After lunch

Nauvoo (the "modern" regular part) is a tiny town, without many dining choices. So, after an interesting meal, we headed back to Old Town for some more happy making times!

We headed first to the Family Living Center.

Our tummies were full and we were ready to learn more cool things.

I have no idea how many miles the kids walked this day, but it was more than one. I'd hate to exaggerate and say it was more than nine or something like that... but it's possible.

The Family Living Center is a building with one huge room full of displays of what life was like back in the day.

 This corner of the room showed a pioneer kitchen, complete with a brick oven, complete with freshly baked bread. It was cool, man. And hot. And delicious! See that square hole in the brick wall next to the Sister's hand? That's the oven. They'd build a fire in it until it was heated up, scoop the fire out, and stick the bread dough in! Brilliant.

 Amelia found the baby dolls, and pretty much played with them the whole time. Mostly strategically placing them around the entire building.

See? I told you we were the only ones there.

 This one was her favorite. The little pioneer cradles and baby clothes were so cute!
Except this one seems to be wearing some regular baby clothes... so... you're just going to have to believe me on this one.

 This is a rope making machine. Emmy's cranking away, twisting up each of the three strands.

Once the individual strands are twisted real good, you start twisting from the other side which twists the three strands together. That was my job, and I rocked it. Not to brag, or anything.

 All twisted up!

Then they tie off each end, cut it off of the machine, and Wa La!

Fresh rope. 

Cool, man.

After spending a few hours there, we went out to see some new old buildings.

 This is the third floor of.... can't remember the name of this building. Sheesh, why did I wait so long to blog?
This is where Joseph and Emma danced!

 Also Jayne and Amelia.
And Co.

This is the downstairs, where they were preparing for the evening show. The girls decided the stage needed to get warmed up, so they performed a few numbers for the admiring crowd of missionaries.

As we were headed to another site, this Elder was walking along next to us and chatting away and reached down his finger to Amelia. She immediately grabbed it, without looking up, and held his hand for the next two blocks!

 Once we arrived at our destination she finally looked up at him, and gave him the sweetest surprised smile! She didn't run away, she just smiled up at him. We melted.

These two.

 Oh, these two.

While the others were walking, Emmy and I made a little side track and got distracted inside the Seventies Hall, where Emmy took the opportunity to recite a few Articles of Faith.

Cool building. Super cool.

We caught up to the others, who were inside the blacksmith's shop learning about how Covered Wagons were made.

 The wheels, specifically. It really is amazing to learn how they did things without modern machinery. It all makes perfect sense and worked really well! Maybe not as fast as our machines, and maybe with more physical effort, but superbly well just the same.

Maybe I'm weird, but I love looking at a tool and wondering what the heck they used it for, and then being showed what it was used for, and being like WOW.

That could have been better written, but you get the idea.

 In the evening we made our way down the the edge of the Mississippi, to the place where the wagons crossed on their way out of town towards the West.
This beautiful statue is there, of Joseph showing Brigham Young his vision for the future.

Claire didn't want to look at the camera. What evs, you're still my favorite.

There is a wagon there on a ferry that is just like the one that the Pioneers used, when the river wasn't frozen solid.

 These wagons are only three feet wide! Why did I think they were wider than that? I'm pretty sure we had more stuff in our car than could have fit in this wagon. And they put in there everything they owned! Incredible.

These kiddos LOVED the wagon. We were here for over an hour.

We're almost finished reading the little house books (again) which really makes this era come alive for kids. Then to go and actually play in a covered wagon?! They were eating it up.

 Alright you guys, lets go find some dinner.

Or not.