~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~
Every Thursday, here at Like Mother, Like Daughter!
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We made it to the Oklahoma State Fair last week — twice, actually, since the first time was a Saturday, and very crowded. (We had hoped to avoid going on the weekend, but thought at the time Capt P didn't have any free time during the week. But then an afternoon opened up after all, and we decided at the last minute to go for a second round.)
Oklahoma sunsets, even through the window of a car speeding down the highway, can be pretty spectacular. There's just so much sky!
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I loved stepping away from the noisy carnival and vendors hawking deep-fried-bacon-wrapped-X-on-a-stick, and into the big barns, where there was a very different kind of state fair going on. Here, children and teens worked hard to wash and groom and show off their cows, sheep, and pigs in front of very serious judges (who said things like, “This heifer has a real nice feminine look to her, and a really shapely front end.” And they were completely serious!)
We chose our own favorites at the beginning of each round, of course, but my husband (who lived on a farm when he was a boy and showed his own animals through 4-H) always chose better than me. The stinker.
We also checked out the petting zoo, which had not only the standard goats and sheep, but also deer (fawns! adorable!), alpaca, and even a few wallabies! So cool.
You can see in the first picture above that Pippo was really embracing the “petting” aspect of the experience. One finger at a time is enough, thanks mom.
Molly loved seeing all the animals, but was a little too intimidated to let us put her down. Every time we did, there somehow would appear a goat right in her face, looking for food. It was a bit much.
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On our way up the ramp to the big barn, pushing the big double stroller, we started running into a lot of people going in the same direction. Like, really a lot. There was quite a traffic jam at the top of the ramp, with hundreds of families trying to make their way through the doors. I was a little confused, since I sort of expected the barns to be the calmer part of the fair, and thought to myself, “are all these people really waiting in line to see a bunch of cows?”
Then a frazzled woman with a few kids in tow asked me if they were letting strollers in, because her husband was in line dropping theirs off at the stroller check — I looked over the edge of the walkway and saw a big sign saying “all strollers must be checked before entering” and about fifty parents already standing in line.
What? This is crazy. I just want to go see the sheep! Everyone needs to chill out!
Finally we admitted defeat, turned back down the ramp, and decided to head for one of the smaller barns in hopes that there wouldn't be such a ridiculous crowd. It wasn't until we passed a few more little girls in princess dresses that I checked the map and schedule again, and realized. We weren't heading up the ramp to the big barn — we were heading up the ramp to the Arena. Where Disney on Ice was starting in twenty minutes.
I just thought this was wonderful. Disney on Ice! We have no interest! We have no tickets! That line is not for us! Let's go to the boring barns! Yippee!
We didn't just do the barns, of course — Pippo got to go on some rides, including his first roller coaster! We weren't sure whether he'd be excited or intimidated, but he loved it.
As I'm sure you can tell from his animated expression.
We did our best to get a taste of some State Fair ridiculousness, which in our case including watching some racing pigs and choosing one outrageous fair food to try.
Our outrageous fair food of choice? Deep-fried Chocolate-chip-cookie Ice Cream Sandwich on a Stick.
It wasn't bad at all — about as good as you could expect something so ridiculous to taste. We all split one, and I think we're good until next year, now.
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Of course, taking two little ones to the fair is exhausting — for everyone. This picture doesn't even begin to convey the wreck that was poor Molly at the end of our second trip. She was covered with sweat (it was hot! 90s and very humid. Ick.), sunblock, and graham cracker crumbs, not to mention the layer sticky, dirty, generic fair residue. The kids were disasters.
We got home, gave them a quick bath, and got them to bed late, and I braced myself for a rough day after. As the Capt. told me as we collapsed on the sofa after tucking them in, “Well, I'm glad we did it. Barely.”
The silver lining is that exhausting our children so thoroughly helped solidify the earlier bedtime we'd already been trying to establish. I mentioned to him later that evening, “You know, hon, a few more trips to the State Fair, and we could have these kids in bed by 6:15!”
His emphatic reply? “Not worth it.”
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Shyla says
This whole post gave me such a good laugh!!! I can relate to it all. The Disney on ice part is too funny lol!!
Mystie says
Yes, fairs are exhausting! I finally told the kids last year that we go to our local county fair every other year, not every year. 🙂 And this year we traded our fair experience for a large amusement park (with Dad! usually I do the county fair myself).
Pig racing and deep fried ice cream sandwiches, however, are not something we have at our northwest fair. 🙂
Jill Foley says
It looks fun but exhausting…I’ve never taken my kids to a state fair.
Love those sunsets!
Kyle @ Aspired Living says
I love this link up it keeps me taking pictures of the kids all week! Thanks for the encouragement!
margaret says
Oh my gosh, I can so completely relate. Afternoon excursions, especially when they compete with toddler naptime, can really mess up your whole next day, but they are kind of worth it sometimes. We need to get serious about an earlier bedtime too. We’ve been creeping close to 7:30, which is just too late for my daughter when she needs to be up by 6:45. I’m ready for bed at 6:30 these days!
Mary says
What fun! I love Pippo’s thoughtful expressions and brace face.
Allison says
Looks like so much fun! Love those beautiful Oklahoma sunsets! I went to a county fair in MI when I lived there for a year and it was fantastic! Perfect cool weather and all of the things a county fair should have, animals, rides, pies, jams, giant pumpkins, and, of course, weird and wonderful deep fried foods (though this was before so many things were fried, I believe the main options were fried Oreos or Snickers).
Chris says
Thanks for hosting!
Loving your fair pics and commentary!
Katie says
My family used to attend our large, local ag fair yearly and I think I had some good memories from it. But then, I got a job at the fairgrounds office during the summer to help pay for college. Saw all the behind the scenes stuff and drama, including the transient “carni” people. It really stripped away the illusion of wholesomeness (my husband had a similar experience working for Disneyland one summer). I haven’t had the least desire to got to a large fair since. We have our own farm animals, so my kids have their fill of ag. The lesson is: don’t go behind the scenes; remain in blissful ignorance up front.
Jen says
Looks like fun, even though it was exhausting! We have nothing like that where we live.
Karen M says
Oh, that careful, one-fingered petting along the fawn’s white line is just too perfect. What a lovely, studious little guy Pippo must be, when he’s not being silly, of course. 🙂 I am so glad you got that shot!
Anamaria says
Makes me wish we had made it this year! All the animals are great. 90’s is decent fair weather for Oklahoma, though ;). Really just can’t complain about the heat this year with 2011 and 2012 still so fresh in my mind.
Woman of the House says
It looks like you all had a great time at the state fair. The deep fried ice cream looks amazing! I’ve never had any, but I’d be willing to give it a go sometime.
Molly says
I miss those Oklahoma sunsets–thanks for sharing! I have such fun memories of the fair.