For months and months, we've heard tales about the annual fundraising festival for
Jaxon's school. Everyone raved about it and said it was a great way for families to come together and socialize, all while raising money that will benefit the school. What no one mentioned was the grand scale of this function.
Anh and I were picturing yet another little event at the actual school. Oh, we were so wrong. Turns out, the festival is quite the production, and the entire city is invited! We had no idea until last weekend when we were looking at the Sunday paper and saw a huge advertisement. At that point, we really had no idea what to expect.
On Saturday, we set out with Grandfather and Grandma in tow to check out the action. Imagine our delight when we strolled up to the festival grounds and saw this.
Yeah! Jax's school isn't looking to just make a few bucks! They go all out. We were gonna' have some fun.
After warming up on the rides, it was time to let Jax try his luck at some carnival games. You can tell we're real "P.C." and all, letting him fire the assault rifle. He's not too bad of a shot either. There was one right through the bulls-eye. So don't go breaking into our house. I've got protection!
Jax invested a few bucks trying to win a goldfish. This brought back memories from my own childhood. One year, my dad (Grandfather) turned Travis and I loose at the fair with some spending money. Well, wasn't he "thrilled" when we returned at the end of the night with no less than 10 goldfish. That led to the purchase of a full aquarium the next day and years of aquarium maintenance followed. That taught him not to trust us with money!
Sadly for Jax, he wasn't as lucky. His $2 investment yielded no fish, and mommy wasn't handing over the additional $3 that would guarantee his success during round 2. No thanks, Mr. Carnie, I consider myself lucky to be walking away empty handed.
To take his mind off the loss, I introduced Jax to confetti eggs. Boy, did I create a monster! I cracked the first one over Jax's head, and he looked completely confused as the confetti spilled down over him. Then, as if in slow motion, Jax's face relaxed and the smile appeared. He reached into the carton and turned around to attack daddy.
Poor daddy! His crotch was the victim of an overly excited 4-year old assault. It was like a scene from America's Funniest Home Videos. It wasn't an intentional thing. Jax's height limited the strike zone, and unfortunately for Anh, he was facing the action. He would have been much better off if Jax had decided to stage a surprise attack from behind.
After taking a few moments to recover, Anh and Grandfather sought revenge on Jax. It turns out that Jax can dish it out, but he can't take it. He did not like seeing "his" eggs used against him. It was a full on confetti war! Not even Baylor escaped unscathed.
When Baylor tried to eat the confetti, I took that as a sign that we needed to indulge in some greasy, but delicious fair food. What better time to introduce Baylor to food on a stick. The corndog was a big hit! The moment was similar to what we had just witnessed with Jax and the confetti eggs. Confusion gave way to delight within a matter of seconds.
While rounding up our festival grub and securing seating, we somehow lost track of Jax. I thought he was Grandfather and Grandma who were tracking down a table, and they thought he was with me ordering food. In Jax's defense, he tried to do as I asked and follow Grandfather to a table, but ended up getting separated in the crowd. Since they didn't even know I had sent Jax tagging along with them, they were blissfully unaware of his absence.
I was actually loaded down with greasy goodness and headed over to their table when Jax ran up and grabbed onto my leg. Confused, I asked him, "Buddy, why aren't you with Grandfather?" I didn't get my answer from Jax though. I got it from the police officer that was 2 steps behind him. He said, "Your son was lost." I was so caught off guard, I couldn't seem to form sentences, but my mind was saying, "Lost! What?! How?"
The police officer filled me in on the limited details. Basically, when Jax realized he was alone, he found his way to a group of ladies who turned him over to the police officer. I just happened to go walking by when the police officer was talking to Jax, trying to figure out who he belonged to. Did I mention that I also just happened to be holding my glass of Sangria too? Nice, huh? Let's hope my otherwise clean-cut appearance was enough to convince the officer that I really did have my priorities straight. This was actually just a horrible miscommunication between parents and grandparents.
Yeah, don't everyone go fighting for the opportunity to nominate me for Mother of the Year. Oh well, it all turned out okay. I guess, if you're gonna' lose your kid, losing him at the Catholic preschool festival is one of the safer places to do it. Obviously, I'm really lucky. I got Jax back safe and sound within a matter of minutes and never even had to experience the absolute panick of realizing that he was missing. So lucky!
So, with that, we called it an early evening even though the plan had been to stick around until after the fireworks display. I think we had all had enough excitement for the day, and the sugar started to wear off which allowed the exhaustion to creep in.
On Sunday, after making a pact not to lose our children again, Anh & I decided to brave the crowds once more with our friends. We did our best to repeat all the fun from the day before. More funnel cake and corndogs...
More rides...
This time, Baylor got in on all the fun.
Oh, and my luck finally ran out. Goldfish were won! Thank goodness they made the "Win a Bunny" game much, much harder. Can you even imagine?! I would have had a stroke.
Baylor and his little buddy, Hudson, had a ball watching the spectacle. Check out how they're both chillin' with their legs propped up. Two of a kind, I tell ya'!
We ended the day with 2 children, the same as when started. Yay, success! Unfortunately, I do have to end this recap on a bit of a sad note. Not even 24 hours later, the 2 goldfish have gone to the "big aquarium in the sky." I know what you're all thinking & it isn't true. I tried. I really did!
Our friends, Jay & Lisa, met up with us which meant that the boys got to hang out with their friends, Hayden & Hudson...always a good thing. Like usual, Hudson was completely content and accepted that he was just along for the ride in his stroller.
Baylor was not as cooperative. He played a long for a bit, but eventually Baylor demanded to walk like the big kids.
Even though it was the Shrimp Festival, most people were actually dressed like pirates. I guess dressing up like a prawn just isn't cool. Jax wore his pirate tee and then gathered some accessories along the way.
Here's Hudson giving us his best, "Arrrrg!"
Throughout the day, we encountered some interesting creatures. First, we ran into the Geico Gecko.
Then, we came across some visiting horseshoe and hermit crabs, courtesy of The University of Georgia Marine Extension. Jax really enjoyed getting up close and personal with them. He even let one of the horseshoe crabs pinch his fingers. Surprisingly, it doesn't hurt. They only look scary.
Our last animal encounter involved "ponies." I use the term "ponies" loosely because these horses were small, but looked really old. I mean, 1 stop from the glue factory-old. The kids seemed oblivious though.
Jax was so proud to wear his shirt and jacket "just like Daddy." Although, he did end up shedding the jacket pretty quickly once we arrived at the office. To him, jackets are for outside. I actually had to bribe him to put it back on for a picture.
Baylor also didn't have an i.d. badge to wear. Hint, hint, Grandfather!
Now, I'll show off my contribution to the party: flower arrangements. I actually duplicated an arrangement I saw in Napa, although on a much smaller scale.
And, finally, a few shots to make your mouth water. The dessert trays, otherwise known as bribes for Jax.
