State Fair 2008

Our day at the fair started off with a bang, when the Ava and Corbin wanted to drive these little cars. Ava can barely steer a tricycle so I knew this was going to be interesting. If only I had video instead of pictures.

Ava picked the hot pink Escalade. Hopefully not a sign of what her taste will be like in the future.


The funniest part about the selection process was that Corbin wanted the pink Escalade more!

Tiffany stuck him in the race car and he was visibly disappointed. He wouldn't give me a smile.



After a few minutes of disjointed driving, crashing and re-crashing into the bank of tires forming the track, they joined forces and Corbin decided to ride with Ava.


And if you want to know if your Grandma loves you, see if she will chase your Powerwheel around a track trying to steer you out of danger for 5 minutes. It was quite a workout! But because of her generosity I could take the pictures. Thanks, Mom.

We saw some cool acrobats,


We all thought they were pretty cool.


My favorite part this year were the animals. The petting zoo was quite elaborate this year, with zebras, giraffes,


giant tortoises,




and of course the usual suspects-goats, sheep, llamas, pigs, etc.

Oh the baby goats! I wanted to snatch them up and snuggle them.




Look at this momma. It must be twins at least. I honestly thought she would go into labor any second.


My back ached for her. Poor thing.




And these pigs! These baby pigs were going to town! And I loved their little pink tails.




At first, Ava was all about the animals and petting them. There were small cups of animal food available to buy (which we didn't) but Ava got a hold of one that had been left on the ground. And from then on she was obsessed with filling the cup with shavings over and over again and paid no attention to the animals.



She always surprises me.

We ate some funnel cake,




watched a dog show, rode a couple of rides,



and it was a good day.

One of the highlights was when this random lady walked up to us, asked us if we were going to be there (at the fair) for a while. When we said yes, she said, "then take these!" and handed us about $20 worth of coupons. Rides and food can only be purchased with coupons so that was very kind.




We ended with a stop at the huge sandbox,


but before we did, in an attempt to use our last 4 tickets (which is not enough for food or a ride) I went into this old school tent to see "2 headed snakes" and "2 headed turtles" I actually thought it was going to be a joke, but I did indeed, see a 2 headed snake and turtle! I was taking pictures until I looked up and saw this huge sign that said "no photos".

They came out poorly because there was not enough light and they were behind glass. But if you enlarge this picture and look closely, you, too can see a 2 headed turtle!




Ava and Corbin have been buddies since they were a couple months old. Ava has grown into a princess pretender and Corbin is a exuberant "tackler". Despite their growing differences, they always manage to get along together.

Ava could not put down her sandwich even for a photo.





And know what melts my heart? These two, together.


Two of the most special ladies in my life. Two of the stubbornest, strongest, deepest people I know. They're both mine and I love 'em!


And, Tiffany and Corbin, thanks for coming with us!


I love the fair!

Part I - Spud Harvest

First of all, Luke is recovering well, though he looks like a little leper and has entered the "itchy phase". Here he is the day after.

The bites on his legs seemed to scab over quickly, but the ones on his hands turned into huge blisters that lingered for days.

We just returned from our nearly week-long trip to Dallas. I went up with the kids early last week, because my sister Chandra and her 7 kids drove down from Idaho, to make the most of their 2 week school vacation. All I can say is bless "spud harvest". I love my sister and seeing her growing brood was great. What's so neat is that the oldest two (Hi, Brayden and Kieran!)stayed up with us after the little ones went to bed, and we played games together. It's fun to remember them as cute little babies and now be able to play and interact with them more like adults. They are fun stuff.

Ava hasn't stopped saying, "I just miss my friend, Marin".


They are two princesses in a pod.



I played photographer and had a little photo shoot with each of the kids. I said things like, "Work it!" and they thought I was crazy. But I have always wanted to be the crazy aunt, so that's okay.

Dallin

Princess Marin

Roan


Eavan

Torin

Kieran

Brayden

They are some beautiful children. It must be in the genes. I'm not biased either.


And then Dan came up on Thursday with our friends Tiffany and Andrew especially to see the BYU football game. Boo Hoo for BYU! Dan finally got to go to a game and of course, it figures that they'd have to go and lose! He's held it together pretty well, all things considered.

The game was a bust but the rest of the weekend was not! Stay tuned for The State Fair 2008 and a visit to the pumpkin patch.

We were glad to get a visit with family and friends and now we are glad to be home. Traveling with kids can really wear you out! Now it's on to Halloween and I must get going on costumes!

Here's a few things I learned this weekend:

The abbreviated version
1.
Babysitter for 8 hours: $50

Tickets to So You Think You Can Dance:$70

Dinner with friends: $30

Laughing until you cry: priceless



2. sleep deprivation + low blood sugar + trying to teach (10) 12 year old girls in a little room = not good


3. Playing in dirt in the backyard is hazardous to a babies health, if that dirt pile is actually an ant hill.


The detailed version

1. We went to see the So You Think You Can Dance tour last night. We had a really great time. Dinner before hand was entertaining. Dan created quite the commotion by dropping his full glass of water onto his plate, breaking the plate and dumping the water onto his shorts. A couple of us got to laughing so hard that even our tears couldn't make us stop. It has been a while since I've laughed like that. It felt pretty darn good. (Val, send me some pics!)



The concert was fabulous. It was neat to see the dancers in person (albeit from very far away!) that we had watched on TV all those weeks. They performed almost all of my favorite routines and even filled the time between numbers with cheesy, well-memorized dialogue.

And for your viewing pleasure, here are some dark and fuzzy pictures taken from the farthest corner of the arena,




And the kids did great with the new babysitter and hopefully we didn't traumatize her by being gone so long.

2. After a fun filled, late night, I had my first very disappointing experience teaching the girls at church today. I think it was a combination of many things (listed above) but let's just say I cried through the lesson and it wasn't because I was moved by the spirit.

3. The day just got sarcastically better when right before the home teachers arrived this evening, Luke happened upon an ant hill in the back yard and got himself eaten alive.




Oh, I cannot tell you how bad I feel for that boy. If it's not one thing it's another. The bites were mostly on one leg and one arm but the sheer number caused the allergic reaction over his entire body. He looked like a miserable pink sausage with a rash. His ears were swollen.




Even his belly button was swollen. After a baking soda bath and a dose of benadryl the nurse from the answering service advised a trip to the emergency room. That's where he got a dose and prescription for baby steroids and where he started to slowly return to his former shape and size. I just do not envy him and the pain and itching he will feel this next little while. I know how bad one or two bites are but my guess is he has closer to 40.



Poor, poor baby.

Summer Sno-Cone

First of all, I have a question.

Where oh where did my baby boy go? Where oh where could he be?



Who is this guy in new denim jeans,



and a red and blue striped hood-ie?


Seriously, I put this outfit on Luke and he immediately went from my little baby to my little boy.

A day or so later, I received this sweet sentiment in the mail from a friend. And so began a weekend of sniffling.

"Cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow, for babies grow up we learn to our sorrow. So quiet down cobwebs, dust go to sleep...I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep!"

And when I read that, my mind shot to a comment my mother left on my sister's blog this summer. When I read it then, I cried. When I thought of it again, I cried. I cry a lot.

She said, "I know I'm missing the hassle part, but cherish the days---in no time you will be living on memories and videos."

And then President Monson's talk on Sunday morning of Conference was the nail in the coffin. I couldn't help but cry as he spoke. I would link his talk here, but the text is not available yet. Conference in general was wonderful to me. I didn't hear everything, of course, but I felt like I heard more than usual. I can't wait to read the talks.

Little Luke loved the music the best. Whenever a song would begin, he would run right over to the TV, mesmerized. On Sunday, during the congregational hymn, he started waving his arm around with the conductor.

It just seems like over and over again I am getting the feeling and reminder to enjoy every second of this season of our life, even if things don't seem that enjoyable sometimes. Every time I turn around, there is another little nudge, that reminds me that this time is precious.

This weekend, besides crying, we went to the county fair. It was alright, but now I am stoked to go to the State Fair next weekend.



Everyone's favorite part was the animals, I think.



Luke was very excited by the baby chicks.


But if he could have his way, he would walk anywhere and everywhere with no regard to time or person.



We paid $2 for a teeny little unidentifiable stuffed animal. He is currently living as a puppy named "Puff".




Luke had time to contemplate some of his deepest thoughts



while Ava rode the girly goose and snail ride, which went only slightly faster than real snails.



We couldn't leave without a pony ride. It was Ava's first and she loved it.



At one point she was as lopsided as her sunglasses but this nice guy came along and helped her stay on board.




We paid a visit to the horses.




Dan took Ava in the haunted house to her horror. Luckily, she was comforted by a cool treat on that hot day.




And I realized that when I look back on these days with my children, I will probably find that the time passed like the ice in our quickly melting sno-cone.

Popsicle Perfect

Luke had a milestone moment this week.




He ate his very own popsicle(s).



During this blessed season when Project Runway overlaps with The Amazing Race, we also get to enjoy the beautiful "fall" weather in Texas. Living here during these mid-seasons puts a little dent in the misery we feel during the summer.



So a few evenings ago (and every one since), we went on the back patio and enjoyed the popsicles Ava discovered in the freezer.



Luke was a happy dude to walk around and eat his treat. And I was reminded how simple the joys of childhood can be.

Wouldn't it be nice to walk around in your underwear, eating a cool treat, enjoying some fine weather?


And wouldn't it be nice to let sugary syrup cut tracks through the dirt on your arms?


And not worry that the drip from your chin was going to stain your shirt?



And wouldn't it be nice to be able to squawk like a monkey and have somebody else run inside to get you more?


I'm doing my best to enjoy it all vicariously through them.

A Letter to My Children

My Dear Children,

The ideas in this letter came rushing into my mind with a passion I could hardly contain as I laid you down for your rest yesterday afternoon. Though you don't know it, we have entered into some unsettling times. Financial institutions are failing and we are finding ourselves in the midst of an emotionally-charged presidential election. I don't know how things will play out in our country and our world, but my first thoughts are for you. My guess is that things will continue to deteriorate and if this is the situation right now, how will things be for you as teenagers? Young adults? Adults? It is easy for me to worry about you because I am your mom and I love you and want the best for you. And while things are uncertain, here are a few things that I am certain about mixed in with some good old fashioned advice.

You can do anything you want to do. You are capable of anything that you can imagine. Your choices will dictate where you end up in this world. Wise choices will bring you peace and happiness and unwise choices will bring you misery and heartbreak. This is not negotiable. Hard things will come to each of you, that is also not negotiable. And I believe that there are two kinds of trials in life. There are the trials that our Father in Heaven sees as needful for our progression and there are trials that are the result of poor choices of our own or others. My advice to you is, take the ones from Heavenly Father and don't bother making up your own. No matter the source of those trials, you are responsible for how you respond-not your circumstances, not your family, not your friends, not the government-YOU. And how you respond will mean everything. Even when you may not be able to control what happens to you, you can always control how you react.

There was a big hurricane that came our way this past month. I watched the news and saw repeated pleas from officials for those on the island to evacuate. "You could die, " they warned over and over all the while predicting that the city would be non-functional following the storm, unable to support the daily life of its residents. Transportation was provided for all who wanted it. But you know what? Some people stayed.

They just stayed in their houses and came out to walk up to the waves as the storm approached, giving excuses to the news reporters as to why they planned to stay put. And you know what else? That's okay. They have the right to decide what they will do. We all have that right.

But the problem came a day later. The hurricane hit the island directly, destroying homes and businesses, ruining everything. And you know what those people were doing that next day? They were standing in front of the news cameras , complaining, "Where is the help? We need help! We don't have water! We don't have electricity! Why isn't the government doing anything for us?!"


Do you know what I couldn't help from yelling back at the TV? "You are idiots! You did not heed the warnings! You did not take the free ride out of town! Help is coming but it could never get there fast enough for you! You chose to stay and face 'certain death'! Now how do you lack the self respect to stand there and complain about it?!"


Of course they will need assistance to rebuild their lives and homes. There will come a time in each of our lives when we need assistance and I hope that it will always be given generously. I hope the reconstruction of all that was damaged by the hurricane will happen as quickly as possible and that the suffering will be short. But that type of assistance was not what they were complaining about. They were looking for others to remedy their immediate situation, a situation which was the result of their poor decision, and asking others to come to their rescue at great personal risk. It was irresponsible.

This attitude of entitlement runs rampant in our country. Be responsible and be accountable. If I can do one thing as a mother it will be to instill in you, my children, that you are the master of your own destiny. You make a choice and face the consequences, good, and inevitably bad, because we all make mistakes. And when you do, don't even for a second look around for someone to blame or think that you are owed something.

You have a strong heritage. Your own grandparents on both sides, made their way in this world, in one common way, hard work and sacrifice. You can do the same. Don't think it will be easy, but it mosrt definitley possible.

Someone once told me that I was lucky to be able to stay home with my kids. I couldn't agree more! I know that I am very lucky. I know that there are many women who would love to have that opportunity but for different reasons, find themselves unable to do so. My heart goes out to them. Later, as I thought more on the comment I realized that yes, there was some luck involved, but that was only part of the equation, the other part being the hours of work and school sacrificed by your loving Dad. Chalking our situation entirely up to luck, robs him of the work he did to get us where we are. I promise you, if you work, you will be well on your way to getting where you want to go. Know also that hard work does not guarantee that your situation will be ideal, but neither does luck, and knowing you've tried your best can bring you peace. Hope for luck, but don't count on it and don't leave hard work out of the equation.

As a child of God, you hold within you everything you need to succeed in this life. His divinity runs through you and by heeding His warnings, you will keep yourselves in safety. You must do all in your power, including hard work and sacrifice, to achieve the things that you dream of and want the most. You must also do all that you can to love and aid and help those around you achieve the same. Don't listen to anyone who tells you, "you can't!", because "you can!" As children of God, we all can! I promise if you do all that you can, God will make up the rest and even as the institutions, morals, and status of the world fail, crumble, and fall, you will not.

I love you immeasurably,
Mom