Yet Another Reason to Love Grand Junction

We had seen on a map that Colorado National Monument was close by...

But we never ventured out to it.

Then while I was in AZ, Tyson decided (with nothing else to do while we were all gone) to go and see it.

He called to tell me, "I'm going to see the monument"

Ten minutes later he called again, "I'm at the moment...you've GOT TO COME!"

So, I came home...and we went.

Seriously...all of this was 10 minutes away??!! Practically in our backyard!!?? It was GORGEOUS!

Man, I love Grand Junction. A national monument for a backyard.

Rockin'.

Literally.

The girls probably found the dirt on the ground the most exciting part.

Although Eden did like the canyon where you yelled and 2 seconds letter it echoed back to you in perfect clarity. She also liked the rocks shaped like an "Egyptian Mummy", "Fries", and "Elephant" (only the mummy was labeled a "mummy" and she found and named the fries and elephant).

We also went on a little hike. That was probably one of Leila's favorite parts....running full speed ahead downhill ready to biff it or fall over the edge at any instant.

Overall, a very awesome day.

And on a side note...the picture below is when Tyson and I went on a "Walk From Obesity" that the staff at the hospital participated in. I got to meet all the doctors he's been telling me about over the past two months, get free t-shirts, get a little exercise, and get a free lunch from Subway at the end.

Arizona

Me and the girls went to Arizona to celebrate Grandma and Grandpa Finlinson's 60th wedding anniversary. I forgot a camera, so there are very little pictures of the event...

First off...the girls and I drove from Colorado to Utah. Tyson's sister, Kylie, had an urge to chop off all her hair. I decided that if she was gonna do it, I'd go ahead and do it. I have been a little sad about my hair since I got it cut last (not because it was bad but because I kept comparing it to my last haircut which was similar but longer and seemed a lot easier to do). So, I wanted a haircut that wouldn't remind me of my REALLY long hair from before.

It worked. I love my hair (with an occasional tear as I mourn the loss of long hair).

*p.s. Thanks to Mesa Thrift Store and gift cards to Ross and Wet Seal I was able to put together that new outfit shown above as well as a 2 other skirts, 2 other shirts, 2 other belts, and a pair of shoes with spending less than $20.

Then we headed out in a LARGE van for a LONG car trip to Arizona.

We threw these three car seats in the back, and it worked really well.

Nana was the real life saver who came up with the brilliant idea of having a new little "surprise" for the girls ever hour of the trip to keep them from getting bored. $1 store items go a LONG way during a LONG trip.

But we all had loads of fun going out to eat at the favorite spots, having parties on grandma and grandpa's behalf, and we even took a little dip in Aunt Diane's pool. Granted it was FREEZING and the ONLY person to dunk their entire body (and head) under water was Eden. All she needed some incentive. Macie offering 4 quarters was definitely incentive enough.

Overall, it was wonderful!

Ward Talent Show

We had a ward talent show a while back and I never had the chance to blog about it. It was TONS of fun.

Eden went up there and was quite a star.

Tyson and I tried to convince her to sing "I Am a Child of God". But if you try to "convince" her to do something....she's won't do it. She'll shy away and have an instant phobia. But if you say, "Its OK Eden, you don't have to do anything. No worries." Then she'll become the bravest girl in the world.

So, she didn't sing I Am a Child of God.

Before the show I took her up to the stage to see her reaction. She got shy. So, I said, "Its okay, you don't have to do this if you don't want. Its okay." Then she became brave and said she wanted to do it. So, not to give more undue pressure I said, "You can sing whatever you want...but there are two rules. You have to know the WHOLE song and it has to have words." (to eliminate the ever so lovely "Ariel song" among other things).

She was second in the talent show. I put her on the stage and gave her the microphone.

Eden: "Hi. I'm Eden Finlinson and I'm going to sing the 50 States."

Low and behold, she sang the 50 states without a problem (minus a few states she tends to always miss because I don't really know the song well and often sing it wrong myself).

The crowd cheered.

And then Tyson and I felt sad because we totally forgot to take a picture or video of the event.

A while down the line, I went up and performed with a group of ladies from the ward.

We performed the "Evolution of Dance" (with a few minor changes).

Here's the original YouTube craze video below for all of you saying "What in the world is the Evolution of Dance?"...

We all decided to dress up in different decades. Here's us ladies (minus one who had to leave the show early).

We tried to get a video...doesn't seem to want to work. I'm gonna see if I can get a video from someone at the church who had a camcorder running the entire show.

One of the ladies we danced with had a little girl that was also named Eden. Eden and Eden seemed to think it was so cool that they shared the same name. They played together and made friends.

Eden and Eden (and a little girl on the right who ISN'T named Eden)

Eden had a great time. She mostly loved the free popcorn and desserts. She definitely ate her fill of those.

Overall, we all had a blast!

Happy Girls' Day

The girls recently got a postcard in the mail from their Grandma and Grandpa Sakamoto who are serving a mission in the Sendai, Japan mission.

It was to wish them a happy Girls' Day. I believe Girls' Day, then called Hinamatsuri, started as a thought that dolls possessed some kind of spirit and they would send them away on boats....but it later became the now "Girls' Day" and the girls will display and show off their dolls to others. (Honestly I'm not sure if that is 100% correct, so don't quote me on my Girls' Day history.)

So I told the girls to get their favorite "doll" and we'd take a picture....

They grabbed Lamby and Raffy...not exactly "dolls" but they insisted that these were their favorites. So, I decided to let them show them off.

Then Eden insisted she wanted to take a picture with my camera. I was quite impressed with her photography skills...so I'm sharing.
Happy Girls' Day everyone!!!

p.s. While taking pictures I thought, "Wow...Leila has BEAUTIFUL HAIR! So, I took a picture to show off those beautiful curly locks. Those are all-natural curls...no curling irons here!