From East Coast To West

Surprise! I'm back on the blog. I know it's been way too long since my last post...sorry for that. A few weeks ago, we moved back to our homeland: scenic Idaho! And we've been busy as ever getting settled down here and spending time with all our dearly missed family members.

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Before we left the East Coast, however, we made one last road trip. This one was to Palmyra, NY. We had put off this trip a couple times because we weren't looking forward to the 6 hour car ride, but we were so glad we finally went.

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In fact, the boys did just fine during the long drive. It wasn't till we pulled into the campgrounds that we'd be staying at, that Nathan--who had been the perfectly patient little passenger--finally let his boredom get the better of his emotions:

Trever, on the other hand, was overjoyed to have finally arrived in Palmyra. I think he asked us, "Are we there yet?" only a couple dozen times or so....haha.

While TJ and I set up camp, the boys had fun playing with their new-found friend:

Ribbit!
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Our first historical stop was at the old Grandin Publishing Press where the Book of Mormon was first published.

The publishing shop is no longer in service, but has been restored to it's original 1830's character.

We were led through the shop on a guided tour that took us back in time.

I was amazed by how much work went into printing books back then. Each metal letter of every word was placed on the paper by hand--592 pages worth for the Book of Mormon, times 5,000 copies!!! And it only took 2 years, which after the whole publishing process was explained seemed really fast!

I gained a great sense of gratitude for the sacrifices made to publish the Book of Mormon after that tour.
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Our boys, however, were much more bored than impressed. So after the tour, we sweetened them up with some old-fashioned ice cream.....

then, took them to see the Martin Harris farm:

Martin Harris selflessly sold 151 acres of his farm to pay the $3,000 cost of publishing the Book of Mormon.

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At the end of the day, we went to the Hill Cumorah and watched the famous Hill Cumorah Pageant. It was spectacular!

Unfortunately, no flash photography was permitted during the outdoor, night-time production, so I just caught this one quick shot before the show began. If you're interested in seeing more pictures of the show, you can visit http://www.hillcumorah.org/ and also get more info about it.

We loved it!

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The next morning, we returned to the Hill Cumorah for a peaceful hike up the tree-covered hillside.

At the top of the hill, stood a monument with a gold-plated statue of Moroni at the top.

TJ and I felt so much gratitude for the opportunity to visit these significant places that played such an important role in the restoration of Jesus Christ's true church.
And the best was yet to come...

This is the Smith Family Farm.

And this is a replica of the Smith's Log home, originally built in 1816. Joseph Smith, Jr. lived here with his parents and 8 other siblings.

And this was Joseph, Jr.'s peaceful bedroom.

We stopped to admire a lovely view of the Palmyra temple on our walk to visit the frame house where Joseph and his wife Emma moved into in 1827.

Outside, we visited the barn and admired the beauty of the land.

The inside of the barn revealed a hand-carved Timber Frame structure, pinned together with wooden dowels.

And last of all, behind the farm, we visited the spot that TJ and I had been so eager to see all weekend:
The ever-so Sacred Grove.

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We were so very glad that we'd made that last road trip up to Palmyra. Our knowledge, understanding, and testimony of the church's restoration was enlarged and enlightened. This will definitely remain one of our best memories of life on the East Coast.
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Before I knew what hit me, I was sitting on a plane with our boys, flying to Idaho.

The first two hours went smoothly, while the DVD player had power, but then the batter died and it was up to my own creative devices to keep the kids entertained for the next 3 hours.
Luckily, Trever fell asleep for part of the time and then Nathan got to sit by the window--which he found fascinating...much to my relief. So after that 5 hour flight, a 3 hour layover, and another hour in the air, we finally landed. It was a VERY long day--to say the least.
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But, as always, it was well worth the trip. It was so great to see all of our family that we'd missed for so long and we got busy right away having fun.

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A few days after we arrived was the annual "Pioneer Day" celebration. So we took the boys to a Pioneer Day Parade in St. Anthony.

I loved seeing all the beautiful floats and the kids loved the candy.

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Then, we went on a canoe trip with my parents and siblings down the lovely Snake River.

Trever couldn't wait to get on the water, but Nathan was a little more cautious.

Of course, once we got going, he decided it was pretty cool.

Another fun activity was joining some of Trever & Nathan's cute cousins at the Tautphaus Park Zoo.

We saw....

Lions,

and Tigers,

and Goats. Oh My!

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Trever couldn't wait to play at the local Spray Park, too:

And, one evening, I invited my brother's family to join us at the Egin Lakes for a fun night of splashing and sand castles.

And just look at that sunset! I love Idaho skies! Nothing compares.

We spent another beautiful day with TJ's awesome family in Island Park.
The boys played in the river with their fun cousins.

Isn't it beautiful?!

We also drove up to Moose Creek that afternoon, and what did we see?

A moose in Moose Creek! Her baby came out into the water, too, but I was safe inside the car with the kids by then. (Mother Moose are known to be very aggressive.)

After the Moose had clearly left the area, we all spent some more time splashing in the water and enjoying the beautiful day.

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We've been up to more than I've even got pictures of, however. We went to my family's "Family Reunion," we've been four-wheeler riding, horseback riding and having all sorts of great family get-togethers. It's just so great to be home!

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And, don't worry, now that we're settled down, I shouldn't be taking any more long breaks from blogging...so stayed tuned for next week's adventures in the Wild West!