Spring Break was fantastic, the planning started back in February when Nate received a text from my brother, saying he would be in Nauvoo around April 1, and would we want to meet them there, OH YAY, if family is only 9 hours away we will definately be there, So we started planning, through the process we never told the kids who was going to be there, we just planned a fun family trip to Illinois. Mo and I talked a few times planning where to stay, and we found some awesome little cabins and we ended up being neighbors in our cabins. So here goes our trip through pictures, Granny Bird I hope it was worth the wait!!!
We arrived in Nauvoo on Monday, checked in and then went to a park and walked around the temple. We went across the river into Iowa to grab some dinner where we were able to see the Locks work as a barge was taking supplies up river.
Tuesday, was the BIG surprise, we decided to meet in Carthage, and we found another park to get some of our wiggles out before we tour Carthage jail. Gentry is absolutely GREAT!!!
Nate and little Nate
monkey's
the spinning merry go round throw up thing!!!
delicious
TULIPS 1000's of tulips!!! The kids were totally surprised they had no idea when they saw Quincy walking up they were shocked and happy. Kate ran first for hugs then Ethan said did you know they were going to be here, yes Ethan I did. The cousin reunion was awesome, and all the Tucker hugs were priceless.
Tucker, and Sam looking for bugs.
Enoch and Wilson, my favorite quotes of the trip came form Enoch, one of which was "Baby Sam you growed up" and "Aunt Jenn my mom called me a naughty nose" Oh little boys.
we had 11 kids whenever we could get a few to look we would snap pictures through this blog you should see every ones faces by the end. Carthage was a beautiful place, the missionaries were great with the kids and all understood the reverence of the grounds,
Locke, Mae, Gentry, Tucker, Dexter, Ethan, Ike, Sam, Wilson, Kate, and Enoch
TULIPS, and little girls
Mississippi river
after Carthage the kids needed time to hang out so while the big boys went to the temple, we hung out and played. We had rain each afternoon and evening so we didn't cook hotdogs over the fire as planned, we all enjoyed the buffet at the hotel Nauvoo.
When I realized we would have family around Easter time, We put together a quick Easter egg hunt so we could have family for the holiday.
After the egg hunt, we headed out for the tours and to visit the site's. Ethan and Ike, watching about the Aaronic Priesthood.
I had to add this picture I waited until all people were gone to take a quick picture, and when I started looking back at my picture I realized Locke was in my picture.
I loved the life size sculpture garden the flowers, the smell, the beauty, it was a great feeling. Here are a few of my favorites.
Mae is one of my favorites.
so is Kate.
This is at the end of the garden, looking back at the statutes.
running to the car's.
sweet little kid's.
our first demonstration, how to make rope, the missionaries were so cute, and patient letting us all ask questions and to help.
Nate and Quincy finishing the rope. Each family got to take one home.
How the early pioneers made food, this cute lady told us a story about John Taylor, When he first came to nauvoo he had no home, He and his family lived in a Lean to against a tree, while he built his family a home, his wife would make a little fire and cook, I had heard of ash cakes and here we learned that ash cakes was bread baked in ashes of the fire, it was gritty on the outside but perfect bread on the inside.
Making yarn, thread, and material.
THIS MACHINE WAS HILARIOUS!!! making barrels.
tools
I have already forgotten who this buggy belonged to, I new at one time.
waiting for the bake shop.
no my twins did very little walking for two days!!
Enoch and Sam shooting.
This was the summer kitchen, we learned that most homes built a summer kitchen, to keep the regular house cooler. They also were built with bussel ovens to help the heat go out the back.
this was a working well at one point for the bakery.
This bakery was a cute place, we all got an original recipe ginger cookie, the family that owned this bakery had never baked before, and he was only the baker while in Nauvoo, his wife had twin daughters named Mary and Martha, she died during child birth, and 3 days later the twins died, he did have older children, but was called ON a mission and he served it knowing that his older kids would be OK. Before he left Nauvoo he sketched the Nauvoo temple, and when he got to England he had 26 plates made and would pass them out to people in England. There is an original in Salt lake and there is one in the Bakery here.
Original plate.
This is Mo OH HOW I LOVE MO, she is one of my best Friends in the whole wide world!!!
getting some crazies out before more tours.
If we stood still to long, they would run or wrestle,
I love the picture of Sam holding his fists by his face he was nervous.
our wagon tour, we actually found friends from Vegas on our horse tour.
Ethan got to ride up front.
the Temple for the wagon.
The next few are just houses along the tour that we didn't get to, and the cute missionaries.
Some took a quick nap while in the wagon.
Kate is a sweet sister taking care of Gentry, while she napped
This was the school and a house, the humility in these homes was a good lesson learned.
Sister Cragun, I am sure she is a relative of Nate's playing with the printing press.
a typical wagon, My wagon would have been red.
The temple between trees.
The drugstore, all jars had stuff in them, it looked very authentic. This is Sister Bird
I loved this cabinet, each drawer was full.
Kate had lots of Questions.
It was green and Beautiful.
How they would pack there wagon's.
the Browning gun shop.
more guns.
Here are the NAUGHTY NOSE'S
running
some sort of oven
these bricks demonstrate how they would build walls on homes 3 thick.
Big Nate and Little Nate, my other twin's!
This is the final resting place of Joseph, Emma, and Hyrum Smith, they had to move there bodies around a few times so that no one would steal them, or disturb them, for a while the Men's bodies were hidden between logs in the home.
Here are his parents, there graves were close to the river, and in a quiet place together.
This is the mansion house where Joseph was viewed after dying, Emma lived there with her family, I never new until my trip there that Emma had a baby 6 months after Joseph died and named him David.
This was the older Smith's home.
And here is a statue depicting Joseph and Hyrum riding to Carthage.
Our family at the temple.
Me and my brother, I am so glad he invited us to go with him, and that I got to hug him. I sure love him and his family.
the kids.
more tulips, the statue and the river. The pioneers left Nauvoo walking down Parley street, there is a memorial walk that I would like to take with my kids when we go back, but for miles they would look back and see the temple they had worked so hard to build, There Faith, Humility, and Strength, was felt there and I know the sacrifice is nothing I will ever experience, but I am so grateful for there's, my ancestors were there, I have there stories and plan to read them to my kids, they will be able to picture in there heads where we came from.
Our Cabin, These were actual pioneer cabins that have been fixed up to accommodate tourists.
This is where we saw demonstrations.
This Statue stands at the memorial wall, and close to the banks of the Mississippi, I guess I never thought to much about Joseph and Brigham knowing each other until i saw this and Joseph pointing to the west,
I took one from behind so you could see the river in front of them. (You can see Nate and Sam on the right)
last one, this is similar to the barges they used to carry there wagon's cross the Mississippi.
