rendezvous in old nauvoo

in july we headed down to nauvoo, illinois for a bastian family reunion.  everyone was able to make it with the exception of michelle and her family, tyler and mike.  they were definitely missed!  but it was so fun to see everyone who was able to make it.  it had been a while since i had seen some of my family members.  we stayed in some great cabins that were clean and lots of room, so it was perfect for all of us. 
our first stop on our trip was to carthage, illinois.  this was a neat experience and i'm so glad we went.  although i'd love to go back again some day when tanner was a little older and didn't feel the need to run away.

that window up above is the window where joseph was shot.

cousin fun.  i still can't believe we can see every kids face in this picture.  when you get that many kids it isn't easy to take a big picture of them.

later that afternoon half of our group went to the temple while the rest of us stayed behind to babysit and let kiddos nap.  here's grandpa pushing the grandkids on the swing.

later that night we braved not the heat, but the extreme humidity to join in on the pre-pageant activities.  this was so fun for everyone.  there was a ton to do and although the volunteers were dressed head to toe in pioneer clothing, they were all in good spirits and were very helpful at each station.

and this is proof of how sticky it was outside.  katelyn's hair was sopping wet from top to bottom. gross, i know.  katelyn looks sad in this picture for some reason, but she had a great time.