Carnival

In June we took the children to a local festival to make family memories.  We all rode the ferris wheel as a family, ate the special food that everyone looks forward to once a year (in this case turkey sandwiches), and enjoyed being "normal."

We were woefully unprepared for how expensive it was!  It cost $20 for our family to ride the ferris wheel (not a big one; a traveling carnival's one) and Little Miss hid her face in my shoulder the entire time.  Little Guy rode lots of rides, but LM wouldn't.  I went with her through the obstacle course trailer, but I'm not sure she enjoyed it.  She only wanted to play the games, and wasn't happy that I said, "no."

It was very hard for LG to leave, because he wanted to keep riding, and he wanted to go back the next day, and he was distraught that the carnival was leaving!

Last weekend we went to the 4th of July carnival in a different small town.  We researched ticket prices and made sure we purchased advance tickets at a discount (20 tickets for $40!). Each time we visited Grandpa the week before the 4th, we saw the carnival setting up.  Excitement was HIGH!!! 

I was at a COVID wedding reception, so Jim took the children to the carnival before I got home.  He texted me, "LM won't ride anything." She delighted to see her brother enjoying the rides.  

Eventually I arrived, we ate, and then "new" Grandma and I went with the children to ride some more rides ... until we were out of tickets.  LM happily rode the carousel (with me standing next to her).  Then LG rode a ride that we did not preview first. Ut-oh!!! It turned completely upside-down.  He was a great self-advocate, calling out, "I do not like how this feels," and "I need you to stop this." He was the only one riding, so they did stop it, but it had to slow down first, and the slow down process took longer than he would have liked.  :( But he kept going to the next ride and the next.  

He rode the cars (on a track, just like a carousel), and then LM joined him for two rides on that.  And then our tickets were gone. POOF!! 

In the days before the carnival, when they were each asking, "Is today the carnival?" I explained, "The carnival rides are open Saturday & Sunday. We're going to ride on Saturday.  We'll be there for the parade on Sunday but we're not going to ride on Sunday." LG asked, "Is it only two days?? Then what happens?" "They pack up and go to the next town."  His response was immediate: "Can we go to the next town?" 

:)