Iowa State Fair!!

 

 We just had just returned from Dubuque and we were plum pooped but Grandma and Poppa were heading to the fair the next day and we couldn't pass up a day at the Iowa State Fair with them!  I am so glad that we made it work and the boys had SO much fun!  I think Grandma and Poppa did too!  I took the boys to the Capitol and we rode the bus from there.  It only cost a $1 for us to ride.  Thankfully, a nice man that worked for DART helped me get the stroller on the bus and we were on our way!!

 

Finnean was most fascinated by the HUGE red tractor that was one of the very first things he laid eyes on when we arrived.  He admired it while we waited for Grandma and Poppa to meet up.  He actually didn't want to leave, we had to convince him that there was so much more to see!  We finally got on our way and checked out the "I Milked a Cow" schedule-that was really the only thing on our list of "things to do!"  We grabbed some yummy lunch and then we headed over to Little Hands on the Farm and didn't have to wait in line.  In past years, there was always a long line, so the boys have never been through it before.  I am so glad that they went this year!  They had so much fun and really enjoyed helping them along on the "farm."  If you don't know what I am talking about, let me share a bit.  It is a farm experience from start to finish.  You have to plant and pick your veggies.  Feed the cows and sheep.  Drive the tractor to feed the cows, milk a cow and then take your goods to the farmers market to sell.  After you "sell" your goods, you get a "dollar" and get to buy something in the grocery store!  They had all kinds of goodies.  The boys both picked fruit snacks to buy.  It is such a neat experience!  Next, we had to stop in and see all of the baby animals in the big animal building.  It is so cute to see the little chicks that have just hatched and the tiny baby pigs were a hit!   After we had our animal fix we headed to milk a cow!  Finnean was so excited!  There was a bit of a line, so we had JR Donuts and a lemonade to help pass the time!

Finnean was so brave!! He marched right up there and milked that cow!  He told me that it felt kind of bumpy and a little shaky when the cow moved.  Finnean also said that it was his favorite part of the day!  By this time, it started to warm up a little (the weather was amazingly beautiful), so we hit the splashers and Finnean got soaked!  Hutchinson was more interested in just running around the water and not getting wet!  We posed for a few more pictures (Finnean did NOT want to be in the picture with Grandma, Poppa and Hutchy) and then headed back on the bus.  There was not anyone to help get the stroller on, so I was feeling like quite the super hero that I made it back on the bus with two boys that missed a nap without any trouble at all!  I am so thankful that we had the chance to do the Iowa State Fair with Grandma and Poppa!  What a great day for making memories!

 

This is what Hutchy looked like after a long day at the fair...I had to wake him up a little after 5 so he would sleep that night!

Round Two of the Iowa State Fair!

Our goal was get to the fair bright and early and get out before the boys got crabby.  We did!  We found a parking spot down on the East Side and headed in.  We were enjoying the beautiful morning and waiting in line (yes, Little Hands on the Farm was so cool-we waited in line) for the farm and our morning got a little exciting.  I heard Hutchinson say, "Momma" and I looked at him just in time to see him throw up.  For real, son.  We JUST got here and you throw up.  Poor little fellow.  We are pretty sure that he got car sick.  Michael was bobbing and weaving to get us a good parking spot and it must have been too much for little H.  Within minutes he was fine and begging to go into the farm with Daddy...so we cleaned him up and started our day.  It is never dull with boys!!

 



It was fun for the boys to explore the farm again and show Michael around.  They LOVE showing him around.  Finnean decided on a Bomb Pop at the store and had that for snack at 9:30 in the morning!  Only at the State Fair, right!? 

We headed up to the top of hill via the tractor shuttle that Finnean wanted to ride.  We stumbled upon the Wine Experience and decided that we should stomp grapes.  Finnean was curious and excited.  He said he would do it with me!  So we signed up and then waited for our stomping debut!  We found out that you need a "mucker" or someone to help get the juice out of the barrel.  Michael volunteered his mucking services and we were set...until Finnean backed out about 30 seconds in.  The grapes were FREEZING.  So cold that it hurt your feet to smoosh them.  So I got to squish juice out of 18 lbs. of green and purple (Finnean picked them out) for 3 minutes.  After the three minutes were up, we had to use our hands to get as much juice out as possible.  I was not aware of this step when I signed up.  I really dislike getting my hands icky, but I powered through and our team squeezed 14.6 cm of juice out!  We did take third out of three in our heat but we had fun!  We got a ribbon, which Finnean was super pumped about and tells everyone about!  I do have to say that we only ha 2 cm less than the other teams and only one grape stomper, they all had two!  Michael thinks that next year we can take home the blue ribbon!!  Win or lose, we had a lot of laughs and it was fun! 

After we got cleaned up from the stomping, we headed down for some lunch.  Finnean declared that he wanted a corn dog and we had some fruit cups under the shade tree that we always sit under.  We checked out the miniature train museum and the boys LOVED it.  Finnean is still talking about it.  Hutchinson found a tractor that he thought was pretty darn neat.  We decided that we have not seen him smile like this before.  He was a happy camper!

We stopped for one last snack before we headed home...a Fair Square!  We tried one of each and decided that the plain was the best!  A facebook friend pointed out how we are all smiling and Hutchinson is just eyeing down the treat!!  It was such a fun day at the fair and I am so glad that this is a family tradition for us.  Finnean just asked me if we could go back next year.  Absolutely, buddy, absolutely!

{One of the best things about this trip to the fair...we did it on a budget!  We scored free tickets from a friend and parking was free (we paid the price in throw up, I guess).  We didn't over eat!  We had corn dogs and fruit for lunch and Fair Squares ($6 for 3) for our treat.  Of course we packed snacks and pb and j for the littles and lots of water!  I think eliminating drink costs is the easiest way to save money.  Our final total was $20.50.  I can tell you that we aren't always this budget friendly at the fair but we did prove to ourselves that it doesn't have to be super expensive to go.  We also knew that we were going back to the fair without the kids later that night...we were saving our money for that!}