A bunch of pictures of food we ate this summer...

I have no idea why I'm posting this, but then again, why not?

Here's Char snacking on a meat stick taken from a large package that I received for my birthday. My family knows me well.

Birthday lunch at the Prairie Meadows dinner buffet. Pork, poultry, beef, bread, and butter: all the food groups are accounted for and not a veggie in sight... Hey! I think I spy an onion ring under that cheese curd. How did that vegetable get on the plate? Well, thank goodness it's fried.

Birthday pie.

Adventurland onion rings.

Yet another steak dinner I prepared for myself when I was home alone. The onion and portobello mushroom are garnish.

Street tacos in Oceanside, California.

Fish Taco. Not mine. I don't do fish tacos. I like fish, but I think fish should be happy being itself and stop trying to pretend to be something it's not.

"Hi, I'm Fish, and I'll be your dinner tonight." Okay.
"Hi, I'm Fish and I, er, no. I mean, I'm Taco, and I'll be your dinner that tastes mostly like fish tonight." Not okay.

Mickey cookie. That shape cannot be escaped in Disneyland.

Legoland chili dog (mine).

Legoland healthy lunch (Char's).

Legoland deep fried apple sticks and whipped cream  (all of us). I don't know why this isn't offered at the Iowa State Fair.

Breakwater Brewing's pizza pies:

The guys who worked at ZigZag Pizza moved kinda slow, but they didn't seem to let that bother them. As we walked away from the counter Daphne whispered, "Do you think these people are on something?"
I replied, "Well, this place is called ZigZag."

As you'd expect, it was good pizza.

Breakfast at the Iowa State Fair (turkey sausage wrapped in fried pancake batter).

Mini cinnamon buns are also a great way to start the day.

Iowa State Fair "Fair Square" (aka Rice Crispy Treats that are the Size of Your Head on-a-stick ).

Iowa State Fair "Donut Sundae" (It's a cinnamon sugar donut sliced in half and filled with ice cream and topped with sundae topping and whip cream.)

Iowa State Fair's "Corn in a Cup" ( It's corn mixed with pork chorizo, butter, chayote cheese, lime juice, sour cream, mayo, and "Magic Dust". Magic Dust?)

Daph's and Char's attempt to eat healthier fair food: a peanut butter sandwich and a salad (both on-a-stick).

I was having none of that and instead ate the deep fried nacho balls.

Popcorn Ball on-a-stick. It stayed on that stick about three more seconds. Not very good example of effective stickness if you ask me. They should have been honest and called it, "Popcorn Ball soon-to-be-on-the-ground". After it fell, we told Char we could pull off the dirty side, and it would be still good. We're getting better at this parent-thing.

Now that summer is over, we diet. 

Seriously.

Homecoming '15, Kindergarten Style.

Wednesday:
Today it's Disco Day at Olmsted Elementary. Since they no longer sell bellbottoms for little kids, Char went with a tie dye shirt and a funky headband we picked up at the Farmers' Market last summer. (Doesn't it feel too early to say, "Last summer"?)

Cue up the disco beats: link

Tuesday:
It is hard to believe that it's already Homecoming Week at Urbandale. This year Char's elementary is celebrating the week with theme days. Today is "Crazy Hair" day. Char was pretty excited, and she had some definite ideas about how her hair could look "crazy".

I'm just glad jazz band practice hasn't started yet, and Daphne is still home in the mornings. I'm sure I wouldn't have been able to follow Char's instructions for braided hair being tied to together...

The First Day of School!

... was three weeks ago, but I wanted to post a picture anyway. As you can see, Charlotte was really scared and nervous. I think having Mom there helped a lot.

Here she is doing a good job of listening that morning.

Only 2,326 more days to go!

Thank goodness it's Friday...

Iowa State Fair 2015 (part 2): Making Friends Edition

I like to watch the 1945 musical "State Fair" at least once before we head out to the Iowa State Fair. I'll freely admit that is nerdy, but I like to brush up on the melodies before walking around the fairgrounds humming the songs. 

And sometimes life imitates art.

Isn't it kind of fun holding hands?
According to a sweet and corny custom? 
                                   "Isn't Kinda Fun?" State Fair soundtrack

We bought Charlotte a one-day wristband that would allow her on as many midway rides as she wanted. 

This ride is the fair's midway version of the Frog Hopper at Adventureland.

Well, that's what we thought. What we didn't know is that this ride bounces the kids harder and higher. In a word, it was scary. Somehow Char and the girl sitting next to her locked hands as they screamed together. The two had bonded by the time the bouncing was done. They then walked off the ride's platform holding hands, and as they ran to the next ride Char exclaimed, "We're friends now!"

And so they were. For the next hour the two girls were inseparable. And by default, so were their parents. This was a new wrinkle.

I don't want to sound like a jerk, but, "Dang it!" I was hoping I'd only have to follow our daughter around the midway as she waved from one ride to the next; I wasn't planning on 60 grueling minutes of small talk with strangers. I know the secret to small talk is asking questions and keeping the other person happy while I pretend to care, but that's a lot a work, and I didn't feel like exerting myself. I'm socially lazy.

But I did it because Char was having so much fun:

Isn't it kind of fun making vows?
Admitting that we both intend to bust 'em!
                                   "Isn't Kinda Fun?" State Fair soundtrack

By 11:30 both set of parents were ready to do their own thing, but the girls weren't. The other mom suggested that her family would walk up the hill to meet friends, and then she'd text us when they were ready to do more rides. The girls seemed happy with this solution, but as the moms were exchanging numbers the other Dad started showing me his back and quietly walking away. I could tell he had no intention of contacting us again...

What a relief! Thanks, guy!

But using words less diginified, Isn't it kind of fun to be together? 
                                 "Isn't Kinda Fun?" State Fair soundtrack

Then, after lunch, it happened again. Char made friends in a twirling apple. Friend #2 was visiting the fair with her grandmother who seemed genuinely relieved that she wouldn't have to ride anything now that granddaughter had a pal. AND she wanted to talk less than I did. Score! Char's good times continued to roll, and the three adults quietly followed.

After another hour's worth of rides it was time to call it a day.

A few days later we returned to the fairgrounds, but Char only had a "one ride" coupon to spend. Charlotte and this young lady decided to be partners while waiting in line for the "Wacky Worm". I managed to get a picture of their joy as they went streaking by.

This friendship was destined to last only as long the Worm traversed its track, and Charlotte pouted after the two of them had parted ways. She got over it, though. She had discovered something about the Iowa State Fair. The fair offered more than food and entertainment. It was also full of friends! And that's pretty cool, even if those friends would eventually fade into the crowd.

Maybe you're not a girl to have and to hold,
Maybe I'm not a boy who would stay.
But isn't it kind of fun carousing around the town
Dancing the night away? 

                                 "Isn't Kinda Fun?" State Fair soundtrack

Iowa State Fair 2015 (part 1): Old and New Edition

We took three trips to the Iowa State Fair this year, and in many ways this year's fair was like the other years. 

Char still stuck her head into things. She's multitasking here.

We ate cheese curds (that's Charlotte's hand sneaking into the frame).

I had a pork chop on a stick (x3).

And I also ate any meat I could get my hands on. Check out my cheesy horse shirt - Char demanded that I wear it. I didn't mind; I've lost a lot of my pride over the years.

Daphne and Char rode the Big Slide.

I walked along as Char rode a horse.

And Charlotte played in the bendy mirrors at the Museum Complex at the top of the hill.

It wasn't all "been there, done that", though. There were quite a few "firsts" as well. This was the first time Charlotte walked through "Little Hands on the Farm".

Daphne hadn't sewn a quilt before, so it was a first for us to see her labors hanging in the quilt exhibit. Daphne's mom and grandma both have previously had quilts hanging in this same room.

Daph also won her first ribbon in the baking competition. She received second place for her peanut butter bars.

(I didn't enter anything at the fair, but worked hard as a taste tester.)

I never thought I would see a Donald Trump Chainsaw carving, so this was also a first.

Although you can't tell in this photo, Charlotte had a ball running through the human maze. It wasn't as easy as the paper mazes she flies through, but that's a good thing.

In all of her visits to the State Fair there has been one constant: Char is wiped out by the time we get to the car.

The biggest difference between this fair and all others will be covered in the "part 2" post.