Fair Fun 2012

We made it out to the Minnesota State Fair three times this year! Once with my parents, once with my college roomie, Sha (that's a nickname, not her real name. Ha!), and her hubby and little boy, who came from AZ to visit while the fair was running because she's heard me talk about it so many times that she decided she had to see it for herself, and once with our good friends J and L, both of whom I've known since I was a teenager. Unfortunately the stars did not align with scheduling and we did not get to make our annual trip out with friends N, D, A, M, and A this year, but hopefully next year we can make it happen!
What follows are just a few of the many photos we got at the fair this year, trying to cover all of the best parts of the fair and all of the fun that we had :-)

The Carousel was more of a hit with Audia this year

Petting the Bunnies

Checking out the horses

Bumper Boats!

Rides

Games

The Mighty Midway

Audia cried when we told her she was too young to go in the Haunted House....

Sha kicked N's butt....

Scotch Eggs

Cal was a pro at taking naps at the fair by the last day we visited!

Audia adored Sha's son, T.

Butterheads, anyone?

Cheese Curds!!!

Photo with Fairchild, the State Fair Mascot

Gotta ride the Giant Slide!

Mmmm...Cookie.....

J wanted to check out the hunting stuff...

Fish heads, fish heads, roly poly fish heads.....

Family Photo

The kids love the construction equipment

Crop Art

Pronto Pups

Had to hit up that Carousel one last time!

State Fair 2011 - Part Two

So our second trip to the State Fair was a blast. While there was a 30-40% chance of rain forecasted for the entire day, I think it only sprinkled on us for about 2 minutes, and was nice the rest of the time we were there. It certainly is a different ballgame going to the fair with four kids; while it is a lot of fun, I think next year we'll need to add a third trip and go without the kids one time. We hardly went into any buildings at all this year because just the thought of going into them with the strollers was exhausting enough!



We had to see the butter heads!

And of course you can't go in the dairy building and not get a shake!

Getting a good photo of the girls together proved difficult....

Bumper boats!

The boys

A wanted her face painted like Gene Simmons from Kiss. The butterfly was her second choice.

Callen was mezmerized by the marionettes

Mmmmm....Pickles.....

State Fair 2011 - Part One

It is no secret that I am a little obsessed with the Minnesota State Fair. Or, as it is more appropriately (and lovingly) called, 'The Great Minnesota Get-Together." I can't put my finger on one thing exactly that makes it such a big deal to me. I love everything about it. The people watching, the animal watching, the rides, the food, the music, the experience! When I started going to ASU, I had to miss the fair 4 years in a row because school starts in Arizona at the end of August rather than after labor day like it does everywhere else. The fifth year, I actually skipped my first week of school so that I could go to the fair. Because I missed it that much. One of the many reasons I listed to move back to Minnesota is so that we could go to the State Fair every year. Just a little obsessed. So, needless to say, I am thrilled to be able to share this experience with my children. Proud to make it a tradition to go (at least) twice; once with my parents, and once with our friends N, D, A, and M.

So, part one is the trip with my parents, which we did yesterday. The weather was perfect fair weather, in my opinion. Mid-to-upper 70's and partly cloudy, with periods of clouds and sun. We got there early, as we always do, and stayed for about 5 hours. I think that's pretty good considering we were with a toddler and a 2.5 month old! Speaking of which, both kids did super well. Callen was a real champ, just taking in all the sights, smells, and sounds, and napping in between. Audia had a couple of minor meltdowns towards the end of the day, but in her defense, we had gotten up about 2 hours earlier than she's used to and she skipped her nap! Overall I would call the day a success.

So, here's a little photo journey of our trip with my parents. Stay tuned for Part Two, which will take place on Friday!

Gotta get our cream puffs!

When Audia saw the piglets nursing, she asked Chris "So, are those boobies?"

Audia loved petting all the animals!

Bacon on a stick! And it was goooooood.

Waiting to get on the Carousel

So excited for the ride to start!

Hooray! It's starting!

(one revolution later) Aaaand she's done!

Scared of the Carousel but loving the Big Slide!

Eating. It's what you do at the fair.