Fair Time

We've started a new tradition since living up North.  We head to my parents every year for the Knox County Fair.  It's a good time, and it gives Nana a chance to show off her girls to all of her friends. :) 

I had never been to a county fair before my parents moved here, so it's been quite the experience.  There are your typical carnival rides, 4-H presentations of animals, and three nights of concerts.  We happened to get a cooler weekend which made it much nicer.  I am definitely looking forward to the coming years with this tradition. 

Lainey rode a horse for the first time.  We pulled into the parking lot, and this man was riding his horse around directing traffic.  Lainey walked up to him and asked if she could pet the horse, and he got right down and asked her if she wanted to ride it.  She jumped at the chance and was loving life!  She later asked Nana to get her one. :)

Lainey and I got wristbands so we could ride all the rides we wanted.  We learned that lesson the hard way last year, so we're now prepared for wristbands every year!  Lainey loved all the kid rides, and we attempted some big kid ones as well.

This is one of those "big kid" rides we attempted.  I am a thrill seeker for sure, but I've always been leery of rides that travel around and are thrown up and down every few nights.  I decided to get over my fear for the sake of my thrill seeking child and ride some of the "big kid" rides with her.  Big mistake!  The thing about all of these rides is that they look a lot more mild from the ground than in reality.  We decided to go on the Octopus, a ride that is named because it looks like an octopus with legs out that go up and down and round and round.  Fun, right?!? 

Well after being (very loosely) strapped into our car, the ride got started.  We quickly learned that this was not going to be fun for either one of us.  I was literally hanging onto my daughter for her dear life.  My dad finally had to ask the ride guy if he would stop it because we were all getting a little nervous.  He graciously did, and Lainey and I got off the ride swearing to never do that again!  It would have been fun riding with another adult, but I learned my lesson about riding with my four year old.  We decided we would stick to the ones that spin round and round in one place, not round and round while moving up and down in the air!



Here's my sweet girls before the Hairball concert.  Hairball is a local 70s and 80s cover band that is AMAZING!  They really do put on a fantastic show, and have now become a permanent part in the fair lineup.

When we weren't at the fairgrounds, we were hanging out on the farm. 

Lainey with the beans she had planted earlier this year.

Picking and shucking corn for the first time

  This may be one of my favorite pictures of all time because you can just see how much these two love each other!  I am a Daddy's Girl for sure, but Lainey is certainly giving me a run for my money on who is Papa's favorite, ha!

Enjoying the fruits of her labor. 

Sweet sisters hanging out on the farm, and by hanging out I mean taking a million pictures for their crazy momma!  

And finally ending the weekend at Nana & Papa's church.  Crunkle didn't plan on matching the girls, but we figured it was picture worthy.

I can't express how wonderful it is to live this close to my family.  Can't imagine ever being as far apart as we were ever again!