Palmyra

We made our 3rd trip as a family to Palmyra this year, and I always look forward to it so much. Darryl and I both commented on how we never get tired of going there year after year. We both described it as one of those places where you get that spiritually "high" kind of feeling like when you are on a mission or at EFY kind of thing, you know what I mean? Anyway, this year was no different, but it was probably 80% fabulous and 20% disaster. My kids need their naps/good night sleep and when you are traveling, that can be kind of hard. We had a few meltdowns in the book store and the toy museum from lack of sleep and being overwhelmed. The 2 hour wait at the border with no AC in the car was one of the tougher parts as well. We debated going just the 2 of us, because the kids are so young, but we really wanted to be there together as an entire family, and we had done it every year since we had kids, and wanted to continue that tradition, so we packed up and went, and I'm so glad we did, because despite the odd tantrum, it was great and I would've missed them so terribly if they weren't there with us. I've never left them for more than 24 hours yet, and I am so not ready to AT ALL. At three and almost two, I thought I totally would've by now, but I just can't. I love having a few hours to myself, but anymore than that, I miss them so bad it hurts. Leaving the dog behind is bad enough. We are going to a friend's cottage in August without them, and it will end up being a little bit over that 24 hour mark, not by much, but I am already a little anxious about it.

The hotel was so beautiful, so glad friends of ours recommended booking through Priceline, it saved us a ton of money, and the hotel was one of the nicest we've ever been to. The kids thought this part was great. They loved the king-sized bed and mini fridge, and since we haven't had TV at home for months now, this was a real novelty. We went to a few local sites like the temple and visitor's center and those were big highlights for the kids. They loved the interactive room in the visitor's center, spent tons of time looking at the Nephi exhibit, loving the picture of the huge ship. Watching the actual outdoor pageant was definitely their favorite part. It was just like last year, they were both totally captivated by the whole thing. Chlo has talked about nothing else, (Abinadi getting burned and Nephi's brothers tying him up mainly) and she loved when Christ came down the hill. Carter didn't move off my lap the entire hour and a half, which is not the norm. I know even little ones can feel the Spirit, and I love those small moments where I get to witness that.

On the drive home Sunday night, Darryl and I talked about the great, the good and the not so good parts of the trip, and overall we were happy the important parts of the trip and the real reasons why we brought the kids had all come to pass. The meltdowns were during shopping and the toy museum, which were just bonus things we were trying to tack on, and the things we hoped they'd enjoy, they thoroughly did. We wanted them to learn a little bit more about The Book of Mormon (as much as their toddler minds can) and have some opportunities to feel the Spirit as a family. And we accomplished that. And that's what's important. And so, to remind us what's important, as soon as we got home, bleary eyed at 1am, we hung this in the front hall:
We had bought this in Palmyra the day before because we loved it, but after our long discussion on the way home, it had a deeper meaning. So we hung it up right away, to remind us of a wonderful trip, but more so to remind us of what's really important.