Nauvoo - April 2009

This was such a great trip. Jordan and I have been wanting to go to Nauvoo for a long time. To get good accommodations you have to book WAY in advance, so we have been planning on this trip for a while. My parents wanted to come down and visit to meet Ava so we just combined it. My parents met us down in Nauvoo and drove back to Michigan for a few days afterward. It was alot of fun for them to be there with us. Between me and my mom we took a ton of pictures, so this will be long!! The only unfortunate part about the pcitures is I feel like this was during the point in my pregnancy when I was looking more fat than pregnant. =( Oh well! We still got a lot of great pictures taken to capture the memories! I am so grateful to have been able to have the chance to go on this trip and spend such a wonderful time with my family!

The Visitor Center

We went on a carriage ride, wagon ride, and oxen ride. They were all different types of tours I was glad we got to do all of them. The boys loved seeing the horses and oxen and being able to get close to them. It took a couple times of seeing them, but Ayden got the nerve to pet them, Gavin wasn't interested. I was mostly really surprised with my boys. They are very active "on the go" boys and on occasion Gavin does alright sitting still in someone's lap, but I have never seen Ayden sit still. They both did really well. One tour was an hour long and they got a little figitty on that one, but I was really impressed with them. Now did we hear alot of what was being said on the tour, no, we still had to make sure we kept there attention on things whether it was getting them a snack or pointing out every bird we saw, but all the tours were a really great experience. Ava was in the Bjorn most of the time being kept away from the wind and sleeping so she is hidden alot, but she did awesome as well!

Gavin really warmed up to his Grandpa, he loved to be held by him!

Pictures of the temple from the tour

It was a little to much to ask my boys to go and visit each and every home in Old Nauvoo and sit and listen to all the stories, so we went to a nearby park and let them play and also took a little stroll around Old Nauvoo while my parents went and were able to visit all the sites. My parents were able to fill me in on some of the things we missed.

This was the story that interested me the most. On the left is a rocking horse that belonged to John Taylors son. They had to move ( I don't remember all the details) and they had been taveling for something like 2 days and his son had been crying for his horse that was left behind. So Brigham Young turned aournd and traveled back to get it for his son. I just thought that was touching. It would be hard for me to want to turn around after driving just 2 hours to get a toy, they had been travling much longer, what a special Dad he must have been.

On the right is a picture of a child's toilet seat, I thought that was interesting to see as well.

Pictures at the park. We got a little rained on, but it didn't rain for too long

This is one my favorite pictures

The Family Living Center was a good place for the boys to visit. It was a nice place to cool off and was wide and open for my boys to walk around, and they had some toys for the boys to play with. We got to make our own ropes there, the boys each got one to take home.

Carthage Jail

This is one place I was really excited to see, it was amazing to be at the place the we learn so much about at church. There was a beautiful spirit there. The boys were getting a little antsy so Jordan was such a great husband and took the boys outside while we finished the tour, I felt bad, he did get to see the jail that they stayed in.

The window that Joseph Smith fell out of

It rained for a few minutes while we were inside and Jordan was outside with the boys, he said they were loving the rain, he had alot of fun watching them play in it.

My boys running up and down the entry way over and over again - I really wonder how they never seem to tire out

The famous buffet we were excited to eat at there. The last time we ate with my parents and the boys was about 8 month ago and my Dad moved to another table at the end because the boys were so messy, it was sad that there habits have not changed, at least Ayden's- he is the messiest boy ever.

Visiting the temple was my favorite part of our trip. We were staying right down the road from it, so we were able to take little walks to go see it. The first night we thought they had a long night in the car the night before so being the "stick to the schedule" parents we find ourselves to be, we thought we should try and put them to bed at 7 like they normally did while my parents went to a play. When we realized the hours difference in time from IL to MI ment longer day light, we realized the boys were not going to bed and we took them out of there pack and plays and walked to the temple. They LOVED it! They love to walk around outside and see new things, so they were in heaven. We got so many fun pictures.

Ayden and Dad

Gavin and Dad

Mom with Ava and baby in Tummy!

The boys loved running on the grounds, there was a little hill and slant in the walk way that they would just run up and down

There were so many beautiful flowers the boys kept trying to smell them and yes, pick them, they did a good job at listening and only smelling them

Our walk home- Ayden was running up to Jordan so he could hold his hand, it was so cute, but I was a little further back with our slow little Gavin, so I had to really zoom in for these pictures so they are the best quality, but it was really cute, I couldn't pass it up.

They got a little tired of walking at the end

The next night we walked down with my parents, and it was just as fun the second time. It was just a relaxing way to end the day.

The boys sat on these steps to watch the birds flying around, they looked so cute.

Window Shopping!

My favorite family picture of us there.

My Dad and the boys getting a clsoer look

These are the words written on the statue above

I love this picture- We were trying to get a cute shot of Ava around the flowers, but she would not crack a smile, so this is what we got!

So this was really funny- the boys were crackig me up this night. They were running up and down the slanted little walk way and Gavin was trying to run away from Ayden while he was trying to give him hugs

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

This is where we stayed- Let me just tell you, it was perfect!! It was the same price as staying in a large hotel room, except we got the whole house! This is one of the reasons we had to book so far in advance, just to get this house, it was the perfect location. The boys loved running up and down the patio and on the grass- they were full of energy on this trip- and it was right across from the buffet and hotel this belonged to, so they got to see alot of people as they walked to and from the hotel.

We were exhausted...

Our kids were such great little travelers, I was so proud of them. Ava was awesome, she sat so happily in her car seat and the boys got a LOT of junk food and movies to hold them up for the drive. On the way there it was 10 pm (so 11 Michigan time) and they would not go to sleep, they were just sitting quitetly watching there movie, we eventually had to turn it off for them to fall asleep. Usually they just fall asleep whether it was on or off, maybe it was all the sugar! On the way back we stopped at a subway and a half hour down the road I realized I left my wallet there, so we had to turn around, so what was supposed to be an 8 hour drive became a 9 hour drive!!