Youth Football Night

Last night at our local high school, they had a youth football night for our current little league football teams and cheerleaders.  The players and cheerleaders were introduced to the crowd and then made a tunnel for the high school football team.  We stayed and watched the game until halftime.  Brought back memories of my own high school experience, where going to the game (for me) meant to socialize more than actually watch the game.  It's hard to believe in a few short years Brooke will be in that position. 

 Brooke and some of the girls on her team.

 
Charlotte and her friend Emma

Had to include this pic.  These are the star players on the team Brooke cheers for.  One of them she had a HUGE crush on last year, I won't say who ;-).  

 One of the reasons we left at half time...That score and we were ahead. 

Cheerleading

Both of my girls decided to cheer for Little League Football this fall.  They are loving it!  Because of their age difference though, they are on separate teams, meaning we have to go to TWO different football games.  I never even thought I would have to go Little League football games in the first place....

Happy Birthday to me!!!

I just celebrated another birthday.  Dare I say, this was one of the best??  So many of my friends and family spoiled me.  Flowers, cupcakes, massages, pedicure, cards, love.  It was great! 

We also went to an Indianapolis Indians baseball game the night of my birthday.  It was a playoff game, but they lost.  But they were so nice to put on a fabulous fireworks display just for me! ;-) 

Labor Day Vacation: Part 2

The rest of our vacation was spent driving to some historical landmarks.  We first traveled to Palmyra, New York.  This is where Joseph Smith had his first vision, received the Gold Plates and printed the first Book of Mormon, among others.  Our first stop was the Visitor's Center.  We just love the senior couple missionaries.  They are always so friendly and want to know where you're from.  When we said Indiana, the Elder said he once lived in Bloomington.  Come to find out, he knew many of the same people as Nathan, including his grandmother!  Small world, indeed. 

We toured some of the homes Joseph Smith lived in as a boy.  We walked through the Sacred Grove (which was much bigger than I remember as a little girl), drove by the Temple, and went to the Hill Cumorah. 

We also made at stop at the Book of Mormon publication sight.  We got a brief tour and explanation on how they published the Book of Mormon then.  

 (On a side note, the reason Brooke is not in a lot of pictures is that she was not interested in posing.  She was over it by this point and Charlotte was the only one wanting to be in very many pics)

The next morning, we drove to Niagara Falls.  This was not on our original schedule, but when we realized we were only one hour away, we decided we needed to make a stop!  I'm glad we did, even though we didn't have time for any rides or attractions.  We took some pictures by the falls and then rode the trolley around the park.  It was very crowded!  Next time, we will be sure to plan for most of the day so we can get on the boat.  Although, Brooke was not excited about getting wet....

After leaving Niagara, we headed to Kirtland, Ohio.  It was there that the Latter Day Saints built their first temple and received many revelations in that temple.

 This is the sawmill, that my great-great grandfather, Joel Hills Johnson, built for the purpose of building the Temple. 

After we left Kirtland, we drove to Steak and Shake for dinner and shakes!  Yum!

The next morning, on our way home, we stopped by the Williams cousins.  It was great to catch up with them and our kids really hit it off, even though they only see each other less than once a year!

We had a great time, even though we packed a lot in!  It was a great trip with many memories!