Sunday, July 31, 2011

The rush before the end.

With the arrival of August – there comes an innate rush to fill every spare moment with as much summer fun as possible. The sprinkler gets pulled back out of the garage, the pool has once again found its permanent spot on our back deck, and we run around barefoot enjoying the heat of the asphalt mixed with the coolness of the humidity drenched grass.

It’s a harsh reminder that we can’t take these warm months for granted. As Casey and I enjoyed an adult night out on Saturday, we relaxed on a patio downtown relishing in the heat. While sipping my ice cold sangria, I mentioned that in three months its quite possible that we’ll have snow.

And with the end of summer, comes a Midwest love – county fairs. Yes, Margaux & Jamie - under the lights of the corn tower, our county gathers together for greasy food, 4H fun, blue ribbon pies and cheap thrill rides. Somewhere between childhood and adulthood its easy to forget the excitement of a small fair – you land in a position where you obviously have things to do and people to see, and are much too busy for such a corny (no pun intended) affair. Yet, nothing matches the excitement I get as a parent when I see pure thrill in my child’s eyes. He doesn’t see sweaty people wearing much too little clothing. He doesn’t see the dirt and grime. He doesn’t wonder who in their right mind would travel around with a carnival just to power up the rides. He sees the bright lights, he feels the excitement, and there is magic in the air.

Cautiously keeping our eyes out for cow pies and trying not to breathe through our noses, we ventured through the animal barns

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We laughed along with the carnies and hopped on the rides – grinning ear to ear at the enjoyment in Gavin’s smile and eyes.

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Amidst the rides, my little man continuously glanced at the fun houses. Daddy & son hopped in the first one without decor doused in scantily clad women or scary looking creatures.
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And as Gavin flew down the slide out of control (no worries, Grandpa was there to catch him) – Casey realized that any attempt at looking “cool” would be impossible & cautiously slid down to the bottom.

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We blew through five dollar bills trying to allow Gavin to win his first prize in a ball toss

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But never won a thing until we discovered an “everybody wins every time” booth where Gavin magically maneuvered his pole above a magnetic fish, and won a prize of his choice – a camouflaged print shark.

And is there anything more adorable than outright giggles from a two year old, feeling the sandpaper tongue of a goat on his treat covered palms?


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I think not.

When we asked our two year old, towheaded little boy what he’d like to eat for dinner? Mini donuts and french fries, he replied.

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And mini donuts and french fries was exactly what he got.

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magical memories. hopefully forever ingrained in his mind.

2 comments:

  1. Very cute! I love the fair, and made sure to keep some time open at the end of August so we can go. Maybe we'll see you there this year!

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