2009 Iowa State Fair

My mom heard that we were going to the Iowa State Fair and asked if she could come along. We were so glad to have here there. An extra pair of hands were needed for hand-holding, stroller-pushing, picture-taking, etc. And it was great to share these memories of our boys with her.

We arrived at the fair right before 11am and it was GREAT!! It wasn't busy, it wasn't hot and it wasn't stressful, although I did feel stressed at the beginning because we had so much stuff: two strollers, two purses, a diaper bag, snacks, drinks, two toddlers...that was probably the hardest for me. (I can't wait to get a double stroller so our stuff is more contained).

We entered the WRONG entrance. Not literally, but with two toddlers it was the wrong entrance. The entrance to the amusement rides. Stinkers!! And our 3-year-old is too aware not to notice. ;) So we promised that if he obeyed and didn't have a potty accident we would take him on one ride before we left.

Entering the Fair at the WRONG entrance.
Notice how clean it is in the morning. ;)

As for the food (which is such a huge part of the fair), we had already decided before we left that lunch would be at the Pork building. The boys had pork burgers, my mom had pulled pork, Jonathan and I had pork chops. The food was delcious. We really wanted pork chops on a stick, but thought we should get a meal for the boys so they wouldn't want on the treats that were available. We shared two lemonades while we walked the fairgrounds. For dinner my mom and I had kebabs and fruit and Jonathan had a polish sausage. And we got some grilled sweet corn. We shared with the kids and did pretty good as far as fair food and calories goes. We did, however, share a funnel cake before we left. Mmmmm!

All the yummy fair food.

We had never been to Little Hands on the Farm and if you haven't, you should go. It was so fun. We were glad we were there in the morning because it wasn't very busy. First you recieve an apron (which you return) and a Pioneer hat (which you get to keep). Every farm boy needs a Pioneer hat. At the beginning of the farm, you plant some seeds then harvest your veggies. You also get some seed corn and soybeans. You feed the corn to the milk cow and pick up your milk carton (empty, of course) and you use the soybeans to make fuel for your tractor. Then you get to ride a little pedal-tractor around a course. At the end you sell your goods at the farmers market and you recieve some money. You can use that money to purchase items in the store. And the store was a little overwhelming because there was so much to choose from: apples, potatoes, onions, juice, ice cream treats, candy bars, and more!

Trying to get them to smile by the veggies for a picture.

Let's try that again.
I guess the buckets are just too distracting. ;)

Phin picking an apple for his bucket.

Asher decided to buy a juice with the money he made at the farmer's market.

We love the fair because you can touch some of the exibits and animals. We happened upon the bunnies right after their competition (which I didn't really understand, they were all cute, fuzzy and soft).

Asher petting the grand prize winning bunny.

While we were in the Varied Industries Building we came upon the Iowa Public Television booth. They were having photo sessions with Clifford. Asher, of course, went right in line. I didn't know if he was going to attack the dog and take him down, but he was so gentle. He even gave Clifford a kiss on the nose. So cute, and so gross. ;)

Asher with Clifford the Big Red Dog.

Phin was in the stroller most of the time. He wasn't allowed to wander like Asher was so that was a little hard for him. In one building with DNR-type of stuff, Nana took Phin with her to look at the displays. He found this piece of art (materials taken from stuff found after a flood) and had a ball playing inside.

Phin's favorite thing of the day (excluding the food).

Were were walking down the main concourse when we saw a princess. We asked Asher if he wanted to take a picture with the princess and to our surprise he said, "yes."

Asher posing with the Iowa State Fair Queen.

Asher did really well using the restrooms and I think the kid loves hand-sanitizer. So we fulfilled our promise of a ride before we left the park. FYI: the restraint systems on the amusement rides were highly questionable. The motorcycle seat belt was a piece of rope slid between two pully-things. And Asher got right out of the seat belt on the helicopter - I had to yell at him to sit down and the carny-lady wasn't very happy that he was standing, but she didn't notice until I yelled at him. Thankfully he obeyed. I thought she was going to yell at him when he got off the ride. She didn't, I did.

Asher got to pick two rides and he picked the motorcycle and the helicopter.

At the Varied Industries Building there were plenty of free things to pick up. I was really searching for a reusable grocery bag, but didn't find where they were giving those away. We signed up to win some free stuff. And the boys got some fun things: a balloon, a nurse's cap, crayons and a coloring book, pencils, pens, and more.

Funny to see our little guy in a nurse's cap. Just like his mom. Aww. ;)

PS. Jonathan was going to take Asher on the ferris wheel, but it was $10 a person!! Can you believe that?!?! So, we let him pick two rides at $3 each (total $6). We were pretty bummed about the ferris wheel even though he enjoyed the motorcycle and helicopter ride.

If you want to see more pictures from our adventures at the 2009 Iowa State Fair you can click on the album below. Enjoy!

2009 Iowa State Fair