life's not fair. (except when that's all it is.)

When we lived in central Iowa, we would go to the Iowa State Fair every single year on half-price day.  It's been more sporadic since we started church planting, and the last time we went was when I was pregnant with Rocco.

WELL.  Enough of those shenanigans.  It was time to take to the fair again.

They've added a few things since we were there last; namely, Little Hands on the Farm.  Basically, kids go in and participate in all kinds of hands-on activities related to Iowa agriculture.  They got to (pretend) plant seeds, harvest seed and livestock crops, sell their harvest, and use the money earned to buy things at the grocery store.  It was SO much fun.

Dirty nose after planting her potato 'seedling'.

You can be as outspoken against GMO's and Big Ag as you want, but when Pioneer gives all your kids adorable, free farmer hats, you soften a little in your stance.  What can I say?  I'm a sell-out.  This must be how they won over the Powers That Be - they just passed out free hats in the break room.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.  That's all.

After that, we headed over to the Animal Learning Center, where we got to watch chickens hatch, and see newborn baby pigs cuddling up to their mamas to sleep.  I have never been more convinced that I need my very own Wilbur.  Baby pigs look so much like baby humans, with their fuzzy pink newborn skin and their long eyelashes.  But then I took a second to realize maybe I just want another baby human and not a baby pig.  That's much more likely.

Oh, don't mind the kids.  Callista is just pulling a koala baby, and Finneas is just off looking like he's about thirty and waiting for his wife to come out of the bathroom.

We visited the building with the winningest fruits and vegetables, and the butter cow, and the 'hard-boiled-egg-on-a-stick's.  (I will get behind almost any fair food, with the single exception of a ten-cent egg on a popsicle stick.  As though it's not disgusting enough in normal, everyday life to watch someone eat a whole hardboiled egg, let's put them in the oppressive heat and have them eat it off a stick like they think it's a popsicle.)  Instead of indulging in that nonsense, we got real fair food: corn dogs and potato ribbons for the kids, and ribs wrapped in bacon for me.  (On a stick, of course.  I'm not a pagan.)

We headed over to the building with all the specialty folk crafts, and were enthralled with the little delicate pysanka eggs.  (Now this is an egg at the fair I can get behind.)

We were in love with the dollhouses (especially a to-scale model of the Bridges of Madison County farm house - swoon).  On the one hand, I don't get the appeal of fancy dollhouses.  On the other hand, I want like a million of them to decorate for my very oooooooooooooown.  (I'm definitely not a creepy person, and I like myself.)

Callista was doing great in the Ergo...

...until she wasn't.  I abdicated Ergo responsibilities, and Todd in his goodness carried her and pushed the double stroller, all while nursing a throbbing tooth.

YOU GUYS.  This handsome devil got Callista to SLEEP IN THE ERGO.

After that, we headed over to see the animal barns, and took a look at the farm equipment.

And we finished off the afternoon with a visit to the National Guard tent, which was simultaneously awe-inspiring for these two Scrappy Doos…

...and a big stinky bummer for Atticus, because, after all, they only had ONE gun there, Mom, and no tanks!  Gah.  Life's not fair.

EXCEPT THAT IT WAS!  ALL. DAY. LOOONNNNNNNG!