OC Fair - take 2

Since their Daddy was up the coast in Central CA racing,  I decided to hit up the OC Fair again, this time dragging Nana along.     It was much more crowded on a Saturday at 11am, than it was on a Sunday at 11am.





whoops... camera still set in b/w mode from the previous week



Sweet Bug (and yes, those are ladybugs on the underneath side of her hat)

Annabelle is recently fascinated by mouths

There was a belly-dancing class from Indio demonstrating their skills on stage... Bug takes this opportunity to do some dancing herself

Belly noms on cracker while watching Belly-Dancers

Okay... so I wanted ONE good pic of the girls together and both looking.   Didn't happen.

here we have "pouty face" and "easily distracted"

looking opposite directions

looking same direction - just not at the camera

Okay, this was the best I got - but the speedlight hadn't powered back up from last pic and didn't flash so they are all covered in those harsh noontime shadows that I've grown to dislike

woo!  Flash is back... but lost the girls attention

Then Syd wanted to give Belle a hug.  Sw sweet.

 Then we were walking to see the cows and other animals and I made the mistake of going "ooooh... they've got Pony Rides".     Whoops.   Now the only thing Bug wanted was to go on a pony.     We tried this last Oct at the Pumpkin Patch and she waited in line, then flipped out when it was time to get on.    So I was hesitant.   Ticket booth said $7, but you could get a full refund "if your child does NOT get on the horse".    I took the gamble.   

The line was very long.   They had 6 ponies/horses total.   We had to wait through 4 or 5 cycles of riders.   Bug still seemed confident that this is what she wanted to do.    Finally, it's her turn.   There is a sign that says parents can walk alongside if needed.   Great.   Bug climbed the little steps and the Cowboy guy picked her up and had her belted on the horse and sent on her way sooooo fast... I thought, "okay, I guess she's fine."    1/2 way around the little circle was a western photo backdrop and they would stick a cowboy hat on the kid (pink one for girls) and take a souvenier pic (available for purchase for another $X amount).   By the time she got to the backdrop she was starting to get wary.   When they moved to put the hat on her head she screamed- I motioned that we don't need a pic. 

approaching the backdrop for photo-op.   The boy in front of her was 10 months old.
(ride was for 6mo - 120lbs)
And Note:   Her "pony" was the biggest HORSE of the group.  His name is Aladdin

The horse started up again and hit a dip in the dirt on the backside and made a sway/bump motion for Bug.   Bug FLIPPED OUT.    Screaming. Crying for Mama. I'm scrambling to put down my camera (after taking one last pic), so that I can get in there with her.

Here she is approaching the front to the circle again.  Mid-Scream for "mama".
I snapped this one last pic before scrambling to get into the inner ring between the other horses

here is the close-up cropped version of the same photo.
I will crack up at this picture forever.   Poor scared Bug.

 It took probably 2 laps around for me to calm her down and stop the crying.   All the peeps waiting in line were like "awwwwwwww".     In all the time we stood waiting our turn  - about 30mins -  no child cried, much less went into full down meltdown like Bug.   Awesome!   Nana heard her across the way in some veggie garden tent thing.    Finally I was able to tell her the horses name and have her say "Hi Aladdin".   And get her to pet his mane.  But she stayed very much on edge, and was on the verge of tears again at any moment.  
But in the end she's got her first "pony" ride under her belt.   Maybe next Oct at the pumpkin patch will be better?!

Meanwhile Annabelle was chilling in the stroller with Nana in some shaded area looking at veggies or something.    Annabelle probably would have been fine on a horse.   Just sitting on it all serious-like.   LOL

With a giant Orange.   As you can see, she survived the horse ride pretty much unscathed.