A big chunk of my childhood summers were spent at my Uncle Jim and Aunt Judi's farm with their kids in the Willamette Valley. Being big into 4-H, they spend every day at the county fair (often tenting it at night there too!) and many days at the state fair as well. And lucky me got to take along. I loved it...Roaming around and browsing all the exhibits. Helping with the animals. Watching my cousins do their cooking demonstrations and show their animals. Taking all day to decide how to spend the $1 that my Grandma gave me to spend at the fair. Hitting all the freebies at least once a day (i.e. free samples at the VitaMix booth, trial-size samples at the MaryKay booth, spin the wheel to win a prize, etc). Participating in various contests, like watermelon spitting. Playing on the playground when we were younger kids; checking out cute guys when we were older kids. =) Yes, those were the days of being a carefree youngster, enjoying one of the best parts of summer.
Now it's a bit different. I'm the one packing up the kids, diaper bags, strollers, sack lunches, etc, and hauling them around the fair, getting an aching back from the baby in the front pack, changing diapers in nasty fair bathrooms, and looking for good spots to nurse. Yes, things have definitely changed. I don't get to enjoy it as much first-hand, but I really enjoy getting to pass along my love for fairs to my daughter (Ben's not really into yet, but next year he'll learn =). Kevin had a rare two days off in a row due to stormy weather last week and after taking the first day to do paperwork and business stuff, I was able to talk Kevin into going with us to the Puyallup Fair the second day. We had a wonderful time! The animals, of course, were definitely the highlight for Abby, so we spent most of our time checking out cows, goats, dogs, pigeons, horses, ducks, geese, pigs, and more.
Walking through one of the barns.
Learning to milk a cow. A fake cow, obviously.
(On a side note, it was wacky for me to realize that it was only last year when my mom and I took Abby to the Puyallup Fair - I was nursing Abby who couldn't walk yet and had just found out I was pregnant. Can that only be one year ago? Life changes so quickly when you have young children!)
Anyway, fairs are fun. When I was a kid they were fun and now with my own kids they are lots of fun too. More tiring and more work, but still fun. =)
Anyway, fairs are fun. When I was a kid they were fun and now with my own kids they are lots of fun too. More tiring and more work, but still fun. =)
3 comments:
I enjoyed reading your about your memories of the fair.
Awww, I love fairs, too! By the time I realized that it was fair season, all the local ones had come and gone, and our chance to do the Puyallup didn't work out (as you know.) I used to go to both the Kitsap County and Puyallup EVERY year. We certainly are in a different season of our lives, aren't we?
I like the picture of Abby milking the "cow". :o) (I have a feeling Luke would do something like flick the udders back and forth with his fingers, or yank on them so hard he'd threaten to knock the cow over. He's a "city boy" and hasn't ever seen a cow milked.) :o)
So fun! We like going to the fair too, and our kids enjoy it as well! There is so much to see and do (for free, at this age!!) Glad you had a good time!
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