State Fair

On Friday, the kids had the day off from daycare, so we went to the fair. We left home around 8:15, drove to the Park and Ride near home, and took the bus in.

We got to the fair around 9:30 and immediately took the Sky Ride. It was our first time on it, and the kids had a great time. Both wanted to go again.

Then Joel and Bennett sat in a sheriff vehicle:

Our first food of the fair, eaten around 10 am, was mac and cheese with cheese curds. They were fantastic. Bennett wanted more.

Then we went to the Kiddie Midway for some rides. I wasn't sure how Caroline would react with the rides, since she was scared of the carousel at the zoo last weekend, so Bennett went on a ride by himself first.

Then they went on one together. Caroline had an indifferent look on her face, but when she got off, she immediately wanted more.

Next they did the bumper boats. I was really nervous for Caroline. It was the first ride she has ever done alone. I wasn't sure if she was going to stay in the boat, or freak out. She did neither and loved it. She had the steering wheel turned to one side, so she kept turning in circles, but she didn't seem to notice. She was just so content in her own boat.

Next they rode the tractors. Caroline finally started coming out of her shell, and would wave to me when they'd pass.

Then by the last ride, she was definitely in the zone, loving every minute of it. Bennett wanted to ride the motorcycle but she had to sit in the blue car.

After the rides, we listened to Bennett complain for a few hours about wanting to do more rides... He was pretty whiny all day, which is unusual for him, because he's usually the mellow one. Sitting on ATVs seemed to pacify him.

We had some ice cream and did the little farm hand exhibit. (Bennett decided to pose)

It was close to lunch time, so Joel grabbed food while the kids and I looked at tractors. Amazingly enough, Caroline fell asleep before eating. I was hoping she'd sleep at the fair, but was doubtful she'd actually do it in her stroller. Some lady asked me how long she'd nap, and I told her I'd take whatever I can get. 5 minutes, 10 minutes, I'll still be happy. Incredibly, Caroline ended up sleeping 1.5 hours while Bennett slept zero.

We took our annual picture with Fairchild. Caroline got a crown just before and was so happy to wear it. I asked her if she was a princess and she said yes.

After some more walking, it was time for the giant slide (which Bennett had been asking about ALL DAY LONG). He and Joel went first.

Then Caroline and I went. Of course as Caroline and I made our way up the stairs, Bennett started screaming bloody murder, because he wanted to go again. I really wasn't sure if Caroline would be scared, since we were up so high, but she never seemed at all nervous. She was pretty emotionless the entire time, but immediately wanted more, so it's pretty safe to say she had a great time.

We looked at animals. Caroline shrieked when she saw bunnies. "BUNNIES!!!!!!!!" she screamed. I really didn't realize how much she loved bunnies until we saw them. When we got home, we found her bunny stuffed animal and she's been pretty attached since. On our way out of the fair, we stopped for Jonny Pops and malts. Both of the kids made a huge mess.

The kids were pretty wound up on the bus ride home. Bennett didn't want to leave the fair, but on the ride, played peekaboo with Caroline, must to her delight.

Here he is posing with his mustache:

One last picture on the bus ride home. Joel's face pretty much says it all:

Overall, I'd say we had a successful fair. Bennett was definitely hard to handle. He wanted to go on rides so badly, he couldn't do anything but complain about how he wanted to go on rides. And then skipping a nap put him in a crabby mood in the evening. Caroline, surprisingly, was our superstar of the day. She enjoyed the animals, didn't throw a fit when we needed to leave the ride area. She ate a ton of turkey drumstick and ice cream. Both kids had cotton candy and loved it. I think next year we spread out the rides a bit more and hopefully we'll have a happier Bennett, but it definitely wasn't as difficult as it could've been.