Assateague Island

We took mom and the kids to Assateague Island this week. Temperatures were in the upper 90's so it was perfect for some water fun. The first day we played on the Bay side of the island. The water was so warm and you could walk out for a mile or more without the water going past your waist. the kids loved it. The next day we were on the ocean side. The water was cooler, but that didn't stop the kids from enjoying the waves. Everyone had fun swimming, building castles, finding ponies, and staying cool.

New York Trip

While Grandma California is visiting us we thought we would take a trip up to New York to see the Hill Camorah Pageant and other church history sites. So we packed everyone up and made the 5.5 hour drive to Palmyra, NY

Before we went to Palmyra we stopped in Rochester where our hotel was. As we were driving through the town we saw some aircraft doing some amazing tricks. Come to find out the Blue Angels were doing an airshow right down the street from our hotel the following day and we were watching their practice. It was crazy some of the things they can do.


After we checked into our hotel we made our way to the Hill Comorah.

(The monument at the top of the hill)

(All the chairs set up for the pageant)
While we waited for the pageant to start we drove over to the Sacred Grove and the Smith homes. This was mom's and the kid's first time there. We all felt the special spirit that resides there.

(The grove from the apple orchard)

Back at Comorah we snapped a picture with some cast members and waited patiently for the program to begin. It was amazing. The script and music were wonderful and the set and special effects were really neat. I'm so glad we were able to go and take the kids.


It was so late by the time we got in our car to get back to the hotel the kids crashed in the car.

After a good night sleep we were ready to tackle a new day filled with fun. First on the itinerary was to head over to Niagara Falls. Wow! amazing. I'll let the pictures tell the story.










Incredible!
After Niagara we went back to Palmyra and spent some more time at the Grove and the Palmyra Temple.

After that we checked into our campsite where we took no pictures. (darn it!) It was a nice little KOA and we wished we had spent more time there. By far the most memorable moment of the trip was that night when we were all trying not to laugh at Audrey body slamming Jared while attempting fall asleep. Lots of fun and memorable moments.

Let Freedom Ring

Our 4th of July began with our Ward's patriotic Breakfast. The cub scouts were asked to present the colors and they did a wonderful job.

When we got home we made these fun shirts.



It was a last minute stab at doing something fun for the 4th with Kevin out of town. We had the paint left over from previous projects and the shirts are some of Jared's undershirts. They had fun putting them together.
Later that evening we met up with our neighbors for popits, sparklers, and fireworks. The popits and sparklers were a hit.



I love this next picture because it captures each of our children's reactions to the fireworks so perfectly.

Jared is covering his ears, he has always been sensitive to loud noises. Audrey looks like she is ready to run away as fast as she can, she was not a fan. Anna is in the process of exclaiming, "This is awesome!"

Our Neighbors

After our fireworks we headed inside for a little treat and then off to bed. We missed our dad today, but managed to find some fun things to do in his absence.

Splish Splash

We are lucky to have some really great neighbors. Every afternoon, after naps, out comes the scooters, trikes, wagons, cars, balls, bubbles, and chalk. The little girls ride up and down the sidewalk swapping vehicles, Anna is usually busy looking for bugs, and Jared is playing with the neighbors dog. We really enjoy living so close to great people. The other day one of our neighbors brought out a sprinkler for the kids. The little ones didn't think much of the cold water being sprayed in their faces, but Jared and Anna had a blast.

At first they didn't know what a sprinkler was. On the east coast, where it rains regularly throughout the year, there hasn't been much exposure to sprinklers, because there is no need, so this was a new experience for them. It was tons of fun. Thanks to our awesome neighbors and their fun sprinklers.

(I love this action shot and Anna's face)

Raspberries

We love You Pick farms and yesterday we discovered a new farm, Larriland Farms, for raspberry picking. We braved the stifling heat and humidity and started loading up our box.

All Audrey wanted to do was hold our loot. This made us all a little nervous when the box would start to tip over.

Audrey spent most of her time munching on raspberries, Anna helped her friend fill his bucket, but Jared was a hard worker and filled over half of ours.

Next time we will have to try their blueberry patch.

Father and Son Camp Out

Our Ward's Father and Son camp out was held at a Ward member's property. The weather was perfect. The afternoon in the 80's and the night cooled down to the 60's. They had fun.

Take Me Out To The Ball Game!

May and June has found our family three days a week at the ball park watching Jared play Baseball. His team, The Blasters, are doing well and having fun. Jared plays Left field, Center field, and Second base. He occasionally gets to pitch, which really makes his day. We just finished the third round in the playoffs today with a come back win in the last inning scoring four runs! Lots of fun, excitement, and cheering. Here are some pictures of us at the ball games.

Jareds Team

At bat.

Awesome catch.

The girls play with other siblings at the game or they play on the toys at the park

After the game the coach asked the team why they thought he was so proud of them. The answer of coarse was that they never gave up as a team.

Saying Goodbye

The worst part about May (at least till next year) is graduation. Every year a new group of freshly graduated dentist pack up and move away to destinations far away. We gather and say goodbye and wish them all well. In years past there we some sad goodbyes, but nothing that compares to this year. This year we say goodbye to the Johnsons, Andersons, Millers, and the Blooms. A few years ago they took pity on us as the only Members in our class and made us honorary members of theirs.
The first to leave have been the Johnsons. This was a tough goodbye mostly because our kids are such good friends, playing together everyday after school. We all walked over to Ritas and had a treat.

Jared and Isaac

Anna and Lexi

Audrey and London
After our little treat we walked home. Jared and Anna both cried and cried. The following day I found Anna sitting in her bed holding a picture of Lexi just looking at it with tears in her eyes. After picking up the kids from school Jared stayed in the car I went to check on him and he was crying. When I asked him what was wrong he answered, "I've been holding it in all day. I really miss Isaac" It has been a few days now and everyone is getting a little bit better (Even Kevin after saying by to his boyfriend Andy), but it still breaks my heart.
Fair well Johnsons we will miss you (Andersons Blooms Millers we will miss you too!)
Good luck to everyone!