It only took me 3 months... but before I record our most recent trip and vacation to Utah... I HAVE to finish up our NY trip!!!
My last NY post left off at our visit to my good friend Ericka on Sunday afternoon. Well after we left her cottage on the lake, we headed to our Church's historical sites. First we stopped at the Hill Cumorah. We drove to the top, walked around, then let the kids roll down the hill! It was so fun to see MY kids rolling down the same hill I did when I was their age. They only rolled (yes in their church clothes and all) about halfway down the first hill. They were dizzy, sick, and a little scared. They weren't used to such steep hills :)
{Way toooooooo fast!!!}
{Zach giving the kids his behind the scenes info on being the the Hill Cumorah Pagent}
{He's good lookin! No wonder our kids are cute!!! I'm lucky}
We went into the Visitors Center and saw the Christus. There is always an amazing spirit when you see the statue. Great conversations were had.
Then we drove over to the Joseph Smith Farm and the Scared Grove.
We took a small tour of the farm, then took a little walk through the Sacred Grove. It's a little surreal to think about what happened there. Definitely a testimony building moment for my kids... and a good reminder for me.
{The "original" log cabin. Sweltering hot with the humidity}
{Lincoln pretending to sleep in the upstairs in the cabin. Pretty convincing huh?}
{Reagan and Zach walking into the Sacred Grove}
I'm really hoping the kids remember this part of the trip. I most definitely took it for granted what an amazing opportunity it was to grow up by these church sites.
{A candid shot with Grandma Edie!}
Monday was Memorial Day. Before the parade, my Grandma Edie, Myself, and my two girls went up to my Grandpa Stan's gravesite to put flags by his stone. This was an emotional time for me. I loved my Grandpa dearly. He died suddenly of a heart attack in October of my sophomore year in high school. He was my #1 fan for all sports that I played. He would rearrange his schedule so that he could be at as many games as possible. I know he is doing lots of good work on the other side, but I still miss him to pieces.
The Bloomfield Memorial Day parade is AWESOME! It's short, sweet, and to the point!!
{Grandpa Gerry... the fastest marcher by FAR}
{My cutie cousin Remmington was in the marching band. He's at BYU... let me know if you have sisters or cousins or friends that are freshman. We'll hook um up! He's a great catch!}
{Jefferson let Great Grandma Edie hold him for almost 10 minutes! Back in May... that was a record!!}
After the parade we went over to Matt & Erin's house for a BBQ. The food was DELICIOUS and the company and activities were super fun!
{Yaaaahoooooooo}
{I love this thingy}
{Same, Same}
They had the idea to make a huge slip and slide out of a tarp. I kid you not... the hose was on for 4 hours!!!!!!
{Ella only wanted to hold McKinley's hand}
{You can see that some of this pictures were taken as the sun started to go down!}
{Cousin Zac making a big ol' splash!! This may have been the time that his momentum was too much and he ran into the house :) }
{Hunter was the sled}
{1...2...3...GO!}
After dinner we had a Family Home Evening lesson and dessert. We said our goodbyes (very sad) because we left Tuesday, and we knew this was the last time to see them all.
{Making flags and writing memories to remember those who have passed on}
{Matt & Erin: They did SO much for our family while we were there!}
It is so comforting to "go home" after not being there for years, and to see people and pick up right where you left off. Everyone (especially our family) was so warm and inviting. If things ever went south here in Vegas... we would have to honestly consider NY for relocating!
Leaving Grandma Edie was the saddest part for me (and Reagan). I was a mess all morning long knowing that I only had hours left until our flight departed. During this miserable in between time my little sister Mariana came by to say hello and goodbye! She was 7 months pregnant and oh-so-cute! Her boyfriend Dave and two year son Dante came along too... they are such a cute family!!!
Then the time came to leave. I was so grateful for my cousin Liz for being willing to drive us to the airport. She was there as we were loading up, and I swear I would have forgotten half of my stuff if it hadn't been for her. Minutes before we were supposed to leave McKinley had an accident (due to parental neglect) and so we were busing trying to clean her off, find a new outfit, package up the booster she just peed on, etc... Liz was was helping with everything since I was trying not to focus on not melting down (which took all my focus and concentration).
But as you can see, I didn't hold it together as much as I'd liked to. When Reagan saw me crying, it sent her into a tizzy. She bawled for Grandma Edie from the time we left for the airport... until we got to the airport (1.5 hours). She stopped crying for about 45 minutes IN the airport. But then the closer we got to the departing gate, and with every announcement made over the speakers... the more weepy she became. By the time we got on the plane, she was in a full on BAWL again, and continued for the next 2 hours.
It was the best trip EVER. After getting home, getting unpacked, and back into the swing of things... we decided that we will DEFINITELY be making this an annual trip. There wasn't much we would change. 7 Days was the perfect amount of time. Although if I had had the choice at the time... I would have extended for another 3 weeks.
This trip also made me realize how extremely blessed we are to live so close to most of our families. 3 of Zach's siblings live here and 4 of mine do as well. The rest of them are with in a one day trip in a car. I know that we probably wont always live so close... so I will enjoy it while it lasts!
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