Heat wave

Wow, has it been hot this week! We were only playing outside for a little while Wednesday morning when everyone was ready for popsicles. I thought Nikki found the perfect position to relax and cool off.

Random thoughts

We were riding in the car today and Nikki started making up her own little song. It was really funny hearing her sing out her train of thought. Her lyrics went something like this: "I want apple juice. I don't like water. I like apple juice and milk. Not water. I be good at the library. Where is daddy? I don't know. Daddy is at work. Where is Hannah? Hannah is right here. We are Hannah and Nikki." And this went on for about 10 minutes. I wish I could remember more of what she said. It was so random.

Speaking of random, this thought has nothing to do with what I was just writing about. I got a haircut on Saturday. That is always such a huge ordeal for me. I remember my mom saying that it really wasn't that bad that my dad lost his hair because he had bad hair anyway. What she never directly admitted was that I inherited his hair. Usually I never like a haircut until it has grown out for about two weeks, but this time I didn't come away on the verge of tears. The stylist straightened it with a flat iron thing (you can see how out of style I am since I don't even know what it is really called). I had never used one on my hair, and I was so surprised that she could actually get it completely straight! I have always just roundbrushed it, but I really liked it. Then she also did this anti-frizz treatment, so my curls are better too. So what a nice experience to actually be satisfied with a hair cut.

Nauvoo, Illinois

We spent last week with Robin, Mike, JW, and their families in Nauvoo, Illinois. We missed Kellee, but it was a lot of fun having the rest of the siblings together again. We drove there and back, and the girls did such a good job. We set up Nate's laptop in the back seat so the girls could watch DVDs, and Nikki was in heaven. She would rather watch a movie than almost anything else. We got home Saturday night, and then we drove to Manteo (about 3 hrs away) on Sunday for my cousin Bonnie's wedding. When we were getting in the car after the ceremony to go to the reception, Nikki stopped dead in her tracks and screamed, "I don't want to get in the car!" I guess she had had enough driving, and I really couldn't blame her. I felt the same way when we got home that night.

Nauvoo was so beautiful. We stayed in a house that overlooks the Mississippi River, and it was absolutely gorgeous. The weather was perfect, hanging out with the family was a lot of fun, we had lots of good food, and it was really neat to tour the church history sites. We got a chance to attend the temple one morning, but I never did take a picture of it. It's one thing to see a picture of it and then a completely different thing to actually be there and see how beautful and large it is and think of the sacrifice the early saints made to build such a magnificent structure.

So, it was a really fun vacation, and I have just been exhausted today. I don't think we'll go anywhere for a while. Here are a few pictures from the trip.

Hannah, Emma, & Lydia

These three love to have their picture taken. We took a wagon ride around Nauvoo one afternoon. It was especially nice because Nikki fell asleep on it. I can't imagine traveling across the plains going so slowly. Taking two days to drive there seemed like a long time until I thought about going across country at the pace of a horse-drawn wagon. Thank goodness I was born late in the 20th century.

Like he really needs to be any taller!

I think Nate had just as much fun as the girls playing the pioneer games. He said it was pretty hard walking on stilts, but he did get a few steps in.

Cute dress-ups

Hannah loved being able to dress up like a pioneer. It took a while to convince Nikki to join in the fun . . .
Mostly she was just hot and tired.

Eliza, Nikki, Hannah, and the ox

We walked by two oxen relaxing in the shade. They were so huge. Thank goodness they are pretty mild creatures because I don't think that puny little fence would have done much good if they really wanted to get out.

Stick pull

Lydia and Nikki reenacting a favorite pioneer pastime.

Preschool graduation

Hannah's last day of preschool was today. They had a spring concert and graduation for the kids tonight. It was so cute. We could never get a good picture -- this one where no one is looking at the camera and she's wiping her nose was the best we got. I'm sure in a few years she'll love seeing that in the scrapbook! Anyway, I was so proud of her. They sang a whole bunch of songs and she was really into it. Granted, she inherited her rhythm from her parents -- she was always a step behind the music. I thought it was really funny, but I was so glad she was singing along because she will never sing her preschool songs for me at home. She tells me she needs Miss Sherrie to sing with her. Maybe now that I know what some of them are she will do it with me.

I had such mixed feelings tonight. I'm so proud of the little girl she is growing up to be, but this was such an eye-opener of just how much she is growing up. Graduating from preschool? How did she get that big? I've been really looking forward to Kindergarten next year, but I'm starting to get a little nervous about it. She is still too sweet to be off with a bunch of mean kids all day. Two different people said to me today how much she resembles her dad, and it is so true. She is his spitting image, but her personality mirrors him as well. She is so tenderhearted. She just makes me want to hug her!

Funny faces

This picture is so funny to me because when Nikki asked me to take her picture I thought it was because she had on a dress and she thought she was pretty. She even took the time to position a chair in the middle of the floor right where she wanted it, and while climbing into the chair she said, "Wait, I'm not ready yet." Then, when I looked through the viewfinder in the camera this is what I saw.


Hannah wanted to be a part of the fun, too. What crazy girls!