New Mexico State Fair

Last Saturday we ventured to the New Mexico State Fair, which conveniently for us, happened to be right in Albuquerque. We decided to go early in the morning, since we live our Saturday and Sundays in two shifts (before Ethan's nap and after Ethan's nap) and boy, am I glad we did! We got there around 10am and when we were leaving at 1pm that place was crazy! The fair itself was obviously more crowded, but the parking lot was seriously just insane and people were wrapped around waiting in their cars just to get through the gate.

Anyway, we had a fun time overall, but it was definitely expensive! We paid to get in, then Ethan and Matt rode one ride, Ethan played one game and Ethan and I ate lunch. Our grand total? $55! I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, since fairs are always expensive, but yeesh! We decided afterward we were glad we went once, but it wasn't something we ever needed to do again.

So what did we do at the fair? Well, they had the most interactive petting zoo I'd ever experienced. Petting zoos in my life have been a farm animal in a caged area and you walk up to the fence and if it's close enough you can scratch it's little nose. This petting zoo was crazy. They just let you walk right into an enclosed area with dozens of animals all together. They had chickens, ducks, pigs, a llama, an alpaca, goats, sheep, a calf, a donkey and even a kangaroo! All in the same area, where you were allowed to just roam around with them. Like I said, crazy. So of course, Ethan was terrified at the thought of walking around on his own, but I think he liked being in there as long as Matt was holding him, lol.

From the petting zoo we went to the Kids Science tent where Ethan discovered this ball contraption, which of course he loved, because, well, there were balls... lol. You basically put a ball in the tube and cover it up which created suction and pulled the ball through the whole tube tunnel dumping the ball back in the bin. I feel like Ethan could've spent all day at this place.

Next we headed to the rides and games. So, as I'm sure you can guess, Ethan didn't really want to ride any of the rides, but when we asked if he wanted to ride the carousel, he said "Okay." Lol. My little enthusiastic rider. But, of course, once it started going around he made Matt pick him up off the horse and started saying, "All done! All done!" Haha. By the end he was smiling, though, so I'd say it was a partial success. Then after the ride he wanted to play the duck game, where he got to pick ducks out of a tub and then (shockingly) won! And got to pick a prize. His choice? Why a ball, duh! At least he's predictable. :)

Our last stop at the fair was the McDonald's Kids Farm. They gave each kid a little basket and let them walk around through all these different stations like picking apples from a mini orchard and collecting wooden eggs from a hen house and getting vegetables from a little produce stand. They also got to ride little pedal-tractors and sit on wooden horses. And at the end they had all the kids sort out everything they collected into separate bins, which was perfect because it made a game out of giving everything back. It was really well done and perfect for Ethan's age, so he loved it.

So there you have it, there's our New Mexico State Fair experience. It's always good to get out of the house and do something different and fun as a family. I just love those days we get to spend together. :)