Under Wraps

When I posted my "Simple Woman's Daybook" two weeks ago, I had to be very vague about the upcoming "adventures" I mentioned. The day after I posted that, Savannah and I left town for two weeks and at the end of our "adventure" we surprised my grandmother in Colorado for her 80th birthday. She is a sharp woman and I didn't want her to read my blog and suspect anything. Thus, all plans were under wraps.



Our first leg of the trip was a short jaunt to Dallas where my sister Dawn and her two kiddos were visiting at my mom's. We loaded up the kids and took them to the state fair for a real Texas experience. Savannah was curious about the strangely large man she had heard about called, "Big Tex" and she was anxious to see the giant ferris wheel. Ella on the other hand had no idea what this was all about but as long as Savannah and her Momma said it was going to be fun, she'd come along for the ride.



The first activity we found for the kids was a hands on farm for them to work. They picked fruit and vegetables, feed the animals, harvested wool and eggs, and even milked a cow. Oddly enough, Savannah has been asking to milk a cow for about a year now so this was a big deal to her. The animals were all made with plywood but I don't think the kids cared. At the end they sold all the goods they harvested from the farm for money and then they got to buy a little snack in the play general store.

Just a warning, while we were gone I took 1200 photos. I promise I will not post them all! I'll just give you the highlights.

The petting zoo was good this year. Camels, giraffes, kangaroos, and turtles accompanied the usual goats, deers, donkeys, and lamas. Savannah found the baby kangaroo to be very sweet.

Next up, rides! Ella was a bit apprehensive for her inaugural ride. But I snatched her up quickly into my lap before she could voice concern about the absence of her mother or the safety of this strange machine. The first turn of the ride gave us a jerk and my muscles tighten as I waited for her to begin to cry. But instead I heard Ella bust out in her cutest giggle while Savannah turned around and stated, "This is the best ride ever!"

After that, the kids where good to go on their own. They had no qualms about riding a nascar car by themselves, even if their mother's did!

Do you see my child and my neice hanging on for dear life with their hair in the wind as they race around a track? She and Ella loved every minute of this ride.

Man, they look like big kids these days!

A million dollar in rides, funnel cakes, and giant pretzels (my favorite) later, we were ready to go home (the moms and a Grandma were anyway). It took some convincing to get the kids to believe we were really out of tickets and we had to let someone else have a turn on the rides.

But, as we headed out of the park we spotted one more "must see" exhibit...