Cool Mom

85: Carnival

"Just give a minute to change into something more comfortable and then we can leave." Daniel tells Hazel and me as he hurries towards our bedroom.

Daniel promised to come early to accompany us to a popup carnival on the outskirts of the city. It's one of those fairs that travel all over the state and they've just come to Pasadena.

We're already dressed in jeans, warm shirts, sweaters and jackets to protect us from February's chilly weather. When Daniel comes back he too is wearing a black jacket over jeans.

"Let's go!" Hazel excitedly takes Daniel's hand and pulls him towards the door as I follow.

We leave the house as the sun is setting and by the time we reach the parking field it's completely dark. Lights from the fairground illuminate the area around it. Once the car is parked, Daniel gives Hazel a piggyback ride to the ticket booth at the entrance.

They wait for me while I get the tickets and then we step inside. It's your usual carnival; food rides and games but this one is special as it is Hazel's first ever carnival.

"Should we go on some rides first?" I suggest and Hazel eagerly nods from where she's still perched on Daniel's back.

I look around and spot the carousel which I point out to the other two.

"I want to go!" Hazel pleads and we oblige.

We zigzag around the people towards the ride. We're informed that since Hazel is under ten, an adult can ride with her. I decline to avoid getting motion sickness from going in circles. So, Daniel takes Hazel and joins the que to wait for the carousel to stop.

When it's their turn Hazel chooses a horse and Daniel helps her onto it. As they wait for all the other children to settle in, I take out my phone and take pictures of them. When the carousel starts moving Hazel waves at me every time she passes by.

After the carousel, she rides the teacups and then we stumble across the hall of mirrors. While Hazel stands outside deciding whether she wants to go in or not, I reminisce my childhood.

"This used to be a favorite of Tess and mine at carnivals. On our way back home we'd show each other the pictures we took and whoever's got the other to laugh the hardest would win." I tell Daniel.

He bursts out laughing, "Why do I get the feeling that Tess mostly won?"

I fake gasp, "Are you doubting my creativity in a hall of mirrors?"

"Want to take me on?" He asks, an eyebrow raised.

"Challenge accepted." I hold out a hand and we shake on it before I add, "Hazel will be the judge."

The hall of mirrors splits into two hallways and we both take one, Hazel joining me. Twenty minutes later we meet at the exit.

"I've already won." I tell him how Hazel could not stop laughing the entire time we were inside.

We sit Hazel down on an empty bench and show her pictures on both our phones but Hazel can't decide whose are funnier since she just bursts out laughing at both of ours. After five minutes of going back and forth, Daniel raises his hands.

"Let's call this a tie?"

"A tie it is." We shake on the results and decide to get something to eat.

We head towards the row of tents that are selling food. Hazel insists that she wants nothing but fries but Daniel manages to convince her to try corndogs with us with the condition that she can have cotton candy after.

Hazel loves her corndog and ends up having two just like Daniel and me. After she finishes them, as promised I take Hazel to get her cotton candy while Daniel leaves to hunt down coffee for me.

I find a vendor near the end of the food stalls row and buy her one. I'm paying for the candy when Daniel joins us with my coffee. I thank him and greedily gulp it down, thankful for its warmth.

We decide to stroll around and see if there's anything else we want to do. When we get to the games section, Hazel says that she wants to give basketball a shot. The man working the stall makes an exception for Hazel and says that if she gets in one of her five balls, she can pick any teddy bear of her choice instead of having to get all five in.

Hazel misses her first two shots but gets the ball in on the third try.

"Yaay Bunny!" I clap for Hazel and kiss her cheek.

I take pictures of her as she looks at all the teddy bears on display and finally decides on one with a red bow on its head.

"We have to take one last selfie before we leave." I insist and remind Daniel of our tradition of taking a selfie in front of the Ferris Wheel of every carnival that we've visited.

That's not hard to find since it looms over all the other attractions. Daniel lifts Hazel into his arms and I take the selfie with the Ferris Wheel in the background.