Camping in Nauvoo

We had a really fun, busy summer, thus I am a wee bit behind on the blogging front.  That, and I seem to fall asleep about 30 minutes after the kids do, so my free time to blog is remarkably little!  Without further ado, here's some of what we did this summer!

We had a Hales family reunion in Branson, Missouri back in July.  Before the reunion, we decided to go camping with my brother Scott and his family and my parents in Nauvoo, Illinois, just in time for the Nauvoo Pageant.  Little did we know that when we arrived would be the start of a record heat wave across the midwest!  Just in case you were wondering, 78 degrees AT NIGHT (in high humidity) is not comfortable while camping.  100 degrees during the day is downright insane!  We made the best of it, though, and really enjoyed our time in Nauvoo.  We even ran into other Hales members who had the same idea to stop in Nauvoo before the reunion!

My niece Ella.  She's pretty much just adorable in every way.

Renae and Ella were inseparable during our time in Nauvoo.

Seth even graced us with some smiles (that's a big deal!), despite the heat.

Renae wasn't asleep here, but kept closing her eyes when I took this photo of the kids in the tent one morning.

My kids LOVE their uncle Scott.  They REALLY LOVE pestering him!  I distinctly recall Scott attempting to lecture them here on something or other.

Cousins sitting on the steps of the Nauvoo Temple.  I can't believe Connor is big enough now to hold a baby during pictures, but she sure came in handy with Seth!

More photos in front of the temple

Waiting to do some Pioneer Pastimes 

Seth eating sitting in a barrel

My reluctant little pioneer.  She really had a lot more fun than this picture seems to indicate.

During the heat of the day, we spent a rather extended period of time in the air conditioned visitor's center.  Unfortunately, the kids thought wrestling on the floor in front of the Christus statue was a good idea, but once we got them straightened out, things went more smoothly.