Nearly a year to the day of our first-ever excursion to the Iowa State Fair, Levi and I got to experience fried food and farm animals for a second time…
Unfortunately, JB wasn’t able to make the trip with us, but baby guy and I were joined by my parents, who flew out to Omaha specifically to go to the fair. The Iowa State Fair is highlighted in the New York Times best-selling book, “1,000 Places to See Before You Die,” and my mom and dad were eager to cross it off their list.
Levi has a history of not sleeping on road trips. However, I assumed that he’d have an easier time falling asleep in the car than in his stroller, so I planned for us to leave the house just before his morning nap. Shortly after we drove through Council Bluffs, Levi closed his eyes…for about 3 minutes. They didn’t close again for the rest of the day.
You read that correctly: Levi did not nap the entire day. Not on the way to the fair, not during the fair and not coming home from the fair. In retrospect, I wonder if he was too uncomfortable in his infant-size car seat to doze off. (Note to self: Make a decision on a convertible car seat, STAT.)
For a toddler who didn’t sleep a wink, Levi was surprisingly well-behaved at the fair. Unlike last year when he snoozed the day away in his stroller, this year he was awake, alert and interested in his surroundings. He especially loved watching a brood of baby ducklings, petting a smooth sheared sheep and eating our freshly-prepared curly fries!
The highlight of the fair for the adults–and, let’s be honest, the main reason why we made the 6-hour round-trip drive–was sampling various foods on-a-stick, including:
- Chocolate-covered cheesecake
- Chocolate-covered bacon
- Deep-fried Snickers
- Deep-fried Oreo
- Fried butter
- Turkey sausage dipped in pancake batter and deep fried
If only I knew about the Chocolate-Covered Chocolate Chip Cannoli and Double Bacon Corn Dog… Well, I guess now we have a reason to go back to the Iowa State Fair next year!
Levi and his grandma // Baby ducklings // Fried pancake batter-covered turkey sausages // Chocolate-covered bacon // Levi petting a sheep // Making a deep-fried Snickers // Close-up of fried butter on-a-stick
Great photos! Now I really can’t wait for the Minnesota State Fair next week!
How does the Minnesota State Fair compare to the Iowa State Fair?
Did you find the changing station inside the Animal Learning Center? That was my favorite part of the fair this year.
Yes! We used it last year too, when I wanted to nurse Levi in private. This year we only took advantage of the changing station. It’s such a great feature to have at the fair.
I love these pictures! What a great one of Mom and Levi together. Next time hope I can join in on the fried food festivities.