Carnival Day!

Two weeks ago, during our loooong walk to the Rye Nature Center, I spotted a poster for the Children's Carnival at the Rye Methodist Nursery School. We'd had a pretty good time last year, so I asked Alex if he remembered riding a pony at the carnival the year before. After that, all he could talk about for the next week was the carnival and the ponies. A bunch of trash talk from him, of course. Back then, he wanted off the pony within 10 seconds of being placed on it.

Carnival Day was yesterday! We got there early to get the best pickin's at the Toy Sale. We wound up with a Little People Pirate Ship set - which is now discontinued by Fisher Price - a few 'Cars' books and Alex's favorite, a Tonka fire engine. When we were going to pay for the pirate ship, Alex told me 'One more thing! We're buying this!' and he lugged the fire engine over.

The whole purchase came to $4.50.

Then we hit the games and rides! Or, at least, we tried to. Alex was waaaaaay too into his new fire engine for that business. None of the prizes available at the games were as cool as the fire engine. And what good is a bouncy castle if he can't take his fire engine into it? So, we faced some competition, but we talked him into two fishing games, a smaller bouncy castle, some arts & crafts and a pony ride!

When we'd first arrived, one of the ponies was being rested. We brought Alex over to see her (named 'Sparkle'). He was hesitant at first. Even though Sparkle was a Shetland pony, she was still much bigger than he was. He giggled a little, but had declared earlier that he didn't need to do a pony ride because he was 'too big' now. It was hours later - after some fishing, beading and eating of cookies at the bake sale - that we got him on line to 'just see' the ponies.

We successfully talked him into sitting on a pony named "Jackpot". Daddy encouraged him to stay by reminding him that it was for fun and then he tickled Alex to make him laugh. I asked the handler to walk Jackpot only a few steps forward when Alex was laughing. We got it! Alex wanted to continue!

He did the pony ride all the way through! Daddy told him that he was a cowboy now.

It still didn't beat the fire engine.

Sunday, May 16