State Fair Fun in 2010

I was super excited about going to the state fair this year and counted down the days until it came to town and of course it didn't disappoint! We had a total blast! I got all these pics from my sister Bethy since I was sneaky and didn't bring my camera cause I knew she was going to take super cool ones and I knew I was going to want all the ones she took anyway haha But after looking at how cool these pictures are I know you won't blame me!

We all got ride bracelets which gave us UNLIMITED use of all the rides! WOo!! We began with the super spinny one that pins you against the wall, I can't remember the name of it but it is always quite the experience, then we went on a rocket ride that brings you up high then drops you, always a classic, then we willingly got strapped into the sketchiest looking little catches and rode the Zipper, that one is one of my favorites, then we rode the pirate boat that rocks back and forth, we even got the coveted back row! Then we decided that was enough rides for a while, you can only handle so many of those fun filled fair rides ...

On our way to the Zipper we saw a tent that had lemurs in it, and of course Bethy and I had to go in, the boys didn't ask any questions, they know that's what we do, play with any furry animal available. They were absolutely adorable!! and so soft!

These three were babies and they were too cute for words. They were always cuddled together and usually were hugging each other, I wanted to steal one so bad! There was only one that was holdable and the sweet little thing was so tired she kept wrapping her tail around her body and balling up but we got her to pose beautifully for a cute picture, I'm pretty sure I heard the owner call her shmegal, I sure hope that wasn't her name... haha

After a crazy time riding the rides we had the full fair experience and got hot dogs and pizza, then went to see all the cool animals that were brought to the fair. First stop was the sheep and they were massive! Most of them were the size of little ponies and came up to like my shoulder!

They had just been sheered, so some of them were wearing this silly looking little covers, we decided it made them look like ewoks that inhabit the moon of Endor.

Goats were next, they were all a little silly. We really really wanted to play with the pygmy goats because they are oh so so cute! But they had just been fed and didn't want anything to do with anything that wasn't food, they were still funny to watch though. This goat really wanted to eat my cup

When we got to the pigeon house we were a little disappointed that most of the pigeons had been put away already, were really excited to see all the crazy species that were shown this year. We did notice that even though all the pigeons were gone there was still a large crowd of people gathered around some cages which made us a little curious ...

When we got closer we were like, is that ....

And yes, it was, President Monson himself having a chat about raising pigeons with a gentlemen over a row of cages. He is so awesome!!! We waited in the small crowd that had gathered around him but he was very into his conversation and then he got on his golf cart and was driven away. It was a neat experience just to be near him and to see him at a place like the state fair, just enjoying the simple things in life. Seriously what an amazing man he is.

Bunnies were the next stop and by FAR my most favorite, I mean how could you look at these little guys and not be happy, they are sooooooo adorable!

This rabbit was the softest thing I have ever felt in my entire life, it was almost like I wasn't petting anything at all! I almost stole him, out of all the animals I wanted to take home with me he would have been the easiest to take ... haha

After animal time it was Farris wheel time! We got some great views of the entire fair all lit up!

After the wheel we went hang gliding! Well we went on a ride that was like hang gliding, it was a total blast one of my favorites of the night for sure

Then we had to fit in one more ride, more for traditions sake then anything else. They only thing I remember about the fair as a child, the one time we went to the fair as a family when we were all little kids, was the slide with the burlap sacks. Unfortunately the big yellow one was closed for the night so we went on the little one, it did make for cuter pics though.

Look at these, are they not fantastic. Bethy creates magic with her camera.

The last thing we needed to do to make our fair experience complete was get caramel apples. Bethy decided to get a candy apple since we discovered that we had never actually experienced one before. When I went to buy my caramel apple I didn't have any cash and all the ATM machines had been turned off for the night, so the sweet girl at the food stand said that I could just have it for free, I love people that are so nice like that, definitely made my night.

Such a blast! I love having fun and going to exciting things! The state fair gave us a wonderful night of fun! Can't wait till next year!

A Very Brite Birthday

In April all the Johns girls combined their creative forces and threw Nora and Evie a very magical birthday. Nora said she wanted a Rainbow Brite themed birthday since she has been watching a lot of that recently. We were all very excited about the chosen theme because that is what we all watched when we were little girls. Bethy was the mastermind behind the decorations as usual. She incorporated as much color into everything as she could, which made everything look awesome! She made a canopy of streamers over the dinner table and lots of tissue puff balls for the centerpiece, she also had fun and colorful candy jars, ribbons and pinatas to create a vibrant and festive party atmosphere. I was in charge of making the rainbow road, mom had a bunch of colored paper that we cut up and taped to the floor, it looked exactly like the one rainbow brite and starlite ride one in the show.

We had everything ready and everyone waiting in the party room when the little birthday girls arrived. Nora got to wear a special rainbow brite costume and Evie was the white sprite, which is the most important one. They were completely overwhelmed when they entered the room and saw everything and everyone which made for a funny reaction. Later when they warmed up a little bit they were so excited about the rainbow road and everything else that looked so beautiful!

Mom and Karin were the masterminds behind the food. They made gorgeous rainbow fruit platters, one was in the shape of an actual rainbow and the white fruit dip was patterned after a cloud. Everything else was arranged in colorful patterns.

After dinner Bethy gave the little girls make overs, they absolutely love putting on make up. She even found stick on stars so we could all look just like little rainbow brite. I love these pictures of Nora, she totally loves being a model and she really looks like she could be in a kids clothing catalog or something, she is such a fun little girl! So is Evie but she is kinda hard to capture on film, or memory card ....

Jenny's aweseome contribution, besides being the mother of the birthday girls, was to make a starlight cake. Man she did an amazing job! The cake looked just like the horse! Nora and Evie loved it! And everyone was astounded by her cake making skills.

We found a cool rainbow cake recipe online that we also wanted to try in addition to the cool starlight cake so Bethy and I made three layers each and combined them to make a magical rainbow cake that turned out so neat!

Nora la la loves taking pictures and often borrows Jenny's camera to take pictures of her little world. She knows how to take some really flattering pictures of people from her low perspective ... so for her birthday I got her a princess camera, sadly it doesn't really take pictures but you get the fun feeling and when you click the button you have all the princesses tell you special things. After presents we had fun attacking rainbow pinatas for yummy candy, Karin's boys got it open with two hard hits everyone was thrilled with the candy! It was a very very fun and magical evening!