Fun & Games

It just occurred to me that I never wrote about our trip to the Tulsa State Fair this year, so stick with me as we take, yet another, step back in time.

This year, we visited on September 28th. There was a chance of rain that day, but we were running out of time, so we took our chances with the weather. Having long outgrown the stroller (in both size and tolerance), we opted instead to see if the girls would ride in the new pink “buggies” we’d bought them. We tried tricycles first, thinking the girls were old enough to maneuver them. Instead, not quite yet coordinated enough and just a tad lazy, they wanted us to push them around on the tricycles. So, those were tossed up in the attic for the spring, and I finally broke down and bought each of them the same little car that I’ve been eyeing the girls’ friend, Grace, enjoying across the street. Needless to say, they LOVE them. So, they seemed to be our best shot at getting the girls to ride in something other than our arms. Cadie was pretty cooperative and content; Maddie, on the other hand, tends to jump at any opportunity to be stubborn and obstinate. A trip to the fair is no exception. So, with our family of four, and Grana and Poppy along for the ride, we ventured into the fair.

We stopped right inside the gate to visit with a “cowboy” and his pony. He was graciously giving all the kiddos a free quick ride, so we decided to see if the girls would oblige. They were both pretty scared having never seen a full-sized horse. Surprisingly, Cadie went into hysterics and didn’t want to have anything to do with the horse, but Maddie was willing enough to at least stand by it. I even talked her into giving the horse a quick pet. Oh well, there’s always next year.

Next stop, the Petting Zoo. The girls had a blast year. This year’s petting zoo was a little bit disappointing. There weren’t nearly as many baby goats, and everything seemed very spread out. We all had a good enough time, though. The girls especially enjoyed the baby chicks. Cadie spent half the visit walking around going, “Cheep, cheep!”

This year, since the girls were old enough, we decided to take them on a couple of rides. It was also a good opportunity to get an idea of how they will do at Disney World in February. We were limited to rides that we could ride with them since they aren’t tall enough (or old enough, in my opinion) to ride by themselves. Our first choice was a Flinstones inspired ride that put us in cars, riding around a track. They had a lot of fun with those. Next, we rode a tilt-a-whirl type ride in the shape of dragons. Again, it was a lot of fun. We couldn’t spin too much, though, because Daddy gets motion sickness pretty easy!

What is a trip to the fair without partaking of some fair food? We decided to stick with the traditional selections and opted for a corn dog and fries. The girls devoured that poor corn dog and the French fries weren’t spared much more. Appetites suppressed, we headed for our final destination.

Finally, we ventured into the Quick Trip Center to visit booths and walk around. The girls really enjoyed the playground displays; so much, that we had a hard time getting them to leave them. We also came across a clown, so we waited in line to have some balloon animals made. Halfway through, they both decided that they wanted theirs to be hats, so the clown happily obliged. He even took a picture of the girls for his portfolio.

After that visit, it was becoming very apparent that naptime was on the horizon, so we packed up and headed home, another fun fair adventure under our belts.