Oktoberfest 2011

It's that time of year again!

Elsa had worn her little blue Bavarian dirndl the past two years, and even last year it was starting to look a little small, so we decided it was time to pass it down to the next little Heinrich fraulein who needed something stylin' to wear to Oktoberfest. It was a bit large on Claire, but it looked plenty precious anyway.

And that meant it was time for Elsa to graduate to a new dress. These things are not that easy to find, even on the internet. There are quite a few listed on etsy, but pretty much all of those are custom-made to order, and of course we didn't think of it until 4 days before we needed it. Fortunately, one etsy seller had this beautiful dress already made in a girls' size 5, and it was perfect! All handmade, much more detailed than her previous one, and only $10 more than the little polyester blue one that Claire was wearing.

It's hard to believe Claire wasn't even walking at last year's Oktoberfest! Or at least, not without holding my hand. : ) This year she ran and jumped and danced. Here she is dancing with Tommy, providing a serious "awwwwww" moment.

She also got a huge kick out of dancing with Bob ...

... and these pictures were just way too cute ....

... not to run all three of them.

Claire really loved Oktoberfest this year, and was a happy kid from start to finish.

She even overcame her usual shyness and tipped the band members.

Speaking of dancing, this old guy walked up to our table, out of the blue, and asked me to dance. I tried to tell him I didn't know how, but he insisted that he would teach me. (And he actually did a good job of leading.) I asked him where his wife was, and first he told me he "left her at home," then he suddenly changed his story and said she died six days ago. Um, okay, well, we all mourn in our own ways. After we danced one song, I told him I was going back to my table, and he said, "I'll give you a break for one song, but then I'm coming back!" I said, "Well, my husband might not appreciate that." Of course Bob didn't care, he thought it was hilarious–he was the one taking the pictures. But the old guy actually kind of freaked out and skedaddled, never to return, which made me wonder, was he seriously hitting on me? Is this what it's come to for me? : ) We saw him dancing with plenty of other ladies throughout the night, so I guess he had a good evening after all.

That was the only man I danced with that night, because Bob had his hands full with his other partners—here he is dancing with Elsa.

At one point I looked out on the dance floor, and there was Elsa, holding Claire's hand, taking her over to another little girl about Claire's age, introducing them, and joining their hands together so they could dance. Eventually, that initial meet-and-greet turned into this, a whole big circle of dancing kids. It started with just Claire and the other little girl, and then more and more joined in. That's my Elsa, the little social director. : ) Since Claire tends to be more reserved, something tells me that little scene will be repeated a few times throughout Elsa's and Claire's lives.

Along with the dancing, Elsa played mini golf, played on the nearby playground with Karina and Beth, and ate a gigantic brat, so she had a lot of fun too. Here she is in the conga line that snakes all through the pavilion. That's always one of the last songs the band plays, and we don't always make it that late! This year, we did!

In fact, Elsa was so busy she was barely at the table all night. Just long enough to eat, of course.

Here are Tom and Tommy enjoying their spin through the conga line.

It was yet another fun Oktoberfest. We're planning to go at least one more time this year. Happy fall!