Visit from Rachel and Mom

I was super lucky this summer. Rachel and family came to Franklin and stayed with ME (well us) for TRHEE DAYS. It was awesome. Here are a few shots of us all hanging out on the back porch. (notice the new yummy yellow color). We were helping Adara with her homework.

CUTEST picture of Mason!

Enjoying some summertime relaxation.

Washington DC part two

Library of Congress; gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous!
I had to take a picture of this!

I really liked this quote.

Will contemplates the beauty and history around him. :)

Washington DC July 30-31

We promised Adelynn a special trip somewhere if she received her Personal Progress award by the time she was 14. She actually received it three months before her birthday! She choose Washington DC, which was perfect because Will's brother, Jordan, and sister-in law, Kristi, live in George Town. They suggested a bike tour. So we loaded up the van with bikes. We had the BEST time. Jordan and Kristi are the best tour guides EVER.

Another sleeping picture! July 19, 10

I walked into the family room, wondering why Greyson was so quiet! There he was passed out, 1/2 of the chair and a bit on the bench. WOW. I took several shots, from different angles just so you could all appreciate how funny it was.

The "Sweet" drive home

We noticed on the map that our route home took us within a few miles of Hershey PA! We would have been crazy not to stop and take a taste, I mean look around. :)

Here Enoch, Adelynn and I attend a choc tasting class. YUM.

And of course after a long and eventful trip, the teenages did what we adults wished we could do; slept the rest of the way! (10 hours total driving)

Best bunch of kids!

Looks like we succeeded in wearing them out. This ward youth trip was so much fun. We had 6 girls, 3 boys, 8 adults. Everyone got along so well. I love the youth in our ward. They are the best.
In the visitor's center at Hill Cumorah.

The Thinker

Smith cooper shop and farm

Joseph Smith Sr. was a master cooper, or maker of barrels. At one point the gold plates were hidden in the cooper shop.

When a huge oak tree fell down, farmers often hollowed out sections of the trunks and used them as barrels. The original oak barrel!

The light wood yoke on the wall is a human yoke, used for carring buckets of water. What a great way to keep your kids busy. If they got too roudy, you could just tell them to go get water!

This barn is larger than the one the Smiths would have had. But the cool thing about this barn is that it was from Brigham Young's farm! The whole superstructure was original. The outside wood had to be replaced when the barn was moved.

Below you can see what beehives used to look like. At the back of the picture you can see the sacred grove in the distance.