February can be Fun

February can get a little dull, so I'm always on the look out for fun things to keep us from going crazy while waiting for spring. This year we had some great adventures!

The first was a reenactment of the pioneers leaving Nauvoo. We drove down to Nauvoo on a Saturday morning to "march" down to the river in memory of the pioneers who left the city by crossing the frozen river. It was such an incredible experience. The girls got to march in the flag corps with flags representing all the native countries of those who fled. It was cold (but not nearly as cold as it could have been) and hard with the little boys, but it sure made their sacrifices real and our current trials seem minor. 

Standing on the frozen Mississippi River

There was even an article in the church news about it here. 

After the walk, the boys enjoyed some of the sites for the first time while the girls and I swapped attending the temple. 

The next great event was the Murder Mystery Dinner we hosted for the class of youth I co-teach in our homeschool co-op. This was a HOOT! I'm not sure if my favorite part was Patrick the traveling preacher with LOVE and HATE "tattoos" on his fingers, my co-teacher Chelseas huge stomach so her husband's purple suit would fit, or the epic acting skills as people died. Seriously, it was so much fun. 10/10 recommend! 

Eliza got her permit!!! Here in Iowa you can get a permit at 14 and a school only license as early as 14 1/2. Since Hazel had just gotten her license when we moved, I told Eliza I wasn't ready to teach another teen to drive. So she's been (mostly) patiently waiting. She finally wore me down and now she's officially on the path to learning to drive. 

There was a multi-stake formal dance that Hazel and Eliza attended. I ended up chaperoning, so I got to witness the fun. Stake dances here in Iowa are a BIG deal! There were at least 250 kids there from as far away as 2+ hours. When we moved, my girl lamented leaving the social dance opportunities in Utah. But they're finding Stake Dances more than make up for them here!

 Our homeschool co-op had a cute Valentine's celebration which the younger kids especially enjoyed.

Then one rare day it hit about 55 degrees and the sun came out, so of course we had to eat lunch outside without coats (or even shoes). Cold really becomes relative here. 

On a much less warm day, the younger kids enjoyed a visit to the Children's museum. I took exactly one picture, but isn't this the best!  Walter loved the flight area, so it's so fitting he was the perfect model for this. 

And finally, in a completely unrelated note, Orson has lost SO many teeth this month. All the sudden he kept loosing tooth after tooth. He now has this huge gappy grin. 

And with that, we thrived through February and can look forward to warmer weather and more time outside.