Iowa State Fair!

We live in Iowa.  Everyone RAVES about the Iowa State Fair.  Its featured in a book of things to do/see before you die.  We used to go every year at least one day, open to close.  For this reason, I DREAD the fair.  However, I'm a mom now so I suck up my loathing and go for the kids.  Okay well Charlie could care less like me but Launa LOVED IT.

We headed out with Aunt Darcy after she got off work a bit early and met up with a friend and her family.  While we were waiting for a free cowboy show to start we headed to the cow barn.  Launa got to pet her first baby calf. She wanted to pet the huge cows but clearly I foresaw her getting kicked in the face.  Instead we admired their rear ends and the poop everywhere. 

However, there were cow cut outs!

Launa insisted on taking a picture of Aunt Darcy in the cow's butt too! (that's what she insisted it was - not their head)

You can see Auntie is getting a little frustrated that Launa took at least 5 minutes to take the picture and the crowd was pouring into the barn at this exact moment.  Ha Ha!

We walked to the big slide which she did at 18 months....

But this time she said no way so it was skipped. 

We saw the free cowboy show.  She was impressed but not with their bad words (stupid and shut up).  Charlie and I were sitting in the shade at a food booth during the LOUD show so Aunt Darcy had to endure it but from all of the fake guns and loud music I'm sure it was a blast, oh yeah and the 90 degree weather in the direct sun.  But it was FREE.

Then we browsed the industrial AIR CONDITIONED building where business have booths and sell things and try to get you to sign up for free drawings, etc.  Our mission: Clifford and tattoos.  We succeeded at both.  Launa has two arms with sleeves of fake tattoos.

Next up we were hunting for this free kids forest thing we heard about but were distracted by this:

$40 later we went home.  The Iowa State Fair is the largest fair in the country food wise.  We have crazy things deep fried and on sticks.  All diets go out the window at the fair.  Here's what all three of us shared in the course of the day:  3 layer smoothie, cup of chocolate chip cookies, fried cheese curds, gizmo (hot sausage sandwich), Philly cheese steak sandwich, popcorn chicken bites, cup of vanilla ice cream, cheese curds (yes a second round!).  This all in 5 hours.  Oink Oink.  Gut rot.

Launa got to go back to the fair the next day with Grandma and Grandpa and they gave in and let her ride the sky glider (which was the highlight of her year I think).  It rained all day when they were there but it was a great opportunity for Launa to use her umbrella outdoors instead of around the house for a change.

Overall successful fair.  No pictures of Charlie but he was basically in the stroller all day mad that the sun was shinning down on him.  Poor little fat man.