i am of german decent. polka music, sausage, sauerkraut and beer are a part of me. my family started going to Oktoberfest in Fredericksburg, Texas about 8 years ago. i've had to miss one or two years but other than that ryan and i have been every year. we know polka better together than we two step. we started going before we were married and before we had kids. now that we have kids the dynamic has changed a bit. we don't stay as long, we don't go to the wineries, and we don't shop the town. we rent a house out of town, wake up to the kids, brew coffee and relax. we try and save all energy for the festivities. 

friday night is a lot less crowded so we try to get our dancing in then. saturday starts with face paintings... this is a big thing for us. this was annie's third year getting her face painted. she patiently waits in line (anywhere from 45min - 1 hr 1/2) it's crazy but for our kids, worth it. it's the first thing we do. once the faces are painted we are off to snag a seat and polka the night away. the girls love to dance, hop around, and do the chicken dance. 

we end the weekend by getting one of every pastry at the old german bakery in town and then attend mass as a family. the pastries go fast so we wake up early to claim our sweets. life is good. this trip is short but l leave so happy and excited for the years to come. 

we stayed at river road ranch, mini's house, this year. it was a first for us and it was great. the pedernales river is really close so we fished and canoed during the day. the kids especially loved this part.