Vacation

(i personally love that Dave is sitting in this covered, ox-pulled wagon talking on his cell phone)

Always good times in Nauvoo.

I suppose this makes it our 2nd annual trip.

We have the Nauvoo brick and prairie diamond.

We made a rope together, ate ash bread and ginger cookies.

And all the rest of the usual suspects.
In fact this year, we even walked away with the rare mini-horseshoe from the blacksmith

thanks to Lily and her adorableness.

During the Blacksmith presentation, he directed a question to the children in the group.

He began by hinting that he was a BLACKsmith,

and what color did they think a blacksmith would make the horse's shoe?

Of course every little kid chimed in with "black!" as he dipped the red-hot metal in black oil.

But Lily was honestly disappointed.

Passe!

She piped up, "I would make my horseshoes' PINK!"

And everyone laughed, enough so, that the teenage girl who actually received the horseshoe,

(based on who's birthday was next)

found Lily in the parking lot and gave it to her.

The week before we left, the boys had a well-child checkup.

Our pediatrician asked the kids if they were going on a vacation this summer.

(I was about to answer no...)

But Zach and Lily replied with an enthusiastic YES!

They began to describe Nauvoo and all the things they do there.

You would have thought they were describing an extravagant Disneyland get-a-way.

So the doctor looks at me with a puzzled look and asked, "where is Nauvoo?"

And trying to take it down a notch, I explain that it is a tiny little town in Illinois,

that has historical significance to our faith.

She sort of nodded her head and said, "well, have fun!"

Ha. ha.

So I learned a little something from my kiddos.

I certainly wasn't counting Nauvoo as "vacation".

I mean, give me a beach, or a foreign country, or some sort of magestic scenery,

or at the very least give me something other than the Holiday Inn Express in Keokuk, Iowa!

But you know what?

Car ride with treats and movie - check.

Hotel stay with breakfast and jumping on beds - check.

More family fun than you can shake a stick at - check.

Memories, memories, memories - check.

It doesn't need to be fancy...it's a vacation!