A Trip to the Past

After our fun time in Cape, we headed up north. Chad decided that as long as we were on the eastern side of Missouri, we should take the kids and show them a little bit of history in Nauvoo, Illinois.
Chad also decided that we should be authentic and stay in a log cabin. I was a little skeptical at first, but they have updated the cabins to include running water, electricity, and the all important...cable tv! (It was the week of the Winter Olympics after all!) So other than being a little short on space, but then so are hotel rooms, staying in a log cabin was a great experience. The kids were so excited about the log cabin, especially the bunk beds. The first thing they did when we got there was to climb up to the top bunk and beg me to take their picture.
One of the nights we were there, they even wanted to share the same bed. (I guess they were going for completely authentic with lots of kids in one bed!) I wasn't sure that would go well because I have slept with both of them and they both kick...a lot! But we let them do it and they actually both slept great and thought they were so cool. (I thought I had a picture of them asleep, but I guess not.)
We had a great time in Nauvoo and learned lots of things about the pioneers. (Apparently I did not use my camera nearly as much as I thought I did though. Of course, you might be grateful for that.) Having grown up in the Midwest and experienced cold Midwestern winters, I did not think going to Nauvoo in February was a great idea. (I clearly had a lot of reluctance on this trip. But thankfully my husband held firm and we had a great time!) However, after having done it, I could be talked into doing it again. While it was cold, it was not very busy. So we could drive from place to place and not have trouble finding close parking, thus we were able to avoid a lot of the cold. Also, the missionaries had lots of time to spend talking to us and could adjust their spiels to our young children without others missing out. They gave the kids lots of attention and lots of fun souvenirs to take home.
While we were in Nauvoo, we learned how to
make bread,
make our very own rope,
make candles,
as well as horseshoes, bricks, guns, and various other pioneer essentials. They also showed us what school was like back then, as well as a variety of things that pioneer children had to do.
We even got to go on a wagon ride. It was very cold, but they snuggled us up in lots of warm blankets. Addy and Emily were so warm that they even managed to get a nap in along the way!
Addy was grateful when we finally went some place where she could actually touch all the neat stuff that she saw. (Nauvoo is not necessarily an ideal place for an 18-month-old!) She learned what pioneer babies got to play with!
Emily also showed her how helpful big sisters are, back then and now!
One of the nights we were there, we went and watched the show that the missionaries put on. It was very cute and lots of fun! The kids did an excellent job sitting still and watching.
Cole and Em cheesing before the play started,
and hiding while waiting for it to start.
Even Addy was cute and friendly for most of the time!
The highlight of the trip was seeing the Nauvoo temple. It was so beautiful sitting up on the hill overlooking the town.
Cole has been fascinated with temples ever since we went through the Draper Temple Open House, so he especially thought it was cool to see, although he wished he could go inside.
All in all, I think we had a great time in Nauvoo. I think even the kids developed a little bit of an appreciation for what the early Saints went through and what great sacrifices they made. We also had lots of good family bonding time! I think we were all still even speaking to each other when we left!
Bring on the next adventure!

A Trip Down Memory Lane

When Chad heard that the BYU Gymnastics team was going to compete at our alma mater, Southeast Missouri State University, he decided it was a good chance to take the kids and show them our old stomping grounds.
I know Chad and I enjoyed our trip down memory lane, I'm not sure if the kids properly appreciated it or not. Oh well, sometimes you have to suffer through things for the sake of your parents, right!
Our first stop was the track where I spent a lot of time. Not much seemed to have changed there, except for knocking down "the house" that we used to lift weights in and building a real building there.
Cole and I raced around the track. (I won of course!)
Emily and Cole played on the high jump mats that I used to jump on.
And, Emily checked out the hurdles. (Her technique needs a little work!)
Not to be outdone, Chad took them to see the field where he played football.
Cole and Chad raced. (I'm pretty sure Cole won that one!)
Finally, Cole and Chad talked strategy about when Cole plays on a big field like that. (Or Chad was telling Cole about all the great plays he made on that field! I'm not sure which!)
Even though it wasn't their greatest performance of the year, we enjoyed watching the gymnastics team compete.
Cole and Briana hit it off. As many years as we spent with Briana, that didn't really surprise us. It did surprise me how old Briana was. She's not the little girl we used to play with!
The kids even got their picture taken with Rowdy the Redhawk. (Although I'm still a little bitter that they are no longer called the Indians. But it's probably best not to even delve into that!)
Finally, no trip to Cape Girardeau is complete without a trip to the Mississippi River.
Chad showed them the gates that they close when the river gets really high and the marks on the wall that show how high the river has gotten in the past.
Cole was so convinced before we got there that he could throw a rock across the river. Once we got there, he realized that maybe it was a little bigger than he ever imagined!
All in all, we had a great time. It was so much fun to go back and remember all the places and people that we knew there. We got to hang out and talk to old friends and it was like we had never left. It made Chad and I realize how much we love the area and the people there. Thanks Cape! We will be back again some day!

Once There Was a Snowman

Emily begged all winter long to build a snowman, but we either didn't have wet enough snow or she didn't ask when I had time to go help her. I was afraid winter was over and we had missed our chance, especially when it was mid-50's for a while. But, never fear! Winter was not over. We got several inches dumped on us at the beginning of March and since it had been warm, it was just the right snow for building. So we got all bundled up and out we went!
The snow was perfect. We started with a little ball
and started rolling and pretty soon we had a good sized snowball.Then we stacked the snowballs.
We topped him off with a hat, a scarf, rocks for eyes, a baby carrot for a nose (does anyone actually buy real carrots any more?), a licorice mouth, and sticks for arms.
Pretty Cute!When our snowman was done, the kids still wanted to play in the snow. So, they then made snow angels (although Emily could not understand where the angel was!).
Emily even tried to catch a snowflake on her tongue while making a snow angel. Pretty tricky!
Then Cole wanted to go sledding, but he didn't have enough time to go anywhere because school started in an hour. So he made his own hill!
Addy wasn't so sure about the weather change. The days prior, she had gotten to swing and slide and go for walks. She tried to do them even with the snow, but discovered they just weren't the same!
The snow at the bottom was a little too cold!BrrrrrrAfter losing her mittens multiple times and her boot a time or two, Addy decided that she much prefers mid-50's weather!

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

For Dr. Seuss's Birthday, Cole's school celebrated the day with Dad's and Donuts (Dads take their kids in before school and read and eat donuts) and by dressing as their favorite nursery rhyme or Dr. Seuss character. Cole pulled out all of our Dr. Seuss books (I'm a little afraid to admit how many of those we actually have!) so he could look through each one and decide which one he wanted to be. After much discussion (and his mom trying to talk him into one she could actually pull off in a day), he settled on either Max the dog from The Grinch Who Stole Christmas or Thing 1. You can see which one won.
He was even more excited when his buddy agreed to be Thing 2 (as was his buddy's Mom!)!
I thought it was a very fitting costume. Not only are these 2 boys joined at the hip most days, they can also make a huge mess in a hurry!