The State Fair

So, we spent a few hours at the state fair tonight, and as I say every year... Why do people go to that thing? The crowds are horrible, and the price of everything is outrageous. But having said that, it's a family tradition, and this year for the first time we tried a funnel cake. It was pretty darn good! I wouldn't mind having another one of those.

We had to walk through the animals twice as that was the favorite part for the kids. They also wanted to ride the rides and play games, but we were able to get out without doing those things. The highlight of the night for me was when we forked over 8.00 for the kids to ride the ponies. I have never seen Paige so excited and happy. I guarantee we will be doling out the money again next year.







I guess when all is said and done, we were together as a family and neither of the kids got lost or injured. It was a good night!

After the Vacation....

So, here's the update after the big Cali Trip. We left on Sunday, and had a full day of driving. It actually turned out to be a pretty darn good day. The kids traveled really well, and we all had a lot of fun. We went to Circus Circus that night in Reno, and of course won some stuffed animals. I told Doug we had to stop after 4. We were really proud of Paige though. She won her own flower from a game. It was actually quite amazing.




When we went to lay down that night I looked at Paige's eye, and it looked swollen. I looked at Doug and said "Paige is getting Pink Eye." Doug didn't believe me, but of course the next morning her eye was gross. Luckily I have a wonderful source for emergencies such as this, and she hooked me up with some medication. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!



We made it to Solvang, CA after another long day of driving. We stopped at the Jelly Belly Factory and had a tour in the middle of the day so it kind of broke up the day. The kids again drove really well, and we thought we were through with the hard part. Sadly, this was not the case. Paige got a fever and then began throwing up. She did not get better until we got home, although the throwing up only lasted 24 hours. Needless to say, it pretty much killed our trip. Doug took Matt to the beach, we got to go out to dinner while our dear friends watched our kids, and then we all got to go to the beach on the second to the last day there. Paige also liked the toy stores in Solvang so we went there often. We pushed her in the stroller making everything she came in contact with a germ magnet. We really didn't care at this point as long as she was happy. Paige was whining the whole time, and didn't really have any fun. We just prayed that she could make the drive home and eat something. One night at 2:00 in the morning I ran to the store to try to find anything that would unclog her nose. I found myself 40 minutes away before I found a store that was open. Boy was I wishing for a Walgreens.







We left for Vegas on Saturday, and the drive was again a blessing from heaven. Don't know how they did it but the kids were champs. Paige still was whiny, but we took them for a drive on the strip to see the lights, and then found a Walmart and a sticker book (which by the way made the whole last day of driving a breeze).

When we finally pulled into our driveway we were all relieved to be home. Paige ran onto her bed and just sat there with her toys piled around her. Matt climbed in his bed to be like Paige, and Doug and I collapsed on the couch. After about an hour of that I took Paige into Wee Care to see if she had strep. None..Thank Goodness. We were glad for Labor Day to have another day to recoup.

Doug woke up the next morning with pink eye, and a bad cold, and began throwing up today. I am beginning to think someone has one of those Voodoo dolls and thinks it's pretty funny to see how we react to all of this.

If you're still reading I'm amazed.....

Wrap up: This vacation was definitely one I would not want to repeat, but it's also one I will never forget. I was good being with our family and friends, and getting out of the state for a while. You always appreciate what you come home to. I am so so so so sorry because the friends we were traveling with daughter got sick when they got home. (Her first pukes...but not her last...) We are thinking that we will have to tame down the vacation plans a bit for the next few years. Stick to camping, and quick trips to Yellowstone or somewhere where we could come home if we needed to. Maybe in 2 years we can begin to think about Disneyland with the kids. Until then, my sister said she would watch the kiddies next year while Doug and I take a vacation with just each other.....I CAN'T WAIT.