We traveled the first day from home to Rapid City, SD. It was a long drive, but also fun. The boys did remarkably well. They watched movies, played with toys, read books, colored, and of course had fun with uncle Greg. They also slept quite a bit which made it really nice for the rest of us.
Our favorite site during that first day of travel had to be this monstrosity. We were laughing hysterically that someone actually did this... and then to see the dog hanging out the back, made it even that much better.
We stayed a full day in Rapid City, to give the boys a break from traveling. We decided to go and see Mt. Rushmore. I'd never been there, and it was so amazing. We watched a short video about the construction of it, and I found it truly fascinating. Did you know that 90% of Mt. Rushmore was carved out using dynamite? I sure didn't and looking at it, it amazed me to think that they could do that.
On our way to and from Mt. Rushmore we drove through a tunnel they carved out of the mountain. It was so cool. Trees were growing out of the rocks on the sides and on top of it. There was a little turn around that you could take (probably for oversized vehicles) and we took it twice. The boys loved driving through the tunnel!
We also spotted this super tiny Mini Cooper pulling a trailer, and thought it was too cool. We of course stopped to take some pictures.
The next thing we did was went to the Reptile Gardens. It was so cool! The boys LOVED it and had a blast. We all had so much fun here. There were so many snakes (which I HATE... but they were all enclosed and that made it bearable), alligators, crocodiles, birds, tortoises, and much, much more.
We watched a very interesting bird show. We were able to see parrots, pheasants, cockatoos, doves, a hawk, and the coolest was a bald eagle. The hawk flew off during the show and they weren't able to bring out any other birds other than the eagle, because it would have attacked them. It was quite hilarious! They said that it also would attack small dogs, and there were a few in the park that day, so all the staff was on alert.
The park was celebrating one of their Giant Tortoises Methuselah's 128th birthday too! The boys were able to go up to him and the other tortoises and touch them. It was so neat. They loved it!
There was an atrium there that housed a lot of the birds and some of the snakes. The park had workers there with snakes out of their cages to let the kids touch and hold. Landon and Carter each touched a snake. I cringed as they did it, but they thought it was really cool. The expressions on their faces were priceless.
We got to see some of the crocodiles that have starred in movies and learned a little about them. This one was one of my favorites.
Towards the end of the day they had a crocodile and alligator show that we watched as well. It was awesome!! The guy who did the show was unbelievable. He was wrestling with them and putting his hands in their mouths, and nearly getting them chopped off. It was crazy. Once they realized his hand was in their mouths they snapped shut so fast. It was almost eerie hearing their teeth chomp together.
After that show was over he brought out a baby alligator that he let the audience touch. It was so fun! If you're ever going to be in Rapid City, this is one place I would absolutely recommend that you stop. We could have spent so much more time there.
The weather during the day had been so nice, until late in the afternoon. The skies got really dark, and everyone was on alert. There had been tornado's in surrounding cities, and they had Rapid City on alert for tornado's too. All the locals thought it was neat and kept walking outside to watch the clouds. Apparently there were lots of funnel clouds that started forming, but luckily for us, nothing ever happened. I was really nervous all night long.The next day was spent traveling again. We stopped for a little while at a rest stop somewhere along the way and let the boys get out and run. It was a really nice area with lots of grass and picnic tables. We pulled out a football and let the boys play. It was nice to get out of the car and just stretch out.
We also stopped at Wall Drug and toured it a little too. I'd always heard of Wall Drug, but it was nothing like I had expected it to be. We didn't spend too much time there but were glad that we stopped. The boys had fun there and Greg met someone special too!
By the time we finally stopped to rest for the night it was near midnight. We found a little hotel in Oskaloosa Iowa. The boys were exhausted and didn't even move a muscle. We put them right into bed without even changing their clothes. I honestly don't think they moved at all until the next morning when they woke up.
We got to Nauvoo the next day. Kelly's family reunion was being held at Camp Nauvoo. It's an RLDS facility with lots of little cabins and a big mess hall. It was a really nice place. The boys called the mess hall "the castle." We got settled and rested for most of the day. Greg went exploring in the cabin and couldn't decide if this was something that he brought or if it were someone else's. Gee... I wonder!
That night we had a small dinner with everyone and then had the traditional family meeting. That was where a representative from each family stood and updated everyone on what was going on with their family. Georgia (Kelly's mom) had 9 siblings and they all have fairly good sized families. Georgia's being one of the smallest. Overall there was almost 100 family members there.The next morning we slept in and had some breakfast and then went into Nauvoo to the Visitors Center. From there we went and saw a puppet show they put on for children at the Cultural Hall. They had everyone singing along and joining in the fun. It was great.
After that Kelly and Greg went with all the youth to the temple to do baptisms for the dead. Neil, me and the boys decided that would be a good time to go and do some laundry. We found the laundromat in town and did all of our wash. While we were hanging out there we got some ice cream from across the street and let the boys play. Although I didn't love the idea of doing laundry on the trip, I'm really glad that we did. It gave us some down time and made packing a whole lot easier too.
That night after dinner they held the Ostvig Family Olympics. Landon and Carter both participated in the youth javelin throw. The javelin's were made of straws and marshmallows, too funny! Landon ended up taking 2nd place! I missed it though, and therefore we have no pictures of it. Oops!We left that early to go to the Visitors Center. The BYU Ballroom Dance Company was performing their Nauvoo Showcase, so we decided to go and see that. It was fabulous!! The boys sat and watched the whole thing. I couldn't believe how great they were during the whole performance. The dancing was unbelievable. They're so entertaining and fun to watch. I am so glad that we went to see them. I loved it!
The next day we decided to go to Carthage Jail. We watched a video about Joesph Smith and the events that led up to the execution of Joseph Smith, and then got to tour the Jail. The spirit was incredible there. I had a hard time not crying as we walked through the jail and saw what it was like. Seeing the bullet hole in the door and the window that Joseph fell out of was surreal. Knowing the story is one thing, but actually seeing where it happened was quite another. It made real.After Carthage we went back to Nauvoo and all the adults went and did a session at the temple. It was so neat. Kelly's aunt Judy knows the temple President there and he took time to talk to us before we had our own private session. We learned a lot of interesting facts about the temple and how it came to be. He spoke of President Hinkley being there for the dedication of the temple and how spiritual of an experience it was. It was incredible to say the least!
After dinner that night we had a family testimony meeting and played games. It was our last night there and no one wanted to go to bed. We did fireworks and the boys played with sparklers. So much fun!
The next morning we got up and packed up the van. We finished touring Nauvoo by going to all the RLDS sites. In order to see inside the buildings you have to pay a fee and take their guided tour. At first I was a little irritated by it, but I am so glad that we did it. I would definitely do it again. Our tour guide was fabulous. He was very down to earth and extremely knowledgeable. I was fascinated with all the little facts that he knew. We first learned of the Nauvoo House. We didn't go inside, but learned about how much bigger it used to be and the plans for it. How Emma changed it after she remarried, and everything that happened there. It was interesting to learn that was the first burial place of Joseph and Hyrum. I didn't know that before we took the tour.
We stopped and learned about the second burial place of Joseph and Hyrum under a little shack. Many years after their burial there, they were once again moved. They worried about the rising water of the river, and decided it would be best to move them to where they are now laid to rest.
The next building we toured was Joseph and Emma's home. Where later Joseph's son added onto it (the white portion of the home). The house originally was only one room, where Joseph and his family would allow up to 30 people to sleep in a night. I honestly don't know how they possibly did that. I couldn't imagine just his family living there. The saints were truly amazing people. The well outside is also the original well that they used. Amazing!
We moved from their home to the Mansion Home. This house was incredible. I love the detail of the home and yet am still amazed at how small it was. The doorways were so much lower than they are now days, and their stairs were very steep and shallow. It amazes me to think about how much has changed over time. I found it very interesting that the railings were at different levels on each side of the stairway. It was to accommodate the women so that they could hold onto the railing and be able to hold up their dresses, yet still stay modest. In this house was Joseph and Emma's dresser they used. The detail on it was so beautiful. I would love to one day own something as beautiful as that piece of furniture. The original size of the mansion home was massive. Looking at a model of what it was supposed to look like compared to what it looks like today is hard to fathom. I only wish that it was like that today so we could see how truly amazing the structure was.
We finished the tour at the Red Brick Store. We spent some time in the room upstairs where Joseph completed over 500 temple ordinances for members before the temple was completed, and completed many sacred events. This room was also used for town meetings and various other things. It was so neat to see his office and imagine the life that he led. I loved taking the time to do this. While at the store we bought Old Fashioned Root Beer candies. They were yummy! I didn't share as much as I should have. They were too good!
After that we completed our time in Nauvoo by stopping by the Aaron and Polly Johnson Home. Aaron Johnson was Kelly's Great Great Great Grandfather. We weren't able to tour the home, because it's used as a private residence, but seeing it was great. We thought while we were there we should get some generation pictures. Maybe one day it will be made into a home that can actually be toured. If that's the case, we'll definitely go.
On our way out of town we stopped one more time at the temple and took a family picture. That concluded our time in Nauvoo.
We drove to St. Louis that afternoon and stayed there. It also happened to be my 29th birthday also, so Kelly, Greg, Landon, Carter and I went to the Gateway Arch. It was the one thing that I wanted to do. I'd never been there and thought it would be fun to go to the top. So we did. I couldn't believe how big the arch really was. It's incredible to look at. The ride up was not the most fun for me. You ride up in an elevator shaft inside something similar to a gondola. So every as you go up the arch the gondola jerks a little. There was a window in the door that allowed you to see down, and that was enough to make me ill. I hate heights! What was I thinking?
Once we got to the top though... It Was Incredible!! We were up there at night, and so the whole city was lit up. The boys loved looking at the river and the boats traveling along. Luckily it wasn't windy, so the arch didn't sway at all while we were up there. I don't know how I would have stomached it had I felt it swaying. We spent some time up there and then decided to get some dinner.
Kelly's family was super sweet and took the boys so that Kelly and I could go to dinner by ourselves. It was so nice. We found an Outback Steakhouse close to the hotel and had a fabulous dinner. There's nothing like a steak that melts in your mouth and crab stuffed shrimp for your birthday!We spent the next two days traveling home. We made it to Denver and then finally home. They were two really long days of travel. Kelly's sister Kris Anne and her kids (Scotty and Georgia) were caravaning with us. It was so much fun to be with them, but we had A LOT of potty breaks with four little kids. Eventually we had to find another solution... this is what we came up with. Gross I know (yes that is little boy urine in the bottle), but it saved us hours overall.
We stayed the night in Denver in an Embassy Suites. It was great. We put all four kids in one bed, too funny, but it worked great! Kelly really enjoyed a cook to order breakfast for Fathers Day, and none of us were complaining either. It was delicious! We made it home around 10:30 Sunday night.
We had a wonderful trip. We got to see lots of new things, and had so much time as a family. We were so thankful to have Greg travel with us. He was so much help with the boys, and made it so much easier on my prego body. I can't thank him enough. Though it was a long trip, I would definitely do it again in a heartbeat... though it may not ever happen again while I'm pregnant. ;o)
