Dave, Kara and their kids made the long drive from Idaho to Missouri last week. They arrived at our house on Thursday evening, after I had driven to the airport to pick-up Dave's mom, Sharon. I can't explain the excitement I felt having my sister's cute family come see us! I picked up some yummy Kansas City Barbecue for dinner the night they arrived, and we had fun getting reacquainted and letting the kids run wild through the house. Brynlie and Lindsey were especially happy about the arrival of cousins, because they love Miss Ashy Kate and the funny Lauryn!
On Friday morning, we slept in a bit before packing up to drive to Nauvoo. Brevan and Logan chose to stay home with Ryan, but the girls came with me and the whole Yancey clan. I had rented one of the restored cabins in Nauvoo for us to spend the night in. Lindsey and Lauryn were already the best of friends. They changed clothes about every 5 minutes and giggled together while running wild. It made me sad that these two blondies live so far apart.
Joseph, Hyrum and Emma's final resting place overlooking the Mississippi River.
Kara and I took the kids to dinner while Dave and Sharon were performing sealings in the temple. Sharon spent most of her time with her brother and his wife, who are serving a temple mission in Nauvoo.
I loved the cozy feeling of our log cabin, complete with a woodburning fireplace!
Kara and Dave used the Master Bedroom on the main level, while the rest of us bunked upstairs. On Saturday morning, Kara, Dave, Ashlyn, me and Austin went to the temple while Brynlie stayed at the cabin with Lauryn, Lindsey and Jayden.
The outside of our cute, restored cabin.
Our cabin was next-door to a neat pioneer museum. Brynlie could have spent days in the museum, studying each item in depth. I took a few pictures of our favorite items in the museum.
Someone carved this log with Emma Hale and Joseph Smith's initials from the year they were married. :)
Ashlyn and Austin participated in baptisms while Dave performed the baptisms in the historic Nauvoo font. Kara and I watched and enjoyed the Spirit which was so evident in the room. While being confirmed, Austin said loudly, "What is this feeling I have in me? Why do I feel so good? Is it the Holy Ghost?" Austin is the most hilarious and sweet autistic kid in the world! One of the temple workers was so impressed with Austin's experience that he asked for his name so he could write about the event in his journal. I love that boy. He kept me laughing until my stomach hurt the whole weekend.
Austin was THRILLED that one of the tour missionaries was Asian, and was actually from Japan! Austin's fascination in life is the Asian culture.
While in Nauvoo, we visited Joseph Smith's Red Brick Store and Joseph and Emma's Mansion House, both of which I had never toured before. They are owned by the Community of Christ Church, which has a good relationship with the Mainstream LDS Church members in Nauvoo. The Mansion House is where the Smith's were living when Joseph was killed, and where the funeral for both Joseph and Hyrum was held. Emma continued to live there after the martyrdom.
We took a carriage ride, even though it was ridiculously cold for Spring Break! I felt so badly that the Yancey's were experiencing such a freezing springtime in the Midwest, because it's typically such a beautiful time to visit. While on the carriage ride, we stopped in Dan Jones Hollow to sing "I am a Child of God" while Lauryn leaded the music.
After Nauvoo, we headed to Carthage to tour the jail. We arrived only a half-hour before closing time, so we weren't able to hear the entire guided tour, but we were able to go inside the jail. Carthage Jail is always one of my favorite church sites. I love to hear the stories of the events that transpired there.
This senior missionary took us through the different rooms of the jail, including this room where Joseph and Hyrum were killed. You can still see the bullet hole in the door that killed Hyrum, as well as another hole above the door handle that helped the mob get access to the room.
Lindsey and Lauryn played peek-a-boo through the bullet hole. Haha goofy girls!
Ashlyn, Lindsey and Lauryn looking out of the window where Joseph fell through when he was shot.
The top window is where Joseph Smith fell from when he was killed.
After Carthage, we ate dinner with Larry (Sharon's brother) and his wife before getting on the road to travel back to Missouri. We were getting a bit nervous, because the forecast was saying we would hit a snowstorm on the way back. We got home safely, after many hours of driving slowly. Ashlyn rode in my van on the 4-hour drive, while Kara rode with Dave in their van. It was fun to have long conversations with Ashlyn about life, boys, testimonies, college, etc. I have a special place in my heart for my Ashy girl. She was my first niece, and I have adored her from the moment she was born. I can't believe how mature she is for her age. I hope my girls follow her example when they are teenagers!
On Sunday morning, we learned that church was cancelled due to snow. Gotta love Missouri! Ashlyn was a bit disappointed that she wouldn't be able to meet some of the cute boys in our ward! Ryan and I cooked a delicious, huge breakfast which made us all tired, so most of us were back in bed by 11 am for a nap! In the afternoon, we went to the basement to get our sweat on with an Insanity video. Ryan and I wanted to die, but Ashlyn was amazing because she stays in shape by playing on her school's volleyball and basketball teams. We all took showers before heading to Liberty Jail. I have gone on the Liberty Jail tour at least 20 times, but I always love it. The revelations given to Joseph Smith while in the Liberty Jail are some of my favorite scriptures (D&C 121- 122). Austin asked some great questions, and I think all the kids enjoyed the experience.
Ashlyn spent some time talking to the sister missionaries. She is considering serving a mission in a couple years, and was interested in how the sisters felt about their missions. Apparently she never sees sister missionaries in Idaho, so she didn't know what to expect.
That evening, we had a Dance Party in the basement! Everyone had to perform a dance for the crowd, and Ryan was the judge (although we did end up convincing Ryan to show us his best dance moves). Jayden won by performing the Gangnam Style dance, but he had some tough competition from the rest of us!
Haha, I love these photos of Dave and Kara! Dave did the Robot dance while Kara did . . . something weird!
After sleeping in late in the morning, we drove downtown Kansas City to see the new Oz movie at Union Station, which is the largest screen in the region. The kids all loved the 3D movie, especially because we were actually in the Kansas area where the movie tornado occurred! Brynlie was acting sad the whole time. She told me later that she has a hard time enjoying having guests in town because she can't stop thinking about how sad she will be when they leave.
After the movie, we met up with Sharon, who had spent the past couple days at her brother's house. Then Kara, Ash and Lauryn came to Brynlie's dance class to watch her practice. On the way home, I had to drive Kara past these two streets near my house. They are actually across the freeway from each other! I think of her every time I drive on them!
We enjoyed a delicious dinner prepared by the men before being goofy for a while and having to start saying our goodbyes. It was sad to see these two girls go their separate ways. We decided they would either be the best of friends or the worst of enemies if they lived near each other, since they have very similar personalities but are both used to being in charge.
Sweet Ash played with all the kids before giving them loves.
The Yancey's were up very early Tuesday morning, so they could drive all the way home in one day. We've been a bit gloomy ever since, because their visit reminded us how much we love and miss family. I'm so grateful they spent the time and money to come see us! When I picked up the girls from school on Tuesday afternoon, they were both in tears because the Yancey's had left. Brynlie told me, "I held in the tears as well as I could all day, but now I just need to let them out!"
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Two amazing families, a dozen precious people. Thanks, Ali and Ryan, for hosting the Yanceys. I love you each.
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