Trip to Navoo

 A few weekends ago J and I shot quickly with the kids to visit Nauvoo Illinois. Nauvoo is a historic Mormon pioneer town where you can go from cabin to cabin to see pioneer trade, crafts, foods, etc. At some of the locations they give everyone a momento to take home like a small brick at the brick yard or a praire diamond ring (read-bent nail ring) at the blacksmith. We let our kids bring their plastic Halloween pumpkins from Target and they went from cabin to cabin gathering loot. I only wish V and CC would have kept on the adorable pioneer bonnets I bought for them at the gift shop. Rosebud was the only one who loved the bonnet. Thankfully I did get some adorable photos of each girl in their bonnets. I dont know why little girls these days aren't still wearing those things. They really are great for keeping the sun off of succlent toddler skin. Maybe Rosebud just knows how fair she is and thats why she consented.

What made the trip not just fun but extra memorable and totally awesome was that J had researched a super fun place to stay- let me explain. There was a pioneer enthusiast guy who had a dream of letting visitors to Nauvoo stay in authentic pioneer cabins. This fellow went around the country purchasing actual pioneer cabins, many which were fallen in or otherwise delapidated. He would carefully take them apart, numbering and recording all parts and pieces, bring them home, clean them, and the remake them. The result is the adorable line of cabins seen in the second photo. All but two of the cabins is an actual pioneer cabin. Ours was the one on the far right of the photo. Each cabin is named after a notable historic pioneer family. Ours was Bebe, named after a family of nine children who emigrated from Sweeded with their parents. The mother and father died before reaching the New York port and the nine children had to fend for themselves. The story of each family is in a binder in the cabins named for them. It really was pretty neat. As it turned out J rented one of the two non original cabins for us, to buy extras space, and a kitchen. I was thankful! The hit of the trip was chasing Daddy into and down from the loft bed. Awesome.
The trip was awesome. We even spent some time driving around Hawkeye stomping grounds on our way home, tipping our travellers hats to Brent and Reiko. We miss you guys, and thought of you lots as we passed through your state. :)