Vermont Trip-Second Half

Sunday morning we went to church with grandma & grandpa at the South Royalton Ward...the chapel is just down the hill from the memorial.  They made an announcement in church that the Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial would be starting a summer pageant starting next year.  They've been trying to get one for a long time and it's finally happening.  They were pretty excited about it.  Grandma & grandpa felt bad that they won't be there for it's opening year but maybe they can go back to watch it.  It sounds like they'll be able to help out with the preparations for it though so that will be fun for them.

After church, we went up to the memorial to have a private tour before it officially opened for the day.  Even though I've been there a couple times before, it still gives me cold chills to be in this sacred area.  I have such a strong testimony about the Prophet Joseph Smith and to know that this was where it all started for him is amazing.  The spirit there is wonderful and I hope my kids felt a little of that while they were there.  We had some good conversations with them while we were there and it was amazing to hear some of their comments and know that they have paid attention to us and their Primary teachers when they've been taught about Joseph and some of the early church members.

Mia, Halen & Alex standing by the hearth stone from the Smith house

 

The fam by the Joseph Smith statue

It was a little cold and windy outside so we didn't stay out too long but we walked around the memorial and took a few pictures.

The kids came up with this pose on their own :)

 

Alex by the doorstep on the original home

Sunday afternoon was spent at the apartment.  We had lunch and just relaxed and visited the rest of the evening.  It rained off and on all day so we didn't want to be outside much anyway. 

Hanging out with grandma & grandpa Sunday night

The plan was to go home on Monday but as we were looking at flights Sunday night, we could see it might get tricky.  We got up Monday morning with plans to go try the flights but when Randy looked again, he could see that we would get stranded in Detroit and we couldn't find another route that was open enough to try.  So we decided that instead of getting stuck somewhere on the way home, we might as well stay in Vermont another day.  Grandma & grandpa were scheduled to work Monday afternoon so we went back to the memorial with them for a while.

The sun came through for a minute to shine off the top of the monument

Grandpa took us for a ride on the golf cart around the memorial

We decided to go see how muddy the trail was behind the memorial and see if we could go see the Solomon Mack and Daniel Mack (Joseph's grandpa and great-grandpa) that are located just down the hill from monument.  There were a few muddy place but not too bad.  The old turnpike road that used to go between Boston and Montreal ran right through there too and you can still see remnants of the old stone wall.

Walking down the trail

Mia found herself a walking stick :)

While grandma & grandpa finished their shift, we took the car and went back into Quechee for the afternoon.  We had to go taste-test more cheese while we were there then went hiking through the Quechee Gorge. 

We came to this dam and power station on our hike

Silly boy and pretty girl playing by the river

My cute boys

Once we got done hiking, we drove into West Lebanon, NH and met up with grandma & grandpa to have dinner at Applebee's before going back to the apartment.

Alex & Mia helping grandma wash dishes

Tuesday morning we got up and headed to the airport in Burlington just over an hour away.  We caught the flight to La Guardia in New York then got on a flight to Washington DC (I felt overdressed since almost everyone on the plane was in a suit Ü).  In DC, we were nervous about making the flight to Salt Lake since it was so full but we lucked out and got on (Mark Eaton was on the flight too).  We weren't all sitting together but luckily some nice people switched us so Randy & I were could sit by one of the boys and since Mia's a lap rider, she went back and forth between our rows.

But our luck ran out in Salt Lake because there were only 2 seats available.  We decided it would be better for me to take Mia & Halen since he had school and Alex & Randy would stay at his cousin's that night and come the next morning.  We got on the plane and they were about the close the door when a worker brought Alex on and said they had a seat open up.  So I ended up taking all the kids home with me and Randy missed getting on the flight by 1 seat.  But I guess if it had to happen, Salt Lake is the place to have it happen since we have family that live close to the airport (we've had to stay with them a couple times because we've missed flights before).

We were all pretty tired by the time we got home after traveling all day so everyone crashed pretty quick.  Then after I dropped Halen off at school, I headed to the airport to pick Randy up.  Flying standby is always an adventure so except for the craziness of getting to and from Vermont, it was a way fun trip and it was good to see grandma & grandpa for a while and see what they get to do on their mission.  We miss them but we know they're doing the Lord's work and we're glad they get to have this great opportunity and can set a good example for their kids and grandkids.