Livin' It Up on New Year's Eve

I spent New Year's Eve eating creme puffs and eclairs and watching a CSI marathon with Colin. Andrew was at the New Year's youth dance with Adria. He went as the bishopric presence at the dance, but I think he secretly wanted to see who his fifteen year old daughter was dancing with. Eva was in usual form with, "Mom, it's past my bedtime. I better go to bed!" It's nice to have one kid that doesn't kick and scream her way to sleep. Liam, however, rolled around trying to sit on Colin's head until he finally passed out. It was probably all the sugar since he and Eva discovered that they like eclairs which according to them tastes like they have 'melted ice cream' in the middle. After years of staying up past midnight with sick kids or insomnia or whatever else parenthood and adulthood brings, New Year's Eve has lost its mystique. The days of watching Dick Clark and the shiny, glittery ball drop on Times Square and wishing I were there are gone. Even venerable Dick Clark is on his way out to be replaced, I presume, with faux-DJ Ryan Seacrest who I'm not sure has actually seen or held a vinyl record. New Year's Eve is definitely not my holiday. Now the last day of school: there is day I can still celebrate like a teenager.

Notes from Christmas

Life has been busy, but I thought I'd share a few moments from the past few weeks

*The Nativity Reenactment: We decided to start a new tradition and act out the nativity. Originally, Liam was set to be baby Jesus. At the last minute, he decided to wear an old Harry Potter cape-costume since everyone else was in costume. Then he began making these hawk-like Caah noises and flapping his arms. When asked what he was he said a bat. So a Christmas bat is now part of our nativity scene.

*Santa's Cookies: Eva wanted to leave cookies and milk for Santa and carrots and water for the reindeer. Santa ate all the cookies, but one and drank the milk. One carrot was left with nibble marks out of it. But with no chimney, how did Santa get in? Too many questions and I'm not sure Santa will survive this next year for Eva.

*Casual Christmas Morning: It felt good to have a cosy gift opening and then a lazy Christmas Day. We love our families, but not having to rush around this year was nice. On a different note, we are all sick of ham leftovers.

*Wedding Reception: Adria and I helped man the kitchen for a wedding reception in our ward. It was exhausting and fun. I learned a lot about logistics, organization, food and venues for wedding receptions. It won't be too many years before I have to start thinking about these things. Yikes!

*Crazy Weather: We have had days where the high temp was in the teens and ice or snow on the ground. Then the past few days, weather in the 50s and even 60s with LOTS of rain. Too much of a variation all at once, has our sinuses going crazy.

*Church Zaniness: Our ward rotates starting times with the other wards in the building every year. Starting next week, we will be going at 1pm. I keep telling myself it's better than the 3pm we once had in Virginia. We also had the opportunity to go to tithing settlement with our 'bishop'. One of those odd moments in a long first year as the bishop's family.

*Late Hours: We are a family that naturally likes to stay up late. Over the break, we've been slowly edging back our bed times. Of course, this makes for cranky people and throws off the next days schedule. Last night everyone was ordered to bed early. The kids were great probably due to Christmas vacation exhaustion. Now, if only, I could fall asleep early.

We wish all our friends and families a Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year's and Best Wishes in the upcoming year!

Twas the Night Before Christmas...And We Ate Chinese Food

All of December has been hurling along to this one day, Christmas. Too many activities, too much food and too much shopping. Last night, I decided takeout from our local Chinese restaurant was in order. I had already been in the kitchen preparing for today. The last thing I wanted to do was cook dinner. Of course, no one complained. Give the kids chicken fried rice and their tummys were happy. While I continued to bake pie crusts, we watched A Christmas Story. You've gotta love Ralphie and his quest for the perfect Christmas present.

By 6:30am, we assembled in the living room for presents. Apparently, Eva had been checking the clock every hour since 4am. Adria was ready for her to just get the suspense of "Did Santa come?" over. Sadly, I think this is the last year for the Santa myth to exist for Eva. She's had too many questions and too many naysayer friends. But there is still Liam to keep Santa alive.

Merry Christmas!!

No School Voodoo

Last year Adria and Colin decided that anytime the weather threatened to cancel school they would practice a little voodoo to help Mother Nature along. Somewhere on the internet they found a list of superstitions that are supposed to help increase your luck. With an impending ice storm and finals looming and wanting more time to study, Adria called on her little brother to save the day last night. Colin flushed ice cubes down the toliet, ran around the house six times and performed a few other "good luck" charms, all the time giggling. Andrew teasingly told him to stop it as he needed to go to work today, and Colin needed to stop his "voodoo" practices. I have to wonder who started these superstitions. What person thought flushing ice cubes was good luck? Sounds a bit like something someone who plays the slots would invent. As it turned out, Mother Nature cooperated and glazed the roads with a sheet of ice and sent temperatures in the teens. Now I am at home with rowdy kids eating mac and cheese for lunch. Who knew hanging scissors on the wall would send good luck?

***Note:Writers of this post do not actually practice or subscribe to voodoo :-) Apologies to all voodoo loving people out there.

Have You Seen the Camera?

This has been my mantra for the past few weeks. Not having a camera around discourages blog posts. Eva had her 7th birthday on December 9th and I wasn't able to take pics. We gave her a goldfish which she promptly named Madison. As soon as we can, we'll let everyone know what she looks like(Eva is assuming it is a she, but how can you tell with goldfish?).

The end of the semester is approaching. Andrew has papers to grade and Adria has finals to prepare for. Liam just said his name for the first time. It comes out "We-um Bown". As parents of a child with a speech delay we are excited. He attends a special education preschool and has a speech pathologist to work with. Colin is flying along on the guitar. We were treated to Deck the Halls at our last Family Home Evening. Eva is constantly asking if she can read a book to us.

Cross your fingers and toes and hope we find the camera before Christmas!

O Christmas Tree

Monday night was spent decorating the Christmas tree. I set up the tree with all the lights. The kids took care of the ornaments and I rearranged them later. All and all I think we did a pretty good job. We decided the to use a smaller tree this year, one that we bought not long after being married. Colin provided 'Deck the Halls' on the guitar. It's the first Holiday song he's learned so far.

**I wrote this post last week intending to take a pic of our tree. Alas, I cannot find the camera.

"Tis the Season? Already?"

Can you believe it's only a little over a month until Christmas? This year has gone by too fast. We decided after all the summer travels we would stay home for Christmas. The kids are looking forward to waking in their beds on Christmas Day and opening presents at home. They have also been making "Christmas tradition" requests. Most of the requests involve food like wassail and different cookies. They are also demanding the tree is decorated as soon as possible. I've informed them that right after Thanksgiving is as soon as I'll be setting up the tree. I have to draw the line somewhere and so far no one has requested that I get on the roof and decorate the house with lights. We all know that won't be happening!

Those Kids Were Fast As Lightning

After watching Kung Fu Panda, Eva and Liam decided to bust out some karate moves. Liam's new monkey pjs (which he refuses to take off) add to the visual effect.

Pre-New Year's Resolutions


According to one of my sisters, I have abandoned my blog. Life has been its normal busy with the added delights of colds for everyone in the family. Andrew and I have also been busy with some pre-New Year's resolutions. We decided to give ourselves early Christmas gifts and renew our gym membership. Both of us have a few pounds we'd like to get rid of, and the holiday season is never kind to weight loss seekers. Other than that, life rolls along. Adria is busy with YW, piano, yearbook staff, AP European History, etc. Colin is on the quest for the perfect video game. Eva wants to be able to read every book in the library. And Liam is sailing along with speech therapy and torturing our cat. Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da.

"I'm Amy Brown and I approved this message."


No matter which candidate or issue someone is rooting for, I'm sure you are ready for this election to be over. Living in Missouri, we have received all the phone calls, knocks on the door, and campaign literature. Since Andrew was flying out of town to give a lecture, we decided to hit the poll early. Our polls open at 6am. So at ten minutes to 6am we arrived ready to cast our vote. Unfortunately about 250 other people also had the bright idea ahead of us. Two and a half hours, a stiff back and cold toes later, we had our "I voted! Did you? " stickers. If we drank coffee, Starbucks would have given us a free cup for our efforts. Good thing this election means more than a cup of coffee!

Halloween, St. Louis Style

I wasn't able to get all the kids together for a pic so everyone will have to settle for individual shots. Be warned. Colin's costume this year was an accident victim. We spent the evening in a neighborhood not far from our house. It's a popular trick or treating place for all the local kids including the high school. I think every child in the school district was there. Luckily, the rumor at the high school that the police were closing down the neighborhood at 8:30pm was true. Imagine packs of teenagers knocking on your door after 9pm. Some of the neighborhoods in St. Louis as trick or treaters to tell a joke for their candy. This was once such neighborhood. Here's Eva's joke: What kind of pie does a ghost like best? Boo-berry.

Pumpkin Carving Time

I love to carve pumpkins and part of the pleasure is the reaction of the kids. It feels like I'm "really" doing something as a mom. They love cleaning out and scraping the inside of the pumpkins which is nice since I don't like that part. We have a silly pumpkin, and angry one, a spider and a painted one. Eva wanted the angry and Liam picked out the painted one. The spider was a huge pumpkin I picked up at the grocery store for $5.

Images from the Past Week

Fuji apples are ripe so the boys and I headed across the river to Illinois for apple picking. It was sunny and in the 60s. We rode a wagon to the orchard. Liam didn't like for me to have my arm on the rail. He thought I might fall out.





Eva experienced a first this week. She lost her first tooth. She attended a birthday party with a Halloween theme. During the wrap the mummy game her tooth became caught on the tissue paper, when it was time to unwrap the mummy out came the tooth. She is excited and anxious to spend the tooth fairy money.

Sunday Blessings

I have a friend who posts weekly blessings each Sunday. It's a way of finding joy in everyday life. Since I can sometimes dwell on the negative, I thought I'd give it a try.

* Cooler weather coming soon
*Thrift store finds including jeans for three out of the four kids.
*Liam loving preschool
*General Conference and being able to listen to it on an IPod
*Quick dinners that don't taste quick
*Teaching another Sunday school lesson and feeling good about it
*Gas prices dropping
*Eva discovering Thoroughly Modern Millie(movie) and remembering how much I love it

My Boy Makes Me Laugh

I have this fabulous 12 year old boy. He has this magical ability to make me laugh.

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

I know I'm bragging, but my children have beautiful hair. It's a rich, chestnut brown color and thick with lots of body. Liam's hair is still in that blond turning to brown stage which all the kids went through. Eva's hair has been past her shoulders and part way down her back. We've been growing the bangs out, too. Tonight Liam decided to take a swipe at Eva's hair while playing with scissors. Needless to say I had to even up her hair. I know it's just hair and a vain thing to dwell on. She still has that beautiful smile and a pleasant disposition. I just wish we had chosen to cut her hair instead of needing to do so.

Before the Hair Cut


After the Hair Cut

Spider Update

About an hour after taking the photo, one of the kids wanted to look at the spider. There was a hole in the middle of the web and the spider was missing. My guess is a bat(lots of them in StL) swooped down and had a nice dinner with our fat, arachnid friend.

Isn't Summer Over?

Colin and I have been studying the stars, planets and space in Science. We took a moment and learned about the recent autumnal equinox on September 22nd so I know that it's officially Fall. Mother Nature hasn't let all her critters know about the change of seasons though. Last night I was walking Colin home from a friend's house. It was dark and we were chatting away until at the end of the driveway we spied a skunk in the garage. Luckily, we made it into the house without being skunkified. Eva reminded me that we'd have to 'pour all our tomato sauce on me to get the smell out' if it did spray me. The skunk did leave peacefully and our garage door will now be kept shut especially after dark.
After the skunk scare of 2008, we noticed this lovely spider waiting for its prey out our back door. Thankfully, we spotted it before stepping through the web. It reminds me of the poem, "Will you walk into my parlor?" said the spider to the fly, "Tis the prettiest little parlor that ever you did spy." BTW, the web is the size of a large watermelon.

Beware of the Scissors

We've all been told and heard, "Don't run with scissors." As children we are taught to hand scissors to another person with the sharp, pointed end facing away from the person. Scissors even come with the pointed end dulled and safety versions. Despite all these precautions, I have suffered two wounds from scissors, both on my legs. I have a lovely scar on my left knee from a pair of hair cutting scissors. I was about 7 years old and my mother was cutting my hair. I raised my knee at the same time she brought the scissors down and Shazam! One deep scar running vertically across the knee cap. I can still remember walking about with an ace bandage, keeping my knee from bending.
Yesterday, I was cutting Liam's hair. That squirmy, little monkey child moved, I wasn't paying attention and Bam! One gouge in my leg not too far from the knee cap on my right leg. I probably needed a stitch, but what's the point in paying an emergency room bill when I can use the handy dandy skin super glue now sold everywhere. Before anyone asks, I have had a recent tetanus shot.
I'm sure Freud would find something in both wounds coming from hair scissors. Both wounds occurring while a mother cut a child's hair. The difference being I was the child in one story, the mother in the next and always ended up being the one hurt. I think I'll chalk it up to staying away from scissors and always staying up to date on those tetanus shots.

First Day of Preschool for One, Flu for Another, Immunizations for the Rest

Liam officially started preschool yesterday. Because of speech and behavioral delays he qualifies for free preschool, four days a week. I've been hesitant and sad to send him. He's my baby, so little, and I didn't send any of the other kids to preschool. I love and value those years before school, but recognize that he needs help I can't give him. We visited the class on Wednesday and it helped to settle most of my fears. He is in a classroom at the district's early childhood center with eight other children. They have two teacher, Miss Jill and Miss Janie, at all times, and then a third person in the room is rotated between the speech pathologist and the occupational therapist. The class is a mixed classroom with only part of the children having IEPs. He'll go for a few hours in the morning, four days a week.
Thursday morning we headed to school for the first day without Mom. He was fine until it was our turn in the carpool lane. As they helped him out of the car, here came the tears and cries of "NO, NO." I drove away with an assurance that they would call if he continued to be upset. A couple of hours later, I picked up a smiling, happy to see me three year old. As we drove away, I asked him what he did that day. I got a jabbering, full of hand motions and sounds effects answer. What a relief!
Adria and Colin had yearly doctor's visits as well. Each had to have several booster shots and immunizations including this year's flu shot. Both came away with sore arms. Liam also had a test to check the levels of his peanut allergy. Love that blue, restraining papoose! My boys are so strong it has been needed anytime blood is drawn or stitches given.
We headed home after the exams to find that Eva came home from the bus crying. Andrew was home with her and tried to determine what was wrong only to get mumbling and more crying. She quickly fell asleep only to wake up an hour or so later vomiting and complaining of body aches. My sweet, little angel remained sick through the night and was left exhausted today. I think she's on the mend as she just asked what was for dinner. I gave her the choices I've planned for this week and she asked if we could have chicken and mashed potatoes as "That will make me feel better."
As a parent, the old adage 'when it rains it pours' is always appropriate. Thank goodness for the weekend!

High Water, No Lights and Good Friends

Gusty winds and heavy rains woke me at 6am around the time Andrew rises on Sunday mornings. By the time we trekked downstairs the usual parts of the basement were leaking and new spots along the wall were wet. Fortunately, it is contained to one general area that we avoid putting anything of importance.

Along the north side of the house we had a rolling river. Ours is the yellow house on the right. Notice the white 'spots' on the pic. It was raining so hard and fast that you can see individual rain drops that the camera caught.


The backyard was a lake which emptied into our river. Fortunately(again) for us, we live on the high side of the street and at the top of the road. The water has other places to go. Some areas in St. Louis weren't as fortunate. This image is from ksdk.com and was taken in front of Adria's high school. It also happens to be a route to church. We had to go the long way to church.


Before church and while Adria was taking a shower the power went out. Bathing by candlelight is grand especially if you have to shave your legs. I was in the process of preparing a brisket for dinner. I called a friend and arranged to use her oven while at church. After church the power was still out, so we invaded another friend's home and settled in for a bit. It's 8:30pm and power is restored, children are fed and the basement is drying out.

A HUGE thanks to Bonnie and Julianne for making the day better.

At Home with the Boys

Life is a lot different this school year. At the moment, both boys are home with me all day. For various reasons, we decided to homeschool Colin this year. We're still trying to find our groove, but life is more calm. Colin started guitar lessons and now that he is twelve and in Young Men's he has Boy Scouts in addition to school work. I have to say I enjoy having him home. He's a cool kid who makes me laugh and reminds me not to take myself too seriously.Liam loves having Colin to himself all day. Colin is his big brother/wrestling partner.
Next week, we'll shake all of this daily rhythm up a bit. Liam will be starting preschool. He has a moderate speech delay which qualifies him for free preschool. Today I met with the early childhood center to put the finishing touches on his IEP and see his classroom. He'll be in a class with 8 children including him. There will be two to three adults in the classroom. Two regular teachers and then the speech therapist and the occupational therapist will rotate in and out. I know he needs this just like I know Colin needs to be home this year, but he is my baby. My 'little Liam, monkey boy'. His speech delay keeps me from remembering how old he is until I am around other children his age. So come next week, I'm sure I'll be a little weepy as my 'baby' takes the big leap into school.
*Sadly, Colin won't allow a pic of him playing the guitar. I'll have to be sneaky.

Foot in Mouth Disease

Have you ever had the best intention, yet come up short and end up with your foot so far down your throat there is no hope of retrieving it? And when you try to apologize, you fall so short the situation becomes worse?
I've learned never to talk politics with anyone at church or in my family. Never get involved with a group of women discussing "birth stories", someone always has a more sad, painful story. Let things sit a day or two or six before sending off that email. Always think twice before saying whatever pops into my head.
Just some common sense most people learn early on, but which I am continually re-learning. Oh, and another thing, always ask forgiveness.

Birthday Girl

Yesterday was Adria's birthday and, poor thing, she spent the day in bed with a cold. She did enjoy her favorite ice cream and cake, but refused any picture taking. I'll have to fake some birthday pics later.
I have to say I love the woman my daughter is becoming. Pushing aside some of that typical teenage angst, she's great to talk to and be around and doesn't mind hanging out with her mom. She is her own person, not afraid to express a differing opinion especially about clothes and music. It's hard to believe I have a fifteen year old who will soon be in college, but it's wonderful to have such a friend.

In every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past, bridge to our future.
~Alex Haley

My little Eva Gracie's heart is always turned towards her family. From the beginning she loved talking about and asking about her family. "What is Grandma doing today?" "Where is Granny?" "When can I see Aunt Kelly or Aunt Julie again?" "I miss Uncle Peter." "Why can't I live near my cousins?" For a long time she would ask about her Grandpa Charlie who passed away long before she was born. "What is he doing now?" "Does he see me?" "When will I see him again?" She seems to have been born with a connection and longing for her family.
This weekend Granny Diann, Aunt JoEllen and Uncle Stephen came to visit. It was the first Sunday that Colin passed the sacrament as a Deacon. We just said goodbye after a nice weekend and my beautiful baby girl is in tears. "When will I see them again?" "I miss them already." It all makes me a little sad that we don't live closer. I am happy when my children remind and teach me about what's important in life.

So Easily Pleased

Yesterday my new cell phone arrived. I say 'mine', because I'm the one that carries and uses it the most so I view it as mine. Although, Colin has informed me that it's not just mine. It's a little bigger than my previous one and black which as we all know is my favorite color. It's just a basic, non-expensive phone, no bells and whistles except this one has a camera. I know what your thinking, 'pretty much all phones come with a camera'. Ah, but my old phone didn't have one. When Andrew told me we were getting a new phone, I didn't think I cared too much. He asked me which one I wanted and I said 'whichever, it doesn't matter'. I didn't realize how much I would enjoy my new toy. I can carry pics of my kids wherever I go. I loved picking out a new ring tone. And I like how new it looks. Isn't that strange? How easily I can be pleased? I feel like such a kid at Christmas.

Another School Year, Another Dollar (or five)

Aah, the beginning of another school year. My time is spent prior to the first day with endless mind-numbing activities. Filling out the same bazillion forms for different children, hunting down imaginary school supplies from mile long lists, fighting other parents for the last sturdy backpack that isn't covered with Bratz or Barney, and, of course, writing checks for lunches, PTO dues, school spirit T-shirts, yearbooks, etc.

Do I sound a bit bitter? Probably so. I have to admit I have mixed feelings about school time. My girls love school, and after a long summer, we all look forward to school starting. I just don't enjoy all the mess that comes with it. For example, there is always at least one item on each kid's list that doesn't exist. This year, it was the 70 page, single subject notebook for Eva. I could find 80 page ones and larger, but no 80 page ones. I know, I probably went to the one store that didn't carry them, but who wants to schlep all over town for a notebook. So, ten extra pages it is for Eva.

It sounds silly, but those pages represent all the silliness that is the beginning of school. We happen to live in a school district full of parents that I can only suppose are able to write checks without batting an eye. It's a great district with lots of advantages for my kids, but the downside is we must be one of the 'poorer' families. Otherwise, more parents would balk at all the money that's asked of us at the beginning of the year. This year we are homeschooling Colin so we didn't receive a supply list for him, but I understand that a flash drive was on the list. Come on, a sixth grader needs a flash drive?!

So what's a mother of four to do? Protest. I only pay for the necessities like lunch. If they ask why I haven't sent in my $25 per kid for class parties, then I'll volunteer to bring cupcakes. I doubt it will make any difference except in my pocketbook. Maybe with the extra money, I can buy the real Cheez-Its for kids snacks instead of the store brand.

"We're Bobbing Along in Our Barrel"

Yes, by the time we reached home after the long car trip, some of us felt liked we'd 'tipped right over the edge'. We did manage a stop by Niagara Falls. As promised, I have the pics to prove it. We wanted to see if the Maid of the Mist statue truly existed(as seen on a TV show), but didn't have enough time.

American Falls


My Beautiful Kids


Horseshoe Falls


Bridal Falls

"And hie him home, at evening's close,
To sweet repast and calm repose."
~Thomas Gray

We rolled into St. Louis yesterday to find the house standing, the lawn mowed and the cat anxiously waiting our arrival. Midnight greeted us at the door complaining about being left so long and continued to follow us around for the rest of the night. He was so annoying this morning with all the meowing that Liam got up, shooed him out of the room and shut the door. Midnight was interrupting "Blues Clues" after all.
We all woke up at 6am since our bodies are still living on Eastern time. Maybe this will carry through to Monday when school starts, but I'm sure with our night owl tendencies we'll correct that in a flash.
*I have some pics of our time at Niagara Falls that I will post later.

Final Images of Middlebury

We leave tomorrow for home. Vermont has been great and here are some final pics.

Otter Creek Falls, Our Favorite Place in Town


The Chateau on Campus


It's been so rainy, that everywhere you walk you find Mushrooms in the Grass


Otter Creek, again


Isley Library where we spent a lot of time


Two of My Monkeys


Main Street Middlebury

Birthday in Vermont

Yesterday was my 36th birthday. The weather was beautiful, clear and cool. Andrew took me to a restaurant here called Fire and Ice for lunch. We are tired of limited kitchen facilities and the dining hall here. Later, for dinner, we took the kids to Neil and Otto's for pizza. Although they are small, they make great pizza. We wish we could take them home with us. The place has about ten tables and is in the basement of a Baptist church. Colin asked if it smelled like pizza during church. He is usually pretty hungry during church and doesn't think he could handle having pizza in such close proximity. I have to agree with him.

Life on the Roads of Vermont

Aside from all the crazy wildlife we've seen attached literally to the roads of Vermont, we have some other favorite sightings. We hoped to take our own photos, but all the heavy rains have washed out roads here. Many of the wonderful, beautiful, scenic places are now under water or impassable. Thanks to www.freefoto.com we can still bring you our favorites. Those of you who don't live in a city may see some of these all the time, but to my city kids it was something new.

These are everywhere once you get off the main roads especially in the Green Mountain forest.


I love these and an added bonus is the horse dropping right beside to authenticate the signs.


Not sure if I'd want my kids snowmobiling across roads.


These annoying signs are everywhere on these twisty Vermont roads.


Further Sightings

Last Saturday as we drove back from Sharon, we crossed one of the mountains and saw a Neighborhood Watch sign. All those not asleep burst out laughing. We were in the middle of nowhere, hadn't seen a house or driveway for miles, not sure if we were on the right road and here was this Neighborhood Watch sign. Who is there to watch and who's doing the watching?

I wish we could have gotten a pic of the HUGE bug that crossed the road. It was big enough for us to see, smaller than a mouse, had lots of leg, was black/dark brown and scuttled in such a way that shouted bug. Andrew and I looked at each other and said, "What was that?" We've recently re-watched The X-Files episode War of the Coprophages so maybe that's the explanation.

I've already posted about the wildflowers along the road. Vermont also has lots of motorcycles. They roar through all the time singly and in groups. My favorite was the all African-American one. Usually you just see these old, geezery white men or couples out together. This was a group of ten to fifteen bikers with matching jackets, beautiful bikes, everyone wearing helmets with mikes. They definitely traveled in style.

I also love the tall trees creating a canopy across the roads; the rocky, swift moving rivers that the roads follow; mist surrounding the top of the mountains; and such clear, blue skies you know your kids are not ingesting a lot of pollution.

Vermont's Answer to Snow Cones

In Oklahoma, every respectable town has at least one snow cone stand. Vermont, a state that takes its dairy seriously, has the Creemee stand. Creemees are big, soft serve ice cream cones. Every few days Colin asks if we can go to the library for books and movies then to the local creemee stand.

Rainy Days and Pickles

Today is a another rainy day in Vermont. For the past three weeks we've had one or two clear days out of a whole week. I'm told that July is usually more dry.
At church, we hustled the kids in one at a time under the umbrellas. Eva was the last to wait in the car. As we were walking in she said with a sly bent to her voice, "I felt like the lone pickle left in the jar". Yes, that is our precocious Eva.

Visiting Sharon, VT

We spent today traveling to Joseph Smith's birthplace. It's this small visitor's center in the middle of nowhere with a monument and grounds. The church also owns surrounding land and built Camp Joseph complete with cabins. They hold Girls Camp and Scout camps there. The peacefulness rivals that of Palmyra.



Liam was antsy after the 1 1/2 hour car ride and loved chasing butterflies.


And sitting on the original step of the Smith family home.


Thankfully, we had a wonderful tour guide, Elder Slade from Star, Idaho. He didn't mind Liam running all over the place and took us around the grounds in a golf cart.


Along with taking us to see the foundations of Smith family homes on the property, we saw a stone bridge used by wagons. It was part of a turnpike that ran through the area carrying travelers during the late 1700s and early 1800s.


On the way back to Middlebury, we missed one of the turn offs and took the long way home. In the process, we saw excellent views of valleys and mountains. All and all a good day.

The Ben & Jerry's Factory

We made it to the Ben & Jerry's factory yesterday. It was a great tour, nice and short. It even worked well for Liam who was fascinated by all the machines.





Purple Passion fruit was my favorite. I loved getting smoothies made from it and was highly disappointed when they discontinued the flavor.

Robert Frost and Falls of Lana


Today was spent hiking. The first trail was the Robert Frost interpretive trail. It was an easy trail for the kids. Everytime we came near the river, the kids would head to the water trying to get wet. It's a little over a mile around and beautiful. Along the trail are poems by Robert Frost. A bit cheesy, but enjoyable.


Choosing the Road less Traveled


Wild blueberries that were too small for us to pick


Eva climbed this tree and promptly fell out. She was brave enough to climb back up.


Next we drove to the Falls of Lana area. The hike from the parking lot to the picnic area is shorter, but more steep and rocky. All and all the kids had a great time.

The "short footpath" to the service road at the beginning of the hike. Thankfully, the main trail wasn't this rough.


View from our picnic area


A rock Colin couldn't resist climbing


The Falls of Lana