Flips and Footballs...: fun with friends...

....at the alabama state fair!

i can honestly say it has been FOREVER since i've gone to the fair....and i was excited about the chance to go again!....my childhood memories of the fair are overall great ~ except this one time....and saturday all those feelings came rushing back at once...

the first ride was the swings....now, this wasn't even the "big" swings...but it was big enough....all the kids met the height requirements...they were good to go, right?!?!....wrong....within moments of the chairs being lifted in the air and twirling around grant became terrified....and audrey wasn't doing too great either...i didn't explain to grant that he needed to lean back, so once he leaned forward a little he was stuck that way for the eternity of the ride....and can i just say that was THE longest two minutes of my life....i could hear him crying and see his sad face and that was all it took....my momma bear instincts took over and i rushed over to the young man that had flung my child into the air and demanded he stop the ride....oh yeah, i did...i freaked...i couldn't handle it...visions of my child falling out of that swing inhabited my brain for that excruciating long 2 minute ride...he nicely told me it was coming back down...see, i am pretty sure they are used to psycho moms...

needless to say within thirty seconds of the ride stopping and me snatching him off that swing he was fine....of course he was....me?? ha!! that took awhile....i kept having little flashbacks all day....travel back with me, circa 1987, i was at the fair with a sweet friend....she wanted to ride the pirate ship....ya know the one that sways REALLY far back and forth...to the point you think it is either going to 1.) flip over 2.) dump you out 3.) cause you to have irrational fears of certain rides for the rest of your existence on this earth and several years later will turn you into crazy psycho mom....yup, i'll take all three for a hundred!....but see, i had my own momma bear who ever so politely ~~screamed & hollered~~ asked the nice fair worker to stop the ride....thanks mom, i owe ya one :)

and of course, the rest of the day went off without a hitch....the boys enjoyed the calmer, more tame rides....or rode the bigger rides with an adult....and audrey continued to try new rides but always keeping a wee bit of hesitation....and the funny thing was....those swings were not that bad....i honestly think, in ten years or so, they may try them again :)

i did have to remind audrey of all the really big rides she has conquered at disney AND the fact that this summer we flung ourselves 800 feet in the air with only the hopes of a small rope keeping us in the sky....but there's something to be said about having a parent with you!

the kids had an absolute blast!!....we bought them a wrist band for unlimited rides and they took full advantage of it...

we arrived at a great time too....it was hotter than hades but the lines were minimal and we were able to hit everything we wanted to and more! by the time we left it was getting packed....it would be absolutely perfect if they would do this in october instead of august!

i found the girls cute shirts at target....i mean, could they be more adorable?!?!....tiffany grabbed the boys shirts at old navy....we loved having them match and honestly it was a safety thing for us, we could easily find them and do a head count!

all the kids, including the daddies, took a turn on the log ride....i think the water was quite tempting for a small chance to cool off!

and THE best thing there....according to the boys at least...was the super slide....those kids must have gone up and down the steps of that slide fifty times....and lucky for us there were tables right there at the end to sit & watch!