2 little monkeys

Pierce and Brendon got into trouble the other night. We sent them to bed early. I guess we needed to be more specific. They ended up in our bed. We couldn't decide to be mad or snuggle with them.

Temple Trip

Austin had the opportunity to go to the Palmyra Temple for baptisms for the dead this morning. For those of you who do not know, the Temple sits on the original site of the Smith Family Farm and is directly across from the Sacred Grove and Hill Cummorah. This was the first time he was able to participate. He said it was a "special experience" and that the Temple was "all nice and the font room was very nice". He added that he "felt good while he was in there". The pictures are of the Alden Branch (our Branch) Deacon's and the Young Men/Young Women from the Branch.

1st Snow Fall

We recently had our first lake effect snow storm. It was pretty strange. The snow was coming down in globs. There was lightening mixed in and it rained alot. All in all, we did not get alot of snow. It ended up being a giant Slushy outside, but the boys had a great time. The first couple of pictures show the cloud development over Lake Erie.

Halloween Party

This evening, we were invited to attend a Halloween Party at the home of my boss. We had a great time. We decided to do the theme costume thing. I was Marc Antony, Tania was Cleopatra, and the boys were Roman Legionaires.

Baptism

Today was a special day for us. Pierce and Brendon were both baptized. They looked very handsome in their shirts that Grandma Bringhurst sent them. The baptism itself was very special and the Spirit was strong. For such a small branch, there were many members in attendance. The other 3 members in Tania's class also came. It was good to get to know them and their families. The Sister missionaries sang a beautiful song. Austin gave a talk on what it means to be baptized. After the baptism and confirmation, we had a great dinner in the Cultural Hall which consisted of fried chicken, ham, potato salad, and of course a HUGE bowl of delectable FROG EYE SALAD! No LDS gathering can be complete without either frog eye salad or funeral potatos! There were also tons of deserts. It was a special experience.

First Day of School

The boys started school today here in Lancaster. It was the first time that they all went to different schools. They only have 3 grades per school here. Believe it or not, Austin is in 7th grade this year.

Niagara Falls

Yesterday we went to Niagara Falls. We heard that the Canadian side was much better than the U.S. side, so we drove an extra 5 minutes and went to Canada. We did not realize how close we actually live. It took less than 20 minutes to get to the border and about 10 more to cross the border. Words cannot describe how beautiful the falls are. We walked from the rapids area down to were we boarded the Maid of the Mist. The boat takes you past the American Falls to the point where we were directly in front of Horseshoe Falls. The power of the water coming over the falls was incredible. The boat we going from side to side. I find it hard to believe that people actually put themselves in barrells and went over the falls. After seeing the sites, we drove out of the main tourist area to a little cafe and had a traditional Candadian meal of fries with gravy. It was a day that we will never forget and look forward to taking our family and friends to see this incredible place.

Lancaster, New York

We finally made it to our new home in Lancaster, New York. We are finally almost unpacked and getting settled in. Lancaster is a little village about 13 miles east of downtown Buffalo. It is a very quite, sleepy village. The location could not be better. It is 11.2 miles from our house to Fisher-Price and 11.8 miles to the University of Buffalo. The boys love the pool. I do not think I have ever seen them more tan. The humidty here is a bit tough to get used to, but for the most part, the weather is nice. The yard needs some work and my green thumb, but it is pretty much too late in the season for anything right now. There are some beautiful day lillies growing, but I definately need to start digging in the dirt. Stay tuned for more updates as we venture out to the surrounding areas like Niagara Falls, Ontario Canada, Palmyra and other places we really want to go visit.

Trip to NYC

Tania’s brother was finally able to get a visa for her mother to come from Haiti. This was the first time that the boys and I had ever met her mother, brother and the other 800 relatives (figuratively speaking). There was Cousin Fifi who is larger than life and chased the boys around to give them hugs and kisses.

It was an experience that is hard to put into words.

We spent the weekend in NYC. We did not do much sightseeing, but focused on building family bonds. We did take a drive into Manhattan one night to see the lights with Tania’s mom. It was beautiful, but we cut it short because it was terrifying to her mother. She has never been out of Haiti and to go from a place that has small, wood houses to massive concrete structures with people literally everywhere scared her to death.

On our last day we went to Coney Island. The whole experience is something that I will never forget. I feel complete now.

1LT Bringhurst

Sunday was an exciting day for the Bringhurst family. We have added another chapter to the story of our family. Tania was commissioned as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserves. This is in preparation for her Nurse Anesthetist training which will begin this Fall at the University of Buffalo. The boys and I are extremely proud of her.