Miracles Happen

It was SO hard to wake up this morning!  Lennard had to be at the stage for 7:00 and I started trying to get the kids to wake up at 7:00 but it took about half an hour to get them moving.  We all had to be in full costumes and bring all the extras to change into throughout the pageant.  We did the finale with Gold Cast and then did a full dress rehearsal.  It got so hot!  I was literally dripping in sweat.  We got through - complete with crazy busy costume changes!  I have three different changes to make and the dressing room got crazy busy with everyone changing tops and helping zip each other up.  Once we got through the complete pageant they had us run through two scenes again.  Everyone was SO hot, but I'm glad we went through them again - especially the Evening Dance.  Lennard and I had missed both parts in that dance so it was good to run through it and get it somewhat right!  

Ben loves Caitlynn Boyer.  He made a special love note for her.

Thankfully we got the entire afternoon off!  Part way through the morning, my shoe heels disintegrated so we had to make a quick trip up to HQ to get some other shoes for the rest of the week.  When we got back to the trailer I got our costumes in to wash and then as soon as I got them switched into the dryer we headed out to Keokuk to get some groceries and go out for lunch at Pizza Hut.  It was a much needed break! 

We had Company meeting tonight where Alex Johns gave an excellent talk about the British Saints and how important they were to helping the early Church survive.  We had a quick meeting as a Green Cast while Gold Cast went to set up Country Fair.  They told us how to improve a few scenes and then we found out that we have the whole day free tomorrow until 5:30 pm!

Country Fair was fun.  We saw Toone's, Henline's and Shauna & Matt with their kids.  We didn't get a lot of other visiting done, but it was a nice break.  

Shannon, Izzy, Grandma Kris, and Auri

Anna, Lennard, Grace, Brendan, Becky and Mary Lou

We started the Nauvoo pageant and got through the first scene and then the sound cut out!  We were all lined up to go on for the Welcome Dance and then we were told it wasn't working.  A bunch of us gathered together and said a prayer and then we all started singing.  Within five minutes or so, the sound came back on out front and we were able to continue on... although we had to really listen for our cues as the sound didn't work in the back.  The rest of the pageant went pretty well.  It was fun getting to talk with Toone's for quite a while afterwards.  We didn't get home til after 11:00.  It's now 11:45 and I'm so grateful we can sleep in tomorrow!

Busy Day

When we got up this morning, Ben woke up feeling fine!  Thank goodness!

We did our working run through of the British Pageant this morning.  We had to stop a few times to get things just right, but it went pretty well.  We had a meeting this afternoon at Pageant HQ about costuming and when/what to wear in the pageants.  They talked a bit about the pageants and how families are chosen, etc and then we got out 1/2 hour early!  

Melissa Rasmussen made Emma a little bird!

We decided to pop into Zion's Mercantile and I got an inverted star necklace and a candle for our holder that we got last year.  Emma got a little ball and cup game and Ben got a wood gun that shoots elastics.  We went back to the trailer and sort of crashed.  We didn't end up even getting dinner as we had to get ready in our British costumes and be ready to go down to the Pageant stage.  We got to train the Gold Cast on how to do Country Fair and then we got our cast photo done.  Pretty soon after that we went through the finale with Gold Cast and then we started the dress rehearsal for the first time!  I was a little nervous, but it went so well!  We were pretty well running full out to keep up to where we needed to be and the humidity was so high that we were all soaked in sweat!  I messed up a few times, but I don't think anyone really noticed.  Emma and Ben ended up colliding during one of the scenes so Ben got really upset and was crying.  He ended up sitting out on one of the scenes, but he was fine enough to go on for the Gallant Ship.  Cody & Shannon and their kids and Shannon's parents (Kris and Bill) were there watching tonight.  We were able to visit with them afterwards.  It was so neat to see their excitement for the pageant and know that we got to share that with them.  We have to be on the stage in Nauvoo costumes tomorrow at 8:00am (Lennard at 7:00am) for that dress rehearsal and then we perform tomorrow night!  We are exhausted - but on such a high!

We feel so blessed to be asked to be in Green Cast instead of Gold Cast like we applied for.  We have learned so much in such a short amount of time!

A Much Needed Day of Rest

We all slept til 8:00 and even than lazed around until almost 9:00!  Of course then we had to race to get everyone fed and ready for church at Pageant HQ.  It rained hard last night.  Thankfully it's supposed to stop this morning and be beautiful for "Our Story Goes On" tonight.  

Sacrament meeting was good.  Sister Gloria Irion (the Nauvoo temple matron) talked about 'light'.  

*  There is a lot of symbolism in the pageant where light is used.  i.e. As we prepare to make temple covenants the clothing gets lighter.  

*  Fulfilling callings, sharing the gospel, etc. 

*  Lanterns are used as families pray.  

*  There are Books of Mormon that light up as families read them.  

*  Our testimonies and our relationship with Heavenly Father fuels our light.  Hold up your light! 

*  The light within us shows to others.

After church we had a quick lunch of pancakes.  We headed over to the Visitors Center for a bit and then went to Carthage.  It was super busy and we had to wait for quite a while.  There were lots of cast families there!  Emma had a hard time waiting and we were really close to just leaving, but thankfully we were called in shortly after that and had a good tour.  It helped that Jonathan and Lauren Mace and her parents were in the tour too.

 After Carthage we stopped at David's Chamber - a pull off just off the road.  It's where Joseph and Emma's son, David, used to come.

 We then went to the old stone bridge that was built by the pioneers.  We took a few pictures together.

 The kids have been a bit crazy today - especially Emma.  She's been so defiant and snarky and just won't take no for an answer.  It's been really frustrating.  We're trying to be patient, but it's been hard.

We've been talking today about whether we'd want to do the pageant again.  Lennard is all for it.  It's been a hard/amazing experience.  Even with the weather being lower than normal temperatures here, I've sweated more than I ever have.  It's been super long day and even shorter nights, but it's also been an experience that I will never forget.  We have learned lots of church history and the whys behind some of the pageant scenes, but more than that, there's just a special spirit here.  As we sit in the grove for our district meetings where Joseph Smith often preached, or see the kids playing in the fields, it brings the pioneer stories to life.  I feel closer to my ancestors, but also to the Spirit.  As we stand on the stage and practice, we get to hear the words the prophet said and it touches my heart.  This next week should be interesting as we get to perform the entire pageant each night.  I'm nervous, but excited too.

We had time to have a yummy dinner of Salisbury Steak.  The kids are off playing outside so hopefully they'll behave!

I guess I spoke too soon... the kids managed to wreck our collapsible wagon.  SO frustrated at them!

Mom and Dad came over and brought us Skor cake for a treat.  I had to go out and find Emma and ended up visiting with Sara Weyland.  Then Louisa came over and started talking too.  Pretty soon the husbands all joined us too.  The kids all ran around and played as we visited.  It was so fun.  My parents left shortly after I started visiting.  We visited enough that we ended up having to rush to get to 'Our Story Goes On'.  Thankfully, Mom had saved seats for us this morning!  Toone's were there (they arrived in Nauvoo today) and Shauna and her family were there too.  The show was amazing.

As we were going in Ben started complaining of a headache.  He'd been running around all afternoon so I thought he was just overtired and had a headache.  I sat and snuggled with him, but he got worse as the show went on. Then he said that he was going to throw up, so Lennard took him out.  About ten minutes later Lennard came to tell me that he was going to take Ben back to the trailer as he was extremely pale and still not doing well.  As they were walking to the truck, Ben threw up.  Poor boy.  Lennard got Advil into him and got him into bed on the bottom bunk.  Mom game Emma and me a ride back to the trailer afterwards.  Lennard and I then spent some time going over the British Pageant scenes/dances in preparation for tomorrow.  So much to remember!

Last Day at Country Fair

We did a working run through of the Nauvoo Pageant this morning and it helped so much!  There are still dance moves that I'm not getting, but it's coming.  The kids are so excited to be in extra scenes with Emma Smith (Kerilyn Johnson). As we were practicing the martyrdom scene and it says that Joseph died, Emma threw her arms around Kerilyn.  When she came back to us, she just sobbed.  The scenes are so powerful.  As we finished at noon we found out that the Tolman's, in our cast, just heard that a good friend of their son's was killed in an accident.  We all gathered in prayer as a cast right on the stage.

We found out that we got the whole afternoon off!  What a nice break!  Apparently not all casts get this time in their first week, so we were very grateful for the time.  We all slept for almost two hours!  I also got all our costumes washed and the kids through showers.  Even with all the extra time, we were close to being late to Company meeting.  It takes a lot longer to get everyone dressed in costumes! Jonathan and Lauren Mace spoke and both did a great job.  She is our district leader.

 Country Fair was actually a lot of fun tonight.  We played around with the puppet show and got a little silly.  The kids were off playing the majority of the time.

Rockwell, Ben and Bronco

The two Ben's sawing a log! The Bohman family was in our district.

Emma learning how to make a rag rug.

Caryn & Paul

Nichols and Rasmussen families at the Puppet Show

Lennard reading the script for the puppet show.

Lennard and Paul.  So much fun together!

 The kids played most of the time during the Pageant too.  Camilla Weyland sat on Lennard's lap through half the pageant and played with his beard and giggled the whole time.  It was hilarious!

 The finale was great.  Emma raced to the very front of the stage and then leaped into my mom's arms afterwards.  It's been so great to see my parents off and on.  Mom has brought us treats almost every night!

Lennard had to take the temple down on stage tonight so it was 11:00 pm before we got back to the trailer.  The kids had so much fun today and so did we.  It's all starting to come together... which is good since we do our dress rehearsal on Monday!  Yikes!

Rough Day With Kids

Ben was up and dressed first thing in the morning and SO excited to discover that the tooth fiary had come!  He got 4 US quarters!  Practice at the stage this morning went pretty well.  We did lots of work on the British Pageant.  Lots of props, how to freeze and tell stories, etc.  The weather is so much cooler today it was great... although I was still dripping by noon!

I got all our laundry through at lunchtime and then we had dance practice in the afternoon.  Emma has had an 'off' day and has pushed every button possible this morning so by this afternoon we were done.  Then, Ben decided he didn't want to do anything except go to Family Support - but we were working on family dances so that wasn't an option.  He ended up sitting on the bleachers and refusing to participate.  It was rough.  

I managed to do my own hair this afternoon... it wasn't great, but it worked.  Ben fell asleep in Company Meeting.  The speaker talked about what your legacy will be.  It made me question how I want to be remembered. 

Country Fair was busy and fun this evening.  We had packed shows.  Emma helped lots while Ben took off and played with some other little boys (Rockwell and Bronco). He was so happy that I didn't question it.  It was SO cute watching those little 'pioneer' boys running around playing tag in Nauvoo!  

Love his imagination... a piece of wood became his gun (of course).

The pageant was great and I got some good notes made to review.  The kids were so tired that both of them fell asleep!  When it was time to go on stage, we had to really work to wake Emma up.  Ben took a bit, but he woke up faster.  It's a thrill to race onto the stage for the finale - though weird to look out and just see black because of the lights.  We were able to visit with a few people and then had to get the kids home to bed!  Long days and short nights.  We are all looking forward to Sunday and a good rest!

Lots of Firsts

Lennard had to be on the stage for 7:00 am again this morning, but when we got to the Weyland's to ride with them to the stage, they couldn't find their van keys!  Louisa had already left, so the kids and I got a ride with a sister missionary to the stage where I told Jed what was going on.  He then took our truck to go find the keys and get his family!

We went through the Nauvoo pageant on stage and I ended up racing to figure out what entrance to be at and when to come in.  There's so much information and with two pageants it gets muddled quickly!  It went pretty well though and I made some good notes that hopefully will help.  

Lauren Mace and Emma during District Meeting in the Grove.

Afternoon dance rehearsal was good too.  We learned the last dance for the British Pageant and then reviewed two dances that we'd 'learned' earlier.  There were lots of mistakes while we tried to remember but it was great to review and catch a few more steps this time!  The kids were overtired and grouchy so we had a few moments of frustration with them.  It's been such long, busy days. 

I got most of my hair done, but then got Louisa to help with my bun.  Hair has definitely been one of the most frustrating aspects of the pageant.  Thank goodness she was willing to help!  

As we were sitting in Company meeting tonight, Ben suddenly turned to me and his tooth was just dangling!  I pulled it out as we were sitting in the chapel!  He was SO excited to finally lose his first tooth! 

 Country Fair was great tonight.  There were lots of people and I got to have some great conversations.  The puppet show ran a lot smoother too without any drama from kids. 

The pageant was great, as usual.  I took lots of notes and videoed a few of the dances so that I can review them more.  It was amazing getting to be in the finale.  Emma managed to run all the way to the front of the stage!  We then got to mingle with the crowd and again had some good chats.

Lennard was busy helping put the temple down, so I ended up standing and chatting with Louisa, Sara and Andrea (Gardner).  It was such a great night!  The, after we got back to the trailer and almost had the kids in bed, I ran over to use the bathroom and ended up chatting with Chad & Louisa for quite a while along with some other cast members.  It was so nice to just take a minute and visit and have a break to unwind. It was 11:40 when I finally got back to the trailer!  It's now midnight and I'm going to crash!  It's been an amazing day.

Another Busy Day!

The kids had fun trying out some of the other activities at Country Fair tonight!

Lennard was gone at 7:15 to be at the stage for 7:30.  We got to the stage for 8:00 and immediately got started learning a bunch of blocking.  It's all a blur now!  There were so many cues to remember when to come on stage and what entrance to use.  I made some notes, but now it's hard to remember all the details.  We had a quick lunch and then had a two hour dance rehearsal.  Lennard and I lucked out and got assigned the Welsh dance which is definitely one of the easier dances to learn.  They asked us to go through the complete dance for one we learned half of yesterday and it was like I hadn't done it!  It's a good thing Lennard remembered most of it and cued me to what to do.  There's so much to learn!

We headed back to the trailer for dinner and I attempted to do my own hair.  After 45 minutes, I finally had it up... it wasn't great... but it was up.  I got a few bites of some spaghetti before we all had to be dressed and up to HQ for Company meeting.  I ended up having to do Emma's hair there as I'd just run out of time.  The kids sang with all the other Primary children and they did such a good job.  I wish we'd thought to record it!  I'd left my phone in the truck. 

The gal who spoke told about how she sewed the new temple panels that we use in the pageant.  It was interesting to hear about all the work that went into them.  Ben fell asleep during the meeting and slept all the way down to the Pageant grounds.  I carried him over to the puppet show and he slept for another 20 minutes or so on a bench!

Once we got going the puppet show went pretty well.  It was super humid tonight and I was literally dripping (yuck!).  The British Pageant was great to watch - especially getting to see the scenes we ran today.  It helped to see how it all goes together.

Long, Hot Day

Lennard headed out early with Chad and Jed Weyland and his boys to get to the stage.  Lennard's assignment is to help take the temple down, so they practiced that.  We got a ride to the stage with Sara Weyland and the rest of her kids.  

To say that it was hot at the stage would be an understatement! Whew!  The kids didn't enjoy it.  We were watching the Yellow Cast dress rehearsal for the Nauvoo Pageant that they perform tonight.  We got an umbrella from my mom, but it didn't help much.  Lennard went and got us all cooling neck bands from the First Aid station and that helped a bit. I ended up taking the kids to sit in the shade for a bit to get us all cooled down.  

We joined in on the finale and then had a short break in the Grove (ahhh... shade!).  They supplied freezies for everyone.  While we were waiting, we were approached and asked if Emma and Ben would be willing to be Joseph and Emma Smith's children in the pageant.  They were SO excited!  I was surprised at how excited Ben was especially.  We met in districts then and learned a bit of blocking with the Yellow Cast teaching us what to do.  It got a bit confusing at times as there was so much going on around us.

 Bluff District is part of the arriving Saints so we come in 'on the boat' and have to carry in trunks on one side of the stage and set them down in a house on the other side and then get our 'traveling clothes' off all before a song starts so we can gather! Our district isn't in the healing scene, but because Lennard is one of the apostles, he is!  He's going to have a fast costume change to get to us before we go on for the picnic scene.  We ended up being right in the front on the small satellite stage for that scene.  No hiding in the back for any of us! We had lots of water breaks to try to stay cool, but by the time noon came we were all very ready to find some air conditioning!  We have until 2:00 and then we meet at HQ for 2 hours of dance rehearsal!

 Dance rehearsal today was hard for me.  It felt like I was the only one missing steps and not getting it.  I got pretty down on myself.  Between that and knowing I have to figure out my hair for tonight - I was stressed!  It's so hard to just let it go and let it be.  When rehearsal was done they had cake for everyone for Pioneer Day and then we had to race back to the trailer.  You would think a two hour break is lots of time... but it's not!  It was almost 4:30 when we got to the trailer.  The, by the time we fed the kids, figured out what costume pieces we needed for tonight, did Emma's hair, got everyone dressed and then back to HQ so that Louisa could help me with my hair... Lennard and I didn't get anything to eat! 

 From Company meeting, we headed straight to Country Fair and had a group waiting for us at the Puppet Show while we tried to get set up.  Emma loved every minute of the puppet show.  We had a bit of conflict with the kids on who would get to narrate, but we finally worked it out and it was good after that.  Emma loved getting to hand out beads, maps, etc.

Ben just hung out.  He helped with the puppet show a bit and shared beads too.

 We got everything packed up and then went to watch the pageant until we came in at the finale.  We hadn't got very clear instruction as to when we came in, so it was a little unnerving, but it all worked out.  I'm very nervous for when it's our turn to do the whole pageant!

I got to see Stephanie (Hodgkinson) Ratcliff tonight.  My mom must have found her and told her I was here.  I haven't seen her in years, so it was fun to chat for a few minutes.

The kids got their treats tonight and they both went to bed fairly quickly - and now it's my turn!

It's All a Blur

It's a good thing I have a schedule to refer back to because it has been such a packed day that it's somewhat blurred together already! It's almost 11:00 and as I start to write this I have laundry in drying and the kids are still trying to go to sleep!

Music rehearsal was great this morning.  We learned that when they were writing the music for the British Pageant they were given one word - REMEMBER.  Then we started blocking rehearsal where we learned where we should be on stage and where to go throughout the last few scenes of the Nauvoo Pageant. That went well - although I hope I can remember it all later! 

We had a nice lunch break.  I'd got up early and made Roberts Chicken and Rice so that we'd have something filling.  We ate at HQ and then had enough time to have a bit of a break at the trailer.  Then came the fun of our first dance rehearsal for two hours.  We learned the last dance in the British Pageant called the 'Gallant Ship'.  Some of it goes SO fast that I had a hard time keeping up.  Thankfully, I wasn't the only one!  Lennard and I were assigned to be one of the polka couples!  It went better than I could have hoped... and it was a lot of fun too!  

Lennard was assigned to be one of the apostles (George A Smith).  We had to go to costuming again to get a coat for him.

Kids had fun making flags with Family Support!

 We had dinner at the trailer and then headed down to learn our assignment for the Country Fair. We are going to be doing the Puppet Show with the Rasmussen Family.  The kids had fun playing with the puppets but didn't really want to follow the script... and us adults were all a little awkward... oh well... it will get better - or it will be entertaining for whomever comes to watch!

As soon as everything was cleaned up from that, we headed to the stage to learn the British Pageant finale during the Yellow Cast's dress rehearsal.  We ran through it once and then went into the audience to watch the pageant until the finale where we got to join in again.  I loved seeing it again, but it definitely made me realize how much more we have to learn!  Emma said the closing prayer on stage.  She's definitely loved getting the microphone anytime it's offered.  She then got upset that we weren't getting treats tonight... and proceeded to let everyone know just how unhappy she was about it!  Lennard finally got her into the truck only to have her jump out and take off running!  I caught her just before she ran into the road.  I ended up sitting with her on my lap in the backseat and she finally calmed down. 

It's an early roll call in the morning.  Lennard has to be at the stage at 7:00 in the morning and I have to be there with the kids at 8:00.

*
There are so many times that I wish I had pictures/video of us doing things but we're so busy and in the moment of trying to remember everything that it just doesn't happen.  I also wish we could record all the stories and comments people make/tell.  It's not just singing/blocking/dancing... we are learning and growing and strengthening each other as we learn about the gospel and the early Saints.  As we sing, we learn about how the music was chosen or how the recording happened.  As we learned blocking, they told us about the history of the scenes we are portraying.  Our district leader, Lauren Mace and her husband, Jonathan (choreographer) are from London.  They quit their jobs to come here and aren't sure what they'll do for jobs when they go home.  What faith!

As we sat and watched the British Pageant last night I couldn't help but think about my direct ancestors who heard the gospel in England and were baptized.  I'm so blessed because of their sacrifices of leaving their homes and coming to a new land.

It was exciting to get to join in on the finale.  Even in our street clothes, going out onto the stage with all the lights on and singing our heart out was wild!  Running up the ramps at the back and spilling out onto the stage was a rush!  A little unnerving not being able to see the audience and knowing they're all there watching you though!

Orientation

In Sacrament meeting we learned about 'preparation'... in our Sacrament meetings, going on missions, going to the temple, etc.  We need to prepare.  Do you know how to use what you've learned? The key is our temple recommend.  Remember the blessings from temple attendance.  Use your recommend as a reminder.  Where can it lead you?

The kids had lots of fun meeting new friends and flying paper airplanes after church.  We had lunch at headquarters with my parents and then sat and visited with Chad & Louisa.  We then headed back to the trailer to have a bit of a rest and make our dinner.  We had our costume fitting at 3:00 and thought we'd make up tin foil dinners so that we'd have leftovers for tomorrow. I got them made up and still had time for a nap before heading back to HQ.  That was the easy part of the day.. then came the craziness! 

We were pulled in four different directions.  I had really hoped to get pictures of us all as we got fitted, but it was crazy busy and I ended up having troubles finding a costume to fit me properly.  I tried a couple tops on just over my shirt and then she sent me to the dressing rooms.  I tried the first one on and when I came out they all said it was huge on me... which it was.  We then tried a different one and the gal started ripping side seams to make it a bit larger.  She said it would work and sent me to the dressing room again (since I'd been trying on stuff where all the dresses were - nothing like getting really familiar quickly!) Then, the skirt I was given wasn't the match to the top!  Back to the drawing board.  Another whole set of dresses and the top fit but then there was a huge stain on the skirt.  I had worked up a real sweat by this time!  They finally went back to the top that she'd opened the seams on and managed to find the correct skirt.  Then, the skirts were all slightly too short so they had to change out the petticoats so they wouldn't show.  Whew!  

 During all this, Lennard, Ben, and Emma all got their costumes and were waiting on me.  We finally got the three Nauvoo pieces (2 skirts and 3 tops) done.  Thankfully, the British Pageant costume just needed hemmed and it was fine.  Then I got a day cap, a bonnet and a shawl.  Lennard has a straw hat and a cap and all his other costume stuff - although all his pants had to be hemmed. 

Emma loved getting to dress up and is excited for everything.  Ben thought it was pretty cool.  I wish I'd got a picture of him as he was getting fitted - too cute! 

 What was supposed to be a half hour appointment ended up being over an hour... and then we found out that we had to go in for 'hair' orientation.  When that was all done, orientation meeting was starting in 20 minutes, so we didn't have time to get dinner!  Thankfully mom shared her dinner with the kids so they got something, but our chicken tin foil dinners that were sitting out ready to be cooked ended up having to be thrown out.  Boo!

We got our family registered and got a bag of Nauvoo info along with our name tags and Blocking Books.

 The meeting started right at 5:00 and went on for over an hour.  Ben wasn't very happy (at all).  Then we had a music practice after that!  Mom left after the meeting and took the kids, but then they called the kids out to do stuff and get a group photo.  I was sad that they missed it.  While we were singing, mom came in and said she'd fed the kids more and then brought them back.  About half an hour or so after that Ben came out crying and wanting me.  I think he was just overtired, but he sure was grouchy!  He didn't want to do anything at all and just wanted to go home.  I think Emma had a blast with Family Support though. She was making friends everywhere!

By the time we got back to the trailer it was about 8:30 or so and the kids were hungry again!  Lennard and I hadn't eaten anything but we were both too tired to start anything that late.  The kids had a quick snack, we said family prayers and then they finally stopped talking and fell asleep around 9:30 pm. 

It's a little overwhelming to look around our trailer right now and see a basket of costumes, booklets of stage instructions and pageant socks and shoes.  We have to be back at HQ tomorrow morning at 8:00 and I haven't figured out how I'm going to have time to make any meals for lunch/dinner.  This is suddenly very real...

Off to Nauvoo!

It was a nice cool morning when we got up this morning (only 18°C).  We got going by 8:00 am.

We stopped in Coralville, IA to go to Costco and load up on stuff before we got to Nauvoo. As we followed the GPS to the address, we saw the sign for Costco and then saw a massive parking structure!  We were really glad it was tall enough for us to get the truck and trailer into it!  We parked on the far side of the garage and then walked the entire length to get to the entrance.  We got a bunch of Gatorade and ended up with a few more items... We grabbed some lunch and then headed out.

We missed an exit and ended up taking the scenic route to the highway.  We were all so anxious to get to Nauvoo!  We stopped in Keokuk for a few groceries at Walmart and topped up with fuel.

We were all so excited to get to the campground.  When we arrived there was another trailer in our spot.  We wanted to get the trailer cooled down so we just pulled into the spot next to it (#7) and set up.  I did text Elder Nielsen and he came and said we could just stay where we are - which is a blessing because the site we're in has more shade!  Just as we pulled in, we saw Chad and Louisa (my cousin) come in!  They ended up in the site right next to us!  We weren't there very long when my mom and dad showed up too!  The kids sure ran into their arms!   

We all visited for a while and then went down to the pageant grounds to see if there were any seats left. We found five together near the back (my mom is going to sit with us).  We then headed back to the trailer.  We had a quick supper... basically just snacked... then the kids took off to explore the woods. 

We went to see Sunset on the Mississippi and then the Pageant.  It was so fun!  The kids got to be part of the opening parade and make their own hats.  I especially loved the Senior missionary men's number and the Nauvoo number with the YPM's "spraying" for bugs. 

 We didn't do much at Country Fair, but Emma snuck in a quick dance with Lennard.

It's 11:00 pm as I write this.  We got back to the trailer and are still attempting to get the kids to sleep.  I'm exhausted... not just physically, but mentally and emotionally.  Watching the Nauvoo Pageant tonight was just as amazing as every other time we've seen it, but I had a completely different perspective as I watched and imagined us all on the stage! I'm very overwhelmed while Lennard is bouncing with excitement.  This is SO far out of my comfort zone and I'm nervous.  I pray that I can relax and just go with the flow.  I pray that the kids will be good and learn their parts.  I pray that I can figure out how to do my hair.  In all my fears and doubts I know that this experience will help me grow.  I want to be a better mother and wife and not be so controlling - it's hard though! We're going to church at Pageant Headquarters with my parents in the morning and then our adventure begins!