Monthly Archives: September 2010

The Fair. Part 2

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We headed down to my parents house this weekend to go to The Fair. I talked before about this fair. I am happy to see that it is gaining a space in my childrens heart, as the years pass.  We had a really fun time. I learned how to make old rides new and scary again.

 Sit back and watch as some weird dude straps your 7 & 10 year olds into a cage and sends them whipping around 56 ft up at 10-15 mph!
My heart stopped beating multiple times, and I won’t confirm or deny any screaming on my part. My feet were firmly on the ground the entire time too.   They loved every minute of it, Fred went twice. Bam decided to wait until next year to go again. Instead he tried for something a little less vomit inducing.

The fun house he lovingly refered to as the ‘Wipe Out Building’. Complete with the Shak-a-lator, Spinning Bases, and the Wash Tub.  (The plumber butt …. that’s my favorite little red-headed girl.  She lets me hold her whenever I want. )

Much fun was had the fair the year.

County Fair Time

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Last year as we were pulling away from the fair, on our way back home the boys were planning their 2010 fair exhibits. They’ve talked about it all year.  As the time got closer for them to narrow down their selections it seemed the list was getting longer for some reason!  So after some tough choices we finally had our exhibit ready.

Fred:
This year Fred wanted to try photography and drawings. He had two of each. He had taken a very pretty picture of some springtime desert flowers when he and Jason went camping. He took the old film camera while I had the digital with me up at camp with Bam. Once it was blown up to an 8X10, it was very obvious the difference between film and digital, but he was still sure that was the photo he wanted. 

 The other photo was taken this summer when he took the digital around to the park by our house to take pictures of birds. Those pictures didn’t come out quite as good as he had hoped, but he had taken a picture of a butterfly on his way home. It was on the neighbors flowers, and he liked the way ‘it was yellow and the flowers were pink’  In its 4×6 version it seemed very boring, but once we blew up to an 8X10 it was a very beautiful picture.  He was very proud of his photography skills. 

His art skills on the other hand have always amazed me. He did not get that talent from me. I trip and fall when I try to draw a stick figure.  Small children point and laugh and my attempt at ‘drawing’.  This winter Fred was working on shadows, and the statehouse was one of his attempts.  Even typing that the statehouse was an attempt makes me laugh. When stick figure drawing kicks my butt, the statehouse just frightens me.  I have to say that this picture is my favorite exhibit Fred has done. Ever. As a biased mother, I have to say this boy has a talent! His last entry was a drawing of Wolverine. No explanation  necessary… the boy loves Wolverine.  His facial expression is priceless. Cracks me up.

I know the quality of these photo’s aren’t very good, but they are in the frames and they are not coming out anytime soon!

Bam:
My little Bam is not as much of a self motivator as Fred is.  He is his mothers baby, that is for sure. Second borns, we are!!  With 12 months to plan the boy had big plans. Big plans that turned out to be nothing more than big talk.  He is not as sure of his talents as Fred is. Fred is not a bragger or conceited, he just knows what he wants and goes for it.  He keeps trying until he gets his desired result. Bam is more likely to get discouraged and give up. Or worse except mediocrity.  He had a week left to do something or he was going to miss the enrollment date, so out came the paper one morning and he drew a banana.  After some tweaks and color he had done it. It turned out pretty cute. He did it all by himself and the little brown spots are adorable!  He, like his mother, works better with a time limit. 

He also pushed the time limit with his Lego entry. He kept trying to make something, but it was falling apart, so Fred offered to help him, and it turned out great. They get quite annoyed when other kids bring in Lego kits into the fair. They do not think that is anything to get an award for. It’s evidently very easy to follow precise directions, but to make something up in your own head deserves more notice.  They feel very strongly about this. So to get 2nd place on their plane was huge to them.  

Bam took a picture of the Seattle skyline while were on the Lady Mary in December. I’m sure I’ve said this before, but Bam has developed an unexplainable adoration of Seattle.  He cheered for Seattleites over Idahoans during the Olympics. He has this deep seeded love for this city that he visited once for 3 days.  He could not understand why the judges didn’t give him a ribbon for his city.  I am going to hang this picture up in his room after school starts to surpise him when he gets home. Fred took a picture of some wildflowers that didn’t win either. It was with an old film camera and when it was blown up it was pretty grainy.

So another fair is come and gone, and of course talk has already started on what next year will be like!