Hayes Family of 6: Fish Fry Fun

After lots of rain pushed back the start to our week of fish fry fun, we had to make up for lost time, beginning on Thursday.

We headed to the fairgrounds to eat fish and were thrilled to get there in time for the Clydesdale showing.

Lee was very impressed by the horses, and Matt and I were impressed at how incredibly friendly the handlers were to the kids. Lee loved it!

Then it was on to the fish tent! Notice this is our last year for Lee to eat free:-( They would have charged us this year, if they saw how much he ate. This kid can put away some catfish and hushpuppies!

Our full and happy crew

The kids around the county participate in a "catfish poster contest." All the entries are displayed at the fish tent. Lee found his while we were eating. It is on the second row from the left and the third one down. Sadly, he didn't win a place in the contest, but I think just having it displayed for all to see was reward enough for him. He was very proud!

This was his face when we told him we were headed to the carnival next.

It's a good thing he's so darn cute and persuasive, because I wanted to hit the gate when I saw this! I spent the rest of our evening looking at the ground and watching my step for an escapee. Let's be real, people. Look what kind of people are guarding those things!

Just like last year, Lee had absolutely no fear of anything. His most favorite ride was the bumper cars. He was still too short to ride alone, but I think Matt enjoyed it as much as Lee.

Wade was pretty bored with the carnival. Once the "nay nays" were gone, and the fish was eaten, he was ready to head home.

Pure joy!

The swings were always a favorite of mine, too.

We ran into lots of Lee's friends while there, but the best surprise was seeing "girl Charly" from preschool. (Yes, he still really calls her that. Fortunately, she no longer calls him "Flea.") They rode together and giggled non-stop.

This was the last ride of the night, only because it started to rain on us. We made a mad dash to the car, just before the monsoon came!

We enjoyed 4 hours of nonstop fun and didn't spend a dime. Matt's cousin is a Jaycee and provided us with fish tickets. (L&W ate free.) Then we ran into Matt's aunt, who was with her granddaughter at the carnival. Poor Kiley was not having fun and wanted to leave, so Aunt Leisa gave us their tickets. Just as we were about to have to purchase tickets to get through the rest of our rides, a lady came up to me and handed me a handful of tickets. She said they had to leave and wanted to give them to someone. We still had tickets left when we were running to our car. I yelled back at Matt to give the tickets to a teenager who was still riding rides in the rain. So, he handed them to the first person he came to. What luck!

Friday was parade day. This is probably my favorite Fish fry activity all week. The kids absolutely love it, and I love watching them. Wade was too small last year to know what was going on, but he was really into it this year. I took his earphones, which he promptly took off and threw to the ground. I fully expected a meltdown with all the sirens and bands, but instead, he clapped and stood on my lap for most of it. Miss Jill started his day off right by feeding him a donut.

Here's the rest of our crew, patiently waiting on the start.

Now with Wade

(Side note to my family: That's my cousin, Jamie James(Ronnie's and Tammy's son), in the background.)

Let's get this party started!

Captain Skyhawk made an appearance.

He gave Lee a shirt!

Lee's teacher's daughter is the Hostess Princess. She's the beauty at the top of this float. She won queen in her very first pageant ever! The beauty at the bottom right is Wade's queen, Kaylee. She takes care of him in the church nursery, and he is smitten with her!

I loved their float!

The Clydesdales are always a sight to see!

Matt's cousin's daughter is the baby queen on this float, and one of his best friend's son is the king.

There's Queen Evie in the highchair.

This was one of my favorite floats.

Another fish fry activity is a success!

Sadly, Saturday was our last day for Fish Fry. Our local paper sponsors Catfish Races to raise money for the Paris-Henry County Literacy Council. Local businesses sponsor a catfish to name and race. Some even write a tall tale about their fish. It is a lot of fun, and the money goes to a great cause. Matt had to hold his fish out of the water for quite awhile, because the racer next to him kept dropping her fish on the ground. By the time he let it go, it just sat in the water. He didn't win the race, but