Caden's Arm

A few weeks ago, Caden (our cousin,11) took a nasty fall and broke his arm. He had been hanging out with Parker and I all day. Then, after he was home for just a few hours, he broke his left arm. He was riding on a caster board or, as some call it, a rip stick. It's a skate board with only two wheels. It is so cool to see him ride it, I tried to ride it several times and failed miserably. I will do my best to put a video up of him riding the caster board.

Twins

Here are a few updated pictures of the twins. These are quite recent.





Whats that spell? Happy! This was the first part of a happy b-day card they made for grandpa and grandma Lybbert....too funny!

BlackSmith

Here are a few pictures from the blacksmith.

The sign in the fire.



The Elder giving us the tour.



Taylor with his new prized horseshoe. The blasksmith giving us the tour made this for Taylor's birthday.



My new praire diamond next to my wedding ring. When the Saints were to be married and didn't have money for a ring, this is what they used. It is the nail used to put in horseshoes curved to fit a finger.

The Nauvoo Neighbor

These are some pictures from the print shop that was owned and operated by John Taylor.

This sign was just behind the print shop.



This is how small the letters were that they combined to make words.



A better picture of the letter.



The "Lower Case" letters placed in their boxes, they had an "Upper Case" as well. This is where both upper and lower case letters got thier name.



A model of a full page in the newspaper.

John Taylor's Home

Here are a few pictures of John Taylor's home.

Just outside the home



This is John's orginal shaving stand.



Part of their living room.



This little horse belonged to one of John's sons. His little boy cried and cried about having to leave the horse behind so, John Taylor went back and got it for him.

Browning Guns

We had the chance to take a tour of Browning Guns, their family wee pioneers in gun making. We got to walk through the home and the gun shop where they gave us a demonstration on how they made guns.

Outside the Gun Shop



An original Pistol made by Browning



The view from the backyard of the home/gun shop



An early model of a machine gun



The crew outside the Shop

Joseph Smith's Home and Cemetary

We were able to see the home and burial plot of Joseph, Hyrum, and Emma. It was a beautiful place in Nauvoo. I wish the church owned the home and cemetary but, unfortunately it is owned by the Community of Christ.

A plaque next to the three graves.



The graves of Joseph, Hyrum, and Emma.



The view to the right of the graves.



A plaque with all the names of those buried in the Smith Family Cemetery.



Joseph and Emma's home.

The Trail of Hope

We all know the Saints were eventually driven from Nauvoo and went to the Salt Lake Valley. The statue you see below is of Joseph and Brigham looking forward to the Mississippi river where the Saints crossed.

This is a memorial wall for all those who lost thier lives on the way to Salt Lake. In this picture, you only see about a third of the total names listed.



A few of my ancestors who lost their lives.



A statue of Joseph giving Brigham instructions before he was taken to Carthage.



Just below the statue, not more than 30 yards, is where the Saints crossed the Mississippi.



Hopefully you can click on the picture below and it will enlarge so you can read it. If you can't enlarge it, let me know and I will type up the text for you.

Nauvoo Temple

Here are a few pictures of the Nauvoo temple. These pictures really don't do it any justice, this temple is that beautiful! Unfortunatly, my temple recommend expired and I was unable to go inside (there isn't a temple nearby in Indy so I didn''t even realize mine was expired until we got to Nauvoo). Parker and I plan to visit Nauvoo before we head to Pheonix, I will be prepared to enter the sacred doors then.

The beautiful Temple.



The title block on the temple.



This statue is in front of the temple. It depicts Joseph and Hyrum leaving for Carthage, knowing there was a chance they wouldn't be coming back.



The view from the temple.

Carthage Jail

What an amazing experience it was to stand inside Carthage jail where the Prophet of the Restoration once stood. There are no words to describe the emotions that came over me when I felt the bullet hole in the door (it is the original door) and looked out the window Joseph fell through. I had a great testimony of Joseph before, but standing in the jail solidified those thoughts and feelings. I admit that I had a few tears rolling down my cheeks as I stood, I couldn't help it.

An outside view of the window Jospeh fell through.



This is the actual door that Hyrum was shot through.



The window Joseph fell through.



A statue of Joseph and Hyrum in front of the jail.



Doctrine and Covenants 76: 22-24