Camp Joseph

Over the weekend we headed up to Sharon, Vermont for a ward camp out near the birthplace of Joseph Smith.

We were able to stay at the beautiful camp Joseph, where some families reserved cabins and others brought up their tents.

We decided to "rough it" and stay in our tent. Of course we weren't really roughing it at all since there were bathrooms with running water and warm showers less than 50 yards from us :)

The grounds were absolutely gorgeous. There was lush green grass everywhere and we were surrounded by the beautiful mountains and hills of Vermont. I tried to capture it in this picture and this was the best I could do. You can see our little tent nuzzled back in those trees.

Teya was all about the camping scene. Especially because it meant roasting marshmallows before she even had to eat dinner.

We had a great turn out, I think if you count all the kids there were around 90 or so members of our ward who came up. Definitely well worth the 2 1/2 hour drive.

The girls were pretty worn out and when the sun went down and the temperature dropped they were more than ready to bundle up and get ready for bed.

They actually went down around 8:30 and we were able to sit by the fire and chat until close to midnight. When we came back to the tent they were both fast asleep. I snuggled in between them and Taber took this picture right as I was hoping to head off into dream land. (Don't they look restful?)

Unfortunately their restful slumber didn't last long and I spent most of the night between midnight and 6am catering to their many needs. I think I might've slept an hour or two but by 6:30 any hopes of getting more sleep than that were gone. Guess that's all part of the fun of camping with small children ; )

We started our morning with some cold cereal but everyone else was so generous with their food that we ended up eating pancakes, bacon, hash browns and sausage and too.

While we packed up camp the girls found some fun little caterpillars to play with

They were very entertained.

Then we headed over to the "Waters of Mormon" River to play by the beach while a big group went tubing.

I didn't think the girls were old enough to go tubing this year but maybe next year.

They were still more than content to be splashing around near the shore

They wore themselves out at the River and within seconds of loading them in the car they were both asleep. It seems like most of our adventures end that way but I always take it as a good sign that we've had fun : )

Joseph Smith's Birthplace

"Next to Bethlehem where the Savior was born, this site, the birthplace of the Prophet Joseph Smith, is one of the most sacred spots on the face of the earth, and if we are worthy, we could see angels that hover over the trees, protecting this spot and those who are here."

-Joseph B. Wirthlin

One of the highlights of being in Sharon, Vermont was seeing the birthplace of the Prophet Joseph Smith. The minute we stepped out of our car there was a special spirit there. The grounds were beautifully kept and everything just felt peaceful and calm.

We were given a nice tour by a pair of couple missionaries inside the visitors center. It was neat learning more about the life of Joseph Smith and especially having an opportunity to teach the girls about him.

The whole family standing by a statue of Joseph Smith

After we toured the visitors center we went on a golf cart ride to see the foundations of Joseph's grandparents' and parents' houses.

Teya peeking over the fence at the Mack farm foundation

Brinley getting a better view from Daddy's shoulders

Foundation of Joseph's parent's home.

After the golf cart ride we went down to the actual memorial. It is a single pillar pointing to heaven that stands 38 1/2 feet tall, a foot for each year of the life of Joseph Smith.

This was my first time visiting a church history site and I'm so glad we had the opportunity to feel the spirit there and to bring our family to such a special place.

Aunty Regan's Epic Visit

Last week we were SO lucky to have Taber's sister Regan come visit us for a few days. We hadn't seen her since Dec 2008! Brinley was only 6 months old then and not even crawling. It was so great getting together again and seeing how much the girls absolutely adored their super fun Aunty.

She came bearing gifts! Polly pockets, stickers, rings, cool glasses and even some baby clothes for our little bun in the oven. The girls were pretty excited about their presents!

The first day we spent time jumping on the tramp, riding bikes, and just having a good old time hanging out.

On our bike ride Teya and Brinley found some acorns and had to take a picture. You can barely see them but those are little acorns they're all holding ; )

The next day we took Regan up to Portsmouth for brunch at the Friendly Toast. Some friends of ours took us there when we first moved out here and I've been dreaming of going back ever since. It was AMAZING! Just how I remembered.

I love this picture because I think Teya could almost pass for Regan's daughter! At least we know where she gets her beautiful hair color from!

Me and Brinsie gearing up for eggs benedict and pancakes.

Teya chowing down on her M&M pancake. She doesn't like syrup so they brought her out her own bowl of whipped cream to top it instead. Yum!

After eating we walked around Portsmouth. They have a neat little museum there that's free so we dropped in for a bit. It was a great way to spend our afternoon and fun showing Regan around such a cute little town.

MAINE:

On Friday Taber took the day off and we headed up to Maine. We took Regan on a lobster boat tour and even though we didn't catch any 8 pounders we did have a very entertaining captain.

He had all the kids laughing with lobsters hanging off his shoulder and head and acting like he didn't know they were there. Teya was seriously squealing hysterically.

After the boat ride we changed into our swim suits and headed over to the beach. It was a fun and relaxing afternoon.

Me and my man : )

Sibling Shot!

And of course, had to include a pic of baby bean. 18.5 weeks now and he's definitely growing!

After the beach we changed up and went looking for some seafood. We found a great little restaurant and stuffed ourselves with scallops, fish and chips and lobster alfredo.

Teya had to be in both pictures : )

It was such a fun day and so great to have Regan in town. The girls could not get enough of her and I can already tell she will be sorely missed!

Daddy/Daughter/Auntie Day in Boston

We couldn't let Regan leave without a proper tour of Boston, so on Saturday Taber and Teya took her down to Beantown to show her the city. (Brinley and I stayed behind because we both were in desperate need of nap that day ; )

They parked at the Boston Common and decided to check out the freedom trail. Early on Teya spotted a balloon man and scored a hot pink balloon flower. From the pictures I would say it was one of the highlights of her day.

The Freedom Trail involves a lot of walking but sounds like Teya handled it like a champ.

Of course Taber did bring the stroller just in case, and I think he was glad he did.

They really got to get a good feel of the city. From street dancers:

To the farmers market,

And all the cool historical landmarks and neat architecture in between.

I thought this was a cool picture/sculpture of Robert Shaw (with Teya and flower balloon perched beneath)

More cool pics from their day

The mac and cheese Statue ( if you've ever seen Brinley's Mac and Cheese dance you know why they HAD to take a picture here!)

Regan in front of Paul Revere's House

After a good amount of walking they ended up in the North End where they grabbed some Italian food and hit up Mike's Pastry for Cannoli's. Teya had a blast with her Daddy and Auntie.

And was pretty wiped out by the end of the day, which is always a good sign that the trip was a success : )