Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Horse
There was a no-show in Mariah's horse-riding class today. So this little lady got to ride. She was so pleased!
Monday, June 20, 2011
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Fork Over Knives
I saw this movie last night. Wow! If it's playing in your area, go see it. It could save your life!
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Horse Therapy
Mariah has started a therapeutic horsemanship class. It's hard to tell for sure, but I think she really likes it. Hopefully it helps her.
Coffee Creek Therapeutic Riding Center is completely non-profit, paid for by donations and sponsorships, and their classes are completely FREE! Truly amazing what they're doing for these kids.
More Nauvoo Pictures
Grandma Shirlene and Gramps took these pictures of the girls while Mike and I were at the temple:
I married a genius.
Mike is always coming up with better ways to do things. This is his latest:
I no longer have to load the wheat grinder 4-5 times. I fill the pitcher to the 3L mark with wheat, set it up like this, and voila. This will change my life.
I no longer have to load the wheat grinder 4-5 times. I fill the pitcher to the 3L mark with wheat, set it up like this, and voila. This will change my life.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Nauvoo
We took a trip to Nauvoo this past week. Wow! What an amazing place! My testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, and the restoration of the Gospel in its fulness was confirmed again and again.
(Warning: Picture and information overload.)
We headed out at 8 a.m. Monday. We stopped in Kansas City to visit with Mike's cousin, Nate, his wife, Kate, and their cute kids, Haden and Cora. Mike and I relaxed for a couple hours, while Kate entertained the kids. Bliss.
Cora is a month older than Sally. She's an absolute doll. Funny story: On our way to Nate and Kate's, I was expressing to Mike my slight inferiority complex. Kate is one of those beauty-queen-magazine-worthy-always-put-together mom's with equally magazine-worthy-always-put-together children. I was saying something like, "I don't even have make-up on, my hair's in pigtails, and our girls look like ragamuffins. No bows, no ruffles." Well, as soon as Sally saw Cora, she confirmed my feelings by expressing her dissatisfaction with her jeans-and-t-shirt-no-flowers appearance. She kept pulling at her shirt and then looking at Cora's darling dress, saying, "Mmm, mmm, mmm." Then she'd pat her head and look at Cora's beautiful do, again saying, "Mmm, mmm, mmm." She was so obviously telling me to get with the program. Sorry, Babe. You got the wrong mom. Oh well.
After the tour, the girls were ready to move. We ate leftover sandwiches from our drive and walked through the Women's Garden (a garden full of statues depicting and honoring women and families).
We walked down to the Cultural Hall and saw the play "Just Plain Anna Amanda." It was darling. Mike and I really enjoyed it, and I think the girls (excluding Sally) did too, but they were also a bit overwhelmed. The front two rows are reserved for children. The girls wanted to sit there, so Mike and I sat on a bench along the side wall, right by them. The show opened with a puppet show. The girls were fine during that (kind of), but then, during a song, several people popped their heads out under the curtain, right in front of the kids. One girl was singing right to Elaine. I really wish I could have caught Elaine's face (a mix of shock, terror, curiosity, and amusement) on camera, but I was a split second too late. After that, they'd only stay on the front row if I sat with them. So I sat on the very edge of the bench, making sure I wasn't in anybody's way, and both girls sat as close as they possibly could to me without sitting on my lap. Mariah commented the next day, "That show was too stressed out!"
The show's about a girl who is named after a bunch of her ancestors and feels she doesn't have her own identity. Through a fun series of events, she finds herself. For the final song, she calls up one of the kids from the audience and sings a song about each person being special, "There's nobody else like you," etc. She picked Mariah. I wasn't sure how she'd handle it. She didn't want to go up until Anna Amanda assured her she wouldn't have to sing; they would just sing a song for her. I'm not sure why, but I cried a little. Probably a combination of the lyrics talking about nobody being like Mariah, and the fact that she's progressed enough that we could attend a play as a family, and she could even handle being on a stage full of adult strangers without freaking out (or having a meltdown later). (The next day, when she commented on the show being too stressed out, I asked her if she was nervous about being up on the stage. She said, "No. Not that part. Just the rest of the show.")
After the play, we walked over to Pioneer Pastimes. They have a pavilion with several pioneer games and toys set up. They also have two little log cabins: one is a play house, and the other a school house. The girls would have stayed there all day (and the next) had we let them. They loved it!
Elaine got on backwards.
There were tons of baby dolls, cradles, clothes, dishes, etc. Everything a little pioneer girl needs.
Even Sally got into it.
Mariah got really good at this game. You pull on the ropes, alternating left and right, to make the bear climb to the top. When the girls went back the second day, with Grandma and Gramps, she could beat every kid there--even teenagers.
Sally insisted on sitting on this little chair. She loves to pretend to eat. (She plays with our play kitchen at home all the time.)
This picture of Mariah is, quite possibly, my favorite picture from the whole trip:
After the girls had played in the house for quite a while, I went in a said in my best excited voice, "Girls! It's time for school! Come on!" I took them over to the little school house, and they all sat at their little desks with slates and chalk. Even Sal insisted on sitting at her own place. (I'm not the biggest pretender in the world. I guess my girls have noticed. The next day, I overheard Elaine saying, "And then, Mom said, "Girls! It's time for school!" She was pretty pleased about it. I really should step outside myself and play with them more often.)
Grandma and Gramps joined us after a morning in the temple. We stayed for a little while longer at Pioneer Pastimes and then walked to the brick maker's and the blacksmith shop. Just as we were leaving Pioneer Pastimes, the Nauvoo Brass band pulled up in their wagon. They played "The Children's March," and we (again, very out of character for me) marched with them. By the end of the song, Mariah finally let go of my hand and marched by herself in front of me.
At the brick place, I noticed Mariah's pioneer spirit. She did this herself:
Because we cut our handcart trek short, we had time for an oxen ride before our scheduled carriage ride to Inspiration Point.
Inspiration Point carriage ride:
Love this picture:
Sally was not happy, and I resorted to feeding her snickerdoodles.
This was the girls' third day in a row with no naps. They were all pretty tuckered:
Petting the carriage horses:
The girls (especially Mariah) requested several times to walk around the temple. We finally did Wednesday evening. When I asked the girls on the drive home what was their favorite part of Nauvoo, Mariah said, without hesitating, "Walking around the temple."
After the temple, we drove back down to Grandma and Gramp's house and then walked around the corner to Newel K. Whitney's house. We took the tour through the house; I loved seeing how things might have been. They, like so many saints, only lived in their beautiful home for four months before having to leave to walk to Salt Lake.
In front of Grandma and Gramp's house:
We drove back to the blacksmith shop on Parley street, and took the "walk down Parley Street," suggested by President Hinckley after the Nauvoo Temple dedication. (When the Saints were driven out of Nauvoo, wagons were lined up for miles on Parley Street. They walked down Parley Street to the Mississippi and crossed on barges, or later, on the frozen river.)
Throwing rocks into the Mississippi:
Our final stop on Wednesday evening was this culvert, built by the Saints to drain the swamp. It was really beautiful.
Afterwards, Grandma and Gramps returned with us to our place for a late taco salad dinner.
On our way home, I wanted to take a small detour to see Haun's Mill. It turned out to be something of a joke, as we couldn't find any really accurate driving directions, and the roads were muddy and a bit treacherous for a mini van. When we finally found the site, after driving back and forth on dirt roads for some time, this is what we saw: A post in the ground. That's it. No visitor's center. Nothing. A post. We stayed in the car. (Beautiful area, though.)
The girls were amazing travelers. We only made one stop on the way home: Five hours of driving; an hour and a half stop, just north of Kansas City; five more hours of driving. What troopers!
That's it. (Congratulations if you made it through.) All in all, it was a very memorable, and even fairly relaxing, trip.
(Warning: Picture and information overload.)
We headed out at 8 a.m. Monday. We stopped in Kansas City to visit with Mike's cousin, Nate, his wife, Kate, and their cute kids, Haden and Cora. Mike and I relaxed for a couple hours, while Kate entertained the kids. Bliss.
 |
| Elaine, Haden, Cora, Sally |
 |
| Mariah, Kate, Sally, Elaine, Haden |
 |
| Mariah, Kate, Haden, Elaine |
We arrived in Nauvoo at about 9 p.m. and were greeted by Mike's grandparents (Grandma Shirlene and Gramps), who are serving a temple mission there. They made our stay so perfect! They were able to switch their p-day with another couple, so they could spend a whole day with us; they watched the girls while Mike and I did a temple session; they took us out to eat; they fed us at their home. Perfect tour guides and host and hostess. Thank you!
We stayed in a 2-bedroom, 2-bath condo at the Nauvoo Villas. Mariah and Elaine slept in one room (Mariah in a king bed, and Elaine in a twin); Sally was in one of the two bathrooms, and Mike and I had a room.
After breakfast Tuesday morning, we headed to the visitors center. After a quick look around, we took the wagon tour of Old Nauvoo. The girls were a bit restless after the first few minutes, but it was nice to see everything, knowing we wouldn't have time to visit each place during our stay.
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| Grain barges pushed by a tug boat on the Mississippi. They ship incredible amounts of grain and produce. With all the stuff loaded on semis, the trucks (lined up) would stretch for 35 miles! |
After the tour, the girls were ready to move. We ate leftover sandwiches from our drive and walked through the Women's Garden (a garden full of statues depicting and honoring women and families).
We walked down to the Cultural Hall and saw the play "Just Plain Anna Amanda." It was darling. Mike and I really enjoyed it, and I think the girls (excluding Sally) did too, but they were also a bit overwhelmed. The front two rows are reserved for children. The girls wanted to sit there, so Mike and I sat on a bench along the side wall, right by them. The show opened with a puppet show. The girls were fine during that (kind of), but then, during a song, several people popped their heads out under the curtain, right in front of the kids. One girl was singing right to Elaine. I really wish I could have caught Elaine's face (a mix of shock, terror, curiosity, and amusement) on camera, but I was a split second too late. After that, they'd only stay on the front row if I sat with them. So I sat on the very edge of the bench, making sure I wasn't in anybody's way, and both girls sat as close as they possibly could to me without sitting on my lap. Mariah commented the next day, "That show was too stressed out!"
The show's about a girl who is named after a bunch of her ancestors and feels she doesn't have her own identity. Through a fun series of events, she finds herself. For the final song, she calls up one of the kids from the audience and sings a song about each person being special, "There's nobody else like you," etc. She picked Mariah. I wasn't sure how she'd handle it. She didn't want to go up until Anna Amanda assured her she wouldn't have to sing; they would just sing a song for her. I'm not sure why, but I cried a little. Probably a combination of the lyrics talking about nobody being like Mariah, and the fact that she's progressed enough that we could attend a play as a family, and she could even handle being on a stage full of adult strangers without freaking out (or having a meltdown later). (The next day, when she commented on the show being too stressed out, I asked her if she was nervous about being up on the stage. She said, "No. Not that part. Just the rest of the show.")
After the play, we walked over to Pioneer Pastimes. They have a pavilion with several pioneer games and toys set up. They also have two little log cabins: one is a play house, and the other a school house. The girls would have stayed there all day (and the next) had we let them. They loved it!
Elaine got on backwards.
There were tons of baby dolls, cradles, clothes, dishes, etc. Everything a little pioneer girl needs.
Even Sally got into it.
 |
| "Walk-a Walk-a!" |
Sally insisted on sitting on this little chair. She loves to pretend to eat. (She plays with our play kitchen at home all the time.)
This picture of Mariah is, quite possibly, my favorite picture from the whole trip:
 |
| Doing laundry and quoting from Little Mommy: "I wash the clothes in my washing machine . . . . Then I hang them on the line to dry. I'll have to iron them by and by . . . ." |
After the girls had played in the house for quite a while, I went in a said in my best excited voice, "Girls! It's time for school! Come on!" I took them over to the little school house, and they all sat at their little desks with slates and chalk. Even Sal insisted on sitting at her own place. (I'm not the biggest pretender in the world. I guess my girls have noticed. The next day, I overheard Elaine saying, "And then, Mom said, "Girls! It's time for school!" She was pretty pleased about it. I really should step outside myself and play with them more often.)
Grandma and Gramps joined us after a morning in the temple. We stayed for a little while longer at Pioneer Pastimes and then walked to the brick maker's and the blacksmith shop. Just as we were leaving Pioneer Pastimes, the Nauvoo Brass band pulled up in their wagon. They played "The Children's March," and we (again, very out of character for me) marched with them. By the end of the song, Mariah finally let go of my hand and marched by herself in front of me.
At the brick place, I noticed Mariah's pioneer spirit. She did this herself:
Monday night, Grandma and Gramps took us all to a buffet dinner. Yum! Then they watched our girls (in bed), while Mike and I went back to the Cultural Hall to see "Rendezvous." Loved it! (How often do you go on vacation and have ready-made, willing, and free babysitters?!)
Tuesday morning, we took the girls over to Grandma and Gramp's, and we went to a temple session. Such an incredible feeling in that temple! Really amazing and beautiful.
While we were at the temple, G&G took the girls back to Pioneer Pastimes (and took some more darling pictures I'll post after I get copies).
We went back to Grandma and Gramp's for lunch and then headed out on our very own handcart trek. We pulled and pushed, fording a stream twice, going through mud, and lots and lots of tall grass, trying to avoid stinging nettle, and decided after about 500 yards that we had experienced enough. So much for our tribute to the pioneers. We turned around and headed back. Our trek lasted about 20 minutes (maybe 30?).
Because we cut our handcart trek short, we had time for an oxen ride before our scheduled carriage ride to Inspiration Point.
Inspiration Point carriage ride:
Love this picture:
Sally was not happy, and I resorted to feeding her snickerdoodles.
This was the girls' third day in a row with no naps. They were all pretty tuckered:
Petting the carriage horses:
The girls (especially Mariah) requested several times to walk around the temple. We finally did Wednesday evening. When I asked the girls on the drive home what was their favorite part of Nauvoo, Mariah said, without hesitating, "Walking around the temple."
After the temple, we drove back down to Grandma and Gramp's house and then walked around the corner to Newel K. Whitney's house. We took the tour through the house; I loved seeing how things might have been. They, like so many saints, only lived in their beautiful home for four months before having to leave to walk to Salt Lake.
In front of Grandma and Gramp's house:
We drove back to the blacksmith shop on Parley street, and took the "walk down Parley Street," suggested by President Hinckley after the Nauvoo Temple dedication. (When the Saints were driven out of Nauvoo, wagons were lined up for miles on Parley Street. They walked down Parley Street to the Mississippi and crossed on barges, or later, on the frozen river.)
Throwing rocks into the Mississippi:
Our final stop on Wednesday evening was this culvert, built by the Saints to drain the swamp. It was really beautiful.
Afterwards, Grandma and Gramps returned with us to our place for a late taco salad dinner.
We headed home Thursday morning, stopping first in Carthage. The girls (especially Sally) were pretty much spent by then, but I was so glad we stopped.
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| The Dungeon Cell |
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| The window out of which Joseph Smith jumped/fell after being shot. |
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| Joseph and Hyrum |
The girls were amazing travelers. We only made one stop on the way home: Five hours of driving; an hour and a half stop, just north of Kansas City; five more hours of driving. What troopers!
That's it. (Congratulations if you made it through.) All in all, it was a very memorable, and even fairly relaxing, trip.
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