Our Nauvoo Temple Trip

 These are the pictures I took from our drive from Iowa City to Nauvoo. They are all taken from the car so  some of them might have a little bit of a reflection. This picture is us crossing the Mississippi River.

 This is Tyler and I crossing into Illinois. :)

 This is the Mississippi River from the temple grounds.

 The Nauvoo Temple. Which was a lot smaller than I thought it would be. But I will say it is one of the most beautiful temples I have ever been in.

 This View was from the River bank. I just loved how you could see the temple from there. It was breath taking how the temple rose up from the trees.

 The top building is a random Building and below that  is the bank of the Mississippi River. (Which was really muddy and gross.) But mostly HUGE! I Couldn't believe that the river froze enough for the pioneers to cross it with wagons!

We found this little treasure on the way home to Iowa City. We both thought it was interesting that there are a lot of signs that just say JESUS on them here.


We didn't stop and look around because Tyler and I were so exhausted. But we will definitely look around old Nauvoo the next temple trip. (since it is our temple after all) Since Nauvoo is 2 hours away, it just makes the temple even more important and difficult to get to. I would encourage those who haven't gone in a while to go. Even if it is far away. It is a great experience to feel close to the lord and to surround yourself with beauty. You will have some of the most memorable memories there. Well at least I have. :)

Love,
The Mellings

Sweet Experience

Today I got a surprise! 3 Packages! :) One was a case for Tyler's Laptop, another a wireless router that M om and Dad Melling promised to send us [with a wonderful gift card to subway for William and I.... YUMMMM!!! BTW thanks Mom and Dad Melling! ;)] and the third package had binders with Tyler's memories and accomplishments placed carefully in sleeves. Mom Melling sent them with a little baby hat (that I assume was Tylers). I immediately started going through his binders! I just couldn't help myself! I guess I'm just a snooper! ;) It was fun going through endless choir announcements for performances, report cards, certificates of excellence, school pictures, and artwork that Tyler had made.  One binder had quite an enchanting story about an armadillo that lost his armor.(Which Tyler wrote and colored the pictures). I don't know if it's the pregnancy hormones or what but I found myself tearing up a little bit. I can see my son growing up just like his daddy. What a wonderful bond they will have too! Like father like son. Even looking at Tyler when he was so little made me think of how much William will look like him! The thought even came to my mind "I can't wait until William gets here and I can read his cute stories about armadillos that lose their armor." So anyway I guess I didn't really need to post about this sweet experience. I could have probably just said on Facebook that I felt close to William today, but I guess I just wanted to express the feelings behind the experience.That it is possible for mothers to feel close to their little ones before they are born. That they are already  sweet little people in our minds. With a bright future and most importantly the love we already feel for them. At least I know for myself that I love my son and I can't wait to hold him in my arms. So I guess here begins the countdown to that first meeting. 12 weeks and counting! :D