Trip to New York, Birthday's and exhaustion

We had our last summer vacation last week. We went up to New York and saw the Hill Cumorah Pageant Max showing you his Helaman figure that he loved while on the top of Hill Cumorah. Looking down at the 7 layer stageand all the Church History sites. See the Palmyra temple in the distance looking onto the Smith family farm. It was wonderful to walk in the Sacred Grove. While we were there we had wonderful runs along the Erie canal every morning, encountered our first antimormon group (I don't understand how anyone makes it their life goal to insult others religion. It's a very odd way to spend your life), saw Niagra Fallsand lost another one of Joseph's teeth. Rob pulled it out with his bare hands, because we didn't want him to swallow this one. He has swallowed the other 2 that have come out- at least we never found them. So after Rob pulls it out, he gives him the tooth so I can take this picture. And Joseph drops it. We search and search and can't find it. Sam gets up to look after we have been looking for like 10 minutes and finds it right off. He hands it to Joseph and we all do the dance of joy. Then Joseph hands it to Rob and drops it, again! We search and search, even Sam, but no luck. The Hill Cumorah has a part of our Joseph now!

Niagra was beautiful. My very first time in Canada- sort of!

We loved going on the Maid of the Mist- all except Max who went to the middle of the ship, put his head down, gritted his teeth and stood there until we were almost back to the dock. Then he did a "I'm so good, I made it grin."


On the way home we stopped in Hershey, Pa and got more chocolate than one family deserves. There is nothing better than a fresh Reese's cup. It is so much better than the ones you buy at the store.


Now we are just trying to ride out the rest of the summer without a complete blow up. I have never been this is exhausted in my life. I have never said "no!" so many times in my life. I don't do entertainment director well when I am trying to run a household and work. Emma has always needed an entertainment director and the boys aren't far behind. Kids just don't have much of an imagination anymore as far as thinking of things to do- at least not mine. Maybe, my problems is that I thought I might accomplish a few things this summer and so I get frustrated that nothing is getting done. I might have to reorient my goals. We did have our last summer birthday the other day. Joseph turned 6. While we were in New York, he decided to play like he was Indian Jones and got Rob's belt and kept whipping it at the boys. Then, when I wouldn't let him do that anymore he tried to get it around things, so he could swing like Indie. One breakfast he spent the whole time trying to whip it around a tree limb. Finally he asked Rob to put it around the tree, so he could swing. Rob said, "I gotta see this, " so he wrapped it around the tree and let Joe try to swing. He didn't do so well, but he sure enjoyed it. So for his birthday, I just had to get him this whip when we found it. It is soft, so he can whip his brothers and it makes real whipping noises and plays the Indian Jones theme song. What more could a boy want? Much better then my Dad's bull whip he bought in Italy, I think!


How is your summer coming and are you getting anything accomplished or are the kids driving you crazy?