Happy

I, and I think the rest of the family, have felt more and more settled here in the East as time has gone by.  I have enjoyed the changing of seasons and the accessibility we have to exciting destinations.  By far the most enjoyable part of living where my family and I do is associating with the people here.  They have truly made our lives sweet.  

In order to get up to speed with the blog, I will start where I left off and recap December.

It was a beautiful Christmas season.  I tried more than ever before to relax and enjoy.  I took things one day at a time, and while I could certainly always improve, I think I enjoyed this last Christmas more than any other.  Christmas Eve was spent with some good friends, and a missionary couple who serves at the construction site for the new temple that will be built in Farmington.  We had clam chowder, a delicious salad, rolls and a yummy dessert on Christmas Eve.  After eating, we participated in the family tradition of our friends and sang Christmas carols while ringing chimes.  

After a thoroughly pleasant evening, we sent the kids to bed and then, sometime during the night, Santa came to visit.  The kids were reasonable with their requests this year and everyone got what he or she requested.  

Here is a quick rundown of the most anticipated and appreciated gift each person received Christmas morning:  

Dave's biggest request was glasses.  He and I must be getting old.  At least we matched on Christmas morning!  I think he looks handsome with his new specs.

Jeanette received a yoga DVD.  I think that is the best addition I have made to my exercise routine in recent years.
  

Jonathan got a new soccer goal!  We have yet to set it up outside since this winter was a brutal one and it's only been in the last few days that we have actually been able to see almost all of our lawn.  I think Spring really is finally coming.

Thomas received a Kindle Fire.  He uses it everyday and has read several books (and played several games) on it since Christmas.

Haley wanted more than anything else a collection of Nancy Drew games.  She finished them all fairly quickly and still occasionally asks if she can get a new one.  I feel that the Nancy Drew games are better than a lot of games she could be playing and they seem to keep her sharp mind occupied.  We try to make sure that it doesn't take up too much of her day.

Emma wanted most of all a Rainbow Loom.  Those were sure a big thing around here this year.  She still uses it regularly.

Sarah Jane told me before Christmas that she has wanted an American Girl Doll her entire life.  If that is the case then it was a lifelong dream come true when she opened up her American Girl Doll on Christmas morning!  She came with more than one outfit and some curlers thanks to a deal Santa scored on a community site where local residents sell and buy used items.  She really did look very happy on Christmas day and she and "Samantha" even wore matching dresses to Church the Sunday after Christmas.  I just have to post the picture I took of Sarah Jane and her doll on that day:

Alice received a new baby and stroller.  She still pushes the baby around in the stroller and is especially keen on doing so when she senses one of her friends may be interested in her toy.  We are currently working on sharing and taking turns with Alice and she actually has made some progress recently in that regard.

The next exciting thing we did as a family following Christmas Day was take a trip to NYC for the day.  It was so much fun!  We started out at the Bronx Zoo:

There was an ice sculpture contest going on that day which was interesting to watch and we got serenaded by toy soldiers while we were there.  The weather was unusually warm, so it was a great day to be out in the sunshine and together as a family.  We had a great time.

After enjoying the zoo, we then made our way to Times Square.  We made a stop at FAO Schwartz.  Thanks to the stroller we had for Alice, we were able to get right into the store and avoid the long line of people waiting for admittance.  Dave gave the kids all some spending money and they had a wonderful time picking out some treasures.  

After that, we went off to see the tree at Rockefeller Center.  The tree was spectacular, but the crowd of people surrounding it was so dense, it was a little hard to enjoy the view or take any good photos.  At least we can say we've see it!  

We then headed to Grand Central Station.  By this time the kids were getting quite tired, but once they all got something to eat, they perked up and all agreed that they were very glad that we had come to the city that day.  We rode the subway back to the car and then drove two hours back to home.  A long day, but a memorable one.  We are looking forward to our next trip to New York as a family, hopefully sooner than later.

Emma was all chipper after I took the photo in the bottom right when she told me that she purposely didn't smile just to be funny!

January was cold and long.  The next big event we had to look forward to was Emma's birthday!  I can't believe that she is nine!  Love her!

I let Emma take rice crispy treats to her class that day and that evening we went out to Applebee's as a family.  We had a wonderful evening together.  

I promised Emma a friend party this year so we had a Valentine craft party the Saturday following her birthday.  This was especially fitting since the school doesn't really do anything for Valentine's Day in the classrooms.  I am so used to gearing up for the big day by helping all of the kids make Valentine boxes and Valentines for their class that I had felt surprisingly gypped.  Emma's party made up for it.  The girls we had over were a little loud, but they brought a festive spirit and really made Emma feel special.

We painted and decorated picture frames, had lunch, decorated cupcakes, ate heart-shaped ice cream, had a treasure hunt, made Valentine cards and opened presents.  Emma seemed so happy.

The next big event was Valentine's Day.  I already mentioned that we had a lot of snow this winter.  Snow even kept the kids home on the day before Valentine's Day and the Day itself.  We made the most of both days by going sledding with friends the first snow day and then having some friends come to our house the next for cupcakes, snacks and fun.  On Valentine's Day morning, the kids woke up to a simple note and heart-shaped rice crispy treat.  Alice got to hers before I could take a picture.  See below:

Dave and I enjoyed going out to dinner that night with another couple and followed that up with a trip to Homegoods.  Dave must really love me because I am pretty sure that wasn't his idea of a romantic evening.  It sure made me happy, though, because we got a new rug for the living room!  The rug looks great.  After getting the kids down, we did something even more romantic:  we put another coat of paint on the kitchen cabinets!  Did I mention that I think Dave must really love me?
 
Because of the snow, a Valentine's Day themed playdate was postponed until the following week.  I don't think Alice noticed.  We have enjoyed her little friends so much and Alice sure was happy with her loot!

Thanks to some new friends in the ward, Dave and I were able to take a trip to NYC for an overnight getaway in early March.  We enjoyed a fabulous dinner and then our first true Broadway show.  Newsies was fantastic!  I knew I would enjoy it, but surprisingly, Dave said he did, too!  We have been plotting a return visit, next time with the kids.  We just know that they would love watching a show in New York sometime.  

The next morning we accidentally slept in longer than we meant to thanks to the blackout curtains in the hotel room.  We still managed to have a great breakfast and make it to the temple and do initiatories, though, before heading back home.  Getting into the temple was a miner miracle since I forgot my temple recommend.  After a prayer, I remembered where I had left it and thanks to modern day technology, the friend watching our kids was able to take a photo of it and send it to me.  We got in without a hitch.  What a blessing the temple is!  I am so grateful that we made it.

After our trip, my next focus became celebrating Alice's birthday.  I can't believe that she is two!  Alice has truly been the joy that is her middle name.  We had fun celebrating her with friends a few weeks ago.  We invited her little buddies to come and "Have a Ball" with us.  We danced to songs, ate food, played musical chairs, sang to Alice and had cupcakes and then everyone received a ball to play with and take home along with bubbles and a sheet of stickers.  It was a blast!  I just love my little girl so much!

March 16th was her real birthday so we invited another special lady from our ward who happens to have her birthday on the same day over and we celebrated them together.  I enjoyed honoring the birthday buddies that day!

Alice's most significant gift was a new potty!  We'll see how things go.  I just checked out some special books and videos from the library all about using it.  If Alice manages to be trained before the age of three, she'll have all of the other kids beat by a mile!

The next thing I wanted to mention was the good night I had last night at the LDS Women's Conference.  I so enjoyed taking my two oldest daughters with me.  The Spirit was there.  My sweet Emma noticed it and bore her testimony in church about it today.  I love being a woman in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints!  My favorite quote of the night came from Rosemary Wixom-"Individually we are strong.  Together, with God, we are unstoppable."  I know that when more than one person has the Spirit and they come together, there is a synergy that takes place that makes the Spirit that much stronger.  Womanhood, motherhood and membership in the Church of Jesus Christ are all amazing and wonderful.  I am so happy to be a part of it all!

I think that brings me up to date!  Now on to more living of life!

November Wrap-Up

Well, now that December is almost over, I think it is at last time to blog about November. :)  The most noteworthy event of the month would have to be my birthday.  I knew that we would have a few people over for some cake and ice cream.  Little did I realize that some of those people would be from Utah!  On the day before my birthday, Dave came home from work with a little something extra--three extra people to be exact.  I was thrilled to see my sister, great friend Lisa and Lisa's daughter Paisley on my doorstep that night!!!

Shanelle, Lisa and I just before our trip to Boston.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I didn't know that I needed them to come, but I did.  Having them here was such a treat and fed my spirit.  

The next day, Dave took the day off of work and we all headed off to explore Boston.  This was a first for Shanelle, Lisa, Paisley, Alice and me.  Look below for some photos of our excursion:

 

We enjoyed walking along the Freedom Trail and seeing so much of our country's history.  I hope to return again soon.  For lunch we took a break at Faneuil Hall and had some delicious food including Boston clam chowder, a lobster roll, bacon wrapped-scallops, and coconut macaroons.  A great way to spend my birthday!

Dave, by the way, gets the Husband of the Year Award since he selflessly made sure that we girls were all well taken care of.  He drove the whole way to Boston while we girls gabbed in the back of the Yukon, pushed the babies around town and also made sure that we didn't get lost.  We couldn't have made it without him!  He even walked all the way back to the car with a sleeping Alice while the rest of us climbed aboard the USS Constitution.  See below for photos of my awesome hubby and "Old Ironsides":

 

During the next few days, the girls and I went shopping for makeup, out to dinner, to Fabulous Friday (a dinner and craft night) at my church and Shanelle and Lisa earned their keep by helping me paint the grout in my kitchen!  It took three hours but we got it done much faster and more enjoyably than I ever would have on my own.  Just look at the results!

Such a fabulous and enjoyable birthday weekend!  Having Shanelle, Lisa, and Paisley here made this perhaps my best birthday yet!  It was hard to see Lisa and Shanelle go, but I wouldn't trade their visit for anything!  I am so grateful that they came and that Dave did his part to make it all happen.  I felt so loved!

Two days after the ladies left, we had the great pleasure of having my cousin Devin and his family come stay with us!  We loved having them here!  I am so glad that he is living on the East Coast, too, so that we could have family over for the holiday.  They made our Thanksgiving this year!

 As is typical for Dave when it comes to holiday meals, he did most of the cooking.  I did the rolls and Devin and Erin helped where they could.  Most of all I was impressed that Devin did almost all of the dishes after the feast!  

Later on that night we had a family photo session since we had some people in the house who were willing to take our photo.  The kids weren't super thrilled about it, but we did have some laughs taking them!

Our silly version.

Better

At least Alice is smiling this time!

The next day was sunny.  We decided to venture out to Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts for our second time.  We bought a pass the last time we were there and figured we would be paying for Devin and his family to come along.  To our delight, he and his family got to join us for free!  Being in the Army has it's privileges.  The Village did not disappoint and we all had a great time!  (It was VERY cold, however!)

Devin and Erin paid for pizza that evening.  We played cards and had a fire in the fireplace after that.  I thoroughly enjoyed the day and Devin and Erin's whole visit.  Devin and Erin are welcome to come again anytime and I hope they will.  They were fabulous house guests!


Unfortunately, they had to leave the next morning.  They left just as the young men and young women from church were arriving to make sugar cookies for the ward Christmas party. . . .

I will leave off here so that I can do another post about Christmas.  I hope to get that one done before the end of January! 

 

Is This Heaven?

I have to keep asking myself if I am in heaven several times a day.  I have only experienced fall in New England twice, but I have to say that this year beats last year and I thought it was gorgeous then.  The colors, the mild weather, the sunlight are all beyond description.  Even the pictures I have tried to take do not do the beauty justice.  I invite you all to come here immediately to delight in the loveliness that surrounds us here.  If you can't come tomorrow, you will have to try to be satisfied with my weak attempts at capturing what I can with my camera.  Here are some photos of the house and yard:
 

I have to pinch myself to realize that I am not dreaming and this is really right outside my front door!

The scenery makes an excellent background for portraits as well.  Here are some pictures I snapped of all of us earlier today:

Even though this was a hard week for Alice and me (she had a high fever and was in pain due to a virus the entire week), I am so grateful for all of my many, many blessings.  The biggest one is that my sweet baby is feeling much better now.  I also am grateful for the opportunity I had to give a talk in a special meeting for adults in my church on Saturday night.  I felt the Spirit strongly as I worked on my talk and I shared certain things with my children and husband as I prepared that I would not have otherwise done.  It stretched me and helped me to grow.  How grateful I am, too, for the input my mother and my mother-in-law gave me when I asked them to help me edit my talk.  They are amazing women and I love learning from them! It was challenging preparing, but I would do it all over again in an instant because I gained so much.  

Now, I am looking forward to a new week.  Hope it's a good one for one and all!

It's About Time

It is officially time to catch up.  A lot of life has been happening here at the Pulley house and I have found fitting in a blog post to be difficult.  I even pondered possibly not doing any more posts once I hit the year mark, but that didn't feel quite right.  I enjoy taking time to reflect on the blessings that have come to my family and making a record of various events and activities that have taken place in our lives every once in awhile.  Thus, I am going to move forward and quickly recap the last few months of our lives. . . .

Starting with August, this month brought about the celebration of another birthday in our family.  Jonathan turned 15!  I can't believe how grown up he is already!  I really enjoy this oldest son of mine.  Here are some pictures of his birthday:

He got french toast for breakfast and a cookies and cream homemade birthday cake.  For this round of birthdays, starting with Jonathan's, the kids have requested that I make a candy birthday card for each of them.  I don't think the picture of the card pictured above is very legible, so I thought I'd reprint the words on Jonathan's card below:  

Dear Jonathan,

We decided to make this "Jumbo" card for you because we think you're a "Watchamacallit", oh yea, a "Whopper" of a son and brother.  We definitely don't think you're a "Dud".  We think you're "M&M" (marvelous and magnificent)!  You're growing up really fast; you're not really a "Kid" anymore.  We're also glad you don't have a "Lemonhead"; otherwise, your "Evil Twin" may come and send us all into "Orbit".  We know this card doesn't make much sense, but we all want to wish you a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Totally silly, but, of course he and the other kids loved it.  We also went out to dinner as a family per Jonathan's request.
 
The next significant event to occur here, was the temple groundbreaking ceremony.  The Hartford Connecticut Temple is to be built in Farmington, less than fifteen minutes from our home!  I am beyond thrilled!  The temple means more to me than ever and it was utterly thrilling to participate in the ceremony and then later go as a family to the temple site and take a few pictures.  The kids even got to turn over some soil and ride (and a few drove) a cart around the temple site.  Such a wonderful, wonderful day!

Toward the end of August school started.  The kids are doing great and I couldn't be happier about the education they are receiving here.  

Here is a collage I already posted on Facebook of the kids' first day of school:

 It is always bittersweet to send them back, but it was time and we are all settling into our school rountine nicely.  I was honestly the most worried about how Alice and I would fare with all her friends and my helpers gone all day, but it has turned out to be quite lovely.  She either entertains herself or follows me around and has had regular play dates as well.  The biggest bonus for me is that she will happily watch a "show" as she calls it while I take a shower and/or clean up around the house.  I am trying to be mindful of not taking too much advantage of that fact and have made it a point to play with and read to her everyday as well, but boy, is it wonderful be able to have her sit still and watch something when it's really needed!

The older kids are all in soccer and Jonathan even made the Varsity team at Simsbury High this year.  Even though that means less playing time for him, it is an honor for him to be on the team and he has been putting in his full effort at practices and is as committed as ever to the sport.  I really admire his overall great attitude about it.  Thomas is on a travel soccer team and Haley is on a rec team.  I don't think I have ever spent more time in the car!  I have continued to listen to audio books and have recently finished Mansfield Park, Pride and Prejudice and Matched.  I actually feel like I am accomplishing something while being chauffeur!

September came quickly and that meant it was soon Haley's birthday!  We had several of her friends over for pizza, a movie and hairstyling.  She didn't want an actual cake for her birthday so we had frozen yogurt instead.  Here are some pictures of her big day.  Eleven already and in sixth grade now!  She is growing up so fast!

The paper Haley is holding in the collage above the card is her flight information.  For her birthday this year she really, really wanted to go to Utah for her Aunt Rochelle's wedding.  She got her wish and we had such a great time!  Here are some pictures of that amazing day:

The tricky part about going was that Dave had to go to a business conference in Minneapolis at the same time.  Dave is good at figuring things out, though, and he managed to book our flights out for the same day so we drove to the airport together.  He hopped on his plane to Minnesota and then Haley, Alice and I waited for our flight to Salt Lake.  Dave was able to fly the next evening from Minneapolis to Utah in time for the wedding Friday morning and then he flew back to Minneapolis again early Saturday.  On Sunday, the girls and I had a layover in Minneapolis and then Dave planned to meet us there and fly with us the rest of the way home.  I actually saw him every day for at least a little while all five days of the trip.  I am always impressed at Dave's logistical skills!  I almost messed everything up when we were flying home, however.  Even though we got there an hour before our departure time, the security line was so long that we missed our flight out of Salt Lake!  That made me nervous.  Fortunately, we were booked on the next flight out and made it just in time for our connecting flight.  Dave was waiting for us when we got off the plane.  It was good to see him and finally make our way back home.  The interesting part (or is it a coincidence?!?) was that Alice was the worst she was out of all four flights once Dave was with us.  I am just glad that we were all together. :)

While we were gone, our children were in wonderful hands.  When we arrived home, the kids left behind were happy, the house was clean and dinner was five minutes away from being ready.  We were really blessed to have some new friends of ours watch our children while Dave and I were gone and I couldn't be more grateful.  We brought them back a Blentec to show our gratitude, but they assured us that they would have done it even without that.  It was truly an answer to prayer to have everything work out as well as it did since this was the first time I had to leave my children with someone other than family.

The last thing I wanted to share was that just before we left for Utah, Dave's parents came to visit us here in Connecticut!  There is nothing we love more than visitors and even though the fall colors here were only just starting to show up, it was still lovely to have them here and they made a point of letting us know that they actually came here to see us and not the landscape. :)  While Doug and Kathy were here, we made a run to Costco, did some shopping around home, the adults had a delightful and delicious dinner at Abigail's here in town and to top it all off, we made a trip to Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts.  Absolutely a pure delight to have them here!  We hope that they will come again very soon.  Enjoy the following collage of our visit to Sturbridge Village.  We ended up getting a membership there, so if you visit, we may end up making a trip there with you, too!  It really was an incredible window into the past:

We are happy and healthy.  I really can't complain.  I was surprised by my sadness when I left Utah because I do feel so settled and content living here, but it is still hard to leave behind the family and friends I love.  A big part of me still lies in Utah and I don't think I'll ever be able to erase that.  However, the beauty and life I have here are magical and I wouldn't trade them for anything!  Coming soon, I will do my best to capture the majestic glory of autumn here.  I am not sure I will be able to do it justice, but I will do my best.  I hope to post again sooner than I did this last time. . . . . . .wish me luck!

A Year Already and a Road Trip

Today marks the one year anniversary of our move to Connecticut.  We closed on our home July 31, 2012 and started moving in the very same day.  That was the official beginning of my biggest adventure to date.  Knowing that today was significant, I have given some time to reflection.  I remember how very much I didn't want to move here.  I remember crying a lot.  I didn't think that I needed Connecticut.  I was happy with who I was and where I was.  

I have changed since then.  I am not the person I was when I first came here.  I still have loads to work on, but I feel safe and comfortable saying that I am a better version of myself than I was a year ago.  My horizons have been expanded.  I have conquered fears.  I have found joy in a new place.  I have met the most wonderful people.  My children, husband and I are so happy.  I can still connect with the loved ones I left behind.  I look forward to when we will be together again, but I wouldn't trade the experiences I have had this year for anything in the world.  I feel so, so very blessed.  I feel privileged to be creating wonderful memories for my entire family in this new-to-us part of the country.

Some of my best memories here were made two weeks ago today when we went on our first real road trip since moving to New England.  It was a combined business trip/family vacation which enabled us to stay in nicer hotels than we might have otherwise stayed in and allowed Dave to take half of the children in the rental car provided by his company while I took the other half in our car.  I was a little nervous at first about driving on my own since it seems that I always fall asleep rather quickly when Dave does the driving.  I had to be a big girl this time and drive all by myself to a place I had never been before.  Dave had an appointment with a broker that he had to get to so he left earlier than I did and said, "I'll see you in Palmyra."  I told him I had no idea how to get there and he told me to Google it and he was off.  Thanks heaven for the internet and my GPS!  I managed to make it there, though I did have a little bit of a stop at a gas station along the way because I discovered enroute that the cell phone charger I usually keep in the car had mysteriously disappeared.  I was using my phone to navigate and it was almost out of power.  Knowing that Dave and I would never be able to find each other if my phone died, I decided to stop and see if I could plug in my regular charger at a gas station.  I had three of my sweet girls including the baby with me.  Not only was I allowed to plug in my phone, but the woman at the gas station gave us all ice waters and donut holes on the house.  It was a "sweet" experience literally!  Another example of how nice people can be out here!  

Before long, my phone was functional again and I actually made it to Palmyra in time to wait for a few hours for the Hill Cumorah Pageant to start.  Dave made it, too, about 30 minutes after I did.  We were hot and sweaty waiting for the 9:15 or so start time.  Alice got a bit cranky at one point and a man who was part of the pageant said to me that he had once taken a child Alice's age to the pageant years ago and he remembered wondering if it would all be worth it.  He looked at me and said simply, "It was."  

I have to agree with him.  Having the kids be a little tired was a very small price to pay for what we experienced.  There was a beautiful Spirit there and the kids and Dave and I were all mesmerized by it.  I will never forget Sarah Jane tugging my arm when the Savior descended in one of the final scenes and whispering earnestly, "Mom, Mom is that really Jesus?"  Later as we were walking back to the cars, she said without any prompting from me, "I really liked that.  I want to go again!"  It was a great start to our vacation.  Here are some photos from that night:

 We loved the Hill Cumorah Pageant and met some old acquaintances who happened to be part of the cast!

That night we stayed in Rochester, NY.  The hotel was new and lovely and included a great breakfast buffet.  Once again, Dave had to leave me to fend for myself the next morning since he had a few other appointments to make.  The kids and I took our time getting ready to leave and I let the kids take a swim before we got in the car.  Usually Dave is super helpful and good at getting our things packed up and making sure that we don't forget anything, but he couldn't do that this time.  I am so grateful for kids that are willing to help out.  All of the kids were great and we managed to check out right on time.  Once again, I relied completely on my GPS to get me to the next stop on our journey--Buffalo, NY.

The kids wanted to go swimming again when we got to this hotel so Dave and I let them.  We were on vacation after all!  Then, we let our fourteen-year-old babysit while Dave and I went out to dinner.  Dinner was fantastic!  We ended up at an Italian Restaurant that had just opened a month earlier.  It was called Osteria.  I totally recommend it.  Then we picked up some treats at a grocery store and took them back to the kids.  We all got a pretty good night's sleep that night and it felt good to take things rather easy.  

The next day we enjoyed another excellent breakfast at the hotel and then got into our two cars and headed up to Canada!  The kids were so excited to actually go "out of the country".  In order to go to Canada, adults need a passport but the kids were fine with just their birth certificates.  The Falls were spectacular.  See the photo below:

Niagara Falls

 We decided to pay the money and took the Maid of the Mist boat tour.  Another memorable experience.  Most of the kids totally enjoyed it, but a certain little miss did not want anything to do with it.  We were given cheap ponchos to wear, but my little sweetheart thought we were all crazy to be putting plastic bags on.  She kept screaming and tugging at her poncho.  She tore it in a few places and would not let up.  Thank goodness the water and motor on the boat were loud enough that I don't think she bothered other people too much.  As soon as we were past the point of getting too wet, I took off Alice's poncho and then she proceeded to pull at mine and everyone else's in the family.  She thought we were all insane to have ever put them on.  They were really needed, however, since getting wet is definitely part of the ride!  Here are some more photos of this part of our trip:

We hung around Niagara Falls, Ontario a while longer.  Though we were completely taken in by the Falls themselves, we didn't care for all of the commercialism that has sprung up in the surrounding area.  So we went back to the hotel a little earlier than originally planned.  We did stop at Chili's on the way, though, and the kids were thrilled!  I even got a compliment on how well behaved the children were.  Alice still needs to take a few more lessons on how to behave in public, however.  

We got another good night's sleep that night and another great breakfast in the morning.  Then we all loaded up and started back towards CT.  We had one more stop in Palmyra on the way.  It rained all the way from Buffalo to Palmyra, but Sarah Jane said a prayer that the rain would stop before we got there and it did!  It was a little muddy, but we were able to enjoy seeing the Sacred Grove and the Smith Farm House.  I could for sure feel the Spirit there.  I was a little taken aback by the boldness of the Sister Missionary who spoke to people in the Farm House.  She was bold and direct in declaring that Joseph Smith did in fact see God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ in the Sacred Grove.  She then asked the group around her what they thought about that.  I can't remember if anyone answered her or not, but I know all over again that what she said is true.  I cannot deny it.  Here are some photos we took at that special place:

Sacred Grove

Smith Farm House

After our stop in Palmyra, we loaded up and started on our way home again.  We only made one more rest stop the remainder of the trip.  The kids did really well and I kept my mind busy by listening to the Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.  One day soon I will be taking the kids to the Mark Twain house that is not too far from here.  After listening to these books I more excited than ever to go and check that out.  

Well, that's it for now.  We are still enjoying our time here and look forward to another year of adventure and happiness!

Summer at Last!

We had to wait a very, very long time for the weather and the school calendar to bring summer to us.  We had an unusually wet June this year which resulted in some minor flooding in our basement on more than one occasion and some cooler than average temperatures.  All in all, I am glad that the weather wasn't too warm since the kids had to be in school with no air conditioning.  Next year, they will be out of school much earlier, thank goodness!

 

Thomas and Haley during one of the torrential downpours that came through town.

 I am growing more and more settled in our life here all the time.  I am developing some strong connections with the people who live here and now can't imagine ever not knowing them.  I feel at peace with the knowledge that the people I left behind are doing the things that they need to do and my family and I are where we need to be, too.  A sweet person helped me to put things in perspective when she told me that, for right now, my family was more needed here than back in Utah.  It finally clicked in my mind that I don't need to wish things were different because they are exactly what they should be.  I look forward to spending time with my family when it is right, but have felt more of an ability to joy in the blessings living here affords me and the rest of my family this last little while.

The last few months have been busy and productive.  We finally bought a "real" lawnmower, much to Thomas' delight.  Our push mower literally wasn't "cutting it".  Here is a picture of him happily mowing away!

Aren't those rhododendrons beautiful?!  It was so fun to see them flower this year.  We missed seeing them entirely the year before.  I took some photos of the kids in front of the flowers while they were still in bloom:

The end of the year notable events were Thomas graduating from the sixth grade and Sarah Jane becoming a kindergarten graduate.  Time is flying by.  My heart is always, always a little tender at the close of a school year.  

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Our last day of school was on Monday, June 24th.  We have only had two weeks of summer, but they have been full of adventure!  We went swimming several times the last few weeks thanks to our season pass to the pool in town.  I love seeing friends there every time we go.  I have been actually getting in the pool and swimming with the kids rather than sitting on the edge.  I did that more last year, but now that Alice is a little older, I have enjoyed getting wet and getting some exercise.  In life and swimming it's still best to just "jump in"! 

We have also taken the time to go on a hike.  We went to Enders Forest in Granby, CT to see some beautiful waterfalls last Saturday:

This last week, Jonathan headed off to youth conference for three days. It was held at Camp Joseph in Sharon, Vermont.  For those of you who don't remember your church history, that's the Smith Farm where Joseph Smith, Jr. was born.  He had a lot of fun with the other youth in our stake.

While Jonathan was enjoying Vermont, the rest of us went swimming some more, spent time with friends and got ready for the 4th of July.  On Wednesday night, we met some friends and got to see the fireworks in town.  Then on the 4th of July we went to a pool party for most of the day and then had a few friends over for dessert and sparklers.  I loved celebrating with them!

Finally, we went to the beach yesterday!  I am a bit tired today, but it was worth it.  It's still so amazing to me that I can go to the beach and come back in a single day.  I can't wait to go again soon!

Last of all in this post, I would like to add some pictures of some of the decorating I have been doing around the house.  It's still very much a work in progress, but I am really pleased with how things are starting to come together.  It has taken some faith and effort and help from friends, but I am thrilled with how things are looking:

This has been such a great summer so far!  I am looking forward to the future and continue to take things one day at a time.  I feel so, so blessed and am truly enjoying my days here.  I hope all of you are enjoying life wherever you may be, too!

Enraptured

Every time I take a walk outside, I am enraptured.  Birds are singing, flowers blooming, the temperature is just about perfect.  Even Alice loves to be outside.  Here are some photos of the front yard:

I take walks as often as I can.  Always with Alice and sometimes with a friend or two.  I feel renewed and lucky to be living in such a beautiful place.

Things are busy.  Soccer season is keeping us on our toes.  We have a total of five practices during the week and as many as three games on the weekend.  We would have more, but we have committed as a family to not playing on Sundays.  Thomas was bumped up to the "A" travel team and I was concerned that they may not want him since he would miss half of the games.  After talking with the coach personally, I was assured that they did and Thomas has already scored several goals at the games he has attended.  Haley is loving being on the same team as her best friend and Jonathan is also doing extremely well.  I am very pleased with how well my children continue to do here socially, academically and physically.  They are all excelling. 

We have had a lot of activity going on the last little while, but I have to say that by far the most special experience this last month occurred last Saturday as we finally went to the temple for the first time since moving here nine months ago.  In Utah, we could be at the temple in seven or eight minutes.  Here, it takes about two hours.  There is something about the sacrifice required that made the experience more holy for me than ever before.  I got up at 4:15 and we loaded up the car with children and supplies.  We left home at 5:30 in order to be inside the temple before 8:00 AM.  I was filled with joy as I witnessed my husband baptize both of my sons in the temple.  Thomas was entering the temple for the first time.  Later, I had the opportunity to go through an endowment session while Dave stayed with the children.  I was able to make a new friend during the session and hope that our paths will cross again someday.  It was such a beautiful experience.  One I will never forget.  I cannot wait to return again soon.

The sun was in our eyes.  Such a lovely morning, though!

We have also gone on a hike as a family recently.  Everything is much more green now than it was the day we took our hike, but it was still so wonderful to be outdoors and together as a family.  Here are some photos from that excursion:

Emma was pretending she couldn't go on after about five minutes of walking!

We have enjoyed having guests over, too.  Below are some photos of some fun we had making chocolate-dipped strawberries with one of our new good friends in the ward.  The missionaries showed up while she was here.  I love having them stop by!  

Obviously, the kids really got into it!

We had that same special friend come to our home last night and help watch the children while Dave and I went out to dinner to celebrate Dave's 38th birthday.  I feel closer to him than ever and I was delighted to have some time alone together.  We went to a terrific restaurant here in town called Abigail's.  Dinner was divine.  It is expensive, though, so we won't be going back too often.  When we arrived home, our friend had helped the kids make signs for Dave.  I thought the signs were so cute.  Many, many thanks to that sweet lady for helping Dave feel so important on his big day!

We have another birthday coming up soon. . .Sarah Jane will be six a week from Friday!  I am excited to celebrate another person in my family.  I still really miss my extended family, especially when we have birthdays and holidays to celebrate, but I wouldn't trade what I am experiencing here for anything.  It is such a gift!