Annual Iowa State Fair Trip

Well, the score today was ISF- 1, Emily- 0.  For the first time that I can remember, I didn't make it longer than 4 hours at the fair and did not get to see everything I wanted to nor eat many foods.

Last year I went to the fair 3 or 4 times, including a 14 hour day, and would have gone even more if I could.  This year I had a hard time getting excited about it for some reason.  I may have even skipped this year (okay, maybe not), but Rylee has been talking about "the big fair" all summer.  We got our discounted tickets a few weeks ago and started talking about the things we would do at the fair.  We settled on today for the day we would visit, and asked my aunt to watch the kiddos in the afternoon so James and I could spend a majority of the day there without tired cranky kids.  It started out to be a great day.

"Mom, take our picture!"

We left the house at 7:40 this morning, hoping to get there early enough for good (free) parking in the street and have a few hours of cooler weather.  The kids were so excited, particularly Rylee who actually remembers the fair from last year.  Once we got inside the gate, she asked to do the Little Hands on the Farm exhibit.  This is always a hit.  On our way over there (of course it was on the other side of the fairgrounds), I stopped to get us some mini donuts....those never disappoint!!  They were very warm, sugary and perfect!  Wyatt got to do the Little Hands on the Farm for the first time this year and he loved it too.  They chose a rice krispie treat (Rylee) and chocolate milk (Wyatt, via Daddy) for their treat at the end of the exhibit.

Planting crops

Heading to market to sell crops

First "cow milking" experience

Next we visited the animal learning center..not very many babies yet..just some adorable little goats. The drinking fountain in that building has very cold water, FYI!

Following that, we walked through all of the animal barns.  We saw horses, pigs, cattle, sheep, bunnies, a giant elk, etc.  We got to pet a few as well.  We always like to stop and talk to the "patrol" horses who are usually very friendly.

And of course, take our annual "how many hands tall?" picture.

Last year...she has grown 1 hand. 

We stopped to watch some cows being milked at the dairy barn and then headed towards the playground to let the kids run around a bit.  The playground turned out to be super boring, but on the way we saw Bandaloni, the one man band, playing and enjoyed listening/watching him for a few minutes.  This was the first I have ever seen him (I think).

About this time we had been at the fair two and half hours and it was getting pretty hot.  Rylee came to me and said she was hot and ready to go to her aunt's house....but first, she wanted to ride one ride...the giant slide.  She wanted me to ride it with her, but I rode with my niece a couple years ago and had a hard time holding onto a child with one hand while keeping my other on the mat because I was sure it was going to come out from under me.  So, she rode with her daddy.  Wyatt and I watched them go down, and recorded it per Rylee's request.  When they made it to the bottom of the slide, Wyatt said, "My turn!!".  I told James he wanted to go too and we debated whether or not he was big enough...ultimately we decided to let him go for it.  He loved it and I got some video of him as well!

After the slide, we met my aunt back at our van and loaded the kids in for her so she could take them back to her house for lunch and naps.  She parked her car in our spot so we didn't have to find a new spot :) On the walk back in to the fairgrounds I started to feel very weak.  I was super hot and sweaty, needed food and more water.  I thought I had been keeping hydrated, but looking back, I don't think I did as well as it seemed.  James said he could use some A/C, so we headed into the Varied Industries building.  Right as we walked into the door, I was sure I was going to pass out.  I went to find a place to sit while James got me some water and a chicken sandwich.  I drank and ate a little and was actually starting to feel worse.  I was pretty sure I either going to pass out or vomit...both would have been equally bad.  I started thinking about how pissed James was going to be if we had to leave and tried to get through it....but I was feeling even worse as the minutes passed and finally told him I needed to leave.  Once we got back outside away from the crowd that's always in the VI building I started feeling slightly better, but figured we should just go anyway before I got over heated again.

So, not only did I only last 30 minutes after ditching the kids, James didn't get a single food item at the fair....normally he gets several and had one in particular that he was looking forward to.  It included a visit with an old neighbor friend who owns a food stand that he only sees once a year -- at the fair.  Not to mention, he used a day of vacation from work.  I felt pretty horrible.  I probably should have just visited the first aid building for a little bit to recharge and then tried to get another hour or two in. Ugh, even my 2 year old did WAY better than me this year -- he was pretty impressive to be honest!

I have to say I'm actually not really bummed to have missed out on any fair foods myself.  I never really have any specific foods that I look forward to.  Normally, I just kind of get whatever sounds good at the time I'm hungry.  On our way to the fair this morning I was thinking about the fair foods and honestly, couldn't think of a single thing I HAD to get. I am glad I at least got the mini donuts though.

Exhibit wise, I'm a little bummed to miss seeing all of the amazing photography, and the 4-H building.  I'm always so impressed by the talent in this state when I visit these 2 places...particularly the 4-H projects. Overall, just being at the fair and surrounded by so much agricultural information makes me so proud to be from this great state.  I know several people who don't go to the fair and "don't get it", but I think it's a great representation of our state and a great place to be reminded of how much our state does for others.

See you next year, Iowa State Fair.

Isn't HE one beautiful cowgirl?!?!