the state fair

Henry: It's finally August 12th!

Thomas: We is doin' to the fair with dranpa and dranma and me and my big brudder and my mommy.

Henry and I have a special tradition of going to the fair every year. He has always loved farm animals, probably due to my unconscious training. I love farm animals too. My dad grew up on a farm, so I suppose that is why I have this soft spot for agricultural stuff. And I love to have my dad come along to the fair- he always teaches us something new. I hope this will be something my kids will always remember.

We had planned to go yesterday, because a cousin from a different part of the state was going to be receiving an award for her Severe Weather Poster design! And yesterday's weather cooperated to make it a perfect day.

When we finally got into the parking area (after sitting in quite a bit of traffic, but the boys were very patient), we caught a ride to the front gate on a wagon, pulled by a tractor. How cool was that? You can tell by the boys' faces:

(Tommy is wearing Grandma's hat!)

When we got inside, we quickly veered off the midway, and headed for the animal barns. Here are grandpa and Thomas admiring some beautiful cows:

And Henry, milking a cow:

A shift out of the usual routine came when we went across to the other side of the fair to see my cousin and her family. This upset Henry a bit, and he did a lot of loud disagreeing. It also required crossing the midway again, and Henry caught sight of some of the Disney-type prizes available as prizes for the games.
I really try to keep him in the dark about anything at the fair aside from the agricultural stuff. If we had to go and ride the rides and play the games and mill about with all the crowds eating funnel cakes, I wouldn't do it.
After some lunch and some strawberry ice cream, Henry's mood was back on track. We checked out the tent where newborn babies were on display- some lambs, chicks, ducklings, and a calf that was just trying to stand up! I think if we had arrived a few minutes earlier, we would have seen it being born!! While I might have found that interesting, it probably would have scarred my children for life, so just as well that we missed it.
While trying to duck out of the crowds, I led us into the building where a horse show was going on. As we walked around the perimeter, past the concession stands, Henry heard the organ music coming out of the arena, and requested to go in. OK, why not?
So we caught just the last set of the competition- (I don't know anything about horses, so don't know what to call this type of riding) individual horses, pulling small wooden wagons. The announcer would instruct them to run at different gaits, then stop, then go backwards! At the point when the riders had stopped, and all was quiet, Henry shouted out "they won the game!" Pretty funny. Then, when the horses were lined up at the end, Henry shrieked "the black horse won!"
He ended up being correct: the black horse did win first place. But there were only 2 horses in this competition, so he had a 50/50 chance of being correct.

It was comforting to see that we could add a new activity to the day with pleasant result. Of course, it was all Henry's idea. I'm sure if grandma, grandpa, or I (or God forbid, his brother) had suggested watching the horse show, Henry would have not gone so willingly.
When it was time to leave, of course Henry didn't want to. That's when Grandma pulled something out of her bag of tricks: "Henry, I have a new puzzle for you back at your house. A Cinderella movie poster puzzle." After hearing that, Henry couldn't get out of the fair fast enough!
I have to post this last picture, even though I try not to post anyone's picture without asking their permission:
My dad is such a good sport. On the way out of the fair, Henry was tired, and riding in Thomas' stroller. So dad carried Tommy on his shoulders. Then I had the bright idea of buying the boys frozen fruit bars to eat. Thomas carried his happily, but didn't eat any of it. Instead, he let it melt down onto Grandpa's head and shoulder. Before I grabbed it from him and threw it away, I made them pose for a picture so I would always remember.
Mom and dad even bought me a souvenir: a t-shirt from the John Deere licensed products booth that says "farmer's daughter" with the John Deere logo. When it comes to the fair, I guess I'll never grow up! (Here's the John Deere website, but the shirt I got isn't pictured there.)