State Fair

So here is my long overdue post about the state fair! This week has been super busy at day care and lots of chores in the evening (including ordering Maddie's flower girl dress for her cousin's wedding in October! sorry, no pictures, I had the camera and forgot to use it!). Maddie and Brian are now working on geography so I am taking the time to write or at least start writing this post!

We went to the state fair last saturday, right before Hurricane Irene hit New York. In fact, we switched our schedule around to accommodate Irene. We arrived and rode the city bus from the parking lot to the entrance of the fair. My favorite quote of the day came from the bus ride: "This is going to be so much fun. This is a spot for people watching. So many characters....its better than a trip to Walmart." Too funny and so true!

The first thing we did was head for the rides. Last year we tried to go to the 4H building first but Maddie was so anxious to get to the rides we had trouble getting her attention. Lesson learned...couple rides first then on to the other things! Maddie is a daredevil. There were a couple of things that she could've done and wanted to do but Brian and I said no!
First she went on the hang glider:

Notice the little toes in the middle!


Then she waited in line for the double decker merry-go-round! I don't remember seeing one like this before. It was really neat. Maddie, of course, rode on the second level.




After a couple more rides....



We ate some lunch and headed for the 4H building!




Maddie and her achievement book!
Maddie was excited to see her book and see all the things other 4H kids in other counties had been doing all year. She got to see her favorite big 4H mentor, Elyse. Elyse was helping to judge some things. The teens can go to the state fair and stay for a few days to work in the 4H building. Maddie can't wait for that fun!
One of the best parts of the 4H building is the very end where the ducks and chicks are located. Here are 2 videos made by Maddie:

Ducklings swimming!


And no, the chicks are not dead...they are snoozing!! Its hard to get out of an eggshell. I couldn't believe how upset people around us were getting because they thought the chicks were dead. Obviously more farm trips are in order for city and suburb kids.

When we were done there we wandered about the rest of the fair, ate some Hawaiian Shave Ice and fried mac n cheese (think chicken nugget but mac n cheese inside the breading instead of chicken!).
The butter sculpture was cool as always!


Maddie and Bri enjoyed the circus model exhibit and Momma enjoyed some quilts.



Now we have to start thinking about next year and what projects we will make! What can Maddie come up with that will be "good enough" for the state fair? I bet she will think of something!!