Nauvoo with Smiths

We were lucky enough to see Nauvoo again, this time with Matt's parents and his brother and family. Mike and Taralie stayed with us Thursday, and then we caravaned to Nauvoo. Eve and her cousin really had fun playing twins.



It was good to see some of the things we missed the first time. Of course, the kids really enjoyed being with their cousins, grandparents, and the pool at the inn.





We also got to see Carthage Jail on our way to Nauvoo. I felt deep gratitude for all that Joseph and Hyrum sacrificed to bring forth the work of the restoration. I was humbled and felt the truthfulness and significance that he was our first Latter-day Prophet!

We love our family!
Here are some temple pics to close this post. P.S.- Sterling said (in all seriousness) that he is planning to marry a certain friend - here when he gets older. She is so sweet, how can I protest?





A monument to Joseph and Hyrum across from the temple

Dress up fun

Sometimes the kids like to dress up around the house. Check out the fun they came up with:




Here is Sterling, accessorized by Eve.

And here is Sheri ready to begin October.

Camping with Friends

Sept 9-12th we went camping to Meramak State Park. It rained a lot! We had thunder storms for 2 nights in a row and despite puddles around us, we stayed dry. Kristen is very ambitious and not afraid of a challenge. She helped me a lot when the going got rough. Next time will be easier since I have prepared our family now, personally (with help), for the first time. Matt joined us the last evening since he had lot to do at work. We enjoyed the caves, the campfire, and the hikes. Eve especially enjoyed looking for fairy things, such as mushrooms and fungus that looked like a perfect chairs, beds, houses etc.












We had a great time floating down the river. The first night was quite an adventure since it was getting dark and we weren't exactly sure where our exit point was. My Matt took one for the team, battling the brushy banks to get us to land. We had to walk a little to our campground but we all made it safe and sound. The next day we floated in the sunshine and it was very relaxing and serene at times.







Sterling had a butterfly land on him. It seemed content to stay on his hand. It flew away after quite a while. Perhaps its wings were a little wet and it needed somewhere to rest while they dried. He was very careful with it! He wanted to take care of it so that it could be safe.

We made some great memories!

Eve's First Day of school (Sept)

Eve started first grade this year. She missed her actual first day of class, but I still had to remember her first day of first grade.




And second day:


I've also been having fun making new hair clips for the kids.



And, Sterling's hair cut.

Oh, and the Boat

While we were in Colorado, Matt had a little too much free time on his hands! He purchased an inexpensive boat that was a deal. I'd say it is well earned, after all his hard work that he puts in. We celebrated our return from Colorado (sorry out of sequence) with a boat ride on the Mississippi River. Check out our first ride:







We love the scenes on the river. Here are pics of the sunset, Matt's work, and the bridge.



. . .oh, and my crazy, wind blown, humidity hair.