We spent Thursday at the Iowa State Fair.
Gabriel has great memories of the fair from when he was a little kid, but I had never been before, and Liam jumped at the chance to see more cows...and pigs, sheep, horses, goats...
But first we had to consult a fairgrounds map, circa 1891.
At the fair, we made our way over to the Little Hands on the Farm, where they outfitted Liam with a farm apron, a bucket, and an oversized hat.
He followed the path from the veggie plot where he harvested some peppers, squash, onions, and carrots,
around to the apple tree, fresh for the picking but not for eating. Liam tried taking a bite of the plastic apple...it wasn't quite what he was expecting.
After a stop at the grain barn for both corn to give in exchange for milk and soy beans that became the fuel for his tractor,
he was off to the market to sell his goods
and earn some cash
just the right amount for a tasty treat.
fun fun fun
But the real fun was to be had in the barns...
This horse's back stood taller than Gabriel's 6'2"... And we didn't want to get one step closer, so you'll just have to take my word for it.
Baaa.
There were plenty of cows to see and pet
cows taking a bath
and blown dry until they're soft and fluffy
River took it all in, although his view from down in the stroller may not have always been ideal...
sweet sweet little cows
And then we saw some pigs. They wanted to see us, too.
I had a lot of sympathy for these poor mama pigs...
But everyone's favorite was the goats. This one in particular.
See?
Liam was especially taken by him.
Okay, we all were.
It was all so much fun that it wore River out.
Tractor time!
Big tractors...
The first thing he said was,
Where are the keys?
And what would a visit to the fair be without some food on a stick? Yummy pickle!
It was a big day. A fun day.
...
After the fair, we stopped at Gabriel's cousin Jared's house to visit him, Allison, Makenna, and to meet Colin for the first time.
Colin is 2 weeks younger than River, but also a good 2 inches taller. It was fun to see them side by side.
And these two. They were going non-stop.
You can see a video of all of the commotion over on Jared and Allison's blog
here. 
And trying to get a decent picture of the two of them together...well, it was about like this.
This is as good as it gets.
We had a nice visit with them, thanks guys!
...
And it was on the drive home to the farm late that night that a deer did
this.The picture doesn't really do it justice. Our poor car is in the shop until sometime next week.
...
In other news, River's appointment with the cardiologist yesterday was encouraging. Although the hole in his heart has not yet closed up, the doctor didn't think surgery would be necessary since River is thriving: he's growing well and is a very happy baby.
It's a relief. A big one.
But, of course, before we left for the appointment yesterday morning, we discovered that our refrigerator had stopped working. The freezer still works, and a repairman is supposed to come back with some replacement parts sometime tomorrow.
In the meantime, we have stuff in coolers in the kitchen, and our milk delivered last night has already gone sour. Boo.
C'est la vie, oui?
River got a crash course on where the milk that he won't be drinking comes from. It was a little odd being on a dairy farm on a dairy-free diet. Milk, milk everywhere, nor any drop to drink.
milk truck
Gabriel and Liam spent most of their time out in the barn building new stalls with Jim for the cows. Liam was happy to dig in the dirt and the sand and give the skid loader plenty of space. 
And look at this guy. I can't help but smile.
The farm is just one gigantic playground for Liam.
The kinds of sweets he doesn't get at home...yum. 
