Vacation etc

Well, I haven't written in here for quite awhile. I guess I just got caught up in trying to get the kids throught with the school year, finishing up dance and music recitals, etc. Then summer launched, and we have been so busy with 4-H projects (I'm teaching a calligraphy class--Emily is a natural--my mom would be so pleased!) We also have a summer pool pass, which the kids love, and the reading program from the library keeps us busy. I started out the summer by having the kids responsible for a chore, reading, practicing the piano, and doing a project each day. I wanted to keep things a little organized. We've been off and on about keeping up with this. When we left on vacation our structure sort of went out the window. That's okay though. The kids have been playing outside with the Cottrill kids a lot--and I really like them to play outside in the fresh air as much as possible.
So, on to our vacation! It was so fun! I'm so glad we went east this year. We missed visiting our families out west, but since we are thinking about moving out west, we thought we'd better go east while we still have the opportunity. Anyway, we went to Kirtland, OH first, where we learned so many interesting things about church history that I didn't know before. for example, I had forgotten that Joseph Smith actually translated the entire new testament. There were some incredible stories about he Whitmey family, and all they gave and sacrificed to build up the early church. The temple was really amazing to see--and there is a nice spirit there, even though it is now owned by the reorganized church. We camped on Lake Erie, at a beautiful camp site that was only $10 per night! That was so much fun. I cooked tacos for dinner on our new camp stove. We decided after that first night that the air mattresses I had purchased were worth their weight in gold! It was so much better not to sleep on the cold, hard ground.