DC Temple

Last Saturday we rode up to the temple with Brandon and while he did a session, we explored the Visitor's Center, saw the movie The Testaments, and walked around the temple grounds.

County Trip

B's goal for the past several years is to get 100 new counties a year. (He collects counties like some people do states.) The last couple of years he hasn't reached this goal. He hit 100 new counties for 2010 on Friday with a long road trip into Pennsylvania. New county totals: B=12, N=18, the kids=19.





We stopped at Gettysburg and saw the free parts of the museum (bathrooms, gift shop, statue outside). We talked about the kids' great great great great grandpa (John S.) who fought in the civil war, lying about his age to become a soldier at 16.
[Corrections from Grandpa M: Very cool stuff here. John S. was in the infantry for 6 months, got out in May 1863 and rejoined in late July 1863 for the remainder of the war (in a cavalry unit). He missed Gettysburg.]


We stopped in Dillsburg, PA to see B's Great Grandparents' grave. (Isn't it fun that someone who loves the Simpsons as much as B descends from people named Homer and Margaret?) It is a little creepy to see your own last name on a gravestone though.


We stopped and saw their old home (that B last visited when he was 4 years old).




We saw the State Capitol in Harrisburg.


We stopped at the Washington DC LDS Temple to see the nativity displays, Christmas trees, and lights. The trip took longer than expected so we missed the musical performance, but we still got to enjoy the lights and everything else.

Columbus Ohio Temple

Photos by B

Temple Lights

On December 17th, we drove up to the Washington DC temple and saw the Christmas lights and Nativity displays.











Obviously, my camera doesn't do it justice (or take decent pictures at night).

Maryland and Delaware County Trip

B is of course itching to get all the new counties we live by now, so last Saturday we went on a little county trip. It was especially exciting because the kids all got two new states (Maryland and Delaware), B got Delaware and we all finished Delaware (since the state only has three counties).


We started off at the Washington DC Temple in Maryland.



Next was the Maryland State Capitol in Annapolis.



Then across the Bay Bridge (super exciting for Buddy) and the Chesapeake Bay (hooray, our first near glimpse of an ocean in years) into more Maryland... then Delaware and the Capitol in Dover. Fun fact about Delaware, is has more people in it than Wyoming. Who knew?? And no sales tax. On the way back, in Sassafras, MD, we had to stop for a draw bridge. If there wasn't also a super long suspension bridge and a tunnel on this trip, Buddy would have for sure picked the draw bridge. It was a toss up. That top corner picture of Buddy was taken as we're watching the draw bridge go up.

We also documented Baby X's left handed tendencies as he sat in the backseat "coloring." He's been throwing and eating with his left hand lately.

Prop 8 in California

A family friend who is an officer for the LAPD and whose area covers the LA Temple wrote this article for Meridian Magazine about all the craziness that is going on there.

Nauvoo

Sorry that it has taken so long to post again. I can't get my pictures to upload and that, obviously, is the basis of this blog. These are pictures from a trip to Nauvoo, IL the first weekend in August that I've finally been able to upload.

* * * * *

We were supposed to go to Utah this summer for a family vacation/reunion of sorts. My parents have a cabin in the mountains above Cedar City they built in 1969 or so. Now they are getting ready to build a new and improved cabin in the same area. So far it's a driveway. We were going out to see my parents, possibly my brother's family, and the new cabin. But the way dates worked out, we were going to miss my brother's family, and there is not yet a new cabin to see. Add to that the gazillion hours in the car to get there, the fact that our car is a lemon, the cost of gasoline, the cost of missing a week of work... we ended up going to St. Louis and Nauvoo instead.

Our kids were reconciled to this idea because on the other two occasions that we've visited Nauvoo (or Nannoo, as Boy christened it on this trip because it's hilarious to them) it's been off season. Either September or April. And off season, the pioneer dress-up area is closed. Knowing that she would be able to dress-up like a pioneer in Nauvoo about made Princess Sparkley's summer.

Here are the pics:

Princess Sparkley and Boy in front of the Nauvoo Temple

Princess Sparkley finally got to dress up in the pioneer girl clothes


Princess Sparkley, new pioneer outfit


I think it would break her heart to know she'd probably wear
that one dress for months if she was a real pioneer girl


Have you lost count of the costume changes yet?While Princess Sparkley is dressing up, Boy and Daddy are playing pioneer games.Cute Boy spinning a top.



Princess Sparkley and Boy riding "sheep"



Princess Sparkley and Boy in front of Schofield's Bakery in Nauvoo.
We've done this picture every year, I need to track down the other versions to post.



We had a bet on the drive from St. Louis to Nauvoo that whoever fell asleep had to kiss an ox. Only the girls fell asleep. We refused, but Daddy kissed one on the head.


Pretending to drive a covered wagon.

Quick Trip to Chicago

I got to go to Chicago for the first time the weekend of August 5th. We left the kids with their grandparents in St. Louis and B and I hurried up to Chicago Saturday and Sunday. B had an audition with Jeopardy! It went well. He's on their possible contestant list for the next 18-24 months. He auditioned for Jeopardy! when we lived in California and made it to their contestant list but they never called... so we'll see.