Christmas trip Day 15

I am done. Hopefully you enjoy my reading. I am hoping to get more of the kids comments on here, but for now I am done until I can get the rest of the pictures off of Roy's computer. Have a Happy New Year.

Roy, Roneen, Devin, Garrison, Miranda, Parker and Wyatt

Christmas trip Day 14

Day 14

Yay, only 4 hours from home. We couldn't wait. We had had fun but were ready to be home. We made it home around 12:30, went to lunch one more time and came home and started laundry and just vegged. It was a nice ending to the trip.

We had one more surprise. We woke up Sunday Morning to 3-4 inches of Snow. Roy got up and went to his meeting at 7:00 am called me at 8:00 and told me they were cancelling church because the roads were a little icy. I don't think we will have school tomorrow either because it doesn't look like it will be warming up anytime soon. We shall see.

Christmas trip Day 13

Day 13

We decided to finish off our trip by stopping in Nauvoo and Carthage. As we decided this, I told Roy that we were following the trip the Saints had made. After Carthage on our way home, I told him it was only 20 more hours to SLC to the This is the place Monument. He just laughed at me.

In Nauvoo, we started at the Visitor's Center with a movie and then went to the Gunsmith Shop which all the boys thoroughly enjoyed. Then we went over to the Wheel smith shop and the Horse shoe shop. The Elder made us a little horse shoe and then gave the kids a ring. After this we went to the brick mason shop. He told us about the bricks and how long it took them to make them. He said that most of the Saints didn't live in there houses very long because it took so long to make the bricks that by the time the houses were finished the most any of them probably lived in their houses was a year to a year and a half. After the kids asked if they could see how the bricks were made and so we got to go into the building and see how they made the bricks. They try and make over 200 a day. They hand out about 60,000 a year. We then drove up past the Temple and on our way to Carthage.

At Carthage we went to the Visitor's Center, watched a movie which the kids at this point said, we have seen parts of this before. We went to the jail and he showed us the different types of rooms they had for the prisoners for the different kinds of crimes.

We enjoyed our Church History Tour. It was a fun Family Vacation. As we were heading to our next Hotel, we stopped for dinner in St. Louis. I asked Roy if he knew where the Temple was. We looked it up on the GPS and come to find out that is was just around the corner the way we were headed so we were able to see the Temple.

We got to our hotel around 10:00 and crashed.

St Louis Temple

St. Louis Temple

Christmas trip Day 10,11,12

Carthage Jail

Brick Mason at Nauvoo

Kirtland Temple

Freezing at Niagara

Christmas trip Day 12

Day 12

We are still surviving. The kids are doing great still.

This morning we woke up and went back to the Kirtland Visitor's Center, we watched a movie about the Saints building up Kirtland. We then went into the N.K. Whitney store. They have a list they have typed up that shows who bought supplies at the store. We found John Johnson on the list who I am related to and Joe Hills Johnson who Roy is related to. We then went upstairs to where Joseph and Emma had stayed for a little while and were able to go sit in the School of the Prophets room.

Next we went over to Newel Whitney's home across the street. After his house we went into the Johnson Inn. We found out the the Johnson's had sold there land to help profit the church and so when the church bought the land for the Kirtland Temple, they gave the Inn to the Johnsons. After the Inn we went into the Ashery which they used to make ash. They sold to the ash to make money to build the Temple.

We went to the Kirtland Temple next. Talk about a spiritual change of pace. We had to pay to take a tour of the Temple. In the movie that they show you before they take you over to the Temple I found it very strange. When they talked about Joseph Smith seeing the vision in the Grove they only mentioned him seeing Jesus Christ, They also kept using quotes from members of our church that to me doesn't seem appropriate as these people are not members of their church. It felt blasphemes to me. I was fighting the urge to even want to go and see the Temple but I am glad that I did. I know that the Saints were supposed to build it and the Joseph Smith needed this place to be able to receive the rest of the keys for the Navuoo Temple. The Kirtland Temple to me is just like the Conference Center. It is a gathering place for the Saints. As I came to realize this, it made the Building more comforting.

We then went to lunch and hurried out to the Johnson Farm. Our GPS told us we wouldn't arrive until just after 5:oo. They close at 5:00. We kept going anyway. We got there and I told Roy to at least go and take a couple of pictures. As he got up to the house, the Couple asked if we were the ones that had called and said they were on our way and were going to be late, Roy said no, just as he did another van showed up so we were able to take a tour with this family. They have 7 boys. So again, Miranda is the only girl. At the end of the tour we found out that this family was in the ward that we went to on Sunday back in Palmyra. What a small world. I know Heavenly Father was definitely watching out for us on this trip. There were small things that happened, but I know this is where we were supposed to be.

We then were

Christmas trip Day 11

Day 11

On Tuesday we took off for Niagra Falls. It was about 7 to 8 degrees as we were driving up there. We thought about not going, but then decided we were so close and didn't know when we would be back up there again, so we went. We parked and literally froze as we were walking to the American Falls, it was windy and very cold. The Falls were neat to see, or at least what we could see. This is definitely not the place to see during the winter. We drove over to Goat Island, which is where the observation deck is during the summer, as we got out of the car we were wondering why it was raining on us when there wasn't any clouds above us. We walked to the one lookout spot took a quick picture and ran back to the car. On the way back to the car we realized that the mist from the Falls was freezing as it went up in the air, as it came back down on us it was raining and as it landed on us it was freezing again. Our coats were frozen when we got back to the car. We can now say we have been there. It is cool to look across Lake Erie and see Canada. Kinda Fun.

We then finished off driving into Kirtland. We got in around 5:00 and drove around for a minute and saw that the Kirtland Visitor's Center was still open. We went inside and they had a Creche' exhibit going on. They had made an I Spy with the Creche' to help with the kids attention spans. Our kids helped each other out and were able to find them all. We went back to our Hotel, ate dinner and went to bed.

Christmas trip Day 11

It snowed on us in Palmyra

The saw mill at Kirtland, OH. The original one was built by Joel Hills Johnson, Roy's ancestor

John Johnson farm (Luke S. Johnson) My Ancestor

Johnson Inn

Christmas trip Day 10

We woke up this bright Monday morning to a few inches of snow. We keep lucking out weather wise. Up to this point we seemed to have been following the snow. It finally caught up with us.

It didn't keep us inside though. We got up, dressed warm and headed to Joseph Smith's home and the Sacred Grove. When we got to the Sacred Grove, Roy took the 4 kids tromping through the snow to the Sacred Grove. He had each of them seperate and think for a few minutes alone and he told them to pray and see for themselves if the Church is true.

Garrison said he prayed about it and he felt a nudge that he knows the Church is True and was restored. He felt a warm feeling in his heart.

Miranda says she felt some comfort. She knows the church is true and that Heavenly Father built it for us.

Devin says he felt he should do Missionary work through music, example and leadership. He says he went from believing the church was true to knowing the church is true.

Parker had fun walking in the snow with his dad. I sat in the warm building with Wyatt talking with the Sister Missionaries.

Roy mentioned that as he stood there thinking he looked up and through the trees he saw the Angel Moroni and thought how appropriate that was.

After they came back inside we then went on a tour of Joseph Smith's boy hood home and then onto Alvin's home where they lived for a few year's. It is neat to be there at his home and to look out the windows and see the Palmyra Temple up there on the hill. There were definitely some confirming moments for me as we stood there and were able to listen to the things that aspired in such a place.

We then drove over to the Grandin Building where the publication of the Book of Mormon took place. Mr. Grandin was only in the publishing business for 5 years. He was excited for the challenge set upon him about publishing such a large book. It is amazing how they were able to do so much back then.

We then ate pizza and took off for the Peter Whitmer log home. We made it there with about a half hour to spare. It is such a neat feeling to be in a place where the Book of Mormon was translated and to feel the spirit that resides there.

After we were done for the day we went back to the room and the kids got to swim.

Christmas trip Day 9

Day 9

I spent the moring updating the blog, while the kids had a relaxing morning.

We went to church in Palmyra. We stayed for sacrament and then went to the Hill Cumorah Visitor's Center. We got there around 4:00 and stayed till 7:00. We watched a movie called Joseph Smith 'The Restoration', walked around the statue exhibit they had in the back room and then went outside and walked up the hill to the monument for the Golden Plates. It was chilly and starting to get dark.

Up to this point we had seen points of interest for the US History, now we were changing into Church History mode.

After we got back inside we watched a couple of more short movies and then went back to our hotel. There was no snow when we came into to town.

Christmas trip Day 9

Peter Whitmer Sr. Home Palmyra NY

The Grandin Building where the Book of Mormon was printed.

A sculpture at the Palmyra Visitor Center

Standing at the top of the hill where the Gold Plates were. The Hill Cumorah

Christmas trip Day 7

Wyatt sitting on the Subway in NYC

At the top of the Empire State Building or the Eiffel Tower as Garrison calls it.

Christmas Presents

The Statue of Liberty as seen from the Ferry crossing over to New Jersey

Christmas Morning in the Hotel Room

Christmas trip Day 4&5

Standing on a mound that was up to the wall. DC

The Air and Space Museum

Standing on the frozen reflection pond. DC

Wyatt is walking down the steps by himself in front of the Lincoln Monument. DC

Standing in front of the Lincoln Monument. DC

Christmas trip Day 3

Jamestown VA

Yorktown VA

Jamestown VA

Atlantic Ocean

We are on the Godspeed, the fastest ship Jamestown VA