Lots of Pictures!

Well, we have done a lot since the last post so I will fill you in! (as if you really cared!)

The Armada Fair is part of my childhood. My grandfather is/was a dairy farmer and my uncle nows runs the small farm in Romeo. You could say that I grew up part time on the farm. We were there all of the time whether it was to play in the hay mow(sp?) or go swimming in the pool. Every year after school got out we started getting ready for the fair. We showed dairy cows for 4-H and we had to start training them for the big day. We would lead them around, wash them, shave them, and then take them to the fair to be judged. Fair time was always a lot of fun and we looked forward to it every year. This year I was able to make it for show day and Tara got in on the action. The night before George and I took her to the petting farm. She loved the goats (there were a ton!) and wanted to pick up the baby chicks because her cousins and great-uncle Mark let her at the farm.

Feeding the goats.
Tara's favorite babysitters!

Mila and Tara sharing food at the fair.

Tara at the candy scramble. She got 2 pieces that she was too little to eat.

Petting the goats during our 3rd trip to the fair! Tara sitting with Great-Grandpa watching the dairy show.

Great-Aunt Robin is such a softy when it comes to her great-nieces. This is them on the way back from seeing the goats again!

Tara and Daddy get close to the new calf that was born a few days before the fair. His name is Preston.

We also had a fun weekend up north with some of our closest friends. We left on Friday and came home on Sunday. We spend Saturday out on the boat and in the water. Matt, Tanya, Dane, Joanne, Chris, and Fran joined us for the weekend. Ryan, Kathey and the kids came out for the day on Saturday.

Everyone playing in the water.

Tara enjoying some time on the boat.

Fran and Joanne get ready for a swim.

I think that sums up the last few weeks.

The end is near...

Well, the end of summer that is. I am already preparing for another year of teaching fifth grade. On one hand, I get kind of excited about the start of another school year and what things I will add to make my classroom more enjoyable and then on the other hand, it is still working and having to leave my only child in the hands of a babysitter. As much as I loved staying home with Tara this summer, I don't think I could ever be a stay-at-home mom. I just think some people are more cut out for it than me. Or maybe because I know my parents spent their hard earned money to send me to college and my husband helped me get my master's degree (which I finished this past April, yea!! You can all call me Master Tencza now! ha ha) I think if I quit my job I would think that I was wasting my degree, even though being a mom is a much harder job and deserves more credit than any "degree". As much as I hate to leave my job as a mom to "mother" 25 complete stranger's kids, I love the adult time and my "me" time. Maybe that sounds selfish, but I think it helps with my sanity. Back to leaving my only child with a babysitter...it is so hard to find a good, trustworthy person to care for your most valuable possession (not that I own her, but you get my point) and with some consistency. Last school year, Tara had 5 different babysitters. One for every day of the week. My attempts to find someone more consistent this school year are not proving successful. I know that babysitting or watching someone else's kids isn't the job for everyone but I wish I could have just one or two instead of five. Tara is already exposed to so many germs with me being a teacher I wanted to avoid her having tons more. I appreciate the friends and family that helped out this past year and we made it work. I only had to take off work once or twice because of no sitter. I am hoping for it to work out again this year. Well, I am sure you have heard me babble on long enough so I will share some pictures I took recently, some of Tara and some of our soon-to-be deck!

Tara playing with her buddy!

The splash park in Goodells.

The construction site.