FAIR 2011 recap

our family LOVES the fair! we go every year. most years we even go twice. we were smart and planned ahead, so this year was one of those years! we bought tickets early from woods coffee at a discounted price, since we KNEW we'd be going to the demolition derby...it's tradition. PLUS we won admission tickets/ride armbands for each family member from our bank, so we were all set to go two different days!!


monday was demo derby day. our seats were okay, but pretty high up... next year i'll be sure to remember to ask for our dream seats. section E, row 17, seats 1-whatever. that's the first row with backs, has plenty of leg room, and is right next to an aisle which makes it easier when you've got wiggly little ones! we brought earplugs and muffs for the kids, which was great. the show this year was under new management, and wasn't as good as years past... but it's tradition, so we'll be attending next year anyway.





just look at those cheeks... i could eat 'em!!


we gave ourselves a $60 budget and actually stuck to it. not an easy task what with feeding 4 people. but we remembered water bottles. i want to note NOT to get a burger from the ferndale booth next year. i keep eating there because all i remember is that i ate there the previous year, and don't remember that the burger is lousy. also, the lemonade stand under the grandstand is the best, but the ones inside the carnival is cheaper. also, i need to remember to bust out the souvenir cup i saved from this year, b/c they'll refill them next year, and refills are cheaper.

we of course had to visit and play on all the tractors. ellie even got in on the action. we've been sure to get a pic of a boomer tractor every year since we were pregnant with him.



obligatory annual boomer tractor pic




saturday was the FUN day... we packed a lunch and left early. only to realize while unloading the van that a certain 6yr old forgot his shoes. of course the parking people don't let you leave and come back, so we decided to just carry baby and let him ride until we got into the knock-off croc booth i remembered seeing on monday. well... wouldn't you know, knock-off crocs are more expensive than the real deal?! cheap-o mama wouldn't go for spending $17 on them, so we got stamped and left out the front entrance and walked a few blocks to a consignment store and bought $5 sandals 2 sizes too small for him to wear. mean? yes. frugal. heck yes! (he was fine. no blisters) by the time we got back into the fair, it was lunchtime and nana met up with us to help wrangle kids while on rides. she was a great help. oh, how we love nana!

finally. time to ride! the boys did great on the rides. they were hesitant for some, and ended up conquering fears and having a blast!

they rode the "big" coaster over in the "in-dult" part of the fair... they rode it twice they loved it so much!

daddy rode the ferris wheel with them and got some great pics. GO DADDY!



nana took the kids home around dinnertime so we could have a fair date for our anniversary. we ate and then rode our hearts out. well... 30 year old hearts seem to not need too many rides to get going, so it was more like 5 or 6. we had so much fun. we only had $7 left from our budget and at the fair, that doesn't buy much, so we cut out a bit early for some good 'ol DQ.

and lucky we did, because about an hour after we left, there was a gang related shooting there. thanks, douchebags for tainting our fun fair memories. they caught at least one of the bad guys, a 15 yr old kid. i hope the poor people who were hurt recover quickly.