Last Day in NY
Saturday was our last day in NY and the only day my parents had off, it was the P-day in fact. We went to the Sacred Grove so we could be there in the day. It was so beautiful!! The Smith farm is absolutely beautiful!! They have made it look just like it would have been when the Smith family lived there in the early 1800's. Pictures cant' really do it justice, but I did my best.
This is Ash sitting by a tree in the Sacred Grove. We just took our time and walked through all the trails and enjoyed the peaceful feeling there.

Ellie wanted me to take pictures of her every few minutes. She is a great model don't you think?

Bradley had the luxury of being carried much of the time.

There are hand made benches all throughout the grove so you can sit and ponder. We didn't do much pondering with the kids around, but we got everyone to be still long enough for this shot.

Being here with my mom and dad has been so special. I have been here before with them, but we have been able to do special things because they preside over the mission here. It has been awesome to see them with the missionaries and to see them act in the Lord's name.

This tree is super old and is thought to have been here when Joseph Smith had the First Vision. I couldn't pass up the chance to get all the kids around it together.

The Sacred Grove really is one of the most beautiful places on earth! There is a feeling here that doesn't reside anywhere else. I am so thankful to know that God and His Son Jesus Christ appeared here to bring the truth back to the earth.

This is the upstairs of the frame home on the Smith farm. People aren't allowed up here because it is so old. This is the original floor from when the Smith's lived here and so are the windows. My dad let Ricky and I go up and walk around and see what it was like. It was cool!

This is the Palmyra Temple. You can see it as you walk from the Sacred Grove back to the log home on the Smith farm.

After being in Palmyra all afternoon, we went back to my parents house to relax. This is a picture of the front of the house. It was so great to stay at the mission home. The kids had a ball exploring and playing in the many rooms.

We had a BBQ for dinner and ate out on the breezeway. The weather was perfect while we were there, and we wanted to enjoy the beauty of the yard one last time.

We were so sad to leave my parents! We had such a blast being at their home. Ricky and I decided that this is one of the best trips we have ever had!!

Kirtland, OH
On the way home we stopped in Kirtland to finish off the sites. We found out the tour was hours long, but what the heck, we wanted to see what was there.
This is us in he Newel K. Whitney store in the School of the Prophets room. This is a very sacred place and the kids had a hard time sitting still, but I was thankful to be there and feel the spirit.This is a picture of the ashery that they have reconstructed in Kirtland. In the 1830's this was a booming business and many people in the area used it and the sawmill. I thought Ricky did a great job with this photo-it is beautiful!

This is one of my favorite church history sites. It is the John Johnson farm in Hiram, OH about 30 miles from Kirtland. This was our last church history site on our trip. These are the steps where Joseph Smith was pulled from his home and tarred and feathered. He then stood on these steps the next day and preached a sermon. So inspiring, and we got to stand there!!

Well, after we left Kirtland we had a long drive home! It took us about 30 more hours to get home. We drove all night at got home about 5:00 on Monday. Needless to say we are still exhausted, but it was so worth it!!

GLACIER NATIONAL PARK
So I was going to blog about the rest of our Montana trip,but I have so many pictures and it would take me forever!
I decided to just blog about our last day there. Ricky and I went on a 12 mile hike with his brother Ryan and his wife Leah. It is called the Highline Trail and oh my goodness it was amazing!!!
The views from every angle were breathtaking and everyone had to keep waiting for me to take pictures.

This little meadow is right at the beginning of the trail. There are all these pine tress that are small. It looks like a little christmas tree village. It is one of my favorite views in Galcier.

As we were hiking we came across this goat. He was just sitting on the ledge chewing his food, completely unconcerned about the four of us watching him.

This young buck was my favorite animal we saw! Ryan walked around the corner and this is what he saw. This buck would keep its body against the wall and peek around the corner to see what was there. You can see how thin the trail is and we were against a cliff. There was a drop off on the other side, so this deer had to walk right by us. We got as close to the wall as we could and then he walked right by us. It was awesome!!

We all loved this baby goat!! It was with its parents and they also walked right by us on the trail. It is amazing to see wildlife so close up! I guess they are use to people because they just kept walking despite all the people on the trail.

There were a lot of snow patches along the way. It was crazy to hike in snow in July! We hall had ski poles which helped tons, despite our skepticism in the beginning.

You really feel like you are on top of the world when you hike up here. It seems like you can see forever and the mountains are so majestic!

Ricky named this the Brook Emily. I felt so honored!

This is at the chalet where you stop after about 7.5 miles. We rested for a little while, but it started to absolutely pour rain. It was awesome!! The thunder was super loud and it actually hailed too. We left while it was still raining, but it didn't last too long. If you ever have a chance to go on this hike, don't pass it up. It is breathtaking!!

Montana #1
Well, we have been in Montana for almost two weeks and have had so many fun adventures! My sister-in-law lives in the woods and the views all around her house are amazing!!They live right by Flathead Lake which- this is the view from their deck. Awesome!!

There are 14 grandkids so meal time is crazy!! All together there are 23 of us. This is the boys table...

and I accidentally deleted the girls table. Oops!!

This is all the kids loaded up to go and play in the lake the first night we arrived. There is lake access on the property.

Our dogs Duke and Turk think they have died and gone to heaven. They have 5 acres of woods and grass to roam on. They ran down to the lake to play with us.

These next few pics are the kids playing in the cold, cold water. The coldness doesn't bother most of them.

This is Ricky's sister Lisa (she lives here), his sister Amy and his mom. Us ladies like to watch and observe the fun. Although, Amy slipped and fell completely in the lake. It was very, very funny!!

One of the funnest things for the kids is the trampoline. They never get sick of jumping-never! This is about the only time that just Brad and Ash have jumped alone. Bradley is trying to copy Ash and do a front flip. Very funny!

Landon, Paityn and Ellie actually getting along for a few short minutes.

My brother-in-law Bill put in this 20 foot bungi swing before we arrived. The kids love it! It feels like you are flying when you are on it because if glides and goes so high.

This is the view from the front of the house. I never get sick of looking at it and often catch myself just looking at how pretty it is up here.

One of our favorite things to do here is to float the Swan River. It is so much fun, but this year was a little different. First of all it was ice cold. I mean it is the coldest water I have ever been in. Second, it rained and hailed on us as we floated along, but it was such a blast!!

The adults aren't in the pic, but the kids are Burke, Brett, Ellie, Haley, Emily, Braxton, and Lindsey. So much fun!

They're Off!!
My parents finally left for their mission about 3 weeks ago. We had great experiences as a family before they left! They have loved being in New York and are enjoying the pageant and all that goes with it. I am so proud of them and excited for all the great things they are doing.