Independance Missouri

We drove to Independence Missouri and went to the visitor center there.  It was so cute.  They had a little covered wagon for the kids to play on, and also a little cabin, and well.  The kids learned about how the saints were driven out of the state, and also about the extermination order on the Mormons given by Govenor Boggs.  We also visited Liberty Jail, and took pictures outside of the Kansas City Temple.    

Here we are in front of the reconstructed Liberty Jail.  Joseph Smith was sent there based on a conflict between two militia's.  They charged Joseph Smith with anything that any Morman ever did against the law.  He along with three other men we sent to the jail in winter for month's.  The jail was freezing with no way of heating it.  This time was a dark period for the LDS church.  Govenor Boggs issued an extermination order against all Mormans. They were to flew the state or be killed.  Emma Joseph Smith's wife had to flee without he husband.  Inspite of how tremdendously difficult this time was for the prophet, he recieved some very important revelations found in the Doctorine and Covenants 121. 

Monday March 31st Historic Nauvoo

Monday March 31st was Benjamin's Birthday.  He had a hard time understanding why he didn't get the lego set he wanted.  I didn't think a lego set would have survived the trip, so I tried to explain that he would get it when we got home.  We started the day off with a carriage ride.  It was one of the more spiritual parts of the trip for me.  The driver of the carriage had some really inspirational experiences.  He took us out into the woods of Nauvoo, and it was very peaceful.  One story he told was about Lucy Mack Smith.  She lost Alvin, Joseph, Hyrum, and Samuel (he past away shortly after Joseph and Hyrum were killed).  He talked about how even through all of her loss.  Her loss of her children, the loss of her home and property.  Through it all she never waivered in her testimony that her son was a prophet of God.  She knew that Joseph Smith was called to bring forth the gospel of Christ on the earth today. 

 Here are the three musketeer's.  Bryston, Jence, and Brigham.  These guys are always getting into trouble.  The rest of the day we spent touring the little town the church has restored.  Most of the buildings where not still standing.  Some of the brick one's though survived.  The church restored them and you can go and visit the little houses.  The tours were given by senior missionaries.  Some of the ones we visited were the Shoe makers shop, the school, the brick yard, the black smith, Lucy Mack Smith's home, Brigham Young's home, the tin shop, gun shop, and the bakery. 

Here is Kate standing in front of Lucy Mack Smith's bed.

Ben is showing the Nauvoo brick he got from the brickyard (that's where they teach you how they made bricks back then).  Also the cookie he got from the bakery. 

Here Kirk is standing in front of Lucy Mack Smith's kitchen.

Here we are eating lunch.  Saryta Brodie's fiance and Amarah joined us for the day.

Here are all the kids posing on the trail of Hope.  This is the trail the pioneers took as the fled Nauvoo.  Facing an uncertain future in the middle of winter with very little to sustain them, they left with complete faith that God would pave a way for them.  It was February and the Mississippi river was frozen over.  They took this opportunity to get out as the mobs were forcing them to leave their homes and property.  I'm sure that the pioneers looked back over their shoulder's and looked at their beloved temple one last time.  They had worked so hard to complete it with such great sacrifice.

Here is Kirk and Ben, and Jence standing in front of the Joseph Smith and Brigham Young statue at the end of the trail right in front of the Mississippi river.

Kate and Sarah on the carriage ride

Ben got from grandma a special birthday chocolate egg with his name on it

Sunday March 30th Carthrage Jail

Sunday we went to Carthrage Jail.  This is where the Prophet Joseph Smith, and Hyrum Smith were martyrd. This was a very sad place.  Joseph Smith new as he and Hyrum went to the jail that he would never be coming back out.  He stated "I am going like a lamb to the slaughter; but I am calm as a summer's morning".  The only way I can describe the spirit that is there is sad.  It was truly evil men who conspired to kill the Lord's prophet.  They came as a cowardly mob painted black.  They shot Hyrum first he took a bullet in his face.  Joseph fled to the window and was shot in the back. Then the Mob fled when they heard some one say that the Mormans where coming.  This is a statue of Joseph and Hyrum together.  It states "in life they were not divided and in death they were not sep

erated" DC 135:3

I think that this is a testiment to the designs of the Adversary.  Satan will stop at nothing to attempt to destroy God's work from moving forward.  I told the kids that the church's enemies felt that if they could kill Joseph Smith they could kill the church.  But it is clear that God is at the helm, and that he will not allow the adversary to thwart his plan.  May we ever remember to stand stong to our conviction's and know that right will prevail.  The work of God has rolled forth, and the gospel of Jesus Christ fills to four corner's of the earth.  This is a dynamic example of how God plus one makes the majority.  The Saints were out numbered, driven from place to place, and even lost their beloved prophet.  But they persevered becasue they new that God was on their side. 

After Carthrage we stopped at the Mississippi River at sunset.  It was really beautiful.  There were huge pelican's flying with fish in their beaks.  The kid's enjoyed throwing rocks, and and playing.  I took a lot of pictures, the lighting was really pretty on the river. 

Big long Wedding Trip!

We had the most awesome opportunity to go to Nauvoo Ilinois to see Dan's brother Robbie get married to Lyndee Unsicker.  Nauvoo isn't exactly an easy city to get to.  We flew for three hours into St. Louis airport.  Our flight was delayed so we didn't arrive until about 2am.  We woke up the next morning and got ready for family pictures (this is the first time we have been altogether on the Mower side for a while).  It was a four hour drive, and as we rolled in and got checked into our hotel we learned pretty quickly there's no Mcdonalds or Wendy's in Nauvoo.  We finally got hot dogs for the kids at a gas station!  We finally made it to the family pictures, and I can't wait to see how they all turn out.  I am very excited.  I took some of my kids with my own camera.  They turned out so cute.  I just love the colors that Wendy picked out for us.  She is amazing and got matching shirts all in different sizes for all fifty people in the family.  I don't know how she did that!

The next day was the wedding so the Unsicker's had a little openhouse at the stake center for everyone ot gather and hang out. We needed food for the weekend so Dan ran into Walmart to get us some food.  Little did we realize that a trip to Walmart would take a couple of hours so we had to miss the Friday night family get together.  From what I hear it was huge, and packed the stake center.  It sounds like Robbie has met his match.  He has TONS of friends and family, but it sounds like Lyndee has even more than he does!!!!!  They are a great couple so I"m not surprised that they had a huge group coming out to support them. 

The morning of the wedding was just wonderful.  The spirit inside the Nauvoo Temple is truly special.  It has stregthened my testimony of Joseph Smith.  I know that he was a prophet of God.  Some things are hard to explain and put into words, spiritual experiences are like that.  I'm not sure how to express it, but the spirit of Joseph Smith is in that sacred town.  He built that City out of a swamp.  The Saints built the Temple with tremendous sacrifice.  They finished just a few months before they were driven out.  It was burned down by an arsen, but was rebuilt and is just gorgeous.  Kirk mentioned a good insight to me.  He stated to me "The saint's built the temple that is like being born, but when it burned down that is like dying, but when it was rebuilt like brand new that is like being ressurected".  That simple observation perfectly illustrates my feelings about sacred temples.  I know that death is not the end, the scriptures say "death where is thy sting".  We will all every single one of us be resurrected in perfect glory, and as we keep our temple covenants and do the work for all our dead we will also not just live again, but live with God and have eternal life.  I can not see a temple and not think of the ressurection, and how thankful I am for the peace that temples bring in my life.      

Our family at the wedding luncheon.  The Wedding Lunch was held at the Nauvoo Hotel, which was very cute.  It reminded me of a perfect fancy little Nauvoo Home.

This dress I am wearing is in Lyndee's colors.  She chose green and blue.  I'm glad  I got a photo of it becasue Dan was trying to be helpful and threw it in the wash along with the kid's jeans and dark colors.  It was a Clavin Klein dry clean only dress so you can imagine how upset I was with him.  O well I just hope he didn't shrink it cause there's no room for that dress to get any smaller and still fit.  I may need to do some shopping before the reception.

It's great to be eight!

On March 13, 2014 Kirk turned eight years old.  I can remember the day he was born.  Kirk was my biggest baby, and I can remember just feeling desperate to have him.  I went into labor two weeks early, and had him in the middle of the night.  It's strange how I have had all my babies in the middle of the night.  Kirk was my very best sleeper when he was a baby.   One thing that stands out about Kirk is that he is a very sincere little boy.  He get's very excited and happy over little things, and shows that with his happy smile and good attitude.  He likes to look for the good and tries really hard to do what's right.  He has a very good memory and can tell in detail about sports, church history, and scriptures stories.

On his Birthday we made his favorite dinner which was sloppy joes.  We invited his grandparents over, and then let him open his presents and had frosted brownies.  I took some pictures of the brownies becasue it was decorated with basketball players, but I can't find the photo's on my camera.  I must have taken them with Dan's phone.  Kirk got some new clothes, scriptures, scripture case, and a lagoon pass to use this summer.

Basketball Birthday Party

It's that time of year!  March is March maddness around here not because of basketball season, but becuase of all of the birthday's.  Kirk's birthday is on March 13, and Ben's is on the 31st.  Those dates plus the wedding on the 29th has made me super busy.  This is Kirk's last friend party.  The parties became so much work that I had to cut the kids off at eight years old.  I think I might be able to revisit the idea of a friends party when the kids turn tweleve or sixteen.  Kirk's birthday was a Jazz basketball themed party.  I made basketball jersey's with the kid's last names on the back of the jersey for each of the kids.  We headed up to the Mower's basketball gym.  Dan started the kids off with runnig splits.  Then they split into four teams and played a scrimmage game.  This was a great way to burn off all of the boy's energy.  Then we headed back to the house and we had pizza.  I made homemade pizza because it tastes so much better.  I could barely bake the pizza's fast enough the boys were starving.  Then we opened presents and had cake and ice cream.  Then the boys watched space jam.  It was a great party, and the kids seemed to have a lot of fun.  When it was over the boys got to take their basketball jersey home, and also a gatorade with a gold medal and a sports braclet.      

I had the boy's twist their jersey's around so the back was in the front so that you could see their names.  Stenciling on the names took som time, but the effect was cool. 

Newest Cub Scout Member

Here we go!  I'm now offically a cub scout mom! 

Kirk is about to turn eight this week.  He is so excited to start going to cub scouts.  Today was his first day attending.  He already has his pine wood derby car and can't wait to get to work on it for next month's pack meeting.