Back from fair and I'm exhausted

Hey everyone - I'm back from fair week! It was wonderful, and all my kids did great. I of course am totally exhausted, but it was fun.

This was my 17 year old son's first year and he definitely wants to do it again next year. He got "A" ribbons (top award) for his photography project and he did well money wise when he sold his pig and chickens at the auctions.

My 13 year old son, third year 4h'er, got a trophy for best pen of broiler chickens (third year in a row), as well as a trophy for best single broiler (2nd year). For those of you who aren't into 4h or farming, broilers are those big white chickens that grow so fast that their feet and legs can't keep up with them and you butcher them after they are about 12 weeks old. His pig weighed in at 285, but that was only because we put it on a diet at the end of May (they couldn't weigh over 300). My son had to walk him twice a day, and we cut his feed back to about half of what he was getting in the beginning. Let me tell you, by the time we went to fair this pig was ornery!!! :-) He too did well money wise at the auctions.

My 9 year old daughter, third year 4h'er, first year as a non cloverbud (which meant that her accomplishments would actually have points attached) did awesome in showing her pony. She took first place (and got a trophy) in horse showmanship in her age class, then she took first place in overall horse showmanship for her age class. That meant that she had to do overall showmanship for fair - she had to show a horse (not hers), a pig (again not hers), a sheep, and a steer. Out of four kids in her age class for that, she took fourth, but we thought that was awesome for her first year, especially when you consider how many kids in 4h that she beat out for that fourth place ribbon! :-) She also got a trophy for Reserve High Point in barrel racing, and one for Reserve High Point for Western Pleasure. For those who don't know, Reserve means second place in her age class. She also took second place with her Fancy Bantam chicken and was in the running to be chosen to go down to the Michigan State Fair (she lost out to a boy who is in his teens and never been picked). She wound up getting 11 ribbons and 3 trophies and did just fine at the auctions.

Finally our 6 year old, second year 4h'er, got her Cloverbud participation ribbons for showing her rabbit and chicken. Next year she will be old enough to show a horse with me leading her around the arena. She can't wait until she can move up to the "walk, trot, canter" age bracket, which is where her sister is this year. She isn't able to sell any of her animals until she is nine, but she is waiting anxiously for that.

Anyway, between getting up at 5:30 or 6 a.m. and then going to bed between 11:30 and 12 at night, sleeping in a camper in a double bed with my girls when I am used to a king size, and walking miles and miles each day, I was more than ready to come home and get into my own bed last night. The upside to all the walking was that I lost some unwanted poundage!!! :-D

Denise