Yippee! Fair Time in Logandale

We had a blast this year at the fair and rodeo! The kids really enjoyed their time with their grandparents and aunts and uncles. This year was especially fun because we got to see Uncle Paul (my dad's brother) and Aunt Hazel, and Uncle Chris and Aunt Debbie (my mom's sister) and their kids. Also, Kira and her boyfriend, Sean, were able to come down from Orem. Here are Kira and Levi all ready to go to the fair! Levi just needs his hat!
It was so fun hanging out with everyone and getting to know Sean better. We had lots of late nights staying up talking and playing Guitar Hero. I am not that into video games, but that game is pretty fun. I would ALMOST consider buying a PlayStation just so I could play that game. Thanks for bringing it, Sean! It was tons of fun.

We made some time on Saturday to go slacklining at the park. (It's kind of like tight-rope walking, but the line is slack, not tight. It's an outdoorsy thing that Kira picked up in Utah.) Kira and Michaela have been doing it for a while now and are pretty good. Sean, Peter, and I tried to do it, and we realized that it's a lot harder than it looks! Everyone did a pretty good job, but we were so sore afterward! If you want to know what it is, click on my sister Kira's blog link to the right. She has a You Tube video of a couple of guys slacklining. Keep in mind that these guys are incredibly good!

Jonah is starting to get to the age where the fair can really be fun. Eden, not so much. She had a hard time a few of the days. I think she was mostly overstimulated and tired, and she ended up having a screaming tantrum. Thank goodness Grandma's house is just down the street!

Jonah liked pretty much everything!

The tractor display

The Small Animal Pavilion
And of course, the rides!
Here we are on the train that circles the fairgrounds:
Jonah and Eden especially loved the pony rides. They wanted to go on it over and over. Jonah just had this adorable smile on his face the entire time! He looked like such a natural cowboy! Well, besides the Vans!

It was a great weekend! My sisters and I even braved the Zipper a few times, which we haven't been on since high school. I lost my voice laughing and screaming. It was so much fun! I think I've eaten enough funnel cakes, crepes, and Dippin' Dots to last the whole year! Thanks, Mom and Dad for letting us come up!

San Francisco Sans Kids

I have procrastinated this post long enough! We were able to go up to my folks' house for General Conference weekend. It was a lot of fun to hang out with everyone. Of course, my kids love going to Grandpa and Grandma's house. Jonah had been asking for "Gwanpa" for a week! (He calls both Grandma and Grandpa "Gwanpa".) So it was nice to finally get up there.
On Monday morning, Peter and I were able to fly to San Francisco without the kids. I was a little worried because we have never taken a trip without them before, but we all did fine. Peter and I did a lot of the touristy stuff that we didn't get to do when we lived in Walnut Creek.

We stayed right in the middle of town near Union Square and had a great view from our hotel room.
We rode every kind of transportation possible- planes, cable cars, buses, taxis, ferries, and the BART (subway train). By the time our trip was over, it felt like my brain was swimming around in my head. At least I never got motion sick. It was a lot of fun seeing the area where we used to live.
We visited Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39, Ghirardelli Square, Lombard Street, Chinatown, Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge and did some shopping around. It was fun to be right there in Union Square where Peter used to work and I used to come down for lunch. Everything pretty much looked the same and it was so nice that we already knew the area and how to get around. We ate at some of our favorite old spots for lunch too. Here I am at Lombard Street (the crookedest street in the world).
These pictures are of Alcatraz. We went on the self-guided audio tour. It was really interesting and creepy. This is on the way up to the cell block.
This was a typical cell and the 3rd picture down is a cell in the solitary confinement area. They would be locked behind the bars and have that door shut too. There was nothing at all in that cell and it would be pitch black in there.

We sure look like geeks with those headphones on!

The highlight of our trip, though, was when we went out to Walnut Creek and got to meet up with our friends, Beau and Heather. It had been 3 years since we had seen them. They were nice enough to let us come over and visit and meet their adorable son. We really miss them and all of our friends that we left out there. A lot of them have left as well, but we were so happy that we got to see Beau and Heather! Thanks, guys!

Oh yeah, and if you noticed that Peter and I are wearing the same hoodies and scarves in all of the pictures, it is because we were freezing and didn't really prepare! We didn't have coats or anything. I guess we have become accustomed to the heat in Arizona, because both of us were freezing the whole trip! I think next time we'll go in the summer!

A HUGE thanks to my mom (and dad, Michaela, Tibi, and Landon) for watching the kids for a few days so we could go. It was nice to have a vacation without worrying about strollers and sippy cups!

Five Things I Can't Live Without

I've been tagged by my cousin, Karena! Okay, of course I could live without these, but you get the idea!

1. Target
I love to shop at our Super Target here. The prices for groceries are actually comparable, I know where everything is, and unlike some other discount chain stores *cough Walmart*, they actually stock their shelves, open more than 2 lanes and don't block aisles while stocking late at night. They have adorable clothes for kids and even adults, and I love their home decor. Yes, I love this place.
2. Fruit
I love all kinds of fruit, and have to eat some everyday. My favorite is cantaloupe, but I also love bananas, peaches, all berries, a good watermelon, pineapple, and clementines. I basically love all fruit. I don't think there is a fruit that I don't like.

3. Hot Showers
I know this sounds dumb, but I really love a good hot shower. I mean as hot as it can get without scalding me. I don't mind getting dirty- I love camping and outdoor activities. But afterward, the best thing in the world is a hot shower.
4. Cell Phone
I know that I really could live without it if I had to, but it sure would be an adjustment. It is so nice having one. Just thinking about the weekend we just had at the fair in Logandale- it would have been chaos without a cell phone. It's so nice to just be able to say "I'll call you" instead of I'll meet you on the left side of the Plaza Stage by the 3rd funnel cake booth at precisely 4:35, etc. Anyone who has a cell phone knows what I mean.
5. Good Books
I can live without TV, movies, etc. And I have. But I think I would go crazy if I didn't have some form of entertainment, and I think that I really do prefer reading to the rest. I still love movies and The Office, but if I had to give up books, I just couldn't do it.
I tag anyone who wants to post about this...

Names

Found this on my cousin's blog and thought it looked like fun!

1. ROCK STAR NAME (first pet, street you live on): Freddy Sonrisa
2. GANGSTA NAME (favorite ice cream flavor, favorite type of shoe): Cherry Flip Flop
3. NATIVE AMERICAN NAME (favorite color, favorite animal): Aqua Giraffe
4. SOAP OPERA NAME (middle name, city where you were born): Marie Provo
5. STAR WARS NAME (first three letters of your last name, last two letters of your first name): Shiie (??? Haha)
6. SUPERHERO NAME (2nd favorite color, favorite drink): Black Water
7. NASCAR NAME (names of your grandfathers): Ronald Earl
8. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME (your 6th grade teacher's last name, a major city that starts with the same letter): Reed Richmond
9. SPY NAME (favorite season/holiday, favorite flower): Fall Tulip
10. CARTOON NAME (favorite fruit, article of clothing you are wearing right now): Cantelope Sweats
11. HIPPIE NAME (what you ate for breakfast, favorite tree): Strawberries Aspen
12. MIDDLE EASTERN NAME (your first and last name backwards) Einnoc Yelrihs

A Child's Prayer

Jonah has been saying the prayers a lot lately. Peter will ask him if he wants to say it, and he usually does. It's amazing how his prayers have developed over even a few weeks. Last night as he was saying the family prayer, he asked to bless Grandpa twice, the doggie, the cat, and a few other incomprehensible things. He sometimes looks around to get ideas, and ends up asking for blessing on his toys or the furniture. It's really cute and funny.

General Conference has been great so far. There is still one session left as I type this, but I have really enjoyed it so far. President Monson is such a great man and I can feel his love and concern for the members of the church and the humility that this calling brings him. So far I have really enjoyed the talks from Elder Dallin H. Oaks, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, and President Monson's last talk.

Sometimes as I listen to Conference, I start wishing that I had had copies of these talks on my mission. I remember specific investigators and their concerns and think of how these messages could have helped them. I really loved Elder Oaks' talk on testimony and how it should be born. I can't stand the travelogues and "friendimonies" or "familyimonies" where people don't even mention their convictions about Jesus Christ or the gospel. His talk was delivered lovingly and concisely, as always. And he had a lot of really good points.

Elder Uchtdorf's talk really hit home for me. I am so glad that he was called to be an apostle. I think that for European saints, it means a lot. I know that all of the Brethren are called of God no matter their nationality or race, but I just think that he understands them and what they need. This is clearly a world-wide church. As he spoke about the faith of our fathers, I was reminded of so many faithful saints that I love in Russia. Even though most of us in the church do not descend from the Mormon pioneers, we can still claim that heritage and honor them as members of the church. I loved how he explained that we can still honor our ancestors who were of other religions for the faith that they possessed, even though they didn't have the fullness of the gospel.

Anyway, I hope that everyone has been enjoying Conference as much as I have. I really would like to go up and attend with Peter sometime. He has never been, and it's been a really long time for me. Plus, there's just something about being there. It's pretty awesome.

Just Some Funny Pictures of the Kids

How cute is this mini picnic table? I got it for the kids on Saturday. It came unfinished, and I am planning on using what little skills I have (they all came from Kira) to finish it. I am thinking about doing a combination of black paint and walnut stain with some distressing and antiquing. Anyway, I will let you know how it turns out. As you can see, the kids already love it!


This morning, the kids wanted to try on some of our shoes. Jonah picked out the pink fluffy slippers. Then a few minutes later I found him with some Velcro curlers in his hair! What a funny guy!