The State Fair of Texas

We almost missed the State Fair of Texas this year. Once we realized (on Saturday) that the last day of the fair was the following day, Sunday, we made spur of the moment plans to go. While I don't so much enjoy the parking, traffic, long lines, and crowds of people, it brings me back to my childhood. I feel as though we would be cheating our children by not giving them the experience of the grand ol' State Fair of Texas! This was the first year that Tucker was able to fully experience it for himself, and he sure had a blast. I, on the other hand, struggled with the urge to wipe him down with antibacterial wipes every 5 seconds, but alas, I survived. Macy even came out alive after being around such large crowds of people.

The rides were a huge hit. Tucker was big enough this year to ride a few of the kiddie rides, but not tall enough to ride the motorcycles, which was what he really wanted to do. His pouting turned into laughter once he realized that he could ride the cars and pirate ship. He "drove" General Lee with another little boy, whom he immediately referred to as his "friend in the orange shirt." He has asked me about this little boy several times since. Said boy in the orange shirt was already seated in the car when we were searching for an open spot for Tucker. He patted the seat beside him and shouted, "Put him here with me, put him here with me!" Tucker and this little boy became instant friends. They immediately began chatting and laughing. It was so cute!

After riding the cars, Tucker rode a pirate ship. Our boy loves all things pirates, so he was thrilled about it, and was especially intrigued with the water. To his mommy's horror, he spent most of the ride leaned over the ship trying to touch the water. As the ship rocked back and forth, Tucker carried on like he was having the time of his life. I have a feeling that he is going to be a little daredevil just like his father!

We even gave in to Tucker's request to play games on the Midway. Or should I say, Momo gave in. Two games and $10 later, Tucker had a stuffed whale and plastic sword in hand. And wouldn't you know, he has been carrying around that cheap whale almost nonstop since!

Another highlight of the day was Tucker eating his own ice cream cone. He chose chocolate ice cream and insisted on eating it without any help. He couldn't lick fast enough, so melted ice cream trickled down his arms and onto his shirt. Needless to say, he was a mess when our fun-filled day was over. Now I just have to convince him that ice cream cones are not the norm. Ice cream in a cup isn't as messy!

Macy was an absolute angel all day long. She slept off and on during the day, and seemed to enjoy all of the action while she was awake. I was somewhat uneasy about taking a four month old to the fair, mostly because of the crowds and germs, but it turned out just fine. Great-mamaw even joined us this year. Lots of memories made.