Brad's Mornings Off, Homemade Salsa, Kade's Paintings, Jax

Brad didn't have a patient to see this morning so he stayed home and played with us. It was nice to have some time with him! We ended up going to our favorite park (Southwestway) to play for little bit.

A few days ago Brad said he was craving some homemade salsa, so I found this super easy recipe online, bought the ingredients and made it. And it is my favorite! I think I might always have to make homemade salsa from now on!

Kade wanted to paint today and he created a great piece of art! The evenings where the kids will sit and color or paint at the table while I make dinner are my favorite.

We miss our friend Jaxson! We got to see him for a little bit this afternoon. We loved it!

Kade's favorite thing: Going to Southwestway Park

Teamwork

In my calling I have the very hard task of setting up visiting teaching routes. Changes have been needed and I've been worried about making them and, in turn, offending people or making people mad because I split up something they loved. 

Luckily I had three other amazing women to help me out with this! We got together tonight and made all the changes. I think combining our knowledge really helped and some people saw problems or potential that I wouldn't have noticed.

I'm so grateful for the women that I get to serve with. They are amazing and they are such a help to me. I could not do this without them!

Silly Kids, Baseball Games

The weather was so beautiful again today so we spent a lot of our morning outside. My cute kids were being so silly running around and playing with each other. It was fun to watch!

Tonight we went to an Indians Baseball game for family night. We had a lot of fun watching the game and being together. I love going to Baseball games!

Kade's Favorite Thing: The Baseball Game

Evening Walks, Calamine Lotion

The weather was so beautiful today! It was around 70 degrees and it didn't feel humid at all. We went on a little walk after dinner tonight to enjoy it. It was so nice.

The kids don't look too thrilled in this picture, but they really did have fun!


I got a lot of bug bites in Nauvoo. I counted 38 on my legs today. Luckily I got some calamine lotion yesterday to help with the itching and I feel a little better. I just don't think I'll be able to show my legs for a few days!

Kade's Favorite Thing: Going to Church

Baptisms, Wendy's Frosty

Tonight we were able to go to a baptism at our church for two men as a family. It was a neat teaching opportunity for Kade because it was the first baptism that he has been to. We taught him that they were being washed clean from their sins when they came out of the water and that they were becoming members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We told him that when he turns 8 years old he will have the opportunity to be baptized as well. When it came time for the actual ordinance Kade sat right in front of the baptismal font and watched the whole thing. I hope he realized how special it was.

After the baptism we stopped at Wendy's for dinner. Our order took longer than normal for some reason, but the workers were so nice and gave us a free frosty due to our wait. The kids loved sharing the treat! We had such a great night together.

Kade's Favorite Thing: Going to the Baptism

Joseph Smith

I am so grateful for my membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I love the gospel. I love the Book of Mormon. I know that I am a daughter of a loving Heavenly Father and that I can return to him again one day and be with my family for eternity.

I also know that I wouldn't have this knowledge without the sacrifices that Joseph Smith made in order to help restore the church on the earth again. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. I know that he saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I know he was an amazing, faithful, and honorable man who gave his life to the Lord. I'm so grateful for him and for the sacrifices that all the early saints made.

Today we went to Carthage Jail where Joseph Smith was martyred. On the drive from Nauvoo to Carthage we listened to the beautiful hymns, "Praise to the Man," "Joseph Smith's First Prayer," and "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief," sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. It was a beautiful and touching drive. As we sat in the room where Joseph was martyred and listened to the tape they play of the last minutes before the mob attacked them, you are able to feel the spirit so strongly. There is no denying that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and an amazing man. I know with all my heart that this gospel is true.

Wagon Rides, The Nauvoo Temple, Trail of Hope, Women's Garden, Miracles

This morning we got to go on two really great wagon rides! The first took us all around the city of Nauvoo and then second one took us more into the woods and we were able to hear a lot of spiritually uplifting stories. We stopped at one point and all sang "I am a Child of God" together. Even Kade sang as loud as he could. It was a special moment!

The Nauvoo Temple is stunning! The last time I was in Nauvoo the temple hadn't been re-built yet so I was excited to see it. It is gorgeous! It is amazing the work that the early saints put into building such a beautiful and breathtaking structure.

The Temple overlooks the beautiful valley of Nauvoo.

Kade and Elly. They are so cute together!

The statue of Joseph and Hyrum depicting when they left Nauvoo for the last time on their way to Carthage Jail.



Kade was so excited to go throw rocks in the big Mississippi River and he was able to do that when we went to look at the Trail of Hope. It must have taken a lot of faith for those pioneers to leave their comfortable life in Nauvoo behind and cross the mile wide Mississippi River with no plans of returning and not knowing what lie ahead of them.

The Women's garden by the Visitors Center is so beautiful. It made me so grateful to be a woman. Kade liked to have me read what each statue was about. He thought is was really neat.

Tenley loved being able to see Jesus at the visitors center too.

We were so blessed this weekend. Yesterday Kade's breathing was getting worse and his cough was getting worse and I knew it was going to turn into a bad asthma attack. I had remembered his machine but forgotten his medicine, but luckily my doctor was able to call it in to a pharmacy there quickly and we had the medicine in less than an hour. I was still worried that Kade would have his normal bad 24 hours of labored breathing, but I prayed and prayed so hard that he wouldn't so we could enjoy our vacation and time with family and not have to rush home or keep everyone up at night. Luckily the bad asthma attack never came! He slept great both nights we were there and still seems to be doing well. I'm so, so, so grateful.

Nauvoo, Wilford Woodruff, Motor-homes

We made it to Nauvoo today and it was such a beautiful day there! It was cool and uncrowded which are both very rare things for this time of year. We really enjoyed walking around the cute little town and learning about the history. Tonight we went to the Nauvoo Pageant and enjoyed learning even more history there. We loved it! Before the pageant there was a fair where we were able to play a lot of fun games. The kids had a blast there!

We showed up in time to have lunch and play on the beautiful grass.

At the Brickyard getting a Nauvoo Brick

At the school house. Kade loved this!

He got to ring the bell for school to be over.

Making a rope.

Playing tug-of-war

Making sock puppets.

Brad on the stilts!

Kade was tired! Both kids fell asleep during the pageant.

My maiden name is Woodruff so, in Utah, I would often get asked if I was related to Wilford Woodruff since he was a prophet of the church. I am not a direct descendant. His Grandfather was my Great, Great, Great... Grandfather so I guess he is a distant cousin. I remember going to Nauvoo many years ago and being in Wilford Woodruff's home and the missionaries offering to have us sign a book that they let all the descendants of Wilford Woodruff's sign. My dad didn't think that we should since we aren't direct descendants so we didn't. But this trip, my brother-in-law Chad decided to make sure I signed the book! It was neat to be able to even though I still didn't feel like it was right.

And even though I'm not a direct descendant I do truly love Wilford Woodruff. His great, consistent journal writing inspired me when I was young and I've always tried to be consistent at writing in my journal.

We really enjoyed staying in the motor-home with the Murdocks. It was so nice of them to squeeze us in there!