long awaited Nauvoo trip

Remember how I said I was going to do my trip with my family in installments?  Well in my mind, installments have to be spaced out...like really really spaced out.  At least that's the excuse I am using for how long it has taken me to get to the next phase of our trip...which was Nauvoo.  I love Nauvoo and my kids love Nauvoo but they really don't love most the things that make Nauvoo, Nauvoo.  If you know my kids, or any kids at the age of 6, 4, and 2 (especially if the 2 year-olds nick-name is tornado) sitting in an old pioneer home, where they can't touch anything and they have to listen to a presentation about people who lived there over a hundred years ago.  Do you see where I'm going with this.  Luckily, I have been to Nauvoo several times and so we didn't even go to any of the homes.  We had a wonderful time spending time with cousins and seeing some of the plays and camping. We caravaned down to Nauvoo with Denny, Kyle, and myself (and families) coming from Omaha and Valerie and Darla (and families) drove from Chicago and joined us there in Nauvoo
Right when we got there, we walked into the visitors center and Avonlea ran over to this statue of Joseph Smith and said "take a picture mom!" Is she trained or what ;-)

We went outside to the Women's Garden since my kids had been traveling for about 6 hours (Which they did WONDERFUL by the way and I was very nervous since it was only me....no Ammon). Anyway, the kids needed to get out a little energy and they wanted to take some pictures.  THEY wanted to take the pictures. 
Okay, I admit, I took this one, but I didn't pose her.  That is all Avonlea

Can you guess who took this next picture?

 

What about this picture?  Who do you think took it?  In my mind I of course had this vision of standing with my son next to this statue of a mother teaching her son.....yeah, it was better in my mind.

Soon, someone saw our plight and offered to take a picture of all of us.  Addie posed us and told us what to do for this next picture

As I mentioned, we were able to see so many cute shows put on by the young performing missionaries but I think a favorite will always be Rendezvous in Old Nauvoo put on by the senior Couples.  Here we are waiting for it to start.  We pretty much took up the first 3 rows....

...and the side bench. 

and that wasn't even all of us.  My sister Darla and her husband and son took Avonlea and Eliza (Val's daughter) on a walk so we could actually watch the show.  THANK YOU DARLA!!!

Of course we had to go to the Mississippi River afterward and watch the Sunset.  I think my kids were also having a contest to see who could get the most wet. 

ahhh, sisterly love

 

I don't think I have many pictures with just me and each kid but someone caught this one and for some reason I LOVE it.  Just me and my boy.


"Smile Vincent family"
There were 24 of us all together on this trip

 

pictures, pictures, pictures
 

The next day, we spent some time at the Pioneer Pastimes which is a WONDERFUL place for people with young kids. 
 

They had all sorts of pioneer dress-up and games pioneers player 

My niece Hannah (Denny's) and nephew Cooper (Val's)

more of those sister self shots

 

My amazing Aunt Cheryl is serving a mission in Nauvoo and she took us ALL out for frozen custard.  It was such a treat and so incredibly thoughtful of her.  When we started planning this trip, we were kinda planning on my parents being there serving their mission but then there were other plans in the works for them and now their on the other side of the world serving in the Micronesia Guam mission.  

Even though my parents couldn't be there, it was so wonderful to have a little piece of them in the form of my Aunt Cheryl.  She is so great

I took the kids on an oxen ride which was actually the first time I had ever done that.  We really enjoyed it but Kimball did not think it smelled so great, as you can see from the picture below.

 

Kimball would not even unplug his nose for our family shot....funny kid 

These next 4 pictures are a little redundant but I had to put them all in for a reason.  Check out Addie. Is she a poser or what? I love that kid

 "Hi, everyone, check me out"

 "I'm so cool, yes-sir-eee"

 "don't get in my way Kimball, I'm posing here"

I'm sad I don't have more pictures.  We had such a wonderful time camping with Val and Mathew and making wonderful memories with so many cousins.  The weather couldn't have been more perfect.  Nothing compared to our Other (disastrous) trip to Nauvoo last year.  The only thing it was missing was Ammon.  He had a 2 week rotation at a hospital that conflicted with our Nauvoo trip so he wasn't able to come but he did join us in Chicago which will be my next segment.....some other time.