Ft Worth Stock Show

Today we went to the Ft Worth Stock Show, as we did a year ago on Martin Luther King Day. We originally had a playdate planned with Sofia's friend, Shivani for the morning, so I texted her Mom and asked if I could take Shivani with us to the Stock Show or change the play date to the afternoon. Shivani wanted to go with us, so we set off for Fort Worth around 10am. It was a little cool, but very sunny and promised temperatures near 70 by noon! Once we parked and bought our tickets, we headed into the grounds and the girls were able to pet two goats that were being walked. They loved it! We headed to the far barns to look at all the goats and the girls tried to dodge goat droppings along the way, which was pretty funny to watch. We looked at the goats and watched the tail end of a show in one of the arenas. From there we headed to watch a cow being milked and the three girls found seats right up front while I stood in the back of the stands. It was so nice to have Shivani with us, since she and Sofia walked, talked and took their time and Olivia kept up with them while I pushed the stroller that had our sweaters, jackets, snacks, water bottles, blanket and things we collected.

After watching the cow being milked, we walked through the other cattle barns and saw the longhorns. One young girl was leading a young longhorn through the barn and offered for the girls to pet him. Shivani and Sofia walked slowly and I was nervous when Olivia ran toward the young cow! It all worked out and the girls really loved petting the longhorn. Rojo, one of the Longhorn steers from the Stockyards was there as well and the girls posed in front of him. He clearly was not a fan of being tied up and looked at so we took pictures and decided to get a little early lunch. We headed outside the barns looking for a good place to eat.

We found a place and Sofia and Olivia both ordered hot dogs while Shivani settled on nachos since nothing else really sounded good to her and I had the chili cheese fries, probably for the first time in 20 or so years! The seating area was really small, so we walked over and sat on a few bales of hay to eat. I really wanted to go to the cutting horse competition, which started at 2pm so we still had nearly 2 hours until it started. After filling up, we headed to the petting zoo, which was on the far side of all the rides. Of course, once we made it to the rides the girls wanted to go on them so we bought enough tickets that they could go on three rides. They decided on the outdoor rope maze which they went on twice and Sofia was great at waiting up for Olivia who was a little slower. From there the girls wanted to go down the Super Slide which was great except Olivia was too short which meant I had to go down with her on my lap! I'm not really afraid of heights but I must say I had second thoughts once I was at the top of the slide! Shivani and Sofia went down and LOVED it while Olivia and I took off for the bottom and I had to close my eyes because I was certain we'd crash through the metal gate and fly into the midway (we didn't). It was scary, but also a little fun.....Of course Sofia and Shivani wanted to go again! Instead, we tried to go on the little roller coaster but both Olivia and Shivani were too short so we left and headed to the house of mirrors which the girls loved but Olivia got lost in the glass walls. Luckily, Sofia noticed and went back for her. From there we went on the ferris wheel, which Shivani had never done before. We had great views from the top and it really was fun.

After the ferris wheel, we bought cotton candy and headed toward the cutting horse competition. Olivia was completely focused on her cotton candy as we walked and thoroughly enjoyed every bite, getting it all over her face. It was SO cute! As we walked, we were able to watch the cowboys get their horses ready for the Cowboys of Color Rodeo at 2pm. It was really fun to watch them saddle their horses and get ready for the competition. When we arrived I asked if there were any rodeo tickets for sale, but they were completely sold out.

The day had actually become quite warm - only about 70 degrees but it felt almost hot after the cold weather we've had. Shivani was ready to head home and play and Olivia was ready to sleep, but Sofia and I really wanted to watch the cutting horses. Unfortunately I was off by an hour, so we decided to head home to play since spending another hour at the Stock Show didn't make sense. Sofia was really bummed but once we made it home, she and Shivani had fun playing together. Shivani headed home shortly after and we had a lot of fun at the Stock Show. Such a fun day!

Three girls very excited to be at the Ft Worth Stock Show!!

Petting goats when we first arrived

Walking through the goat barn

Snacks before the cow gets milked

Waiting to watch the cow get milked (the girls are in front row)

Milked cow in the background

Petting a young Longhorn

Visiting Rojo

Girls with Rojo (I had Olivia strapped in the stroller eating snacks so she wouldn't get behind a Longhorn)

Lunch!

Chili cheese fries

Shivani, Sofia and Oliva on the rope maze

Sofia and Shivani are ready to head down the Super Slide while Olivia and I head to the top

Ready to go....

They are off!

Selfie at the top of the ferris wheel

View from the Ferris Wheel

Shivani and Sofia on the Ferris Wheel

Olivia loved it!

A girl and her cotton candy

Some of it did make it's way into her mouth....

Yum!

Dallas Train Show

Yesterday we headed to the Dallas Train Show with Stacy, Antonio and Luca. CK was flying and Marco had to work, so it was just us, which was fun. We arrived shortly after their doors opened at 10am and were lucky to have found a parking spot. As soon as we parked and headed toward the line to get in, Sofia, Olivia, Antonio and Luca headed out to the large field to run around and pretend they were dinosaurs and birds. Sofia lead the group and they had fun running a bit of steam off after nearly an hour in the car.

Once inside the building, we went straight to the exhibit hall where all the trains were set up with very details scenery. Most of the displays were set too high for the kids to see, so we found those that were lower and that the older ones could enjoy without being held up. They loved it! Sofia really loved watching the trains come toward her from the tunnel and soon Antonio and Olivia joined her in watching the trains arrive. We went on to look at other train displays and I had to lift the girls to see some of them. One family bring their own step stools, which I thought was a great idea and will have to remember for next year! From there, we decided to ride the train out in the courtyard and headed that way. It was a really nice day with a little bit of wind and felt great to be outside.

The kids rode on the train and Stacy rode with Luca while I took pictures and enjoyed the sun. After the ride, we all headed back inside to watch the garden-size trains set up in another room. The kids loved it and just sat and watched. I took pictures of Periquito Azul, Olivia's school mascot so we could add to the Periquito Azul album before she returns him to school. Luca became a little restless after a bit, so Stacy took him back out to the courtyard while I hung out with the other kids. After a bit, we joined Luca where we sat in the sun and enjoyed snacks and water. After, the kids wanted to ride the train again so they went once more. Then, they decided to run and play in the grassy area in the center of the courtyard. Of course, Sofia was the ring leader once again and had some involved story going on while they avoided the trains and they drove by.

From there, we loaded back up and headed to the park in Colleyville since it was such a nice day. Both Luca and Olivia fell asleep in the car and barely got a nap but loved being at the park. Olivia and Antonio ran around together and Olivia kept trying to hold Antonio's hand, which he wasn't terribly interested in but would at times hand her hand. They went down the tall enclosed slide over and over and then discovered the climbing rock that lead to the other slide and starting climbing up and sliding down over and over. Meanwhile, Sofia was off in the sand box digging out the dinosaur bones with other girls her age. After the kids were getting tired, we loaded up and headed back home. It was such a fun day!

Running some steam off in the field before heading into the Train Show

Checking out the train exhibit

The whole gang watching trains

Watching the train exit the tunnel

They were mesmerized!

Detail of the fair of one of the displays

On the train and ready to go!

There they go!

The whole gang on the train

Watching the garden-size train

Periquito Azul

The kids could watch the trains all afternoon!

Periquito Azul

Playing outside together

On the train again

Heading back to the car

Olivia and Antonio on the slide

They had so much fun together!

Florida

We headed to Florida on Friday morning and had an uneventful and smooth flight. Buddy was able to go with us so he could spend the week at the farm with us which he loves since he gets to run free and take long walks along the runway every morning. We arrived around 5:30pm and went to Sonny's BBQ, our very favorite restaurant, to celebrate CK's birthday. As always, it was outstanding and we were all surprised at how hungry we were since we'd eaten sandwiches in the airplane on the way over. We returned to the house and sang "Happy Birthday" to CK and then enjoyed his birthday cake and ice cream. After that, he opened his birthday presents from his parents and then we decided to exchange our Christmas gifts. The girls were completely spoiled with all the goodies and toys they received from their Grandma and Grandpa. They each got a new set of sheets - Frozen for Olivia and horses for Sofia. Olivia got an Ariel (her very favorite Disney character) poncho/towel while Sofia got a Frozen towel. They both got doll heads that they could brush and decorate their hair as well as a floating fairy toy. They also got matching fairy outfits, shoes and fairy wings! Olivia wanted to change immediately into her new outfit and Sofia followed her, although it was pretty small and short on Sofia. They both had fun playing in their new adorable outfits though! The toys and goodies just seemed to keep coming and they loved it! After all the gifts were opened, Olivia asked "Can I open another present?" She was really in the mood!

The weekend was spent playing on the farm, taking Gator rides and taking Buddy for long walks in the morning. On Saturday we met up with CK and Connie in Williston for an early dinner at The Ivy House which is set in an old victorian house that is overly decorated and cozy. The food was great and the girls split a steak while each of us had our own delicious meals! It was a fun night out that we ended by going to the Christmas Train nearby. The Christmas Train is on a farm and is a narrow gauge train that was set up a few years ago to go around a course that includes Christmas lights and a light show. The rest of the grounds included a huge movie screen showing "The Polar Express" and "Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer". There were several food trucks as well as rides for little kids to go on, a merry go round and a course set up with Model Ts that anyone could drive. The girls had a ball! We rode the train first and it was well done and a perfect night to be outside enjoying it. Next, we walked to the Model T track and the girls rode some of the rides while CK waited in line. Sofia drove the Model T and did a decent job although she was too quick to take her foot off the gas. Otherwise, she kept it pretty straight and laughed like crazy throughout her drive! The girls enjoyed the other rides then finished on the Merry Go Round and then headed home. It was a very fun night!

Grandpa set up the bounce house on Sunday afternoon and the girls spent hours playing in it! On Sunday evening, while the girls played we emptied CK and Connie's kitchen since they had a complete kitchen renovation scheduled to start on Monday morning! It went fairly quickly and we moved all their kitchen ware into the garage, trying to keep the things they would need over the coming weeks accessible.

The girls absolutely loved playing on the bounce house and spent hours making up stories and playing together in some game. They would take breaks to find sticks or explore and find rocks, centipedes, feathers, etc. After the kitchen tear-out started Monday morning, we spent that day moving all of their books, paperwork and things from CK's office to the hanger or garage since they planned to remove the carpet and replace it with wood. That night, CK and Connie watched the girls while CK and I went out to the movies and watched "Unbroken" which CK had just recently finished and I read about two years ago. The movie was well done and it was fun to get out while the girls enjoyed time with Grandma and Grandpa.

On Tuesday we visited Great Grandma and took her out to the courtyard in her new home to enjoy the nice weather and get some fresh air. She looks great and seems to be doing well although. The girls enjoyed visiting with Great Grandma and Olivia climbed right up into her lap and talked to her for awhile. After their visit, the girls spent their time looking for lizards and sticks in the courtyard while we talked with Great Grandma and told her about the kitchen remodel status. We talked about the girls and how their doing and asked her how she is doing. We took a tour of her new home and the girls each pushed a side of her wheelchair and were good little "drivers" without running into anything. That night, we left the girls again with Grandma and Grandpa and decided to go to dinner together. We went to Sonny's once again and had a great meal. It was a fun night and the girls had a ball too.

On Wednesday it was a pretty dismal and wet day and we unexpectedly left for Texas around noon since the forecast for Thursday and Friday in Texas was for freezing raining which isn't safe to fly in. We packed up our things and made sandwiches before we said our goodbyes and loaded up for home. The flight went smoothly and felt quick despite it being over 5 hours long. Olivia took a very long nap which was much needed since she's been fighting a bad cough at night all week and has been waking up early. Sofia sat up with CK and also took a decent nap with her head in his lap. She's also been waking up early so she didn't miss any fun with Grandma, Grandpa and sister.

Since we didn't plan to be home for New Year's Eve, we ended up picking up a pizza and salad at Palio's and eating it at home. We unpacked, got comfortable and the girls played before we put them to bed at their normal time. Sofia really wanted to stay up until midnight but neither CK nor I were up for staying up with her. She ended up staying up and reading 5 Magic Tree House books and staying up "way past midnight" according to her. CK and I went to bed around 11 after a long day. It was a fun visit and I love how much fun the girls have with their Grandma and Grandpa and how much they love the farm. When CK told them we had to leave, Sofia cried and Olivia got really upset. We hated to cut the visit short, but also were worried about getting home. We look forward to our next visit.

On our way to Grandma and Grandpa's house

Sofia playing at Sonny's BBQ

Happy Birthday, Papa!

Look at all those candles!

Papa gets a little help

Girls love the warm Florida weather on Grandma and Grandpa's swing

CK in the Cub

Off he goes...

Hours of fun on the bounce house

Olivia and Great Grandma

Both girls with Great Grandma

Olivia telling Grandma something

Pushing Great Grandma in her wheelchair

Helping Grandpa on the farm

Olivia in the Cub...she decided at the last minute not to go. She didn't want to miss out on playing with Sofia

Buddy meets donkeys for the first time!

Having fun in the Gator

Silly girls

Love this picture

Buddy and the hay rolls

Last day of the old kitchen

At the Christmas Express

Girls watch the train go by

On the train and ready to go

Giving Rudolph a hug

The girls loved Rudolph

Playing in the "sandbox" which was filled with corn!

On the swings

Sofia is ready to take her first drive - in a Model T

There she goes!

Girls riding the carousel

The kitchen is gone!

Giving Grandma and Grandpa goodbye hugs

Heading home