State Fair of Texas

I am finally getting to the post about our recent trip to the Fair.  It is a fun time of year and our trip has become an annual adventure.  I'm already looking forward to going next fall.  The girls had a lot of fun!!  I was worried about Megan in the crowds because she doesn't like sitting in the stroller anymore but it wasn't too crowded early in the day and when it got crowded later, she was tired enough to hitch a ride. 

We started in the Midway.  It was a perfect time to be there.  No crowds.  No line at the carousel.  They had a little greenhouse area (air conditioned too) where they set up some model trains.  Of course we had to stop in there.  The girls LOVED it.  Megan didn't want to leave.  Tantrum #1.

This booth had Dora basketballs so James tried to be the hero.

His shooting game is a little rusty ... but we didn't leave empty handed.

This was the closest thing to a family pic we could get. We're a circus.

Megan and Emily both wanted to stay at the fountains.

Tantrum #2.

What a pretty little girl!

Moo hitched a ride while Em caught some zzzzzzz's.

We decided to check out the dog show.  I wanted to see this last year but we didn't ever stop by.  We thought the girls would enjoy it and it would be a nice chance to sit for a while.  We even had some cotton candy!!!  wrong.  Moo had to go potty.  Em wanted to run amok.  The cotton candy was a nightmare, especially since we had to park the stroller and that's where we left the wipes.

Tantrum #3.

See the flowing snot from the tantrum?

The smile is a result of the cotton candy.

Back on track and cooking with gas.  The girls just love animals.  Petting zoos are always a hit and the one at the Fair is second to none.  They got to feed and pet a ton of different animals.  It was crowded but the girls didn't seem to mind as they ran from one place to the next.  I swear, I might have to buy one of those leashes ...

We couldn't convince Megan to do any of the rides on our first trek through the Midway (when there were no lines) but on our way out she decided she was brave enough.  This is the one she insisted on.  The little dragon roller coaster.  It's a little faster and jerkier than I expected but it was fun.  She didn't cry and even kept her smile for most of the ride.  She was sure in a hurry to get off when it stopped though.

We went on the silly little train next.  It just went in circles and there were noisy, flashing buttons for the little ones to push.  She REALLY enjoyed this ride.  The bad thing about the rides:  I had to pay to ride.  Made it a LOT more expensive.  But still worth it.  So. Much. Fun!

That was our last stop along the way.  We used every last coupon (all rides and food/drinks use coupons, not cash) this year.  We had some leftover from last year and we could have used them this year if I could locate them.  Maybe some year we'll get to use that $2 from 2009.  As for the Fair food, we didn't try much out of the ordinary.  They do contests every year for new fried masterpieces and this year's winners were Fried Frito Pie and Fried Beer.  We didn't try either.  They also had fried margaritas (made with funnel cake batter) but we passed on that too!  I did have some tornado taters - long thin spiral cut potatoes fried crispy and greasy.  Kind of a cross between french fries and potato chips.  Fantastic.  We also experienced some nachos, Fletcher's Corny Dogs, and Polish Sausage on a stick.  The girls shared some Dippin' Dots (which really is just gross).  I think that was all we had.  Next year ... I'm going for the deep fried butter. Yes, that's really a menu item.  Don't judge.