Life after "This is Kirtland!"

So, it was a little bittersweet and emotional to end the Kirtland play this year. Having done it for two years now, I had grown to love the area's history and the people who were portrayed with their hardships and faith and love. It was a lot of fun (and stress) to have Olivia do the play with me, but I couldn't have been prouder of her. She did so good every night, and didn't once do something out of character (except when she was poking- and I mean practically hitting- the man playing Joseph during the "Spirit of God" song because she forgot her handkerchief to wave at the end. She just kept saying "I need my hanky!" over and over in a loud whisper until someone behind her gave up theirs for her).

Anyway, we decided to break down and actually take a vacation of some sort this summer. My parents, my sister Kelli and her family, and my younger brother were out here to watch Olivia (yes, not me, but Olivia) in the Kirtland play and while they were here we thought we'd have a little fun and go see Niagara Falls and Palmyra. Let me tell you, taking 4 kids ages 4, 3, 2, and 1 on a road trip was quite an adventure in itself.

First we stopped at Niagara Falls. We stayed on the American side and Adam and I stayed behind with Jack and the strollers while every one else went on the Maid of the Mist. We've already done the boat twice and Jack would have probably found a way to go overboard if we let him on a boat, so we stayed back. That was a feat in itself, keeping Jack from throwing his sippy cup, his binky, or his shoes over the observation deck. Typical family picture- Adam and I are smiling while neither kid is smiling nor looking at the camera...

Next off was Palmyra, which I was really looking forward to because I love church history. We got into the hotel around 4pm and went straight from there to Hill Cumorah. They were taking down the pageant set and I had really wanted to see it, but it was still cool to see the set (it's huge!). We were the only people on the hill, which, by the way, is a killer hike. Could they maybe invest in an elevator by the time I visit again. I was so burned out by the time I reached the top, all I had energy for was picture taking and telling Adam that his children were running around by the stairs. Anyway, it was a beautiful hill and view and it was so amazing to be at the site where the Book of Mormon was hidden.The monument on Hill Cumorah.Olivia and her cousins Roman and Hayden playing near the monument. My dad is in the back making sure Jack doesn't run off.

The next morning we went to the Grandin Press building where the Book of Mormon was first published. This was a really cool place, and an even better place for the kids to get into trouble. Some of the building was the actual brickwork and such but some was a restoration. They showed us how things were printed back then, how they were bound into a book, and even showed us some works by Grandin himself. It's amazing how they were able to make such good quality books back when there was so little to work with.They kept all the little pieces for printing in these boxes, like all the letters and punctuation marks. They had the printing office on the top floor in order to get as much sunlight as possible.After printing, they would lay the papers on these rods until all the papers were done and ready to be bound together. The folding, cutting and binding process was confusing to me, so I'm not even going to try and explain it to you.

We then went to the Palmyra Temple. We wanted to do a session there, but with all the kids that would have been impossible unless we stayed another day. The temple is a smaller one but the grounds and the temple are beautiful.

Jack was fascinated with the temple, or maybe it was the Moroni on top. Since the temple is so small you can see the statue really well.Well, at least Olivia is smiling, even if she isn't looking at the camera. I think we need professional help when it comes to family pictures (although I'm sure we need professional help in other areas too).

My dad, mom and Kory in front of the temple. Now they know how to take a family picture.

Last (but not least) we visited the Joseph Smith farm, frame house and Sacred Grove. We could see these huge dark grey clouds in the distance and hear the thunder as well, so we knew we didn't have a ton of time before the rain came pouring down. We were told that summer storms in this part of New York are awesome (as in a ton of rain and really loud thunder).

Really, though, I love church history and this was the part of the tour I was really looking forward to. The log house, which was the first house the Smiths lived in while the frame house was being built, was so small! There wasn't a lot of furniture and the boys and girls lived upstairs in separate bedrooms.

The log home from the outside and the upstairs bedrooms. The boys slept in the front room and the girls slept in the room in the back.

Then we saw the frame home, which was so amazing considering that it was built so long ago without the tools and big trucks we have today. We saw the hearth where the golden plates were hidden once when rumor had it someone was going to try and steal them. We saw the kitchen and front rooms along with some items the family may have used when they lived there.

After that we were free to roam the property. The Smiths were involved in a lot of different ventures, like corn, barrel making in their cooper shop, trapped small animals for fur, they had an apple orchard and raised livestock among other things. The Smiths had a great work ethic and were able to prosper in their efforts. Their property was really big, including the corn field, apple orchard, and grove of trees. While we were on our way to the Sacred Grove, Jack kept sitting down and playing with the rocks. He refused to walk and made my Dad carry him to the grove. We realized that the kids had been walking almost all day and Jack was just so tired that although he usually hates to be carried, that is all he wanted. Adam had to carry him the entire way through the Grove (and we weighed him at the doctor yesterday... he really is 30 lbs!).

The Grove was beautiful. I always thought that the Sacred Grove was a specific spot in the trees, like it was roped off and everything. So for a while I was like "Where is it?" and my parents were like "We're here!" and I was so frustrated until Adam explained that it's possible that no one knows exactly where Joseph Smith was when he was visited by Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Am I the only one who thought that? Anyway, it was so peaceful there. My parents went down one path, Adam and Jack and I went down another, and my sister, brother-in-law and brother, Kory, went with the kids down another. I think Adam and I probably had a quieter view of the Grove than my sister, but oh well! I loved hearing the birds singing and seeing all the beautiful greenery. It really was as peaceful and quiet as you would imagine, even with other people there and the birds singing. You could feel deep down that this was a place touched by God. I could imagine a young Joseph kneeling here, and I can see exactly why he chose this place of all places to do so.

We made it out of the Grove just as the rain started. We went back to the hotel and had lunch in the lobby and then went to downtown Palmyra again so we could stop at Alvin Smith's grave, go to the bookstore and then get ice cream. We sat outside under a tent as we ate and the kids loved the rain and thunder. All in all, the trip was a success. I had a lot of fun with my family (like playing Mexican Train until 11pm with the adults and then losing last minute when Adam's and my final round ended at 188 points!), the kids loved hanging out with each other, and we learned a few things about traveling with kids.