Spring 2011, Part One

We had a fun spring - a busy spring! Our big family trip was going to upstate NY with the Apkes over spring break. It was a brave endeavor (at least for us) as we were going to spend a good portion of it in the car. The kids were great, no one threw up, and no one lost their temper. Must be a record. We went to Palmyra and the temple there, along with Hill Cumorah and the Smith Farm. We also stopped in Syracuse and had some Dinosaur Barbecue. Driving through our old home was a strange mix of feeling like we never left and feeling like we left a hundred years ago. Those were such formative years for us and we had fond memories as we told the kids about living there. We hit Niagara Falls, and Cooperstown too. This trip could have been a disaster, but everything went soooo smoothly!

Here we are at the Palmyra Temple:

And then we went on over to the Sacred Grove at the Smith Farm. Tate, Dad and Walker walked through the Grove together. It is amazing how peaceful and beautiful it is there. It was even a raw, rainy, windy day, and still it seemed like there couldn't be a more beautiful place on earth. You feel the sacred nature of the things that took place there so many years ago.

Aren't those fences so neat? They are recreations of the fences that they used on their farm, and wound all around their land. I loved looking at them, following their winding lines with my eye.

Here we are at the Smith log home. It is hard to imagine an entire family living in such a small space. We are so spoiled today!

Here Seth is looking at the Smith Family Bible (I think...or at least some Bible that is really old). See the guy behind him? He was commissioned by the church to come out and re-paint the mural behind the Christus at the Visitor's Center at Hill Cumorah. I think he said it would take him about six weeks.

This was the home that the Smith's built slowly, hoping to move into it someday. Things didn't work out as planned and they ended up back in the log home.

One of the many times mobs came to steal the golden plates, they were hidden under the bricks of the hearth, like here.

The barn...

And on to Hill Cumorah.

It really is awe-inspiring to walk around this place and think of the golden pates being buried there so long ago, and then pulled from the ground by Joseph Smith. It gave me such an awareness that Heavenly Father really is in charge of things.

This trip was great, but it was so much more so because we got to be with the Apkes. We are lucky to have such great friends in them.

Walker and Kathryn were adorable. They kept holding hands and hugging.

Here is Tate reading from the Book of Mormon (or Bible?) at the Visitor's Center. He was so cool. And if you look behind him, you can see the trees are painted two different tones, and you definitely see the scaffolding. The darker tones are where the artist has been working. The missionaries were talking about how amazing it is to watch him work. He is so focused on the most minute details. Because the room is surrounded by floor to ceiling windows, the mural fades over time.

Tate and Mason watching a movie.

I loved this display...it showed the languages the Book of Mormon is published in. Each book on that table is a different language. The gospel really is reaching all lands on the earth.

Our last stop on our trip was the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. We thought this would be a great way to end it, but the truth is by then the kids were all museumed-out and weren't all that interested. Here are Tate and Seth in front of a statue of Jackie Robinson. They have both done reports on him over the past year. He was an incredible pioneer for the advancement of African-American rights during a turbulent time.

Of course, Curt Schillings bloody sock and shoe from the 2004 World Series. So cool.

We also went to Niagara Falls, where it was SNOWING of all things. I didn't bring my camera because the weather was so awful and I was afraid of getting it wet. I did take some pictures on my phone that I will need to unload and post up. They are pretty crazy. We all loved that place.