Cooper with a Pinwheel

He knows that it is supposed to spin and has figured out his own method for making it work.

He's just too cute!

Our Vacation in Nauvoo!

We spent our summer vacation in Nauvoo, Illinois and Hannibal, Missouri. While in Nauvoo we took advantage of every event and tour available. We went to bed late and got up early so we could do it all but it was worth every minute. It's so hard to put into words what we felt and experienced. Our testimonies of the truthfulness of the gospel have grown immensely and we wish that everyone could see and feel what we did. If you ever have the chance to go to Nauvoo take it, you won't regret it. Below are a few of the hundreds of pictures that we took. We hope you enjoy them.

Nauvoo Temple

Steve and I in front of the Temple. Inside the Temple is beautiful, decorated in 1830's period decor.

Statue depicting Joseph and Hyrum Smith's last ride out of Nauvoo on their way to Carthage where they were martyred.

The same statue at night.

Carthage Jail

Our first view of Carthage Jail. As you can see the grounds are beautiful.

Carthage Jail. The second story window is the room where Joseph Smith, his brother Hyrum were martyred.

Steve and I in front of Carthage Jail.

Statue of Joseph and Hyrum Smith.

The grounds were covered with beautiful flowers. I had to take some just for my mother to see.

Carthage continued...

These plaques were on the pathway up to Carthage Jail.

Nauvoo Tours

Standing in front of the Scovil Bakery. This was one of my favorite tours because they gave us a gingerbread cookie to sample! Yummmy!

Inside the bakery.

Authentic baking tools in the 1830's.

This was one of Steve's favorite tours. There were guns galore displayed. It was pretty amazing to see all of the small intricate pieces that were all made by hand.

Tours continued....

The John Taylor Home

Inside the John Taylor Home. The rocking horse was handcarved and I thought the potty chair in the corner was especially cute.

Lucy Mack Smith Home.

The Brigham Young Home.

Summer Vacation - Hannibal, MO

Our trip to Nauvoo included a trip to Hannibal, MO the birth place of Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens). The following pictures were taken in a park next to a bridge that was dedicated to Mark Twain.

This is a statue representing Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn.

Becky Thatcher's flower garden.

This is a plaque on the "old" Mark Twain Memorial Bridge. My favorite paragraph states "A recurring summer problem was the swarming of mayflies attracted to the bridge lights. At times, the pavement was covered 2 inches thick by the insects causing it to become extremely slick. Snow plows were necessary for their removal." Eeewwww!

Tom Sawyer's famous fence.

Becky's house is across the street from Tom's house. It was being renovated so we didn't get any good pictures of the house its self.

Mark Twain Riverboat

While in Hannibal, MO we took a dinner cruise on the Mark Twain Riverboat. It was a fun experience. The Mississippi River is amazing. It's about a mile wide and very muddy. Mark Twain once described the Mississippi River as "too thin to plow and too thick to drink." It is very true. It's not the kind of river that I would want to swim in.

A picture of the Mark Twain Riverboat before we left on our dinner cruise.

A view of the dinning room as we were seated.

Our table!

Steve standing on the top deck just before we left the dock.

This is a picture of a barge hauling coal. We saw several of these during the week. They are a lot bigger than they look in this picture. One of the passengers told us that working on a barge like this is considered one of the most dangerous jobs in the world! I was surprised to hear that especially because there was not a soul to be seen and it was moving so slowly and quietly.

Mark Twain Cave

This is the entrance to the Tom Sawyer (Mark Twain) Cave. It was so amazing inside, our pictures don't do it justice. The tour guide made it fun with all kinds of stories related to the adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn.

Walking in beside a little girl who was telling me that she was afraid of the dark and worried about going inside. She was holding on to her father's hand so tightly that her fingers were white.

A view inside the caves.

There was a section of the caves where names were written all over the walls and celings. This is one that was way up high that was signed June 25, 1924. They used to use a torch to burn the rock and then scratch in their names which has helped to preserve them over time. The cave became a protected site in the early 1970's so they no longer allow people to sign their names.

Steve inside one of the passage ways.

Me inside the same passage way. You can see the lights they have placed along the way. At one point in the tour they turn off all of the lights so you can see how dark it is. See is not the right term because when they turned off the lights it was so dark that you could not even see your hand in front of your face. As soon as the lights went off my thoughts immediately turned to the little girl I walked in with. She did okay, but I'm sure that the blood supply to her father's arms and hands was cut off for those few seconds that the lights were out.

Lover's Leap, Hannibal MO

This is Lover's Leap just outside of town in Hannibal, MO. It's a beautiful site where you can see for miles around.

This plaque tells the story of the legend of Lover's Leap. To me it seemed very similar to Romeo and Juliet. It is a reminder of how strong of an emotion love really is.

This picture gives a little better view of how high the cliff is.

Steve (below) and I standing on Lover's Leap with a view of Hannibal and the Mississippi River.