Oregon State Fair 2009

We haven't taken the kids to a fair yet, and I've never been to a state fair (turns out they are just like any other one....just with more food)....so on Monday we went! $36 later we left the fair. Here's some of what we got for our money:
:-)

The kids hadn't really seen farm animals up close and personal, so they had their first real chance at the fair. It was funny on several levels:
1. We had to stop Maggie from touching the animals too much and in places that aren't the safest.
2. We had to talk Sam into actually getting near an animal- forget touching it
3. Later in the day when Eric commented on his son was being a wuss (referencing Sam's response to the animals...and the issue of that moment: a kiddie fair ride) I asked Eric how many animals HE touched in the 4-H barn that morning...? His answer: a sheepish "None."

Here's us enjoying our homemade (err, CHEAP) lunch in the back of the van. The kids loved it, thank goodness!

Of course we had to climb a tractor...it is the fair afterall....

And finally: SAM ON A RIDE!

We learned some things about Sam that day: he likes animals that are SMALLER than he is and he likes rides that are LOWER to the ground than he is. The ride that sat up about 5 feet (on a platform....!) was a NO GO for him. Now we know we'll be getting a cat someday and he's gonna love the scrambler.