Sneak Peak

 The library furniture arrived this week, and the cabinetry maker came by to snap a few photos for an advertisement he's putting in the Bismarck Parade of Homes catalog.   Our actual builder will be coming back to photograph the entire house when the kitchen back splash is done and the grass is grown in.  Until then, however, here's a little sneak peak of the finished library....

Fruit Trees

Finishing off His Birthday

Well, Spencer got to celebrate his birthday in phases this year.  Phase one was before we left on the RV trip.  Phase two was on his actual birthday.  And phase three was the day after we got home.  He waited so patiently to open all of his presents, and when he pulled the Robert E. Lee Civil War rifle-sword replica out of it's box, all of his waiting was finally worth it.  Seeing this gun was love at first sight.  He thought the Lord of the Rings Tower of Orthanc and Pirate Ship Ambush were pretty cool too, but then again, he doesn't sleep with his Lego Treebeard.  The Robert E Lee, on the other hand, now that thing hasn't been detached from his body for days! It actually has a trick lever that will allow you to pull out an actual sword from the barrel of the gun, which could prove a deadly play toy in the wrong hands, but Spencer guards that gun with his life.  I wish we could have found a Union replica, but this was the best we could get that was lifelike, but not real.  I'm not sure how many more years we will continue to add to his arsenal, but as long as he stays a "solider for the Lord" as well, I guess I've learned not to really mind.

Back Home...

...and getting a new driveway.

The Great RV Trip Part IV

Well, after the baptism, it was time for the fourth and final leg of our great RV trip--East Coast style!  It was a few hour drive from Pennsylvania to New York City, but before we knew it we were pulling into Liberty State Park and preparing for the rest of our Fourth of July Celebration.  

First up was our Statue of Liberty Ferry Cruise and Pedestal Tour.  Then we grabbed a bite to eat and made our way back to the dock to catch our Fourth of July Harbor Cruise.  We paid a premium to get all ten of us onto the boat, but it was definitely worth every penny. Especially since once we were on board we found out that Nick's sister and her family had flown in and were also on board as a holiday surprise.  It made the day even that much better.

Really everything culminated in that night as we cruised around listening to patriotic music, singing and dancing and seeing the sites.  Indeed, there was something absolutely profound about listening to one of my favorite Fourth of July songs--the Neil Diamond classic "Coming to America"-- as we circled Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.  It was amazing!  Now I know I'm somewhat of a patriotic fool, that person who always cries when the soldiers march by in the Fourth of July parades, but what can I say!  I just love America.  I am so grateful for God's hand in forming this great country.  I believe in American exceptionalism!  I have a testimony of the destiny of this country just the same as I have a testimony of the prophet and the scriptures.  And watching the Fourth of July fireworks in historical locations makes this holiday that I love even better.  We've seen the Washington D.C. Capital Fourth.  We've seen the second rated show in the nation over the St. Louis Arch.  We've seen the fireworks over Mt. Rushmore. Now we can add New York Harbor to our list.  Some day we'll make it to Independence Hall for the traditional reading of the Declaration before the fireworks show, but for now we'll be content with our memories of the many great places we've already been.

Our next day in New York, and the final sight-seeing day of our trip, was also a day to remember.  We spent the morning exploring the city on foot.  We went to the Twin Towers Memorial, wandered onto Wall Street, and made a stop at Federal Hall where George Washington placed his hand on the Holy Bible and took the Oath of Office as America's first president. After we were tired out from walking, we took an afternoon nap, freshened up, and then hit the hard Rock Cafe for dinner.   Then it was off to an evening Broadway Show--Phantom of the Opera.  It had been years since Nick and I had seen the shown--the last time was probably in London!  It was also the kids first time to see anything on Broadway, other than the Rockettes that is.   We had been indoctrinating them with the music for weeks, and all our hard work paid off.  They simply loved the show, and they did a pretty good job of keeping up with what was going on.  In fact, as we were leaving the theater I turned to Spencer and asked what he thought of the show.  He thought for a moment and then suddenly burst into tears!  He was so moved by the Phantom's story that he couldn't control his emotions.  It was so sweet, and yet another moment of tenderness and glimpse into the inner soul of this little man that is so wise beyond his years.  I just love that boy!!  And I just love New York City.  What a fun way to end our day and wrap up what was yet another amazing Hoskins' Family Vacation.

One Handsome Little Man

The Great RV Trip Part III: The Baptism

Well, I think it's pretty obvious from Spencer's Baptism announcement what this leg of the RV trip will entail: His baptism of course.  

This was the true highlight of the whole trip, despite all of the other fun and spiritual sight-seeing we were able to do.  The day kicked off just as Madison's baptism day did, with Spencer reading the last chapter of the Book of Mormon to his Grandpa McArthur.  With Spencer's reading struggles, finishing the Book of Mormon before he got baptized was much harder for him than it was for Madison.  By a month out, he and mommy were having to read for over an hour a day to try and keep up with our timeline.  There were times that our reading sessions ended with both of us in tears, and many, many prayers for help and patience.  In the end, however, he made everyone so proud by finally meeting his goal!  And it was an accomplishment that will bless him for the rest of his life!!

After finishing up his scripture reading, Spencer and Nick put on their whites, and we all trucked down the trail to the Susquehanna River bank to find the perfect spot for the big event.  There had been reports of flash flooding the night before, not to mention a potential hurricane warning for the coastal areas directly east of us, but in answer to prayer, everything at the site where Joseph and Oliver were baptized was calm as could be.  Calm, and gratefully, quite warm.  We set up our camp chairs and the meeting began.  I conducted, Spencer's grandmothers gave the prayers, his grandfathers gave the talks, his sisters performed a special musical number, and his father had the honor of performing the baptismal ordinance.  It was exactly the way I had imagined it, and Spencer was beaming as he came up from the water.  He likewise beamed after his father finished confirming him.  Over the past year he has spent so much time thinking and preparing for this day.  He has studied and prayed and taken his baptismal covenant so seriously.  He even pulled me aside one day after scripture reading to ask if his "garments were spotted."  It was so sweet, and the valiance of his little spirit just shines through in his eyes.  We are all so proud of him and his choice to be baptised!  Way to go Spence!!

Announcing....

The Great RV Trip Part II

Alright, I'm back again to discuss leg number two of our trip.  As I said in the last post, most of leg number one went just as planned, though I can say running into a black bear in the middle of a New Hampshire freeway and screaming like a two-year old wasn't originally on the agenda!  Leg two, on the other hand, went considerably different than we originally worked out.  This was largely due to another en-route, hair-brained idea that I got, and much to his credit, that Nick consented to.  The idea was this--why not drive a "little" into the night and make it over to Kirtland, Ohio too, after all, we were sort of in the "general" vicinity.  We didn't have to stay in Kirtland long, just visit the temple, the Whitney Store, and a few other minor sights.  Then we could hit Niagara Falls before pulling back into Palmyra for the night.  It would leave us with all of Palmyra and Fayette to do on the same day, but I was convinced we could swing it.   

And it was well worth the sacrifice!  

 Here we all are on leg two, kicking off, as you can see, on Spencer's 8th Birthday!