The British Pageant

 Tonight was our British Pageant rehearsal in full costume. It was open to the Gold cast (who is helping us out this week with temple/house building and the finale) and to the public, so it's practically opening night right? We were told to expect hundreds of people in the audience. Everyone was pretty excited as we tried to figure out who's costumes were who's to get everyone dressed in time. The costumes looked so great and I had to grab a picture before we left for the evening!

The Gold Cast is running the country fair this week, so we got to arrive a little bit later than usual to mingle with people and then head back stage to get ready for the show.

This was my view as we entered the fair and it cheered my heart. I will be forever grateful that I purchased this little wagon to cart the littles and all of our water bottles and snacks around. 

Ollie and I stopped by the wood burning tent to check out these gorgeous souvenirs and made sure to snag a few for our fam.

As the golden hour approached, these two were walking and giggling around the fair grounds together!

Sawyer was pretty excited to hop on stage for our group photo. His scrunchy nosed smile melted me.

There was a fair amount of time to explore before the crowd started gathering.

Soon it was time to start gathering our props for the opening scenes and get into position.

The boys took one last walk to stretch their legs before the show began, and tears welled in my eyes as I watched them spend time together. After such a tough week preparing, it was nice to see them all getting along and enjoying each others company. With our gathering place behind the stage chosen, we quickly went over our cues for the first few scenes, tried not to feel too stressed about missing something, and reminded the children to enjoy!

 

The line I hear most from Lily while on stage is, "Put me down, Mommy? Iw'll just STAAAAND, I pwooooooomiiiise." She loves dancing and being apart of it all!

Joseph (on the far left) really loves singing, and has great pitch! I could see him getting into performing in the future.

The Stannix children were all feeling pretty happy after the performance and many hugs of joy were given and received. Although it was stressful to remember everything our first time through, it all worked out and left us feeling fulfilled and excited to do it again on Wednesday. We walked back to our van with big smiles as the fire flies danced around us and Cicada song filled our ears.

Trail of Hope

 Today after Sacrament Meeting, we had the opportunity to take our family and tour Old Nauvoo. We started with the gun shop (because, boys). We got to tour the entire home, including the added on kitchen, the gunshop portion, and the backyard. 

These old brick buildings have my heart. They are so gorgeous!

 

I love the simplicity of the times and tidiness of the spaces. I can imagine small gatherings of neighbors for tea and conversation, or meetings being held in these homes.

This old stair case we passed by on our way to the gun shop also intrigued me.

While the boys sat and listened to how the guns were crafted and shaped, Lily plopped herself down on this step and made faces at me across the room. She's such a sweetheart!

This butter churn was also such a neat thing to see. Mothers would get their butter churned and rock their babies on top at the same time.

We then crossed the street to check out the print shop. The letters are kept in cases and it was interesting to learn that the upper case letters got their name because they were kept in the upper part of the case while the lower case letters were kept in the lower part of the case. 

Next door to the printshop, we were able to tour the Taylor Home. I had Joe snap a picture of Mike and I out front because the door and the bricks were so pretty!

 

Inside the children sat and listened to a senior missionary couple give us a little bit of history about the home and its occupants.

When the children had their fill of history, we walked over to the family living center to check out the different activities that they had for them. On our way we stumbled across a tree filled with these nuts. We used google and discovered that it was a black walnut tree. As the kids searched the ground, they were able to find a few different stages of the nut as it dried and opened. The freshly fallen nuts had a citrus smell to them which they all found very interesting. The older boys spent the remainder of our walk playing catch with these across the road. 

At the family living center, the children got to dip candles, make bricks (to bring home), see how wool was carded and turned into something more useful, and pack a handcart. 

On our way out our new friends pointed out this little birds nest tucked away in a tree. Their big kids were sweet enough to lift some of our littles up to see it from a distance. They all thought it was pretty neat!

After a quick drive along the Mississippi, we headed back to the cabin for naps before dinner! 

After dinner, we went back down to Old Nauvoo to walk the Trail of Hope and see the vignettes performed by the Missionaries serving there. Visitors stroll Parley Street towards the riverbank and are able to "meet" those (acting) who walked this road in the 1840s as they left their homes and headed West. 

The tours begin at 70s Hall and they take small groups every few minutes to watch the vignettes and get a glimpse into the real life experiences of the Saints as they left Nauvoo. Some of the boys were feeling extra rambunctious, so I volunteered to stay behind with them while Mike and Camilla joined a group. 

 

We spent the next hour hanging out here where the boys built tiny houses and forts from sticks and grass and walnuts they collected near the road. 

I thoroughly enjoyed watching another golden sunset while the boys quietly built and played nearby.

Lily and I explored and enjoyed the view together!

Mike and Camilla arrived back just as the sun began to dip into the horizon and we made our way back to the cabin for bedtime.

Camilla made sure to take this picture for me at the end of the walk, when they reached the banks of the Mississippi river. What a humbling thing to think about crossing this in the frozen Winter by handcart, leaving your home and persecution behind.

 

Chasing Fireflies

 If I were to tuck one evening away in my memories to keep forever, this would be one of them. The boys had so much fun playing stick ball at the country fair and I was so proud of how they included those who came to play, sometimes missing a throw or two so that a little one could make it the base. As I took in another golden sunset, and my oldest boy quietly walked up and wrapped his arms around me for a hug, my heart swelled with gratitude. 

When the show began at dusk, the sky had turned from gold to pink and the sun had dipped below the horizon. The smell of popcorn filled the air and I found myself away from the audience entertaining Sawyer and Lily. Again I was filled with joy as I watched them discover the magic of fireflies! As darkness settled upon us, they ran and skipped through the open park space, weaving around trees, and reaching up high to try and catch the fireflies that sparkled and twirled all around them. I found myself laughing aloud as I watched from a distance and enjoyed the first movements and kicks from the sweet babe that will be joining us.

Soon they began spinning and tumbling to the ground in a heap of laughter. Lily began snorting and holding her breath, she was laughing so hard. As I didn't have my camera to capture the moment, I recorded every movement and sound to memory so that I could replay it whenever I needed. When they were ready, we held hands and walked back up the hill to our chairs to take in the remainder of the show.

After a week filled with lots of stretching moments and growing pains, it felt good to finally be on the other side of it, looking back at what we had accomplished. It was a light, magical feeling that I hadn't felt in some time and it was a good reminder to slow down and cherish the things that matter most.

The Finale

 This morning we were able to run through the entire British Pageant on stage! The Member Performing Missionaries were there to help us out and cue us at the dance parts. The weather was slightly less humid, which made the heat more bearable. Camilla and Hyrum have learned where they need to be and can get there on their own. Joe, Fin, and Ollie are pretty good at listening to the music cues and getting where they need to be. We just have to watch Sawyer and Lily as we go through the scenes and dances. There are a few dancing scenes where Mike and I are partnered off and Lily is left in the care of family services or an older sibling while we go on stage during that time. It was fun to see it all go together and it felt good to do a whole run through and see where the dances fit in the entire pageant.

We are so grateful for our super district leaders and the extra attention and care they give our children. They are really good at looking out for our littles and helping them have fun and know where to be! There's one part in the pageant where we have to scoop the kids up pretty quickly and gather for a "family dance" on one side of the stage. These two always come over for the dance in the arms of either of these district leaders with smiles on their faces.

Like anything with a large group, there is a lot of coordinating and remembering who you are positioned beside for each dance. Some of them are pretty complex and it's easy to accidently fall into the wrong group and get lost. I loved this view of Camilla and Hyrum hanging out together for this particular dance. Camilla is good about finding Hyrum and holding his wrist or arm instead of his hand for things like this.

The fair was cancelled again tonight due to the heat warnings and the Pageant start time was bumped a half hour later. We had ample time to get everyone dressed and ready. The boys were sad not to be able to play stick ball with all of our new friends tonight. When it was time, we all loaded up and headed to our seats in front of the stage to see the British Pageant performed once more and join in at the finale. Lily took many trips to the bathroom with me to cool off in the AC. One time when we were in there she giggled, "Mom, I can see your boomers..." My bloomers...ha! A lot of the pageant was spent entertaining busy littles, but I loved the parts that I did get to see. After running through the entire thing this morning it was fun to see where we fit in as cast members for next week.

As soon as Lily saw the mast go down (this is not the first time we've watched this particular performance) she exclaimed, "It's our turn to go on stage! FORRAYYYYY!" Our family and a few other cast members near by got a chuckle out of that as we all quietly got out of our seats and headed back stage for the finale. If Lily had her way, she would have run up that ramp by herself and danced her heart out at the top of the stage! She loves the songs and is constantly asking to be put down to dance. "Put me down mommy? I'wll just staaaaand....I pwomisssse..." she pleads. Sometimes she does and she holds my hand and follows the lead of others around her. She really enjoys being on stage and dancing!

Heat Warnings

 This morning had the men and boys at the stage for a 7am British Scene change rehearsal. When I got back to the cabin the kids had already started their breakfast. The morning felt slightly more relaxed as everyone knew what they were supposed to do. 

We loaded up and headed down to the stage for the rest of the morning to rehearse the British Pageant. The sun was bright, and it was hot and humid. 

The stage rehearsal ended early and was moved to Pageant Headquarters due to heat warnings, so we spent the rest of the morning in the gym area rehearsing our entries and exits on the taped off stage in the glorious AC. We ate a quick lunch at the cafeteria then raced home to get everyone down for some much needed naps. While everyone slept, I went and got some coins and put in a load of laundry. All of the boys costume pants had grass stains thanks to the sliding from base to base at stick ball. Then we woke the children and headed back to PHQ for an afternoon dance rehearsal. The children enjoyed some activities and crafts with family services while Mr. Stannix and I and the youth learned and practiced some new dances. 

 

After dinner, we went back to the "shed" to get ready for the country fair. As we were getting dressed I received a text notifying us that the fair was cancelled due to the heat warning. It was simply too hot to be outside running around in costume. As Mr. Stannix and I discussed the evening plans, he suggested I stay home with the littles and he would take the older children to the Pageant for our part in the finale on stage. I stayed home with the four youngest while the others went to the pageant for the evening. I was able to finish the laundry, fold the laundry and tidy up the cabin. Everything felt much better after a little bit of organization. The littles also enjoyed the break from our rigorous schedule. The heat ended up being a tender mercy for our family. The four youngest were all tucked in and sleeping sound when the big kids arrived back from the pageant. They had cold showers to cool off and then tucked into bed for some much needed rest.