Summer's Last Hurrah at the Champlain Valley Fair

We have taken my son to the Champlain Valley Fair every year since he was born. This year is his fourth year going to the Fair, but this time it had a slightly different feel for a couple reasons. One reason is he is starting preschool on Friday, so this time the Fair really is marking the end of summer. Soon, and for the first time ever, we will start having school days and a total change in our stay-at-home routine.

The second reason was that, for the first time, my son had a clear opinion on what he wanted to do. We started out as usual in the building with the giant pumpkins, the sandcastle, the Bonsai trees and more. He rushed through it all, but did stop to play with the blocks with his sister for a couple minutes. I managed to convince him that we should stop by the photography exhibits to see his grandmother's photo on display too.

I slowed him down yet again by getting him to pose for a picture with his friend, and stopping by the bunny tent for his sister's benefit. She loves bunnies!

Then finally, after much whining and repetitive asking, we got where he really wanted to go: the cornbox. He recently saw pictures of himself playing in it from previous years, and that's all he wanted to do. He played happily with several other kids in the corn, and only took a break to milk the pretend cow (another thing he's done every year and saw himself doing in pictures).

I tempted him out of the corn with the promise of lunch. Then we headed for the rides....a Fair first for him. He and I rode the helicopter ride together, he was only a little nervous at takeoff, and quickly relaxed into it. Then he and his friend went on a ride totally by themselves. All. By. Themselves. How can this be? My little boy is growing up and this is just the beginning.

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