The Hill Cumorah & Marie's Visit!

Brook and Mason in front of the Hill Cumorah Monument!

The Pageant stage and audience! (no, that is not the original rock the plates were hidden under)

Me and my Best Friend!

Alexis the Diva!

Squirting water with the ducky!

My sick little girl really wanted to play but felt too bad.

poor baby!

Dallas giving Grandma Liggett loves!! I love this pic!

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Monday the 11 of July we drove to the top of the Hill Cumorah to see the Monument. I'd never been up there when the Pageant as all set up before. I was amazed at the amount of seats that were set up and that isn't counting all the people that bring their own blankets or just stand! What an awesome production and play! I really wish we had been able to watch it but maybe another year. The kids would love it!!!

The next day my best friend Marie drove 2 1/2 hours to come see me! I had been looking forward to visiting with my friend for months and months! She brought her daughter Alexis with her and I was so excited to meet her! Lex is such a sweet little girl and so cute! She and Mason ran around and she played really well with Dallas too! I tried to keep Brooky away from the other kids because the heat exhaustion I thought she had that afternoon turned out to be the same bug Mason had around the fourth of July! :-( My poor baby was so sweet though and just slept and snuggled with her bear. Thank goodness my parent's home teacher ended up being a doctor! He was my life savor since finding a doctor when you are out of state is a huge pain! Dr. Rucker was so awesome! He took a look at Mase for me and even helped with Brook! I'm so glad too because we were leaving on a 5 day cruise that Saturday and that would have been miserable without a way to get antibiotics for the kids!

Palmyra!

Ma, Mase, Me and Brook by the statue of the Savior in the Hill Cumorah Visitor Center!

Mason and Brook looking at the Golden Plates replica. Mase asked me "Mom, are those the REAL golden plates?" Oh my sweet little boy!

Ma with the kids, ready to watch the Joseph Smith movie!

The Sacred Grove!

We thought we were in the sacred grove but this sign was posted. This was the Smith family property line, see the big rocks? Moved by oxen.

Brook and Mason by a big tree in the grove. Maybe it was here when Joseph Smith said his prayer?

love these fences! In front of an apple orchard.

LOVE THIS PICTURE! How sweet holding hands.

The Smith family barn. Used to be Brigham Young's Father's. He donated it to the Church. Its just like the one the Smith's had.

The Smith home. Lucy Smith helped pay for the acreage and home by painting on canvas rugs...

The Smith cabin. This is where Joseph lived when he was 14.

Palmyra Temple!

See the Temple in the background???

Me and the kiddos on Temple grounds.

Monday July 11th we took to two older kids to Palmyra while my dad and Megan watched Dallas at home. First we stopped by the visitor's Center and watched a film about Joseph Smith's first vision, then we went to the top of Hill Cumorah (pictures to follow). We walked on the Temple grounds. Then we went down to the Sacred Grove and walked around the Smith family farm and the Smith Cabin!

Oh how lovely was the morning! This is the song that fills my heart every time I walk through the sacred grove! I'm so happy my kids were so well behaved. I think they could feel that it is a special place! It always strikes me how much our Father in Heaven watches over us and loves us whenever I hear the story of  how Joseph hiding the golden plates under the floor boards in his father's shed, then the spirit told him to move them, so he moved them to the loft in the shed. When the mob came to find them, they ripped apart the floor boards but they never looked in the loft and the plates remained safe! Its the little promptings of the spirit that let us know that God looks out for us!!!

Brook and Mase were amazed at that story! I sure hope their little hearts are old enough to understand these stories and to take them to heart!

The Priesthood Restoration Site!

I love the big Pennsylvania blue stone they used on this path way to the monument!

Here is Brook and Mase sitting on the fence by the monument.

My three kids!

Brook and Mase found these awesome trees nearby! look how old they look! Maybe there were here when Joseph and Emma's cabin was here!

The old Cemetary. I love these old thin grave stones!

So happy they kept the original grave stone on the back!

The stream Emma used to get water!

Mason pointing to the place we believe the baptisms happened.

On July 9th Ma, me, the three kids, Ma's friend Cory and her son all went up to Susquehanna to the Priesthood Restoration Site. I just love that place!!! I'd been a few times as a kid and the spirit never fails to confirm to me that the priesthood is real and wonderful things were restored in that place!!! It was so amazing to be able to share that with my kids. I hope its an experience they will not forget.

We saw the monument of John the Baptist confirming Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdrey. We went to the old cemetery where we saw the grave sites of one of Joseph and Emma's infants that died and both of Emma's parents. Then we walked the path down to the Susquehanna River where Oliver Cowdrey and Joseph Smith were baptized! Along the way we saw the natural spring that Emma used to walk to to get their water. I loved all the Day Lillies we saw all over!

I'm not sure how much will change now that they are going to add on to the restoration site, but I really hope these places stay untouched!

Camping & Birthday!

While we were camping for a week we got to come home a few times for appointments and things. One night we came home and ate yummy cake and pizza and threw Mason a birthday party! The Great grandmas gave him a basket full of toys! He and Brook were so spoiled while they were there!!!

Going to Pennsylvania!

At the Airport in Denver!

In front of the Montrose Building after church.

the two big kids helping great grandmadoo with the garden!

Dallas fell asleep with his finger in his sock hole!!!

Pushing a shopping cart all over!

Dal in front of my parent's house.

Poor Mason got sick the 4th of July week and missed all the fun and fireworks.

Brooklyn surprised me by making this Nephi out of playdough all by herself.

Little Dallas loved sitting on Grandma and Grandpa's tractor!

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On June 25th the three kiddos and I flew to Pennsylvania to visit my family for a month! I was extremely nervous to fly with Dallas because the last time I flew with an 18 month old, he cried non stop for 4 hours and then got sick on me!!! Thankfully Jeremiah was able to give us all a blessing before we left and for the most part, Dallas was pretty good through the flight. He only cried the last hour when we were descending and I think it hurt his ears.

Sunday we were able to go to church with my parents at their branch. Well, I should say we tried since Dallas was so out of it, I ended up leaving the two older kids with my dad and grandmas and Ma and I took Dallas home to have a much needed nap!

The next day we took the kids camping in New York at this very pretty camp site. They had fun running in the woods behind the site and building fires. Dallas couldn't get enough of sucking on rocks for some strange reason. LOl! We cooked Dutch oven of course! knowing my dad, we doesn't just do anything a little bit, he goes all the way! So we had a prep station, a cooking station and a clean up station for Dutch oven cooking. We made some pretty yummy dishes though!

pictures will be to follow! bare with me, we have lots!!!