Nauvoo, IL

So after we left Carthage with our bellies full of Dairy Queen, we headed out toward Nauvoo.  Here is the Mississippi River.  The first time my children have seen it!

 Thankfully, my children are happy car passengers because we had a long trip ahead of us still!

 We were short on time due to the travel, so we drove by the Nauvoo Temple. 

After we stopped through the town, we headed to the hotel to check in and unpack and prepare for our long evening.  We headed back to Nauvoo a little later in the evening for the Nauvoo Pageant.  Pictures of our pioneer fun to come!

Carthage Jail

After the first night in IL, we headed to Carthage Jail on our way to Nauvoo, IL. Sorry here, the pictures ended up out of order. Sometimes I hate Blogger. Anyway, since I am limited on time, I am not going to fix them. Here is where Willard Richards lay while the mobs were shooting.

The outside of the jail

Joseph and Hyrum Smith

Another view of the Jail

Yea! We made it to Carthage!!

The sleeping quarters

Their meeting room and Josephs bedroom

The gun shot whole that came through the door

The window that Jospeh fell from after being shot

The words of Joseph Smith

This was a neat place to visit. We have not visited any of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints church early historical sites before, so this was interesting. It was informative to actually be in the place and hear of the events that lead up to Joseph Smith being martyred. After our visit here, we of course were ready for some ice cream. We stopped at Dairy Queen and headed on the short drive towards Nauvoo.

Outbound Plane

So I need to hurry and finish posting the pictures from our summer fun before our fall fun starts! Two weeks after we went to Ely, NV, we headed out on another trip of the midwest. We had a jam packed trip traveling across 3 states in 9 days, but it was so much fun! The kids were anxious for our first flight out. We were heading to Indianapolis, IN to start the trip.

We had a layover going there and coming home, so we got to spend a lot of time waiting and practicing on the moving walkways. Laycee loves Grandpa, so there was no one else she would walk with.
So grown up now carrying their own bags and walking without a stroller! I cannot believe Laycee and Logan are that old.

We made it to Indianapolis and set out for a couple hour drive to Champaign, IL. We stopped there for the night. We were trying to get a little headway on our drive to Nauvoo, IL. The kids were so good getting ready to fly and given that we had 7 people, Haylee and Trent or some combination of children always sat alone. I was so thankful that they know how to behave on a boring 3 hr flight. Although, I packed enough entertainment and snacks to keep them all busy for days on end lol. Stay tuned, another 8 days to go!

Ely, NV

So quickly on a whim, the children and I decided to head up to Aunt Amy's house. We needed a break from the heat and Amy's is always a great place to run. While we were there, we spent a lot of time helping Amy fix a wall in her house and cleaning the yard. So one day, we went to the nearby park. And Scott conducted some races. Ready... Set... GO!

Trent came in second and he was proud.
Here is Haylee

And Logan celebrating his finish.

Then Uncle Scott changed things up to a different race.

It was a beautiful day. It was a great trip and much needed time away from the stress of unpacking the house and the heat here in AZ. The kids were excited to spend some time with their cousins as well! Can't wait until we can return, although it will have to wait until the baby is born. But this trip was just the beginning to our summer vacation fun... stay tuned for our next travels!

Trent's Birthday Part 2

Trent's actual birthday was on a Sunday. So he was able to have a small party at home. He was so excited to finally have his own scriptures!

Nana came over for cake and we had some cake and ice cream.
I love when the kids turn 8 because it is my chance to really go all out. He had an amazing birthday and I can't wait to see how he continues to grow and mature!

Trent's 8th Birthday

Trent turned 8... well two months ago! But it is a special birthday in our home. So this year he picked to go to Chuck E Cheese. Here he is at age 8.

His Birthday Cake
He was presented with a lot of awards. And bonus... it was a midweek birthday, so he was the only one having a party that day. He got Chuck E all to himself!

Here are the party guests.

This was Trent's favorite part. He loved stuffing those tickets into his shirt so he could see how much he won!

It was such a fun birthday. This was the first time I have paid for a party at Chuck E Cheese and it was really neat. They took care of everything for me. The kids really had a great time. When Dave returns home, Trent will be baptized, but in the mean time, we celebrated his 8th birthday with as much fun as possible!! Happy Birthday Trent!!!