County Fair

     We decided to venture out to the El Paso County fair.  We had been to the state fair many, many times, but we had never been to the county fair.  We decided to check it out.  We weren't sure what to expect, so we didn't plan on staying long.  Once we got there, we were blown away with all there was to do!  We started by watching an alpaca competition.  They asked for kid volunteers to walk the alpacas around. The kids very enthusiastically volunteered.  They had a blast walking the alpacas around the ring and even got ribbons and money for participating.  It was a great start to our day! 

Ella walking her alpaca around

Dawson and his friend

Showing off his prizes

  After the alpacas, we went and explored a bit.  Ella rode a pony.  We went and checked out the arts and crafts building.  There were a lot of different things to look at, and we all decided we want to enter something in next years fair.  We went and looked at all the animals.  The kids loved getting to see the animals and petting them. 

  They were giving out free hats, so we had to grab one of those.  The kids were dying to ride rides, so we went and rode a few rides. 

 
There was a magic show that we wanted to check out next.  We got there kind of late, and the only seats that were left were in the front row.  The magician asked for volunteers to come on stage and do the floss.  Jameson put his hand up right away and got to floss on stage. 

  Later in the show, the magician asked for another kid volunteer.  Jameson, again volunteered to go up there.  He picked Jameson!  He did this hilarious bit where he put Jameson in a suit jacket and stood behind him and moved his arms.  We were all laughing hysterically! 

   After the magician, the kids wanted to ride more rides, so we did a bunch more rides.  We ate some lunch and got ice cream.  Before we knew it, it was 3:00.  We had only planned on staying for a few hours and ended up staying all day.  We definitely plan to go back next year as it was a really fun day for all of us! 

Family Time

    My Uncle Mike was in town, and we spent some time over at my Uncle Jack and Aunt Rachel's house.  We ate, and then headed up to Helen Hunt Falls.  The craziest thing happened on the way up there.  We all pulled over and got out of the car, when all of a sudden, Jameson spotted a bear.  It turned out to be a mama bear and two cubs.  I have never seen a group of people run back to their cars quicker in my life!  She wasn't aggressive thankfully, but it still gave us all a scare!  I had never been to Helen Hunt Falls before, it was beautiful up there and we got some good shots of the kids.

Our little model girl

 
   After the falls, we headed back to my aunt and uncle's for s'mores.  They have an amazing deck with amazing views.  The kids had a great time making s'mores and we really enjoyed seeing family we rarely get to see. 

Museum Visit

   Katy and I took the kids up to the Museum of Nature and Science.  We had a great morning there.  They had a new exhibit for us to check out.  It was a good visit. 

This chair was VERY popular!

Dawson doing some sketching

The view from the museum is STUNNING!