On their first ride without us! I wasn't super ready for that turns out.
Lily on her first ferris wheel with our favorite rodeo clown cowboy.
Hope on top of the world
Soooo excited to be in line for their first ride alone!
Yesterday we did something completely spontaneous and uncharacteristic and took the girls to the carnival at the Rodeo for dollar day. (We are also going tonight for the actual rodeo and Miranda Lambert concert-- super weird for us to do two fun things in a year, let alone two days in a row).
Anyway-- we had a BLAST. Lily looks forward to the rodeo all year long, being a cowgirl and all, but we weren't expecting Hope to be so excited about it. Since falling in love with the movie Flicka and with Grandy's horse, Star, she has also been counting down the days. So everybody can't wait for the barrel racing, bullriding, mutton busting fun tonight, but last night at the carnival was the most fun we've had as a family in a long time. (ever?)
Hope was tickled beyond belief-- like jumping up and down-- at the rides, and Lily has apparently left behind the scared little girl who came with us in year's past and is now what Grammy would describe as Big Ikey at the carnival (too cool for school, hot stuff, etc.). She was soooooo excited to ride the little caterpillar roller coaster with only Hope (see the bottom pic of them waiting in line and top pic on the ride), and didn't even get mad when Hope got off after the ride and left her behind. We were yelling, "Help Lily off!" and she was like, "Huh?" You know, Lily, that little brown girl who lives at our house, who you were just snuggling on the ride? She needs your help getting off of the roller coaster. OOooooooh, THAT Lily. Thankfully I happen to know another 13-year-old big sister who would do something similar, so we're not alarmed.
Instead, we are rejoicing that God continues to knit Hope into our family, and giggle that He's even big enough to make a rodeo fan out of our Chinese princess. Who woulda thunk it?
