Nauvoo Illinois

As I said in my previous post- I LOVE Church History. Visiting Nauvoo was so much fun for us! I worried my kids wouldn't be able to grasp all that had taken place in this little city- but they each came home with more understanding to why we believe so strongly in what we do, and they understand more the persecution the saints felt.

After visiting Carthage Jail we went to Nauvoo and visited a few buildings, then went over to the fair, then the pageant. I was caught off guard when a 13 year old boy handed me a pamphlet that said "the early saints were not chased out of Nauvoo at gun point. It said they left by their own free choice." I really had to remind myself that this 13 year old boy was probably just handing out flyer's because his parents told him to- so I shouldn't start talking to him about all kinds of ways this little statement could be proven wrong. Really, do you think a city with THOUSANDS of people would just up and leave EVERYTHING in the middle of winter? Leave their homes fully furnished, their family heirlooms, their warmth and comfort? No, they were told to leave by gun point, they had to cross the Mississippi River- frozen, then camp across it in Iowa until they could get enough wagons to start the journey west. They had to leave their temple they had worked so hard to build. They sacrificed so much to build a House of the Lord- so they could receive the blessings inside. But, I didn't say anything- I just gave him his pamphlet back and said no thanks.

The pioneer games were fun- we all tried walking on stilts- none of us could do it. Ashlee and Carly came close though. The kids also did a little handcart pull. Lexi and Ash thought they could easily pull Carly- they did fine until they had to turn and it was a little muddy. They got a little help, and a ride too.

The pageant was great! Baylee was so happy until it started, but she fell asleep pretty fast, as did Carly. Ashlee tried to stay awake, but ended up falling asleep at the end. Lexi sat up straight through the whole thing and asked a lot of questions after. I think it's a lot for a 10 year old to comprehend.

We spent the next two days visiting homes, buildings, watching a little play, and EATING! It was so fun to go in all the little old time shops. Darrell and I were able to go to the temple also while we were there. Can I just say how beautiful this temple is?

Some of our favorite things were the oxen ride. It was only about 10 minutes, and Baylee LOVED it! She thought the oxen were quite funny, so we did that a few times. We loved going in Brigham Young's home, seeing the Joseph Smith homes and properties, visiting the bakery, blacksmith shop, brickyard, and many many other homes.

The Trail of Hope was an incredible experience. We walked down Parley Street where all the saints had walked when they had to leave Nauvoo. They had "actors" standing and telling stories every few yards. The street leads right to the Mississippi River where they had to cross. Reading all the plaques, it just makes you so thankful. We then went into the Memorial where over 2000 names were listed of saints who died on the trek west.

We made our hotel reservations kind of late, so our hotel was in Iowa, but it only took about 15 minutes to get to Nauvoo. But, I was unaware of how many times we would be crossing the Mississippi River. I don't like crossing bridges like that at all. But to make my fears worse- I saw this sign!!

Are you kidding me- a DRAWBRIDGE??!! I just knew it would break and we would all die! I was holding my breath each time we crossed- yes my family made fun of me the whole time. But it was cool to see the bridge actually come apart so a barge could get through. I think I overcame my fear of crossing that one bridge- not so sure about the many others I'll have to cross.

I have to include this picture because it's so cute! The kids were warming up in the jacuzzi tub after swimming- Baylee wanted in at first, but then realized it was pretty fun to turn the water cold on the girls.

This family vacation is one of my favorites. The kids behaved really well, even Bays did better then we thought she would do. She threw a few nasty fits when she was tired, but she was pretty content sitting in her stroller walking around outside. I am so glad we decided to go to Nauvoo!