Fairs and Festivals

We love festivals.  We do.  So when I got an email about a Family Adventure Fest nearby, for cheap, we jumped on that.  Basically, it was an opportunity to try a bunch of adventurous stuff. 

 rock wall.

 she was not afraid.  Pretty much of anything.

 Learning the appropriate golf swing with a game.

 Stand up paddleboarding

This supreme confidence was shattered
when he fell in the water trying to get out
of the pool.

 fishing, Joy's favorite.

 The Captain, not so much.  He would only use one arm to cast, so he didn't do as well on the game.

 We take our flight simulators very seriously.

 building rockets, or eating nachos if you're me in the background.

 what Miss Lee was up to.

finished rockets

 should we really be giving this kid a bow and arrow?

Joy shooting a dinosaur

getting my form corrected.

will take down all the zombies in an apocalypse.

This year we did something different for Octoberfest.  We bought a special package that gave us unlimited rides for the kids and a fancy dinner for all of us.  It rained all morning, so we headed out just when it started to clear up in the afternoon.  That meant not a super-crowded day for us.

Miss Lee washing her hands in the downspout before we left.

 Unlimited rides!

mirror maze - this was a favorite

Gliders - basically the swings but laying down.
I wished I could try this.

Say, "hooray"

 We had the opposite problem at the State Fair.  We went on the teacher work day for two or three different school districts.  The kids had free tickets for that day, so it was super crowded.  We still managed to have a completely different experience from last year.  We watched African acrobats

 saw the car show, a kids cooking demonstration, ate fried cheeseburgers, watched some pets perform tricks, saw pig races, and ate ice cream.  Then to finish we watched the new and improved lightshow/fireworks/dance concert at the end.  It was super late when we got home, but it was fine because the kids stayed up super late the next night, too while Johnny and I saw the SYTYCD tour for our anniversary.  

 And then there was the Bluegrass Festival.  A free one in our neighbor city at the Historic Park.  We had so much fun listening to music, which the kids said they liked, eating nachos,

doing crafts, playing with play dough, bouncing in bounce houses,

 getting faces painted and balloon animals

Basically, we like festivals.  You put on a festival, and we'll probably be there.  I think it's a fun way to get the kids exposed to new things and get out of the house.  Plus, now that regular summer has hit Texas, we finally have some great weather to go out and play in.