State Fair!

For the first time, I was able to sneak away and hit the State Fair this year.  Now, those of you who know me know that traditionally, I am not a super outdoorsy person, and so previously, I had only been to the state fair for concerts.  But, after hearing how much fun everyone was having, I made it a point to butt in on Kara and Papa Bill's annual trip to the Zoo.

It was so much fun!  Watching the pure joy on Luke's face as he bounced back and forth between all the different things filled my heart with joy.  We got to see his little brain working so hard, taking in things he's never seen (or rarely seen), like cows eating hay, farmers driving tractors around, and, best of all, DIGGERS!

First, we walked through pioneer village, where we sampled authentic maple syrup, watched tractors pass by from the 1940's, and watched a corn husking operation that was powered by pulleys and steam engines.  Luke really liked the old tractors, and also the fact that there were friendly cows that were eating hay.  He wanted to announce to EVERYONE that cows in fact do eat hay.



Next we headed through the Machinery farm, where there were diggers the size of houses.  Luke's little mind exploded. He couldn't figure out which one he wanted to look at, and in fact, we have a great picture of him on a John Deere tractor that he couldn't WAIT to get on, only to look to his right and see another tractor and immediately frown and point.  He just couldn't process how excited he was.  Surprisingly enough, his FAVORITE thing in this area was one of the simple 4x6 carts (a more powerful golf cart, similar to a Gator).  He loved sitting on it and pretending to drive.  He wanted Mommy and Daddy to sit in it with him and he had to push every single button that was there.

Next we went to the FFA barn where there was a very cool Farmer themed playground.  Luke had a blast in here, and we had to practically pry him away from it to go see other things.  Papa Bill spent lots of time in here playing with him, while Mommy and Daddy snuck out for a quick 6-hole mini golf contest.  It doesn't matter who won, but we had a great time.  (Also, I won.)

Next was the petting zoo, where we played goats, mini cows, sheep, and all kinds of other cool things.  Luke loved giving the animals carrots, and the animals loved him!  We also tried to go see more cows, but ended up at a Birthing Barn...which...was...a mistake.  **shudders**

Finally, of course, we hit a food stand for an elephant ear!  Kara choked and got whatever that powdered sugar crapbag pictured on the right below, which was a terrible idea, but we shared, because the elephant ears were, of course, huge.

After a long morning, Luke was very sleepy, and we had to head out, even though he did NOT want to leave.  Note to the organizers:  Please don't place an awesome mini-kart race track between the fair and the parking lot.  I thought I was going to have to carry Luke away screaming.

We stopped one last time at the friendly cows, for Luke to get a look, and he even got to see them walking away and going into the barn.  Also, it is unconfirmed if these cows were in fact friendly, because they ignored our existence, but I prefer to think of them as friendly cows.

Thanks to Papa Bill for coming and helping out!  I had a blast at the fair, something I never thought I'd say.  It's amazing how kids change things.  :)