Got to be NC

If you are ever in the Triangle area and need something to do with the kids, call me, cuz I know a guy... Or in this case, a gal, that knows all of the hot spots to take the kiddos (you may have already guessed Blake, and you would be correct).  She has been touting the Got to be NC festival pretty much since the day I met her, but I was still kind of half excited and half dreading it, as it seemed like a very long and busy day with the kids.  It is held every year in May at the state fairgrounds, and is apparently called by some as "State Fair Light".  You know, carnival, animals, tractors, etc.  A $20 bracelet gets the kids on as many carnival rides as they can stomach (which as it turns out is more than 5 hours worth, and the adults were the ones that called it quits at dinner time).  Initially, I only bought Stephanie a bracelet , as I figured Gwen couldn't ride most of the rides.  We quickly figured out (Blake just a bit faster than me) that Gwen could indeed ride many of the rides and WOULD NOT appreciate being left out.  So she got a bracelet too. It worked out quite well, actually, as the older girls could go on 90% of the rides, whereas the younger ones had fewer options, and the rides were staggered such that the adults could split the kids and still stay near each other and everyone could go on a ride.  It was also really nice that, while the big girls loved the bigger kids rides, they also got a kick out of the little rides, and often all four went together.  

Lines.  Let's talk about lines.  There were none.  Zero.  The biggest time killer was just the time it took the carnies to buckle the children in, and sometimes they would finish a ride, Gwen would announce "again!" and I would just have them start the ride over, as there was no one waiting to get on.  

Oh, and the weather!  While I did manage to actually get a sunburn on my face, it was totally overcast and cool.  It would have been a lot more tiring if it were hot and sunny.  The kids didn't have sun problems because they were often shaded by the rides, but I for sure learned my lesson about overcast days (which I think I knew, but won't forget again soon!)

In the end, we saw zero animals, and only the tractors that we walked past for potty breaks.  I could barely get the kids to drink water or have a snack.  But they got to ride ride ride!  What a fantastic time we had!

The big girls favorite

One of Gwen's favorites

Enjoying the roller coaster?  Out your feet up and stay a while!

She is yawning!

Showing off her bracelet, which she was so proud to get.

Oh, and I got to be Gwen's plus one on this for as many times as I could handle the walk to the top.  Definitely her very favorite, she laughed the whole way down every time.