Last year we went to the LA County Fair with a totally different kid. Heck, she couldn’t even walk yet (though she was really close).

So we were excited to go BACK to the fair with this new kid and watch her ooh and ahhh (and actually get to ride a ride or two). Turns out she DID ooh and ahhh (she LOVED the ferris wheel so much we rode it twice), but the only rides she was tall enough to ride were the ferris wheel and the carousel… Just 3 inches more and the whole fair would have been her oyster.

Surprisingly, she took it really well. It was her psycho parents who kept going from ride to ride looking at the height requirements (36 inches is the minimum, it turns out) – and WE were surprised when the ride operators took that so literally. I mean, she’s not THAT far from 36 inches, and it’s not like she was going to ride ALONE. Anyway, that just means next year will be even more fun.

But back to this year. Don’t get me wrong – we still had fun! Zoe won herself a leopard (not a real one) throwing wiffle balls on a table with colored holes (if it lands in the right color, you win a prize). She was not a natural… Though she has a pretty good arm, she kept missing the table. But the very nice lady who took our tickets kept feeding her balls, and then voila, a leopard. We also got an orange snake, a purple fish and a pink My Melody. That’s what happens when you feel guilty your kid can’t ride any of the rides.

She also had cotton candy for the first time. I didn’t even think about it, but she didn’t realize you were supposed to eat it. I guess it feels like cotton balls, so she just rolled it around in her hands and said “what is it?” Once she caught on, she decided it’s just a big fluffy marsh-pillow, so needless to say she was a big fan. She also had a corn dog, a quesadilla, some roasted corn and some ice cream. Overall, a super healthy day.

We basically retraced our steps from last year (is that odd?), so she did some animal petting/feeding (this time walking), with mixed results [VIDEO]. She likes to look at them, but something about their aggressive “I will eat you or what’s in your hand I do not care” approach was less than welcome. Anyway, a successful day, I’d say. She was so exhausted when we left, she was asleep before we got out of the parking lot. Yay, Fair!