Nauvoo and Day Two
When last we left off, we were arriving in Nauvoo, Illinois for our first overnight pitstop of the journey. It is here where we learned our first big lesson of the trip -- make sure the kids have eaten {preferably a real meal} before endeavoring to do any kind of activity. Especially one that might not be seen as "fun" for certain children. Another lesson learned on the same evening -- rigidly adhering to the planned "itinerary" is a recipe for disaster -- or at least, meltdown city. Also? As I've said before, framing is everything. Here's how our time in Nauvoo played out...
{Two thumbs up for the accommodations on our first night -- Woodruff Hotel}
The first thing on our itinerary in Nauvoo was to check into our hotel and then head over to the Visitor's Center to learn some church history stuff and check out what activities were there for us to do that evening. In hindsight, if we would have driven over we MAY have had less of a revolt, but the end result probably would have been the same -- tired, hot, and hungry kids are the harbingers of all things bad. As I mentioned in my last post, Grace didn't even realize Nauvoo was a church historical site and was even LESS inclined to do "church stuff" on vacation when she didn't know what was going on. The walk over to the Visitor's Center was a bit longer than we anticipated and by the time we got there, no was interested in anything it had to offer. It was here that we decided it would be for the best to scrap those plans and turn around to find something to eat for dinner. After a delicious all-you-can-eat buffet at the Hotel Nauvoo, we decided to scratch another agenda item for the evening off the list {the Brass Band Concert} and head to the hotel to rest up for a bit before going to see a little "Sunset by the Mississippi" {a variety show, that we framed as being like "America's Got Talent" -- which it kind of was, except that everyone was dressed in pioneer garb, and some of the performances were admittedly hokey, and there were no judges to "X" people off the stage} and a performance by BYU's "Noteworthy" {an all girls a capella group}.
Grace, Jane, and Alex didn't last very long with the Sunset by the Mississippi performance, but thankfully there was a large, grassy field surrounding us where they were able to run around to their hearts' content. Everyone was captivated by the Noteworthy performance, though, so the night ended off on a super high note. {Get it?? Hahahaha.} An added bonus to our evening in Nauvoo was running into some old friends from our ward in St. Louis who had come to pick up their oldest daughter from EFY the next day. :) I always love what a small world it is in the LDS church.
{Grace's face here says it all. Hahahahaha.}
The Nauvoo Temple at night
My biggest worry for this whole adventure was how the baby would fare with sleeping away from home -- especially after our Memorial Day weekend getaway to the cousins' house, when he was waking up every couple hours all night long because of the unfamiliarity of the pack n play he was in, plus being in the same room with us for the duration of the night. To prep for this trip, I started putting Isaac to sleep in the pack n play at bedtime and for all of his naps during the week leading up to our departure. I think it helped a ton! He wasn't perfect on the trip, but he did MUCH better than I was fearing, and on some nights he actually did really great! There were quite a few nights that he ended up in bed with us at some point or other in the middle of the night, but overall we were still able to function and have a really awesome vacation. :)
Day two of the trip saw us dropping a few things off our itinerary {the tour of Carthage jail, where the prophet Joseph Smith was martyred} and adding a few others {the blacksmith shop and the brickyard}, while keeping our main activity the same {oxcart ride and pictures in front of the temple}. We totally lucked out in the weather department, because July in Nauvoo should have been incredibly hot and humid, but instead it was delightfully cool and pleasant.
{Statues of Joseph and Hyrum Smith on horseback in front of the temple.}
The kids had a grand time goofing around taking pictures before heading over to the oxcart ride and other activities. We learned some surprising and interesting facts about oxen and why the pioneers chose them on their journey out west, and Grace's whole day was made at the unexpected experience of watching one of the oxen pulling our cart *ahem* use the restroom while on our ride. ;)
"For some must push, and some must pull...
...as we go marching up the hill...
...so merrily on our way we go...
...until we reach the Valley-o!"
Felfie time again!
I love to see the temple. :)
Did you know that oxen are just cattle that have been trained to pull something?? I didn't! Hahaha. You learn something new everyday. ;) They were also MUCH cheaper than horses, required less food (because they could graze on the prairie grass along the way), and could haul heavier loads.
The kids were so delighted by the ox cart ride, that we decided to throw in a few more things before getting back on the road. Our first add-in was a trip to the blacksmith/wheelwright shop where we learned how wheels and wagons were made and how horseshoes and ox shoes were forged. It was all very fascinating, and, as an added bonus, the kids picked up a sweet souvenir -- a nail bent into the shape of a ring, made popular by "The Legend of the Prairie Diamond," which is a tale from Pioneer times of a young man who didn't have money or means to provide a wedding ring for the young woman he loved, but spied a box of Diamond nails in his shop one day and was struck with the idea to turn it into a "diamond ring" for his beloved and propose. ;)
Picking out their rings.
Prairie Diamonds!
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