24 July 2011

(style note: Sophie has decided to spell her name Sofi)

We spent this week in Utah for a family reunion with Brandan's family. We stayed most of the time in Eden, up in the mountains east of Ogden. The days whizzed by with lots of cousins to play with. Back row: Steph, Emma, Wade, Nate, Zoe, Brandan, Aaron, Sasha, Becky, Drue, Xander and Maggie. Front row: Kaylee, Helen, Sofi, Logan, Abe, Gibson, Salem, Parker, Dallin and Sutton. Not pictured are Brandan's Becky (taking the photo) and Dan, Linda, Jonny, Jaxson and Madison who left earlier.

We caravanned to Utah with friends headed in the same direction. It was a lovely way to travel. Our kids especially liked watching movies in the other van. We took this photo just before we split off from each other near the end of our trip. 

We spent our first day at Lagoon, an amusement park our kids have driven by dozens of times, but which they've never been to. The park exceeded their expectations. Going with the cousins made the day extra nice. The photo shows some of the kids on a train ride (we filled an entire car.) From the left are Sutton, Sofi, Helen, Logan, Abe, Salem and Kaylee.

 

Gibson's face may not show it, but this was one of his favorite rides. He took his responsibility to steer the little car around the track very seriously. 

This photo is of Becky's favorite ride, Rattlesnake Rapids. It also happens to be slow enough that you can take photos of the passengers. The photo shows Abe, Sofi and Madison going on their third straight ride. Abe and Madison are soaked, but Sofi is mysteriously dry.

 

The raft sailed through a waterfall and Sofi was dry no longer.

 

Here are Becky, Kaylee, Helen and Parker returning from their trip through the rapids. It was a hot day and we dried off quickly. 

This is Sofi with her newest little cousin, Emma.

 

We spent Friday night with Wade and Steph's family. Saturday was Pioneer Day in Utah. Pioneer Day rivals the 4th of July with parades, parties and fireworks. Wade and Steph's neighborhood held a big breakfast in the cul de sac-- pancakes, ham, eggs and hashbrowns, tablecloths and centerpieces, a flag ceremony and a bike parade, the National Guard climbing wall and Chaos the police dog-- a pretty amazing neighborhood event. Some of the neighbors came dressed as pioneers and one man wore stilts.   ~   Sofi spoke in our Sacrament Meeting today for Pioneer Day. Her talk wasn't very long (but it was very good) so we'll include it here:

  ~  Fifeshire, Scotland is a coal mining district. The first recorded mining was in the year 1291. It has been mined ever since. For a lot of that time, mining conditions were horrible. In the 1600s, miners were bound to the land, essentially making them slaves. Even after that law was repealed, the shifts were long, dark, and dusty, and you worked all your life, starting when you were very young. Finally, in 1842, a law was passed, banning women, girls, and boys under 10 from working underground.

  ~  Around that time, my ancestors, Janet and Thomas Lowe, lived there and worked the mines. During the day, Thomas ran the lift that hauled the miners up. Janet ran the same lift at night. Sadly, in 1850, Thomas died, leaving Janet, and several young sons alone. Shortly afterward, they were visited by LDS missionaries. They were soon converted. Janet eventually moved to Utah, and lived there for the rest of her life.

  ~  This spring, my dad and I had the chance to go to Scotland and Northern Ireland to do family history work. We spent a lot of time at records offices, tracking down family members. We also visited places where our family lived, including Hillfoot farm, the old family farm in Northern Ireland, and Fifeshire, Scotland, where Janet and Thomas lived. It was very neat, being where our ancestors had lived their lives. I found it very interesting, learning about the foreign things that would have been a part of their everyday lives. It really made me appreciate how difficult it was for them. I think that the scripture Malachi 4:6 (read scripture.) Janet Lowe showed her love to her descendants by striving to choose the right path, not the easy path, so that I can enjoy the full benefits of the gospel, and of family. I can turn my heart to her, by being thankful for her sacrifices, remembering her impact in my life, and going back beyond her, to her ancestors, and connecting them to our family tree through temple ordinances. The prophet Joseph Smith emphasizes the importance of family trees in D&C 128:17 and 18 (read scripture.)