My Joy – Page 25 – Just another WordPress site

12/19/2021

We were very excited to be able to go to NY this year for Christmas! We are going to try out the new car and see if this smaller SUV will work for our trips. If not we may need to trade it in for something bigger. We packed it up and settled in for the drive:

I guess it’s comfortable back there:

**Continuing the tradition of window stickers on the way to NY.**

We drove until about midnight and then got a hotel for the night.

12/21/2021

Ice in the hotel parking lot!

This year we decided to stop at the Priesthood Restoration Site, a church historic site where several significant events of the Restoration occurred, located in Oakland Township, Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania:

One of the site missionaries came out and welcomed us to the site:

We then went into the visitors center:

Then we took a tour of the historic homestead:

Joseph and Emma Smith Home:

Isaac and Elizabeth Hale home:

We got to tour inside:

Then we explored a trail on the property:

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Of course mom finds a trail for us even on our Christmas trip!

We decided to have lunch by the Susquehanna River (where Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery were baptized):

It was a beautiful day!

Time to get back on the road and head to NY. WE made it to snow in no time!:

**We are definitely not on Florida anymore!**

We made one more (unplanned) stop along the way:

A short hike (1.5 miles round trip) to a waterfall!! This was a little waterfall at the beginning of the trail!

Back on the trail with one last look:

It was very chilly, but a gorgeous day!

A frozen section to “play” on:

Can you guess what they are after up there?

We made it to the Big Waterfall!

The happy couple!

There was a lot of ice everywhere. Lizzy fell on the ice because she was running (right next to the sign that said no running due to slippery ice!). No injury and no more running.

We all helped mom slide across the ice to get closer to the waterfall:

One last look!

We made it to Geneva, NY, stopped by the Airbnb, and then went to Grandpa Ed and Grandma Joyce’s house:

Tradition has it that we celebrate Lizzy and Dad’s December birthdays with Grandpa and Grandpa:

**Making a wish with the first cut (Italian tradition.)**

**Birthday cards from Grandpa and Grandma.**

Gifts from Grandpa and Grandma:

Birthday dance by Rachel:

It is so nice to be able to visit Grandpa Ed and Grandma Joyce! Time to get back to the Airbnb for some sleep because we have some fun things planned for tomorrow.

12/22/2021

We had such a wonderful visit at the priesthood restoration site in Pennsylvania we decide to go visit the Peter Whitmer Farm and visitors center in Fayette, NY:

**It would be interesting to come back for the opening of this sealed box!**

We also toured to Peter Whitmer cabin:

We went back inside to watch a new video about the restoration:

Although we come to church here at the Peter Whitmer Farm chapel when we visit each year at Christmas, this is our first time in this visitor center. Although we have visited the cabin as a family when the girls were very little.

Time to go help Grandma Joyce decorate her Christmas cookies:

**Rachel was very creative with the sprinkles!**

**Grandma Joyce is so good she doesn’t even have to look at the cookies to decorate them!**

**Dad was very focused and Grandpa Ed was supervising all our work!**

**Mom also got creative and Lizzy finished off the frosting (hands in the jar) when she was done decorating.**

It snowed while we were decorating the cookies:

12/23/2021

The next morning we went to the lake:

Snowball Fight!!

We went to go visit Aunt Alice and Uncle Ted (mom’s Aunt and Uncle-Grandma in heaven’s brother) in Stanley, NY:

We brought some handmade Christmas gifts:

**We made personalized mugs for each of them.**

The girls helped their cousins make Christmas cookies:

It was a big job with a lot of cookies!

We had a very nice visit and we went home with some delicious cookies!

Then we went to Uncle Chuck’s house in Seneca Falls, NY for a visit with him and Gabe (Eric was a work):

We made some personalized gifts for them as well:

Time to go back to Grandpa Ed and Grandma Joyce’s house. They made us a big container of yummy cookies!

**Decisions, decisions. Which one to try first?!**

12/24/2021

We went to visit our cousins (Mom’s first cousins and their family) in Canandaigua, NY:

We received some gifts as well:

Mom’s cousin John and his wife Nicole:

**Their very, very friendly and excited dog!**

Back at the lake there was a teeny, tiny bit of snow left for a very small snowball fight:

Not much snow left!

December 25th, 2021

Christmas day preparations. We decided we wanted to do mom’s make-up today and she agreed to let us!:

We took turns working our magic on Mom’s face:

Beautiful! Mom should let us do her make-up more often!

Lizzy’s turn, but she wanted to do her own make-up:

Mother-daughter make-up looks:

Off to Grandpa Ed and Grandma Joyce’s house for Christmas!

We had Shrimp for an appetizer and then a delicious meal ~ Thank you Grandma Joyce! Time to open gifts:

Christmas cards first:

Gifts too:

We made them both hand decorated mugs:

**Apparently we forgot to decorate the bottom of the mug.**

Our turn:

Snack bags are always fun!

Clover really liked the bully stick from us:

We had a very nice visit with everyone in NY but it’s time to head back home to Florida:

**A pretty sunset somewhere, perhaps Virginia, along the way back home.**

Welcome back home! Merry Christmas!

**Luna loved the gator from Grandpa Ed and Grandma Joyce!**

We all enjoyed going through the stockings:

**The gum was especially a big hit with Lizzy!**

Luna has some more stocking stuffers:

The cats and rabbit too:

Dad got some of his favorites:

Mom’s favorite color!

Dark chocolate of course!

After stockings we always open the gift we symbolically “give” to Jesus. Lizzy started this years ago and so she takes the lead in opening “the Jesus gift”:

Lizzy opened her first gift:

A handmade card from Lizzy to Mom:

And one to Dad from Lizzy as well:

To Rachel as well:

**Ivy LED lights for Rachel for the bedroom.**

A gift for both of us from mom:

**Nail care and other beauty products we can share!**

Lizzy gave mom a hiking book she wanted:

Rachel’s gift for mom made her smile big too:

From Lizzy to Dad:

Rachel to Dad:

A gift from mom:

Lizzy really liked this one:

From Dad to Mom:

And Mom to Dad:

Mom gave another one to Dad:

Back to us for our “Bog” gifts:

**A long board for Rachel and a laptop for Lizzy!**

Dad gave mom a smart watch:

And mom gave Dad a pressure washer:

While we cleaned up Luna played with her gator from Grandpa Ed and Grandma Joyce!

January 2nd, 2022

Christmas with the Araque family:

Something for Luna of course!

Lots of treats in Lizzy’s bag:

Art supplies for Rachel:

A gift for Dad:

A candle for Mom:

What a wonderful Christmas spent with family and friends. We are so grateful for the Savior Jesus Christ who has set the example for us and gives His loves for us and invites us to love one another!

12/14/2021

We went to Yo3 Metro Frozen Yogurt Shop:

Our neighbor friends left birthday gifts at the door while we were away:

Another bag with treats:

We later had the Araque family over for a celebration. We had pizza then we lit a candle for Lizzy to make a wish (she wanted Yo3 Frozen yogurt so we didn’t get to light a candle at the shop).