Nauvoo Day 2

We arrived in Nauvoo at around 3pm local time Tuesday afternoon and we got home last night (this morning) at around 2:30am.  So it was a quick trip.  But it was oh so fun.  We really tried to cram in as much as we could.  There is so much to do and see and fun for all ages.  Logan really had a blast as well.

It was actually a very spiritual and emotional experience for me.  I am so thankful for what the early Latter Day Saints went through and endured so that we can enjoy the gospel today.  I admire their faith and their eternal perspective.  They make me want to be a better person and a better disciple of Christ.  I am thankful for the prophet Joseph Smith, his wife, Emma, and his family and all that they sacrificed.  I know that he is a prophet of God.  I know that he saw our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.  I know that by the power of God he translated the Book of Mormon.  I know that it is the word of God.  I don't know if I've ever felt closer to the Prophet Joseph and our Father in Heaven than I did these few days in Nauvoo.  It really is a special place.  If you'd like to know more about Joseph Smith, our Heavenly Father, His plan for your life, the Mormon Pioneers, or Nauvoo, feel free to check out Mormon.org.  It's a great resource to use to answer any of your questions about the Mormon faith.

And now without further ado....

A picture dump for the ages!  And this is only Day 2!  Check back on Monday for Day 3!

On day two we started by checking out some of the old restored buildings in Historic Nauvoo.  It so fun because it's set up like a little town and in each building there are people in periodic clothing giving tours and doing fun things.  They have a bakery, an old brick store, a ballroom, a theatre, a place for the kids to play games common of the time period, a craft area, and lots of old restored homes of the early Saints.

Here's Logan and his cousin Carmen dancing in the ballroom:

Don't hold back, Logan.

And here they are riding some toy sheep:

Gah, isn't my niece, the cutest?

Grandma and Papa teaching Logan how to climb the bear:

Cowboy Logan!

Logan in that hat!  *Swoon*

We all had lots of fun on the stilts....but I must brag, I was the best.

Can you spot the Logan photo bomb?

Awkward...

More awkward

Even Reagan had a good time.

After lunch and an attempt at nap time, we decided to take a stroll around the temple.  The temple is such a special place.  We believe that in the temple families can be sealed to one another forever.  Meaning that after we die, we will still all be together as a family.  You can see why the early Saints worked so hard to finish building the Nauvoo Temple.  If you were going to leave your home in the dead of winter to journey on foot across the country, not sure where you were going, how long it would take, or if you would live or die, wouldn't you want the blessing that you would be with your family again after this life?

Anyway, I'm grateful that families can be together forever.  I'm thankful for my family and for that promise.

Beautiful!

I love my family!

Logan touching the temple

That night was the British Pageant.  I told you last time about the pageant they run every year.  Well this year is the first year they are doing a British Pageant.  In the early years of the LDS Church, they sent missionaries to England and they baptized thousands and thousands of people at a time.  This pageant told their story.  My SIL and her husband needed to stay home with my niece on this night, so I was able to put Logan to bed and go.  It was so fun.  Again, the faith of these people is astounding.  

Wow! That was all in ONE day!  Yeah, we really tried to make the most of our time here.  Check back on Monday for a re-cap of Day 3 in Nauvoo!