Russ is preparing to take his boards this week, (This is your subliminal message to keep him in your prayers.) so we decided to take a few hours for family fun on Saturday.  The weather was fantastic!  We made plans to get to the zoo as close to opening as possible for the Harvest Fest, so we could enjoy the cooler temps and get out in time for lunch.  Then, we would have the rest of the afternoon for other plans...which ended up involving studying.  Ha!

Since Russ and I purchased a zoo membership, we receive emails about special events.  I had never been to Harvest Fest, but it sounded like a good enough reason to enjoy the beginnings of this fall season!

Most of the Harvest Fest events and exhibits were in the Once Upon A Farm section of the zoo.  There were absolutely NO crowds this early, and the temperatures were lovely.  When we entered the farm area, we saw many artisans and others exhibiting their work.  There were blacksmiths, quilters, weavers, wood crafters, and even a table set up making their own fly fishing something-or-other.  There was honey, syrup, garden trains, crafts for kids, and more all along the way as we looked at all the farm animals.  We watched a lady shear the sheep, and Millie Janalee got up close and personal with a rooster.

We checked out all the chickens in the chicken coupe.

I may have even stolen a kiss while we watched the chicken walk/peck around.

Russ made some homemade butter, and let Millie Janalee try it.  She was a fan!  She ate that entire cracker coated with a glob of butter made in a plastic cup...by Daddy.

After checking out all the fun activities and exhibits, we continued on our family zoo day.  We ran into a group offering sidewalk chalk to the little ones.  Millie Janalee has never seen sidewalk chalk before, so I let her get down and experience it.

She mostly just enjoyed taking all the chalk out of the box and putting it back in.  But, she did draw a mark or two.  Ha!

Russ wanted to show Millie Janalee the fish now that she's become more observant.  She paid close attention as the fish and turtle swam across the glass.  Of course, she pointed to them all.  That's her thing.

We finally caught the panda out!  He has been gone every time we have been to the zoo.  He was just hanging out eating his bamboo.  Millie Janalee enjoyed watching him...and all the other kids around too.

But, the most exciting part of the trip for Millie Janalee by far was when we let her loose.  We found a nice area that didn't look too yucky...of course it was also the part where the water sprays fountains from the ground. Ha!  We just let her walk and run as much as she pleased.  We only had to redirect her from the huge fountain of water a few times. 

Can you tell how thrilled she was!?  FREEDOM!!!!!

I worked up a sweat chasing her around and making sure she didn't get run over or snatched up, so I gave Russ a turn taking a walk with our little busy bee.  The sight I saw was pretty precious...

There's one thing I know to be true.  This girl is adorable!  And, although I think she's getting so big, she's still quite tiny...

The great thing about having a zoo membership is we don't have to push ourselves to see it all and get the most for our money.  We leisurely strolled around, sat and snacked a little, and headed toward the exit at lunchtime.  On our way out, we spotted a band playing.  So, naturally, we stayed a bit longer.

While we were looking at our zoo photographs at the photo booth, a nice group of square dancers were preparing to perform.  Millie Janalee was checking it all out and wondering how she could get her skirt to twirl and pouf out like that.  Ha!

After the kind square dancers posed for a picture, we decided we better stay and watch a little while.  Once again, I let Millie Janalee down to dance and walk around while they danced.  She had a ball!

And so did we.

Fall is near, and I feel it!  These are the days I've dreamed of.  Family fun with my little "Party of Three!'  I'm not sure how many readers I still have that are waiting for their own "family fun days," but I saw on another blog I follow. One that I read while I waited for a child of our own.  I'm going to second her thoughts...Your family days are coming.  Don't lose hope.  His timing is perfect!

And it makes these family days so much sweeter!

MSU vs. Troy

Saturday was yet another game day.  The forecast called for rain, so we left Millie Janalee with Auntie Kristin and Uncie Lee.  Kristin took a weekend off to rest and try to recover from her yucky pregnancy symptoms.  Millie Janalee had a ball I know, but we missed her.  Even more when we saw how beautiful the day ended up.

We relocated our tailgate spot.  [Gasp!]  Our friends will never find us. And, I promise that wasn't the plan!  Ha!  Seriously, it's not that difficult to find.  It is super easy to unload, set up, and pack up...seeing as how we are tailgating right behind our car by the parking lot.  It's a great spot out of the hustle and bustle of traffic with small trees hanging over to provide shade.  The best way we came up with to describe it is near Junction Jane and Junction John (that's the potty trailer) behind the greenhouse.  I joked with Karen when I told her we had moved that we will give a high five to anyone who can find us!

I panicked at first when I saw our new spot.  But it grew on me, and it was very nice.  A great spot for my little busy toddler.

Mama and Daddy watching the TN/FL game

Me and Sheila

Dustin and Sheila

I told you it wasn't too hard to find us.  We even had some fun visitors and guest tailgaters with us on Saturday.  I was thrilled to have Jimmy and the kids visit us on their first game day in SIX YEARS!  Roan was out of town visiting Olivia, so Julie packed the rest of the family a healthy and delicious cooler of sandwiches, wraps, and other snacks.  She's so good at taking care of her family.  I forgot to mention that Russ didn't come to this game either.  Boards are next week.  Praise the Lord they are almost here!  I want my hubby back!

Leah, Julie, and Jimmy

Clay and Sam

And, of course, several of Dustin's friends found us.  Jordan and his crew are always good to stop by for a visit.  We also enjoyed meeting another Jordan, a classmate of Dustin's in the PTA program.

I talked to Matt and Leah earlier in the week, and I found out they were coming to the game.  We had extra seats since Millie Janalee and Russ weren't there, so I was excited to invite them to sit with me.  We had a blast, and Leah may have even learned a thing or two about football.  Ha!

The game ended with a 62 -7 win over Troy!  Woo hoo!  We played well, especially Prescott.  Now we are crossing our fingers for a good fight against LSU next week.  Maybe even a win!  Only the True Maroon can say that! 

Are YOU True Maroon?!

My "Fair" Lady

Tuesday, after Russ got off work, we made a spontaneous decision to take Millie Janalee to the fair.  Most of our decisions are spontaneous.  We don't plan much.  Never have.  Ha!  I digress.  The Mid-South Fair is held not far at all from our apartment complex, so we loaded a diaper bag and stoller...and took off on a little stroll.

(Which proved to be a big stroll coming back after dark.  This is solely my opinion, of course.)

Once we purchased our tickets and walked through the mandatory route through an expo of sorts, our first stop was the petting zoo.  I became so excited to see Millie Janalee interact with the animals now that she can walk and carry on a big conversation full of babbles.  She loved it.  She pointed, pet, and looked very carefully at each animal.

There were baby goats, big goats, a tiny zebra, bunnies, baby ducks, huge turtles, a camel, a llama, sheep, and much more.  Russ and I told her the name of each animal and may or may not have imitated the sounds they make too.  (She's very into her Little People farm these days and the book Biscuit Visits the Farm.  So animal noises is something you will hear no matter what time you come to visit.)

After the cuteness of the petting zoo, we walked past pony rides.  The workers asked us if we wanted to try to let her ride a pony.  They offered to let her try, and if she didn't make it...we wouldn't have to pay the $4.  Of course we took them up on it!  By the way, the fair was VERY low-key on Tuesday night.  Not crowded at all.  Great time to take a little one!  Millie Janalee made it halfway around the circle when one pony had to stop to potty.  When they stopped, she did not like it one bit and was ready to get down.  I think Russ ended up paying at least half the price even though the workers told him not too.

He's nice like that.  I would've taken that money and moved right along.

But the memory was priceless.  And I do have those 15 seconds on video.  So there's that.

We strolled around letting Millie Janalee take in all the music, sounds, and sights of the fair.  The workers at the game booths kept calling out to her, and she waved at everyone we passed, of course.  Russ and I took stock of the kiddie rides we thought she could handle before buying tickets.  There were three we thought we would try.

Including the classic carousel!  This is the main reason we went, to be honest.  I excitedly took my baby girl up to the pink horse to ride in circles.  The ride jolted when it started, and she was startled.  Her horse went up and down a couple of times before she grabbed tightly around my neck wanting off.  So the rest of the ride, we just rode in circles standing there.  Beside a horse.

And I was dizzy and motion sick afterward.  Has anyone else ever gotten motion sickness from riding a carousel!?  I don't remember this ever happening before.  That thing went fast! 

The next ride was quite adventurous!  Daddy and Millie Janalee rode the bumblebee ride.  This is the only picture I got of them, because I never saw Millie Janalee again.  She was so short.  Ha!  The bumblebees went round and round and up and down.  I gave Russ cookies to distract her in case things got a little jolty.  Russ said she was great...

...until it started slowing down and stopping.  This is what I saw as the worker helped them out.  Priceless!  I'm pretty sure we were getting glances from all the other parents around.  Taking a 14 month old on such a big girl ride.  But, Russ assured me that she enjoyed it up until that point.

We decided to let Millie Janalee's stomach settle a bit before riding anything else.  So, we stopped and had Cheerios and a pronto pup.  The fair food of choice.  If I could go back, I would also get a funnel cake.  But my stomach was still not ready after that carousel ride!  Ha!

After walking around a little more and letting Millie Janalee watch some of the big rides and listen to the screams, we headed back over to the kiddie rides.  We opted against the third ride we had planned on...and instead used our tickets on one last ride 'round the carousel.  This time on a bench.

Russ gave our two leftover tickets to the nearest long-suffering dad waiting on his young screaming children.  He was thankful.  We made one last stop by the petting zoo before leaving.  This time Millie Janalee fell in love with the llama.  If Russ would have let go, she would have run right to that llama and spread her body across his back like our ottoman in the living room.

Our little family had a great evening making memories at the Mid-South Fair.  I am thankful for a husband who takes a break from his studies to enjoy time with us and truly acts focused on our time together.  Even though I'm sure he had board facts and numbers running through his head.

Our walk back home became a little too "dangerous" for my liking.  So Russ carried our precious cargo, and I was gifted the chance to push the stroller cross country to the apartment.  It's okay.  Even though I may have complained a bit, asking "Who's idea was this?" my view was pretty awesome.

We got back home, washed Millie Janalee's hands and arms, changed clothes, and fed her a little more sustenance before getting her ready for bed.  Russ left to study, and Millie Janalee and I had a fun night catching up on The Voice before lullabies and sleepy time.

And that is our memory of Millie Janalee's first trip to the fair.

Getting to Know You {Part 2}

1.  What is your favorite thing to do in your hometown?

It's the simple things that we love about our hometown.  Nearly every visit, I like to eat lunch at Borroum's and eat a slugburger.  I enjoy walking around downtown and visiting the shops...lately the little toy shop.  Of course we love our hometown church...and pretty much call it our home church lately.  One event that brings me home year after year is our local high school Homecoming parade.  Always amazing to see the hard work put into the sweetheart cars and maid floats.  We have always said that Southern Living magazine should really come to cover it!

Last year, our nephew was the passenger in the cute car.  This picture doesn't even do it justice!  You should've seen the back!

2. What is the best vacation spot in Mississippi?

Hmmmm.  This is a tough one.  Usually, if we travel in state it is to our hometown or Jackson since we have family there.  Russ and I have taken a day trip to Vicksburg, and we have friends who loved a little getaway to Natchez.  Maybe I should add this to my list.  A Mississippi vacation!  Of course our football weekends in Starkville are always fun!

3. Tell us about the most fun date night idea in Mississippi.

When Russ and I were dating, we had lots of fun and creative date nights.  Maybe we should pick that back up.  Once you get married, it's a little hard to hide surprises from the other person you live with.  Ha!  Two fun date nights come to mind...One - I surprised Russ with a scavenger hunt around town leaving clues all over town.  The night ended with a Christmas dinner in my parents' back yard inside a tailgating tent.  I used my mom's Christmas China and everything! (And Christmas lights if I remember correctly.)  Ha!  That just goes to show how warm Mississippi Christmases can be.  Second - Russ cooked dinner for us one time.  It was so yummy and I've asked him to replicate it many times.  It was that boxed angel hair pasta with seasoning, and he grilled chicken strips to go in it.  I don't know what he did, but everything was fixed perfectly.  We haven't been able to get it right since.  Ha!  He prepared a picnic on the roof of his parents' house.  Remember those fun days?!  Ahhhh....it's time for a fun date night!

4.  What is one fun fact that very few people know about you?

I won our sixth grade talent show with two of my friends.  I sang and danced to Reba's "Why Haven't I Heard From You" wearing leopard print robes and leggings that were handmade for the occasion.  We even danced on and around chairs.  It was classic.  You remember the beauty shop music video Reba did for that song don't you?  If not, here ya go...

5.  Who is your favorite sports team (if you have one) and how did it start?

Ummmm...Mississippi State!  Hello! It started...well...I was born into it I guess.  I used to go with my dad to football games and tailgate the way tailgating is supposed to be.  Out of the tailgate of our Jimmy.

6.  What are your top three “Best Eats” in Mississippi? 

•  Bon Ami in Jackson is one of my favorite places to eat lunch or brunch.
• Russ's favorite place is Keifer's in Jackson.
• The best pizza around is Stromboli's in Starkville.  My roommate and I could easily finish a large pizza in one sitting.

7.  Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

In five years, I see myself FINALLY settled into our forever location with a growing family enjoying my family and friends knowing that we are "home."

8.  If you could choose an actress to play you in real life, who would you choose and why?

I have no idea.  I'm pretty sure my life isn't exciting enough to be played by an actress.

9.  What is a southern tradition you and your family have? 

Our biggest traditions...you know - the ones you don't ever mess with...all revolve around holidays.  Christmas Eve service followed by family gifts and the reading of the Christmas story piled up on the same couch.  That's probably the longest standing one.

10.  List 5 things on your Bucket List you hope to do before you die.

• Adopt again.  And again.  And... (I'd love to grow our family as big as the Lord allows.)
• Take Millie Janalee to Disney World!
• Vacation in Hawaii with my hubby.
• Have a cabin on the lake that we can visit anytime.  Can someone else just lend us a boat?? Ha!
• Raise my children to be compassionate, polite, giving followers of Christ.