Our daycare randomly decided (ok, maybe it was on the schedule - but who really looks that closely at those?) to close for an inservice day today. Recently Matt and I have discussed using our Fridays off to go do stuff we can't do with the kiddos in tow - like fishing. But this week was just not meant to be... So with a Friday off and two kids to entertain (ok, one - Henry doesn't really need much entertaining!), we decided to go to the State Fair and try to miss the crowds sure to be present on the first Saturday it was open.
Our plan was a winner, the crowds were pretty minimal. Though somehow I still had to wait in line 10 minutes for fried cheese curds. I know it's just slightly fancier cheese sticks, but they were so good last year! Totally worth the wait again!
Mmmm look at that fried, stringy goodness. I'm not sure Matt was as impressed as I was by them. His loss and more for me! Though Thomas did request his fair share.
Then off to the animal barn. He loved the "birds". I did manage to get him to say chicken - he's in the stage where he will repeat almost anything you say if he's in the mood. I love the chicken on the left - what is going on with his feathers?? He looks like I feel most mornings!
We even braved the petting zoo. He wasn't too sure about the sheep running into everyone in a mad attempt to get every last morsel of food, but he seemed to like the calm, small goats. I thought he did a great job petting them gently and only had to keep him from going in their goat house (seen in the background) once!
This horse was super pretty. I don't think I've ever seen a blond & brown horse.
Maybe she's born with it... Maybe it's neigh-belline!
Ha - I saw that joke online somewhere, it seems like a perfect time to use it. Too cheesy?
*sigh*
Back to the fair!
This was a new addition - it's to promote hand washing after the petting zoo and the person who came up with the super cool farm themed hand washing station has been renting them out all over the lower 48 for fairs and such. Of course, Alaska is a little far to take one for a rental, so we are the only place that owns one. I was so excited for Thomas to try out - turns out he wasn't so excited. I think it was the chickens blowing hot air that kinda make him nervous. That's understandable I guess...
Thomas trying to hula-hoop with me. He didn't quite get the concept, but he certainly tried real hard to have fun with it. I was very proud that I haven't lost all of my hula-hooping skills since grade skill. I managed to keep it up, but walking with it was definitely not happening. In my defense, I had a toddler rushing at me most of the time.
This little guy was all tuckered out after the excitement of seeing all the animals from a safe distance. Luckily the fancy stroller fully reclines for a nice napping area!
The other little speedster was super excited about riding the trucks! He was way too short to ride it alone, but they let the parents ride along with the little ones. He had his hands on the steering wheel the whole time, but according to Matt wasn't so great at turning it. We honestly weren't sure if he liked it, but when it was time to get out he got upset - so we'll take that as he liked it!
I know Alaska isn't as hot as Texas, but this still seems like a very *bad* idea...
This fried Elephant Ear on the other hand? A great idea! And Nutella sauce on top?? An amazing idea! I'm not sure which of the three of us made the biggest mess - my money is actually on Matt. He preferentially had the Nutella side.
Happy baby! With his every present Biraffe...!
Apparently the band that started playing was "too loud!" for Thomas. I didn't think they were loud at all, so my guess was that he was all worn out at this point. We didn't consume much fair food or see many shows this year, but everyone had a good time - so I still call it a successful day.
On the exit from the fair though, Matt decides one more adventure is in order! He wants to drive up the road a little way and cut across Hatcher Pass. I think he was feeling left out from my adventure with my parents the other day. It was later than we intended to leave the fair, but why not? Plus I heard the blueberries were starting to ripen on the pass, so I was game!
Turns out we have no clue what blueberry plants look like! We drove and kept stopping to look, but nothing looked like the potted blueberry plants we bought earlier this year. We finally came upon a few other people that looked like they must be picking blueberries, so I sent Matt off to investigate while I hung out with the napping kids in the car.
Success!!
It turns out the wild blueberry plants are less than a foot tall and we would have never seen them just looking from the car. The berries were pretty small and we really didn't have much to store them in. So Matt picked enough to almost fill an empty starbucks cup we had in the car and we called it good.
He's been asking if that is enough to make a pie... Maybe a teeny tiny one...!