Fair Day 08

Today was fair day - every year we go to the Minnesota State Fair with our kids. Here we are by the barns at the southwest corner of the fair, shortly after arriving. This year I really wanted to make sure that we had enough seats for each kid to be able to ride. This turned out to be a very good thing, although not for the reason I was anticipating. I had hoped for a hardcore fair year - meaning that I would get to go into the Creative Activities building, maybe the Merchandise Mart, maybe even the Education building. Read on...Luckily we did visit the livestock barns first. Well, we visited one livestock barn - the pig barn! I always like to see the mama pig and her 1,000 piglets that must nurse at all times. This reminds me of having a newborn baby (and yes, we have brought all three of our children to the fair as little, little babies). Anyway, here is a shot of Roses #2 and #3 looking at a pig. Note that Rose #3 in this picture is still upright...

Fast forward some and she was in fact completely conked out with about 101.5. We walked around, saw some opera singers (you can see a lot at the fair!), ate mini donuts and corn dogs, and then poor old Rose #3 completely lost it and fell asleep.
Between walking around and meeting Uncle Andy, Aunt Tonya and Sam & Maddie at the Giant Slide, I took Roses #1 and #2 to the play farm. It is kind of an exhibit where the kids get an apron, a pail, and they walk through a pretend farm, pretending to feed the chickens, move bales of hay with a tractor, etc. At the end each kid gets to pick a food item. Rose #1 chose Golden Grahams (General Mills is a sponsor!) and Rose #2, bless her unlikely little heart, chose an apple! Anyway, H was waiting for us (with zonked out Rose #3) and he took a picture of this sunflower:
Perhaps riding the giant slide with Rose #3 in the state she was in was not the wisest, but we did ride it - H with Rose #3, me with Rose #2, and Rose #1 all by herself, on these little burlap rug thingies that you use to ride the slide. $2 a pop, per person. We only rode once!

Then we went to the food building to try to find some actual lunch food. We found a spot outside the building, and Rose #3 was very, very fussy. I was glad to escape her to go into the building to get lunch for the girls. When I came out, I sent H in to find lunch for himself, and Rose #3 started crying and pointing to her...you guessed it...tummy. Next thing I know she is vomiting all over the place - all over me, all over her, all over the stroller, and Roses #1 and 2 were looking on in horror. Many, many innocent bystanders hurried out of the way without offering so much as a word of sympathy. One nice man tried to hand me a paper napkin...luckily I had a large quantity of wipes!

In the end, Rose #3 and I left to get the car (she was not too stinky on the bus ride back, luckily), and Roses #1 and 2 stayed with H to burn through the ride coupons we had. Here they are on the ferris wheel:

Another year at the fair, come and gone. Next year will be better, right? I mean, how much worse can it get than Rose #3 puking on you at the Great Minnesota Get-Together??