Quick Spring Break Trip to Nauvoo & Carthage - March 27 - 28

Nauvoo Temple - March 27, 2015

So, I'm obviously playing catch up; seems like I'm always playing catch up. Anyway, at least something is getting put down. The kids had two days, in the two different spring break dates, that they all had the same day off. The first was March 27th. I took the day off and we went for an overnight in Nauvoo, Illinois. I hadn't been for years, and the younger four hadn't been since probably 2007 when we went for Christmas. So, I packed up the tent and supplies, Eric did the shopping and we headed out Thursday evening after Eric finished a project for a fellow church member, around 9:00. We arrived in Nauvoo around three am Nauvoo time, pulled into an overflow parking lot and slept for a few hours (at least tried too) before being able to "check in" to our camp site.

Before pulling into the camp site, four of the kids and I walked down Parley Street. I knew it was going to be cool, the highs were supposed to be in the mid-40's. I didn't thing about wind chill or how cold it would be before it got to the mid-40s. It was a little breezy walking toward the Mississippi River (as you can tell by Nate's tucked in chin). 

It was colder than we expected.
Can you tell?

Standing at the statue of Brigham and Joseph
facing the Mississippi River.

Neta was brave enough to touch the Mississippi.
I didn't want to; it was too cold.

To give a little size perspective, Xela and Neta
standing on the raft that took pioneers across the river.

Kids waiting in the van for the visitors center to open at 9.
We ate a breakfast of bagels and moo-tubes in the van.

Watching the narration and map regarding old Nauvoo.

Looking up to her big brother and hero.

The statue of the First Vision.

After the visitor center, we went on a wagon ride around old Nauvoo, something we'd never done before. 

We we told we could each grab two blankets and a hat if we wanted it.

Wrapped and ready to go!

The horses let you pet them after the ride.
Their names were Jimmy & John

Neta with her turn to pet the pullers of the wagon

Third time's the charm. We got a decent picture of the family.

After the wagon ride, we went over to the family center. There we learned how the pioneers made rope, candles, prepped wool, made barells and bread. The kids even got to made a thing of rope. Below are pictures from making our rope. It takes a family to make a rope and if our family can work together and be strong like the rope is after being bound together, nothing will be lost to us.

Taking three and combining them into one.

Making sure the rope is tight, in order to
work properly.

Whipping the rope to keep the end together.

Whipping the other end.

Neta cutting the finished product.

We visited areas that I hadn't been to before, like the gun shop and tinsmith.

Did you know that the first machine gun was made by a Mormon?

Of course, you have to go to the Brickyard and the blacksmith so you can get your Nauvoo brick and our prairie diamond. :)

It's a Xela brick.

Learning about how they made the wheels.

After that, we visited Lucy Mack Smith's home, that have the steepest stairs in all Nauvoo. 

Then we headed back to set up camp. We switched lots, because the one I selected was small and had little sunshine. Not that there were a lot of people, there weren't, but it's still nice to be as far from possible neighbors when you're camping.

We set up the tent, unpacked and Eric and I went to find wood before warming up the pre-cooked meat for taco salad. After dinner, we went to the play called "Old Nauvoo" and then came back to cook marshmellows, which I apparently forgot to pack. So, Xela and Neta and Nate and I went to hunt down some mellows. At the second store, I looked and couldn't find anything, then asked the attendant who was able to find the very last bag. Thank you Heavenly Father for tender mercies!

Kids enjoyed marshmellows and then we tucked them snuggly into their sleeping bags. It was REALLY COLD and Eric and I only had summer sleeping bags and body heat. I had brought the little spce heater from work and that may have helped a little bit, but it was still too cold to sleep comfortably (got a little touch of pioneer life). It was good to get up in the morning and move the muscles.

Eric and I went to an endowment session while Xela waited for all the kids to wake up and cooked breakfast. I was having a coughing fit through most of it and a sweet temple worker made sure I had something to suck on. I felt so bad for interrupting others' inspiration time, but it was good to be in the temple, of course.

Upon return from the temple, we finished breakfast and packed up. We hit the souvenir shops so the kids could get something from the trip. We stopped at temple hill, took a few pictures (see below) and then headed to visit the grave sites before heading to Carthage.

Picture of Xela taking a picture

The kids ran down the hill, came up and then
did some rolling down the hill as well.
I love hearing them laugh together.

At the grave site of Joseph, Hyrum and Emma Smith.

We got to Carthage just in time for the last tour of the day. We had something to eat before getting out of the van and then our missionary tour guide showed the usual video and then we went into the jail and shared stories that I hadn't heard before. I love learning something new.

Family picture with Joseph and Hyrum

Kids sitting at the window where Joseph was killed.
Such a sacred place.
Not many people can say they gave their life
for the eternal well being of their fellow man.

It was neat and inspiring to watch Neta
stop to read each of the signs outside
with quotes from Joseph & scriptures.

We headed home, the six hour drive. At one point, as we were crossing a river, not into Indiana yet, so I'm not sure what river it was, I was driving and heard some knocking in the engine. The oil gauge had been bouncing around on the way to Nauvoo and had stopped once we got there. Eric had asked his dad about it and was told not to worry too much about it. 

Eric sleeping, but I woke him up when I heard the knocking. We pulled over at the first gas station that I saw and Eric was sure we'd ruined the engine. While he went in to buy quarts of gas (he checked the oil level and there was nothing on the stick), I asked the kids to say a prayer that the van would work properly to get us home. They each said their own prayer and I carried a prayer in my heart the entire time; we didn't need to be down a car and we didn't want to be stuck in some little town between Nauvoo and Indianapolis. Eric added the oil and then we restarted the engine. Knocking was gone and we headed out. Heavenly Father was the mechanic that came to our rescue and I'm very grateful for that.