State Fair Fun

I couldn't believe the cost to go to the fair this year! $12 per adult, $8 per child, $10 for parking, $6 per pony ride, $4 for each child for the petting zoo and lord knows how much gets spent on food. This year we were fortunate to win an adult admission ticket to the State Fair. The contest was to make your Facebook profile a picture from the State Fair and the best were chosen as winners. I chose a picture from the girls' first trip there when they were about 11 months old.

A long warm day of people watching, petting zoo & new sights, sounds and tastes wore them out. They were out cold before we hit the exit gate. People kept looking at them & smiling. Random strangers were taking pictures of my children!

This year the girls were able to participate in more activities - that meant we had to give in to letting them ride one amusement ride. It may look pretty lame & boring, but you'd be surprised how much they enjoyed it!
We also made sure to go on the pony ride. Not just because there would have been a coup in the Taylor household had we not, but also because we've gotten a picture of them riding the ponies each year. It's kinda like one of those wall charts you hang on a door to see how much you've grown.

It's eerie how much Alessa looks like I did when I was her age.

Caleigh would have happily gone around in circles all day long. Especially since she was able to tease Alessa a bit because she got Tiki, the horse Alessa had last year. How do they remember these things?
The petting zoo is their favorite though. I don't know where they get it :) The girls say hello to EVERY animal in there from wallaby to goat, duck to llama. Alessa has always been the one to immediately seek out on of the largest animal in any area, and today was no exception. Alessa made her rounds, greeting all the creatures like long absent friends and then she stopped dead in her tracks.
There in front of her was a big brown llama (possibly an alpaca, large spitting creatures are not my forte). She latched onto this poor creature and wouldn't leave its side for AN HALF AN HOUR. She slung her arm around Monty's neck (the handlers were quite amused with Alessa's antics & told us the creature's name) and procceeded to introduce Monty to everyone who came into the petting zoo.
When it became apparent that Alessa had found a friend and wasn't about to let it go anytime soon, Caleigh decided she'd go for one better and found this fellow who had been hiding in the corner trying to make himself unnoticable.
The girls had a great time and spent a long while chatting with their new furry friends. Eventually, it was time to leave and the girls bade their new friends goodbye.

My Birthday

The Clems took us out to dinner for my birthday. Shelved are the evenings out at Melting Pot or even Red Lobster. It's a lot easier with 3 children under 5 to go to Fresh Choice. We had a really nice time chatting and the girls had a blast playing with Amy. I'm glad we've been able to spend more time with them lately.

While Mommy's Away...

The things that happen when Mommy isn't there to voice opposition - both the activity and the clothing choices. :)

My Strange Little Alessa

"Mommy! Take a picture of me!"
Bewildered at the sight of my child sprawled across the family room floor I asked her, "What am I taking a picture OF Alessa?"
And she replied, "Floor running!"

The Chosen One

Strange Things You Find After Caleigh Has Been Playing #1

"It has been foretold that after much searching, the 3 Wise Creatures - Unicorn, Handsome Prince & Dragon - will find the chosen one lying in a manger. He will rise up and smite the villians of Gotham City and there will be much rejoicing."

Vacation Day 10: Monterey Bay

We took the girls to the Monterey Bay Aquarium today. Two lessons learned though:

1) Always buy your tickets through AAA - not only are they cheaper, but it saves you having to stand in line for a good 45 minutes.
2) Do not try to make the drive down & back in one day. You will do nothing but become cranky and begin to strongly dislike each other by about Fairfield on the way back :) He who said, "Life is not about the destination, but the journey" never drove southbound on I-5.

We felt blessed once again that the girls are such great travelers. They chatted and colored & played with playdoh on their trays on the way down. At one point Caleigh exclaimed, "Look! A zombie! He wants to dance."

With that said, the girls had a fantastic time there. We spent a good 3 hours there & saw EVERYTHING there was to see. Particular favorites of the girls were the sea cucumbers, the sea horses & the river otters.

It was said river otters that became the most memorable and the girls would tell everyone who would listen about what they had experienced. As a "yeah, these fellows are certainly cute, but you wouldn't want to have one for a pet" warning, there was a little container in front of the exhibit that had a sample of what otters use to mark territory - a mixture of musk and, well, you know. For days afterward, the first thing the girls would say when someone asked them if they had fun at the aquarium was, "We smelled otter poop!"

After the aquarium, we had dinner at Bubba Gump's and ate while watching the seals disappear & resurface and the birds playing on the breeze. On the way home, we stopped at a little beach for a quick romp in the surf. Alessa was not too keen on the big waves.

We had a long, fun, chilly, humorous, sandy day.

Vacation Day 9: Christy's Mental Hang-Up

I've realized - as the date is actually September 12 and not July as it states - that my mind has a tendency to get hung up on something and not let go. At all.

For example, I was having a hard time summing up the rest of this "self imposed vacation" I've been chronicling. I got stuck on our one night trip up to Tahoe with the Clems and there's where I've stayed... for 7 weeks. Therefore, I'll be doing the much abridged version of the last few weeks with the promise to myself that I'll be a less harsh critic toward myself and my posts. So....

We spend the night up at the Lemos' cabin in Tahoe with the Clems. We all had a great time relaxing & hanging out.

Uncle Kaka is such a good role model :)

We went to the stream profile at the Rainbow Trail.

Amy was enthralled with the girls and they with her. Whenever the girls came into view, she would giggle, reach out & attempt to pull the girls in for a wet, open-mouthed kiss if they ventured near.