Behind the Camera at the County Fair

By now most of us have read the Huffington Post article about staying in the picture with our little ones. I feel so blessed to have a husband who not only is interested in photography but who also has always seemed to include me in photos.  I certainly could have a better attitude about it most of the time and appreciate the moment instead of analyzing my hair, smile, outfit. I appreciate that reflection in the article most of all.

On our recent Fall adventure to the County Fair, I chose to hold onto the camera and practice a bit. I've got so far to go with photography, so please don't analyze my pictures too closely. I'm so thankful to have that day captured in the archives and captured just as I remember it.

To The Sheriff, the mention of the fair meant "see the animals," and the petting zoo greets fair visitors near the entrance (makes for quite the welcoming smell!)

On our first go-round, there was no mention of getting down from Daddy's arms, but the sight of these furry friends was enough to light up that smile.

I don't blame him for not wanting to get down. These little guys were ruthless, going after shirt tails, shorts, and camera straps.

This was our first County Fair experience, and we stumbled upon the Stick Horse Rodeo as it was beginning, and I'd definitely make a point to attend next year on the same day. Note to self--dress your child in cowboy gear, not Football Saturday threads.

We signed up our little bronco, received some cowboy swag, and prepped for the ride. Well, attempted I suppose. This child is not a fan of accessories (which includes costumes, so Halloween will be interesting).

While I didn't have the camera in these two shots I remember the look of a little boy standing in front of two large boxes of stick horses with his Momma and two kind rodeo "officials" asking, "Which one do you want?"

What you can't see in the picture above is our Sheriff's horse.  With two boxes of brown horses and a sole purple pony hanging out on the edge, I knew right away that my little cowboy was going to step away with this one:

We deemed it his LSU horse.
The stick horse riding line was long, so Daddy had plenty of time to talk technique.

I wasn't sure that he'd do it, but this cowboy came to the fair to play. The gates opened, and after one panicked look searching for his parents, he rode that purple horse all the way to Daddy scoring a whopping 91 points.

The whole event was super cute as the ride was followed by barrel racing and one other event. After his ride, the number on the back of his shirt became the obsession. (See the no accessories for this child mentioned above.)

Number removed, purple horse put away, we ventured over to the agriculture activity tent where baby chicks were the hit.

 When your pregnant wife mentions, "Hey, they have fried cheese" when you head off for lemonades, you come back with fried cheese. It was decent. We could have saved the calories for something more delicious like funnel cakes!

And the end of the first fair trip? These pictures need no words.