Fun With Grandma & Grandpa Brownell

Chagrin Falls

My Mom and Dad just left yesterday. They were able to come and stay for a week with us and we miss them already!! We started out our week with a trip to Chagrin Falls. It is the cutest little town! It looks like it came straight out of a magazine. The falls is right in the middle of town.

This is a little popcorn shop right at the top of the falls. We stopped there and got some caramel corn and an ice cream cone. It was so yummy!

Birthday Party

Then we came home and had a little birthday party for Jack. His birthday is still a week away but we wanted to do it while my parents were here. It turned out to be so fun! I stayed up late the night before (of course) and made these cupcakes.

Everything seemed to be going perfectly. We were singing Happy Birthday, Jack was smiling, and I was helping him blow out his one candle. But the second I blew it out for him, he grabbed it and burned his little hand!! How sad!! I can't believe I couldn't pull it away in time. I felt horrible!! I had to scrape candle wax off the inside of his hand....Sorry Jack!

Thankfully it took him about two seconds to taste the cupcake and forget all about his little burnt hand. He devoured it! The whole thing was gone in about two minutes.

Palmyra, New York

Jack and Justin at the Martin Harris farm.

We spent three days in Palmyra, NY. It is one of the most amazing places I have ever been. It is neat to be able to be on such sacred ground where so many significant events in church history took place. Everyone should take the time to go there at least once in their life.

This is down by the Erie Canal port. This also has significance in church history. The man who printed the Book of Mormon, E.B. Grandin, bought a printing press that could only be delivered by boat or it would have broke. He received it only months before Joseph Smith inquired of him about printing the Book of Mormon, which he could not have done with the previous printing press that he was using. It definitely shows me that Heavenly Father has everything mapped out just perfectly.

This is the Smith family log home, where Joseph was living when he had the first vision. Moroni also appeared to him four times here.

This is a statue of the first vision that they have in the visitor's center. I love it. It really showed Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ as real people, even just by the look on their faces. It was really beautiful.

This is inside the Sacred Grove. It was everything I ever imagined it to be. It is so beautiful! The feeling inside is indescribable. There is such a peaceful feeling there and a very strong spirit. I still can't believe we had the opportunity to be there! And the best part is, we are going back in July!

They have benches all throughout and trails that lead you in different directions around the grove.

This is the Peter Whitmer home.

This is the very room they organized the church in. It was filled with people, and Joseph Smith also received revelation during the organization.

This is a room upstairs in the Peter Whitmer home, where they translated much of the Book of Mormon.

This monument is on top of the Hill Cumorah where Joseph received the gold plates.

This is at the Palmyra temple looking out to the Sacred Grove.

Johnson Farm

After we came back to Cleveland, we were able to go to the John Johnson farm. This is where Joseph Smith was tarred and feathered. We are sitting on the original steps that he preached from the very next morning.

It was a great week! Thank you Mom and Dad for coming such a long way to see us! Jack misses you!!