NC State Fair {2015}

Oh, the fair.  What can I say?  It isn't my favorite place in the world.  When I think of it, I usually imagine dirt everywhere, twirly rides that make me sick, and games that are rip offs.  And the prices?  It is a like a giant black hole for your money!  Haha!  So it isn't surprising that our family has never been to the fair together.  I took Evan by myself in 2010 when I was pregnant with Brody because we were in the area for a wedding.  Eddie was working.  I think they were having bad fires in our area so he was on call a lot on the weekends and couldn't leave the area.  Anyway, now that we are back in the Raleigh area, I figured going to the fair was the "right" thing to do as parents, but I wasn't about to pay the full exorbitant prices for tickets.  When Eddie worked for the state, they were all given free tickets to the fair as state employees and employees under the department which organizes the fair.  Most of the state employees do not choose to use these tickets because they live so far away so Eddie contacted his old buddies and got some of their tickets for us.  With free admission, I consented to go on Friday afternoon after picking Evan up a little early from school.  We refused to pay for parking so we parked a little further away in the free parking area.  On the way in, a little girl gave the boys some of her leftover ride tickets.  Oh the rides.  Am I crazy or do I recall when you could ride those rides for just one ticket a piece?  Now every ride requires four or five tickets each so that makes them cost $4 to $5 a piece.  Yikes!  So the little stack of tickets we had to start didn't last very long at all, and we only rode a handful of rides.  Still, we managed to enjoy our evening at the fair.  Of course, one of my favorite parts of the fair is the yummy treats...cotton candy, funnel cakes, fried goodies like candy bars and oreos....oh my!

Our little family together at the fair. 

Our first stop was the agricultural and forestry areas where the boys loved these old tractors.  

Then, Daddy wanted to head over and check out the NC Forest Service exhibits and check on his association's part of the display that he had set up.  The boys always love the Forest Service helicopter and also loved playing the forestry wheel of fortune trivia game. 

The boys also enjoyed seeing an old saw mill in operation.  We saw an old one at the Cradle of Forestry earlier this year, but that one wasn't functioning.  The boys got a turn starting the locomotive engine and tooting the whistle.  It was very loud so they had to cover their ears.  There was also a very old Forest Service fire truck on display. 

I stopped to admire these lovely roses on display.  So many gorgeous varieties.  Yellow is always my favorite. 

The boys played a couple of games more for pictures and memory making sake.  Daddy tried to win something on the rifle shooting game, but the rifle's sight was way off and impossible to aim.  He did really well, but just couldn't get the little points on the star completely so he didn't win. Evan and Brody fished for sharks to win a little prize.  Evan chose another white tiger to match the one he had gotten in 2010, and Brody would have nothing but this little stuffed fish.  I guess he wanted a fish since he went fishing.  Haha!  the boys got their matching Smokey Bear hats from the Forest Service's exhibit. 

Brody rode his first little roller coaster with his big brother.  Nope, his parents did not ride.  I was so proud of him.  When Evan rode one in 2010 with his Grandma (because I was pregnant), he got a little scared so the picture of him shows his terrified face.  Brody only looked mildly concerned a couple of times.  

This was Evan's terrified face on his first roller coaster ride.  Haha! Poor baby! 

All smiles getting off the ride so I think it was a success.  

Brody does look a little anxious and nervous on the carousel.  I don't think he feels comfortable sitting so high up on that horse.  He always begs me to stay with him and wants to hold my hand.    

Evan wanted to go down the big slide.  I love that he raised his hands in the air and has gotten so brave. 

Oh, the ferris wheel.  It looks so lovely and nostalgic lit up at night.  I mostly didn't even mind the $5 a person (5 tickets) it cost to ride it.  

The boys and I rode this one while Daddy stayed with Mattox.  Daddy didn't want to ride anything.  We rode with a sweet young couple on a date.  I took their picture and even made them kiss for one at the top of the ferris wheel.  Aren't I romantic?  I wanted them to have a "romantic" memory of their ride and not just that they had to ride with two little boys.  Ha! 

The boys let Mattox "play" with their stuffed prizes.  We all enjoyed sharing a yummy funnel cake and some fried oreos.  Yum! 

One thing I missed about the fair was getting to see more exhibits and a petting zoo.  Apparently, since some crazy (nasty?) people who didn't wash their hands afterwards got sick last year, they didn't do a petting zoo this year.  Sigh.  A few people will always ruin a good thing for the rest of us.  Eddie thought I was ridiculous taking a picture of the cow's rear.  Hey, at least it wasn't using the bathroom!  Hehe!