Herb Family Church History Tour- Day 4

We woke up on our last full day of our trip to cooler temps and so we decided to do some more walking. We visited Lucy Mack Smith's house first and toured it. It was so cool. Lucy Mack was such a cool lady. 

 

This was an old school house that Tucker and Paige enjoyed learning about. 

We also got serenaded by the brass band. Tanner really enjoyed this part. 

Then we went back to pioneer past times and let the kids play.  

 

 

We also did a little dress up. 

 

 

Then we visited the pharmacy/apocathary shop. 

This was so interesting. It's amazing the treatments they used to treat sicknesses back then. 

 

Then we were able to squeeze in a tour of the printshop before going to lunch. 

Then we went back to the hotel and fed the kids lunch. Then the adults went to an endowment session at the Nauvoo temple. It was so beautiful inside. I can't believe what they were able to create with such primitive tools. 

 

After our session, we went back to the hotel to get the kids and did some more touring. We had to snap a picture in front of the temple too. 

Then the kids and I went to take our traditional pioneer pictures down by the wagons. They were such great sports about it. I sure love these kids!

We haven't been to Nauvoo since Benson was a baby, nearly 5 years ago. It was so fun to be back and get to enjoy it with him. 

 

 

Here is a fun side-by-side comparison of the kids 5 years ago and then on this trip.

It makes me sad how big they are getting, but we also get to have so much fun together, so it's worth it. 

 

After pics we did the trail of tears, this was so touching and the pioneer stories were heartbreaking and historic. 

 

The idea that the saints would turn back for one last look at their beautiful temple before crossing the Mississippi river to never see it again, is heartbreaking. 

I love this shot of all the kids gathered at the edge of the river, imaging the rafts crossing with the saints. What faith it would have taken to leave and travel into the unknown with only what they could carry. 

After this we went to eat dinner at the delicious buffet at the Hotel Nauvoo. It was as delicious as I remembered and we all enjoyed it. 

We went back to the hotel with the intent to go swimming, but the pool was closed. 

So we just hung out at the hotel for a while before finally passing out. We were all tired from all the fun. 

The next morning we left to drive home. We were able to stop over in Montrose, Iowa on the way to explore the area where the saints stayed after they crossed the Mississippi, during their exodus. 

Here we are at the shore of the river. If you look really closely, you can see the Nauvoo temple still in the background. 

We found this beautiful mural depicting the crossing of the saints and had to get a picture with it. 

Then we continued home. It was a wonderful trip. The spirit was so strong and I love getting to share these moments with my family and extended family. 

That's the end of our Church history tour. But we still have another week of fun with the Herb cousins from Oregon, so stay tuned.