Fair Time

This past weekend marked the beginning of the one week a year that parents around the area hate - the Tri State Fair.  Don't get me wrong, it has potential - rickety rides, live animals, and all the deep fried goodness your arteries can handle.  However, it also has every parent's bain - long lines, absurdly expensive admission/food prices, and elbow to elbow crowds.  Have I mentioned I hate the fair?  This year my dad and step-mom wanted to take the grandkids, and my step-brother and his wife oh-so-graciously offered to let the kids sleep over the night before so that Jody and I could have a much needed night off (A night that perhaps culminated with me standing on a chair singing "The Eyes of Texas Are Upon You," in the third quarter of the Texas game after yet another touchdown.  Hey, I only said perhaps, and plus, I don't get out much.).  Anyhoo, AnnaLisa sent me all of her awesome pictures, which I am plagiarizing and posting here.  I'll caption what I can with my own creative musings since I wasn't there, but sometimes making up your own plot can be way more fun than the truth :)

The big girls rockin' the kids' table.  Oh how they'll long for this respite from the adult table in about twenty years.

Post-bath.  AnnaLisa is waaaaaay braver than I am and dunked all three in at the same time.  Miraculously, no one drowned, and AnnaLisa even survived without getting soaked.  This woman is not human......

Yeah, Jered decided to bring home McDonald's knowing that there were three greedy children (two of whom are mine, and could eat a winnebago if it were made of french fries) under his roof. 

Guess who decided that Aunt Lisa needed to get up and party with her at 3:00 am?

I have proof!  My kids went to church, and their skin did not bubble up and peel off!

Again, AnnaLisa has inhuman powers when it comes to kids.  I can never get my kids to both look at the camera and smile at the same time.

So maybe the troops were a little tired after the slumber party.

Beaster goes bobbing for ducks.......

 

....and wins a fabulous prize!

Biker babes.....

....then sailors......

.....next race car drivers........

...and lastly a cowgirl.  Anyone else seeing parallels to the Village People? 

Ava wasn't totally sold on this whole horse thing.

My billy goat feeding a billy goat :)

Taylor was pumped about the camel.  Papa Val told me he wasn't all that sold on the idea.  Thankfully, Joe Camel opted not to spit on dear old dad, and lived to see another day.

Who's surprised by this picture?  Certainly not me.  I'm just thankful Taylor didn't take out the carney on her downswing.

I don't think Kadey is all that impressed with her cousin's witty repartee.  Reminds me somewhat of Cella and me as kids, lol!

Brain freeze!

So the upside is that everyone involved in the fair outing (and those of us who got a hall pass to skip it) had a great weekend.  And as a bonus, both kids are still working off that sugar hangover and have gone to bed willingly, and early, two nights in a row.  Thank you again to my awesome family for taking our kids to the fair!