Last few days

We were lucky to have Kate staying with us for the last week we lived in Maine to help us pack our house. We also tried to get out and have some fun during our last few days. We took the boys back to the park and beach one more time. We had a lot of leftover apples so we spent a lot of time making cookies and apple pie! The boys loved helping mom and grandma.

Mike and I got to go to the temple before we moved. That meant the boys got to spend the day with grandma. After the temple we went to Salem to see the Bewitched statue. The boys collected leaves and dried and glued them with grandma. They also made jack o lanterns and fish.

For a few weeks we had boxes everywhere! It was a little crazy trying to keep the boys from climbing all over the boxes but the boys still had fun helping to pack.

We had one last playdate with Emily. Daniel was excited to move but for the last few weeks he kept asking if his friend Michael was going to come with him to Vegas. He was a little sad that he wasn't but we had a fun last trip to the park.

We had some help from friends cleaning the house. It was great to have help but it was also nice to be able to say goodbye to some friends. Daniel was so excited to see the moving pods be delivered. When the truck came Daniel loved watching. Dan and Liam wanted to watch the men load the pods too so they got to sit outside and eat dinner while the pods were loaded.

It was a good last few days that were busy for sure! With the help of a few friends (a big thank you to Emily who took the boys for us so we could clean!) we finally went to bed ready to leave early Friday morning for Las Vegas!

The beginning of the move

We planned to do our move in 4 days. We decided to start with the longest day and have the days gradually get shorter. Although at 2900 miles from Brunswick, ME to Las Vegas this is a long trip so matter how you slice it. Since it was a long drive we did a few things to make it easier on ourselves.

1. We put our stuff in moving pods so that Mike and I could each drive a car.
2. With mike and I driving a car we could divide the boys. Mike took Daniel and I took Liam. This we hoped would keep the whining to a minimum because at least the boys wouldn't be fighting in the back seat.
3. We also went to the store to buy some new toys to give the boys at random times during the drive. My mom also sent the boys some books on cd that they loved.
4. Last we decided to stop at some church history sites on our way through.

Day 1- Brunswick, ME to Mansfield, OH with a stop in Palmyra, NY: 837 miles(ish)

Our first day started early. I didn't get much sleep the night before since I was so anxious about driving across country by myself and I was also excited. We got the boys up at 5am and we were out the door by 5:30am. Daniel was up on his own before 5am. He was jumping all over the house saying how excited he was about moving to Vegas. Liam was not thrilled about getting up and kept saying he wanted to go back to sleep.

The funny part was that Liam didn't go back to sleep but Daniel did. Liam was quite cranky all morning since he was so tired. He finally crashed around 12pm which I was nervous about because I didn't want him to end up taking. a super late nap after Palmyra and then not wanting to go to sleep that night. I let him sleep for about 45 minutes though and then woke him to eat lunch before Palymyra.

We got to Palmyra around 2pm and it was amazing! I'll do it in a separate post but it was so worth the stop!

We left around 4 with an eta of 8pm in Mansfield. As we drove I tried to keep Liam awake with toys and talking to him. When he started to get tired I gave him dinner which was around 6:30pm. Around 7 our eta had increased because of stops and now it was 9pm. Then we started to hit rain. I don't mean light rain, I mean heavy and visibility reducing rain! Suddenly I was barely doing 60 mph and I couldn't see Mike well, it was getting dark, Liam was super cranky and tired and I was freaking out. I called Mike to tell him not to lose me and that I was giving my phone to Liam to watch a movie because by this point our eta was 10pm and Liam was just throwing everything I gave him on the floor and then asking me to get it back which I couldn't do in the conditions. The rain didn't let up at all and for about 3 hours we just drove in silence and I prayed we would make it because I was exhausted and I knew everyone else was too.

Happier time of the day...Dan wanted to drive and I wanted to let him

We made it to the hotel around 10pm and in less than an hour we got everything into the room, the boys cleaned up, I organized everything we would need for the early morning, Mike and I showered and we put the boys to bed. Liam was out cold in about 5 minutes but Dan wouldn't go to sleep until Mike and I were in bed. This was around 11pm and Mike and I hadn't had dinner so we sat on the floor and ate pb&j sandwiches and then finally we all went to sleep.

The only problem that first night was realizing that both of my boys are noisy sleepers and they snore so we had to move Liam because he was keeping me up and we had to crank up the fan in the room so I wouldn't hear Daniel. I was reminded why I moved them to their own rooms so soon after they were born but thankfully we all got the rest we needed :)

Palmyra, NY

On the first day of our move to Vegas we decided to stop in Palmyra, NY and visit church history sites. We left early and got to Palmyra around 2pm. The boys were so excited to be out of the car! It was cute to see the boys play. We visited the hill cumorah, the sacred grove and the smith farmhouse during our visit.

The Hill Cumorah

The hill was our first stop. It was the most surprising part of the trip because the hill is so much bigger than I was expecting. It was a great place to let the boys run after being in the car. If you know my boys and really all kids, then you know they love rolling down hills. The hill cumorah is super steep and it has cut outs built in for the pageant so I was nervous to have the boys roll down it. It was great when we got to the top of the hill and Dan looked down the hill, looked at me and said "I'm not going to roll down. This is too high. It would be scary". They sure had fun rolling down at the bottom though :)

Liam kept asking what it was. I told him this was where the angel Moroni told Joseph Smith to get the gold plates. I told him about the Jesus book (Book of Mormon) and he was very excited. It was cute to see him look for the Book of Mormon. He thought their was one up there haha

We also visited the visitor center at the hill cumorah and they have a Christus. When we got there Liam saw it and so when the missionaries asked what we wanted to see on our visit Liam just screamed "Jesus!" and then ran to the statue and Daniel followed right behind.

 Next we visited the Sacred Grove. This was the highlight of the trip. Its not often that you can walk somewhere that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have visited. The boys were so excited by the stream at the front of the grove and wanted to throw rocks in the water so I had the chance to walk through the grove on my own. I'm so grateful for that opportunity. It was such a peaceful and uplifting experience.

 Right across from the grove is the Smith family farmhouse. It was amazing to visit! When we walked in it was amazing to realize that 11 people lived in the house because it was tiny. This house is important because the angel Moroni appeared to Joseph Smith in the upstairs bedroom to teach him about the book of Mormon after his vision in the sacred grove. I got to stand where the angel Moroni stood! That was amazing! It was also amazing to see how small the room was and to realize that Joseph and his siblings were sleeping in the room at the time.

James 1:5- "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God"

This is the spot where the angel Moroni stood :) 

Visiting these church history sites was incredible and I'm so happy we made the stop. I've had a testimony of Joseph Smith and the first vision for as long as I can remember and I never had to visit these places to know that Joseph was a prophet or that he saw God the father and Jesus Christ and that he was the prophet of the Restoration but it was amazing to have the opportunity and it was wonderful to feel the spirit confirm what I already know.

I love Joseph Smith and I am so grateful for everything he did to restore the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to the earth. I'm grateful to have the Book of Mormon and to know that I can return to live with My Father in heaven again.