A Winner!

I wonder if I will ever be good at keeping my blog updated. I have so many pictures that I want to post so that I will have them for my blog book. I will try to get caught up, but since one huge post is way too daunting for me, I will just post little ones here and there =) I can't let this fun experience go undocumented! About a month ago, a friend of ours gave us free tickets to the Shrine Circus. We went last year and so we couldn't pass up the opportunity to go again. It is definitely not your Barnum and Baily, but the kids love it and always have so much fun. When you walk into the Circus there are clowns handing out programs to everyone. They are so big, more like a magazine or book, so I almost didn't let the kids get them, but they really wanted to so they did. Well at intermission they announced that 12 of the books had a special stamp in them, and then told us which pages to look on. Brandon and I started looking through all of our books with no luck. We didn't even notice that sweet Tori was diligently looking through hers too, until we heard her say, "Look! I found it!" We both looked over to her, and sure enough, she had one of the stamped programs!! We couldn't believe it! Her and Brandon ran down there to the front not really knowing what was going on. When they got down there they saw several bikes lined up in a row. The ring master guy said, "Pick a bike!" This first picture is so funny. When they told her to pick a bike, Brandon said, "To keep?" To which the ring master said "Yes!" and then Brandon paused before saying..."Forever?" Haha it was so funny! Since Tori was the first one down there she got to have first pick of the bikes. It was such an exciting moment! What makes it so much more special, is that this year when we got out the bikes to ride, it was obvious that Tori's was too small for her and that she needed a new one. She was such a good sport on our bike rides, but always fell behind because her bike was just too little and made it hard for her to pedal. We promised that we would get her a new bike as soon as we could, (knowing that it would not be for some time, because business had been so slow and we were barely getting by as it was) So for her to win this bike, to me, was a sweet tender mercy from Heavenly Father. I know I am always saying that, but I really feel like it was. I was feeling so bad about not being able to get her a new bike. A friend that was there with us, and I had tears in our eyes as we watched the excitement on Tori's face as she picked out a beautiful bike. She was smiling from ear to ear. It was such an awesome night =)

Here she is showing the stamps on her program =)

Tori has been having so much fun riding her bike since she got it. She is becoming such a good little rider and now when we got on our bike rides she's always in the lead =)