Mati's 1st Birthday Party

We had a wonderful time with family and friends celebrating Mati's 1st birthday a few days before the actual big day. Mati loved the pony rides on "Cherokee." She held onto the saddle horn and laughed as she toured around the yard. The pony was a big hit with the kids and thankfully the weather was beautiful for the rides.

Mati also had her first taste of cake. She really preferred just pulling the confetti sprinkles off the cake to eating it.

One Fish, Two Fish...

The bathroom is done! In June, some great friends bought us the "One Fish, Two Fish" shower curtain and a matching bath towel embroidered with Mati's name as housewarming gifts. The bathroom is now painted like the shower curtain (white on top, blue wave going around the room) and I added a few of the fish from the book painted on the walls. The "this one has a little star" fish is my favorite! I also hung a copy of the cover of the book in a frame on the wall. I just finished and am really happy with how it all turned out.

Our day at the zoo

It was the perfect day for a trip to the zoo so Mati and I took advantage of the last few days of summer before I have to go back to work. She liked looking at all the animals, especially the monkeys, llamas, and snow leopard. Of course these are the animals really close to the viewing area so they were easy for her to spot.

Sand and Water Table

Grandma and Grandpa Armock sent Mati's birthday gift early so she could enjoy it in the summer weather. Mati loves it! She splashes the water, chews on the boats, and then digs in the sand. We found purple sand which is perfect because we can see exactly where to wash it off and its easy to spot when she eats a handful!

Summer Fun

Mati has been standing and cruising around furniture for awhile but earlier this week she started walking behind push-toys. Here she is behind a walking toy. She gets so excited and laughs the whole time she's walking.

The Fair results are in...

After a 2-year hiatus from fair entries I made 9 items this year. I spent most of Sunday baking and had Mati as an excellent helper; she mostly likes to turn the mixer off and on and chew on clean wooden spoons.

1. Chocolate Chip Cookies - No place :-(



2. Banana Bread - No place :-(



3. Pumpkin Bread - White Ribbon - 3rd place



4. Brownies - Red Ribbon - 2nd place



5. Sugar Cookies - Blue Ribbon - 1st place!



6. Chocolate Cake - Blue Ribbon - 1st place!



7. Sweet Rolls - Blue Ribbon - 1st place!



8. Pumpkin Walnut Pie - Blue Ribbon - 1st place!



9. Peach Pie - Blue Ribbon - 1st place!

I'm really happy with the results. I have not yet been successful enough to earn a "Sweepstakes Ribbon." This is my ultimate goal. The "Sweepstakes Ribbon" is awarded to the best of all the baked-good entries... I'll try again next year.

The Fair Started Today

Mati's First Trip to the Fair!

Doug has a couple days off work so we all went to the Ingham County Fair today. I dropped off my food entries early and then we all went together for lunch, animals, and rides. (I'll post later when I know how my food entries did.) Mati loved the animals of course! Getting to be right in the petting zoo with the donkey, llama, chickens, cow, goats, and ducks was a thrill for her. Daddy also let her try cotton candy for the first time! We ended our day at the fair with her first ever ride... the carousel.

Mati's New Pony

Mati got a ride-on pony. She was so crazy about the horses on Mackinac Island we had to get her one of her own. She likes to ride it, sit next to it and "talk" to it, and pull the hair out of its mane.

Mati turns 11 months!

Mati turned 11 months old today. We took her monthly photo with age sign and this was the most challenging yet! She is so mobile she wanted no part of sitting still for the picture.

Mati at the MSU Children's Garden

MSU Children's Garden

Mati loved her tour of the MSU Children's Garden. In fact she was so fascinated by everything around her she really did not want to smile for the camera. Her favorite spots were the miniature train that runs through the garden and the pint-sized benches she could sit on while looking at all the cool plants and flowers.