Endless Summer.......
There is something comforting in rituals...both for us as the parents and also for the kids. I think they signal something in our brains that help us cope with time and transitions. At the end of the swim team season every year for as long as I can remember has been our Volunteer Fire Department's Carnival. Every year it is the same, every year it is different. The rides are the same. The kids are different in how they react to the rides, the people we see are different. But one thing that stays the same is the signal that summer is coming to an end...it is kind of the last hurrah of the season, kind of hard to explain.
I'm not sure how all other fireman's carnivals are run, but our fireman have purchased all of their rides, and store them, service them, paint them, set them up and run them themselves. It adds quite a local touch. We know many of our fireman and enjoy seeing them each year at the Carnival.
If you read
last years post on the carnival, you may have noticed that Eric's expression on this ride was markedly different! I'm not sure what happened this year, but he was very cooperative to ride with his siblings and even enjoyed himself from the start of the ride!
Leah and her Granni on the carousel. After the first two rides she finally let go of Granni and held on by herself! Lessons in bravery :)
Dennis took Bay and Leah on the kiddie rides for awhile while I went on the Tilt-A-Whirl with Eric. One time. That was all I could handle. What happened to my body when I turned 30 that I can no longer tolerate rides that go around and around? Poor Eric, I was his last hope of going on those rides with him. He'll have to convince his brother to be brave I guess!
Oh look...he did convince Mr. Brave and Daring that the Tilt-A-Whirl would be fun! Last year Bay went with a grown-up, this time just the two of them had a blast together.
Each child got to spend $1 on treats...that is the other amazing thing about this carnival...it doesn't break the bank! The concessions are dirt cheap! Eric chose a sno-cone, Bay chose green cotton candy, and Leah chose chocolate ice-cream. After a few tastes, they all ended up trading !!! You can see what Leah got her hands on!
Granni, despite her fear of this ride, rode the ferris wheel with Leah. Daddy said noone could get him to go on it, but later in the evening he was convinced to go with me and Leah!
Gramps and Bay on the Ferris Wheel
Eric on the scrambler. He rode all of the rides with his arms crossed in front of him like this. I think we have officially entered the "pre-teen" years. He tries to act so grown-up, but he can't fool us :)
Leah, wearing her party dress, was a brave little girl. She wanted to ride all by herself. Here she is on the pony cart ride.
And Bay, rode as many times with Eric as possible. At first, the tilt-a-whirl line was short, so they went many times in a row to begin with. No cotton candy or ice-cream till all of the rides are done!
