Cyber Chase

It was near the end of summer and I was trying to figure out what activities to do that would interest all the kids and more important was inside. The problem with growing up here is we have done most of the museums and with that comes a lack of interest in seeing the same things over and over. I was lucky to find a new museum near the airport that had a Cyber Chase exhibit. My kids love Cyber Chase so they were excited to learn of our adventure. The museum was done by the American Airlines and was basically a history of the company. They had different airplane parts on display and had an old airplane that we were able to walk through and explore. They even had a volunteer at a flight simulator to help the kids fly their own plane. The volunteer kept things pretty controlled so the kids didn't have a chance to crash their plane. This didn't sit well with Spencer, for Spencer wanted to crash his plane in the water and he didn't understand why the volunteer wouldn't let him. I thought the same thing, if the kids want to crash their plane then let them crash their plane. There are times that crashing brings excitement to kids; I don't understand why but it does. We spent most of our time in the Cyber Chase exhibit and then when that started to fill up with kids we went and explored the rest of the museum. The one thing I remember is seeing Madeline next to a tire from an airplane and to see the tire taller than her, I know that doesn't say much but she looked like a speck up against that tire. The kids want to go back to the museum and explore it again but this time they want to bring their dad.

Tie Dye

I had bought some t-shirts and a tie-dye kit before our summer vacation. The goal was to tie-dye some shirts that we could wear as a family at our Family Reunion. Well life got busy and that activity didn't happen. However, after our vacation our supplies were waiting for us and so it made for a fun Friday night activity. I was a little worried about fabric dye and Spencer and how all that would play out. I was surprised to see Spencer listening and following what we told him. I am happy to report that with enough trash bags and gloves we all came away from the activity without any marks. The kids really enjoyed making their own designs with the rubber bands and then using the dye to finish off their creation. Now we have fun shirts to wear to bed or just around the house. I see more tie-dying activities in our future.

I Scream We All Scream for Ice Cream

To carry on with my creative and imaginative ways to make the miserably hot summer weather exciting and fun, I decided as a family that we would visit a different ice cream place every day. A lot of the ice cream stores have dollar nights so that helped out a lot. The kids were totally on board and at times I felt like visiting ice cream stores was the best thing that ever happened to them. So every night after dinner off we went to a new and different ice cream place. I noticed that Anthony pretty much was consistent in his ice cream selection no matter what place we went too. Spencer was all about color and that is how he chose his ice cream; flavor for him came in second it was the color that mattered the most. Madeline at times got creative in her ice cream selection but she mostly played it safe. As a side note, Madeline was excited to go ice cream hoping but what is ironic is she doesn't like ice cream. Madeline would take her couple of bites and then pass her ice cream off to Anthony. One would think I would just let her share with someone, but I have learned there is great importance in holding and having your own ice cream, even if it is only for a couple of bites. The one in our family that was the most adventurous with the ice cream, was Grant but that isn't a surprise. I went for the ice creams that had chocolate and peanut butter combined how could you go wrong with that. Ice cream hoping was fun and it allowed the kids to look forward to something that day. I believe the highlight for the day was when I revealed which ice cream we would visit. We will definitely keep this in mind for next year, it might become a new tradition; but I hope we can do it under better temperatures.

Fry an Egg

This Summer has been one for the record books. I would like to think it was one for the incredible fun things that we did, but the record goes to the heat. Texas is already known for how hot it is in the Summer time, but this year was beyond hot it was just plain miserable. You got all your outside stuff done by 8:00 or else you would just melt in the heat. Lucky for us the heat wave came after our two week long vacation and so the kids were more than willing to stay inside and happily play. One has to get pretty imaginative on what to do when such heat presents itself. I thought it would be fun to fry an egg on my car. I picked a day where the temperature was suppose to be 110 degrees and then let the pan sit outside all day and then at the heat of the day I braved the temperatures to fry my egg. Taking my cues from Mr. Genius I set out for my adventure. I didn't really ever managed to fry the egg, but I did scramble it. Don't worry I didn't eat the egg, I don't trust mother nature that much. It was fun and it made one miserably hot afternoon a little more exciting.

Welcome Home

It is always nice coming home to a nice clean house after a well deserve vacation, too bad it doesn't stay clean for long. Here is to hoping that I can get unpack, organized, and cleaned up before school starts.

The Nation's Largest McDonalds

On our way home from vacation on the Turnpike in Oklahoma you pass by the Nation's largest McDonald's. The kids just had to try it out and it was past lunch time so the parents reluctantly gave in. Now doesn't that say yum to you eating at the Nation's largest McDonalds.

Corn Syrup Paintings

Before we left for vacation the kids and I had some sticky fun with a new type of painting. With a little corn syrup and some food coloring you can really let your imagination go. The kids had fun letting their imaginations lose on paper and with some extra time to dry we had three wonderful paintings to show. This was a lot of fun!

I Love to See the Temple

Nauvoo is simply beautiful!

He Is My Best Friend

That is what Madeline said when she saw the Christus Statue.

Peace Out

Just In Case Mario Cart Gets Dangerous

Lake of the Ozarks Day Two

Day two and our final full day on the lake found ourselves being lazy and enjoying a slow and simple life in our nice and spacious condo. For the two week vacation we have had jammed packed days full of lots of fun adventures and Grant and I were ready to just sit and be still; to use the time to relax and gear up before our long drive home and back to reality. Madeline and Spencer enjoyed painting pet rocks, Grant and Anthony enjoyed time watching the original Tron movie, and I enjoyed a relaxing morning on the padio overlooking an amazing view listening to Mormon Tabernacle Choir while updating the blog world about our amazing vacation. At one point all the kids were watching tv in their own rooms, but the kicker was they were all watching the same show but they each had a remote that they could control. Grant and I thought that was really funny that the kids would get a good kick out of the fact that they had their own tv with their own remote. They didn't care that they were watching the samething, it was all about the remote. Too bad that in reality they will not have their own tv in their rooms, the kids are lucky enough to have their own rooms. After spending half the day relaxing and just lounging around we emerged from our condo for lunch. After lunch the kids went off with Grant to try one of the 7 pools here and Mommy enjoyed a nice relaxing nap. Though we didn't do anything amazing and didn't see something spatacular I enjoyed this day the most. It was nice to slow things down rest and relax and spend time doing the simple things. However, all great things have to come to an end. After all the fun and the relaxing time we had it was time to pack the car and to get ready to leave early in the morning.

This vacation has been a blast and I am so glad that we took the two weeks to be together as a family. I feel that lots of memories were made and that great times were held by all. I am so glad that for two weeks there was nothing in our way or nothing to distract us from spending time together as a family. Getting back to reality will be hard, but I will count my blessings at being able to take the vacation that we did and to be able to give the kids a magical and memorable summer. We were able to see lots of new and different country and we were able to learn and be edified along the way. This vacation is just what the doctor ordered. And this is one doctor orders that I was glad to follow.

Lake of the Ozarks Day One

We arrived at the Lake of the Ozarks on Thursday evening. This was the last stop in our vacation and we were here on the lake to relax and get ready for the journey home and the entry back into the real world. I was able to find a three bedroom 2000 square foot condo for not too much more then a hotel. When we got to our condo the kids went crazy as they went through exploring their new temporary digs. I have never seen more excited kids about a hotel then ours. They began to claim which room was theirs and Grant and I went through opening the various doors stunned by all the closet storage we had. Grant and I looked at each other and said we could comfortably live here. The walk in closet in the Master bedroom is big enough to be considered a small bedroom. I wouldn't know what to do with that much storage at home. Day one at Lake of the Ozarks was spent with shopping (mainly for me) at the outlet malls for a couple of hours. The kids did very well considering it was shopping and enjoyed the snow cone treat at the end. I was able to get a few things for myself and get the kids started in the winter wardrobe. After our shopping exersion it was time for lunch and then off to walmart to get some beach toys and then head to one of the many beaches that surround the lake. After a few wrong turns and a few mishaps in trying to read our map we accidently found ourselves at a beach. Well the beach is no Florida or Carribean beach but the kids were excited to swim in the lake. For it being Madeline and Spencer's first time to swim in a non pool atmosphere. The water was a bit on the dirty side so I cautiously told the kids to keep their mouths shut and not to swallow any of the dirty lake water. I on the other hand do not like to swim in a non pool atmosphere so I was content taking pictures of our kids splashing around in the dirty lake water. Spencer of course enjoyed himself and proudly protested when it was time to leave. Madeline enjoyed floating around going wherever the waves took her. Anthony enjoyed floating out to the bouy and then floating back. Anthony has been working hard on the back float for scouts and the lake was good practice for him. Overall the kids were just excited to be able to swim in the lake that they didn't even notice or seem to care that the water was anything but clear. Oh yeah about the beach, there wasn't a beach so those beach toys that we bought our just Lake of the Ozark souveniors.

These two exersions plus the deathly heat wore use out for the day and we were ready (except for Spencer) to head back to the condo for dinner and a good nights rest.

Merimac Caves

Saint Louis was only three hours away from Lake of the Ozarks. Since we had to check out of our hotel in Saint Louis at 11:00 and we couldn't check into our condo in Lake of the Ozarks until after 4:00 we needed something to entertain us all. We saw a pamphlet advertising Merimac Caverns that was on our way to our next destination. Grant and I thought that would be a great place to stop stretch our legs and give us something fun to do besides sitting in a car the whole time. The cavern was also a welcome relief from the hot temperatures outside because inside the cavern it stays at a constant 60 degrees that is so much nicer then the 100 degrees outside. Back in Springfield we went to a small not as popular cavern; the cavern was nice but not catch your breath away like the Merimac Caverns. I am glad that we were able to take the kids to one of the many cavern tours that they have in Missouri. Nature is so beautiful and when you leave nature alone it does some magical things. Their is some history with the Merimac Caverns. History states that Jessie James used the cave to hide out during one of his many bank robberies. When they were exploring the cave they did find weapons and other items left behind from Jessie James. They have the items on display at the caverns so that was nice to see. Also during the civil war the Confederate troops would used the cave to make their gun powder so that was neat as well. The cave is seven stories tall and we got our exercise as we walked up hill, down hill, up stairs, down stairs during our hour long tour. However, it was the best exercise ever because the views and the formations that we saw were breath taking. The kids even enjoyed the cave and were so enthralled in it that they didn't even complain about the time it took. The only down thing was that we were not prepared for the temperature drop so we didn't have a jacket for Madeline but using body heat from Daddy we managed through the tour. Stopping at the cave was a nice treat and made what could be a mundane road trip into a magical one and was able to hold our kids over until we arrived at our next destination.

Spencer Swims Alone

Since we have been on vacation and if we were staying in a hotel with a swimming pool Grant would take the kids swimming to allow them to burn some energy and stretch their muscles. During this time Grant has been working with Anthony on his Aquant badge for Webelos and helping Madeline and Spencer become more comfortable swimming on their own with a life jacket. Anthony has done really well on his badge and has gotten more comfortable swimming without any aide. While in Saint Louis, Grant was at the pool with the kids and as costum Madeline and Spencer waite at the stairs as Grant takes a turn with Madeline and then a turn with Spencer. During this time Spencer told his Daddy this is how it is done and off the stairs he went and he started swimming on his own with his life jacket. Since then his confidence has grown and he is swimming all over on his own. Out of all three of our kids, Spencer is the most comfortable and least fearful of water so I don't think it will take him long before the life jacket is off and he is swimming with no source of aide. Madeline has come along way too. Madeline is the most fearful of water of our kids and since being on vacation she is now at the point that she will let go of Daddy's hand and swim on her own with a life jacket. She does like her dad to stay close and there are times that she will reach out just to make sure everything is okay. I am so proud of our kids they and Grant have been working hard on being more comfortable in the water. The kids have sure enjoyed their time with Daddy in the pool. It has been a nice break from Grant's crazy work schedule; I am sure they are soaking up the time they have with their Daddy. Their swimming time has given me a break as well; so it is a win win situation for all.

Saint Louis

This morning (July 26) happened to be my birthday, I don't remember a time that I was on vacation for my birthday. Because of the fact that when you are on vacation you lose track of time and what day it is, it took a bit of time to realize that it was my birthday. The kids were all excited to be able to tell me Happy Birthday and they were all excited to give me their gifts and cards as well. Celebrating your birthday brings excitement when you celebrate it through the eyes of your children. This day we were bound for Saint Louis and so off we went for the 3 hour drive from one hotel to the next. After many u-turns because of missing our exits and at times driving in circles trying to figure out where we needed to be headed we made it safely to our hotel. It is custom for our kids when we get to a new hotel for them to check out the space including the bathrooms. We also like to gather many pamphlets and plan our stay in whatever city/place we are in. After our customs were completed, the kids were anxious to try out the swimming pool and I was ready for a nap-sitting all day in a car can sure make you exaughsted. After our priorities were taken care of it was time to take Mommy out to dinner for her birthday. The only place nearby where everyone can find something that they liked was Olive Garden. We filled our tummies, but because it was a birthday we needed a treat but our tummies were too full for a treat. We decided to get it to go and Grant and I being the sneaky parents that we are enjoyed the very yummy white cake with Lemon filling after the kids were asleep. The kids picked out their own cards for me and you could really see their personalities shine through their cards. Grant did not help them but let them chose the card of their choice. Spencer's card had his personality all over it. Spencer loves letters, especially the letter "S" and he also loves the Wiggles. So he found the perfect card with lots of "S" as well as the Wiggle colors spread throughout; being a birthday card was not a priority for him. On the front of the card it says "Yessss" in nice big letters and the letters are colored in Wiggle colors. On the inside of the card it simple reads "You did it!" This is a Spencer card. Yes I made it to another year. Spencer was so proud to show me the letters "S" on his card as well as all the wiggle colors, he was very proud of his card and I was proud of his card too. Madeline's card was decorated with butterflies and on the inside was filled with her drawings. Anthony's card was sentimental but you could tell the words were from the heart. After I read his card I looked up at him and in his eyes you could tell he agreed with the author's words. Being a mother is hard and at times I wonder if I am doing a good job. Something I have learned from being a mother that at times the reward doesn't come until years later. I have this fear that I am going to screw up my kids, that they are going to see my weaknesses and that they are going to be louder than my love. However, Heavenly Father sprinkles moments like these that tell me that despite my many weaknesses I am a good mom and that my kids are truly happy and feel my love for them.

The next day we were off to explore Saint Louis. We noticed that the Saint Louis Zoo was free and hey free is always good so off we went to the zoo. It was definitely hot but the kids enjoyed going to a zoo that was different than the only zoo that they have ever known. They like looking at the animals some were the same and some were different. After we had sweated a lot and drank lots of water we saw the peguine exhibit and it was indoors. Now we know that penguins need a cold environment and at that moment we needed a cold enviornment as well. It felt so good in the penguine exhibit that I was willing to spend the rest of the day with the penguins. However, the kids quickly got over that and were begging to outside where it wasn't so cold. We were able to spend a couple of hours at the zoo before we headed over to the arch. Grant and I have seen the arch before but my beautiful pictures that were taken in the old fashioned camera (the one with film) didn't turn out so my main goal was to take nice beautiful pictures with my digital camera. This time I was guaranteed to get some pictures and I am proud to say that my goal was accomplished. Grant took the kids up to the top of the arch and I graciously stayed on terafurma and watched the stoller. The kids had a blast sitting in a small cramped cart and being wheeled up hundereds of feet just look out some tiny windows and seeing all of Saint Louis hundereds of feet in the air. Me on ther other hand had a nice safe and peaceful experience watching the many visitors coming and going throughout the museum that they have there under the arch. After my family safely joined me we took the kids through the museum where they could answer questions from the exhibits and in the end earn a Junior Ranger badge. This made the museum exciting for them and not a drag. The kids enjoyed racing from one exhibit to another answering the questions and then quickly moving on. This was okay for Mommy and Daddy because we didn't really have much time as we needed to be at our Riverboat cruise.

Speaking of our riverboat cruise it wasn't all that it was hiped to be. Sure the heat didn't make it fun, but I would have expected more (food, entertainment, etc.) for the money that you spent. We had a very knowledgable captain that shared with us the history of the various archeitecture buildings and bridges that we passed along the way, but for the most part we sat in the heat as the boat putted along at 15 miles and hour. The boat was an old paddle steam boat that they used in the late 1800s and early 1900s; so the nastalgia was neat, but nastalgia can't hold your attention or make the heat a pleasant experience. We finished up the day around dinner time and we were all hot, tired, and hungry. We cooled off in the car on our drive back to the hotel, filled our tummies with left over food from Olive Garden and we washed off in the swimming pool. After all our priorities were accomplished it was time to accomplish the last one, and to bed we went.

Church History in Missouri Part 2

The next day after touring Adam-Ondi-Ahman and Far West we went and did Liberty Jail and Independence Visitor Center. I have never been to either nor was I familiar with Church History in Missouri so I was excited to be able to not only see Church History but to learn more about Church History. When we got to Liberty Jail, Grant went to get Spencer out of the car and Spencer said in a distressed voice "No more stories Daddy." By this time in our trip Spencer had endured three days of nothing but stories and plays in Nauvoo that he was pretty much tired of it; but he was a trooper and did good at Liberty Jail and Independence.

At Liberty only part of the jail was still intack, they did have to add some rocks and stones over time. To project the jail, they built a rotanda around the jail as well as the Visitor Center. I have only seen pictures so I thought that they built a replica of the jail so I was surprised to learn that it was real thing. As you go through the tour they play audio recordings depicting the events that took place in Liberty Jail. As I sat there and listened my heart filled with gratitude for the Prophet Joseph Smith as well as a deeper respect for him and the person of character he exemplified. I think that is what I have gained most from this trip is a greater sense of character the Prophet Joseph Smith exemplified. He truly was and is a remarkable person who exemplified charity in every sense. Anyway back to Liberty. It was humbling to see the jail that the prophet spent so much time in. The room is really dark and due to all the layers of rock, stone, and wood that they put as safety measures one can see and almost feel how cold it was in there. Knowing now the hardships that the prophet endured, the sections from D&C that came from his time in Liberty mean more to me. The Prophet definitely experienced trials during this period of time, but he never lost his faith in the Lord and in the healing power and strength that comes from the Atonement. His example and the lessons I learned from Liberty fortified my strength and courage to take all my trials with the exact faith, strength and courage as the prophet. If he could endure such crucial treatment with such courage and love; then whatever trial I am asked to endure I can do the same. Liberty Jail was a place on confinement for Joseph Smith, but I think it was in a way a place of freedom for him as well. It was in Liberty Jail that the Prophet learned, and what me must all learn, is that when we place our faith in the healing power of the Atonement our trials don't confine us but give us freedom. I have seen this with experiencing the many trials of Madeline's health. Sometimes the trial seems to great but when I remember that my Savior Jesus Christ already took this upon Him and that I need to turn it over to Him, and not hold onto it, I feel freedom. I feel peace. I feel joy, despite the fact that my trial still exist. The Atonement takes away the worry and gives me room to see what my Heavenly Father wants me to see and to learn what my Heavenly Father wants me to learn so I can return as a valiant Daughter of God. Liberty Jail will hold a special place in my heart for there I learned and gained a stronger testimony of the "Liberty" one can receive when we give our trials over to the Savior.

As soon as you walk through the doors of the Independence Visitor Center you feel like you walking through the front doors of the Temple. The Spirit is in abundance there and the purpose of life emenates from the walls there. The first tour that we did was about family, and when our tour was done I looked in the eyes of each of my children and in their eyes I saw a gift; they are truly a gift and I saw some areas that I could improve on to take advantage of the gift that has been given to me. I also saw how Satan in such suttle ways distracts us from our gifts. I just wanted to hold my children a little closer and a little longer and to savor the time I have with them and make those moments my priority and to kick Satan's distractions to the curb because after all it is the moments that I have with my family that I can take with me to Heaven and when I get to the other side I want my room bursting with moments; for it is in the moments that we find true joy.

Other parts of the Visitor Center were filled with interactive displays for the kids to learn more about Church History and various prophets in The Book of Mormon. The kids really liked these interactive displays and Grant and I were able to captialize on these moments and to talk to our kids about the prophets from The Book of Mormon and hopefully in some small way bear our testiomny to them of the gospel principles that they taught us.

Down stairs they have a Church History tour for you to walk through and in a small way experience life like they did when the Saints lived in Independence. Since Spencer was all "storied" out and Anthony and Madeline were done listening they along with Grant played in a little log cabin play house that they had there. I went on the tour and gave Grant the shorten condensed version afterwards. The Saints in Independence had it hard, I just cannot complain anymore when I feel that life is hard after my experiences in Independence. Despite the hardships that they faced they never lost their spirit of love; that was intriging to me. It caused a lot of reflection in my life and I realized that at times when life gets hard the spirit of love goes out the window and without that spirit I just have this impassable obstacle in front of me. However, with the Spirit of Love abound within you don't see the obstacle you just see blessings and joy. In Heaven there won't be any obstacles because we will all be filled with the Spirit of Love. This is a goal that I have set for myself to fill my home and my heart with spirit of Zion which is love so in my journey through life I will see the blessings and joy that surround me and not my obstacles. Obstacles our Satan's tools to distract us from our eternal goal. There will be obstacles in my life, but if I fill my heart with love (the spirit of Zion) then my obstacles won't be "obstacles" but they will be opportunities of blessings and joy.

After our walk through the visitor center we took a few moments and walked across the street to the Independence Temple site and were able to see a couple of the cornerstones. As I stood there up on the hill I could see in my mind the Temple of God and though there isn't a temple there yet you can still feel of the spirit that comes from the Temple.

This pretty much filled up our day and the kids were ready to head back to the hotel and enjoy some time in the swimming pool. This church vacation has been amamzing and such a testimony building experience. I am so grateful for the opportunities that I had to see and hear such amamzing things. I am so grateful for the early Saints for their faith, courage, and most of all for their Testimony. Despite all their hardships their testimony shined and they never lost sight of the eternal goal. I am so grateful to be apart of a great pioneer heritage and legacy and I hope that I can carry the testimony of our ancestors into the hearts of our children so that the legacy of our ancestors will never die but continue on forever; then when the day comes that we all gather around the dinner table in Heaven there will not be any empty chairs.

Church History in Missouri

After our funfilled and packed few days in Nauvoo we headed south for Missouri to tour some of the church sites there. First on our list was Adam-ondi-Ahman. I heard it was off the beaten path and it was. Our route took us along some nice country roads and through some really small country towns. We were surrounded by pretty nature filled with lots of rolling hills, lots of trees, and lush green corn fields. This was all nice and "magical" in a way until we started to hear "I'm hungry." We realized that the nice view of rolling hills, groves of trees, and the nice corn fields was not going to satisfy three hungry kids' tummies. We also began to notice that as we went through each town all we would see were a couple of run down gas station with a maw and pa store attached; well that wasn't going to work either. We saw on the map that if we continued on the road that we were on that it would take us to what looked like a decent size town, a town that would have at least a few fast food joints that would appeal to our kids' tummies. However, this would take us away from our route but we saw that if we took a side road that it connected the road we needed to be on and the road we were currently on. So with a good plan in place off we went and after a few minutes we arrived at our destination and found a few good places that our kids were excited about and that Mommy and Daddy could stomach. You know it is a decent town when you see a Wal-Mart across the street.

We continued our journey through the nice country side driving up hills and down hills enjoying the view out our windows. As we were driving through some rough roads we were wondering if we missed a turn, but alas there was the sign pointing to our destination Adam-ondi-Ahman. We got out stretched our legs walked over to the look out space told the kids the purpose of Adam-ondi-Ahman took our pictures of the corn fields that will one day serve a glorious purpose and back in the car we went; but not before we were eaten alive by hungry bugs-I guess they like the smell of burger king that resonated from our bodies. Next on our stop was Far West to see the cornerstones that Joseph Smith placed for the temple that was supposed to be built there. So a quick journey up the road and off a beaten path we arrived at Far West. It was another good place to walk around and stretch our legs. We were able to see the four original cornerstones right where they were placed by the Prophet Joseph Smith as well as a nice monument that the Church has put there. We took our pictures read the plaques and off we went. At this time we decided to head for our hotel and see Liberty Jail and Independence the next day. Our kids were done with Church History for the day and were ready to splash in a nice pool.

Joplin Missouri

On our way to Springfield we saw that we would go by the outskirts of Joplin so we decided to get off the main road and to drive around the inner skirts of Joplin. At first there was nothing to see, but then as drove up to the top of the hill right before us as far as our eyes could see was total and complete destruction. It really was breath taking and heart breaking at the same time. The only tornado I am use to is the one that hit Fort Worth about eleven years ago; there was damage but there wasn't a wipe out. What we saw looked as if a bulldozer came through and flatened everything in a one mile wide and six mile long area. What broke my heart the most was to see children's toys and people's belongings scattered around and at some houses you would see a small pile of belongings in front of what use to be there house. How does one start over? I could imagine how overwhelming it could be to stand in front of your house and see that it is totally gone except the foundation, and knowing that somehow someway you need to start over.

I guess you do it with any other challenge that we face in life, no matter how small or how big it is all the same. You do it one step at a time only concentrating on your current step and not the other steps before you. With each step we need to remember our Savior Jesus Christ knowing that in the Garden he suffered for our pains and griefs and with a open hand extended He is there ready and willing to help us climb and accomplish each step.

My heart goes out to the people of Joplin. While there we saw groups helping with clean up, we saw people at their homes gathering what they could and sorting through the mess. It sure puts in perspective that things are things and should not cloud over what matters most. After that experience I wanted to hold my children a little closer and a little tighter, to not get frustrated easily, and create more moments that bring us together; because after all my family I get to keep for eternity my things stay here.

Springfield and Branson Missouri

Well it is Summer Vacation time and the Cooper Family couldn't be more ready to leave behind our crazy busy life and spend two weeks of fun together. I know Grant is ready for a break from work; he has been putting in some serious hours at work for the past couple of months. For the past couple of months it has felt that we are constantly going from one thing to the next with no time to breath, and so it will be nice to be able to breath and maybe slow things down a bit.

Stop one of our two week trip was Springfield and Branson Missouri. We picked this location because it was a good stopping point on our way to Nauvoo, which is the main purpose of our vacation but I will get to the details of that later. We got to Springfield a little later than wanted due to the fact that after we loaded the last little bit of luggage and got our kids all buckled down for the long trip, the car didn't want to start. We jumped the car and off to the auto parts store we went for a new battery, but the auto parts store was closed. No problem we had a few things that we needed to get done and so we dropped of the library books (tired of paying fines to our great city) and we were able to find an auto part store near by. Grant got the best battery and after 30 minutes the old battery was out the new battery was in and we were off; not on vacation though. Grant forgot to scan in his receipts from a recent business trip so since we were near work we stopped by there so he could scan in his receipts. He wasn't gone too long because they wouldn't let him through the guard gate with shorts on, so errand number two was checked quickly off of our list. Then the organized person that I am forgot about Madeline's medicine at the pharmacy and so we drove all the way back to our house to pick up the medicine, but before that we got breakfast to go or more like brunch. So an hour and a half after we had wanted to be on the road we were finally leaving for our two week packed full of fun things to do vacation.

Day one of the road trip was pretty smooth for a road trip goes. The kids enjoyed their toys and movies that they packed and Grant and I enjoyed the peace and quiet. Actually the car was pretty quiet, no conversations really. Grant and I went to bed around 1:00 in the morning the night ( or morning of) before and got up around 6:00 to get ready to head out by 7:00. We figured why we didn't talk much was that we were too tired to think. We did a lot of munching to stay awake during our trip.

In Springfield we planned on visiting an underground cavern as well as visiting the first Bass Pro Shop; but when we learned that the underground cavern was a driving tour (you sit in a tram and they drive you through) and the big museum at Bass Pro was closed (making just like any other Bass Pro Shop) we were looking for new plans. We grabbed a bunch of phamplets and while doing so realized that Branson was 45 minutes away from Springfield, so why not play around in Branson too.

We toured a self guided tour of a near by Civil War Battlefield. They had 8 points of interest that you could stop at read some plaques about what happened at that point. Luckily this was able to be done all by car. The first point had a little walking tour for you to go on taking you past what use to be someones mill and home. Of course the mill and home are no longer standing but they had plaques marking their location. It was getting pretty hot so for the rest of the trip we just drove to each location and read the brief paragraph for that location and then briefly explained it to our kids. Anthony has a love for the Civil War so he was excited to see the Battlefield. For me it was a neat to reflect that 150 years ago there were thousands of troops marching on those hills and fighting in the valleys and after it the battle was over, the Confederate troops won but not without many casualties on both sides.

After our Civil War Battle tour we hopped in our car and headed for a tour of a nearby cavern. It was a small cavern and not a popular one which can be nice when you are in a tour. In fact we were the only ones, which can be good or bad. Our tour guide was friendly and very knowledgable, in fact at times too knowledgable. At one point during our tour Spencer says nice and loud "Mommy I want to go home." I think Spencer was speaking what was in everyones mind. The kids enjoyed seeing the rock formations and some fossils of long ago ocean life, but when talking to kids think less is always more. After our tour was over it was time to each lunch. At lunch we had to alter our plans alittle due to the fact that it was getting late. I had wanted to do one of those duck tours where you get a car that can drive on land and in water, but time was running out for that. We had also wanted to tour another cave, but decided to do it later on in our trip. Madeline wanted to go to a butterfly museum, the museum was closed but they had a glow in the dark exhibit that was opening up during the evening hours. One we got to Branson we headed off to a local mall for Madeline to fulfill her desire of going to Build a Bear. Madeline didn't understand that souveniors are something that you get that you cannot get from where you live. Madeline had her heart set on a bear of Build a Bear being her souvenior and there was no changing her mind. It was also a good place to burn some time waiting for the Buttterfly night show to open.

The Butterfly night exhibit was really neat. They use black lights so everything glows in the dark. The first activity that we went to was a bunggie cord maze. They put bunggie cords everywhere and you had to work your way through them to get to the other side. We did have help though; we had a nice fairy that would guide us along the way. The kids really enjoyed the maze and after a few times of doing it had the path memorized and did it with ease. There was also a movie that you could watch talking about nocturnal animals with focus on the insects like lightening bugs. This movie proved borning for Spencer; but Madeline who loves butterflies loved the movie. After the movie we went to see if we could find sleeping butterflies using our lanterns. The room was dark with uses of black light sprinkled throughout. We were given some homemade lanterns to help us find our sleeping treasures. When butterflies sleep they are hard to find because they hide or blend in ( a defense mechanism), but we were able to catch a few sleeping butterflies. We had to be really quiet so as to not wake up the sleeping beauties. Our fairy guide showed up during our tour and was able to get the kids to join her in hula hooping. Madeline and Spencer were not interested but Anthony and Grant were game for it. I learned that Anthony can hula and he is pretty good at it. He just kept going and going, he would do small tricks like jumping while still being able to hula. I would say he was able to hula for a good couple of minutes. After our butterfly tour we headed downstairs for the mirror maze. I have never been on one before and at first it was a bit intimidating. I wanted Grant to go first to guide the way. Because of the way they use the mirrors and because it is also in the dark you are not sure which in the correct path and which will lead you smack into a mirror. Anthony took the whole thing like a fish to water. He just crused right through leaving us all in the dust as if the maze was in complete light. Spencer followed him while the rest of us walked the maze with our hands out in front on us and walking at a slow safe speed. It didn't take long for Anthony to figure out the pattern and off he went with no problems, I think he even came back for us. Grant figure it out pretty fast but was staying back with Madeline helping her through.

After our trip to the butterfly museum it was time for some minature golf. This was Anthony choice of activity. The minature golf place was called Pirates Cove so it was set up in a Pirates decor; other than that it was like any other minature golf. Spencer had a blast and as usual it is always entertaining to watch him try to get the golf ball down the course and into the hole. A lot of times he would just pick the ball up and walk in down and sit it next to the hole and with the club knock it in. Spencer also would get excited when any of us would get the ball into the hole and would always cheer for each of us. Some of the course was under a cave and some were next to running streams of water, and some just had challenging hills to get over. The kids had fun and it was a fun activity to share as a family. Of course when we play minature golf we never keep score, this helps with us trying to teach our kids that it doesn't matter what order you came in just that you finished and had fun. We ended the might with a blizzard/milk shake treat and then headed back for the hotel. We were gone from 9:00 in the morning to 11:00 at night. It was a day packed full of fun and the kids had no problem going to bed that night and neither did Grant and I. The next day we were off to Nauvoo, but that is another post.