Sunday morning we made our annual trek to the Clark County Fair. We (the girls and I) are planning to go again with neighbor Susie on Friday, but this was our family outing for the weekend. The fair is fun - I'm getting used to it after a few years. It's different from and similar to the Sussex County Farm and Horse Show (which has morphed into the New Jersey State Fair - You go, Sussex County!)
While you won't find waffles and ice cream (sadly), you will find LOTS of farm animals and farm people - which send the girls into extreme emotions - whether those reactions will be excited swoons and whoops or terrified screams and parental leg-climbing is sometimes very, very difficult to predetermine. This year, I'd say the big winners were the goats. I would not be surprised if someday we have little "naaa naaa" sounds echoing through our yard from behind the veggie garden (where Jay has already decided our goat area will be).
We were disappointed that due to insurance costs, (human) kids are no longer permitted to climb in and play with the baby pigs. They are pretty fun to watch, though, except if you can read. The hand-lettered sign above them says in four months they will weigh 295 pounds and be ready for slaughter.
Maggie was so excited when she saw the little ponies on the pony ride that she actually tried to cut in line. I was excited, too - I carefully kept myself from reminding her that she freaked out last year before her turn. This year, she was PSYCHED. I told her that we'd have a helper get her on the pony. She picked her pony. Then the man in the red shirt came to lift her up and FREAK OUT FREAK OUT FREAK OUT!!!!!!!!!!!! The legs were a-kickin', princess shoes were a-flyin', and she was screaming as if I had just thrust her into the waiting arms of a child molester. We recouped our $5 and went to the adjacent dairy barn for an ice cream cone and a breather.
Of course, Jay was holding Ellie during the whole escapade, and when we turned to leave, she started screaming "HORSIE! HORSIE!" So, Jay figured, "What the hell..." and got in line. And yeah, she rode the horse. She was about half the size of the next smallest kid. Then, to illustrate the difference between Dads and Moms - Jay stopped walking around in the pony circle with her. There's my BABY riding around on a pony without an adult holding on to her. I could not have felt more proud and scared at the same time if she went up in the freakin' space shuttle.
Poor Mags. We might try again Friday, and I'll see if I can get her up there without the man in the red shirt. She did, however, find a horse that she liked riding very much.
She also redeemed herself by riding a kiddie ride all by herself after we rode on the merry-go-round together. Oh my God, what am I going to do when it's time for them to get their driver's licenses?
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