Tuckahoe, NY

Saturday, July 17

When I am spending time with my family I really could care less what we are doing as long as we are together. And that is exactly how I feel when I am in Tuckahoe with Laura. But I did have one major request, to go to Trader Joe's. Trader Joe's is a grocery store that has some of the yummiest treats, cornbread, and fruit leathers ever made. So we went to Trader Joe's and ran a few other errands and then went to dinner at Outback Steakhouse. Later that night we had the funniest moment with Andrew. Since Andrew had taken a nap earlier in the day he wasn't tired so he was hanging out with Laura and I while we watched a movie. To say Andrew is a treat lover is an understatement; no matter what you are eating Andrew will come find you and ask, "What yours having?" While we were watching the movie I had some licorice behind my back and I was breaking pieces eating it so Andrew wouldn't see. A few minutes later Laura comes over and shows me her plan to eat licorice behind her back; I started laughing because I was already doing the exact same thing. About five minutes later Andrew said, "I smewl wicowice...can I have some wicowice?" We had a good laugh and decided he deserved licorice if he could smell it.

The licorice guy

Sunday, July 18

We started the day off right with banana pancakes and buttermilk syrup. We went to church and then spent some time relaxing at home. Laura is such a good mom and I love watching her mother her three children. She taught a family home evening; she is so good at having fun with her kids while teaching them the Gospel. Since it's a tradition to go to the duck pond whenever I am here we headed there after FHE.

Ring around the rosies...
...ends with a kiss attack from Abby and Andrew (and Bristol)
The duck pond
Monday, July 19
We went to CPK for lunch and ran a few errands and then headed into the city. We went to Niketown and I got some awesome new shoes and work out pants. Then the kids and Laura and I walked over to FAO Schwartz while Alan went to get the car but it was closed.

This is Andrew's signature picture pose

Abby doing some gymnastics moves

Tuesday, July 20
We went to Wilson Waves!
Connor in his cool sunglasses
Abby going down the slide
Laura and Andrew kicking it by the pool

In the Buchanan household every Tuesday night is a party. They watch Wipeout and make caramel popcorn (or camel popcoin according to Andrew). It was fun to be included in this little family tradition. Here we are enjoying some popcorn while watching the show.

Andrew reading us a story

Wednesday, July 21

I got to watch Newsies with the kids, which was a blast because they know almost every word to every song. Then it was time for me to go back to Georgia. I had such a great time being in New York with Laura; she is one of my closest friends. I love you Buchanan family!

Palmyra, NY

My cute little brother, Michael was in the Hill Cumorah Pageant in Palmyra, NY. Since my parents and Laura were going out to see him I decided I couldn't miss out either, especially since Georgia is so close (in comparison to Utah)!

Wednesday, July 14

My flight got in around 3PM and then we headed to the hotel. We mostly hung out that day. My parents went to the pageant and Laura and I stayed at the hotel with the kiddos.

So excited to finally be playing with these cute people!

Thursday, July 15

We went to the Smith cabin and frame house as well as the Sacred Grove. The last time I had been to the sites was in 1999, it was good to go back 11 years older. We stopped at the Palmyra temple after wards.

Outside of the Smith Log Cabin with Abby and Andrew
Where the Smith boys slept
Walking to the Frame House
In the Frame House this is one of the places where Joseph hid the golden plates
(Connor hates pictures, which would explain why I have so few with him in them.)
The Sacred Grove
The Palmyra Temple
Directly behind us is the Sacred Grove. The church had to get special permission to cut down some trees so that the Sacred Grove could be viewed from the temple.

On our way back to the hotel we stopped at McDonalds to get a fresh bev and we had quite the experience. The woman working handed my dad all four drinks at once and they spilled everywhere! I felt bad for Laura, because it was her car, and for my dad because he was covered in Diet Coke. Although we did have quite the laugh. We told the woman that she gave us some regular Cokes and we ordered Diet Cokes so she continued handing us drink after drink until we had double what we ordered. It was a disaster, but definitely an unforgettable moment.

8 fresh bevs for 4 people

After we got back to the hotel swimming was a must. The kids LOVED it.

We went to the Hill Cumorah Pageant that night. It was so good to see Michael; he is such a cute boy. I really enjoyed the pageant. It was so fun watching the Buchanan kids get so into it. Andrew definitely loved the "wamanites" the best. I loved the part when Christ comes to the Americas. Michael played the part of Nephi's brother Sam. He is in the scene where they partake of the fruit as well as a few others. He did a good job and I can tell he is enjoying the experiences he is having. The only thing that I didn't enjoy about our evening were the protesters that we had to listen to on our way in and on our way out. But, we didn't let it ruin our night. To read more about that read here.

Getting ready to head to Palmyra for the pageant

Michael before he put on his costume
Michael as Sam

Michael, as Sam, partaking of the fruit
Jesus Christ coming to the Americas

Friday, July 16

My parents flew home and Laura and I made the drive to Tuckahoe with the kids. We made it safely and then got settled at the house.

The Divine Virtues

My dad's newest book, The Divine Virtues is now on sale at Deseret Book, amazon.com and at cedarfort.com. It's about taking upon ourselves the divine nature. It’s about acquiring the Christlike attributes in our lives, little by little, day by day. It’s not a book that makes you feel guilty, but rather it makes you feel hopeful that you can try to become a little better every day.

As I've been reading The Divine Virtues it has inspired me to be better and to improve myself. And isn't that what this life is all about?

I'll be doing a giveaway, so leave a comment if you want to win your free copy of The Divine Virtues.

{If you can't find it in Deseret Book, make sure you ask!}