The Fair!!

Today we had our first "fun" family outing.  We traveled 80 miles to Lubbock to the PanHandle South Plains Fair.  As a little girl, I always LOVED the Fair.  It came to town every fall and I always wanted to go.  I waffled about whether the girls were too young to care but I think they really enjoyed all the sights and sounds.  It was an adventure.

Luckily they're not old enough to know all these booths are selling cheap (expensive) toys for kids.. they just looked around and studied every little thing.



We went to the "freak show" tent, Rob and I were curious if they were the same as when we were little and they weren't, but I can tell Olivia will be our daredevil and Emily will be more timid.  It was a bunch of fake stuff (ok, i didnt really think there would be a lady that was part elephant or a real mermaid in there... but it's funny either way) but Olivia was totally interested in each item, especially the sword swallowing lady.  :-)

The girls had their first corn dogs... they LOVED them! Don't worry, I didn't let them get near the stick inside!

Here's our family pic right before the carousel ride!

I tell you what, when I was growing up the Fair seemed HUGE.. like right next to Six Flags huge... Turns out it's just a little old Fair.... bigger than anything in Snyder, TX for sure but so much smaller than I remember.

The girls loved looking at the animals.  Future FFA'ers?? I don't know if this Mama can pull that off.

The petting zoo wasn't a big hit.  Once Olivia touched the sheep, she didn't like the way it felt.  And the goats had horns... no way were they touching those.  Mama and Daddy did though..and the girls just laughed. 

Next up was funnel cakes and cotton candy.  I'll be thankful if there's no puking by morning!  They didn't know what to think of either but after their first bite, they were hooked, not to mention a MESS! We opted for the Funnel Cake-on-a-stick thinking it would be less messy (hey their line was shorter too :-) ) but they were MORE messy... powdered sugar EVERYWHERE! Still fun though.  No complaints and it beats the heck out of the scorpion-on-a-stick in Beijing! :-)

Emily didn't want any part of the cotton candy until i put a little taste in her mouth...

MMMMMMM.... delicious!!! 

After all that terrible food we headed for the carousel.  Emily wasn't too sure of it but Olivia LOVED it! She giggled and cheered the whole ride.  P.S.  back in the day this ride went a lot slower.  It was the FASTEST Carousel I'd ever been on.  Wasn't to easy to take pictures!

After all that fun we went by the mall to the play area to let the girls move around.  They had fun for the 5 minutes I let them play, it was CRAZY there! Kids running around and wrestling.  I knew one of my girlies was going to get run over.  Of course no parents cared that it was too crazy  so we opted out and headed back to Snyder.

It was REALLY a great day.  It's amazing how quickly you start to get the hang of this parenting business. ;-) We are truly loving every minute, even the not-so-pleasant ones.  It's so great watching the girls learn and explore each little thing.  What an honor it is to watch them grow.

They're snoozing away after a busy day. Hoping the exhaustion will help them sleep a little later tomorrow.  A girl can dream, right? :-) 

XOXOXO, 

The Taylors

Getting Settled in and some Texas firsts...and a TON of pictures.

We are finally getting settled in.  Settled in to sleep schedules, routines, new people, new puppies, and life in the big city of Snyder, Texas!   The girls have made themselves at home and are enjoying learning their surroundings.  I've finally caught up on sleep and can think to blog!  :-)

The Tiara is our favorite thing... she's even got the wave down! Future Ms. America? 

First Texas Tech game (on TV), they enjoyed they enjoyed the pom poms but not so much Tech's performance! That's the way of the Red Raiders girls... unfortunately there will be many more disappointments but we still love them!

You seriously expect me to cheer for them??

Next up for Texas firsts is RIBS!  It was sure fun watching them take it all in!

Tupperware is also our favorite toy! Every mirror, window, plastic, or glass of any sort has many lip prints on it at this point.  I'd get the glass cleaner out but they're so cute! 

Emily found her way out into the backyard to read a book, lol.  She loves being outside.  They made up a fun game of "pick up the pecans and put them in the trash can".. I can't wait until the leaves fall and we can play "pick up the leaves and put them in the trash can!" lol

Speaking of disappointments... Daddy forced them to wear their Cowboys gear.  :-) I'm not quite as devoted to the disappointments of the Cowboys like I am the Red Raiders....They did well this week though, we'll take it!

They love exploring new things.  I love watching them explore.

The size of Daddy's shoes (sz15) amaze Emily, that or she just misses him while he's at work. She finds them and carries them around, filling them with whatever will fit!  

We also went to our first gun show. Terribly exciting for us girls... 

They did like being out and waving at everyone. 

They are such angels.  I'm look at them often throughout the day and am amazed they're mine.  

Each day is different each day brings new experiences and new adventures.  They're really starting to connect with each other.  Olivia really looks up to her big sister, she motions for her to come if she's lagging behind and the other day I caught them holding hands.  So. Very. Sweet.  I love seeing them interact with each other.  Emily will share toys and food with her little sister and help her if she needs it.  

It still feels weird when I introduce them as my daughters, I feel like I'm making it up or something.  They both say Mama pretty clearly and sometimes we hear DaDa and YaYa.  They babble a lot and I wish I knew what they were trying to say! The funniest thing they do is when they yell for me they yell "MA!!!" They sound like someone from New York, ha!! 

We had our first post-adoption placement visit with our Social Worker.  She was AMAZED how well they were doing.  She said she hadn't seen any child adopted from China that was as on target developmentally as well as being personable and outgoing.  They had a great time showing off for her!

Our routine is becoming....routine.  I don't have any idea what i'd do without my mom.  She has helped get me organized and keep me on target.  She has taught me a few things about rocking a baby and getting them to sleep.  That doesn't even begin to cover all she's done... laundry, meals... the list goes on and on.  There's no way i'll ever be able to repay her! Thanks so much Mom! I love you!

I can't wait to see what tomorrow holds.  They are changing every day.  It's so AWESOME to watch!  I promise to try to post as often as possible.  Life just gets in the way sometimes! 

With Love!

The Taylors