Utah State Fair

I grew up going to the state fair and have such wonderful memories of the food, animals, and rides. So when Greg and I started our family, I knew that the state fair was going to be one of our yearly traditions. Paton's first year alive we went to the Missouri state fair w/ friends of ours, but he was only about 4 months old and obviously couldn't enjoy it much. Then the next year we lived here in Utah, and Paton was able to enjoy it a little more. This year was so much fun b/c he's more verbal and really enjoyed the animals.

I think the chickens and other fowl exhibits are his favorite...not sure why. The emu was something I didn't remember seeing last year, and Paton was very happy to say hello to the "big bird."

I had to keep a watch out for Paton since he really liked the "sand" (sawdust). There was a lot of gross things mixed in with the sawdust that I really didn't want him playing in.

Paton was very brave in patting the goats. By the end he was running up to them, saying hello, and reaching in and petting w/ no hesitation. Thankfully, none of the goats were biters!

Every once in a while we'd see a goose herder come by w/ his dressed up fowl! Paton loved the geese and desperately wanted to follow them.

Daddy took Paton on the giant slide. He had a wide-eyed terror in his eyes on the way down, but as soon as it was over he asked Daddy, "Again!"

One of the best parts of a fair is the food! Our list included turkey legs, french fries, funnel cake, corn dogs (so delicious for some reason), coke, cherry limeade, ice cream, and elephant ears. A word about elephant ears...the fair where I grew up only had elephant ears, and I had never heard of funnel cake until I moved to the south. So this was the first time I had an elephant ear since I was a little girl. Definitely needed to document this occasion!

Greg got his turkey leg and shared with Paton and me. The meat was so tender!

Paton playing...not sure what's going through his head.

And the merry-go-round was a hit! He was trembling with excitement when the carousel started up!

 Overall, the fair was, as expected, a really relaxing and enjoyable time as a family. We'll definitely continue this tradition for the foreseeable future.