Kansas State Fair....

Today, after Luke's nap, we traveled the whopping 30 minutes to Hutchinson, KS, to attend the Kansas State Fair.

Prior to Luke coming along, Marc and I went to the Kansas State Fair every year -- I think we even always went with my parents.

Sadly, and I really can't give a good reason why, we hadn't been since Luke was born.

Tonight, we went to the fair with my parents as well as my brother and sister-in-law (Joel and Amber) and their three girls, Grace, Natalie, and Maddie.

I won't show photos from every single thing we saw, but I will show quite a few photos of Luke having a good time -- which was the highlight of my evening, at least.

First, here's a photo of Marc and Luke -- my new favorite pic of my two favorite guys. (And, in case you're wondering, Luke is wearing his Papa's hat [my dad's] -- Luke LOVES this hat).



After walking around for just a bit to look at a few animals, we decided to eat supper. Because of one particular rude woman, we weren't able to all sit together.

The big thing at the fair is always the food. However, in our family, none of us go too crazy with all of the "junk" -- even Marc. (Marc's very content if he gets his Pronto Pup). But, the sheer amount of food vendors at the fair truly does amaze me.





Luke finished eating and was ready to get going again sooner than anybody. Fortunately, Papa was able to walk around a bit with him.



This trip to the Kansas State Fair was most definitely a "kids 5 and under" centered event. So, after eating, the kids wanted to go and ride some rides. So, that's what we did...And, since they were all kiddy-rides, we didn't have to worry about the fact that we just ate.

The first stop was the carousel....This was Luke's second time on a carousel in less than a month. If you check out THIS POST, you can see photos of Luke's first carousel ride (this happens to be my previous post). This time, instead of Marc riding with Luke on the carousel, I got the privilege of riding with Luke. Marc did the picture-taking.

Unfortunately, only one photo turned out decent to post....You can tell, however, that Luke did enjoy the carousel...You can kind of see me in this photo -- I'm right behind the horse in an orange t-shirt. Actually, I think you can see my legs more than anything (Whoo-Hoo)....



Grandma (my mom) rode the carousel with Grace and Natalie. They too enjoyed it a lot!



Then, Grace and Natalie rode a ride together, and they both really seemed to enjoy it.



Then, it happened -- Luke got to ride a "Big Rig" ride again -- this too was something he did at the Mall of America in August. This ride was right up Luke's alley.

I, once again, got the privilege of riding with Luke (which I'm very grateful I can do). Marc, once again, took photos....This time, many more photos turned out.

**As a side note -- on this particular "Big Rig" ride, it was a good thing I rode...There was NOT much space for adults. I'm a short individual, and even I had to really squish my legs to sit in this ride. Marc, at 6' tall, wouldn't have made it.







Not sure what the problem was with my facial expression, but look at Luke -- he's much cuter :)



And, a couple photos of my goofiness during this ride....And, Luke's still cute in these photos :)





And, just in case you're wondering, two of Luke's cousins, Grace and Natalie, were riding in front of our "Big Rig." Luke had not a clue about that little fact. You can't even see short little Luke in this photo.



After that excitement, we told the kids that we needed to take a bit of a break from the excitement....So, we headed off to some of the exhibit and vendor buildings....

I didn't take any photos.

Soon, it was getting late, and Marc, Luke, and I were needing to head home. So, we, as a big family, took a train ride together.

Keep in mind that my dad is a train-a-holic -- in other words, trains are a HUGE hobby for him. And, if you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you probably know that Luke really likes trains....

So, this was right up Papa's alley as well as Luke's alley.

(It was dark at this point).





After the fun of the train ride, Marc and I (along with Luke) decided to head out. Luke was getting pooped out, and we knew it because he asked for his "ah-dah" (his blanket). And, we saw him like this in the stroller -- sucking his thumb and hanging his head low :)



It turned out to be a gorgeous evening and a fun time with family....

The rest of my family, after we left, went on to ride some more rides and play some games with our nieces. We would've have liked to stay, but we have a big day tomorrow.

1) Our 3rd Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University class starts tomorrow (we're co-leading) at church. Therefore, Luke will be in the nursery for quite awhile in the morning, and we really don't want him to be cranky for other people (i.e. nursery workers).

2) Tomorrow is "promotion Sunday" at church...Luke will move to a different classroom in the nursery. We wanted him to be ready for this move -- even though, he's young enough that he has absolutely no idea what will be going on :)