In fact, it’s nearly impossible to avoid one of those mishmash catch-up posts, since I’m actually seated for longer than 11.4 seconds and it’s somewhat awkward to jump into a post without at least saying “hiya! I missed y’all!”
Itty Bit would like to thank every one who prayed for his poor little burnt fingers. And remind all the other kids to listen to their Mommy when she says not to touch something hot. Because Mommies know their stuff.

Oh, and guess who started swimming lessons?
Booyah!
~
We are finally having that gorgeous summer that the Northwest is perfect for… as demonstrated by the water a certain someone squirted right in her kid’s face…

Aren’t you loving the double glasses? Think his Momma should spring for some prescription shades for the poor kid?
Anyone else getting a hit of deja vu from last year’s small town parade?

What can I say? I love the hat and the sunglasses kinda survived.
This year’s parade included my favorite motorcycle drill team…

(Okay, so they might be my favorite because they are nice to the kids and give them flyby high-fives… does that not ROCK?!?)
Then they brought out THE MOTORCYCLE.

This kid has the best seat in the whole event.

I loved this year’s humdinger of a Jeep. Yeeaaaah!

And it’s not a small town parade until the high school baseball champs are pulled down Main Street on a flatbed trailer towed by a quad. We’re classy like that.
(Shana, I know you are laughing at me, but I can’t get the image of your mom saying, “can you go see if my teeth are in your driveway?”)

Totally random tangent:

There’s a very real chance that these guys were the responders to my accident.
So as I sat in shock in my totaled car – ears ringing, engine smoking… these heroes showed up to strap me to a gurney.
“Ma’am, do you know this man?”
“Yes, he’s my husband.”
“We’re sorry.”
The joys of living in the town your husband grew up in…
~
And this year – a fish tank for the kids!

Poor Cousin Bubba lost approximately 17 fish. And he made this face every.single.time.
Love that kid.
~
Then Itty Bit’s turn.

Yee haw.
Except, no one warned me that these weren’t catch-and-release… the city girl’s preferred method of fishy exposure.
Would someone PLEASE warn me to shield my kid next time the unfazed worker calmly bashes the fish's head against the table and throws it into a bag?



GAH.
~
50,000 OnceUponaMiracle points if you’ve made it this far. Especially since I’ve done nothing more than initiate you into the secret world of redneck entertainment…
But don’t leave yet – the best is still to come!
Who can resist?

Especially one so handsomely dressed?
(this falls into the “I can’t make this stuff up” category)

But then Itty Bit wanted to check out the rest of the petting zoo and I spent 20 minutes asking him to please not hold the birds by their butts.
SANITIZING GEL


~
But then it was time for work.
Any ideas?

Haying season can be brutal… thank goodness we only have these little hogs to feed :)

Holy Alfalfa – this stuff gets into every single crevice you didn’t know you had…

It was going swimmingly until the infamous “my shoe fell off” moment. 
At which moment a certain auntie volunteered to pack Cousin Bubba around piggyback. Hey – you need MUSCLES to actually flip bales.
Gratuitous Mr. Daddy bicep photo:

Doesn’t this make you want to move out here to play in the Pacific Northwest sunshine? Hint hint, any blogger friends?