Welcome to Pennsylvania

My Aunt Carolyn came to visit last week and we had a wonderful whirlwind of adventures. The first day we chatted a lot and she rested after coming in on a red eye. Thanks go to Topher for picking up my phone and taking this picture.

The next day we toured the Martin Guitar factory. I took very few pictures, but here's a little proof we were there.

On Wednesday we trekked up to the Priesthood Restoration Site. It was soooooo cold and light snow fell a few times while we toured the homes of Joseph and Emma Smith and Emma's parents. Sophie reminded me that we had hand warmers in the car, so I ran to the parking lot and grabbed a handful as the tour took off without me. I caught up and quickly handed out our expired, but still functional, warmers. I was thankful that we had this small blanket in the van. We turned it into a hood for Topher.

One highlight was running into one of the sister missionaries that served in our ward last year. She was visiting her old mission with her parents. We had planned to be there an hour earlier, but were running late. If we'd come when we planned, we would have missed her. I think our tardiness was a tender mercy.

On Thursday we drove into Philadelphia and attended the Temple. Then we met up with Aunt Carolyn's friend and walked to eat at the Reading Terminal Market and then see several historical sites. We saw Benjamin Franklin's grave, the first Quaker church in the US, Christ Church (and George Washington's pew), and the Great Essentials (the US Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Articles of Confederation) in the West Wing of Independence Hall.

Bryan took on all of the dinner responsibilities and kept us well fed. It was great not having to worry about that.

A Day on the Bay

Peter's spring break was a four-day weekend and I feel like we packed a week's worth of activities into that time. On Friday Phoebe went with some friends from church to an indoor waterpark and had a great time. That evening Peter and Cooper saw the Super Mario Brothers Movie to celebrate the birthday of a boy from church. They loved it.

The next morning we drove to Maryland to celebrate my brother Jordan's 40th birthday. We had fun chatting and playing at their house before relocating to a park on the Chesapeake Bay for a cookout.

photo credit: Leah

photo credit: Leah

It was a chilly day, but we were so happy to spend it with family!

Cousin Adventures, So Far

Long Time No See

We're enjoying having Aunt Paige and cousin Emma visit during Emma's spring break!

Almost a Doppelganger

This sweet picture popped up in my photo memories yesterday. At first glance I thought it was Sophie. I quickly realized I was looking at Bryan's youngest sister Kate when she was eight years old, holding a two month old Peter.

I found this picture of Sophie from last year when she was about the same age. Can you see the family resemblance?

All Together Now

Aunt Paige and cousin Emma are here visiting! The girls all put on their matching leggings from Aunt Leah so we could take a picture the first day they were here.

Topher was there too, sans matching leggings.

This Girl Is On Fire

I know it was a week ago, but I finally got a picture of my sister and niece in their Halloween costumes. Paige found Emma's unicorn pajamas, but she didn't have anything for herself. I brainstormed a mythical creature that would fit into our theme. I'm pretty pleased with how her phoenix costume turned out, even if nobody could tell what she was.

I made the wings by duct taping two wire hangers together, wrapping the exposed wire in tulle, creating the fire/feather look with strips of tulle, then using a red feather boa to tie them onto Paige.

Phoebe designed Paige's feathered headband, I think she did a fabulous job.

And I'm including one picture to show just how huge my fairy skirt was. It took two hours to create. Apparently this Halloween was brought to you by tulle.

The Hill

On the first day of our adventure last week we drove to Palmyra, New York.

We met Bryan's grandma, Aunt Lorna, Uncle Paul, sister Melinda, brother-in-law Jake, nephews Nathan and Sam, and niece Emma at the visitor's center for the Hill Cumorah. Topher and I were taking a break in a quiet room nearby when this picture was taken.

Next we hiked a very, very steep hill to see the monument of the Angel Moroni and the gold plates. I wore Topher in the Bjorn and was thankful I didn't pass out.

Then we drove over to the Sacred Grove. It was beautiful. And Topher yelled nearly the entire time we were there.

Afterward, we claimed the awesome seats that Paul and Lorna had saved for us for the Hill Cumorah Pageant that night. We met some of the cast members before the show started.

Then we shared picnic dinners and ran and played and unintentionally lost a few children and then quickly found them again and got out as much energy as possible before the show started.

It was a long, hot day, but it was really fun. We loved getting to see our family!

Gifted Green

Our St. Patrick's Day was a busy Sunday and therefore a low-key celebration. We wore green...and that's about all we did to mark the day. Peter and Cooper borrowed green ties from Bryan. The girls' green was thanks to two aunts. Sophie wore a green bow from Aunt Leah, thank you Aunt Leah! Phoebe wore a scarf  (Peter says it was a cape) that I wore at my sister's wedding way back in 2011. Thanks for getting married Aunt Paige!

Dropping Like Flies

On Sunday night Cooper started to feel lousy. By Monday morning he was curled up in a little ball on the couch with a terrible headache. That afternoon Sophie laid herself down on the living room floor and fell asleep. She woke up the Tuesday morning with a fever. By Tuesday night Cooper, Sophie, Topher, and Bryan were all running high fevers and dealing with body aches, chills, and some vomiting.

On Wednesday I took the three sick kids to the doctor and was told that they have the flu. The doctor also told us that if anyone else at our house exhibits these symptoms that they probably have the flu as well. On Wednesday Peter developed a high fever and chills.

Cooper has not been to school at all this week. Peter went the first few days, then stayed home. Phoebe had missed last Friday and Monday because of a cough, then went back on Tuesday. Her cough worsened on Wednesday, so she stayed home again. I thought maybe she'd had a light case of the flu before we realized what was happening and that the cough was what remained.

I was wrong. Tonight at bedtime Phoebe was hit with a high fever. That means I am the only healthy person at my house. Peter and Bryan have helped where possible, but I've done a lot of care taking  over the last few days, especially for Topher.

I have no idea if I'm going to get sick or somehow avoid what appears to be a terribly painful flu. Just in case, I traded Sunday School teaching responsibilities with my co-teacher so I don't need to teach this Sunday and I've got someone to cover choir practice. I'm praying that I stay healthy until Bryan is healthy again, because at least one parent should be able to care for these kids.

Family Time

We've loved having family in town during the last week. Here are a few of the highlights: