Soccer

Soccer season is here again, and this time I actually had a player. Ashley and Melissa decided they didn't want to do it anymore, so I got a nice break from it for a while! Now Rachel wants to play, so I guess it's back to two hours a week dedicated to water bottles and camping chairs. Here she is in her very large uniform before her first game.

And during the game...

First Day of School

Ahhh, school. Don't let the smile deceive you. This kid did NOT want to go back!

This one did. She even did kind of a model pose for me. And who wouldn't be excited for the first grade?

This year because of very uneven amounts of children in different grades and something about budgeting, the girls are going to separate schools. Rachel will continue at her old one, while Ashley and Melissa get to move on up to the "intermediate" school for 3rd, 4th and 5th graders. Next year with Ashley in middle school, they will each be going to a different school. That's a bus schedule that I may have to work to keep up with!! So here's Rachel all alone--sort of--on her bus.

Back to Blacksburg

Jason's brother and his family just moved to Blacksburg where he will be attending the same medical school Jason went to. This gives us yet another excuse to go back and visit the place we love, so we finally went. We were only able to stay for two days, but we got plenty of Settler's games in and the girls had a great time paying with old friends and new cousins. This tent building is what Ashley and Caleb did the entire time.

I'm not sure why Crystal and I look so confused, but I'll bet it had something to do with something Bryce said. We had this great picnic just before leaving.

All the girls with their cute cousin, Kaylee.

Another Kid, Another Tooth

The toothfairy came to our house yet again. Rachel lost her first tooth just before starting the first grade, and the second tooth actually came out on her first day of school.

Vermont Day 1

We were able to get away for a few days for a family vacation to Vermont. There's really no good reason for going to Vermont, we just wanted to. On the way there, we stopped in the town of Oakland, PA, formerly known as Harmony. This was were the first modern-day prophet, Joseph Smith, and his wife, Emma lived for a few short years. The girls are standing where the house once stood. Reading about the history of this landmark...
This was the grave of Joseph and Emma's first son, Alvin, who died shortly after birth. Emma's parents are buried right next to him.

Also here was this priesthood commemoration monument. Not far from Joseph's home, by the banks of the Susquehanna river, John the Baptist appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery and restored the priesthood of God on the earth again.

The first spot we visited in Vermont was Bennington. This town is fairly well know for it's revolutionary war history. I wanted to go there to see the grave of one of my ancestors, James Breckenridge. This fence surrounded the graveyard and is supposed to be one of the most photographed fences in Vermont. The grave of my 5th (?) great grandfather.
Also at this same cemetery was the grave of Robert Frost! I just thought that was really cool. He's one of my favorites.

Vermont Day 2

We toured a maple farm and were able to sample many of the cheeses they make there as well as the different grades of maple syrup. We were also able to walk around the farm to see how they tapped the trees and to play with some of the animals.

This is some of what we came home with. Store-bought brands of maple syrup actually have 0% real maple in them, and now I know why! This stuff is expensive. This bottle of syrup is only a pint, but we plan on enjoying every delicious drop!!! We got extra sharp cheddar and Jack.

After the maple farm, we drove to a cute town called Sharon. This was the birthplace of the prophet, Joseph Smith. The monument is standing not far from where the house was that he was born in. The 38 1/2 foot monument was cut out of a single piece of granite and was erected in 1905. Imagine hauling that thing by horse! It was a very beautiful place kept up really well by the church.

The last thing we did that day was to tour the Ben & Jerry's factory. You can't go to Vermont and not go to Ben & Jerry's. The tour was quick, but fun, and most importantly, we got to have a sample of the flavor of the day--mint chocolate chunk. Delicious!! Here's a picture of me and Jason posing as Ben and Jerry.

Vermont Day 3

We went canoeing in a nearby lake for three hours. We were the only ones in the lake and saw some beautiful birds, including a bald eagle! Who knew they had those out here.

It was a challenge to steer a canoe by myself while my 8 year-old was steering against me! She did well overall.
Sara had her little hand in the water the entire time. She even fell asleep for a while in that position.

The last thing we did was pony rides. They each got a turn and had a great time, but of course now they all want a pony! This farm owns over 700 horses. It was beautiful.