New Jersey Sunset

So long New Jersey.

Coach Cooper

Need a new warm-up for your daily workout routine? You're in luck! Cooper offered to share his pre-scooter-riding routine. It involves lots of finger stretching.

Sometimes Cooper's a Photographer

The Helmet

Morning Surprise!

We woke up this morning to the packers arriving a day early.

One. Whole. Day. Early.

They agreed to come back tomorrow, when we were originally expecting them.

Today I'll be using this massive burst of adrenaline that's left over from the packer surprise to make sure we're ready when they show up again tomorrow.

Also, expect the next two weeks to be full of pictures and movies. Those posts require almost no brain power but still meet my daily blogging requirement.

And they're adorable.

Sparkles

Phoebe has been counting down to her fifth birthday ever since she turned four. Longtime readers of this blog may remember that five is a magical birthday at our house because that's when you get your first official birthday party. She knows this and has been looking forward to her exciting event.

Sometime around March of this year we were talking about the possibility of moving during the summer. Phoebe asked if that was before or after her birthday. When she found out we might move a mere month before her much anticipated celebration, she was crestfallen. She has a tight group of friends here thanks to the co-op preschool and her dance class. She asked if we might hold her party before we move so her New Jersey friends could attend.

Since it was March and we didn't even know for sure if we were moving and summer seemed so far away, I said sure. Then, when we found out the move was happening, and because I obviously wasn't thinking clearly, I decided we should have the party the weekend before we move, because of course there's nothing else I should be doing with my time with just a few days before we need to vacate our house.

The party is tomorrow, the packers arrive on Tuesday morning. I've pretty much ignored any kind of moving preparation, working instead toward the party. That gives me about a day to get ready for moving. But don't worry, I haven't been totally unproductive. In the last four days I've made fourteen sparkly tutus and eight bow ties.

And that, my friends, is why my house, my children, and my dreams are covered in glitter. 

Little Hands, Grown Up Manners

Hillside Pagentry

After our day at Niagara Falls, Canada, we drove an hour and a half to Palmyra, New York. Of all the adventures we've had this year, this was one of the most anticipated. Before we visited the significant church history sites in that area, we had the opportunity to watch the Hill Cumorah Pageant.

We got there early enough to run out our road-trip wiggles and snag good seats.

The spectacle was kind of amazing. Throughout the course of the show we saw fire shoot up from the stage, water spray several times and some really clever set changes. The most jarring was a slowly rising set of three crosses from the upstage right corner while Christ's Crucifixion was being foretold and then later depicted. At the other end of the emotional spectrum was the portrayal of Jesus visiting the Nephites. The actor seemed to really descend from Heaven. It was stunning.

Do you remember how rainy our Niagara Falls visit was? We saw the Pageant that same night. The forecast called for a thunderstorm. We almost canceled and went home, but I really really wanted to see it, so we braved the weather. The rain stopped shortly before we got there. The air was cool and damp and the ground was soggy. The sky still looked threatening an hour before the show, but the clouds didn't drop anymore moisture. During Samuel the Lamanite's foretelling of the sign of Christ's birth, a followspot illuminated the clouds directly above our heads. Not long after, I turned to see Peter looking straight up. I followed his gaze and saw that the clouds had parted to reveal a sky full of beautiful stars.

Cooper, Phoebe, and I got separated from the rest of the group before the show started. We meandered back to our seats, stopping to take pictures with several cast members who were mingling with the audience. These guys had the most elaborate costumes I saw.

This woman came and spoke to us about the show while we were waiting for it to start. Phoebe loved her costume and asked for a picture.

Flash photography was not allowed, so I took this one picture sans flash then put away my camera and simply enjoyed the show. This is the opening scene and gives a good picture of how big the cast was, though this isn't quite the whole group. Near the end, while they were showing the last battle of the Nephites, I heard Bryan lean over to Cooper and say, "That happened right here."

Cooper questioned,"Where I'm sitting?"

"Maybe."

"Whoa."

At the end of the performance, while we applauded enthusiastically, Peter turned to me and said, "That's the best thing I've ever seen."

Mom, Can We Build a Fort?

O Canada!

So, we went to Canada. See?

Since our time in this part of the world is almost up, we decided we needed to finally squeeze in a trip to see the famous Niagara Falls. After doing some research, we determined that the view would be better from the Canadian side, so we gathered our passports and birth certificates and visited another country. Cooper and Phoebe had a hard time wrapping their brains around the concept of not being in the United States anymore. The only thing thing that threw me for a loop were all the speed limit signs that said "100 km/h." That's a little more than 60 mph to the uninitiated, but seeing the number 100 on a speed-limit sign required a double take to process.

Bryan found a hotel that would earn us points and provide a modest view of the falls. Since he's stayed with this hotel chain so often, he has Platinum status. That means that sometimes he gets upgraded to a nicer room. Lucky us, we were bumped to a much, much nicer room with a breathtaking view.

I believe Phoebe's exact words were, "Best. Hotel. Ever!" We got in late on Thursday, oood and aaad over the sight out our window, found some ridiculously overpriced dinner, then called it a night. After some much needed sleep and a big beautiful breakfast, we headed out to see the Falls.

They are AMAZING! The sound is so loud and the spray can reach you all the way up the hill and over several tall hotels. Add rain to the already damp air and we were nice and soggy while we basked in the majesty of the Falls. Our water-logged state was in part why we opted to enjoy this wonder from the safety of land and not from one of the tour boats that offer an up-close Niagara experience. The other reason, which was really more important to us, was that we were told there were no benches on the boats to hold onto and the water can get pretty choppy. We didn't want any of our kids to be washed overboard; we like them and would prefer to keep them.

Sophie and Phoebe didn't love the rain, but the rest of us didn't mind. Bryan took as many pictures as the precipitation would allow.

A fellow walking by offered to take a family picture and we said yes. At this point we were getting cold so we hightailed it back into the visitor's center to dry off. I think it's amazing how much the Falls have moved in the last two hundred years. See where we're standing in the picture below? That's where the Falls were in 1819. See how far behind us they are now?That's some serious erosion.

We somehow left home without a jacket for Peter. No worries though, we did bring a box of trash bags and a clever Bryan. Behold, Peter's scented poncho! It wasn't fancy, but it kept him dry-ish.

After we were dry, we found our traditional Christmas tree ornament souvenir and headed back to the US for the next leg of our journey.

Thanks go to my Grandma Bonnie for making this adventure possible. Last Christmas she called and asked what the kids would like for presents. I suggested a few things, then I rambled on about how we want to give experiences instead of stuff. She had visited Niagara Falls a few years ago and wanted us to enjoy it as much as she had. Her generosity funded the fun!

Thank you Grandma!