Pioneer Day

The Relief Society was in charge of the Ward's float for the 24th of July parade in Ivins.  I knew I was going to be gone and I have new counselors so I tried to do it as simple as I could.  I asked the sisters in the ward to send me the names of their pioneer ancestors who were women.  There is a couple in the ward who do vinyl signs and embroidery.  They called to ask if they could do the sign for me and I gladly said yes!  So I gathered names and sent them to the couple while I was on vacation.  A man in the ward offered to let us use his trailer and another man offered to pull it for us.  I asked for volunteers of women who would be willing to dress up in pioneer clothes and ride it.

This is how it all turned out.  It was super easy and I think it went well.

There were 7 of us (including Courtney) who rode on the float and threw candy.  It was a quick and easy parade!

Martin Harris Farm, Alvin's Grave, Sacred Grove Visitors Center, Niagara Falls and Flight Home

Since it was our last day and our flight was in the late afternoon we decided to hit a few more sights before we flew out.  We took Andrew and Jessica with us in Bryan's parent's rented van.  The car situation got crazy at the end but it all worked out.

We drove to the Temple to look around.  It was small but really pretty.  There was a path that we followed for quite a ways but we aren't sure where it comes out so we turned around.

 We went to the Martin Harris home which you can't tour but you can look around outside.

We went to see Alvin's grave.  The antique white stone is the original marker.

Then we began the long drive to Niagara Falls.  It was a pretty expensive disappointment but the kids can now say they have been there.

Then we drove to the Rochester Airport and met up with everyone.  Julie was there so she drove Lisa and Mike's van back with Brooke.  John, Shelley, Great-Grandpa Pack, Jessica, Andrew and our family were all on the same flight to Chicago.

Great-Grandpa Pack gave Ethan $20 to spend on things for the group as we waited for our plane to arrive.  (The plane was late, as per the usual for the vacation.)  Ethan bought gum, mini snickers, wheat thins, mints and red vines.  He had 20 cents left over that he donated to charity.

John was trying to figure out how to get us all on seats next to each other.  He and Bryan were trying to get it all figured out.  After a long discussion they thought they had it figured out except they probably couldn't get Jessica and Andrew close to us.  But they didn't mind because they wanted alone time. ;)

It actually worked!  Ethan sat by Grandpa and Great-Grandpa Pack and LOVED it! Did you know you can ask for the can of pop and they will give it to you?  Ethan thought he had died and gone to heaven.  Courtney sat by Grandma and talked her ear off the entire time.

When we got to Chicago we all had to separate and go to different planes.  We watched as our plane pulled out and we were the last of the Pack Clan to leave the airport.  Such is our life.

When we finally got to Las Vegas the kids were pretty tired.  And then we had the drive home.  We were happy to see our beds again but we had a great trip!

Church and the Whitmore Farm

Lisa and Mike go to Church at the Whitmore farm.  That was cool because the building was really nice!  Someone took a family photo of us all but I don't have a copy.  I will have to work on getting that so you can see everyone.

Here's Courtney:

 Ethan just sitting on the fence:

 The outhouse!

 Upstairs in the house (the kids were really tired by this point in the vacation):

 Goofing off.  I can roll my tongue I just didn't know she was rolling hers.

There were interactive games in the visitors center that the kids had a lot of fun  playing on.

Then we went back and hung out at the lake house, ate lasagna and tried to get things clean so they all could check out the next day.

Ethan and I had to get our Tyler cuddles.  He is such a smiley baby!

Water Day

It was our day to spend at the lake house playing in the water and roasting marshmallows!  It was nice to have a down day and be able to relax.

We went out on the boat and Ethan tried to wake board but couldn't get up.  Later, Jessica tried to water ski and had a hard time getting up so Ethan felt better.  He enjoyed paddling around with his cousins.

Grandin Publishing Building, the Hill Cumorah and the Pageant

We started out at the Grandin Publishing Building where the Book of Mormon was printed. We were able to take a tour and find out more about how it was just a miracle that the Book of Mormon was able to be published so near the farm of Joseph Smith.

 We then drove to the Hill Cumorah to look around and go to the visitors center.  Ethan has a theory that the Lord inspired men to place the marker over the spot where the plates were so no one would find it.  Good theory.

 We then walked to the visitors center to watch a movie about the restoration and see the Christus.  It was fun to see the kid's faces.

We went to the lake house for dinner and the kids got to play in the water for a little while.  Ethan loves to kayak so it was fun for him to be able to do that.

Ethan was playing with some lake weed that looked pretty gross and Julie told him she would give him $5 if he would eat it.  So he ate it!  Soon after all the little kids were eating lake week from the shore so they could get $5 too.  She ended up taking them another day to get ice cream instead of handing out $5.  It think they got a good deal out of eating that gross stuff!!

Then we got ready and went to the pageant.  I thought it was fun and they did a great job.  I was really disappointed/disgusted with the hecklers but it gave us a great chance to talk to the kids about loving people who hate us and being persecuted for what you believe.  Still, I would have loved to been there without them swearing at us.

 He really isn't choking her, although it looks like it.

The Joseph Smith Farm, the Sacred Grove and Family Pictures

We woke up, got ready and went to Lisa and Mike's house.  The kids were happy to wrestle and chase Ethan.

Then we loaded up and drove to the Smith farm and the Sacred Grove.

Because it was pageant time they didn't have tours but for the morning they had volunteers that would tell you about the different locations.

 Ethan outside the log cabin:

 Inside:

 Courtney and Brooke inside the frame home:

 The gardens:

Courtney just liked playing with her cousins and holding Tyler:

We then walked into the Sacred Grove.  It was really peaceful and Ethan and I took a minute to sit down and talk about the gospel.  Courtney went off to explore with Brooke and Bryan went to keep an eye on them.  It was a neat experience to just be able to explore around.

Then we went back to Lisa and Mike's where we had hamburgers/hotdogs and salad.  The girls put on a little skit for us all.  We aren't sure what the plot was and the actors were a bit confused as to what they should have been doing but it was fun and kept them busy.

It was then time for family pictures so we all went our separate ways to get ready.  Hopefully I will post those pictures soon.

That night we had a family meeting to catch up on everyone's lives and went back to the hotel for sleep.We were exhausted!

Airport Blues

On the way to the airport I received a text saying that our plane was an hour late.  By the time we got to the airport I had gotten a series of texts that told us that the plane was now on time.  We were excited to get to Baltimore and meet up with Courtney and Bryan.  The plane ride was uneventful and we got to Baltimore on time.

It was great to see Bryan and Courtney!!  We got some dinner and waited for our plane.  The plane was delayed an hour and we were a bit nervous because we had our rental car waiting for us but we weren't sure if the place would be open when we got there.  Bryan tried to get a person on the phone in Rochester who could tell us whether or not we would get our car and he couldn't get anyone.  It was really annoying.  We had gotten a great deal on the car and paid cash for it.  The fine print said that we wouldn't be able to get a refund but I decided to call anyway.  Bryan called his dad to see if he would pick up the car for us (they were waiting at the airport for all of us to arrive) while I called the travel club to see if we could get a refund.

The man at the travel club checked to see if we had picked up the rental car or not (honesty people) and then told me we could get a full refund.  So Bryan's dad talked to Lisa and Mike and it was decided that we could use their car. So we cancelled the reservation.

We finally got on the plane and got in to Rochester really late!  The kids were exhausted.  Andrew and Jessica were getting in even later than we were so Bryan's parents had to wait for them to come in.   Mike had brought the van and so he took us to the hotel in Geneva and then Bryan went with him to their house to pick up their car.

I was so happy to get to bed that night!!