Fair 2008

Well, it's that time of year again. The fair opened yesterday, and we were some of the first people through the gate. It's not that we love the fair that much, we just love that it's free admission , which saves us $10, and $18 unlimited rides, which saves us God only knows how much! Mackenzie has been every year, and this year she absolutely loved everything. We started off in the petting zoo, and we had to go around to all the animals and say hi. We gave the cows hay to eat, and Mackenzie kept saying, "We have to give the cows more meat"--hmm, ever heard of canabalistic cows, anyone? Of course we had to indulge in nasty, greasy fair food. Mackenzie and Jon shared a funnel cake, and I shared my boiled peanuts with my dad. Mackenzie's first ride of the day. It was the first time she had every ridden anything without an adult, so we were a little anxious to see how she would do, but we shouldn't have worried at all.
Another ride, another smile.
This one sort of makes me feel like a bad mom. She wanted to ride the elephants, and understandably so--they're one of her favorite animals. Apparently the centrifugal (I googled the spelling) force was pushing her really hard to the right (which is why we put her on the right side anyway) and she did not care for that at all. Still, it's a cute picture.
Riding Nemo, a sequel to Finding Nemo.

Me and Mackenzie on the Ferris Wheel with Daddy. I look cool and calm for the picture, but if you look closely, my eyes are almost closed. I remembered halfway up that I don't really care for heights, especially when the machinery isn't put together by rocket scientists.

Jon and Mackenzie. Yep, I'm on there, I'm just not crazy (read: stupid) enough to want to look out!This had to be Mackenzie's favorite ride. I can't remember how many times she got back in line and rode again, but it was many. (No worries, Mom, I've got a hand stamp!) As you can see, she never let go of the rail. On every ride. Not just this one. Every ride. She did squeal at the top of her lungs on this one.

She's in the 3rd full car from the left. Still holding on.

Fourth car from the left. Still holding on. Cute kid.

We had to play Pick Up Ducks, it's a family tradition.

And what toy did she pick when she had 4 to pick from? A duck.

Jon really used his unlimited ride pass, and went on all the adult rides. You can see him on this one. The set of cars all the way to the left, the idiot towards the bottom, with blue and black sneakers on. Yeah, that's my husband.

I rode one adult ride, the Pirate Ship, and that was enough for me.

One of my dad's and Jon's friends from work was working the fast pitch booth, and let Mackenzie try her hand at a fastball. I think she almost made it to a double-digit mph.

Last but not least, we stopped by the alligator show on the way out. After 5 1/2 hours of rides, we were ready for a break. Mackenzie loves all animals, so she was enthralled by the gator. Her favorite part was when Kachunga, the alligator handler, pried the gator's mouth open, and I think, purposefully let the jaws snap shut. She has talked about the "alligator snapping" nonstop.This is a stock picture from the fair's website of Kachunga and an alligator. We saw this move, too. Mackenzie being such an animal lover, wanted to make sure that the gator wasn't being hurt. We headed home around 10pm, and Mackenzie fell asleep before we got halfway home. She stayed asleep through changing into pj's, and slept until 10am. Go Fair!