All's Fair

The San Diego County fair is in town and has been for the past month. We've been lucky enough to go quite a few times. We've taken Gabriella to the fair in the past but this time she was tall enough to go on a lot of the rides and had a great time going on them over and over again. The little girls enjoyed the sights and sounds of the fair and were incredibly patient riding in their stroller. They did get out a few times but didn't go on any rides. Of course the best part of the fair is the food. This year we branched out to try a few fried food treats. Greg had a deep fried Klondike bar and I sampled the deep fried bacon. Julia and Genevieve had their first sips of lemonade and licks of ice cream. Gabriella did her best to cause a cavity with cotton candy and candied apples.

The pillow pet pictured above was won by Gabriella all by herself. I'm not really sure how it happened, I'd just handed over my $5 and the next thing I know I hear "winner" and the guy handing over the pillow pet prize. It was pretty impressive. She's quite good at the dart game and has quite a few prizes to prove it.

We walked slowly through the shopping tents and I was able to keep myself from buying all the as seen on TV items. Although I really wanted the counter top popsicle maker, maybe next year. We went two times with our good friend Kathleen who graciously agreed to ride a few rides with Gabriella. I had a great time watching her daughter while she twirled away on the rides with mine. A great time was had by everyone and we look forward to the fair next year.

How to Fill a Mini Van in 3 Easy Steps

First have a child, then add twins and add a dog for good measure. With those three things you can easily fill a van full of annoyingly necessary stuff. There are a few things that are permanent residents in the van, the 2 car seats and the booster seat. We keep a couple of blankets in there in case it's chilly or someone needs an impromptu pillow. Now if we are going to the grocery store we add in a diaper bag and a lot of reusable grocery bags. If it's the park we add a stroller, maybe a large blanket to sit on and possibly some sand toys. Now if we are going anywhere for a night or a week the list of things gets much much longer. A pack and play, a couple of bags of clothes, a bag of baby toys, diapers (10/day times the number of days we'll be gone), wipes, bottles, pump, baby food, dog food, bowls, and if it's for a birthday party then add in the gift. It's a lot of stuff and getting it in and out of the car feels like I'm moving out each time we go somewhere. The funniest (read most frustrating) part is when I get somewhere and realize I forgot something important.

It's a wonder that I get out of the house at all, each trip requires an extensive list and a lot of forethought but it's worth it. We've gone on a lot of adventures and trips which are good for all of us.

Why is it so loud in here?

I find myself cringing a lot these days. The little girls are finding their voices with the help of their big sister. It amazes me the sheer volume in this house. It's not big, there is no echo and yet the noise seems to be magnified. The laughing of three little angels is one thing, the screaming is quite another. Here is an example, Gabriella and the girls were playing in their playpen, *baby containment unit, the yard, the pen, etc.*, when suddenly there was this earsplitting shriek. I immediately jump away from cooking dinner and rush over expecting a bleeding head wound. Instead I see three girls echoing each other screams and then laughing hysterically. There are good things about the loudness, I always know where they are because I just follow the screams. Greg has a theory, if it's too quiet someone is into something or is eating something they shouldn't be. Like when Julia is quiet and still she's probably eating some paper or pulling all the kleenex out of the container and stuffing them in her mouth. If Genevieve is quiet she's probably spilling the dog water and eating the kibble. If Gabriella is quiet then she's painting something or making a mess of her room. If the house is quiet then we are obviously away for the weekend. So my ears are always in use, either trying to mentally lessen the loudness or straining to here what's going on. I must admit often when I'm in the car I turn off the radio and just enjoy the silence. That silence seems few and far between for this only child, but when it goes on too long I really miss the noise.