Life is Fair

This weekend, some of our friends mentioned that it would be fun to go to the Fair since it was in town. When we heard what the admission was, we were both shocked because we both imagined the last Fair we attended in Searcy, Arkansas. Then we heard at this Fair there is a Shark Show, a Sea Lion Show, a Gator Show and a Circus. We were hooked! We thought that was a great idea, so we set the date for Tuesday since Kenny would be out of school (we could spend more time during the day), and it was 'ladies night' (cheaper admission).

We hoped there would be also be the typical animals so Avery could enjoy petting them. Unfortunately, the only livestock we found were cows. The cows were lined up in rows, and Avery actually didn't recognize them from behind, so when we got to the smallest one on the end, she pointed and asked, "dog?" We told her they were cows, and got all of the "moos" out of the way.

In another large barn labeled Farmer's Row (or something) there were several booths, one of which was a farming booth, complete with a large sandbox and several carrots poking out of the sand. Avery was unsure of what to do when the farmer asked if she wanted to pick some crops, but after the first carrot was pulled and dropped into the basket, she decided to go ahead and pick the rest of them as well. "Der," (there) she said as she handed the basket back to the farmer.

We also walked through the exhibit hall, and I was pleased to receive my 'ladies night' ticket for the drawing later on. The best part was that the man passing them out wasn't going to give me one because, "you have to be 19." I laughed out loud, and he looked at me funny. I said, "well, thank you, but I'm 27 and I have a little girl just right around the corner over there." Very flattering. Hope that helps me out in the future as well.

On to the shows we went. We were in the back of the shark show, so Avery wasn't impressed, but luckily the Sea Lions, who were right next door, kept lunging up on the side of their pool and 'honking' at us. Avery thought that was great fun. She was mezmorized during the actual Sea Lion show, and we struggled with the thought to pay extra money to get her picture taken with them. Unfortunately, she was not at all impressed with the Gator Show, so she and Daddy decided to walk around and enjoy the lights.

The circus was next on our agenda, but time was starting to run short, and after walking in to see how small it actually was, decided to leave and start the riding of rides.

Avery had been such a good girl for so long, we decided to let her try a ride before we did. She saw the giant slide and said, "sly?" So, since I had the unlimited armband, I was chosen to take her to the top of the very, very tall slide. As people whooshed by us on our way to the top, Avery hollared, "weee!" After realizing how high up we really were, I got a little nervous that she would be scared, but I was completely wrong! A big push and off we went. "Wee!" she continued on down the "sly!" When we got to the bottom, she turned around and was on her way to climb back up, and was very disappointed when we told her it was time to move on.

Daddy took her on the carousel next. None of the other children were squealing with delight like our sweet baby girl. I never was at a loss of where she was because she passed us on the side where we were standing, and we continued to hear giggles as she and Daddy journeyed to the other side.

After the carousel, we went on the Dizzy Dinosaurs. Again, I was chosen 'because of my armband." (I think it was because Kenny did not want to get dizzy.) We shared a dinosaur with a father and daughter, and as they turned the wheel on the inside (to make us go in even more circles), Avery decided she needed to help. Between giggles, she grabbed the wheel and contributed to our dizziness.

Since we were with friends, we thought it would be fair to ride some adult rides, so headed out of the kiddie section. Along they way, we found several more rides that Avery wanted to get on so badly, but she did not quite reach the 36" mark. I guess that 98 percentile in height didn't get her anywhere that night.

After we rode our rides (and felt very sick: what's up with that?), and after several pleas to "rye?" (ride) we headed to find more rides for Avery. If you know Avery, you know her love for water, so once she saw the bumper boats, she was hooked. Even though she didn't 'measure up,' the sweet ladies working the ride let her on anyway. Avery was by far the youngest out there, but was having the most fun showing off her mad driving skills. I struggled with the thought that my little baby was sitting in a bumper boat all by herself. She was perfectly content without me and didn't need anyone (except the worker to get her out of the corner when she got stuck). The workers could tell she was having so much fun so they let her ride for a very long time. Unfortunately, it had to come to an end and Avery was not pleased when it did. She had two more opportunities later on to continue her driving adventure. I'm proud of her independence.

After another shot at the 'sly,' we searched for another ride for Avery and found another woman willing to give it a try, as long as she rode with the two other children already seated. The ride was one similar to the Dizzy Dinosaurs, but was a hot air balloon instead. Avery jumped out of Daddy's arms, ran to the basket, climbed in and started chatting it up with the kids whom she'd never met. I don't know if she gets her no fear attitude from being around all of the older kids at school all the time, or if she's just confident. Either way, I like her personality and hope she can continue to be the leader I know she can be.

After more adult rides and games, we wrapped up the evening around 10:30 with four tired adults and one exhausted, but happy baby. It's amazing how your focus changes when you become a parent. Fairs were so different when we were young. I was always very self seeking, wanting to ride as many rides as possible, but Kenny and I found ourselves having more fun watching our little one enjoy herself. I guess that's called maturity.

She's such a trooper...and not a baby anymore.