THE FAIR!!!! AND OTHER FUN THINGS

So the fair is done and over. HOORAY!!!!!!  The fair for us is like the opening of the fall season, but it's also a ton of work, Lillian and Polly are CrAzY when it comes to entering things in the fair.  But they are so very happy this year.  We just took the traditional picture with all of their stuff layed out, and they counted up the ribbon money and it looks like they each cleared $100 in prize money.  DeWitt was teasing them about using all of our supplies and that they should pay that back, they looked devastated, so I shook my head and so "no, it's pure profit for them."  They each turned in about 20 baked goods, Polly had a lot of art, and Lillian had a lot of photography, they each had an assortment of crafts.  They each entered some of grandpa's vegetables.  Tomatoes and okra.  The tomatoes got 1st and the okra got 2nd.  Grandpa was super funny about wanting to know what prize they got.  He was dismayed to find out that his precious okra took a 2nd to LaWynn's huge okra.  Anyway, it's all said and done and they are happy, tired girls. 

Carson and Lindsay got to hang out at our house while the girls were doing their fair baking.  So here is Lindsay helping to make snicker doodles.  They got a one blue ribbon, and one grand champion.  Carson was working on a block city at the time, but he was in the vicinity and he also takes credit.

Polly with some of the entries, right before we were to take them to be judged.

Lillian with all of the goods.

Now we get to show off the prizes.  I am very impressed with how serious and how hard the girls work to play this game of competition.  It makes it fun for the whole family.

Lillian showing off some of the baked goods.  The rolls got a blue ribbon with a note on the back that said. "classic dinner roll, very nice."

Polly, excited to find another blue ribbon.

Lillian got a blue on her crotchet head band!

The girls showing off some of Lillian's photography.  It's Polly's eye that we're looking at.

This is the first year that the girls first year to compete in the vegetable division, thanks to grandpa Biggs.  They put in tomatoes, and okra.  We were excited to see that one of the plates of tomatoes got a first, but the other one wasn't judged, because it didn't have 5 tomatoes.   Another frustrating judge story is this.  The beautiful, perfect okra, got a second,  to LaWynn Brown's HUGE okra.  So obviously the judge doesn't know his okra, because, you cannot eat huge okra.  So for this family it was a first.

So here are some of Polly's things, she was too tired to set everything out.  The two orange paintings, which are completely awesome, only got a participation ribbon.  The judge was off his rocker.

Here are some of Lillian's things, she too was to tired to set it all out.

DeWitt's choir, Taste of Sound, performed at the fair.  It was so much fun to watch.  DeWitt is for sure the cutest one, but he is also the funnest to watch dance.  He has so much charm.

This was a super fun song, about, what??  umbrellas

With all of the baking going on, DeWitt was feeling an itch to try it, so we started him out on none other than apple pie.  He even asked for an apron, so it would be a real experience.   He peeled and cut all of the apples, flavored them, and then made a beautiful pie crust.  I wish that I would have taken an after picture, because it really was yummy and perfect looking.  DeWitt said that he had to do some skin grafts on the top crust, which just made our experience together all the more funny, oh and the whole time we were baking he was talking the whole time, in a British/Australian accent.

DeWitt had a funny looking mole on the bottom of his foot, and Dr. Batty thought we should have it removed.  DeWitt was so unsure of this man poking something into his foot.  He kept asking him questions, and "what do you think your doing" type questions and gestures.  At one point I tried to rub DeWitt's shoulder, but that made him even more antsy, so I just took pictures of him.   DeWitt was so nervous about getting his foot cut into, and so Dr. Batty was showing him with his pen, how it was going to work.



So here is the real deal.  I'm just glad DeWitt didn't kick the poor Doctor.

Finally the good, patient Doctor, made DeWitt lay down, so he could make the cut.

DeWitt is being his funny self.  We had just finished saying our night prayer and he said, "ok new game, for all of us who live in this house"   When I say "bed Swap, you have to run as fast as you can to the bed you want to sleep in for the night."  Ooooo Lillian was having a fit, and DeWitt was loving it,  So DeWitt said "bed swap"  and Lillian took off like a super track runner, and DeWitt ran her down and plopped on her bed, and all I heard after that was screaming.  DeWitt asked dad why he wasn't running to a bed, and when dad just smiled, DeWitt declared that dad was low on kid air.  So DeWitt went and got a bed sheet and built a fort to sleep in, in the play room.  I guess he showed us eh?  He is on the landing telling the girls all of the rules for bed swap, like, "if you go to bed and I'm in your bed then that means that it is bed swap and you have to find somewhere else to sleep.  Lillian was complaining, and so DeWitt told her that she was no longer invited to play the game, and Lillian said "thank you".    

This was a super fun song, about, what??  umbrellas

With all of the baking going on, DeWitt was feeling an itch to try it, so we started him out on none other than apple pie.  He even asked for an apron, so it would be a real experience.   He peeled and cut all of the apples, flavored them, and then made a beautiful pie crust.  I wish that I would have taken an after picture, because it really was yummy and perfect looking.  DeWitt said that he had to do some skin grafts on the top crust, which just made our experience together all the more funny, oh and the whole time we were baking he was talking the whole time, in a British/Australian accent.

Allison with Kassi, Fish, Corrinne and.....

Oh my gosh, I just couldn't resist putting this photo in.  DeWitt and his buddy Soren.

DeWitt got part of his senior pictures taken.  We just needed the head shot for the year book.  I love this picture.  Wow I have handsome and beautiful kids.

while we were all enjoying the fair, Allison was in Grand Junction, CO playing a tennis tournament for Dixie State.  They did very well, and had a good time, she likes her coach and her whole team, which is nice.



Some more of Allison's team in Grand Junction, CO

Allison and her team.

Some of Allison's team mates

Here is a little bit from Dallin's last letter.  It was October 10, 2011

Oh family, my family

Laughter, laughter, laughter, rumbling from the man in the Argentine bus-station computer. Oh what a fun family. It sounds like all is well. The fair went according to plan and the little ones made their profit goal. Lillian used one of my paintings that is funny. Dewitt Invented a new game. Let me know how Brice is doing. Wanda thank you for that little note. It is always so great to get an update on what is going on with the family down in the valley. All is well in Arge town. The siesta, oh the siesta, yes it is a tricky little bugger. I thought that I explained their lazy sleeping habits, but I guess not. The siesta is promptly from 14:00 hasta 17:00 y aveces 18:00 (they use military time here). Yes it is difficult. Knocking doors is impossible, but we usually have appointments with people, because some of them will stay awake and we can talk to them. If they are investigators or people that we know they will let us in during the siesta, but talking to people that we don´t know is nearly impossible. Some people value that time and do things with it, but the majority sleep into the tardecita. 

Yesterday was the birthday of E. Taylor who is an E. in my district and today we are going to celebrate it today. It is also a holiday of some sorts; I lose track of all of the holidays that they have it is crazy the amount that they have. It is mandatory that they have at least one a month, not including all other common ones. It is a campaigning scam by one of the past Presidents that established holidays all the time to win the votes of the people. It makes me think of Nepolian Dinamite when the kids are running for class president and their campain statements are things such as, "If you vote for me I will put a soda machine in every hall", or "there will be new uniforms for the cheer leading team." Really the political system here is a corrupted joke. We think that America has its problems and it does, but it is nothing compared to others.

One interesting story that happened this week is when we dug a poso for our investigators quien les llamen Nelson y Mary( a poso is a septic tank). Nelson y Mary live in the acentamientos, which I think I have explained, but if not it is the illegal homes, out in the sticks, made of whatever materal is avalible. It was huge, here are the dimensions: 6ft long by 3ft wide by dos metros y pico (It ended up being a good 7-8 inches above my head, which makes it about 7ft deep). It was great work; we spent the entire morning digging it. It was a very satisfying feeling to be tired and sore afterwards. Although the best part (not really) was afterward I went over to a pile of palates to cover the hole and after we covered it I went back to straighten them up and on my way there I stepped on a nail. E. Nelson got his chance to play doctor with my foot. He treated me really well, but I never gave it time to rest and heal. We went right back out and continued to be missionaries, so I think that it is going to take longer to heal, but that is ok. I have been walking around with a limp the past week, and it has driven E. Nelson crazy, because we have to walk slowly every where now. I told everyone the story of DeWitt when he stepped on one and then jumped on another. It wasn´t as funny in spanish, but they got the idea.

This week has not been a fun one. I take that back there were lots of things that were really fun and great, but the majority has been rough. It has been raining this week and being unequipped with any rain grear is what has made it rough. This last Friday we had divisions and I was with E. Taylor in my area and throughout the siesta until about 7:00 at night we were walking around looking for somewhere to let us in and teach them, because all of the appointments we had fell through one by one. Then at the end of the day I took of the grandpa´s big coat and E. Taylor look at my shirt and just started laughing. Then I looked at it and it was pink. The red part from the coat had bleached through. Evidently that is not a rain coat, thus my next major purchase will be a proper rain coat.
Well tata for now. I love you, each and every stinking one of your faces. E. Dallin Evans