Oktoberfest 2014!

We are slowly easing back into the Texas life we once knew & loved but it certainly looks a little different now with Robby & Lauren plus four!  One event we enjoyed each September was Addison Oktoberfest. A weekend full of great music, dancing, eating & beer which is what I care least about but apparently, I'm the weirdo there ; ) 

The weekend snuck up on us due to all the transition here plus a little respiratory infection for an already tired mama but after some quick planning, we were on our way! Charlotte kept saying "We are going to the Fest!" The girls were most excited to hear that there were rides there after our trip this past Spring to the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo or as Eloise simply says "the rode-E." There are just some things you don't correct since it is adorable coming out of a little mouth...that is one! Those boys are pretty much just along for the ride at this point in life. They were less excited about the hot temperatures & height restrictions on the rides.  The first tense moment was actually our "ride" into the parking garage with the rack on top of the Expedition. The entrance said seven feet which we initially cleared but then dragged along the roof a bit to make it to our parking spot. It was fun. We ended up with a few scrapes which aren't noticeable unless you are the same height as Goliath so I guess it's alright. We loaded into the double stroller, held hands with the ladies & trekked across the field to the entrance.  

The girls got their tickets & headed straight for the Caterpillar ride....

After that ride was finished I was pretty sad that they spotted the mini rollercoaster that requires a parent to ride with someone Eloise's height. If you read the "Rode-E" post back in March you would know I was required to board that serpent & was not impressed by the rickityness of the track. Let's just say I was even more terrified about the dragon rollercoaster at the "Fest!" The girls giggles every single twist & turn coupled with Robby holding up a finger each time we passed the start of the track to say "One more time around!" made it worth the risk of losing my life on the mini Dragon.  Writing this post is proof that I survived but I will definitely try to get out of it at the State Fair ; )

We then parked it at the entrance of the carnival to wait for the Clark Crew.  Brooke texted soon after & said that they were at the Dragon coaster. We made our way back to my least favorite ride to find Brooke boarding with her two middles. I had a good laugh watching her face each time they circled back around ; ) Someday our kiddos will be tall enough to ride on their own but for now, we will keep on riding to hear the shrieks of laughter as we squish them with all our weight around the hair pin turns. While we were waiting, I attempted to get these two smiling...Oh Lolo!

Camden, Kenzie & Corbin (not pictured) joined us on the helicopter ride. I say "us" because once again I got to ride with my little Eloise who was just tad too short to ride alone.  Kenzie was looking fabulous in her German wear!

It proved to feel a bit safer than the dragon & Eloise was a dare devil rider keeping her helicopter at the highest height the entire time. She also told me she loved me more than a couple times. LOVE her so much.

The last ride was hilarious & Karlee made her debut on her own little pink Harley. She was too cute for words!

Once we were drenched in sweat & had spent too much money on tickets for carnival rides we headed for the giant air conditioned tent. It was packed out but thankfully Brooke's mom got a spot cleared out for our crew & we settled down for a moment....but really, it was just a moment. The music was blaring & all the big kids headed over to the dance floor while I worked on wrangling my little buckaroos. Robby grabbed a plate full of food which I was thinking was mostly for the two of us but Chubby Bubby proved me wrong. I wish I had a video of him scarfing down the Bratwurst on a stick. Like the good & safe mother I am (only partially recovered from my respiratory infection), I was biting pieces off, splitting them in two with my teeth then feeding my baby birds. Anson was screaming, grabbed ahold of the stick & proceeded to attack the brat. I'm pretty sure he growled a bit as he ripped of large chunks of meat....my little carnivore. Owen was content with me passing him bites but still ate his fair share & then some. He's working on catching up. 

After eating a bit, we went to the edge of the dance floor with our four to watch a little show where Edelweiss, a favorite song that we had in our wedding was played with little bells or something like that. I honestly can't remember due to what happened next. There were easily 2,000 people in that tent & most seem to have great control over their children. I was looking down at Anson in my lap for a second & when I looked up I saw Eloise running full speed across the middle of the show. I was whisper yelling to Rob to do something but as I caught his attention we glanced down at Owen & could not stop laughing. Robby had is Oktoberfest mug full of a fresh beer & that little stinker had his hand & half of his arm in that mug, pulled it out, took a big lick & stuck it back in again!  Eloise returned back to arms reach soon after, we had a little chat & returned back to our table. It was one of those moments that we had a million of on that trip we took to West Palm Beach, Florida when the boys were about five months old. It was a moment that was a hilarious reminder of where we are in life & how much had changed since our last visit to Oktoberfest in 2007. 

Last time we went with the Clarks, Corbin, their oldest was only 9 months old & we were childless. My how the times have changed! Oh & that guy between Brad & Brooke is not part of our group ; ) 

The boys were a bit grumpy to say the least & I was thinking we needed to get out of there ASAP. I was waiting to get Rob's attention but he would never turn around to glance my way where I was stroller locked with all the tables so I did what I had to do & loaded a baby on each hip to make my way to his side. Once I got there I sat down my heavy loads & could not believe what happened next. Those two screaming babies were happy as they could be "dancing," attempting to jump & racing all over the dance floor for an entire hour. If I would have known that, I may have parked it at a table in the air condition upon arrival at Oktoberfest! Here is just a little taste of the fun that was had. Look close & you can see Brad & Kenzie showing off some cool moves. You can also see me stop the Lolo bird & remind her not to run over people.

We were exhausted after our four hour stay & we bid the Clark's farewell as we made our way back to the vehicle that was potentially stuck in the to small parking garage. Thankfully we were able to exit without any difficulty. We realized that we were starving so we made a detour to Torchy's Tacos...a new found favorite thanks to my little brothers, picked up our dinner & made a beeline for home. The girls were hungry too so we said it was "Fest night" at home & we cooked hot dogs & popcorn for a second dinner at 8pm (so past bedtime for our crew!) I will just confess here that even though my children were beyond filthy, I put them to bed....filthy...then I didn't have time the following day to bathe them so we went to church like that & waited 24 more hours to clean off the filth of the Fest.  You know what, we all survived & I sure washed those sheets on the sanitize setting after looking at the dirty feet that rubbed all over them : )

We are faced with a dilemma almost every day around here. Can we handle our kids in public? If the answer is "yes," do we have the energy to do so? Sometimes we do, sometimes we don't but we are thankful that we made it to Oktoberfest 2014...even if we lost control for a minute (or five)!