Marathon blog update

So May and June have flown by! The following are some shots of our latest escapades:

Last Monday Joshua took a day off from work and we all went to Niagara Falls--Joshua and the kids have already been there, but this was my first visit. The Falls are pretty incredible.

We parked on the American side and then walked over a bridge to the Canadian side, where the view was much more spectacular.

A couple of weeks ago, Joshua took Ethan on their first Fathers and Sons outing, and I think they had a great time! They went to a church owned camp area by Seneca Lake, about an hour away.
They built a fire, toasted some marshmallows, enjoyed a fireside, and played some games. They also brought along a youth who is investigating the Church.

They stayed in cabins with other people from the stake. Joshua and Ethan shared a twin bunk on a bunkbed, so I don't think they got much sleep. It was the first outing of hopefully many more to come!

On Memorial Day we went to a parade downtown, and it was a lot of fun. We came back loaded with parade fare--tootsie rolls and suckers, bead necklaces, miniature flags, and plenty of business and political handouts.
Everyone wore red, white and blue to the parade. Thanks to all those who have sacrificed so much for our country.

This delectable dish is Joshua's replication of a recipe he found in an LDS Living email. He took refrigerator rolls with chocolate chips in the middle, rolled in sugar and cocoa drizzled in a cinnamon sauce. It was really tasty and decadent.

Although our monthly family visits to the temple have lagged surrounding Christian's birth, we got back on track in time to enjoy Palmyra and the Sacred Grove in the Spring.
Look familiar? The title picture on our blog is one we found of the Sacred Grove off the internet, but these are ones Joshua took.

Random snippets:

The other day Julia surprised me with her construction of the Zumble-Zay we read about in Marvin K. Mooney (by Dr. Seuss, one of their favorites). I was impressed with the magic she was able to do with Duplo blocks, a hair ribbon, and a toy elephant. Compare with the original below-

Ethan's newest bedfellows are this dump truck or his school bus. He waits until after we tuck him in and then gathers them into his bed to sleep with instead of his stuffed animals.

I can't stop squeezing Christian's chubby legs. I love the rolls!