4th of July

The 4th of July is my second favorite holiday. There are three things that make a great 4th of July for me: family, fireworks, and patriotic music. Fortunately we had just been with family, so Saturday night we went to the Cincinnati Pops Red, White, and Boom concert. It was held in the Riverbend Pavillion and we sat on the "lawn" in the back on camp chairs and a blanket. We all had fun! Ethan danced, blew bubbles, and played soccer, and just listened during our time there. He entertained many of the people around us as well. He didn't love the fireworks after the concert. I held him and he was ok, but he doesn't like the loud noises.

I just think this is a funny picture. :)

The tickets we bought also included a day's admission to Coney Island Park next door. We came to the concert a couple hours early and let Ethan ride the kiddie rides and carousel. He really loved that. You couldn't actually see it on his face during the ride because he is so stoic, but afterwards he would keep saying, "ride, ride, ride."

Richards Reunion in Branson, Missouri

We had a great time at the Richards Reunion last week. Our drive to Branson, Missouri went really went. We did it in 10 hours with only 2 short gas station stops. Ethan did very well considering he was in his car seat all day. We stayed in some cabins at Westgate Branson Woods Resort. It was really nice. Each cabin was like a house with four bedrooms and 4 bathrooms. Ethan slept in a pack-n-play in our bedroom and we had our own bathroom. Allison and Katie bought food when we got there and divided in among the cabins so we ate good food in our cabins all week.

Tuesday we went to Dogwood Canyons and went on a tram tour. I really liked it! The canyon was beautiful with several waterfalls, a small river, and animals that came up and ate right near our tram. It's a little unnerving to have a buffalo eating so close to us, but Ethan and I got over that pretty quickly.

Wednesday morning we went to the Talking Rocks Cavern. They had a cool beautiful cave with lots of formations inside. There were lots of stairs that we carried Ethan up and down, but he did pretty well. Afterwards we went mini-golfing with Mom and Dad B. This was Ethan's first time mini-golfing and he really liked it! We all had a lot of fun!

That evening Dad B. stayed with Ethan and put him to bed while Jason and I and Mom B went to see Jonah with the rest of the group. The staging was really incredible! I think that was my favorite part of it, just trying to figure out how they did everything. The main boat itself was 30,000 lbs. And they had live animals on stage like a donkey, camels, goats, sheep, a horse, etc. It was fun to see.

Thursday Mom B took Ethan to the Butterfly Palace while Jason and I caught up on some other things. Apparently Ethan really like it, which doesn't surprise me. In the afternoon we took Ethan with us to see Buckets and Boards. It's a comedy percussion show geared for kids and families. I thought some of their tricks were pretty cool, like playing the drums on the bottom of propane tanks and getting different sounds. Ethan didn't like the loud noises and flashing lights, but he eventually warmed up and enjoyed the second half of the show.

Thursday afternoon we tried to go swimming. We were only there for 5 minutes before we had to leave for an incoming thunderstorm. That evening we had a family home evening with a slideshow and games about Grandpa Richards. We also got a family T-shirt and took family pictures. After we put the kids to bed we stayed up and played games with the adults.

We left early Friday for the drive back home. We stopped in St. Louis to visit the Gateway Arch. They had a lot of construction going on, so we didn't get very close, but we walked a couple blocks to the Citygardens and ate lunch while Ethan played in the fountains. He had a blast!! It was was a great trip!

Memorial Day Week with my Parents

We spent a great week with my parents around Memorial Day. It was so nice to have family come visit us. We spent the week playing! Our first stop was the Cincinnati Zoo. I love this zoo and we had the perfect weather!

 

Our next stop was the Shaker Village near Lexington. It was pretty interesting, but also pretty chilly that day. We toured the main building and I even got to work the lave. We learned more about the Shaker's history and that they invented the flat broom and seed packets with planting instructions.

That night we spent the night at Sleep Inn in Cave City. It was a nice motel with a great continental breakfast. In the morning we went to Mammoth Cave. I've been pretty excited to go since I really like Timpanogos Cave in Utah. Mammoth Cave is the largest cave system in North America, but it's not nearly as decorated with interesting features as other caves I've been to. I still thought it was interesting though and enjoyed seeing it in person.

On our way home from Mammoth Cave, we stopped by the Louisville Temple so my mom could take some pictures.

Sunday we attended church. I had been asked the week before to give a talk on prayer. That is an easy topic for me to speak on since I have many experiences with prayer, but it was also very helpful to me to study it for a week and realize some areas I need to improve on. The talk went well, and my own personal prayers have been even more sincere ever since.

Memorial Day was really rainy so we opted to stay at home and watch the new movie "Meet the Mormons" that was recently released. It was the first time that Jason had seen the movie. I saw it in a theater in Ohio several months ago with the Young Women's group, but it was fun to see it again. We also took my parents to eat at Skyline Chili. I happen to like the specially seasoned dish, but people usually like it or hate it. I don't think my parent's loved it, but now they have at least experienced it. :)

Tuesday we walked along the Riverfront in Cincinnati. The park and walking area have just been finished recently and are beautiful. We also went to the Underground Railroad Freedom center. The museum was large and beautiful, but I didn't particularly like the spin they put on the exhibits. It seemed dark and without hope of a brighter future. It's true that this country has made its share of mistakes, including serious abuse and mistreatment to other races and religions, but let's learn from the past and move on to a better future!

Here are just some fun pictures of Ethan and my parents. We really enjoyed having them stay with us. We had a relaxing and enjoyable time with them. Anyone else who wants to visit us is always welcome!!

Ethan and Grandma read lots of books together and went on a walk to the park.

I love this silly boy!

Ethan loved playing with Grandpa, his new playmate. :)

I love this picture of my parents! They are the best!!