Fall Festival

This past weekend was my old home town's fall festival. And naturally, it was bitter cold and horrible weather for a parade. But it wouldn't truly be a fall festival if the weather wasn't totally crappy. I can't honestly remember a time when the weather was sunny and mildly warm. It is always inevitably raining or freakin' cold. So I tried to be the well prepared mom...

Bag for parade candy...check
Big warm coats...check
Fluffy hats for heads...check
Camera for blog photos...check
Two happy kids...check
Gloves to keep tiny fingers from freezing...doh!

Yeah. So it wasn't a total success. But the kids had a blast catching the constant rain of candy. I swear that October through December we have enough candy to eat one piece an hour (per person) every single day. We don't eat that much, so the candy never disappears. Not good for my already big butt. So I successfully passed off two-thirds of the candy to unsuspecting friends and family. My theory is that if I spread the sugar, I won't feel as bad eating it.

The parade wasn't nearly as long as it normally is. I suspect that half of the participants dropped out when they saw the weather outlook. The marching bands were there, bringing back cruel memories of standing in the bitter temperatures with my trumpet in hand. (Yes...I was in the marching band...solidifying my nerdy history) There were plenty of things to watch and Alex and Abby were pretty excited to see it all and wave to as many people as they could. They were little pros at gathering the mass of candy (Josh, my mom and I were just as active though). But towards the end, Abby's little fingers were sticky and wet and frozen to the bone. I kept trying to bundle her up in the blanket, but she was insistent on being free to use her hands. It wasn't cold enough to cause frostbite, but I was concerned nonetheless. In the end, we didn't get to see the whole festival. It was just too cold and the kids were ready to go home. I also didn't get very many photos due to a low battery and constantly pulling Abby out of harms way. She kept trying to get the candy in the middle of the street. Such a dedicated little one! It was a nice time out and I look forward to it every year. But I think I'm going to go ahead and start sending warm weather vibes into next October.

Tractors = Great!
Tractors that throw candy = Super Duper Awesome!

Enjoying the loot

Grandma, Josh, Alex and Abby enjoying the parade.

The horses didn't exactly leave a trail of candy...if you know what I mean.

Mama's little pink monkey.

Horses. Ahh...more freezing memories of riding horses in the parade.