Adam's flight from Medford was delayed 5 hours, so the family did not arrive here until 11 pm Sunday night. We greeted them and then went to bed. Great to have his family here with Rebecca's. Adam's girls are so cute, cheerful and love to give hugs.
Monday was a low key day, getting ready for our trip to Nauvoo, which for us started on Tuesday. But we did take time to recognize Savannah's birthday with a 'death by chocolate' cake made by Rebecca.
The adults were not the only ones hanging out.
And of course, it was necessary to give the children a ride in the truck around the pasture.
Adam and family left for Jonathan's on Tuesday, and Rebecca's family and us left just after noon to drive to Mexico, MO to spend the night. Sandy thought that the 7-8 hour trip to Nauvoo would be too much for her so we drove the 4+ hours to Mexico and continued to Nauvoo on Wednesday. Of course we had to stop at Aldi's in Keokuk to stock up on food.
We arrived in Nauvoo early, so we managed to obtain tickets for the 30 minute horse wagon ride which gave an historical overview of Nauvoo as we rode the wagon. We also were able to reserve seats for the evening's outdoor pageant.
Then Sandy and I went to see if the two rented houses were available. They were, so we moved into our quarters. Kristy had taken on the herculean task of making room assignments and she did an amazing job putting the right people in the right room. By dinner, all six children and their children had arrived. Only Dan White and Nathan were not there; so we had 42 of us. To say it was rather hectic, chaotic and challenging to feed that many in one house would be an understatement; but it was enjoyable and fun to have all together as a group. We did rent two houses, but only one had a kitchen/dining area big enough for us.
Family fun.
Each family chose a dinner or breakfast to prepare and was in charge of that meal. The MO Foxes provided us a yummy lasagna meal on Wednesday. With a hasty cleanup, we headed off to the pageant area to view the 'British Pageant' which started at 830 pm. With a cast of over 250 (my guess) it is an amazing hour and 45 minute dramatization of the apostles teaching the gospel in the British Isles in the 1830's and 1840's and the impact it had those peoples lives and follows several families that struggled with the decision to be baptized. The cast is made up of mostly volunteers from around the world, with a small core group of actors. All ages participate, to include small infants. It was a very spiritual ending for a long day.
Thursday was picture day. We had a wonderfully delightful couple take family photos at three different locations in Nauvoo; the wife even had most of the children's names memorized! And the grandchildren were mostly cooperative in smiling at the appropriate time.
Then families split up to do their own thing. In the afternoon, all the adults attended a session in the temple. It was another special event for us, to have all the children in the temple at one time. Especially so because two months ago, we weren't sure Sandy would be able to make this trip. Deborah's family prepared a tasty potato bar for dinner and then we were off to the county fair at the pageant grounds. They have a variety of games, crafts and activities for all ages for the 90 minutes prior to the pageant. Log cutting, dancing, a several pioneer type games; my favorite is the bag pipe band. This group of 12-15 come together from across the country, some never having played in a band together, to provide their amazing music. Tonight was the 'American Pageant'; a sequel to the previous night's performance, tracing the lives of several families from the 'British Pageant'. It was another marvelous performance that invited the spirit.
Friday was open for families to go do their own thing. In the afternoon, eight of the grands went to the temple to do baptisms. It was David Fox's first time. This evening we were treated to a delicious taco salad by Andy's family. And then we stayed home to play games and stay up later than we should have.
Eggbert even stopped by to visit us in Nauvoo and participate in activities.
Saturday, with lots of commotion, confusion and sadness, we packed and cleaned up so we could check out by 11. And then all of us were on the road. A time of joy and great excitement had come to an end and it was time to return to our own homes and routines. The cousins all had a great time playing and visiting with each other. We have such a great family that loves to get together and have fun and enjoy being with each other. It was a great experience for all of us and a real treat for Sandy to have the family surrounding her.
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