Youth Conference 2010

Palmyra, NY

Margot and Anika

Penelope

Here we are walking in the Sacred Grove. We had a wonderful day, just enjoying the place, and each other. There's something really special about spending time with your family doing something out of the ordinary, making memories.

Someone told Toby to be quiet, because this was a sacred place. "WHY?" he asked(like always). "Because Heavenly Father and Jesus came here." So he started looking for Jesus. Jesus was not satisfactorily found inside the log.

Field in the Grove

Kimber

Makiah: "Where is Toby going?!"

Me: "To pray."

Margot and Toby

The Smith farmhouse

Makiah and Toby, walking up the hill(the mountain, as Margot insisted on calling it).

This is the monument at the top of Cumorah. It has been said that this is the spot where the plates were buried(which is really unimportant, but interesting nonetheless).

Makiah, Nephi, Anika, Margot, Toby

Toby hijacked my camera, and apparently is a bit of a photographer:

This one's Toby's, too:

There are more than 650 costumed volunteer cast members of the Hill Cumorah Pageant. It is the world's largest outdoor pageant, featuring a 10-level stage, 12 tower lighting, amazing special effects, including Christ descending from Heaven in a most compelling way, and includes a live person falling off a legitimate cliff. The script was written by Orson Scott Card, an award-winning author, and performed by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, also award-winning, and called "America's Choir" by President Reagan.

The message of the pageant is "come unto Christ." The hill is a very special place. It is a place of peace.

My Recent Life

I live in a zoo; I live in a zoo. He smells like a monkey, and he acts like one too!

...meet Mopp, Nephi's new flame.

They're quite the couple.

Makiah's ready for college. At least, she knows how to eat like she's there.

We are all fascinated and in love with Toby's 'fro. With all these sisters, he's bound to take good care of his awesome hair.

Sometimes people ask me if Nephi is "girlie" because he has so many sisters. I always point out the fact that he's a soccer star, and loves cars, and is always dirty- but then he picks up my purse and does this.

I love my brothers!

Toby calls all bugs bees. Look! a bee!

We found this lovely butterfly. It didn't really want its picture taken.

Toby wasn't able to walk to whole way.

Anika ...."walking."

Nephi, the Water Bender

My brother Nephi wishes he were the avatar. He's practicing water bending on the trampoline.

Mr. George

This is George Lincoln Barnhart, our Cat.

He is very old. In cat years, he is 64.

"Round the cathedral rang "vivat!"

Life to the everlasting cat."

-CATS the musical

I think he is very handsome.

You know, I've gotta say, I think animals are people, too. I'm not about to stop eating steak, or donate money to save the whales(I hate whales), but George is a kind little people. He likes getting and giving attention.

...and to be honest, I'm not really a cat person, so that's saying something.

A lot of people aren't very good at listening. They're excellent talkers, and excellent analyzers, and they excel at many things, but are just terrible at stopping, listening, understanding, and proceeding accordingly. So maybe George doesn't understand, or tell me anything in return for my thoughts(Except that he wants food, or that he loves me), but I'd have to say he's pretty good at listening.

We still sometimes get little voles and mice on our doorsteps. He protects us from rodents! That's part of the telling-us-that-he-loves-us part.

A noble cat, indeed.