Fair Time!

Growing up, I spent every summer getting ready for the County Fair.  I participated in everything from the Jr. Livestock Show and Sale to the Talent Find, and even showed off my skills in the fine arts competitions.  My family literally LIVED at the fairgrounds during the fair each August.  Since there isn't an official holiday in August, I consider The County Fair to be the August holiday.  My family and I have so many fond memories and traditions associated with The County Fair, and I hope to keep them going with my kids.

So this year, right before the fair, Lucy got sick . . . a combination of allergies, teething and a cold resulting in an ear infection.  She was one miserable chick!  The day we went to the fair, I got sick.  Luckily we had Kenny's parents camp trailer, and I figured we could be sick at the Fair just as easy as we could be sick at home, so we went.  I didn't get any pictures that first day, but we had a good time.

On Saturday the kids and I visited Andy and Alicia's Tropical Sno Snow Cone booth and they treated us to some super yummy snow cones - thanks guys!

The perfect treat on a hot day!

Then we went to see the animals - definitely Lucy's favorite part!  She LOVES animals, and doesn't seem to be afraid of any of them.  Lots of people had brought their dogs, and while we were watching the Jr. Livestock show she just went from one dog to the next, feeding them, petting them, and hugging them.  One of the pigs stuck its nose through the fence right where she was standing, and it didn't even phase her.  However, she did decide that a pig is not a fun animal to pet - too poky!  She would have climbed right in with the steers if I would have let her, and enjoyed hanging out in the goat pen with my family's goats. 





 Stetson enjoyed seeing the animals as well, and was getting tips on how to show them from his uncles.  Just two more years until he can take an animal to the fair!





 Kenny has been serving as the Jr. Livestock Treasurer for the past 6 years, so we usually have to sit behind the scenes at the sale, recording names and numbers and taking money.  This is his last year, so he was training a replacement, and that freed me up to chase after the kids and watch some of the sale.

Jade and his Star Class Goat

Jens, selling his goat

McKady's goat stood out because it was mostly brown, and all the others were mostly white

 Another highlight at the fair is the local and youth rodeos that they do.  It is so much fun to watch people we know doing real cowboy and rodeo stuff in the arena.  We just set up our camp chairs outside the fence and enjoyed the show from there.  I HATE fighting small children in the stands!  It was nice because the kids could run around and play in the dirt - and best of all . . . dance to the music!  I wish I would have had my video camera!

Lucy playin' in the dirt

 I tried to talk him into doing mutton busting (I did it when I was three), but he didn't think that looked like very much fun, he would rather do the hide pull. The hide pull is a race where one cowboy pulls a rope tied to a tarp to the other end of the arena and the second cowboy jumps on the tarp and they race to the finish line.  He wanted to be the one to ride the tarp . . . maye next year!



Stetson dancin' to the music



The next evening, we went over to my parents' house to visit and relax.  We were all sitting on the back patio, when I heard Stetson scream - the kind of scream that makes a mother's heart stop.  Him and his cousin were playing on some old tractors my parents have in their yard, and he got stung by a bee.  Now, just as a reference, my dad has been life flighted twice due to a bee sting, and Stetson was with me when I went down after getting stung by a bee, so he was pretty sure he was going to die!  I tried to stay calm, and took him into the house to assess the damage and get some ice.  I set him on the counter in the kitchen, and he let out another blood curdling scream, "it stung me again!" he yelled.  I don't know if it was the same one or a different one, but he definitely had been stung again, first on his eye brow, and second on his arm.  Since this bee allergy seems to be hereditary, I watched him very close, but other than the swelling above his eye, he seemed to be okay. 



The first sting . . .



. . .and the second sting.

 Kenny and I kept checking him throughout the night, and he seemed to be breathing okay, but the swelling kept getting worse.  By morning, he looked like a little Chinese man!

Here he is showing off the money he has saved for a motorcycle

The good news is that he is okay this time, the bad news is that his reaction is identical to both mine and my dad's at a young age . . . the reaction gets worse with each sting.  So I will continue to take an Epi Pen with us wherever we go.