My Fair Little Lady

It's fair season in these parts so we decided to check out our county's fair. We have been to neighboring counties and to the state fair, but never to ours. I sort of expected a little more since we are a larger county, but it was relatively small. Still, we had a good time. The newspaper had a coloring page that JillyBean colored to take to the fair in exchange for a prize. She received a cute toy Holstein cow, which sadly did not make it home. I think that she left it on the train ride. I was surprised that Jilly wasn't upset about it, instead said that "we can get another one next year."

Jilly rode almost every ride that was meant for kids her size and one for kids a little bigger. She started out with the pony cart ride, moved on to an alligator then decided to step it up a notch and ride the dragon roller coaster. She wasn't quite tall enough to ride it, but the man taking tickets didn't pay too much attention to the fact that she was up on her toes. Jilly was so excited when she got on the ride, but shortly after it started decided that maybe it wasn't a great idea.

Still, she got off the ride without tears but ready for something a little slower paced. It is amazing how grown up Jilly is becoming lately. She is becoming so brave when it comes to new adventures and does not shy away from people like she has tended to the past couple of years. In fact, it is not unusual for Jilly to say hello first to a new person - similar to the way she was when she 18 months old. She also exhibits a great sense of pride when she accomplishes something she considers "grown up."

The State Fair is next month so we will have to make sure to go. JillyBean will have access to a few more rides, animals and shows. All of this is a warm up to a future Disney trip that we hope to take in the next two years. We have friends who took their four-year-old this year and that seemed to be a fairly good age. I want to go when I know Jilly will be old enough to have strong memories of the trip. In the meantime, we are thankful to have photos of these fun times together as a family.