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This morning Patrick and I went to a craft show at the fair grounds. At a red light close to home we pulled up behind a tractor trailer hauling two tractors. The tractor's name was Oliver! We ended up following them all the way to the fair grounds. They were going to a tractor pull tonight. Have you ever been to a tractor pull? I have not. What do the tractors pull?

This year's craft show did not have half as many vendors as it usually does. The most interesting crafter and one I have not seen there before was Dustin Mace, a blacksmith. He had a mini forge and was making all sorts of interesting things, chatting up the crowd the whole time.

© Michelle Hines

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Happy Birthday Emily!

© Michelle Hines

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I got to spend the evening with the new man in my life.
I am head over heals in love.

Oliver, nineteen days old.

I really don't like how yellow everything seems when I photograph at night in my house without flash. I am hoping to take some natural light photos of Oliver in the next week or two. He is growing so fast.

© Michelle Hines

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One of my favorite things about being a Nanny is just watching the kids and trying to figure out what they are thinking when they do things the way they do them. Here are a few of those moments.

Chloe watched an entire episode of Dora with the bucket on her head.

She was actually going around the sit and spin this way

Lilly rode her tricycle like this all afternoon.

© Michelle Hines

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Kate has been on one kind of a team or another since she was four. When she couldn't play a sports any more she became a referee. Last year she joined University of Maryland Crew. Kate does not live on campus. She commutes 45 minutes everyday to school. This means that she leaves the house at 4:30 AM to go to practice in the fall and in the spring. I am so proud of the effort she puts into her new sport. I know she must love it to drag herself out of bed so early every single day while carrying a full load of classes and still working as a referee in the evenings and on weekends. In the fall the races are called Heads and have staggered starts so we don't actually get to see her rowing against another team. The winners are determined by times. Today was her first race of the season in Georgetown, on the Potomac River.

Headed out to the starting line.

Almost at the finish.

They put their boats in and took them out in the shadow of the Watergate Hotel.

© Michelle Hines

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Jim, Lilly's Dad, had to turn the sprinklers on this evening when he got home from work. This made Lilly very happy. At first she was curious but cautious, it didn't take long for her to acclimate. Today, the last day of summer, Lilly had what may have been her first run through the sprinkler.

© Michelle Hines

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FINALLY!
Seven years ago Patrick bought this beautiful pram for me as an anniversary gift. I wanted it to push grandbabies in someday. Today I finally got to do just that. Oliver, Kate and I had a nice walk around the neighborhood.

© Michelle Hines