Who loves this trip the most?

Wes, by far, wins the "I love this trip" contest.  Ryanne pulls in second, but Wes takes the cake.  He is giddy as a schoolboy on a snow day.  He wants to see EVERYTHING!  We won't have time to see it all, but we will catch most of Nauvoo.  Already Wes is planning our return trip and our trip to New York to see the Sacred Grove and the Hill Cumorah.  He is eating this up, so full of questions and enthusiasm.  There is a sparkle in his eye and a bounce in his step that I haven't seen in a long time.  He is drooling with awe over everything he learns.  And he feels the spirit; like sun filtering in behind a forest canopy, it leaves a constant halo around him.  I find great satisfaction in watching his enjoyment of this experience.  It will change the way he teaches institute and forever change his heart towards the ancestors of our church's foundation.        

 Ryanne has expressed several times how much she loves this trip.  She constantly exclaims,"I love this place!"  She enjoys history and is intrigued by reading the plaques and absorbing the tour information.  It seems to me like history truly comes to life for her as she watches, listens and closes her eyes to fade away into her repository of new found mental histories.  She makes connections not with just time and place, but also with people--always wondering how they felt, why they did what they did,who they really were.  She analyzes circumstances and cause-effect; I can constantly see her cogs whirring as she does do.  She comes up with the most difficult-to-answer- yet amazing questions. 

 Elias gets somewhat bored after a time of touring, but he listens and always seems to be the one to answer the presenter's questions.  He loves walking around outside and being on the go. He digs the music and plays. 

Leah and Mckay are having fun and making memories, but they just aren't as alive with excitement the way Ryanne is. 





I have been here before, and though it is a place dear to my heart, I promised myself before we ever left home, that this would be Wes' trip.  I have tried hard to be the one to corral the kids, direct, guide, and discipline on occasion.  I let Wes dictate most of our itinerary, letting him choose the places he wants to see most.  I really hoped the Doctrine and Covenants and Church History would come alive for him on this trip--it has never much intrigued him before.  So, I am having a good time, but also doing the "Mom thing" on the go is tiring.  Just call me the backstage director for the event--and that's good, because I've been here before.