We spent Sunday afternoon at Oktoberfest in Reston Town Center! Dan’s new office building is right in Reston Town Center, so it was a nice opportunity to go see the area he works in and also enjoy the good eats/drinks and carnival rides that the festival had to offer! It was pretty cold and misty, but we still had a great time! 😀
We were cracking up at how big Mio was smiling when she got there, with her hands folded in her lap. It looks almost like she’s a villain (think Dr. Burns from The Simpsons)!
What is Oktoberfest without a cup of overpriced (but apparently delicious) beer?
Delicious steamed mussels from McCormick & Schmick’s
My sister and I don’t like nor drink beer, so our main focus was the food!
Amazing chicken kabobs from Midtown Kabob
…complete with samosa, also yummy!
Enjoying the meal while Mio looks on.
Peruvian chicken from Pollo Peru. So. Effing. Good.
Mio reaching for some while we chow down.
She grabbed a french fry!
Mio’s learned how to do “cheers!” and clink her cup against another person’s, but she’s so into it that she’ll do it with every type of food she happens to share with you, and multiple times (as in every five seconds). So when she and I both had Peruvian french fries in hand, she insisted on toasting and bumping them together… over and over. Here it is on video!
We just couldn’t get enough of that chicken, so we went and got a second plate to share!
Mio kept whipping her head back and forth to look at all the people passing by. She was so curious about everything that was going on around her.
A Daddy’s girl moment.
Enjoying the view from Auntie Miwa’s shoulders.
Buying tickets for the carnival rides.
There was a train ride that we could all ride together.
Our little family on the train.
Mio kept saying “ppo ppo” (Japanese equivalent of “choo choo,” the sound of a train puffing out smoke) while riding.
After the ride was done, she was eager for more carnival fun!
Mio kept saying “ba~ ba~” when she saw the Jamaican banana.
A carnival isn’t complete without funnel cake! So of course, we had to get one.
Miwa and Dan wanted to go on one of the scarier/intense rides. Here they are before taking flight.
Mio was really scared for them! When the ride lifted up into the air and started flying around, she started screaming and clung onto my legs. Poor girl was scared for her Daddy and auntie…
Dan and Miwa flying in the air! It looked terrifying, but they seemed to enjoy it.
As a finale, we took Mio on the carousel. She doesn’t really understand the difference between horses and cows yet, so she kept mooing and making cow noises while waiting in line and riding on the carousel. I corrected her the first couple times, but it was pretty cute so I just let her moo the whole ride through.
Mio getting on the carousel.
She had a very grave expression on her face the entire time.
Clenching her teeth! Mio’s been on carousels and merry-go-rounds a few times before, but she seemed more uptight this time – maybe because it was cold?
Of course, when the ride ended, she started getting upset and wanted to go on again… (On a separate note, isn’t the heart-shaped elbow patch on her jacket adorable? My mom got this jacket for her.)
Like with the Marin County Fair, there were a lot of rides Mio couldn’t go on because she wasn’t 36 inches tall, so that was kind of a bummer. Maybe in a year or two, she’ll get to enjoy more of the rides! 🙂
The Marin County Fair is going on from June 30 to July 4, so we drove over to San Rafael yesterday so that we could give Mio her first taste of a fair. She was too young and short to go on the rides, but she still had a lot of fun with the farm animals that were there!
Walking around the fair, making our way over to the farm animals area.
The fair was a huge affair by the water – we were impressed by how many rides, food tents, and vendors there were.
In the area with the farm animals, Mio got to see so many animals — rabbits, chickens, geese, sheep, turkeys, cows, goats, deer, horses, donkeys, alpacas, llamas, potbelly pigs, wallabies… there were so many that she got to see for the first time!
When the animals were inside pens, Mio got very adventurous and climbed up on the railing and leaned in to touch them, as she did with this cow.
I think one of the highlights for myself personally was watching the potbelly pig race! I’d never seen a pig/hog race before, so it was actually really fun to watch!
It was an intense race! And the potbelly pigs were so cute.
There was a petting farm area specifically designed for little kids, so that they could go in to touch and feed the free-roaming animals. While Mio had been really brave up until then, trying to touch the animals inside their cages and pens, she suddenly became very timid when she was in an area where they weren’t behind bars.
Here I am, trying to get Mio to pet the llama… but she refuses.
Mio is usually very quick in trying to run off, but this time she clung to me.
She even turned away from the smaller animals like the baby goats.
We finally got her to willingly feed a little fawn, probably because she felt safe as it was one of the few animals that was caged in.
Mio feeding the fawn from her hand.
A baby goat wedged its way in to get fed, too. Mio has great practice with feeding animals from feeding our pet chinchillas back at home!
Even though the fawn was behind a pen, it still managed to reach its neck out to take a couple bite out out of my dress, leaving holes in it! 🙁
Mio loved climbing up on the wall of the cages to look down at the animals.
A little overwhelmed by all the animals.
Had to take a picture with the creepy-looking Clover cow.
…and of me as a cow.
Taking a lunch break on the haystacks.
Gotta stay hydrated!
I forget how small Mio still is compared to Dan…
After Mio was done eating, we walked around to try some of the delicious fair grub ourselves…
Turkey legs remind me of college! I was tempted to get one, but I didn’t.
There were so many good food stands! We decided on some delicious garlic fries, Cajun seafood gumbo, and a root beer float… all delicious!
With our tummies full, and our hearts warmed by all the cute animals, we headed home. It was a great first carnival experience for our little family! 😀
I tried my hand at chicken cacciatore for the first time for tonight’s dinner. Cacciatore apparently means “hunter” in Italian, and it’s a perfect healthy meal for a cold winter evening. I cooked it in a dutch oven, with the chicken being braised in a bed or orzo, with layers upon layers of vegetables (I used bell peppers, broccoli, and canned tomatoes) and seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic. Delizioso!
chicken cacciatore (still steaming)made completely within a dutch oven!
