We live near the arena where the stock show is held, and it lasts for three weeks, so the boys have seen the ferris wheel and other rides in the show's midway for about two weeks now, and every day they ask if we can go. Since we were battling illness (Lucas' 22-hour vomiting spell, followed by more vomiting two days later) last weekend, we held them off until this weekend.
We knew the carnival would be the big draw for them, so we went to see the animals first. I quickly realized why almost everyone (except us) was wearing boots. It wasn't just to look the part. It was because there was poop all through the barns. Seriously, I don't know how people deal with so much manure. I guess if you love your animals, you get used to it. I've certainly dealt with my share of scooping up after Sammy, I guess. But between the crowds and the smells in the barns (not to mention the heat -- it was in the 70s here yesterday), I quickly needed to wrap up and get out of there.
Lucas made friends with a sheep and kept laughing hysterically because "he's looking at me!" And he was; that sheep was really interested in Lucas. It was cute. We saw 13-day old piglets, who were adorable, and an array of rabbits ranging from small dwarfs to a big fat "Californian" breed. We saw so many, many calfs. They were getting washed and blown dry to look pretty for their turn to show, and their coats looked as fluffy as Sammy's. It was a little sad to think about where they will eventually end up (our dinner plates).
In the FFA Children's barn, we saw chicks riding a baby chick ferris wheel (it had food in it, so they'd step in to eat and ride a loop around to get off again), which Josh loved. And then, we saw other chicks being born! They had a table full of eggs that were hatching that day, and we could stand there and watch as chick after chick broke through its egg shell and was born. It was pretty amazing.
After all that, we awarded the boys for their patience with some cotton candy, and then it was off to the carnival section!
First up was the trucks for Lucas and the bumper cars for Josh:
So much fun. Then, the giant slide for Josh.
And we all took a ride on the Ferris wheel. Josh rode with our friend Brandon and his son Everett, and Lucas rode with Mommy and Daddy. You can see some of the downtown buildings behind him.
Lucas popped a wheelie on the motorcycles:
And Josh led the way (with Lucas close behind) on the dragon roller coaster:
A few kids had to be let off the ride because they were scared. I was so proud of Lucas for not getting intimidated.
Josh also rode a second roller coaster with Everett:
Both Josh and Lucas were fun and adventurous, and we all had a great time!
