On the road again -

After we got back from Palmyra we spent a few days packing like crazy, and the rest of the week cleaning and playing in an empty house only to get back in the car!! We said goodbye to Pennsylvania and began our journey West. Four days later we made it to sunny/hot Tucson, AZ.

Facts about the trip:

We drove through nine states

Saw license plates from 47 out of the 50 states

(We never saw Wyoming, South Dakota and Hawaii)

but we also saw several from Canada and Mexico.

Day 1: 13 hours - long day!

Day 2: Still having fun!! 11 hours - very long day!!

We got to spend the night with Kaitlin and Jordan in Fort Worth. We even got cake and ice cream for an early birthday for Benson!

Texas has A LOT of windmills and oil wells - and that's about it!!! :)

Day 3: Only 4 hours!

Day 4: 9 hours

Mexico!

Ready to be done!!

Things that saved us:

- wrapped toys - doesn't matter what the toy is, the fun of it is the unwrapping!

- squeezable/portable baby food

- a large bag of sunflower seeds (for Brooks)

- "Standing Tall" kids music: THANK YOU ANGIE!!

- bottle fed baby

- snacks galore!

I don't know how truckers do it, I guess the trick is not having two kids in the back seat!!

Final East Coast Adventure (for now)

We had one final stop to make before we left the east coast. We headed up to Palmyra, NY. Saturday morning we drove out to Niagara to see the falls. Spencer did not want to get on the boat, but once we were on and out on the water he had fun. Waterfalls are one of my favorite things and these were no disappointment! We then headed back to Palmyra to see the church history sites.

This is at the top of Hill Cumorah. Spencer was disappointed when we couldn't find the gold plates when we got up to the top. Palmyra TempleSmith farm near the sacred grove. Hanging out after a long day in the car!That night we went to the pageant. Benson fell asleep right as it started and Spencer asked questions through most of it. The most frequent question: "Is he a good guy or a bad guy!" Too cute! This was our first attempt at a self taken family picture! We eventually got a good one!

Hot & Humid Houston

Right after the Turnbows left we headed down to Houston, TX to party with the Tingey family. Ryan and Angie were so nice to allow us to bombard their house. We had a blast exploring Texas! Our week adventure included: golfing, children's museum, temple trip, rocket balloons, swimming, 4th of July: 5k, parade, BBQ & fireworks, the beach, jumping dog show, real Texas BBQ, water fun at the park, Astros baseball . . . the list goes on.

Children's Museum Best Buds!! (most of the time!)

First professional baseball game Water fun Can't get enough of it . . . Water fun at the park Jumping Dog Show! 1st Annual Tingey 5k 4th of July parade! These guys know how to run a parade!Fireworks from the top of Ryan's work building. Bubble gum blowing contest while we waited for more fireworks! I won't boast about who won! :)

East Coast Adventures with the Turnbows

This summer the Turnbow family came out to visit the east coast. It was quite the adventure. We only spent half the time with them and that was enough to wear us out. They visited New York City, Amish Country, and Philadelphia with us. They also saw Washington D.C. and Virginia Beach with the Smalleys.

Ferry past the Statue of LibertyNew York pizza! MmmmMmm!Central Park. Aren't these girls gorgeous! Feeling the love baby!! I was just going for a normal picture, but Brooks decided to 'show' the LOVE!Manhattan Temple! Amish Country: Hershey Chocolate Factory Tour. Ben is completely amazed! I didn't get any pictures of Philadelphia, but the best part about their trip wasn't seeing the sights. It was being with them!! Thanks for coming everyone! We loved having you!