State Fair

We made it out to the Eastern Idaho State Fair again this year. We figured it would be a lot of fun and Charles would enjoy it as much as Adahleigh did last year.

It ended up being quite a learning experience. Some of the things we learn were:

• A couple months makes a huge difference, Charles liked being at the fair for the most part but wasn't as interested as Adahleigh had been last year. I think the big difference was she was walking last year when we went.
• Double strollers and fair crowds don't mix well, especially when the fair is experiencing record attendance. Although, when it came nap time it was nice to have a place to put both of them to sleep.
• Independent kids are also a pain to take to crowded areas, Adahleigh had to walk around on her own and didn't want to stay by the stroller or be held, so we had to chase after her a lot.

Even with the inconveniences we still had a good time and will probably go again next year. Some of the highlights included Adahleigh pointing out the animals for Charles and telling him what they were and the sounds they made.

Although he wouldn't always look were she was pointing.

The milk goats are always the most inquisitive and entertaining. Adahleigh had to go around to each pen and pet them, but she'd only pet their side when they weren't looking at her and avoided the ones that stuck their heads out and were interested in interacting.Charles even was able to get in on the action.

One of Adahleigh's favorite places was the petting zoo that was set up by McKee's (a local pet store). She walked around and petted all the pygmy goats that were loose.Tried to get a hold of the rabbits, but they really weren't that interested in being touched. They'd only cautiously approach and she wouldn't sit still long enough for them to become comfortable with her. We also convinced her to touch an emu and llama.

We took Charles in and let him touch the goats also. He tried to grab everything, from ears to horns to noses. This was probably the most enjoyable part for him.

There was also a little activity area for kids where they could do different activities found on a farm. Like driving a tractor.
Bang on farm equipment.

Milking a cow, for some reason Adahleigh didn't want to touch the plastic cow at all. They could also stuff a scarecrow, play in beans, saddle a horse, and shop for fresh fruit and vegetables.
Once everyone had had enough fun we headed out and passed by an animal show that was about to start, so we go a seat and waited for 15min. Now one was really interested in sitting in the stands.

Unfortunately, the show wasn't really worth sticking around for. The animals didn't preform as well as you think they would for a traveling show. The actor's roles needed to be rewritten. Worst of all they tried to sell souvenirs at the end of the show that were ridiculously over priced, like a coloring or story book for $10.

It did make for a fun day out, Ashley hoped that it would rain like it did last year but no such luck.