Nauvoo

We had a chance to go to Carthage and Nauvoo, IL on Saturday. It was the first time any of us had been to these church sites. It is a 2 hour drive to Carthage from our home and then another hour to Nauvoo. At Carthage we eat lunch and went to the Carthage Jail. When we got to the jail we got out of the car and someone yelled ‘It’s Lilly’. One of our friends from the ward had just arrived with their 4 kids. It was quite a coincidence. It was fun taking the tour with the Bell Family.

 

The Bell Kids

Lilly and Spencer

 

I really enjoyed our experience at Carthage Jail and was amazed at the strong spirit we felt at the site.

The drive from Carthage to Nauvoo is beautiful. The road goes along the Mississippi river. That area of the river is very rural and has a different look then by our home.  Once at Nauvoo we went to the temple and then to the visitor center. We didn’t have much time before everything closed so we decided to take a horse and carriage ride. I thought the tour would take us around the pioneer homes and stores but it was a country tour. It took us out in the country. It was still a very enjoyable experience. They taught us a lot about pioneer life and told us stories.

 

Once we were done with the carriage ride we visited the Women’s Garden and walk/drove around town.  Our temple is the Nauvoo Temple so we weren’t worried about seeing everything. We knew we would be back.  

August

We have had a busy month of August. Here are some highlights.

Great River Tug Fest:  

This area has a lot of community activities, fairs, festivals, fireworks, etc. Tyson and I figure it is because there is nothing else to do around here. Haha. One great activity they have yearly is the Great River Tug Fest. The tug fest is a huge tug of war across the Mississippi River.  Boats and barges yield the right of way to a 2,400-foot, 680-pound rope that stretches between Port Byron, Ill., and LeClaire, Iowa.

We had a lot of fun watching the tug of war. It was interesting to see how it worked. It was all mechanically and no one fell into the river. During the tug we went to the fair and got some funnel cake. We also let Lilly play a fishing game. She won a small stuffed alligator. While playing the game she was more interested in picking out a toy then actually fishing so I had to help her. The Tug Fest was well worth the afternoon to go and see.

Antique Archeology:

Back when we lived in Utah Tyson and I loved the TV show American Pickers on the History Channel. For you that haven’t seen the show here is a short description:

This isn't your grandmother's antiquing. Pickers like Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz are on a mission to recycle America, even if it means diving into countless piles of grimy junk or getting chased off a gun-wielding homeowner's land. Hitting back roads from coast to coast, the two men earn a living by restoring forgotten relics to their former glory, transforming one person's trash into another's treasure. American Pickers follows them as they scour the country for hidden gems in junkyards, basements, garages and barns, meeting quirky characters and hearing their amazing stories. If you think the antique business is all about upscale boutiques and buttoned-up dealers, this show may change your mind--and teach you a thing or two about American history along the way.

The main characters on the show own an antique shop in LeClaire, Iowa called Antique Archeology. When Tyson told me we were moving to the Quad Cities in Iowa he tried to sweeten the pot by telling me that we would be close to Antique Archeology. It worked a little.

Since we were in LeClaire for the Tug Fest we decided to stop by the shop and check it out.

 

 

John Deere’s 175^th Anniversary:

For John Deere’s 175th Anniversary they hosted a big party for their employees. It was at the Modern Woodmen Baseball Park and had games, food, family pictures, bouncy houses, face painting, etc. We went early and got Lilly a balloon animal and got her face painted. Then we got family pictures, ate, watched a little bit of the River Bandits baseball game and bought Lilly a John Deere shirt. We were feeling pretty left out by this time for not dressing in John Deere gear. The night was a lot of fun.

 

 

 

Going to the park was quite an experience in itself. The park is right on the waterfront. When you are watching the game you have a perfect view of the Mississippi River and the Davenport Bridge. My Iowa tour guide lists it as a ‘must see’.

The bridge you see in the background goes across the river

New stuff with Lilly:  

Lilly has decided she likes to dress up. Her favorite things to wear are these pink snow boats. They were a hand-me-down that I am happy we got, especially now that we have moved.

 

We also bought Lilly this water table toy. Lilly loves playing in water so much we thought it would be a good toy. When we bought it we didn’t know that she would love it as much as she does.

Or that she was going to use it as an outdoor drinking fountain.  

Watering

Lilly went out to help Tyson water the lawn. I watched for a little bit and she was having a lot of fun holding the hose. I went back inside for awhile and let them finish the task. When I went back out to check how it was going, this is what I found:

A Day in the Life of Herbert

I have been waiting a long time to have something written about me on the blog. After all it is called Tyson, Karen, Lilly and DON’T FORGET THE DOG. Well apparently I have been forgotten. The only time I am mentioned is part of a side story for Lilly….Lilly, Lilly, Lilly. So, since I have obviously been ignored I decided to do my own blog posting. Here we go…

A Day in the Life of Herbert Harris
6 years old - human years
42 years old - dog years

This is me

Hi, I am Herbert. My family calls me Herbert, Herbie or poopers. I use to be the head honcho here in the Harris household but now I am only ‘the dog’. I start my day off by going potty outside. That’s right, I am a real dog now and I go potty outside on the lawn. After my potty break I come in and stand next to Lilly while she is eating her breakfast. She is really messy and it is my job to clean up whatever she drops, even if I get in trouble for eating people food. 

After Lilly’s breakfast I spend some time sleeping on the couch. I like to sleep on the arm rest, up on the back of the couch like a cat, or on the blanket. If I get too close to Lilly she starts yelling at me…”No, dog, no” and pushes or kicks me out of my spot. She isn’t very nice to me sometimes. That is why whenever she tries to cuddle with me I start growling at her until she goes away. We have a hate/love relationship.  

See hate/love

After my morning nap on the couch I go upstairs and nap in the bed. A dog can never have enough sleep. Once I am done with that nap I am ready to spend some time eating and playing outside. I follow Lilly in and out of the house. I bark at any other dogs that are outside and I chase people that go along the path at the back of the house. I use to be able to get under the fence and really chase after the people on the path. I would give them a good scare. But then my sneak-out spot was found and blocked off.

This is me enjoying the new backyard.



I also spend a lot of time during the afternoon following Lilly around. She often carries around treats. I have to make sure nothing falls on the floor. Every once in awhile she will have something in her hand and if she gets it really close to my face it is my chance to pounce and eat it. I know she would eventually drop it so it is my responsibility to eat it. After I eat it she yells at me again, “No dog no”.

This is how I watch Lilly to make sure she doesn't drop something.

Once Daddy gets home and we all celebrate it is time for more napping. Once Lilly goes to bed I have free rang of the house, I can sleep anywhere I want, and sit on anyone’s lap I want. At bedtime I get to sleep in the big bed. I usually cuddle with Mommy and she likes it.

Without Lilly to bug me I can cuddle with any toy I want.

My hardest time during the day is when everyone has to leave. I get locked upstairs. I have a couple of accidents downstairs and next thing I know my wondering rang is restricted. I do try to be a good dog but I am a Chihuahua – really, what were they expecting?

Riverboat Cruise

We went on a riverboat tour of the Mississippi River. It was a lot of fun! It was hot and I had to chase Lilly around the boat but it was still enjoyable. They even played old riverboat music. We had a free ticket from the summer reading program so it only cost $15 for our whole family. Here are some pictures.

Our stylish Lilly

This is the bridge Tyson drives over every day to get to work and we drive over on Sunday to get to church.

These are some things we saw on our way.

She is pretty cute.

This was our boat.

I have been enjoying living on the Mississippi River. There is a lot of history in this area.

Lilly's Tricks

A Day in the Life of Lillian Louise

A Day in the Life of Lillian Louise
At 19 months

It has been a long time since I got to blog and tell you about myself. A lot has changed in 15 months. I am walking, talking, going to nursery, fighting with Herbie and sometimes being naughty. I no longer sleep all day long. I only take one nap.

I start off the morning with Mommy coming and getting me around 8:00 am to 9:00 am (yes, I sleep that long). I am still a really good sleeper and I still smile whenever I see Mommy come in. Once I am awake Mommy and I go down stairs while she starts work. I need about 15 minutes to wake up before I am ready for breakfast. For breakfast I have a yogurt, a handful of cereal or toast and jam, and some milk.

After breakfast I sit next to Mommy and watch some cartoons on TV while she is working. I love Mickey Mouse’s Playhouse and saying “Oh Toodles” whenever the rest of the characters do. I also love watching Pluto the dog jump up and down. It makes me giggle. Usually I watch about 15 minutes next to Mommy and then I get board so I start playing with toys.

My favorite game is to get an empty basket and some small toys and filling up the basket with the toys, dumping them out, and then filling it up again. I also like to pile as many toys as I can right next to Mommy while she is working. Some toys that I like are dolls, stickers and coloring, balls, puzzles, and my baby stroller.   

Sometimes while Mommy is working I get kind of lonely so I want to sit on her lap or sit on the armrest with her arm around me. It makes it very difficult for Mommy to work and she starts getting really frustrated until she moves me back to my spot. However, overall, I do pretty well during the mornings.

Around 12:00 pm I eat my lunch (usually a sandwich) and then Mommy puts me down for a nap. I won’t go up to my nap until I find my binky and give Herbie a kiss.

I sleep for about 2 hours and then I am up and ready to play. By this time Mommy is done with work so we can do fun stuff. Some things we do together are playing outside, going to a friend’s houses, running errands, going swimming, or hanging out at the Family Museum. Mommy does a pretty good job at keeping me entertained.

After some play time we head back home and clean up the house and get ready for dinner. I am an excellent helper with both. I help with wiping the table, changing laundry, and picking up my toys. I can also throw things in the garbage when I am asked to. When it is time to make dinner I like to help pour and stir things. If I am not helping, I cry at Mommy’s leg until she picks me up and lets me help. I am a little naughty at dinner time.  

Once everything is ready to eat I make sure to remind Mommy and Daddy to say a prayer before eating.

After dinner I play for an hour or so until it is 7:30 and time to get ready for bed. Then comes bathing, teeth brushing, pajamas, book, prayers, kissing goodnight, singing and bed. I liked to be tucked in bed tight and surrounded with stuffed animals.

On the weekends I spend time with Mommy and Daddy working on the house or exploring the Quad Cities. On Sunday we got to church. I am getting better sitting quietly during Sacrament. I also go to nursery. I still cry a little bit when Mommy leaves but then I calm down and have a good time with the other kids. It is way better than sitting through the adult classes.