I hate the end of summer. Don’t get me wrong, I love autumn. It’s my absolute favorite time of the year. But I am always sad when the kids go back to school. There are so many changes going on with them this school year, too. Zachary is going into middle school. Miranda is starting kindergarten. They all ended their summer swim lessons. There’s more, but I’ll share it later.

One of our end of summer traditions is going to the county fair. We go during the day and on a weekday, so we aren’t fighting the crowds. It’s nice when the kids are first or second in line for the rides (they can ride their favorite rides over and over in a smaller amount of time) and we’re not trying to maneuver around countless baby strollers and young girls dressed like hookers without parental supervision (don’t get me started). The only problem with going during the day is that it’s always so freaking hot outside and you miss the beauty of the midway lit up with lights. We lasted 3 hours at the fair before I was ready to pass out from the heat.

We were pretty frugal. We went on kids day so it cost $4 less per child for ride passes and we didn’t eat dinner (if you can call any of that food dinner) there. We did get drinks and Miranda wanted cotton candy. I know fair food is awesome and all that (going an entire year with elephant ears seems odd), but it’s really not healthy food and the cost is ridiculous. We managed to get out of there with only the girls playing one game, too. Normally, we let the kids play a few games. I think it’s a true sign of the times when the place was pretty empty (as you can see from the pics). It costs a small fortune to go.

I love watching our kids at the fair. Their faces are so lit up with excitement. I really like to hear the kids talking about previous years, too. It’s a real eye opener when you realize the things kids remember. I am so thankful that Gabe rides rides. I can’t ride any rides without getting sick. It’s funny how Gabe and I sort of divvy up and balance out the whole parenting thing.

Ally rode on tons of rides. Miranda is at the age where some rides are scary. I love some of the photos of her facial expressions. Ha-Ha. Matthew loved the bumper cars so much. He’s still young enough to think the fair is always there, so he keeps asking to go again.

Zachary was sad that we didn’t go to Lizard Fair. He would have preferred going to that over the county fair. I can’t say I blame him. We’ll be sure to go next year. But as I explained to him, we can’t do everything. It’s hard to accept that he’s getting older and isn’t very enthusiastic over kiddie activities. Ha-Ha. He’s a good sport, though. More on him soon.

After the fair, we went to the Railside restaurant for dinner. You might remember I mentioned it before. Ha-Ha.

Glad we picked the day that we did to go to the fair. Today it’s stormy. We have a very busy week coming up. More on that later, too. I always get a little anxious when we have added things to our schedule. Fall and winter are usually a blur for me. People often comment that they don’t know how I do it. The truth is that I don’t. With everything I (and Gabe for that matter) juggle, there’s always a ball that gets dropped at some point or another or I simply juggle with less balls. That’s life and I’ve learned to happily accept it.

And yes, I got teary-eyed at the fair, too. Some things are far too beautiful not to feel right down into your soul.

I know it’s a lot of photos. Believe it or not, I only added 1/3 of them. The more that I take, the more likely I am to get golden shots. There’s a few that I absolutely adore. I know it seems like there’s never many of Zachary. He’s at an age where he doesn’t want photos. Little does he know that he’s sitting for a series of photos soon. mwhahahaha. I’m waiting for a sunny day.