A Day at the Fair

A while ago I got an invitation to buy discount fair tickets from BECU and the discussion began - to go or not to go? Rick didn't seem to want to go. But I wanted to go, especially with family, to get shots of kids on rides. I bought everyone's tickets and then left for Hawaii.

When I got back Rachyl mentioned that she and Shirley and all the grandkids would be going on Tuesday. Hey! I don't have anything going on - I'll invite myself to follow them around with my camera!

The weather was absolutely perfect, you couldn't have planned a better day to spend outside at the fair. Warm and sunny, we even managed to get sunburned!

There was nothing outstanding about the fair, especially when the focus was keeping a nearly 4-year-old, a 5 and a 6-year-old happy. But watching them enjoying themselves was very satisfying.

Especially Hunter. That boy could NOT keep his attention on our group and how to follow us. He walked slowly, lagging way behind because his head was turning constantly trying to take in everything around us, it was all so interesting. That'll be my greatest memory of Hunter's visit to the fair, that and how every time I tried to guide him back to the group he'd push my hand away, not wanting to be touched. I finally just began to tell him I'd touch him if he didn't catch up.

Shayne is in a stage where pouting is a regular thing if he doesn't get his way. He kept being reminded, though, that he WOULD get to do everything he wanted, we'd be there all day, we just couldn't follow his schedule, we had to space things out.

Joe - he's getting so big. I really can't recall him giving us any trouble. He seemed happy to just do things our way and was a real help with Hunter on some rides that needed a guide. I'm sure helping Hunter actually squelched his ability to just have fun some times, but he didn't seem to mind. What a great big brother and big cousin.

Shirley already knew what interactive things the boys should do so Rach printed up a schedule of those things and we fit them all in. There was a tractor pull and "Let's Pretend Farm Time", free face painting, the Planting Patch, and, just for Shayne, the "Wool Riders Only Mutton Bustin'".

All the boys participated in the tractor pull. Hunter was actually a little too young for it but he gave it a good try. Joe and Shayne both completed the first round but Shayne had to leave before the finals to go mutton bustin'. Joe did the finals and couldn't complete it, they double the weight the kids are required to pull and the weight is actually moving up an incline on top of a foot (or sled) that the kids have to drag.

Shayne has done the mutton bustin' a couple times but Shirley wasn't sure he'd do it this time because his confidence-builder, Dad, wasn't there. He actually was on the back of the sheep before he chickened out. What they do is just hang onto the sheep while the sheep bolts across a long pen, usually taking about 6 seconds. It's a real competition that the winner of each round is invited back to a final competition to crown the Puyallup Fair 2011 champion. Then the champs are all flown to the Nationals, this year in California, Fresno, I believe, for one last competition to crown the national champ.

But the winning interactive event was the "Let's Pretend Farm Time". They got to choose a character and get into costume and participate in basically a one-man show, they were more like props, but really cute props. Joe was a cowboy, Shayne was a cow and Hunter was a sheep. But Hunter stole the show. He was supposed to sit on the side during most of the play but, as he was when we were walking around, he was enthralled with everything around him. So he was up checking things out in the stage area. Then he discovered he had a tail and was playing with that. It was too cute! I think Rach, Shirl and I all had tears in our eyes, laughing so hard! Such a cute little boy up there in his own little world! And when it was time to introduce the players he told the MC his name was "Sheep" which started all the following kids in that direction (the pig ended up saying his name was "Oink").

We warned them when we were wrapping up the trip, letting them know that this would be the last ride. I think they were all pretty well worn out. Shay and Hunter both fell asleep in the car. 

An all-around fun day for kids and grown-ups alike!