Iroquois Point Lighthouse

While we were on the Upper Peninsula, my mom took us out to one of the many lighthouses on the Great Lakes. This one was about an hour away to the west from the Soo Locks. We were able to climb to the top of the Lighthouse. I started to get a little worried on the way up but the view was spectacular.Bailey, Kevin, Jacob and Beth made the climb with me. Only 5 people were allowed up at one time since the space was so small.
There is a small boardwalk around the lighthouse. Jacob couldn't wait to get near the water.

Jacob told me that this was the best day ever. He loves to get in the water at a beach. I had to make sure that he didn't end up entirely wet since I didn't have a change of clothes with me.

Soo Locks

My mom loves to take us to out of the way places that you wouldn't normally go! We went up to the Upper Peninsula in Michigan this week. First we headed to the Soo Locks on the US/Canadian border. We got there just in time to see this massive boat move through the locks. This boat went from Lake Superior to Lake Huron. Lake Superior is 25 feet higher than Lake Huron.

Here are Jacob and my nephews James and Kevin at the Locks. They all love Mario games and got matching shirts for the trip. They are great friends.

This is Emma and my niece, Rachel at the Locks. Emma has had great time playing with her during this vacation.

I had to add the map to show exactly where we were. My parents lives in the southeastern part of Michigan. We had to travel about 5 hours to get here. The excitement never ends with my mom!

Greenfield Village at the Henry Ford Museum

My parents always have a membership to the Henry Ford Museum in Michigan. While Mickey loves the car museum, I love the village that they have on the grounds. It includes a steam locomotive, 1913 carousel, Model T car rides, horse drawn carriage rides, the Wright brothers original home, Thomas Edison's workshops, a plantation house, and many other period homes.

When we were on the train, Teddy Roosevelt got on to campaign for the elections. We sat right in front of him and got to hear the campaign chatter. The kids loved it. I love a little history with my vacation!

Niagara Falls

We had a crazy trip from my parents home in Michigan to go and see the Hill Cumorah pageant. Part of this trip meant crossing Canada, since it is a shorter route. What should have been a 6 hour drive was turned into a 12 hour drive. Plus we decided to stop for a minute to look at the falls. The kids were impressed! We decided to come back later this month with my brother and his family so we can take the boat ride to the base of the falls. So more pictures to come!

The Sacred Grove

We got to go to the Hill Cumorah pageant in Palmyra, New York this past weekend. We also visited the Sacred Grove where Joseph Smith had the First Vision. I am so grateful to have gone here. This is a quick snapshot of Beth and Jacob with their cousins Kevin and Bailey. More to come later!

Off to Michigan!

This morning, I woke up feeling the best that I have in 3 weeks. So we headed off to Michigan to visit with my family for a month. The 12 hour ride went incredibly smooth and we made pretty good time. The kids were terrific and enjoyed their new DVD player for the entire trip. Mickey insisted that I have enough sleep before I set out on the trip by myself. I was off by 7:15 am and just kept on moving. My kids know that there is a Friendly's in Ohio and constantly ask if we are in Ohio yet. If you have never been to Friendly's and had their Reeses Peanut Butter Cup Sundae, you should definitely make a trip to find one! The next 2 pictures are mostly for Becky, Allyson and Heather since I know they have enjoyed this sundae before....YUMmmmmmmm. Sorry I don't have any left to share! :) I decided that I could eat this after my crappy month and it tasted wonderful! Maybe that is why I feel so good tonight? I meant to take a picture before I dove in, but I took a bite too quickly. Jacob wanted purple ice cream and ended up with black raspberry ice cream. He loves fruity ice cream. Beth went for cake batter and some of Emma's cookie dough ice cream.


So after our 3:30 treat, we were completely full. We got to Michigan at 7:30 and saw my parents and my niece Bailey. As we were getting ready for bed my kids reminded me that they didn't have dinner. YIKES! So I guess I fed my kids ice cream for dinner. Hopefully I will do better tomorrow!

Where do I start?

I have been a little on the crazy side of life these past few weeks. For those who didn't know, Mickey and I had been expecting our 4th miracle. At our first appointment at 7 weeks, we were told that we had an anembryonic pregnancy (blighted ovum). We were so sad and since I had never had a miscarriage before, I was scared to say the least. We had to return a week later for a repeat ultrasound and if the same results were found I would have a D and C 2 days later. After the second ultrasound and the same results were found, we had to tell the kids. We chose to tell them with gospel principles and they took it very well. Beth was the most upset while Jacob just said, dang. Such a boy!

The d&c wasn't too bad except that they did the d&c on the L&D floor at the hospital. When I am scared about something, I have a "no think" policy. My family laughs at me but it helps me out. I have done it since I was a kid. So, the night before, the kids went to their Aunt Canette's house for a sleepover. Then Mickey and I went out to dinner at PF Changs. We then went to see Get Smart...which was very funny! And to top it off, we hit Maggie Moo's for some ice cream before my midnight deadline of no more food. Mickey would have enjoyed going to bed a little earlier than we did, since we had to leave our house at 5:00 am. But he humored me and made it very easy on me. I didn't think about the procedure at all that night. Works like a charm every time! I am still recovering physically and mentally but for the most part, I feel good.

During all of this, I received a new calling. I have learned that my time is definitely not my Heavenly Father's time. I have loved serving in my primary calling. But my time is now to be spent with the young women. I was looking over the roles and realized that I had the current laurels when they were beehives and I had the current beehives when I served as the activity day leader.

I have a week with the YW, and then I am going to my parents for a month! This trip has been planned for 6 months...again, not my time! I was only supposed to be gone for 3 weeks but 2 months ago, Mickey told me that I should leave earlier since his work schedule will be crazy for July. I have asked my counselors for forgiveness already. :)