The Social Event of the Year

When you grow up in a small town in the Midwest, county fairs are pretty much The social event of the year. In my hometown, this still holds true. I wish people wore name tags at these things, though. I talked to so many people this week, but it is so hard to place faces and remember names when you've been gone from a town for nearly 20 years. (Note to self: 20th reunion is next year - YIKES!)

My brother, sister-in-law and my nephews and niece went up to the fair yesterday and I spent half the day debating whether or not we were going. Tuesday had been such an exhausting day in the 90+ degree heat and I didn't have much desire to go through that again so soon. Fortunately, it was a little cooler and I'm so glad we ended up making the trip. It's always nice to see the family and the kids had a great time together, as usual.

At 18-months, my nephew, Joe, has started smiling BIG for the camera. How cute is he???

Lucy & Mia - I would love to audio record these two giggling. They just crack me up! (By the way, don't Leila and Jorge look like they are up to something?)

Jorge, Lucy & Leila loving the pony rides...

Leila exiting the Fun House.

Jorge is a little thrill seeker, just like his mom. I couldn't believe the rides that he rode!! Leila is scared of heights, just like me. I asked her several times, "Are you SURE you want to ride this?"

The "Before" Picture: Jorge & Leila - all smiles

Uh oh, someone is gripping tightly.

The tears are about to begin, and as you can see from Jorge's smile and wave, it's not him. My poor girl. It really was high and she's just like her mommy. :-(

I had to capture this moment of my brother, Rob, walking with four of the kids.

My Dad was a 4-H Advisor and an ag lender and EVERYONE knew my father at the fair, and vice versa. Last year was a really hard year attending the fair, since it had only been a month since he passed away. I put my waterproof mascara to the test big time last year. This year was much easier than last, but there were constant reminders everywhere I looked. The bank where he worked had a booth at the fair and placed this bench in it in memory of my father. I can honestly say that I didn't shed a tear taking this photo because all I could think about was how my Dad is looking down on these five kids and smiling so proudly. His grandkids were his pride and joy and he could not have possibly loved them any more.

Have a great week!