Pioneer Day

For those of you who are not Mormon, or not from Utah, Pioneer Day (July 34) is a celebration of the pioneers arriving in Utah in 1847. Many Utahns do not realize it is not a national holiday. Most Mormons celebrate it regardless of where they live. This year we went to a Pioneer Day Celebration at our church. There was a pancake breakfast, all sorts of games for the kids, a giant waterslide, handcart races, and the promise of horse rides. Chloe wore her cowgirl finest in anticipation of the horse rides.

Here she is trying to eat a doughnut off a string. She looks like she's playing fair, but believe me, she was using her hands plenty.While climbing into the chair for an eagerly anticipated face-painting, Addie took a spill and got her first bloody nose. I wasn't sure if she was more upset about the pain of the fall, or the fact that she'd lost her turn, but she remained a little sad even after we got her back in the line and got a heart for her cheek. Tangentally, she got her second bloody nose a week later, and breathed blood all over my clothes. Chloe, on the other hand, just barely got her first bloody nose ever about a month ago.
Chloe was thrilled with her rainbow.
And even more thrilled with the bouncehouse. It distracted her from the fact that the horses hadn 't shown up yet.
Addie loved it, too, though she had to battle with the woman supervising the door every time she tried to get in. Obviously this woman has no idea what a bruiser my little girl is. She can take down Chloe easily, and does so regularly.
Finally the horses arrived, and Chloe saw them, so we had no choice but to wait for our turn to ride. Chloe got to ride a "fast" horse named Jet, whom she still speaks of fondly.
She really wants to get a horse and keep it in our yard. I told her her room was out of the question.
While she was riding, her sisters did this.
All in all, we had a lot of fun.