New York

After Toronto, we headed to Niagara Falls and upstate New York. Our first stop was in St. Catharine's, Ontario to ride the $0.05 carousel. A couple miles down the road we arrived at Niagara. The bigger kids and I took a boat ride up to the base of the falls and we all enjoyed it.

That evening we watched the dress rehearsal for the Hill Cumorah pageant in Palmyra, NY. It recounts stories from the Book of Mormon and how we got the Book of Mormon. Mike and I loved hearing Abby tell us what was coming next in the pageant. She'd see a story from the Book of Mormon start and tell us the end of the story. She is such a bright little girl and we're so pleased to see her learning the stories from the scriptures.

After the pageant we drove to our friends' home an hour and a half away. We really appreciated the Nelsons letting us stay with them for two nights and we enjoyed the visit. They're great! Most of the day on Friday we hung out at their home. The kids loved playing with their children. We swam at their neighbors' pool in the afternoon and then went to a campground to roast hot dogs and hike to a beautiful waterfall that evening. (As much as I think Michigan is very lovely, it is very flat. Translation: no waterfalls.)

Saturday we headed back to Palmyra to see the sites. We've tried to teach our kids about Joseph Smith - and especially the First Vision. It was special to be able to take them to places where he walked and lived and make those stories more real for them and us. (Pictures: In front of the Smith family log cabin, In the Visitors' Center, Mike and Hannah in the Sacred Grove, Abby and Briton on the path to the Sacred Grove with the Palmyra Temple in the background)

We left the sites and drove partway home finishing the journey on Sunday with a stop in Ontario for church.

We had a great time and were especially grateful to be able to spend time together!