Texas Part II: The State Fair

After a quiet day ay home and a trip to the park on Thursday, we decided to check out the state fair on Friday morning before Reagan and I left for Houston. It was huge- so much bigger than the Utah state fair. We stayed for 4-5 hrs and only saw a portion of the things that were there. It was broiling hot and humid that day, so we tried to stay inside as much as possible. One building had some fun things for the kids:

A crooked playhouse!

 And another tire swing! How exciting.

 Reagan loved her first time on a big trampoline and I had to go in there and pull her off after a few minutes.

 One of the best parts was the hands-on farm experience for kids. Reagan was a little too young (she didn't really make it past getting her apron and bucket), but Eve had a blast!

Best friends :)

 They also had this awesome animal exhibit with tons of different animals that you could feed. Reagan did her best.

 Good thing Aunt Sharon showed her how.

 So much to see!

 "Hey Mom, remember when I used to do that?"

 We found a ride that was suitable for Reagan (Eve was asleep by that point) and off we went! Reagan loved it, but they made me put her on the inside, which was not helpful for pictures.

 And last but not least, everyone's favorite, the merry-go-round!

 

A little one-sided cousin love.

 And an orange pop to finish it off- Reagan's first popsicle.

We left straight for Houston from the fair. These girls had such a good time playing together all week- I can believe we didn't take any pictures at home! Eve dubbed Reagan "Cousin Reagy" and showed how all her big girls toys worked, and Reagan taught Eve how to regress to pointing, grunting, and shrieking, and helped her practice sharing. An informative and fun few days all around!

Texas Part I: The Zoo

 Monday morning Reagan and made the long trip to Dallas to see Sharon, Andrew, and Eve. Our flight left Portland around 10 am and didn't get in until after 6 pm. It was a long day, but Reagan did pretty good, considering.

 First things first. We stopped to eat on the way home at this amazing burger joint. Although, I think anything would been delicious at the point- I had eaten practically nothing the entire day. I tried to take a good family picture for them, but Eve vetoed that.

 Twice!

 Reagan and I did a little better, but that's only because she'd been practicing.

 Bright and early the next day, we headed out to the Dallas Zoo!

 It was hot hot hot.

 Too hot even for the animals, apparently. We didn't see many, so Reagan learned to appreciate what we did see. Here she is, intently observing the flamingos.

 The best part was definitely the children's area. Reagan got to ride a pony!

 And play with a little lamb statue while Eve was petting the goats!

 Ugh sideways pictures. I don't want to talk about it. Turn your computer and see us sitting on a turtle statue.

The alligators were another big hit with this girl.

Hi rhino! Please don't hurt us!

 These girls were so tired, they both finally conked out around lunch time, which was great, because we were able to eat in peace. Unfortunately, Reagan only slept about a half hour.

 Ok, I lied. The best part was probably getting to feed the giraffes. The Dallas Zoo is cool! (Not literally)

Reagan thought it was so funny when it licked her hand. 

Final top 3 moment: riding the merry-go-round!

 

 Of course, the girls stayed awake all the way home, then fell asleep again just a few minutes before we got to my grandma's house for dinner. Typical.

Oregon Part IV: Mountain Park

Sunday afternoon, we headed up into the mountain for some play time. We were originally going to do a picnic, but decided against it. Instead we played on the park. Reagan LOVED the tire swing- she wouldn't get off!

 

 My mini-me <3 br="br">

She loved the slides almost as much as the swing, and wanted to go down over and over again, without any help!

 

 We stopped by the river but didn't stay long because Reagan was intent on throwing herself in. It was a perfect way to end our trip to beautiful state with wonderful family!

Oregon Part III: Jarret's Birthday

We were so excited to be in Oregon for Jarret's first birthday! If you want to get technical, we even planned our trip around it. Saturday night we celebrated at Jamie's parents' house with a bbq. Reagan tried to steal all the bows of the presents.

 Jarret wasn't too sure about his cake at first, but he got the hang of it!

 Reagan handled the cupcakes pretty well.

 She totally fell in love with one of Jarret's presents, but when I explained it wasn't for her,

 she kindly gave it back. Luckily, Jarret was nice enough to let her play with it for the next couple days.

 Reagan's new obsession is dogs. She isn't scared of them at all, as seen here where she gives Jamie's parents' dogs kisses through the cage. Lucky that they are nice dogs!