Trip Back East

After a long break, it's finally time to catch up on my blog.  At the end of April we took a great family vacation to visit some great friends back in Pennsylvania.  I went back east with my family when I was 11, so some things were familiar, but Dan had never been to the east so I was excited for him to see something different.

This post has lots of pictures, but I just couldn't narrow is down any more than this.  We were only there four full days, but we packed so much into those days.

 Our first full day we took the train to Philadelphia and this is what the train station looked like.  There were colored tiles all over the walls, it was a beautiful sight to see.

 We went to Independence Hall and saw where the founding fathers gathered and signed the Declaration of Independence.  The History of this town gave me so much more appreciation for the freedoms we still hold today and hopefully will continue to hold forever.

 The Liberty Bell was smaller than I remember from when I was 11 but there was a beautiful display and museum to look at right before the bell and we were glad we went at a time that was not crowded.

 Annie, being as friendly as ever, got this volunteer tour guide to tell her all about the brochure that came with the liberty bell.  She had him down like this for a while.

 We were able to go to the Mint where they showed how coins were made.  We couldn't take pictures inside, but it was really neat to see the process of how our US coins are manufactured.

 This is JFK Park or Love Park and we had to get pictures by this statue.  For some reason I always thought it was in New York, but I am glad that Brittney (my friend) set us straight and we got to see it.

 There is a park by some buildings with oversize game pieces and it was fun to climb and play on them.

 Annie, being friendly again, got a woman on the train to let her play Candy Crush on her phone on our way back to Brittney's house.

 Day Two we went to Hershey Pennsylvania.  This is place that all Hershey Chocolate is made.  We received so much chocolate that day that we were eating for a while after.

 We all got to create our own candy bar and had to wear aprons and hair nets while we watched our bar be made.  They had a formed candy bar and we could put toppings into it and then it was covered with another layer of Chocolate.  We just barely (in August) got them out to eat them and they were delicious.

 After Hershey we drove six hours to stay near Niagara Falls so that on Day Three we could get there bright and early to go on the Maid of the Mist boat.

 The boat takes you really close to the falls and we all got super wet and the girls were really cold, but I loved to let the water spray on my face.  The falls are so powerful and beautiful.

 On our way back to Brittneys house we stopped in Palmyra and saw the temple, Joseph Smith's home, and the Sacred Grove.  We wanted to stop by the Hill Cumorah, but with time, we only saw it on our way out of town.

 Day Four we went to New York. This is a replica of the NY skyline before 9/11 made out of steel from the wreckage.  The 9/11 memorial was a very emotional place.

 This is one of the fountains in the 9/11 memorial where one of the towers stood.

 For lunch we had some New York Pizza, it was very tasty and we even found a little park to eat at.

 The statue of liberty from the Staten Island Ferry

 Ellie on the Staten Island Ferry

 We went to the 86th floor of the Empire State Building and it was amazing to look out all over New York City.  Even with the fence, it was a little nerve wracking with the kids up there.

 Brittney and I with the Empire State Building in the background.

 For dinner we had hot dogs in Central Park.  There was a great park for the kids and we could have spent hours there.  That will be a place we go back to someday to explore more.

 We ended the day at Times Square, even though it was around 9:00 at night, it was packed.  We had to make sure we had a hand on our kids all day.  The amount of people in the city amazed me and don't know if it's somewhere I could live.

 I had to snap this picture.

 On the flight home the stewardess asked if Annie wanted to help collect the trash and of course she did, so they took her down the aisle with a garbage bag and someone gave her a dollar tip.

We had a great whirlwind trip and it was over way too fast.  We are so grateful that we got to spend so much time with our friends, Brittney and Bruce and their family and wish we could see them more.

New Do

I thought it was time for a change and I love it.

Snowed in and No more snow

We had a great winter but we are happy spring is here and sunshine abounds.  Here are some pictures to show the incredible amount of snow that we received.

It was amazing that it all melted so quickly, I didn't know if it would ever all be gone.  We have had a great time playing outside and even bought a swing set for the kids at a yard sale. 

We also got our garden started.  We planted radish, peas, and onions.  We started some seeds inside and they are starting to grow.  We are excited for our own produce this summer.

Christmas

This is kindof a catch-up post, but this Christmas season was a busy one.  We decided to go to the Zoo lights at Hogle Zoo this year, but it was so cold that our children cried almost the whole time.  We didn't stay long and maybe we will not go again.  It was cute they way they had everything lit up, but I like it better in the day time.

Christmas at Grandpa and Grandma Warren's house

Ellie got this new doll, it's a baby Ariel, but it looks just like Ellie.

BUBBLES I love Ellie's face

Mary and Joseph and Baby Jesus

Santa made a surprise visit to our house on Christmas Eve

Christmas Morning was so much fun.  I loved watching Annie and Ellie so excited about their presents.  It reminds me of my Christmas mornings as a child.

Dan made this shoe rack for me

After spending time at home in the morning we headed off to Grandma and Grandpa Cluff's.  We spent time with cousins, made bread, read books, and played games.

This is Ellie with her cousin.  They are only one day apart in age.

Our last activity of the christmas season was to the Lehi Trafalga to use our pass of all passes.  The girls had a great time on the rides, play area, miniture golf and the arcades.  We wish there was one closer to us.

2012 was a challenging year, but we are so grateful to all our family and friends who helped us have a great Christmas.  We are also pleased to share that Dan got a job in December.  And 2013 has started off GREAT!