County Fair 2019

Car trouble caused us to miss the state fair this year-- the first time in 13 years, I think. Pretend this overload of county fair pictures also includes state fair pictures, and we'll all be fine. 

Sniff.

I always have grand plans to make lots of new things to enter, but I usually find myself scrounging around the house for previous years' Hallowe'en costumes, instead. The county fair competition is pretty much myself, though, so we still make out well enough.

Mom's rug got a blue! I would have stormed the fence down if it hadn't.

I forced her to stand still while Debbie took a picture of us.






The best part of the fair this year was watching Tadhg. He was big-eyed the whole time, and  his cheerfulness outlasted that of just about all my children. Way to go, Tadhg! Peregrine slept nearly the entire time. "Fairs. Meh. Who cares."  Playing the chameleon with Mama, though? The coolest!

The boys were in heaven. A veritable garden of tractors!

Cadence was less effusive in her show of pleasure.

Look at her-- the perfect picture of a little farmer's wife.

The older men who run the tractor club graciously allowed the children to pedal, then pedal, then pedal again on this little tractor. They all had multiple turns, and I still had to cut them short.

Skylark liked the tractors, but she loved the chickens. It's because chickens are so exotic!

We made enough money on our exhibits to go on a couple of rides apiece before eating our picnic lunch and elephant ears.

After she went on the swings, Millie took Skylark and Aidan on this slide. Aidan went by himself, and he just soberly told me while looking at these pictures that it was "verra, verra skerry."
"But was it fun?" I asked. Somewhat uncertainly, he replied in the affirmative.

Phew, because looking at these pictures, he doesn't look overjoyed.

Skylark wasn't overjoyed, either, but that's because she was furious that she had to sit on Millie's lap instead of going down alone. Plus, she couldn't go up again.

Spoiled, little thing. We need another baby! (My favorite part of this picture is Millie just laughing at her because we're used to her rage, and it's often comical.)

Zeke went on Cliff Hanger for the first time. Annika was glad to have a little co-pilot.

Cadence was certain that motorcycles were the ride on which she wanted to blow the rest of her tickets. I took this picture of her (so sweet! so happy!) and then left to get the picnic lunch from the car. Immediately after I left, the ride began, and Millie watched as Cadence was thoroughly traumatized by the bumpy bikes.

So much for fair fun.

My timing was terrible this year. We overstayed our welcome by at least an hour, we ate lunch too late, we trapped Mom at the fair for the whole day because we were dependent on her vehicle (as our van was in the shop for the first of several summertime visits), and, worst of all, I completely forgot to take the stairstep picture.

As we were leaving, Debbie hesitated before saying almost apologetically, "Did you already take the picture by the barn?" Nope, I hadn't, and, yup, I dragged all the children from one side of the fair to the other side in order to get a picture.

The residual groans in this picture are nearly palpable.

Totally worth it!

And that's a wrap!

...until next year.