October means Halloween is coming

This is the first time we've been able to do Halloween dress up together.  Joseph was a "handsome devil" for his youth dance.  The rest of the kids and I went to a Halloween party at a friends' house.  Jonas wore his robe and brought his pillow and was a couch potato.  Hyrum put a plastic pumpkin in the head of his coat, and was a pumpkin head.  Jenna was a vampire and Joy a witch.  It was so fun to be with the kids and have an excuse to dress up.  They were all so excited and it was great to see their personalities show.  I'm so grateful to be their step-mother and the opportunities I have to be a part of their life.

In my dress-up suitcase I also had a "big head" costume.  The kids got such a kick out of it, and our friend "Patricia" came to visit and dance several times over the weekend.

DC

This time of year is so nice, especially when you can find parking in Downtown DC!  We were able to park right outside our primary destination - the National Gallery of Art.  We got to see the one Leonardo da Vinci painting in the United States while helping Jonas with a requirement towards his art merit badge.  We got a family picture with Pope Francis, well a cardboard cutout of Pope Francis. And we got some good exercise in the outdoor section of the Botanical Gardens.

Columbus Day Weekend

Some other pictures from Columbus Day Weekend from our time with the family.

Dutch Oven Dinner

Saturday we had a Dutch Oven.  We wished we would have more space to invite even more friends.  All the kids were great at helping out.  The food was awesome, and the activity to make edible necklaces went over pretty well as well.

September Trip Wrap-up

We really enjoyed our fall trip to Maine.  It's kind of nice to know that we have this tradition of September trips, and we plan to keep it up.

Joseph Smith Birthplace

James' grandparents served several missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  One of their missions was in Sharon, Vermont to the Joseph Smith Birthplace site.  It was humbling to go there and be reminded of the sacrifice of Joseph Smith in bringing to pass the restoration of the gospel.  There is a memorial that stands 38 1/2 feet tall, representing a foot for each year of Joseph Smith's life.  It is one continuous piece of polished granite, one of the largest memorials of it's type in the world. 

I know that my Savior lives.  I know that he hears and answers prayers.  Joseph Smith was reading in James 1:5 and was impressed that he needed to pray to ask God which church he should join.  We also need to pray, study, and ask.

Lake Sunapee

On our way back home we went through New Hampshire and Vermont.  There are three lighthouses on Lake Sunapee, although I have to admit they all look fairly similar. 

Acadia National Park

James priority was biking along the carriage roads in Acadia National Park.  Check.  It was an amazing experience.


While in Bar Harbor and Acadia we also enjoyed the sand bar out to Bar Island... Due to the changes in the tide, it really is an island most of the day.

While we were there we attended a Sky Night Festival.  It was a clear, moonless night, and so refreshing to see so many stars again.  Quite different from our typical DC night sky.  The Milky Way was clearly visible, and they had several telescopes set up for additional views.  The next day we went back to Cadillac Mountain during the day.  We enjoyed some great views, including Egg Rock Lighthouse.

Sand Beach.  Some impressive waves. 

Thunder Hole.  The waves were too calm for the full effect, but still impressive to see and hear the waves crashing against the rocks.

We learned from a Park Ranger more about the bridges in the park, courtesy of Mr. Rockerfeller.  Here's Great Duck Bridge and the Waterfall bridge.

Overall we loved our trip.  There were some amazing views.  And since there are even more lighthouses to see, we will probably be headed back sometime as well.

Camping

Part of the fun is camping, although with electricity at the campsite, and bathrooms with hot showers nearby, it was a pretty nice set up.  Some of the campsites along the water were absoluetly beautiful.  We really enjoyed the campground.

Lighthouse Boat Tour

My priority for our trip was to see some new lighthouses.  We saw 10 lighthouses on the boat trips:
-Blue Hill Bay Lighthouse/Eggemoggin Lighthouse
-Bass Harbor Head Light

-Hockamock Head Light/Swan's Island

-Great Duck Island

-Mark Island Light/Deer Isle Thorofare 

-Goose Rocks Light

-Brown's Head Light 

-Heron Neck Light

-Saddleback Ledge

-Isle au Haut Light/Robinson's Point

We saw lots of lobster traps and some great views.  We spent some time at Isle au Haut and were able to climb the lighthouse there.