"I Want to Ride the Camel!"

When I became a mom, I never expected to hear my child say, "Mommy, I want to ride the camel." But, that's exactly what Sydney said a couple weeks ago when we visited the Loudoun County Fair!

Loudoun County has a large farming community, and our fair is very agricultural in nature. There are livestock barns with pig, cow, chicken, rabbit, goat, and sheep exhibits. 4H is a big part of the fair, and they even have competitions for the largest fruits and vegetables. Then, there is usually a pet-a-pet show where kids can learn about animals and feed and pet them. We were checking out the pet-a-pet show, when Syd saw the camels. Then, she noticed that other, older children were taking rides on the camels. She immediately said, "Mommy, I want to ride the camel." I asked her if she was sure, and she said yes. So - I went ahead and got in line. I figured we'd get up to the front of the line, and she'd probably chicken out. The sun was really hot, so I parked the stroller under some shade (right next to the camels), and mom took stroller duty with the kids. While I was waiting in line, the trainer and the camel came over to the shade where Mom and Syd were standing. Mom pointed out that the trainer was giving the camel animal crackers as a treat - just like Syd gets animal crackers for her treat. The trainer gave Syd an animal cracker to feed the camel, but Syd just popped it in her mouth and enjoyed! Oh well.

Anyway, I was still waiting in line. There were two little sisters ahead of me that appeared to be the same age as Syd. When it was their turn, they got on the camel, then decided it was a bad idea and got off. Then, it was Syd's turn. I figured, here we go! She got on, and away she went! She rode the camel like a champ! I got plenty of pictures, but as always, Syd takes her fun very seriously, and there aren't any where she's actually smiling. However, I can assure you she had a blast. For a couple weeks now, she's told anyone who would listen that she rode a camel.