Nauvoo

Nauvoo was a really cool place! We didn't do a whole lot while we were there.   Most things were over the kids' heads. They were bored listening to the 20 minute tours at each place, so we mostly walked around the town and pointed things out to them, giving them our own tour. 

Here they are waiting to see the printing press for the newspaper.

When most people found out we were only there for the afternoon, they sent us away to go find more interesting things to see like the blacksmith and the brickyard. I was impressed with the kids' listening. Especially Landon! We went to one station with candle making. They thought they were going to actually make candles there. But it was just a demonstration. When we got done Landon was playing outside and was excited because he had "found a smooth stick! Now he just needed to find a rock and he could make a candle!"

We got to the blacksmith and had to wait for the next tour.  So they kids played around outside waiting!

Landon was bored the entire time! "What's next mom? What's next??!" He couldn't wait for some hands on activity! He was thrilled when they started playing with fire to make a horseshoe! 

Madilyn and Landon in the shoot for shoeing oxen!

Outside the tour for the brick yard! This one was dad's request!! He went to Nauvoo durring the temple open house. There were so many people there that they couldn't keep up with the production of the bricks. He's always been jealous that I had a brick and had never been! He had to go back and get one too!!

The best part of the whole day was being able to throw rocks in the river!! This was at the end of the trail of hope where the saints crossed on the exodus to the west.

Here we are on a barge used to take the wagons across the river.

We thought the kids would appreciate an oxen ride or a ride around town best, but by the time we decided that they were done for the day. The afternoons get too hot for the animals.  We walked around the visitors center a little.

We went and saw Joseph's grave.

And his actual home. We didn't tour any if it. It was an hour long tour and Ron was in the car with sleeping Payden. (He does NOT sleep in the car! The whole trip he slept maybe 4 hours both ways. In the two minute drive to the other side of old Nauvoo he crashed!!)

Before we left, I wanted to take the kids and walk around the temple. They were not happy! They were too hot and too tired! Once we got out, they didn't want to leave, they wanted to "discover" things! (Their word for explore.)

It's amazing how tall and beautiful it is in person! Pictures just don't give it justice!!

<sorry, I can't remember who the statues are of!!>

I was disappointed. The kids seemed to be bored out of their minds the whole entire time. It didn't mean as much for them as it did for me. I think we will go back again when they are all older and can appreciate being there. So I am really surprised that they still talk about being there and how neat it was!!

When we got to the hotel that night, Landon started emptying his pockets.  I asked him what he was doing. "I got wocks fwom the lake, I mean the wiver for my collection!" I had no idea he had stuffed his pockets full of rocks!! 

And Mr. Payden would not lay down and go to sleep!! He was too busy talking out the window!!

We finally made it home the next day! We were all exhausted! It's taken a week for even me to catch up on sleep! I can't seem to get myself out of bed before 8:30!! Hopefully that changes soon!! We had a great trip!! It was really nice to get away and spend time together! 

Carthage

We stopped at Carthage Jail first because of our route...

I don't think I could have let Ron be a jailer in those days when the family lived in the jail!! Some inmates (like Joseph and Hyrum) even had the privilege to eat with the family!!

Madilyn and Landon in front of the jail cell.

I was impressed, they listened closely!! 

Looking out the window at the well.

Outside the jail.

Payden was just happy to be out if the car!!

Okay, maybe they all were!!

Back to North Dakota...

I didn't want to leave very bad. We spent so much time on the go and things were finally calming down, that it felt like we just got there! 

We were planning to make a pit stop at Mt. Rushmore on the way home. Instead we rerouted and took the kids to Nauvoo! I love going new places and seeing new scenery! 

 I drove from Cove to Texarkana! Dallas was a mess!! The rain was awful! 

I couldn't believe how think the trees were in Arkansas! I loved it!!

Then we went through Missouri. 

I finally crossed the Mississippi River! I've been in almost every state west of the Mississippi, but I've never crossed it!! I couldn't get a good picture of it from the car. But we crossed some pretty neat bridges.

We stayed in night just North of St. Louis! Ron was too antsy to get to the hotel to do any site seeing...so this is the best I could get!

The next morning he was in no hurry at all to get to Nauvoo! We took all the back roads to get there. Which was gorgeous,  

but google maps doesn't show you which roads have access ramps to the interstate! We were only going to be in Nauvoo for the day and I was the antsy one to get there! But...we finally made it to Nauvoo!!

Some of the bridges...since I forgot to add them in at the top.

Waco Zoo!

Yep. We went to the zoo! :) 

Nothing too exciting happened. 

No big story line to go with so... 

Here are the pictures!!

Father's Day

We got to spend Father's Day with Dad!!

Camille got stuff for all the grand kids to make a canvas with handprints for him. 

We got him a clock for outside and replaced the shelves that Ron broke...the first day we were there!!

(I was just putting the kids to bed when Ron hollard at us to hurry and come here!! Dianna's guy friends were over and pretending to throw her in the pool. Just as they swung her out over the pool, Ron pushed all three of them in. It was hillarious how fast they jumped out and scrambled to get their phones out of their pockets!! We grabbed a can of rice, Ron set it on dad's shelves outside and crammed the phones in to dry them out...there went the shelves, rice, and phones all over the patio!! Oh, it was so funny!!)

Dad thought it was pretty funny that we got them for Father's Day...but he's still waiting for the ceiling fan that Ron punched the light out of playing kinnect a couple Christmas' ago!!

We made handprints for Ron too. He wasn't too thrilled about it...he's not the sentimental type. He WAS surprised by the Dish subscription reciept I taped to the back!

Happy Father's Day!!