Creek-N-Wood Campground and Palmyra, New York

We found a small little place to camp and it turned out we had the end spots to ourselves. The owners are very laid back and the man came and talked with us for a while, talking about where he is from and so forth. It was fun to chat and we enjoyed to creek as well.

They had the smallest fire rings I have ever seen.

But we made a fire and enjoyed Smores anyway!

Kevin unhitched the trailer after dinner and headed to a nearby town to get some cash so we could pay for our stay. After we put the kids to bed, and as he set up our tent, he mentioned that I should probably take some pictures of the campsite before I forget. Good idea, I thought, so I grabbed it and tried to take some pictures.

A few minutes later he asked me to grab his computer. Weird, but okay. I got back into the car, the same place where I had grabbed my camera and that's when I saw the Dunkin Donuts bag! He bought me a chocolate donut and a boston creme for himself. We enjoyed our little treat and then went to bed!

The next morning I remembered to take some more pictures before they got everything packed up.

We enjoyed sausages, eggs and Spanish rice. Marissa and I put the rice and eggs in tortillas with salsa, cheese, and sour cream. It was yummy! Camdilyn enjoyed half of mine so I made another one.

Off to Palmyra!

We stopped at the Smith home first. Starting at the log home, then the frame home, then the Sacred Grove. We have been here a few times as well, but we really do enjoy this spot. It is wonderful to hear about Joseph's search for truth and the glorious answer he received from Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. To walk in the grove is so wonderful. I took time to talk with some of the younger kids about the significance of what happened in the grove. One of the sister missionaries challenged us all to offer a prayer in the grove so I helped the younger ones with that as well. It was very nice.

The barn... I learned that it is the original barn built by 

Brigham Young's father, that they moved to the Smith home.

Next we stopped by the Palmyra Temple. Over the top of the closer trees you can see the trees of the Sacred Grove. It is neat.

Xiomara talked to Camdilyn about the Angel Moroni on the top of the temple.

She was very excited.

Nest we stopped at the Visitor Center at the Hill Cumorah. We started off in the room with Christus Statue. The missionary talked to us about the restoration of the gospel and that it all points to Christ. What a great reminder for me - it's all about Christ. Then we went to the interactive room where there were different stations, so the kids enjoyed watching all sorts of videos.

Camdilyn kept saying "he-woe" and "bye" into the listening devise.

We drove to the top of the Hill Cumorah, anticipating eating lunch but, as we unloaded, we noticed the wind pick up and the sky getting darker. We loaded back into the car and started the rest of our drive. As we left we realized we could of had those who wanted to hike the hill meet us at the top but I wasn't up for it and we thought of it too late. Next time...

We drove through our first rain storm on this trip and luckily our new tires worked great! We were through the storm in less than 10 minutes but it was a crazy hard rain, slightly scary to me. The rest of the drive went fine and we made it to Westport safely!

Punderson State Park and Kirtland, Ohio

We woke up and had doughnuts for breakfast. The kids broke camp and then we sent them off to the playground. It was a really nice campsite and, though it didn't happen the way we planned, we will come back again.

Campsite

Stairway down to the playground.

Playground.

Camdilyn calling to her daddy.

Kids all over the playground.

Harmonie

Camdilyn

View of the lake and beach.

Flowers

It was very nice, despite being very warm. We also had little visitors in the night who helped themselves to our tortillas and bread. Ooops. I don't even remember hearing anything so they must have been small chipmunk visitors, whom I caught a glimpse of as I walked to the playground. Lesson learned - put the food in the van instead of leaving them in the crates that were inside plastic trash bags. A quick stop at Walmart solved the lunch problem - so we picked up bread and tortillas, and more bug spray!

On to Kirtland! We have been here a few times but we always enjoy reviewing history and seeing the way they used to live. It's wonderful to hear the stories of Joseph and the early Saints. I love their devotion to the Lord and their dedication to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Family tradition photo in front of the Newel K. Whitney store.

Inside the store.

School of the Prophets... special room.

Ashery

Inside the school, but I don't have any of the outside.

It was a very nice visit and we enjoyed eating our lunch in their new picnic pavilion area with umbrellas over the tables - which was very nice on the sunny, hot day.

Off to Palmyra!

On the way to Massachusetts

We spent several days getting ready for our trip to Massachusetts to visit Kevin's family. We packed, shopped, loaded and planned the route. Finally the day came, and we headed out just after 9 a.m. The kids started their movies and we were set for a quick drive to Punderson State Park, a little south of Kirtland, Ohio. We were looking forward to the early arrival so the kids could ride their bikes, play on the playground, and even swim in the lake.

About 1 hour and 15 minutes into the drive, just north of Ann Arbor, the driver's side rear tire blew. Fortunately, Kevin was able to keep it under control and we made it safely to the side of the road, just before a rest stop. (Yes, this would be the same side we lost a tire two years ago on our way to Colorado. Yes, it was just a year ago that I replaced both rear tires with used tires because they were separating. Yes, we have tire troubles on road trips.)

Kevin called Roadside Assistance but then decided he could actually do it himself. A firetruck pulled up behind us to help divert traffic. (Oddly enough, there was only one fireman in the truck.) He helped Kevin and spread kitty litter on the mess of coolant that was on the road. Eventually, the kids and I walked up to the rest stop to get out of the heat and go potty. Kevin joined us after he was done changing the tire. We plugged in the air compressor and eventually (after 2 hours) were back on the road.

Unfortunately, the spare tire was not in very good condition so we stopped at a Firestone (the only place open on Labor Day) and had 4 new tires put on the van. We spent some time out on the lawn on the other side of the parking lot and eventually ended up inside watching PBS kids. The kids were very well behaved and the workers noticed and commented. After another 3 hours we were back on our way. (In addition to changing the tires, they had to put the coolant lines back together so that we could actually continue our drive.)

We were happy to be on our way and found many tender mercies from the Lord in the bad situation:
1. It was a rear tire that blew. We are afraid the results would not have been the same if it had been a front tire that blew. I hope to never find out.
2. It happened early in the trip. We had time to burn and didn't have to wait through the night to have it fixed.
3. Firestone was open on a holiday, and had four tires for our big van.
4. It happened just outside of a city instead of out in the middle of no where.
5. They were able to fix (even if temporarily) the coolant lines so we could keep going.
6. We all handled it very well.

Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures of these events. I thought afterward that I should have taken a picture of the tire, and I could have taken a picture of us on the lawn, or in the shop. Oh well. I guess a verbal record will have to be enough. We were very happy to arrive at Punderson State Park and find it mostly empty. We found a great spot and enjoyed a quick dinner (in the dark) and then sent the kids to bed. No time for Smores.

Not feeling well.

Today, Ben wasn't feeling very good. He had a fever and just felt yucky. He spent a lot of time laying around, napping, or doing some school work. At one point during the day, this happened.

Harmonie loves her Ben and Ben loves Harmonie. It was a nice little moment for both of them to just read together. Moment treasured!

8 children all playing in one room, together!

It was rainy outside, so the kids stayed inside to play. They all ended up in the playroom with their Legos. They even let Camdilyn join in. It was so quiet downstairs that I had to go up and see what they were doing. It was heart warming to see them all getting along and playing in the same room. I took video of it so I would have it forever. They showed me their creations and played together. What a great morning.

Emily built Camdilyn her own little house for her little person.

She loved it!

What special little kids I have! Love them to pieces!