Palmyra, NY

After discovering that we were only 5 hours from Niagara Falls we quickly realized that was only 2 hours from Palmyra, NY and that we could totally squeeze in a stop there on our trip.  And I am so glad we did. Palmyra, NY is where Joseph Smith lived with his family as a boy and where the grove of trees is that he went into as a 14 year old boy to pray and ask God for some direction.  We call this the Sacred Grove and it is where Heavenly Father and Jesus appeared to him and spoke with him, and was the catalyst for the restoration of the Gospel on the earth.  

We started with a tour of the property but this picture pretty much sums up that part of it- Shane way too interested in the rocks and dirt along the paths to be bothered by a tour and a fussy little girl that couldn't decide whether she wanted to eat or sleep.

So Josh and I took turns wrangling kiddos outside while the other one went into the parts they were touring.  I went into the replica of the Smith family's log house

and was impressed that it was small things like a family reading their scriptures together at the dinner table

or a boy praying by his bedside that really are big things.

The grounds were absolutely beautiful,

and things got much better when we headed into the grove.  Marissa fell asleep, and Shane was just happy to be walking in nature so Josh and I had some good quiet time to spend in there.  The Spirit was very strong there and there was an unmistakable feeling that what Joseph Smith said happened there really happened there.  I had prayed about this many years ago and received confirmation that it did, but being there confirmed that feeling even more.  I am grateful to know that Heavenly Father loves us and still speaks to us today through his prophets.      

After leaving there we made a quick stop at the Hill Cumorah, the spot where the golden plates that were translated into the Book of Mormon were buried.  (It doesn't look like it in the picture but it was huge!)

Shane and I in front of the Statue of Angel Moroni  (he visited Joseph Smith and told him where the plates were buried and what to do with them.)

There were a few other spots that we would have loved to visit but we are realizing that with a 2 1/2 year old and a 2 month old you sometimes have to pick and choose what you can do.  But I think we chose well, and we were happy with what we were able to do.