Day 5: Historic Nauvoo

Historic Nauvoo--

We only had one evening and one quick morning in Nauvoo.  We would have loved more time, but honestly, our visit was perfect.

We drove down to Historic Main Street and let Ben nap and play on a wagon while we took the other kids in The Gunsmith Shop, The Printing Press, and the John Taylor home. 

I loved the history and the lessons taught at each stop.  Every little story taught a sweet lesson.  I loved the "Ding Bats" that were used in the printing press.  "Pretty little things that just take up space."  I told my girls not to be ding bats.

The kids were interested as they listened and the story tellers were good to involve the little ones.

The Taylor home was my favorite.  (Because I already loved him at Carthage.)  We took our picture in Pres. Taylor's shaving mirror.  

They had to leave Nauvoo quickly in the winter.  They brought only the necessities of life and didn't have room for shaving stands or extra furniture.  They had been traveling two days and John Taylor's young son was still crying.  He told his father that he missed his rocking horse.  That night, Pres. Taylor rode through the night back across the frozen Mississippi River and he snuck into their home.  He carried that little horse back to his son.  They travelled all the way to Utah with the horse strapped to the back of their cart.  That original horse is in his home today.  

The sweet missionary let Eve into the room to take a picture with the horse if she promised not to touch it.

I love that horse so much.  It makes me cry to feel the Taylor's love for their son.  The hardest part of enduring trials is knowing that your children are suffering.  Sometimes you feel that it is too much.  That ride back to Nauvoo-- that's what I imagine it was.  It is too much.  They can have our home.  But, they can't have his horse.