Soaring to new heights.

We've missed the carnival the last few years because we've been on vacation, so the last time we went was when Cosette was newborn, and two year old Juliette was a little bit hesitant to try a lot of the rides. This year, Juliette was still hesitant to try a lot of the rides, but Cosette had no such fears; in fact, she kept getting turned away because she wasn't tall enough. Her first adventure was the high flying trampoline (which cost $7- no tickets.) She bravely walked in, followed the directions, trustingly let herself be strapped in, and then started jumping:

Juliette decided not to give it a go, so we continued on to other games and rides. Greg won a few stuffed toys, and then we had some classic carnival food: fried dough pizza. Finally, it was time for more rides. The girls wanted me to come with them on a lot of them; but thanks to the car accident I was in in high school- and those pesky head and inner ear injuries- I get really dizzy, even on the kiddy rides. Among the worst: the rocking pirate ship gave me a mild case of vertigo; the dizzy dragons made it worse, and then we decided to make our final ride on the Ferris wheel: no problem, right? (As a side note, I just finished a book about the 1893 Chicago's World Fair, where the Ferris wheel was first invented/ engineered). Cosette just squeaked by, height wise, and we all filed into our car. We were the first to be loaded so we had to be patient as we cranked our way up, stopping every few degrees as each new car was reloaded. As we approached the heights, and then came to a stop at the pinnacle of the circle, I remembered that I don't like heights. I was dizzy and paranoid, and trying to hide it from the girls, because they were so excited. However, the expressions on the girls faces made it all worth it:

And as a final treat, here is a horrible photo of me, which accurately reflects how I was feeling at the moment: slightly sick to my stomach, nervous, and so happy to be sharing the moment with my family. But, it is a good photo of Greg: