Hehehe... it's been like a month since we were in Nauvoo, but I figure you're probably a little more interested in Korea stuff than our vacation. Still, I blog for more than just you. The kids LOVE looking at the blog and reliving all the fun things we've done.

**just a note. i've been updating the blog a lot, so be sure to scroll down or click on 'older posts' to make sure you've caught everything**

So, after the fun stop at the St. Louis Arch, we went the rest of the way to Nauvoo. When Dan and I talked about where we wanted to go on our road trip, Nauvoo was #1 on my list. We were married in the temple there and hadn't been back. It was almost like coming full circle.

Dan's parents had been in Virginia Beach with us, helping us get all moved out, and met us in Nauvoo to provide a place to stay, babysitters for the temple, and fun company. Marsi, Dan's sister, and her family came from Oklahoma to join in on the fun too.

Dee wanted me to take a picture of Alex napping so in the future he wouldn't wonder where he was in all of the following pictures. It's much easier to walk around Historic Nauvoo without a cranky 2 year old!



Cousins and best friends


Hendi-jo

The whole gang at the Brigham Young house


Kissing cousins!


The blacksmith!


If you look really really close under the yellow flowers that stick out the most, that's not a leaf, it's a tiny hummingbird

Hendi and Cade in front of the Nauvoo temple



Steele and Necie in Carthage Jail

This the door to the room where Joseph and Hyrum Smith were shot and killed. The bullet holes are still in the door




Downtown Nauvoo is full of fun little shops including, fudge, candy and of course ice cream!


A family friend of ours owns a fun zone in Nauvoo, so we thought we'd check it out. We had a blast!


The indoor playground was a hit with the kids

Nana Dee wanted to spoil her grandkids with some Dippin' Dots!




Then it was time for Go-Karts!!






Here's Dan finally passing his mom!




Tight corner!

Poor Alex was the only one too little to participate

Cade said, "Daddy! We won the Piston Cup!"

And of course, no family campout is complete without a camp fire and s'mores!





Papa Jon was collecting bugs on his Jeep


It was great to go back to the place where we were married and bring our 2 kids there. Maybe the next time we come back we'll have 3!

...Korean clothing purchase!

I found this in Namdaemun on the street table full of clothes. The price? 3000 Won, which is less than $3!!!

On Friday we moved into our final resting place. We live in Hannam Village which is base housing, but not actually on base. In fact b/c of the CRAZY traffic around here it takes about 20-30 minutes to go the 2 miles to base. Dan will be glad to have his bike soon and I'm looking forward to the arrival of our car at the end of the month.

So here is the grand tour!
This is the view when you walk in the door. There is no carpet, only hardwood floors. The walls are bare and made of concrete!


If you turn left after the wall you see the spot for our table and the entry to the kitchen.


The kitchen is nice and all, but it's in a weird location. It also only has 4 drawers, so I'll be putting stuff in cabinets that i'd normally store in drawers.


Here's the other side of the kitchen- fridge, washer and dryer. There are shelves above the w/d, but they're not high enough to hold a bottle of detergent, and the shelf won't come out! lol The stove and oven are gas. (It's my first time cooking with gas)


Here's our patio. We found out that we're not allowed to grill on our patio, and that's mostly because the patio is enclosed. Though I'd love to grill on my porch and not downstairs, Alex the Climber has given me reason to be glad that it's all enclosed :) Also, notice the pool? The kids love it, but it's closing on the 12th. At least we'll have all summer with it next year!


Here's the hallway to the rooms


The first room on the left is the bathroom. I had to show you this korean feature. A lot of the rooms have the light switches on the outside. I enjoy turning the light off on Dan while he's in there!


The first bathroom has a tub and shower. Everything in the apartment is new and the faucets are really nice. The bathroom just really lacks storage. The mirror is a little medicine cabinet, but once again the shelves are too shallow and short to hold much. We'll need to figure something out so I can put my makeup and hairdryer and dan's shaving stuff somewhere useful.



I like how the toilet paper holder has a book holder too!


The first bedroom on the right is the smaller of the 3. This will become our guest bedroom slash craft and instrument repair room.


This is what the closets are like in all of the rooms


I'm thinking these shelves will be great for scrapbook stuff!


At the end of the hallway is the 2nd bedroom, which once we get the bunk beds will become the boys' room.


These are the A/C units in our room. I showed cade this picture and he said that this is the face that has been scaring him in his room. Great.


And here is the 'master' bedroom. Not sure how well our King bed will fit once it gets here, but it will still be more comfy than everything we've slept on the past month or so.


Here's a shelving unit next to the bed


Here's the view while sitting on our bed. His and hers matching closets! They're the same inside as the others, they just don't have that section with shelves.
!

And here is our bathroom. Notice how there is nothing separating the shower from the rest of the bathroom? Kinda different, but makes cleaning the bathroom pretty easy!


And lastly, this is our doorbell. When someone outside ring it, we have this nifty little camera that turns on to show us who is out there!


We were nervous about living here b/c once we get all our stuff it may seem a little crowded. But because it is base housing it has its own little commissary, PX, dry cleaners, salon, gym, library, pool and lots of playgrounds. Since I'm the one who will be home with the kids, these features will help make our life a little easier. As I'm typing this Dan has left for a week on his first TDY. We will probably brave the subway at some point by ourselves (well, i guess we have to for church), but it's nice to know i don't have to catch a taxi or bus to get to the grocery store with the kiddos. Every new place has its quirks that we come to know and love and this is no different. It will become our Home Sweet Home.