It has been a busy week–make that TWO weeks! The 4-H fair is a two week affair for us. The first week is general project judging (that’s everything but animals!) and shaving goats, trimming hooves and getting things around for checking in the animals on the Saturday before the fair actually starts. Our fair is the week following 4th of July, so the 4th found us checking in goats, meeting to watch an outdoor concert ending with Sousa’s Stars and Stripes Forever (I’m a flautist, and played piccolo in high school, so I have a GREAT fondness for this piece! 
) and then on to watch fireworks. The next morning, dear, dear, dear dh took the girls involved and their rabbits and chickens to check them in, as well as do "goat chores" at the fairgrounds. This was the first year since doing animals (since 1998) that I haven’t been there doing the paperwork and making sure sale auction cards get in on time, etc. My 16 yr. old daughter took care of most of it! I’ve been told that means I’ve done my job well! 
I felt lazy, though! I came Saturday night for milk out–where they milk their does out that are going to be in the milk production contest. Sunday the actual contest starts with the kids milking in a certain order at 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. The llamas unloaded Sunday morning, too, so the three girls involved in that stayed around after morning "fairground chores" (not to be confused with the "home chores"!) to help out. We leased the llamas–my husband said it was cheaper than being on our feed bill! I’d love to have a llama–they are as interesting as goats and have quite a personality! By the way, some people from South America came by during the fair and talked to my 16 yr. old daughter and informed us that it is pronounced "YAH-muh", not "LAH-muh" as we gringoes say it! The lady from Argentina even told us how they pronounce it with a zh sound–"ZHAH-muh". Now you’ve had your Spanish pronunciation and cultural lesson for the day! I have to admit–it was pretty neat–who would have thought of people from Chile and Argentina coming to a county fair in the midwest?! God orchestrates some neat learning opportunitites!
Sunday afternoon we also went to a concert (we are privileged to have a wonderful summer music festival put on by students from all over the country coming to Masterworks, a Christian organization teaching the performing arts). I have to admit, I just don’t "get" interpretive ballet. The choreography they did for Bach’s Concerto for 2 Violins in d minor (commonly known as the Bach Double) was the most elegant. I guess I’m not into it enough to understand the other! But I do know they all work hard and we sure appreciate the fruits of it!
Monday started the absolute insanity–getting to the fairgrounds by 8 or so to do the "fairground chores" and get ready for the rabbit show. They had less rabbits than they have had in the past and we were done by 2 p.m.!!! There have been times when the goat show started and the rabbit show was still going! YES, I have children in BOTH! My oldest daughter’s last year, she went from being in the very last group in the rabbit show to changing into her white outfit (no, I don’t know WHY they have goat show-ers wear white! 
) run into the goat arena (next to the rabbit barn–whew!) and take over from a sister showing her goat which was already in the arena!!! Talk about close! Makes a good memory, but sure glad we didn’t have any of that this time!
My oldest two are done with 4-H now, so they are a tremendous help! So many times in the past I was juggling the baby of the time on my hip, trying to take a good picture and keep an eye on the toddler who was usually either a) trying to eat sawdust from the ground, b) throwing said sawdust up where the fans would catch it and blow it around in people’s eyes, c) running out into the show arena thinking they were a baby goat or something or d) running off to play in a puddle or do something else in the rabbit barn without me knowing where they were!
Ah, those were the days! 
Tuesday was the poultry show, which isn’t too exciting–you don’t actually get your chicken/duck/turkey/whatever out to show it. The llama show was moved up to start just after the poultry show, so we were one tent away in the llama tent. Oh, and did I mention that my 16 yr. old daughter informs me Monday night (we got home around 11 and then had to do "home chores") that we were supposed to be there at 7:30 Tuesday morning?! Say WHAT?! We decided I would take the 4-H-ers to the fairgrounds, and my oldest two daughters would come later so the boys could sleep a little longer. I never did get my nap that day, either!
It’s just not the fair without a storm sometime, and it decided to come during the llama show–one of the parts that are outside the tent! We took a long lunch, where it just poured–and the sand inside the tent was getting rivers running through it! But the rain stopped, the sand soaked it up fairly well, and the show continued. My youngest son decided the wet sand was really fun to play in…my boys were absolutely FILTHY when we came home that night! (Confessions of a not-fastidious-mom here–they just got the major parts washed up–no baths!)
The rest of the week was more relaxing as our animal showing was done. We had a goal of beating our last year’s total of "milkshakes" from the Lion’s Stand. I mean the organization Lions, not the animals! These milkshakes are too thick to "drink"! Last year our total was 68. We hit 76 this year! We might go for 100 next year–the boys probably won’t want to share next year, so we’ll probably make it! 
Wednesday was picture day–we don’t even buy a paper anymore, so many people send us the girls’ pictures! I told the girls we should at least buy one to support them! The photographer knows us more each year and teases us–the girls always wear their "4th of July" jumpers! People say, "It must be picture day!" The photographer said some year he was going to fool us and put in last year’s picture to see if we notice! My two oldest daughters and my 9 yr. old won grand champion in their divisions of clothing and preserved foods in the Open Class (open to everyone, not just 4-H-ers), so they got their pictures taken, too!
Thursday is "free ride" day for 4-H kids–they get an hour free before the midway opens to the public. Sometimes I go, sometimes I just watch the littles while they go. This year, I decided to try their favorite, Pharoah’s Fury! It is a lot like going off our loft on the barn swing–only a lot more! I did that twice and the Tilt-A-Whirl twice, which is my favorite! My mom taught me years ago the "trick" to make it spin–if you don’t get stuck! We had a blast! I also went once on the Ferris Wheel–that’s enough for me!
Friday is Auction day, also called "Hurry Up And Wait Day"! You hurry and get there, then wait until your species sells. We waited a l-o-n-g time for the piggies to sell! Must have been over 2 hours!!! Then the girls went through with their goats, then hurry back to get their chickens, then wait…in the hot sun! When they realized the beef was taking longer than they thought to sell, they moved them to the hog barn to be in the shade! I teased the girls that they and their chickens would be pre-roasted to sell! 
Once it was all over, it just seemed like it went by TOO fast! I think it gets faster each year!
Then we added to the insanity of it all by trying to get ready to go camping for a family reunion this weekend! Suffice it to say that we made it (thanks to the help of "many hands make light the work"!), even if we did all get to the campsite at 11:00 p.m. Friday night! Yesterday was fun with sleeping in, eating, napping , canoeing for the girls, and more eating! I went for a hike this morning while it was cool, got lost a few times (only briefly–got on some side trails which were still neat!) and then nearly got bit by a BIG dog! So grateful for the Lord’s protection!
We added some games and prizes to our family reunion–seems it’s hard to get people to come. We’re all soooo busy, and yet, we need these times of reconnecting with more distant relatives. My oldest is the secretary (I think it is a lifetime position!) and we came up with a few games, but we already have ideas for more for next year! We even typed in family reunion+games and came up with some good ones! Here’s a few:
Family Reunion Fun– http://www.stretcher.com/stories/980625c.cfm
Family Reunion Games– http://entertaining.suite101.com/article.cfm/family_reunion_games
Family-Reunion.com–seriously! This website has about everything you’d need to put on a first rate reunion! http://family-reunion.com/games.htm
Another good games site– http://www.reunionsmag.com/familyreunions/family_games3.html
If you’re going to do a reunion–you should have some great starts from these sites!
We actually stayed longer than usual (this reunion has disbanded by 3 p.m. before) with just the three-legged race and water ballons! The little kids got bubbles to play with, too, which was a good hit! We brought prizes for the youngest, oldest and who travelled the farthest! I hope more come next year–we even have some things up our sleeves for those who want to camp with us or at least come join us Saturday night as well for some games and singing around the campfire.
After all, if we make them memorable for the young generation coming up, they’ll want to pass on those memories to their children, and their grandchildren, and on and on. Just like I want to pass them onto my children. My girls already said this made it way more fun! And it helped them get out there with their distant cousins, too! Of course there was the volleyball net and a game of kickball, too!
By the way, I think the Family Tree game will be a hoot next year! We have an eighty year old uncle who is really into genealogy, so this will be a great one for us to do! I’ll let you know how it goes–maybe even post the pictures!
Trisch