Our Haycation: Part VII {Our travels home}

We took off  Wednesday morning and took 2 days to travel the 21 hours home.  We made a stop in Kirtland again; this time to see the temple, which I hadn't seen inside before.  Emma and I went on the tour and Kenneth hung around on the grounds with the other three kids.  It is a very special building and I enjoyed the tour.  Wednesday night we stayed with friends from our ward in New York, who had since moved to near Cincinnati, Ohio.  It was so nice to see them!  Kenneth also got to see some other friends who live in the same area that he knew from his childhood.  It was great!

I fell asleep in the backseat with the kids in the morning. 

The kids and Kenneth in front of the Kirtland Temple

Hooray!  They all zonked out at the same time in the afternoon.  It felt like Kenneth and I were on a date or something!

Feeding the ducks at our friends' house.  Their backyard backs up to a community lake.

The kids really enjoyed this!

The kids especially loved the dog, Buddy

They wanted to take him home!

Here's Kenneth and the girls with Rick; his wife had already gone to work that morning, but it was so good to see Julie, too!

 Kate, and the rest of the children for that matter, ate almost the entire way home the last day.  I stopped at Aldi in the morning before we left Cincinnati and got a bunch of great, fresh produce to eat on the way home.  I rinsed it all off before we got started and they ate all day!  The kids were loving it! 


Here is Kate eating an apple and a sugar snap pea.

Poor guy!  He's so bored, he's tied himself to the van with a snake! 

The end! It's always good to be home!  We're thankful to have good neighbors who took care of the chickens for us!

Our Haycation: Part VI {Last couple days on the farm}

Boy!  It's only taken me forever to get through all of this!  We had a great last couple of days on the farm.  The cousins just love being together and had so much fun playing.  Aunt Rachel brought Uno, the card game, with her from home and it was really a favorite indoor activity for the kids.
Here are the last pictures:
Kate woke up pretty early one morning (who am I fooling!  She woke up early most every day!  This day we just got out) and we went for a walk outside with Grandma, Sam (the dog), and Roxanne (the cat) (the only ones who were awake).  I love misty mornings on the farm.

Watching what we lovingly call the 'cow parade' with Grandma.  The cows are headed to their pasture after morning milking at the barn.



Kate exploring with the animals

 

Love that misty road!



What are you looking at, Mom?

Kate and her furry friends

He loves me. . .

He loves me not. . .

The pond through the mist

 I love the flowers of Spring on the farm:


Daisy- look closely and you can see the dew

Poppy with a horse fly visitor

Gorgeous pink peony getting ready to burst forth!

Delicate little pansies

The heifers by the pond in front of the house.  Kate loves to see the cows.  She moos with excitement!

Emma reading to her siblings and cousins.

Kate loving corn on the cob!

Daddy and Grant tilling Grandma's garden plot.

Love that old chicken barn!

Here they come!

 

Grant loves being with Dad- especially on a tractor!

The kids did plenty of running and bike riding.

Grant helping Isaac ride the bike.  These 2 had fun together this year!

Arianna, Emma and Lydia riding down Larchar Rd. together.

Kate torturing the cat again.  She's got right ahold of that tail!

Love those heifers in front of the house and near the pond.  (There is a fence, don't worry)

Kate excited about something!  I lover her face in this one.  Kenneth in his farm clothes.  This is how he looked when I fell in love with him (dreamy look in my eye).

S'mores on our last night there.  Caleb built the fire- thanks, Caleb.

Grant enjoying his s'more.

Bitty enjoying her cookie- I left out the marshmallow, too messy for her!

The last cow parade we saw

Posing by the tractor one last time- thumbs up!

One last tractor ride (Kate, too!) before we hop in the car to start the drive back home.

The tractor is attached to the mower.

There they go!

We had a marvelous 'haycation'.  I am so thankful for Kenneth's family and they love they share with us.  I am thankful for their farm and that we can come visit.  'Til next year!!

Our Haycation: Part V {Emma's Baptism}

In our Church, when you turn eight years old, you may decide to be baptized.  Emma wanted to be baptized and Kenneth thought it would be very special for her to be baptized in the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania.  It was pretty special.  That place holds special significance; it was where the priesthood was restored to the earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith.  Kenneth, as a priesthood holder, was able to baptize Emma.  Kenneth's cousin, Phil, also has a daughter who recently turned eight years old, so we held the baptisms at the same time.  So it was really special for Emma to be baptized with her friend/ cousin. 
It was a beautiful day: not too hot, not too cold, and gorgeous.  The only thing that would have made it better is if Emma hadn't been sick!  Saturday evening on the way back to the farm from Aunt Diane's house, Emma threw up.  Then she threw up again at 5 am on the morning of her baptism.  We prayed that she would feel well enough to be baptized, and although she was not herself and her energy levels were low, by the time it was afternoon she was feeling a little better.  You can tell in the pictures that she is not feeling great.  After the baptism we had some cookies, carrots and blueberries and Emma said she was feeling well enough to have some (before this she had only had applesauce and saltines).  So, I let her eat some.  She lost it all in the car again on the way home.  I am thankful that she is old enough now to make it all in a bucket.  She never once threw up on the car or anywhere else.
Here are the pictures of her special day:


Such a calm, peaceful place

Emma with Daddy in their white clothing to symbolize purity and cleanliness.

Here is the spot where Emma will be baptized.

Phil, Kenneth's cousin, his daughter, Tessa, and our whole family.

Our family.

 

Getting ready.  Emma insisted on wearing a dress, and it was puffing up a bit (she had white shorts on underneath).

The group that was at the baptism (minus a few that didn't gather for the picture).  I was so glad that my brother and his family were able to come!

I love this picture of my sisters-in-law.  They are truly good friends of mine.  I feel so blessed to be a part of the Larchar family.

 

 

Another shot of Emma with Dad (I love how lush and green everything is)

 

I love these two!

Gathering in the parking area after the baptisms- we ate cookies, carrots and blueberries.

It was a wonderful day.  I hope Emma can remember the beauty of the place and the sacredness of the covenant she made with her Savior and forget about her sickness.