Watkins Glen State Park

I first heard about Watkins Glen State Park about a year ago.  After seeing pictures on the Internet I knew it was a place I wanted to visit.  We finally made the 2 hour trip to Watkins Glen and it was well worth the drive the the $8 parking fee.  The hike was about a mile and within that mile we could see 19 waterfalls of various sizes.  There were a lot of stairs...over 280...but I didn't have a contraction even once!  The steps weren't all consecutive so that helped.

The kids did great on the hike.  They were so excited and enthused about everything that they were usually running ahead and we had to call them back while Joseph took pictures.  At the halfway mark Rebecah started complaining about being tired so it was a good thing the way down was easier!

Here are some pictures that Joseph took.  Joseph wouldn't hand over the camera even for one picture so he isn't shown.  There are a lot of pictures, but it was hard to narrow down the good ones.

Entrance to the Park.

Kimball, Rebecah and me on the bridge.

It is amazing to me the power of water and seeing all of the layers on the rocks just proves it.

This waterfall we walked behind.  As much as our kids love to get dirty at home it took a lot of coaxing for them to be willing to walk through the puddles and get even a little wet.  I kept having to tell them to "be brave and just go".

The backside of the waterfall.

I think we ended up walking behind 3 different waterfalls.  

You can't see Rebecah very well, but she was in the picture.

For those keeping track...this is the best belly shot you are going to get from this trip.

The weather was perfect.  In the shade it was nice and cool and the sunny spots didn't last long.  I was glad we got to the park early.  It was cooler and less crowded.  As we headed back down the trail we could tell that the heat had increased and the number of people had as well.

This is a perfect place to take visitors so if anyone wants to come for a visit let us know!

Soccer

Kimball wanted to sign up for soccer this year so we did.  Neither Joseph, nor I, am big into pushing our kids to play sports until they express interest in it.  There are so many worthwhile activities to be involved in and for us sports isn't one of them.  As long as our kids are healthy and enjoy exercising, i don't care if they are on a team or not.

Anyway, we signed Kimball up for soccer and it ended up being perfect.  It was more of a weekly soccer skills camp than an actual team with games.  For me this was perfect because when we signed up I wasn't sure how I would be feeling and I didn't want to be committed to multiple practices/games a week if I wasn't feeling well.  As it turned out, Joseph was able to take Kimball to most of his practices since he wasn't working.

Here are some pictures of Kimball's last night.  He really improved a lot and learned a lot of the drills.  Kimball was much more willing to do drills with Joseph at home after he saw the coaches doing them at practice.

We call this Kimball's "yellow card" picture since he is elbowing the girl in front of him.
It probably would have only been a foul!

Every child received a nice medal for participating.  Kimball LOVED his medal.

Holding up his medal and wearing his soccer shirt.

End of School

Kimball had a great year of school.  He loved school so much that he wanted perfect attendance.  He lucked out that the few times he did get sick school was canceled (Veterans Day) or it was the weekend.  He received a certificate for his perfect attendance and he was very excited.

Kimball's teacher celebrates all of the summer birthday the last few weeks of school.  It just so happened that 9 of the 22 students had summer birthdays so the kids had a lot of treats the last 2 weeks of school. Rebecah and I went to have lunch with Kimball on the day he celebrated his birthday.  I took him McDonald's and brought cupcakes for his treat.

Birthday lunch with Kimball.

Kimball really misses school and teases me every day that he is going to go outside to wait for the bus.  It has been fun to see his confidence grow in his reading and writing abilities and to just see him excel as a student.  Kimball had a great teacher this year.  We couldn't have asked for a better teacher to help Kimball not only transition to public school for the first time but also to First Grade.

She commented to me over and over how well Kimball slipped into the dynamics of the classroom and he was genuinely liked by all of his classmates.

One activity that the class did that I really liked was to write one word describing each classmate.  Some of the qualities that the kids wrote for Kimball were:  Smart, funny, cute, handsome, exciting, loving, and nice.  I loved volunteering in his classroom because the kids always transferred some of their affection for Kimball to me because they liked him so much.

Here are the first and last day of school pictures to compare his growth and maturity.

The happy kindergartner.  I couldn't get a great expression from him.

It was raining on the last day of school so we just took a quick picture inside.

Here is a picture of Kimball on the last day of school.  I think he has grown a
fair amount this year...he at least has his two front teeth again!

Oswego Speedway

A few weeks ago Joseph and Kimball went to the Oswego Speedway about an hour north of us.  Watkins Glen Speedway didn't fit into our schedule this year because the race that was a reasonable price and not on a Sunday is too close to the arrival of our babies.  The company Joseph works for sponsors a car at the Oswego Speedway so Joseph got discount tickets and he and Kimball enjoyed some cars and noise.

It was a chilly day, in the 50s, and I had a hard time convincing Kimball that long pants and long sleeves were a must.  Good thing I was persistent because Joseph and Kimball ended up pulling out the emergency blankets that we keep in the car.  Joseph said they wouldn't have been able to endure the race without the blankets because they would have been too cold.  

Before the races there was an hour where you could walk around the track and get pictures
and autographs with the drivers.  Here is Kimball posing by a car.

Getting an autograph.

Checking out the car.

Joseph and Kimball had a fun time even though they were cold.  It was really noisy and they had forgotten the ear plugs.  Oops!  There were a few accidents and some of the drivers had to be taken away in ambulances.  It was a fun time and they would like to go back again next year.

Lake Champlain Chocolates

When we decided to go to Burlington I looked up things to do and I found a free tour of the Lake Champlain Chocolates factory.  I was super excited about it and Joseph was less so.  I planned on going while he was in class, but then he decided not to attend the boring class before lunch so he came with me.  I can honestly say that I was looking forward to this tour more than anything else in Burlington.  As we walked in the door we were hit with the wonderful aroma of chocolate!  It made me think of this line from Frozen..."What's that amazing smell...CHOCOLATE!"

The tour wasn't much of a tour.  We just sat and listened to the history of the company, how chocolate is harvested and processed and what is made in the factory.  We sat next to the windows that overlook the factory so we could watch the workers making chocolate.  I didn't learn much new information, although I was surprised to hear that they keep their factory the same temperature as the store.  I would have thought that it would be cooler.  I guess consistent temperature keeps the chocolate from turning "ashy".  

We had a sample of the three types of chocolate...white, milk and dark.  We also got a sample of the second highest selling chocolate....the 5 Star Bar.  The bar was so yummy.  An entire bar is about 2 inches long, 1 inch high and 1 inch wide and it sold for $3.99.  That is an expensive bar.  All of the chocolate is expensive at this company but it is good quality.  There is a "seconds" area of the store where they sell chocolate that doesn't pass quality control.  Even at 50% off the chocolate is still sold for $21/lb.  I bought some chocolate bars to give to the host families for watching our children.  I figured it isn't chocolate they would usually have access to.  It was my lucky day because almost all of the chocolate was 50% off that day.  

One of my sisters asked if it was good chocolate and I really think it is.  Joseph and my children apparently don't have expensive tastes in chocolate because they didn't care for it as much as I did.  It could also be that I bought dark chocolate and they prefer milk chocolate.  I just told them if they didn't like it then don't waste the chocolate!

A view into the factory.  The center of the picture shows the 4 tempering vats where they temper the chocolate.

Other side of the factory where they form the bars and make the caramel for the bars.

In the shop.

Trip to Vermont

Joseph is great about finding medical conferences to attend where he can take me with him.  Let's face it, it is more fun to travel if you have someone to go with you.  Joseph wanted me to go with him on a trip since our Washington D.C. trip was snowed out and because we won't be going anywhere by ourselves for the next few years after these babies come.

Joseph decided on a medial conference in Burlington, Vermont and I thought it sounded like fun.  I made arrangements for the kids to stay with friends and they had a great time.  Both of them were disappointed when we got back to town earlier than we originally thought.  I'm glad the kids had fun since we were having fun without them.

Our first stop was Sharon, Vermont to see the birthplace of Joseph Smith.  

This picture was a special request from my sister, Sharon.  She wanted us to get a picture of a Sharon, VT sign.  We almost missed the sign but Joseph was able to swerve off the road, safely, so we could snap this picture.

Joseph and me in front of the monument.  This monument was put here in 1905
celebrating the 100th anniversary of Joseph Smith's birth.

These rocks outline the dimensions of the home where Joseph was born and the location
on the property.  The stone in the front of the picture is the original door step.

This picture is for all of you inquiring minds who want to know what I look like at 20 weeks pregnant with twins.  I admit I look small in this picture, but I don't feel that small.  I can't promise too many belly shots once I'm farther along.  :  )

This fenced area holds the remains of the rock foundation and cellar for the Solomon Mack
home located about a mile from the monument.

These stone bridges were very popular in the early 1800s and these are the
original rocks that formed the bridge here.

A nice church that we saw from the top of the parking garage.

 Since the weather was nice Joseph wanted to eat outside so we ate at this Italian place.  A boy was playing his violin on the walkway across from us so we enjoyed some nice dinner music.

Our first night in Burlington we ate here.  It was pretty good Italian.  My meal was good, but I think I was just in the mood for a different type of food because it didn't really hit the spot.

As we sat outside we saw quite a few pregnant women pass who were close to their due date and Joseph always kindly said that my belly would be as big as theirs were in 3 weeks or 4 days of what ever struck his fancy.

Walkway with fun shops and restaurants.

On day 2 we took a tour of Lake Champlain Chocolates.  This needed a post all its own so stay tuned.  We also had lunch at Shanty on the Shore.  Joseph wanted seafood and a place that overlooked the lake.  We found the perfect place.  Unfortunately, I couldn't partake of anything fun in the restaurant.  My doctor wants me to avoid all fish and seafood.  I played it safe although I really wanted the blacked salmon.  I felt rather boring just ordering a chicken sandwich....the only non-seafood item on the menu.

Joseph went to class in the afternoon and then it started raining.  It rained the rest of our trip.  I was disappointed that we never got to walk along the boardwalk that paralleled the lake.  I guess that just means we need to return to Burlington again.  Our drive home was wet but uneventful.

I enjoyed getting away with Joseph.  It is always fun to reconnect as a couple for a few days.