Jack was really excited on our way down to the fair, but when we pulled into the parking lot and popped him in his stroller his excitement took on a whole new level! He was talking nonstop and asking so many questions and pointing out so many things I never would have noticed on my own. Right away it was obvious that his favorite thing was, and for obvious reasons if you know Jack at all, the Ferris Wheel. Jack loves wheels and anything that spins. Seriously loves them. I had to have a serious laugh, though, when he showed me that when I said 'Ferris' Wheel, he heard 'Fair-is' Wheel. Makes sense, right? I mean, we were at the Fair. How do I know that this is what he thought? Take, for example the conversation that he and I had as we were walking through the parking lot on our way to the fair entrance.
Jack: Oooh momma, it goes round and round!
Me: Yes, that's called a Ferris Wheel!
Jack: It a Fair-is Wheel! Oooooh look over there! (Pointing to some other giant ride that spins around-I have no idea what it is called) And that is the Parking Wheel!
On our way to the entrance
Once we got there, the first thing we did was the first thing we usually do when we get somewhere. We ate.
After lunch we made our way to the barn to see the animals, but before we got there Jack started squealing and stuttering and finally he got out "Oh look, it's a tractor!!!" Yes, tractors are another of his favorite things. He's always loved tractors (I mean come on, the kid's closet is painted like a giant barn!), so it was a huge treat to see a life-sized tractor and actually be able to walk up and touch it!
Finally, we made it to the barn! Jack was in awe of the cow, and as usual, when I asked if he wanted to touch it, he was quiet and thoughtful and reserved. And Dave gave me a look that clearly said "You want him to touch that filthy animal?!"
But, after he took a second to think about it, he did!!! I was so proud of him for being so brave to touch it! He was very proud of himself, too... so much, in fact, that when he saw the donkey he said "Oh, I go touch the donkey, too! I so brave!"
I wish I had a picture of Jack's face after he touched that donkey. It was a total look of pride and triumph and reminded me all over again why I absolutely adore watching this child grow and discover the world. Okay, I better move on before my pregnant hormones take control and I start bawling like a baby!
He enjoyed touching the cow and the donkey so much (BTW, he also touched the goat and a few more animals that I wasn't able to get a picture of), he was a little bummed that he couldn't touch the baby chicks, which he declared to be so, so cute.
Touching the animals wasn't the only thing Jack did that day that totally surprised me! I thought that there was no way that he'd stick his head in this hole and let me snap picture after picture after picture until I finally got one of him with his eyes open!
And look, I was there, too!
And guess what else he did that amazed me! He rode a horse!!! I thought for sure he would think it was a really good idea and then freak out at the very last second, when the strange man grabbed him and actually put him on the horse! Instead, he donned his usual very serious poker-face, and watched all the horses very closely as though he was studying their every movement. And only after he had been around the track a few times did it sink in that yes, he was, in fact, riding a horse! And then he smiled his proud, triumphant smile!
He talked about that horse for the rest of the day.
After we let Jack ride the horse, we made our way over to Kiddie Land, where we let him pick 5 rides. Of course, the first ride he chose was the helicopter. He was definitely more thrilled than his poker-face indicated, by the way.
Finally, we made it to the barn! Jack was in awe of the cow, and as usual, when I asked if he wanted to touch it, he was quiet and thoughtful and reserved. And Dave gave me a look that clearly said "You want him to touch that filthy animal?!"
But, after he took a second to think about it, he did!!! I was so proud of him for being so brave to touch it! He was very proud of himself, too... so much, in fact, that when he saw the donkey he said "Oh, I go touch the donkey, too! I so brave!"
I wish I had a picture of Jack's face after he touched that donkey. It was a total look of pride and triumph and reminded me all over again why I absolutely adore watching this child grow and discover the world. Okay, I better move on before my pregnant hormones take control and I start bawling like a baby!
He enjoyed touching the cow and the donkey so much (BTW, he also touched the goat and a few more animals that I wasn't able to get a picture of), he was a little bummed that he couldn't touch the baby chicks, which he declared to be so, so cute.
Touching the animals wasn't the only thing Jack did that day that totally surprised me! I thought that there was no way that he'd stick his head in this hole and let me snap picture after picture after picture until I finally got one of him with his eyes open!
And look, I was there, too!
And guess what else he did that amazed me! He rode a horse!!! I thought for sure he would think it was a really good idea and then freak out at the very last second, when the strange man grabbed him and actually put him on the horse! Instead, he donned his usual very serious poker-face, and watched all the horses very closely as though he was studying their every movement. And only after he had been around the track a few times did it sink in that yes, he was, in fact, riding a horse! And then he smiled his proud, triumphant smile!
He talked about that horse for the rest of the day.
Yes, I know, this is a very long post. See why it's taken me so long to write it? We're not done yet. We're almost done, but not quite yet. Ah, who am I kidding. We're about halfway done.
After we let Jack ride the horse, we made our way over to Kiddie Land, where we let him pick 5 rides. Of course, the first ride he chose was the helicopter. He was definitely more thrilled than his poker-face indicated, by the way.
And then, he chose the dragon!!! Now, let me pause here to tell you a little something about this dragon. You can't tell from the pictures, but that thing was going fast! And by fast, I mean had you asked me if I wanted to ride it, my answer would have been a resounding "Hell no!"* Granted, I tend to be a bit of a wuss when it comes to roller coasters (the worst one I'll allow myself on is Space Mountain, and that took a lot of persuasion and the promise that Dave would buy me something pretty- and I can only handle one ride at a time... any more than that and I'm nauseous for days), but imagine how fast it went when a 28 year old woman won't go on it, and they were letting 2 year olds on this thing?
I needn't have worried, though. Jack went around the first time with his usual poker-face, but after that it was obvious that he was completely enjoying himself!
Seriously, check out the faces on the little girl behind Jack! The ride scared her, and look how much bigger than him she is!
Look there were actual drops and everything!
But look! He liked it! I was, and still am, soooo proud of him!
After stared death in the face and laughed by riding the dragon, he picked a much tamer ride, much to my pleasure, and not at all to my surprise. It was a train (that looked like it just stepped out of Care-A-Lot, but whatever)!
And then it was off to Aladdin's magic carpet, where I actually got a picture of him smiling!
And lastly, Jack decided that he wanted to ride the dune buggies, which according to him were "very very bouncy!"
The arm in the corner of that picture was Dave trying to get Jack to smile so that I could get a picture. Good job, honey!
He totally does it on purpose, though... and here is my evidence! He's a total poker-face when he knows the camera is on him, but when he's going the other way and thinks I can't see him, he's totally smirking about it! See??? I snapped a pic before he came around, and then I zoomed in...
See why I call him Stinkerpants?
We were almost done at this point. I desperately wanted an Icee, Jack needed some shade and a chance to cool off, and Dave needed to sit and rest his back so we headed to the reptile exhibit, where Jack peeked at a few reptiles, marvelled at them, and then completely freaked out (in a good way) that there was a sand area in the middle so that he could play in the shade while mommy and daddy rested.
After I finally got my icee, we decided that we just had to try some random fried item! I really wanted to try the deep fried s'mores, but I thought they'd be too messy for Jack, so we tried the deep fried oreos instead.
They were good, but apparently they lose their cookie crunchiness in the frying process, so we weren't too impressed. Okay, Dave and I weren't impressed, but Jack Jack sure was!
And that was the end of our day! I had discovered that I had forgotten to bring my drivers' license and Dave had to drive home, since my hands would be free we grabbed a sno-cone for the ride home! We had so much fun, and I can't wait until we can go again next year!
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