Kirtland Trip 2008

Kirtland

This past weekend we took our little family on a trip to Kirtland, Ohio. We had a wonderful time. I believe this is our third family trip to Kirtland. We just love going there. The church has done such an amazing job restoring significant historical sites for members of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It seems that every time we go we learn or experience something new. The spirit is so strong there.

The excitement began when the day prior to our departure Kevin & I decided (along with Mom -- her boss finally gave her the day off) to surprise the kids with a trip to Kirtland. We made all the preparations the night before while the kids were sleeping. It was so exciting to think the entire trip would be a surprise. Kevin made a delicious french toast breakfast for us to enjoy before we left. At breakfast Kevin announced that the entire family would be accompanying him to "work" that day. (Little did the kids know that Kevin had classified the 4 hour drive to Kirtland as work for the day.) They were a bit unsure why this was necessary but they complied with our instructions to dress and prepare for the day. As we all piled into the car I was relieved that no one noticed the luggage and cooler I had packed the night before. We were nearly 45 mins. north of home before Elizabeth made a guess at where we were headed. The excitement increased when we checked into a hotel for our one-night two-day stay. For our kids hotel = swimming pool, so you can imagine how excited they were.

We then ventured into Kirtland for our first stop...the Kirtland Temple. We were very surprised when we arrived at the Kirtland Temple visitor's center (where the Temple tours begin). Apparently the Church of Christ dedicated the new Kirtland Temple visitor's center in June of last year. The new center is easily 5 times larger than the previous one. It houses a mini-museum about the Temple (lots of interactive things for the kids to do -- like dress up in pioneer clothes), a new Theater for viewing a short 20 mins. film about the Kirtland Temple, a small gift shop, and other offices and so forth for the Church of Christ. It is a very nice facility that definitely adds to the experience of visiting the Kirtland Temple.

After the Temple we moved onto Historic Kirtland which is owned and operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Talk about amazing. We began our tour in the visitor's center and then proceeded to the Newel K. and Elizabeth Ann Whitney home, the Newel K. Whitney store, the John Johnson Inn, the sawmill and the ashery. We had a wonderful experience. We are so thankful the couple missionaries that volunteer their time and talents to provide interesting and uplifting histories about the people and places of Kirtland.

After an evening of swimming on Friday, we stopped by Lake Erie on Saturday morning before heading to the John Johnson Farm. We were surprised when we arrived at a very frozen great lake. Needless to say, it was very cold Saturday morning, but that didn't stop Kevin and the kids from walking down to the water's edge to throw in a few rocks. They all bounced off the surface -- WOW!

We then went to the John Johnson Farm -- personally, this is my favorite part of the Kirtland "experience". The Johnson home was restored and dedicated in the fall of 2001 by President Hinckley. To me, it is absolutely beautiful. So many wonderful things happened at this home. Many marvelous revelations were received here including the vision of the three degrees of glory. Both the Father and the Son appeared to Joseph Smith here. It is truly a hallowed place. Much suffering was endured here as well. It was here that an angry mob carried the prophet Joseph out in the cold night air to beat, tar and feather him after trying to poison him to death. Joseph had already spent several sleepless nights alongside his wife Emma, as they cared for infant twins that had contracted the measles. As a result of that vicious attempt on Joseph's life, baby Joseph was so effected by the night air that he died 6 days later. Such sorrow! The Johnson Farm is an amazing place to visit.

Now we are home and back to the regular rat race of life. I'm glad that we could visit Kirtland this past weekend to take a few hours to remember and reflect on those who have gone before us. It really helps put life back into focus.

Easter Pics 2008

Easter Sunday

We were very blessed to have Beth and Jake with us for Easter this year. They were supposed to spend their Spring Break with their Dad, but we are certainly grateful that they were here with us. We had a great time coloring Easter eggs and taking time to discuss what we are truly celebrating this wonderful time of year. We are so grateful for our Savior's atonement that makes it possible for us to live again after this life.

Easter Sunday was a cold but beautiful day. We were thankful for the sunny skies after church which allowed us to take some quick photos of the kids. True to form, the Cincinnati weather reminded us how volatile it can be and it started to flurry as we finished our pictures. It was really coming down as we are our Easter dinner and before we could clear the dishes the sun was out again.

All of the kids indulged their sweet tooth thanks to the Easter Bunny. Kevin and I indulged our sweet tooth after Easter when we raided the 50% off sale at Wal-mart. Why is it that Cadbury Mini-eggs taste better when they are half off?

It's raining, it's pouring

Apparently, Mother Nature has been feeling a bit left out. It really is understandable this time of year, I mean, how can you possibly trump Christmas, Santa Claus and all that holiday cheer? Of course, baby New Year tries his best to wade through the crumpled gift wrap wreckage after Christmas to remind us that a new year full of holidays is ahead of us. St. Valentine jumps on the bandwagon in February with an onslaught of chocolate (thank you!) and sends out a memo to those impish little leprechauns that March is fast approaching and that they had better gear up for a party. As if this wasn't enough, in 2008 we find ourselves in an unusual circumstance with the Easter Bunny making an early entrance on the Holiday Stage next Sunday. (Was he feeling impatient? Is it already time for those marshmallow peeps to hatch from their cellophane wrappers?)

Back to Mother Nature.....not to be outdone, she has seen fit to remind all holiday revelers in the greater Cincinnati area that no fictitious (sorry kiddies!) holiday "celebrity" can come close to overshadowing her. Yes indeed, with a blizzard only 10 days behind us, she has once again entered the area in a showstopping way. The rain began early this morning in the tri-state area and will continue until sometime tomorrow afternoon or evening. Some project us to have nearly 36 hours of continuous rainfall. Thunderstorms, flooding, and cool temperatures, yes indeed, Mother Nature certainly knows how to get our attention.

Monday, Monday

It hardly feels like Monday here. Our weekend was so unusual with the blizzard -- everyone was at home either bundled up or playing in the snow. We stayed close to home not going about our typical frenzied Saturday routine. It was so relaxing to take a break from the usual. Church was even cancelled because of the weather. Though the snow had stopped in plenty of time for church to proceed as normal, we were still unable to have our meetings. Apparently there was a 3 foot high wall blocking the entrance to the church parking lot.

This afforded us a really beautiful opportunity. Our Stake President authorized the Sacrament to be blessed and passed in homes where there is a Melchezideck Priesthood holder present. It was a very sweet experience to have Kevin bless and pass the Sacrament to our family at home. It immediately made me reflect upon the time my father did the same thing for our family when I was only 5 years old. That experience had an incredible impact on me. I think it is where I first started to develop a testimony of the Priesthood.

The whole experience last night -- we took turns sharing our testimonies and sang some songs as well -- made me all the more grateful to have a loving husband that honors his Priesthood. It made me grateful, too, for a father that honors his Priesthood. How blessed I am!!

Snow angel

I finally got a picture of Beth enjoying the snow. She is so much like Kevin that way. Do you see that devilish little smile on her face? That's because she's hiding a little somethng in that snow pile.

Okay, so Kevin isn't that "little" of a surprise. They sure do have fun together. What a wonderful surprise a blizzard can be.

Snow globe

Cincinnati is experiencing the most snow it has had for nearly 44 years. We were actually under a blizzard warning last night. The snow started at around 10:00 am yesterday and has continued since then. As I look outside it looks like a snow globe that has been vigorously shaken. The winds are blowing the snow in drifts and it reminds me of the swirling glitter inside a snow globe. Needless to say, everyone bundled up for a trek out in the fluffy white stuff today.

Here's Adam, Kevin & Jacob out on the deck. They took turns jumping off the deck into snow drifts. They had a great time. Beth played with the boys for a bit but spent more time playing the with neighbor girls. Poor little Benjamin had to stay inside today. He was diagnosed with bronchitis earlier this week. As you can see, he is excited to see all the snow and doing everything he can to enjoy it.

Kevin brought him a bowl full of fresh white powder to enjoy at the kitchen table. He tried as hard a he could to make snowballs out of of it, but to no success. He finally gave up and found another way to enjoy this crystallized goodness.

Cheif Wannahoagie

Jacob earned his Bear rank in Cub Scouts last week. We are so proud of him! He worked very hard this past year to earn the coveted award. It's hard to believe his is now a Webelo now. And yes, that is me in the lovely canary colored Scout shirt. You know you are all going to rush into your Bishop's office and beg for a calling as Den Leader so that you too can sport this fine piece of apparel.

To help make the night even more memorable, Chief Wannahoagie came for our Arrow of Light ceremony. One of our Webelos graduated to Boy Scouts. The ever color Chief asked all of the Cubs to join him in a "traditional" dance. Needless to say, there was a great deal of whooping and hollering going on...and the boys joined in too. It really helped Jacob to get excited about Webelos this year. He can't wait for the Big Chief to visit another pack meeting.

Opening Day!

Number 2 steps up to the plate and waits for the pitch.....will it be a home run? Hopefully this will be the beginning of a beautiful bloggin season.

I hope you can all bear with me as I learn all the nuances of blogging. I have wanted to jump on the blogging "bandwagon" for some time now, but I couldn't rationalize it until today. I finally convinced myself that this will be my contribution to my family history -- I sure hope this counts! Besides, I'm hoping this will serve as a way for us to keep in touch with all our loved ones, near and far.

Please feel free to send along your suggestions and helpful hints. I would love for this blog to be successful!

See you around the blogging block!