The State Fair of Texas

Every year, the time comes around for the State Fair, and I think, "We should take the kids!  It's what people do who live in Dallas!" But then I remember that there's a lot they can't do, and it costs a small fortune, and circular motion makes me nauseous.  My thoughts morph into, "They won't know they're missing it.  Maybe next year."

But this year, the Powell family invited us to go with them, so I finally decided "why not?!"  As a lifelong Texan, I'm not sure why my kids' first State Fair experience was also my first time, but whatever.  We went on a Wednesday afternoon & evening, which made for manageable crowds and a short enough time period to let my babies have fun without completely wearing them out.

They all loved posing with Big Tex!

I was thankful for the air conditioning in the auto building because October 1st was HOT!  Jake at the wheel of any vehicle may be cause for concern.

Ever seen ostrich races? I now have! It was pretty funny to see jockeys actually riding them.

Cari tried valiantly to line up sweet Rose's face in that top left spot, but we didn't end up with that photo somehow.

All of the kids thoroughly enjoyed being farmers as they gathered pretend eggs & vegetables, milked a cow & delivered their goods.

Watching this longhorn use his horns to scratch his belly was pretty impressive.  He then proceeded to empty his bowels, which earned him a chorus of giggles from the kids.

Dinner was deep fried and delicious! My first Fletcher's corny dog lived up to its reputation. The kids chowed down and then had their own little dance party as a band began to play on a stage near us.

I'm not sure "coupon" is an appropriate term for the tickets required to buy everything from rides to food.  When I hear the word "coupon," I think discount.  I was floored by the price of the rides, games and concessions.  This is NOT the Red River Valley Fair of my teenage years!

We had fun people watching and perusing the Midway, then headed to the ferris wheel.

Mal and Emmie are such sweet friends!

Nice view of downtown!

Me and my silly baby boy

JTC squared

Andy & Logan

We ended the evening with a funnel cake and a Coke.  Nothing like sugar and caffeine at bed time.  We know how to live it up!

Thanks, Powell family, for inviting us! We had a great time with you! 

Chi-WHO?-ly

Last week, Beau & I joined some friends at the Arboretum while the big kids were in school to see the Chihuly exhibit.  I'm certainly not on the up and up in the art world; I had no clue who Dale Chihuly was prior to this.  But his sculptures were amazingly beautiful, so now I'm a fan!

Beau & Lainey just happened to call each other before our outing & coordinate their clothing.

Sweet Finley was a trooper & slept through much of our time there.

Now on to the sculptures...

I think these boats were my favorites!

 

The exhibit will be at the Arboretum until November.  If anyone else wants to take a look, we'd love to come along!

Same Zoo, Different Day

We love having a zoo membership!  We enjoyed another zoo day today with our friends.  From left:  Avery, Beau, Jake, Ella, Mallory & Nora

A Day at the Zoo

A couple of weeks ago, we took advantage of a beautiful, warm day & headed with some friends to the Dallas Zoo.  I decided to purchase a family pass since it only takes three visits to make it worth your while.  We're looking forward to lots more zoo days over the next year - for free!

My crew excitedly waiting for our friends at the entrance

Jake sort of bee-bops when he's excited.  It's a quality of his that I really love.

Between Andrea, Anna & myself, we have a total of eight kiddos!  Here's the whole gang:  Hagan, Beau, Reid, Jake, Colby, Mallory, Karl Mikal & Heidi.

During our visit, we checked out some penguins,

 

stopped to see how we measure up to them,

rode an elephant or two,

& enjoyed a beautiful day with minimal crowds.

We got some up-close views of elephants,

 

zebras, gazelles,

& giraffes.

Thanks to Mrs. Andrea, the kids even got to feed a giraffe!

 

We oohed & aahed over huge lions,

 

lazy gorillas,

& pretty flamingos.

After a picnic lunch, we ended our adventure in the children's area & got to pet a few goats.

 

It was a fun day! If anyone wants to go to the zoo, let us know!