Roadtrip to Iowa

I am finally posting about our trip, so hold on its a LONG one! We started out on our trip leaving at about 6pm so we could drive through the night in hopes the kids would be better, and they were very good. Poor Dad and Jason whom were the drivers, thanks to caffeine & the 5 hour energy’s. We stopped for breakfast just outside of Omaha, and then headed for Winter Quarters to see the temple and visitor center.

Winter Quarters Tample

Winter Quarter Temple
Jenna & Brinley
Dylan, Tanner, & Brylee rolling down & running up the hill

Brylee at Winter Quarters
Mom & Isabel
Mom & Tanner

All dressed up at Winter Quarter Visitor Center

Just Hangin Out after the long drive & some random shots!

Dylan, Jason, Skyler, Jami, Brinley, Mom, Jenna, Spencer, Brylee
Jason, Brylee, Tanner, Kimball, & Navi

Best Friends Katelyn & Isabel *******Dad in the middle of the caos

(Tanner & Brylee holding Navi)

We made it to Des Moines and had lots of hugs and kisses from the family. Spencer and his family were already there, so we went to dinner that night, a little chaotic, but a lot of fun a few times dad was asleep in the middle of all the noise. Navi, I think was the first popular person even though this trip was all about Matt. The next day was graduation, and I must say DMU has some quite visitors to see the graduates. YES!! When Matt walked across we were the loudest family with lots of cheers, HOORAY!!
Cheerio, Cheerio, Cheerio, Dr BOWEN!!

Betsy, Jenna, Navi, Isabel, Kassidy, Jen, Josie, Matt, Katelyn, Dad, Mom, Jami, Spencer
Kimball, Brylee, Crew, Skyler, Mattison, Dylan, Chandler, Tanner

(Matt Bowen Family & Walkin' the Red Carpet, its Official Dr. Bowen)

Off to Nauvoo & these are some different shots of the temple that I got!!

After Graduation we headed out to Nauvoo, it was about a three hour drive. We spent three nights in Nauvoo in the Zions Mercantile overlooking the Temple. We walked out our balcony to an amazing view.

Brylee, Dylan, & Crew

Josie Ann
Crew, tanner, Dylan and Spencer
Skyler

We went to Carthage Jail, and visited all of Old Nauvoo. We did a session in the temple one morning and Josie, Katelyn, Isabel, Kassidy, & Chandler were able to do baptisms. This was Chandlers first time doing baptisms and it was awesome. We did a Wagon Ride that was a lot of fun and a great way to ride through Old Nauvoo. We just drove from place to place and they had missionaries that would explain each place. They had one area for the kids and they spent most of the one day playing all the pioneer games and dressing up as pioneers. Another area the Women's Garden as it was a tribute to Women and it had statues of women with talents, teaching or leading her children, and the last statue was of a grandmother quilting in a rocking chair, I loved it. They had an enrichment center that we learned about clothing, making bread, candles, rope, rugs, pottery, barrels. We stopped by the bakery for a gingerbread cookie, the brickyard for a Nauvoo Brick, Post Office was a must, Browning home with all the guns, blacksmiths for a diamond nail ring and chandler got the homemade horseshoe, and much more. Our Great, Great, Great, Great Grandpa Simeon Dunn we visited his home too in fact in the bakery they have on displayed the Spice Box that was his. A lot of the missionaries serving in Old Nauvoo live in the houses, so we couldn't go in, but had to take a picture in front of it. We went over to Community of Christ side that they own still and saw the Joseph Smith Home & the graves of Joseph, his parents, and Emma. We stopped at the little store and got some old fashion Sassafras and other flavors of candy and some got homemade root beer and other fun things. They have lots of plays and shows as well that are going on we did as well. We caught fireflies and a few frogs too. We had a very good time and I would love to go back again as there is so much more to see that we didn’t see.

Everyone at Carthage Jail

Jenna & Chandler
Waiting for the Tour to start
Matt with Brylee & Kimball

Our cute little family!!

Brylee, Mom and Tanner
Me and my Mom
Matt, Brylee & Chandler

Grandma Bowen and ALL the Grandkids that were there

At the blacksmith and the Potty

Wagon Ride & Shoulder Ride for Brylee from Uncle Spencer

Just Chillin' Time

Great Great Great Grandpa's Home

We went back to Des Moines and the next day the kids had school. The girls did a little shopping, we visited Des Moines University (DMU) where Matt attended school and after the kiddos got out of school, we went to a little Dutch Town called Pella that was just a ½ hr away, but they are early bird for closing the little museum/Old Dutch area closed at 4:30 and all the stores closed at 6, so we just walked around, and it was a pretty neat area to see. I loved the windmills and we went into a bakery quickly before it closed and got a yummy treat. My friend told me about some yummy waffle type cookies, but couldn’t find them the one bakery we went into said they ran out of them they don‘t make them, they get them sent in packaged. We did have a good time walking around and it is just so much fun spending time together and never a dull moment with all the kids making all kinds of noise, if you want peace and quite didn’t get that all week during the day time hours, but I loved it.

We drove by the Hospital Matt will be doing his Residency at and spent some time at a park that is by the river that has a Carousel in the Park that can be rode for 50 cents for the kids, they took a couple of rides and played at the park for a while. They had this old rocket type playground and a newer playground, and guess where all the kids were playing? You guessed it the older playground, the slide I think gave a few burns on the kids, but they kept going down it. I was telling Josie what a fun cheap date to take a picnic to the park and ride the Carousel, I can’t believe that in a few weeks she will even be old enough to date, Weird!!

We stopped by the Iowa State Capitol, it was an amazing and beautiful place. We took a walk through inside and out and had a great view of the city too. I thought Utah had an amazing State Capitol, but I think Iowa has got us beat on beauty in my opinion.




After our yummy BBQ, where they introduced us to our new favorite burgers Black Angus with Vidalia onions in them, YUMMY!!! Some of us went for a walk around this lake area by there house and crossed the bridge at dark that is all lit up cool.




The next morning when the kids were getting ready for school, we got ready and headed for Denver. We got to Denver at about 7:30pm and stopped by Spencer's Costa’s to eat!! Thanks for the Grub we love Costa’s!!! We spent the night at Spencer and Jami’s and woke up for a yummy breakfast of Jami’s special Waffles then headed for home. Jenna and her kids had to try out the Roller Coaster Ride in the back yard, well OK its just the Monster Swing, but it gives you the tickle in the tummy when you are looking straight down when you are so high. I think everyone was ready to be home because the drive from Denver home for some reason it seemed longer then the drive from Iowa. We went home I70 it is a prettier drive, but had some construction and opposite traffic had been detoured so it was a one lane both ways due to the river being so high and the river looks like it had even washed out the walk way below the lower road. We ate at a mom and pops drive in burger joint it was yummy and had some cool antique machines. We got home late on Saturday thankful for Sunday, we all slept in until 11:30 and did NOTHING but bummed all day long. It is funny you are sitting in a car all day driving why were we so exhausted when we got home. It was a great trip and the only thing that would have made it perfect is if my brother and his family would have been able to come then my entire family would have been together, they were definatily missed on many occasions we thought of them.




It was good to get home & get into a new routine. I am still not organized, the kids are good to sleep in which makes it nice, I wake up before they do and I can read and get a few things done before they wake up. I would like to know how to get a child to not complain/whine about reading?!? Figure it out, PLEASE let me know. You would think I were pulling his teeth out or something when I mention to go get a book and read it to me.