The Fair

Today the kids and I, and Wyatt and his family, and his wife's sister and sister's husband (got all that?) spent the afternoon at the fair.

First attraction: the petting zoo. Emeline was standing by the donkey but not looking at the donkey, so when the donkey reached down and snuffled her hat, Emeline didn't at first realize what was happening. Then she glanced upward and was nose-to-nose with a donkey. The look on her face was priceless. I had to carry her the rest of the time we were in the petting zoo area.


Miriam likes to pet a pig every once in awhile.















Cowen (in the blue hat) admiring the demon llama.










Cowen petting a goat.












The cow WAS standing right by the fence, so I thought I would get this great picture since Emeline was beaming at the "moo." By the time Wyatt was enlisted to hold Emeline and I had retrieved my camera--the photo op was not what it once had been. For those trying to keep track, Wyatt is my younger brother. The 8th of the ten.








It's really annoying when pictures are sideways when I bothered to take the time to flip them on iphoto. However, Miriam looked adorable with this Japanese parasol. Since she spent much of her morning locked in her room, I was pleased by how well-behaved she was at the fair. And blessedly NO ACCIDENTS by any child. I won't mention what happened tonight in the tub.






Emeline made all of us laugh--first trying to get a ball out of the tub, and then trying to get it over the black bar. She managed twice, but it was an effort!










This picture is Cowen and my niece Hailey (Wyatt's oldest). Hailey looks really grumpy, which is why the picture is funny--but you can't tell when it's sideways.










The lumberjack demonstration could have been stellar. The main lumberjack made a chair out of a log using just a chainsaw, and the log-rolling was great. Too bad the jokes were cheesy and the time between things happening was very, very, tediously, long.

It was fun to hug Emeline when one lumberjack revved a very loud chainsaw and Emeline took offense. Her little bottom lip stuck out and she got all teary and she clung like the funny-looking orangutan infant she resembles.



The mohawk-look is embraced by sheep everywhere.













Why is Cassidy taking out her frustration on my daughter? Why, why? This is funny to me because I have a picture of Lynnaea (another niece) pinching Miriam's cheek when Miriam was a baby and the age difference between the two sets of girls is similar. Cassidy is Wyatt's younger daughter.







This is the chicken that Wyatt said reminded him of me. Hmm.














If you can't tell--Emeline is excited, not freaking out.
















Cowen with a bunny and Aunt Lindsay Ann (Wyatt's wife--who I prefer to call "The Child Whisperer." She's amazing with kids.)








Miriam getting some advice on bunny holding. She was a bit awkward at first but eventually got the hang of it.


The fair was LOADS OF FUN!! To bad it was so hot. On the bright side--we are halfway to September and Wyatt agreed to run Rosie up and down the street yelling, "The Redcoats are coming, the Redcoats are coming," so I am pretty excited about life. Rosie is one of Grandpa's horses. Wyatt will make a stellar Paul Revere. When I asked him he said, "Did you arrange it with Miriam's teacher or something?" I said, "Wyatt, I am her teacher." It still took him a few seconds for everything to click into place. Very amusing.