The Sacred Grove

I had the wonderful blessing of being in Upstate New York last week for a training and had the wonderful opportunity of visiting the Sacred Grove, Hill Cumorah, the Palmyra Temple, and the Smith farm. It's hard to put into words the beautiful spirit that was felt there... To know that the things that occurred there almost 200 years ago are true, is but a small testimony. I am so grateful for the knowledge I've gained and the wonderful blessing of being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It is with a humble heart that I share my testimony of the truth of these things- knowing that the Father and Son did appear to young Joseph in that place and that this was the beginning of a wonderful legacy that has touched so many lives and changed them forever! I am beyond grateful for these truths and thank my Heavenly Father every day for them!

Here are a few pictures- enjoy:






...walking through the Sacred Grove:



The Smith home, where Joseph and his family lived when he had the vision and where he was instructed by Moroni.


















The Palmyra Temple:





















This is definately a place everyone needs to visit at least once in their lifetime.

My 3 little monkeys!

I can't believe I have 3 little kids.... it's so crazy to think, yet I can't imagine my life without them. They are truly my little angels that bring so much joy and happiness to my life! I'm so grateful for each one of them individually, my heart is overflowing with happiness and love. Each one is so special to me and fills me in such a special way.

 

My Andy is now 6- I don't know where the time went??? He is so much fun to talk to- we can actually have intelligent conversations with him, which I love- because he has such a creative mind and is so funny. He is such a happy little boy and oh so very active. I looked at him today and I thought to myself- wow, I can't believe you're mine! It's fun to see them grow into their own little persons and do things for themselves.

My Sean is at the cutest age ever- you can only understand about half the stuff he's saying (if that), and he's got sooooo much to say all the time! He loves to do everything his big brother Andy does and play with every toy big brother has! I love it when he comes over to me and says, "Mom, I wanna hold you- momma". It's sooo cute I just want to kiss him. another of his favorite- "Come, I show you..." as he takes your hand and guides you. Seany-pooh is so sweet and shy at times too. He loves to run around and tries to keep up with Andy (which is hard to do), he knows all the super heroes and Ben 10 Aliens- once again thanks to Andy. Oh how I love hearing him giggle- it's about the sweetest sound anyone could hear!

My Ally is 5 months now, can you believe it? She is 100% a momma's girl- if I turn my back to leave- she'll start crying and putting her hands out to me. She just loves being with me... I hope that's still the case when she's a teenager???
Ally is all smiles! She has the sweetest little smile- that can light up anyone's day. She is so into grabbing things- she finally figured that one out. She loves seeing her crazy brothers play- it is soooo entertaining! I'm having a blast dressing her and buying clothes and hats, and ribbons and shoes (and the list goes on and on). We got her ears pierced this month and she handled it pretty well and looks absolutely adorable (this was daddy's idea, he was anxious to see Ally with earrings). She is a little princess in training- jijijiji ;)

It always amazes me how much we mom love our kids! Tom and I can't picture our life without them and we feel so blessed and privileged to be Andy, Sean, and Ally's mommy and daddy.

Andy's 6 B-day Party!

Andy's party was so fun this year! We celebrated it at Jungle Jim's Play-land- the perfect place for kids to go wild!!! They had such a blast getting on all the rides, running around, and eating pizza, ice cream, and Andy's Ben 10 B-day cake. It really was a blast and I loved how easy it was for me- we just showed up with the kids and had fun while they did all the work for us. This was definitely the way to go!

"Mom this was the best party ever!" was what Andy said the whole way home. Andy and Sean were so exhausted they went straight to bed!

My friendly, adventurous, fun, smiley, loving, happy, brave, active child turned 6. I can't believe it's been this long since I became a mommy for the 1st time! What a beautiful adventure it's been thus far. We have shared so many wonderful experiences together.... so many laughs, cuddles, smiles, kisses & hugs. I'll never forget the day I laid eyes on him for the first time- I knew my life would be changed forever and that my little boy would fill my heart with so much joy!
Andy is my little angel, he is so loving and kind to his brother Sean & sister Ally. He is so rambunctious, always looking for something to do, some wall to climb or other way to practice his super hero powers, or someone to play with. Everyday we get knocks at the door from kids asking to play with Andy- he's the popular kid on the block, everyone wants to be his friend and he wants to be EVERYONE's friend!

I put together a slideshow to celebrate Andy's 6 years! Enjoy!