Niagara Falls

The kids have officially been on their first out of the country visit. We went to see Niagara Falls in Canada. It was a rainy day and we were grateful for the umbrellas. It was hard to tell which falling water was actually rain or mist from the falls. But it was amazing to see. The American Falls (on the American side of the river) were pretty impressive too.

I thought it funny that they have a sign saying Canada was open.

Palmyra

While in Palmyra for the pageant, we visited the print shop where the first copies of the Book of Mormon were printed. Very interesting. We visited the Smith farm and the sacred grove. We also saw the temple.

Hill Cumorah Pageant

We decided to attend the Hill Cumorah Pageant this year with Grandma and Grandpa. So we stayed with Earl's very kind Uncle Roger and Aunt Diane in Rochester.
It was a tad rainy. But we found some umbrellas.

While we waited for the pageant the kids entertained themselves: The boys made airplanes, Aspen played chinese jumprope with Nate.

The cast members mingled with the audience passing out pass along cards and getting referrals for the missionaries. The woman on the right was from Austin!

The kids recognized that the hill the pageant is performed on is the Hill Cumorah. That the last Lamanite/Nephite battles were fought there.

This pageant was really good. It was exciting to watch. The spirit there was very strong. It shows many scenes from the Book of Mormon. My favorite depicted Christ visiting the Americas. Coming to Palmyra and seeing the pageant really added to my testimony of Joseph Smith and the truthfullness of the Book of Mormon. I think that it was a good experience for my children as well. I think it was well worth the trip and would recommend it to everyone. But plan ahead. There isn't a lot of lodging nearby. Thank goodness for family.

Getting there

Half of a road trip is the driving part. We saw so many beautiful parts of the United States during the 7 days we spent in the car. We drove through Fate and the Land of Make Believe. We crossed the great Mississippi, drove through many tunnels, saw the lights of city's downtowns at night. We spent the night in good (and not so good) hotels/motels. We saw temples, waterfalls, rivers and valleys, and lots of road construction. Some states have really cool rest stops and welcome centers. We listened to 4 books and watched lots of Looney Tunes and Tom & Jerry.

You've got mail

Hazel wanted mail. So Grandma helped her send a postcard...to herself. Hey, getting mail is fun!

Open your eyes

The boys were playing ball in the back yard the other day and I was laughing at the funny faces Isaac makes when he is concentrating. It's either sticking out his tongue (the norm), straining every facial/neck muscle, or making faces. I loved this one though. Eyes closed. Now that's talent.