3. Spread buns with Thousand Island salad dressing mixed with a few dashes bottled hot pepper sauce. Top with roasted or fresh red sweet pepper strips, lettuce, and bun tops. Makes 4 servings.
To cook by direct grill method: Arrange chicken on a grill rack. Grill, uncovered, directly over medium coals for 12 to 15 minutes or until no pink remains, turning once. Add cheese the last 2 minutes of grilling.
To broil: Arrange the chicken on an unheated broiler pan. Broil 4 to 5 inches from heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until no pink remains, turning once. Add cheese the last minute of cooking.

Dinner

We went to church this morning and then had a nice relaxing afternoon at home.

Tonight we had family that was in town visiting. My second cousin, Rae, came to Hershey with her husband, Hack; daughter, Danny, and grandson, Max. They are on a road trip across the country. They started in Seattle, Washington and will end in Boston, Mass. It was really fun to have a meal together and visit. Hannah said, "Momma I sure had fun with Max." Max is 7 years old and the kids thought he was so cool.

WARNING... Toy Recall

RECALL INFORMATION

Fisher-Price Toys with Lead Paint Hazard Recall

Fisher-Price, in cooperation with the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission is voluntarily recalling a limited number of Nickelodeon and Sesame Street painted toys produced by one specific contract manufacturer during a narrow timeframe. The recalled products were sold in retail stores nationwide since May 1, 2007. Paint on affected products contains lead in excess of permissible levels. Lead is toxic if ingested and can cause adverse health effects.

Please CLICK HERE to check to see if you have any of these toys.

Beauty

The following photos were taken last weekend at Devonwood Equestrian Center in Portland, OR during a dressage show where top riders from several states were competing.

This is my Step dad, Stephen, riding Nikia in the show. They won a blue ribbon (1st place)! I wished that we lived closer so we could have seen this live!! Although I can only imagine my children suddenly running out into the arena or making some screeching noise that spooks all the horses.

This is Stephen riding Galileo, but the important thing to note about this photo is my Uncle Bruce, Aunt Sally and my Mom (holding hat) sitting in the background. Gali won a 3rd, 4th and 6th place in his classes.

We are proud of you Stephen!!

Good Luck at the Show this weekend!

Gift Shop

Brian had arrived 10 minutes early to a meeting across the street from the Andy Warhol Museum on Friday afternoon. So he decided to wander over and check out the museum and gift shop. He found many interesting items but only purchased one. The Juicy Mullet Gum. I just can't help but think about who put the two items together? Hair & Gum?

It brings back a memory of my younger days living in Cleveland Heights, OH. My next door neighbor and best friend, Jenny came over to my house in tears because she got her gum stuck in her hair and her mom was going to be VERY angry with her. Needless to say I had the really cool, laid back, mom that always had a solution. So we took the problem to my mom who remembered hearing about the peanut butter trick. So she put the peanut butter in Jenny's hair and was able to get most of the gum out. My mom did have to get the scissors for some minor cutting, but Jenny was saved. Mrs. Culp to this day is unaware of this event or even the fact that Jenny had cut a little of her hair. Thanks for saving the day Mom!!

Bunk Beds

Today we had a very fun day!! Our friends Jena and Owen came over to play and share lunch with us before going home for naps. Hannah and Carter really loved having Owen over to play. When it was time for them to go home both Hannah and Carter were a little sad. Hannah said, "Momma, I don't want my friend to go home." It was so fun having you over!! I really enjoyed chatting with you Jena!

After they left it was time for our nap time. I decided to put the sheets on the new beds and let the kids try it out. I will admit that I broke a sweat trying to make the top bunk. I think I will wait to change the sheets until after I am done being pregnant. It was a good workout. For anyone that is thinking it is slightly gross not to wash the sheets till Baby Turk arrives rest easy I was kidding.

Hannah just thinks this is the BEST thing ever or at least she did until she tried to jump and hit her head on the ceiling. She is learning her limits in her new bed. Carter just isn't sure what to think!! He has so much space.

Like a Dimond

We are so excited that the beds are almost here. They called to say they are on the way. Hannah Grace keeps telling everyone "I am going to sleep at the ceiling and Carter will sleep down, because he is a baby." The next very common question most people ask Hannah is 'Hannah how will you get up to the ceiling?', to which she replies " I will have to climb a ladder, because I am big like a mommy." I am not sure that I like the idea of 'being big' like a Mommy? Does this mean that I am big and if so in what way? *laughing* Moreover, the other day Hannah Grace was visiting with our neighbor Mrs. White and Hannah told her, " I can't wait to sleep at the ceiling. I will be like a diamond." This came from the song, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, that Hannah sings continuously. I just love hearing the kids think. Carter now stands at the end of the hall and yells " Nannah, Nannah!" Too cute!

As for my feelings on the bed arrival I am feeling very excited, but a little nervous. Both kids are such great sleepers and I hope that continues even though they are in the same room.

A little funny side note: Brian and I still do not own any bedroom furniture. We have a box spring, mattress and our dressers from college. We were laughing in the car yesterday that we have such great furniture for all the kids, but we never invested in furniture for us. whoops! I think we will wait till we buy a house and get something that works in the Master Suite (or so I hope we have).

Hopefully we will all get some good rest and I will have enough energy to blog about they new bed experience!!