Day 12

Day 12

Friday July 19, 2013

We got up and headed over to the Visitor's Center and got inline for our wagon ride! The wagon ride took you on a tour of  Nauvoo and gave some neat stories and history of different buildings and things around town! You had to pre plan your trip because of the limited amount of tickets per ride and with the pageant going on it was especially busy! Plus they wouldn't ride the horses during the afternoon because by then it was to hot and they were afraid of tiring them out with too many tours!

Loading the wagon!

Carter was super excited! McKay and Dad picking their seats!

Enjoying the ride!

Both my kids had fallen asleep before the end of the tour! It also was so hot this day all the Jones' wanted to do was stay in the shade! 

So after the tour we went and talked with the horses from our ride!

The Jones' hung around the motor home and stayed in the shade while Grandma and Grandpa took a different horse ride that went on the trail of hope and told stories from the pioneers! So those stories were more personal and they really enjoyed that! Scott, Sam and Isaac went and toured some more homes and shops!

Carter taking a drink break while riding his bike!

The beautiful Nauvoo Temple!

Jones Family w/ Nauvoo Temple

After we got some pictures with the temple got some delicious chocolate covered carmels from the Nauvoo Chocolate Store we headed to Kansas City, Missouri! We had some time before the baseball game so we went to the Kansas City Temple! It was absolutely beautiful!

Carter playing in the water fountain at the temple!

Jones Family w/ the Kansas City Temple! Full view!

Half view!

Isaac enjoying the peaceful presence!

Then we headed to the Kansas City Royals baseball game! They had a neat stadium with some cool light up waterfalls that changed colors! Had some good seats but it was so blasted hot!

Carter couldn't get enough of this squirt bottle fan! 

He just kept spraying himself!

Poor Baylee was even sweating!

The cool waterfalls and crown scoreboard!

Sam and Carter got a little slap happy during the 7th inning stretch!

Bay chillin' with Dad!

3rd MLB game a success and another home team win! Awesome fun game!

This night we stayed in the same KOA we did on our first part of the trip on the way out! Right in Kansas City, Missouri!

Day 11

Day 11

Thursday July 18, 2013

So here is the super crazy weird part! My family, the Wallin's, had been planning this trip for months! Emilee's, Lance's wife, family had planned to head to Nauvoo and happened to plan touring Nauvoo the 17th and 18th! Bethany Amberson had a trip planned to Wisconsin to visit Matt's family and although she didn't plan to leave for a few more days she heard Lance and McKay would be there the same time so she extended her trip and went a little more West then planned and arrived in Nauvoo on the 17th, then Teddi didn't like the fact that Beth was driving alone with kids for a far distance, so she flew out to Florida to drive with Beth and then Beth and McKay convinced Brett and his family to head down on the 18th to visit with all the Jones' that were already going to be there! So on this day the Jones had a mini reunion in Nauvoo, Illinois! Kinda of silly it was the middle of the country for us to see each other but it was so fun to visit while we could and to see all the cousins play and meet the new additions even though one of those new additions was already 1 years old!

So we started out the morning by going to the temple and doing baptisms for the dead! Everyone went besides McKay and the kids! It was so neat and I was so happy my Dad was able to do the service!

After baptisms for the dead we walked out the temple to meet Beth and her 4 kids and Grandma Jones! We then headed to get ready for the day and then we went with the Jones' and my family headed to Carthage Jail! It worked out perfectly because McKay and I two years prior to this already toured Nauvoo and Carthage so we were able to play and not miss out on anything!

At the visitors center and of course the first question Kaitlyn asked me was, "Can I hold Baylee?" it didn't surprise me because she was the same way with Carter when we lived with them for those 3 months back in 2011!

Kaitlyn and Baylee! What a good little mommy she is!

Jake, Beth, Max, Kim, Easton, Ainslee and Brett

We all were getting hungry so we headed to a little sandwich spot and feed the many kids!

The cool kids table!

Quinlynn and Kennedy!

Easton, Avery, Carter and Kaitlyn

Next we went to the Family Living Center to let the kids see some of the things the pioneers did!

First we learned how to make a rope!

Kennedy helped spin the wheel!

Kim, Easton, Avery and Quinlynn helping make the rope! Which each kid was able to take some home!

Later we met up with Lance and Em and let the kids run around and play while the adults talked!

Easton, Brett, Kim, Quinlynn, Kennedy, Avery, McKay, Carter, Jake and Ainslee!

Emilee, Brett and Lance!

Beth and Baylee!

Watching the kids do somersaults, cartwheels and round-offs!

The Family!

Kim, Teddi, Max, Emilee, Lyndon, Lance, Baylee, Amanda, McKay, Carter, Beth, Ainslee, Brett, Easton, Avery, Kaitlyn, Jake, Quinlynn and Kennedy!

After this pic we all said our goodbye's and Teddi, Beth's Family and Brett's family headed to Iowa to Brett's house and Lance and Emilee headed that way the next day!

McKay the kids and I headed down to the monument of the pioneers and found a relative of ours, Samuel Miles Sr. on the Jones side!

After we did some more looking around we headed out to dinner across the Mississippi River into Iowa! We really had a good time I think people were annoyed with us because we were a little giggly!

Then the kids crashed! They were super worn out from a fun filled day with cousins!

We were stoked we got to see our family out there!

This night we stayed in Nauvoo again!

Day 10

Day 10

Wednesday July 17, 2013

We got up and headed to Nauvoo, Illinios!

It was a bigger driving day and this is about how Carter and McKay felt about it!

Carter loved sitting here and looking out the window!

We finally made it to Nauvoo and went straight over to the Frontier Country Fair and participated in the acitivities they had for kids and adults!

This is where the trip gets interesting! The Brian Phelps family was out at Nauvoo participating in the pageant events so we ran into them! Tori asked Isaac to dance with her so here Isaac is dancing!

What a good dancer Isaac is!

Isaac and Conner chatting it up with some girls!

Carter went over to the handcart rides with McKay! He really enjoyed getting pulled around!

McKay didn't mind either... it was a light load!

Next Sam and Scott took a turn running with Carter!

Then Carter had enough riding and wanted to pull the handcart with McKay! He was barely tall enough!

Next we went over and tried walking on stilts!

Carter had some good help!

The big boys needed a try!

McKay actually did fairly good as long as he was going fast!

After stilts we did hoops! Carter didn't do to bad! You would roll the metal wheel down your wood pusher and then run after it and continue to hit the wheel with your stick and see how long and far you could keep it rolling!

Carter letting roll down the wood piece!

After we had some fun a the fair we headed to the Pageant! It was a really neat and well put together production!

That night we stayed at a campground in Nauvoo and planned to tour Nauvoo the next day!

Day 9

Day 9

Tuesday July 16, 2013

We left the Canadaigua/Rochester KOA that morning and headed to Niagara Falls!

We got to the city and it looked like a dump! I kept thinking how can something so beautiful in pictures be located here! We hiked down to the entrance still not being able to see them and then we started to walk out onto the cat walk type thing and BAM their they were and they were beautiful! Amazing how much of a change from the city above!

Baylee chilling with Grandma and Grandpa on the boat ride!

The bridge connecting America and Canada! America is on the right of the picture!

Carter was really excited to be on a boat! He also thought his rain coat was pretty awesome!

Isaac, Scott and Sam

Coming up on the Falls

The American side of the Falls!

It was so thunderous! Very misty as well!

There was a kid who fell into the river above and actually fell down the waterfall and survived! Looking at all the rocks below it was a miracle he did!

So much mist!

Isaac thought it was pretty awesome! You dont see waterfalls like this everyday!

Grandma, Baylee, Scott, Sam and Isaac with the Canada side of the falls behind them!

Grandpa photo bombing!

Canada side of the falls!

It was amazing how hard the engines were working so that we didn't get pulled in under the waterfalls! So awesome how close we got though!

Jones Family!

Baylee and Mom! The hair was pretty wet!

After Niagara we headed to Cincinnati, Ohio to visit my Dad's sister! Who we havent seen in 17 years! I have only seen her once before in my life! Isaac has never seen her! She kinda left with her husband and we havent seen or heard from her much since! Weird how it all came about that we hooked up with her! But it was so awesome that we did!

We actually drove up by her house and they live on some narrow streets that you only can park on one side of the road so we had to flip around and park again! She was inside watching and was sad to see us leave because she thought we changed our minds! After we finally got there and out she was outside meeting us in the driveway with tears coming out of most our eyes! It was so awesome to be there with her!

They feed us and we chatted it up catching up on our lives for a few hours! We have been able to see and do some amazing things this trip but i have to say this was by far the highlight!

We had such an amazing time visiting with her and her husband! They are so nice and I really wish we could have spent more time with her but we hope to connect with her again sometime soon!

Carter and Mom being silly! 

The Clan with Nancy and Gene

My Dad and his sister! Both have tears in their eyes because it has been so long!

 After we left Nancy's home we headed to a KOA in Batesville, Indiana!