City Wide Chicken Dance

Wednesday was the Germanfest Kick-Off at Headwaters Park and I played hooky from work for a few hours (long lunch!) to take Maddison and Mackenzee. I took them last year and they ended up in the Journal Gazette! This year they are only published on my blog.

Maddison remembers going last year, she told me every detail as we arrived yesterday. Mackenzee says she doesn't remember ever going.

We got there minutes before noon and the 101.7 City Wide Chicken Dance. The idea was the radio station played the chicken dance and people throughout the city would stop what they were doing to participate. The girls really got into it this year!

We then, following EXACTLY what we did last year, went to get our hot dogs, chips and milk. We ate our lunch then went over to the little kiddie ride area. The girls rode everything, from the teeny, tiny merry-go-round, to the teeny, tiny (no so tiny to them, though) ferris wheel. They finished up on the moon walk. The two people running the rides (a family owned business - the men went from ride to ride as needed to run them!) really liked the girls and let them ride extra long. Each time they got off a ride they both made sure to tell the guys (several times) " Thank you...thank you so much....that was fun!" I was so proud of them.

We proceeded back to the festival area to get our cup of ice cream. Just like last year!

We all had so much fun! We stood in a very long line for the girls to get balloon animals. Maddison asked for a purple turtle. The man made the cutest little purple turtle, complete with a little strap for her to wear on her wrist. As he was making Mackenzee's yellow pig, Maddison's turtle rubbed up against a table edge and the shell popped. She patiently watied and said nothing while Mackenzee's pig was being constructed. When it was complete, Maddison's eye's implored the man to fix her turtle. He had a line a mile long behind us and I could see he was wrestling with what he should do. It only took a few seconds and he grabbed another balloon and told her, "Here, let me fix you up". He constructed another little shell and added it to her balloon. All was well!

Alas, as we were walking back to the car, Mackenzee tripped on her flip-flop and fell to the pavement. She did not scream, rather, sobbed quietly as I carried her the rest of the way. She had a couple of bloody scrapes on her wrist and arm. Her pig was okay though! I was just opening the car when I heard a man say "Ma'am, is your daughter alright?" I turned to see a policeman coming our way. I told him she would be alright, and he pulled a cute pink teddy bear from behind his back and knelt on the ground in front of Mackenzee. He told her the teddy bear would make her feel better, and she could keep it, but she had to give it a good home and a good name. Kenzee was so solemn about it! He got up to leave and she told him "Thank you SO much!" She got in the car and the look on Maddison's face almost broke my heart. She saw the policeman leaving and SHE hadn't gotten a teddy bear. She didn't cry, but sure looked like she wanted to. She said, "Oh well, maybe I'll trip next time". Poor baby. After telling her how proud I was of her that she was happy for her sister (she wasn't!) and that she was happy that Mackenzee didn't get hurt real bad and how caring both girls are for each other and that I knew Mackenzee would be proud to share her bear with Maddison, neither one knew what to say. Maddi asked Mackenzee if she could hold it for a little while. "Sure", Mackenzee said. Maddi held it for about two minutes and gave it back to Mackenzee saying, "Here, you need to hug him for a while". All was well again and they both were sound asleep within three minutes!

They woke up at home and Sara said the first thing Mackenzee told her about was the policeman. Kenzee started laughing and told her mom "...and he thought I was her DAUGHTER!" She spoke this very indignantly, as if she can't believe ANYONE would think that. Then she laughed and laughed. Okay, Kenz, it's not THAT far fetched and it's not as if this were the first time any of us ever heard that from someone! She's at the age where she understands daughter, granddaughter, etc. While we were in Florida, everytime someone would tell her to ask her mom or something like that, she would just deadpan back "I can't...she's at home". The speaker would get such a confused look on their face while staring at ME....Kenzee would grab my arm and tell them, "THIS is my grandma!" Too funny!

I can't wait for next year's City Wide Chicken Dance. The girls and I decided we are going to go every single year until they are 100!