Nauvoo!

 We were lucky enough to get to go to Nauvoo, IL with our family this last weekend.  It is a long drive.  We drove Friday for 11 hours and stayed overnight in St. Louis and picked up A Saturday morning.  We then drove to Nauvoo (about 3 more hours).

This is what we first saw as we came into the city:  the temple.  It was so beautiful and the Spirit both within and without was amazing.  Right after we got there, CK dropped K and I off to take her in to do baptisms for the dead.  What a great experience.  My daughter becomes so loving and so amazing when she is in the temple.  It is a great evidence of the special spirit that is there.  CK took the other three kids.

 After the temple, we went on a carriage ride through the surrounding country.  The Spirit was strong on this ride, too.  It was cold, but we bundled up and loved it. 

 After the carriage ride, we went back to our condo that we were renting.  We prepared dinner and then left K babysitting (I LOVE having a babysitter!) and CK and I went to the temple.  This was part of why we chose to go to Nauvoo.  My awesome Valentine's Day gift from CK was a picture of the Nauvoo temple with the promise that we would go there together sometime before the next Valentine's Day (which is also A's birthday!).  I am so grateful that we got to go there together.  It was very special and I can't wait until Valentine's Day so I can find out which temple we will go to in 2012!

After the temple, we gathered our happy kids and went to Rendezvous in Old Nauvoo, a very well done musical.  We loved it.  The kids loved it and are still singing the songs.

 After the musical, we went out for dinner (for those still hungry) and dessert. 

 The next day was Sunday.  After church, we went to the Visitor's Center.  I loved having all four kids together, learning about Nauvoo and feeling the Spirit.

 After the Visitor's Center, we stopped at the temple.  It was sooooooooooooo cold and windy, but we wanted family pictures there together.

 We got this next one by setting the camera across the street on self-timer.  It was amazing that it worked well.  J is just being silly, but always someone is silly.

Dinner at the condo:

 Isn't the temple beautiful at night?  One of my very favorite moments of this whole trip was this night.  As we were driving home, we stopped down the hill from the temple, looking towards the beautiful lights, and sang together, "I Love to See the Temple."  All four kids cited this moment as one of their favorites of this trip.  It was a very touching opportunity.

Another cool thing about the temple is that J would get so excited EVERY time we saw the temple.  We saw it dozens and dozens of times, but he would shout and get excited every time we could see it, far or near.  He pointed it out every time.  I hope he always has this great love for the temple.

Once we got to the condo, we had a family testimony meeting, then each of us wrote of our thoughts and feelings while being in Nauvoo.  Then, we played some family games.  It was great!  I absolutely love having all four kids together.  It is an opportunity that we don't get often and I cherish it when it happens.

 The next morning, we rode a wagon through the town.  This was a touching point:  the Trail of Tears.  It is where the pioneers lined up to leave Nauvoo and cross the river.  This is where they could see the temple that they worked so hard on and were leaving.  What a difficult time.

 After Nauvoo, we went to Carthage jail.  This is where the Prophet Joseph Smith was martyred.  He fell from this very window after he was shot.  I am grateful that we got to go there.

 This is a bullet hole in the door that was shot by the mob that came to kill the prophet.  And, this is another view of the window where he fell.

After Carthage, we drove 10 hours and stopped for the night and then drove another 5 hours home the next day.

Now, K, C, and J are with their dad and CK, A, and I are in Idaho.  CK's grandpa passed away and we are here for the funeral.  It is crazy to have had just one short day at home to unpack, do laundry, and repack.  Also, we will end up being in 10 states in 8 days.  CRAZY!!!  This doesn't even include states that we fly over.  So worth it, though.  I am LOVING being here in Idaho.  I love CK's family and I am so grateful for the love they show me and our three kids that aren't with us today.