St. Louis

Saturday Morning we said goodbye to Rachel and her family and headed to St. Louis.  We had such a fun day there even though we did not really have a plan.  We ate some great St. Louis BBQ, walked a street and ended up getting free comics at a fun store and then we ended up spending a couple hours driving around these amazing historic neighborhoods.  We are totally ready to move to St. Louis; it is such a cool city.  

We had heard about this great place called the City Museum and we had been on the fence about going, but we decided to drive by it just so we could say that we saw it.  When the girls saw the place, they begged to go and we couldn't say no.  It turned out to be a great decision.  It is hands down one of the coolest places we have been to.  We got in touch with our inner child and spent over four hours exploring this great great urban playground.  Some artists turned an old ware house into into a museum/ playground out of  recycled materials.  I cannot do the place justice, but it was so fun.  There was so much to explore, tunnels and slides and random nooks and spaces.  If you ever find yourself in St. Louis, this is a must do.  

We didn't leave the place until almost 9:00pm and then decided to just drive the 13 hours home through the night.  Hector was a driving machine.  The girls actually slept really well in the van.  

We got home Sunday at noon and we all took a four hour nap.  It felt so good.  We woke up and ate dinner and then all went back to beg.  I was worried the girls would wake up in the middle of the night since they had napped for so long, but alas I had to drag them out of bed the next morning to get them so school on time.  

Carthage, Liberty and Independence

These pictures are in no order.

We left Nauvoo and headed to Independence, Missouri.  On the way we stopped at Carthage and Liberty jails.  Carthage was fascinating; there is a really nice visitors' center there and it was a well worth experience.  We learned about Joseph Smith's murder, yet we felt the spirit and the testimony that Jesus did restore His church to the earth.  

We stopped at Far West and Liberty Jail before we landed at our next house in Independence.  Estelle and Sienna were both afraid of Libery Jail.  

The house is in Independence was really fun.  It was built in 1912 and had these cute balcony bedrooms that the kids loved.  

In Independence we spent time learning about the early church in Missouri and some of the break offs from the church.  Independence is also home of President Truman.  We enjoyed seeing his house and learning more about him as well.  We even enjoyed a soda in the soda shop he worked at as a youth.  

In the evenings we played lots of games and had fun spending time together.  Everyone stayed up too late and was sleep deprived, but it was well worth it.  We just love Rachel and Tyler's family.  It is so fun to have so many cousins.  

Nauvoo

I love Vacation!  I have always wanted to go to Nauvoo, so when we had the chance to meet up with Rachel and her family there, I could not turn down the opportunity.  We rented a big house and spent three nights in Nauvoo with ten kids and only four adults.  The kids did great and we had fun exploring all the Church History in Nauvoo.  We took wagon rides and heard stories of the Pioneers.  We learned about life on the frontier and so much about brave women and men in the 1830's.  The kids had fun learning and playing together.  I am grateful to be blessed with such a wonderful legacy.  

The kids loved the big house with so many bunk beds.  We had a girl room and boy room and a baby room and adult rooms.  It was great and such a fun way to spend time with family.