My mom and brother, Josh, came to visit during their Spring Break last month. SO FUN. We had such a wonderful visit. The only thing that would have made it better is if it had been longer.
They arrived on Saturday evening. We had dinner, visited, and my mom and I went shopping a bit.
On Sunday we went to church and had a relaxing day. Silliness was on the agenda every day.
A pre-church photo shoot by my mom. (BTW, most of these pictures are from her.)
On Monday we did some prep for Annie's birthday party (that day is a different post). My mom thought it was funny that the kids were getting into the flour and making a mess while I was making breadsticks.
Also on Monday, we went to the Amana Colonies.
We had so much fun at a popcorn shop. The gal working there was so nice to let us sample everything we wanted; we probably sampled a whole bag worth! We did buy several bags, though, so hopefully it was worth her while. :) The Man Cave was next door, and we were having a VERY silly day.
We visited the rocking chair, of course, and played with the fun wooden toys in the shop.
Do we look ready to pull a wagon?
Mom visited Fabio in the outhouse. Except, she informed us that he is really Billy Ray Cyrus. Should I trust the sign or my mom? I don't know.
We played on the old tractors.
We also visited a few shops and had lots of laughs at the signs they were selling. My favorite was, "It's hard to stay optimistic when your fat jeans become your skinny jeans," and, "I used to skinny dip; now I chunky dunk." We really had a fun day.
This picture is out of order; I think this was Sunday morning.
Also Sunday morning...
Skip Tuesday because that is another post, and on to Wednesday.
Wednesday and Thursday we went to Nauvoo. The weather was so nice and the visitors were few so we had a really relaxed visit. On our way over the Mississippi River, we had to wait for the drawbridge because a barge was coming through. That was kind of neat, but time consuming. I'm glad we weren't in a hurry.
The kids helped take care of the lawns at the visitor's center...
The flowers were beautiful.
So were the bushes and trees.
We went on the carriage ride the first day. That was fun, except for the moment Alex almost fell off his seat when we crossed the creek. He was a tad scared, but recovered quickly.
Here we are waiting for the carriage ride.
We stayed in a two bedroom, two bathroom condo overnight for $67. Talk about a fantastic price! If we hadn't had out of town guests with us, it would have been only $50 because we live in the temple district! The only pictures I took during Nauvoo were these ones of the condo. Hehe.
Anyway, the kids and I took a break in the condo while my mom and Josh went to the temple during late afternoon. Alex had a nap, and I made dinner.
That evening we went to the play that the senior missionaries put on each night. We really enjoyed the humor in it. The kids even got to sit on the front row, so they really enjoyed it. I actually ended up on the front row as well (reserved only for kids), because Alex wasn't keeping to his seat. The next day all of the missionaries recognized us! I was a little embarrassed, but they understood.
On Thursday we saw more of Nauvoo. Logan took this picture of the Mississippi River.
We also went on the wagon ride. (Obviously we aren't on it in this picture...)
We visited the old burial grounds and found an ancestor! That was pretty exciting. He's my great great great grandfather (I think...there may be one more 'great').
"In Memory of William Casper who died August 5, 1846, aged 62 Y 5 D."
A random picture in Nauvoo...
This is at the burial grounds.
We went home early that evening and just enjoyed visiting. On Friday, Mom and Josh headed home. What a nice visit!
