Phoenix Festival

Yesterday Jeffrey and I took Ada down to Phoenix to the Chinese New Year festival. We've been reading about CNY in a pop up book for the last month and we hoped we'd get to see a dragon and a lion dancer. We did not. She had been very interested in chopsticks and we were at least able to try those out.

The Sages met us there with Ada's buddy, Sophie.

As we walked in, giant inflatable hamster balls caught Ada's eye. Particularly, of course, the giant pink one. As we ate our lunch on the grass, the girls kept an eye on them over in the big field. Ada was game. Sophie tried the line but seemed to demure at the last minute and decided to pass. Ada remained committed.

Keeping in the theme of continued appreciation of Asian culture, the girls decided they HAD to ride the Ferris wheel. Ada was off and running the second we said, "Yeah, OK." Sophie was a little delayed. Hence the photos of it looking like Ada was going up alone. We thought she was, too. The guy even offered to send his daughter up with her, but Ada said she was fine. She just wanted to ride! Sophie showed up at the last second and the two friends were able to ride together.

I hauled them over, afterwards, to the main stage where watched a few kid Chinese dance performances, a tai chi explanation that was super boring, and some teen marshal arts demos to house music -- much more exciting. Our girls acted bored, but later while waiting in line, they were trying out all their moves, so I guess they were paying attention.

After the festival we went to Ikea. Ada fell asleep on the way so Jeffrey sat in the car with her while she snoozed and I shopped. I think he was quite happy about that.

Once we started loading the car at Ikea, we quickly realized that the second shelf box wasn't going to fit. Fortunately, because I'm weirdly chatty, I'd been talking to the couple in the pickup truck next to us while Jeffrey shoved. They happened to be from Prescott, too. So, of course, being the nice people they were and me the kindly pushy girl, they happily loaded up the extra Expedit into their truck and drove it up the mountain. I'll grab it from them on Monday morning. Ikea is a wondrous place!

After that business was completed, we headed onto the McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park. Because we like trains? No! Because Ada loves carousels and they have a good one. Our friends Tammy and Chris met us out there so that their daughter, Lila, and Ada could play on the playgrounds and ride the merry-go-round.

Tammy snapped this of the girls. We told them to smile so they'd look at the camera. They are both so cute! You'd never know it from their grins, though. They look mental.