Monday, October 18, 2010

FALL FAMILY FUN!

During Andy's "fall break" we went on a little family outing to a place called Stokoe Farms!

Our main goal was to go to the Pumpkin Patch and pick out our pumpkins but we were distracted along the way with all the fun activities they had....

Like going down this Giant Slide.
Riding on the Little Train.
Seeing the Little Piglets.
(There were cows, goats, sheep, and bunnies too but Grayer was very fascinated with the noisy little piggies!!)

Sitting on the Tractor.

Playing in the "CORN" Sandbox.
(Apparently Grayer didn't catch on to how fun it was to play in the corn kernels!)

Watching the Silly Tractor that shot Water and Fire.


And finally, we took a Hayride and made it to the Pumpkin Patch!



(What a cute picture -- if only their eyes were open!)

(Now if only Andy's eyes were open....)

PERFECT!



(Grayer is alerting us that the Hayride is coming back to pick us up!)


We had a Great day at Stokoe Farms!

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Yeah for GRANDPARENTS!!!

My (Susan's) Parents came to visit the last week in September! We had a blast having them here with us and showing them around New York! I thought Grayer would be a little hesitant when they first got here because he hadn't seem them in so long but I was wrong... He fell in love with them instantly!! He loves his Grandma and Grandpa!
One special thing that we got to do was go and see Andy perform in the Opera Pirates of Penzance! My parents were never able to make it to any of Andy's performances in Knoxville so this was there first time seeing him in a show! They loved it!! In my Dad's words, "The time went by so fast, I thought it had only been one hour when in fact it had been two!" Andy did an amazing job and we were all thoroughly entertained! The following are a few pictures from the show, Andy is the Pirate in the purple, with the eye patch!

For those of you who know my Mom and Dad they are not ones to sit still for very long so we ended up working on a lot of projects around the house! I know that they like to stay busy and have things to do but I did feel bad that we were working so much. I wanted them to relax and enjoy themselves, but they assured me that they wanted to help and again in my Dad's words, "We want to leave your house better than it was before we got here!" I am so grateful for ALL that they helped us with!
We did lots of little home improvements but the main projects were... My Dad built a Toy Box for Grayer! He also made and hung up shelves in our garage so we can organize it better!
My Mom made me window valances for my kitchen and bedroom and also sewed me the cutest dress!! I can't wait to wear it!

(This is the Toy Box isn't it great?)

(This is the valance in our bedroom -- I love it!)

Although there were days where we just stayed at home we did manage to go out and have fun too! One day we drove to Corning, NY and went to the Corning Glass Museum! It was a really fun and interesting place to visit. Ever heard of Corning Ware dishes? Well this is were it all started. But don't worry it is not just a museum full of dishes there is other stuff too!!

(Some of the amazing glass sculptures in the museum)


(The only reason why we are in the picture is show scale with the fruit. It was giant size, so ignore us and look at the fruit!!)

(Here's a picture without us!)

(Beautiful glass Pumpkins)

(Sorry Mom - I didn't notice that your eyes were shut when I took this picture!)

(Dad and Me)

Another day we took a boat tour of the Erie Canal. The Erie Canal runs right through our little town so it was fun to learn more about the canal and just relax and enjoy the scenery!

Funny side story: Ever since we moved here I had been wondering if one could water ski on the Erie Canal. So when we climbed aboard the Colonial Belle (our boats name) I asked the Captain about it and he informed us that the speed limit on the Erie canal is only 10 mph! Man did he crush my dream of someday water skiing on the Erie Canal! (Okay, that was probably only amusing to me but, oh well!!)

(The village of Fairport -- this is where we live isn't it cute?)

(Handsome Dad)

(Beautiful Mom)

(Together Forever!)

(Here they are making friends with another couple on the boat! This is not uncommon, my parents make friends every where they go!!)

(Grayer, loved every second on the boat)

(Erie Canal)

My Mom and Dad treated us to dinner a couple of nights, we took some shopping trips, and went on walks. Mostly while they were here they did what Grandparents do best... spoil grandchildren! Lucky for Grayer he didn't have to share any of the attention being the only grandchild around and he loved every minuet it! He loved waking up every morning to find that Grandma and Grandpa were still here!! He loved working with Grandpa in the garage. He loved reading and playing toys with Grandma. He loved having them sit on either side of him in the car. Basically Grayer loved having Grandma and Grandpa at his beckon call!!! The day that they left for home Grayer woke up from his nap walked around the house, checked every room for Grandma and Grandpa and when he couldn't find them he yelled, "Papa!" -- Kind of like, okay I give up, where are you! It was so sweet!!!
Thanks Mom and Dad for coming we really truly loved having you here and wish that you could have stayed longer, you made our house better than it was before just by being here!! Love you guys!!
p.s. I showed Grayer all of the pictures I am posting and he giggled and got the biggest smile on his face when he saw the pictures of Grandma and Grandpa!! Can't wait to see you again at Christmas time!

Thursday, October 7, 2010

SACRED GROVE

Back in August, about 2 weeks after moving here to NY, we made a visit to the Sacred Grove!! This was Andy's and Grayer's first time and my second time at the Sacred Grove! The Spirit is so strong there and fills you with the truthfulness of what took place at this sacred spot! We loved it!! And the best part is, we only live 10 minutes away from the Sacred Grove and the Palmyra Temple!!! During our visit Andy and I were talking about how visiting places like the Sacred Grove are once in a life time opportunities for some people and how blessed we are that we live so close and can visit as often as we would like! Now that it is Fall I can't wait to go back and see the trees in color! We haven't made it to the Hill Cumorah yet but that is an upcoming Saturday activity!
We are very grateful for the wonderful opportunity we have of living here and have loved it so far!!

Us in front of the first Smith home


Grayer in front of the second Smith home

The fireplace where Joseph Smith hid the Gold Plates

Looking over the Smith farm

View of the Palmyra Temple from the Sacred Grove

Sacred Grove Trees


Stopping for a snack



Cute Boy!