Action Packed Weekend

Alyce had an action packed weekend.  Friday night she and I went out to my home town for the fair.  Saturday night the whole family plus Josh, Tammy, and Gideon went to Six Flags.  Finally on Sunday the family met Onermark Grams for dinner.  By the time we got the kids in bed on Sunday Mom and I were ready to collapse ourselves.
On Friday just Alyce and I went out to the fair.  Mom was going to a baby shower for Tammy and I knew we were going to be out really late so I left Luke with our babysitter, Shelby.  This is 2nd year Alyce has been to the fair.  Well the 2nd year she can remember.  Last year Alyce rode a roller coaster and some other fun carnival rides.  This year Alyce had another first; her first time riding in a school bus.  And judging by the squeals of delight coming from our seat I would say she enjoyed the ride.  Alyce enjoyed it so much I think we could have saved on admission and just rode the bus all night.  But with Onermark Grams in tow we soldiered on and entered the fair grounds.

The notable items at the fair include Alyce going into her first fun house.  The mirrored maze gave her a bit of trouble where she unknowingly walked right into a clear piece of glass.  Even though it made a loud "thock" Alyce would not be deterred from her goal, the twisty slide at the end.

This year Alyce had her first trip to the duck pond.  Or in her case the fish pond but the idea is the same.  You pay a few dollars ($2), you pick a duck (fish), and by the number on the bottom you get a prize.  You are guaranteed to be a winner and with a 3 year old a guaranteed win is what you are looking for.  Why this is so notable was that when my brother and I were little like Alyce my parents would take us at the end of the night to the duck pond so we could have a prize to take home with us.  It happened every night and year after year that it eventually became tradition.  Now I get to pass it on to Alyce.  Alyce's choice from the duck pond?  A tiara of course!

One item that I think we need to get looked at is Alyce's hearing.  At the fair a couple of times she commented that it was really loud.  Loud enough that she had to cover her ears.  When a tractor makes its run at a tractor pull I'd expect her to cover her ears but she was doing it at other times that were loud but not extremely.  Her noise sensitivity persisted throughout the weekend so it is something to bring up the next time she sees a doctor.

The cherry on the sundae that is the Fair would be the waffle ice cream sandwich.  That dessert alone is enough for me to pay the entrance fee.  A block of vanilla ice cream sandwiched between two hot waffles is the perfect way to end a summer.

Fair

Mom and I attended the fair on Friday without the kids for a date night. We had lots of fun and even rode some rides. But we knew we would enjoy ourselves even more if Alyce were to experience the wonder of the fair as well. On Sunday we packed up the family and attended the fair on the hottest day of the five day event. The temperatures by the time we got there were around 96 degrees in the shade. There was the occasional breeze but the day was still pretty miserable temperature wise, however, we persevered and had a great time.


Walking the few blocks from the parking lot to the fair grounds we first went into Agriland. Agriland is tent full of kid friendly farm related stuff. There are lots of farm animals to look at and pet like baby cows, sheep, goats, and pigs. Other animals such as baby chicks, chickens, and bunnies are there but are either in incubators or in cages so you can't touch them. Alyce was a big fan of the animals. She reached out and touched the ones that she could reach and got face to face to others. Alyce seemed rather interested in the baby chicks. I don't think she quite understood that they hatched from the eggs in the incubators. After looking at the animals we took Alyce's shoes off and she got to play in big bins full of wheat, corn, or soybeans. Alyce was first in the wheat bin and commented that she was standing in sand. Her analysis was correct, the wheat did look and feel like big grains of sand. While sitting in both the corn and the wheat Alyce filled up buckets full of material and then would dump it out. I would say that Alyce enjoyed her time in the tent but she was ready to go when asked if she was ready. We probably should have checked her a bit closer when finished. After the fair we found bits of wheat between her toes and a kernel of corn found its way into her diaper. Neither of those could have been comfortable.



After Agriland we brought Alyce to what we think the fair is famous for, waffle ice cream sandwiches. A waffle ice cream sandwich is exactly what you think it is. Take two fresh waffles, add a bar of ice cream between them, and viola a waffle ice cream sandwich. The biggest downfall to such a treat is that you are putting something warm next to something cold. That leads to a big mess unless you eat them quick. With Alyce's help we consumed ours quick enough that the only mess needing to be cleaned up is some sticky fingers.

Following the ice cream we showed Alyce the motocross that was taking place in the motor arena. She was interested at first but after a few minutes she was having more fun playing on the bleachers than watching the races. Reminiscing to when I was a child I remember playing on and underneath the bleachers. Either the bleachers are irresistable or it's like father like daughter.


After the motocross we reached the main event, the rides. Up to this point Alyce's ride experience is almost exclusively rides on a carousel. Almost any other time we've tried to get her on a ride it has ended in unhappiness or tears. But it has been a year since we've tried her on anything new so it is time to try again. The results were better than Mom and I could have dreamed. To ease Alyce into the rides we first put her on the carousel. I asked which animal she wanted to ride and her response was the "giraffes". Luckily for us we were third in line and were able to get the one she wanted.

Following the carousel Mom and I were in for a big BIG surprise. After Alyce got off her giraffe then walked over towards a roller coaster running next to the carousel. As she was watching the coaster finish up a cycle I asked Alyce if she wanted to go. She responded with a nod. Mom and I were both sure this was going to end badly so we wanted to give her as many outs as we could. We recommended that she watch the coaster for a little bit just to make sure she wanted to ride. As it was running I informed her that Mom nor I would be able to ride with her. After all of that I asked again if she wanted to ride. Her decision remained the same, yes. Or in her case a quiet nod. So I bring Alyce up the stairs and strap her in to the coaster. Before I have a chance to take her picture she is off like a rocket. Alyce wasn't ready either and for her first lap she was holding on for dear life. Mom and I thought for sure that she would be crying after the first lap started so abruptly. Instead as Alyce finished her first circuit, we get our first view, and she has a smile from ear to ear! Mom and I were both flabbergasted. Here we were expecting the worst only to experience the best. Our little girl was riding a roller coaster all by herself and enjoying every minute of it!




There were some downsides to Alyce's time at the fair and with the rides. She had her first taste of disappointment. Alyce wanted to go down the big slide and I wanted to go down with her. However, the rules of the slide stated that riders had to ride alone (no doubles) and had to be taller than the fence (which Alyce wasn't). So Mom and I had to break it to her that she wouldn't be able to ride the slide and naturally she was disappointed. Throw in the heat and no nap and she was moved to tears. For reasons beyond this blog I knew what she was feeling and I could only offer my apologies at not being able to ride the slide.

After the rides the entire family was toasted. We were hot, thirsty, and tired. We had a good time and I am glad we went. If it weren't for Alyce I doubt that we would have gone to the trouble. I don't know if she will remember this trip to the fair but Mom and I will remember it as the day our little girl rode her first roller coaster.