I love fall. It is hands down my favorite season. And if you thought that summer was busy – whew! Look out! September is all about registration, shopping and making appointments.
Lots of you moms probably went through the mayhem of back to school shopping, getting school supplies and settled into new classes that first week is over and now it’s fees, field trips and fund raisers. On top of it all we have all the kids extra curricular activities. My daughter just started her third set of swimming lessons; she will put her head all the way under the water now! And in a week she starts her second year of dance. While I am trying to pencil in her schedule and organize her social calendar I can’t help but wonder how on earth I am going to do it when her brother has a calendar of his own.

Moms with three, four or more kids how do you fit it all in? Co-ordinating my life along with my daughter’s is trial enough, let alone my son’s or God forbid more children or a husband!!

But I do love fall. I love the food. What it means when those leaves start to turn and knowing that Halloween is just around the corner. Halloween is my favorite holiday by the way. I know it is not a real holiday but it should be and it makes me sad to think about the debate that goes on about Halloween these days but that is a whole other post!

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4 is a great age it is amazing how fast they grow up. Changing right before our very eyes. Today I saw Rhiannon spin really fast in the opposite direction today. That was a first.

A perfect September day for a birthday. We opened our blinds and windows at 7 this morning to let the light burst in so we could play under the covers. After the birthday tickles I whispered to her where I had put all her presents. It was almost as exciting as Christmas this morning when Rhiannon found a small pile of presents in the corner of the living room. I had wrapped the pony castle with a blanket and put a new pony inside of it. My moms presents sat on a chair beside them.

Rhiannon could hardly believe her eyes as I showed her all the things on her new castle. “You made this for me mommy?” “How did you make it?” “Can I play with it?” Of course you can Rhiannon!!! So cute. She then opened my moms presents and was just as excited about the new pink shirt as the furry pony and Little Miss books! We had a quiet morning of her enjoying her new gifts. My mom phoned and I was delighted to hear Rhiannon actually talk on the phone and thank my mom for her presents! How grown up of her.

Off we went to drop my car off at the dealership where we planned to go for a walk and enjoy a little picnic while we waited. It would seem that birthdays have a way of ruining ones appetite because Rhiannon could not be bothered to eat more than a bite or two before running off to go play on the nearby playground.

Fair enough we have a little birthday dinner to attend at a friends house. The girls had a nice little play together in the afternoon as her mom and I made some supper. We got cleaned up and hurried home for a birthday bike ride to the park.

Rhiannon rode her awesome new bike all the way to McArthur island and back. We didn’t go around the island but wandered past the skate park to the playground for a game of pirate and shark instead. On our way home as we were walking along the strip of the island between the two entrances we saw a very young buck and doe deer cantering down the dirt path!! They were gorgeous deer, bounding along, slowing as they approached the heavier wood and bushes. Rhiannon was tickled pink for the rest of the walk home! What a great way to end our birthday adventures.

Happy 4th Birthday Rhiannon!! Mommy loves you!

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The kids and I took off to the Barrier Fall Fair today it is about a 40 minute drive to Barrier from here. Up the HWY 5. Once we got to town it was well marked and easy to find out way to the fair grounds. It was $10 for adults. $6.00 for students and kids under 12 were FREE!

This fair is the absolute perfect size for young families. It shares a fair weekend with the IPE which is a much much bigger fair and rodeo by any standards. The Barrier fall fair is simply magical though. 4-H kids are running around the barns cleaning, clipping and otherwise getting their animals ready for their various events. The kids were able to get up close and personal with lots of the animals. Rhiannon even got to walk a llama through an obstacle course!

The last set of barns are my favorite. The pony barn. This is where the break my heart blessed chuck wagon ponies are kept. These are not little girls ponies who are loved and combed and brushed until they are shiny. These are men’s racing ponies who live a hard fast life. They are worth their weight in gold.
After visiting the ponies Rhiannon and I watched the riding classes. She has decided that she is going to learn how to steer her pony so that she can enter into a competition with her. HOORAY!!

The parade got to the fair grounds just before lunch and we wandered over behind the cattle stocks so that we could see it. We ended up standing just behind the line where the 4-H cattle kids were lining up their cows for judging. Guess who came along in her dirty pink cowboy boots with her big black angus steer? The Barrier Princess of course! Who did not hesitate to pick up Rhiannon in one arm while hauling her her steer round the other direction so I could snap this priceless pic!

We checked out the booths and activities for the kids. I discovered that my daughter can hammer a nail better than I can. And Arden fell in love with the Interior Savings Fat Cat. Or as Uncle Chris the Clown put it the Big boned Cat.

I loved this fair and I am pretty sure that next year I want to enter something in the women’s crafts/handyworks little gallery showing thing they had in the exhibition hall. I felt so at home here! Bonus not including our gas I spent $22 the whole day!

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