fun at the fair

Last Thursday, we went to the annual McLean County fair and we had lots
of fun.

Really, we did.
Before I explain William's expression, here's a look at what we did and why William's night
ended in
tears.

First we visited the animal barns.
There were cows, horses, goats, sheep and pigs.



As William walked up and down the aisles of these barns, he kept turning around and looking suspiciously at the animals.

Henry was pretty brave and tried petting the pigs.


Hands-down, the 4-H sheep shearing contest captivated the boys' attention the most.
There were six sheep, each standing on their own boards, cutting boards, if you will. Each one with his own shearer. Each shearer a boy, some looked as young as 10; definitely no older than 13 or 14. Three of the boys sheared with clippers and three with scissors.
The boys literally did not want to leave this sight.
And I was obviously captivated, too; I didn't take a single picture of their mesmerized faces.
The contest was an hour and we got there halfway through, so unfortunately I cannot report the winner. (There was still fair food to be had...)

Next we walked around the fairgrounds and looked at the tractors.
Small ones, big ones,
mowers,
loaders,
forklifts.
Neither Henry or William wanted to leave them.

which is why we saved the fair food for after this.
Neither boy, tractor loving as they are, can resist a chocolate ice-cream cone!


Patrick and I shared a lemon shake-up and a funnel cake.
I never once think of those two things any time during the rest of the year, but when I walk into a fair I feel like I cannot live without a taste of either of them!

I love this picture of William watching this girl on her horse.

The last thing we did was buy tickets and take the boys to the fair rides.
Henry loved this slide.
We were so proud of him; he gave the man his tickets, took his mat and went up all by himself!
Such a big 4-year old boy. So much changes in a short time.

Then Henry wanted to drive these trucks.
We pulled some strings to get William on board, too. Technically riders have to be 36", but he was so close he was so excited about going, too.
And really those guys at the rides,
well, they don't really seem to care.

Henry was so excited to get the green one that he shoved his ticket forward and barged to the front of the line. They got the green truck and they loved driving that little thing.
So much that William didn't want it to end. He refused to get out when it stopped and Patrick had to go in and get him. Which is why...

It was a fun way to spend a night together.
And I'm sure,
we'll be back next year.