We're Not NEARLY Done Yet...

Guess what folks? Remember how we went to Utah last month? It was for 2 weeks and I have only documented 1 one of the weeks. Can I just sweep the second fun filled week under the rug and just move on? I think not. Bare with me for a few more posts, I have to get every little gem in the blog so that my blog book (you can make your's too at Blurb.com) will be fully flushed out.

Grandma Sherrie fun! She took us to her little neighborhood park to burn off some energy.
We were major fans. Imagine, a playground in your own neighborhood that you can walk to. Utah, you have it all.
Abizella quickly turned the climbing structure into a toilet and flushed herself down.
What great fun! Everyone had to do it over and over.
Lil' Chief mastered his sliding technique...
Then back to Grandma's for some snuggle time...
And story time...
We selected the Sweet Pickles series. Yes. The WHOLE series.
All 26 books.
2.5 hours of straight reading.
We were in heaven.

Before We Head Home...

Sunday morning we had an early start. Sacrament meeting was at 8:30 a.m. and it was held in the Kirtland temple. That was worth getting up early! After that, we wandered across the street to pay our respects in the cemetery to our family members. The first Joseph Smith Sr. family reunion took place 175 years ago when 93 year old Grandma Mary Duty came to town. Her trip was made possible by the recently constructed Erie Canal. Unfortunately, she fell ill soon after arriving in Kirtland, but she did get to see her son, grandchildren and great grand children. Hyrum's wife Jerusha and their daughter Mary as well as Joseph and Emma's twins are also buried here.
Oh, yes. Another heirloom lilac bush was planted here as well.

'Lil Chief was a major Uncle Steve fan.
Thanks for taking one for the team on a a muggy morning Steve!
The Ladies are now best of friends...
After a closing meeting, we said goodbye to our Indiana family. It was short, but sweet. We love these guys to pieces.


Come and see us soon!

Then for the long drive home. Somehow the markers migrated to the back of the van where the kiddos busied themselves with body art...
'Lil Chief busied himself with a bag of chocolatey cookies...
...and when that was gone, he started in on his shoe...
It was a long ride home, but these kids are road trip champs! We can't wait to visit Indiana and Nauvoo, IL next time!

Cousin Time

Most days of Abizella's life, Pops fixes her hair. Vacation time is the special time when it is my turn. Because I don't do it often, she is patient when I get a chance. This morning we played salon and not only did Abizella get a fancy hair do (that only lasted a few moments) but also a fresh coat of nail polish. I love girl time.
Then it was off the the family reunion event of the day. We planted lilac bushes at the church's girl camp at the Johnson Farm. These weren't any old lilac starts. One bush (the more mature looking one) was taken from Emma Smith's tomb stone. It was planted there shortly after her death. The other lilac start was taken from the bush at the Mary Fielding Smith home at "This Is The Place" State Park in Utah. Mary Fielding Smith carried lilac starts across the plains in her wagon and planted them near her house. When her house was re-located to the park, the lilac bush was transplanted as well.
The kids got in on the planting action...
Glama would have been so proud...
Abizella asked if she could have the honored job of breaking up the banana in the dirt to feed the lilac. The perfect oooey gooey messy job for my Abizella....
After that was done, the end of the world was upon us. Actually it was JUST a tornado drill, but it sent us all in a panic. Seriously, I have NEVER heard anything that loud before in my life! We were standing right below the siren (see it on the tip of the pole in the trees). Some compassionate cousin saw our terror-stricken little family and shouted that it was a tornado drill. Apparently if you are from the mid-west you know they have them every first Saturday of the month at 12:00 p.m.
We took a tour of the Johnson Farm (one of the places Joseph Smith lived)... and yes, that was the actual paint pattern on the floor.

And THEN the BEST part of the trip came to town! Uncle Steve, Aunt Melissa and cousin Belle drove up form Indiana. Because we have never met Belle and they had never met 'Lil Chief, we had some acquainting to do.
Abizella and Belle were fast friends. We are plotting how to get some more time together soon.

More Ohio!

Hold onto your hats, I've got a lot of catching up to do still. This summer has been all party and crazy busy work so it is has been tough to keep things up to date. I am however going to make the effort for the sake of the Toad family history. Hey, history belongs to those that keep it and I intend our kids to believe they have the best family ever. I have been printing off the blog into books at blurb.com. I therefore cannot leave good fun out of the story.

So, on with the show!
The second day of the Ohio trip started with a trip to the stone quarry where the saints chiseled stones to build the Kirtland temple.
It was really beautiful.
And really great to run around after a day in the van...
Some of us even went off the beaten path...

Then we got a chance to put our own hands to the task of chiseling stone...
We're regular little masons...

We even got our first up-close view of a cicada. These little critters sure make big noise!
Then it was on to the little recreated Kirtland village the church has built.
Here we are at the saw mill...
And the N.K. Whitney home...
And the N.K. Whitney store...

That evening we headed back to the Kirtland temple for a temple dedication re-enactment... the abbreviated version. The original dedication lasted 8.5 hours and was packed to the rafters. I'm afraid this crowd would have never made it. 2 hours was a real test for us, but it was worth being there. The great part about being with the Joseph Smith Sr. reunion is that both the LDS and RLDS (now Community of Christ) sides of the family were there, thus the access to the Kirtland temple for many occasions.

Afterwards, we chased fireflies on the lawn of the temple. I was hoping there would be fireflies. I visited Kirtland with my family when I was about Abizella and Superkid's age and the only thing I remember was chasing fireflies on the lawn.
I had never seen them before and it was magic to me.

A Walk Down Memory Lane

That's right, today is not only Tadpole's 4th birthday but also our 13th Anniversary. Not much time for celebrating today, Pops made an early morning trip to court and I am working late. No worries, we'll catch up this weekend.
When we were in Utah visiting Glama and Bampa, Abizella asked about the famed wall of brides my mom has in the family room. Abizella wanted to see my wedding dress because she has plans to wear it when she gets married. I recalled it was upstairs hanging pretty much where I left it 13 years ago. With a little quick suck-in job and a few strong yanks, I was able to heave on this beauty...
Abizella suggested Pops and I should waltz across the floor just like we did on our wedding day. Uncle Nate, giggled and said it was probably more like the "Electric Slide"...
... and the "Running Man"...

I am the lucky one.
It is a good thing Pops didn't know about my dancing skills until after we were married! Seriously, I got the BEST one! Here is to infinity and beyond!