How to Train Your Dragon

This post is a little behind, but a couple of weeks ago we went and saw this movie when my dad and brother were here.  So good.  Zuri sat through the whole thing and wasn't afraid at all.  She was entranced.  The only other movie she has sat through is Up!  She did fairly well through Toy Story 3 but spent a lot of time playing in the aisle between the seats.  When she is afraid she will often have me cover her ears (she has had me do it through all the other movies we have gone to), which she didn't want me to do at all during this movie.  It was a great movie--can't wait for it to come out on DVD!  If you haven't seen it--you should, I was very pleasantly surprised!

Highlighter

Somehow, this little stinker got a hold of a highlighter.

Somehow, when she was supposed to be taking a nap, this occurred.  All over the walls and her bed...

Somehow....still haven't figured out how...

J's Family Reunion

For Labor Day weekend, we spent it up in Twelve Mile Canyon for J's Family reunion.  The elevation is 10,163, so we were up pretty high!  That is our camp in the picture.  We had a fun-filled weekend of camping, games, horseback riding, fishing, and of course, marshmallow roasting!

Zuri had tons of fun playing in the dirt and with her cousins, who were excited to see her after being in Georgia all summer.

Dirty face!  She wouldn't give me a smile--I was distracting her from playing.

 She also spent much time chasing and playing with the dogs

Sitting by the campfire...she really didn't take to the marshmallows though. 

Playing in the tent before we went to bed.  She loved the flashlight and wouldn't put it down.  She actually fell asleep with it in her hand!  Our first experience camping with Zuri didn't go so well.  She was up screaming most of the night.  We aren't quite sure what the problem was, but she had also been up all night the previous night so it wasn't necessarily camping itself...  We also had really high winds all night that would shake the tent and cause the rain fly to flap noisily against the tent, which could be a contributor to her restlessness as well.  In fact, the wind was so fierce that it split one of our tent poles and caused a tree to snap.

Games included shoe races, playing horseshoes, and of course, running the gauntlet!  J and I even won at horseshoes (it was only my second time playing--I did pretty well)!  Activities included fishing, 4-wheeling, canoeing, and horseback riding.

We went to Ferron Lake to fish, but the winds were so high that the fish were scarce.  Still, we were able to catch a few small ones.

As always, Zuri had fun throwing rocks into the water

Zuri's favorite activity, though, was the horseback ride.  She got to do a little on her own (very supervised, no worries)!  She did not want to get off the horse when it was time.  Looks like we are going to have a cowgirl!

What trip up to the mountains would be complete without a 4-wheeler ride?  Zuri even got to ride one--she just loves being outside!

 Beautiful mountain sunset

It was great seeing everyone and we had a lot of fun!

Big Girl Bed

Zuri is now in a toddler bed!  Whoohoo!  I wanted to get her into one at the beginning of summer, but our landlord in Georgia had already set up the crib for us.  So, now that we are back, we have her in the bed.  She has done fairly well in the bed over the last week.  Surprisingly, she hasn't gotten out of it, nor have we had problems of her sleeping elsewhere.  She has only fallen out once so far, and that was during her nap today.

She has been sleeping a bit more restlessly than normal, which she had started about a week before we left Georgia.  We put in a nightlight in Georgia and that fixed the problem.  So, yesterday, we went out and bought a cool nightlight for her.  The nightlight itself glows a soft blue, and it projects an image of an aquarium up on the ceiling.  She loves it.  She also slept through the night last night.  I guess she is just getting to the age where she is afraid of the dark.

Sorry the picture is fuzzy, but that is the best my camera would pick up in the dark.

Welcome Home

My brother, Shin, got back from his mission in Texas in June, but we haven't been able to see him until now.  He and my dad drove out from California to bring my car back to me (hooray!).  They had been using my car while we were in Georgia.  Last time Shin had seen Zuri, she was only a couple months old.  Shin had been a lifesaver for me while Zuri was in the hospital.

It took Zuri a bit to warm up to Shin but once she did, she was all over him.  She called him "Gee."  So now he is Uncle Gee to her!  In the  first picture above, Zuri is in mid-jump.  Her favorite thing to do is jump, especially as we are walking along.

She also enjoyed spending time with my dad--she really had fun playing ball with him.

It was a fun visit with my dad and brother--we can't wait to see them again in October!

Discover Mills Mall

Our last little adventure in Georgia was to the Discover Mills Mall.  It is sponsored by Discover card, but it is a very unique mall.  The mall wraps around in a big oval, with the food court as kind of a center.  There are six different "zones" and each zone has a theme.  I can't remember all the zones, but I do recall the Olympic zone and the Coca Cola zone.  We started out at The Great American Outdoor Store.  If you look at the banner just above the door, it reads: Welcome Fishermen, Hunters, and Other Liars.  I laughed so hard and had to get a picture!

Zuri rode a couple rides...

...and played in the bouncy house.  They had a whole store dedicated to the bouncy houses and slides.  For the very cheap rate of $7.00, the kids could play for half an hour.  Too good of a deal to pass up!  Zuri definitely had fun!

Inside the mall they also had a Medieval Times place.  Basically, it was a restaurant where they have a two-hour tournament show and a four-course medieval feast!  We didn't have a chance to go, but it would have been fun to see!

Missouri

We said goodbye to Georgia early Monday morning.  J loves to get an early start, so we were out the door by five.  We pretty much drove straight through Kentucky, Tennessee, and Illinois.  When we reached Missouri, we stopped and ate lunch with J's cousin, James, who has been in St. Louis doing installations for security systems.

Zuri did fairly well in the car.  She slept quite a bit of the time, which was nice.  I was really surprised at how gorgeous Tennessee is, I mean, WOW.  I didn't pull out my camera and take pictures, mainly because Zuri was sleeping and I didn't want to roll down the window and wake her.  We went through a canyon that completely took my breath away.

St. Louis:

What trip to St. Louis would be complete without stopping and seeing the temple?

The temple is really beautiful.  We have a few closer shots but in the interest of space, I have limited to just this one!

After lunch we drove to Independence, where I have three uncles living.  They had a big family dinner and Zuri got to meet her great uncles and cousins for the first time.  Unfortunately, we were so worn out from the drive that I didn't think to pull out my camera that night.

We stayed at my Uncle Jared's house, and spent Tuesday morning relaxing and visiting.  Uncle Joe and Aunt Randy came over with their kids.  It is crazy to see how they have all grown!  I remember them all as little kids!

My Uncle Joe, Aunt Randy, and cousin Annie.

My Aunt Randy, Annie, and Rebekah (Rebekah is my Uncle Jared and Aunt Rachel's daughter).

 Uncle Joe and Zuri

I had my first experience with cicadas.  Wow, are they loud!  This dead cicada was in the flower pot--it gives you an idea of their size, even though this is only half of one.

 My Uncle Jared has a very big dog, Pepper.  Pepper is very sweet, but even she couldn't take all the attention Keira lavished on her.  Surprisingly, even though Pepper is taller than Zuri, Zuri was not afraid in the slightest.  She was almost more excited with the dog than playing with her cousins.

Since we were in Independence, we took advantage of seeing some historical church sites!  We went to Liberty Jail and the Visitors center.  We didn't take the two hour drive to see Adam-Ondi-Ahmen just because we had been driving so much the previous day and we had another long day of driving the next day.

Liberty Jail was amazing though.  It really gave you a feel for what happened and what they had to go through.  My only complaint is that we didn't have enough time inside because another tour group was coming through.  I would have liked to linger and soak up the Spirit longer.

After Liberty Jail, we went to the Independence visitors center.  Zuri had fallen asleep so J and I took turns going in so she could sleep. 

Right across the street from the visitor's center in Independence is the world headquarters for the Community of Christ and their temple.  Very unusual design.

 We spent Tuesday night with my Uncle Jared again, and we said our goodbyes since we were going to get up really early again for the drive.  Wednesday was the kids' first day of school so they were sent to bed early, but none of them wanted to go.  They all ended up playing and being distracted by Zuri. 

 Zuri and J playing--those two really got along well. 

Josh

 

Jacob

Zuri and Jared--all the adults were in the other room talking and when we went to check on the kids because they were finally settling down, this is what we saw!  Zuri really took Jared!

And she almost fell asleep with Rebekah!

My Uncle Jared and Aunt Rachel--all of my uncles are six feet plus, so I barely make it above their shoulders!

 

 

We had such a blast in Independence and it was great reconnecting with my family--and getting to know them better!  We wish that we had more time to spend with them!