A Trip to the Fair

Allison had a half day of school on Tuesday and I was feeling adventurous so I decided to take them to the South Florida Fair. I knew Jeff wouldn't want to come because it's everything he dislikes and then some. So I was on my own with a 5 and 2 year old. We've lived in south Florida for three years but this was out first trip to the fair. It was interesting to say the least. It was much bigger than the fair I went to growing up in Maryland. Luckily the kids were free but I had to pay $15 to get in. That doesn't sound too bad, but that's just to get in. Once inside - everything costs money - which I knew ahead of time - but when you have two little ones begging you for everything, it's not easy to keep saying no. I didn't splurge on the ride wristbands this year- at $25 per person I just wasn't ready for that kind of commitment. Especially since Daniel was too small for most of the rides. Instead, I spent $12 for 12 tickets which allowed them to ride two rides - yeah, that's $6/ride for two kids. That $25 wristband isn't looking so bad now is it? Allison really wanted to go into one of the fun houses but I was afraid she wouldn't come out and I wasn't about to go in there with her with my claustrophobia issues. So they chose the train ride and a car ride:

That seemed to satisfy their ride craving for the day. Next we moved onto the big tractors. There was a John Deere booth with a bunch of tractors outside. Why pay for rides when the kids are content to just sit on the big tractors for free (man I sound cheap!):



Next up...the animals. We saw chickens, donkeys, cows, a zebra, and alpacas. Oh yeah, the alpacas - Allison had a not so good experience with an alpaca - which was party my fault. I told her to stand in front so I could take a picture. As I was saying it I realized it might not be such a good idea and the next thing I know the Alpaca reached down and tried to grab a clump of her hair with his mouth. Allison let out quite a scream and didn't know weather to laugh or cry. She chose the latter and we were outta there! It took her a few minutes to calm down but then she was good to go.
Next, Daniel tried to size himself up next to the big swamp buggy. Considering he was smaller than the tire, I think the swamp buggy won that competition:

I think the kids favorite part of the day was visiting Yesteryear Village. The funny part is, this Village can be visited anytime of the year, not just during the fair. It's just something we had never done. They were fascinated by the old time phones, which made me feel really old since I remember using rotary dialing:
They were also fascinated by the typewriter:

...and the rocking chair on the front porch of one of the houses:
Then it was off to the church:
Next, Allison was so excited to run into her classmate Shawn. They rode the old-time firetruck together:

Then all three of them landed in jail:
Once I bailed them out, it was almost time to head on out, but not before catching a quick pig race or two. After all, what's a fair without a pig race? This was by far the highlight of my day. The started with the super quick little pigs and worked up to the super slow pot-bellied pigs. It was quite humorous. I didn't take any pictures, only video. If I get a chance, I will post that later. All in all, it was a fun time but we were worn out by the time we got home. Perhaps we will see you next year Mr. South Florida Fair (I'll try not to be so cheap next time!)