Come again another day...
Uhh...more specifically...
could you give it a rest for ONE day!
We really want to go outside and play--or go swimming--or go to the park...
HEY! We don't need no stinkin' sunshine to have FUN. Maisy had a great time catching raindrops in her hands.
And Wilson had as much fun as Gene Kelley did as he twirled his umbrella and stomped around in the rain. There wasn't really any singing going on though.
The first day, he was really apprehensive about putting his face in the water. He didn't want to get his head wet at all...or his ears either. His homework every night was to put his face in the water during his bath and blow bubbles through his nose 5 times.
His teacher, Miss Sandy, was really patient with him. By the end of the week he was swimming like a mini Aquaman!
Wilson's favorite skill he learned in the water was the FLYING ALLIGATOR. Here's a picture of him practicing the maneuver.
Our favorite skill to watch was the back float--mainly because he looked so cute when he was doing it.
Of course, Wilson had an audience of loyal supporters--including Shaki, his badger. He just really needed Shaki there, especially on the day he jumped off the diving board(GASP)...oh yes. Wilson jumped off the diving board--one time and one time only.
Maisy said that Wilson looked like a superhero when he was swimming. Wilson liked that. "Which superhero, Maisy?" he asked.
"Superman," she replied.
"I think I looked more like Batman," Wilson said thoughtfully.
"Yeah. You Batman, Wilson," Maisy replied with a hint of awe in her voice. Overall, swimming lessons were a very positive experience. We are so proud of you Wilson!
The other day, Wilson found Maisy's PRINCESS DRESS in the closet. He began to persistantly urge her to put it on. "No! It ouchy me!" was her continuous reply.
Wilson, realizing he must do something drastic if he was to get results, formed a new tactic. "Watch me, Maisy. I will put the dress on and show you it doesn't hurt." So, Wilson gallantly stepped into the dress. "See Maisy. It doesn't even hurt me at all!" (Yeah, Wil--we can see that it is not hurting you at all.)
Maisy just giggled and replied, "Oh Wilson, that looks sooo pretty!" As you can see, Maisy finally succumbed because she did try the dress on for herself.
I'm glad she did because she is a Petite and Pretty, Perfect little Princess. And just a little disclosure: Wilson did allow me to take pictures of him, but I had to promise not to send them to any of his friends. Posting them on the blog is my way of getting around the disclosure!
ONE: He has the potential to be a wrestler like his daddy.
TWO: He's a fantastic and focused eater and drinker.
THREE: He loves to share toys with Wilson and Maisy (much to the chagrin of Maisy.)
FOUR: He is one heck of a ball player. Once he had a grip on this ball he was not letting go!
AND FIVE: He endured Maisy's affections very patiently.
This is Maisy eating a roll (complimentary appetizer) that was nearly as big as her head. 
Here we have Spaghetti with sausage, devoured shortly after this picture was taken by Kasia's brother Cameron.
Cameron's wife Kressyda ordered the Chicken Rossini highlighted with a pink sauce (red sauce with added cream) and chicken topped with ham, provolone cheese, and tomatoes on the side. Mmmm...
Kasia ate the Chicken Piccata. Its lemony, buttery taste left her palette happy.
Are there some picky young eaters in your dining group? Not even they can resist the tantalizing pre-cut cheese pizza. 
We waved farewell to Eddie, as we left through the famous red door. The meal was inexpensive ($5-10 per plate) and exquisite. If you want some great incontestable Italian food, Sicily's is the place!!
Above we have Wilson and Maisy with their friend Hailey Ashby. Below we have Wilson with Hailey and her dad, David.
How does Hawaiian Falls say hello? It WAVES! (pause for laughter--contributed by Brett). Maisy had a lot of fun with our friend Aaron, battling the waves.
Here is a picture of Maisy taking a break from drinking the pool water (YUCK). If you think she looks cold, well...she was. So we decided it was time to go home.
It was a good we left when we did because we barely escaped a torrential downpour. Hooray! We would like to take this opportunity to say Mahalo to the good folks at Hawaiian Falls. We look forward to our next visit.
This is our friend Kaid Whipple, who lives in Las Vegas. He is older than Fort Whipple and almost as old as Whipple Cave.
And now for a little Birthday Song: "My ding-a-ling, my ding-a-ling..." How does it go, Kaid?
This is Kaija and Maisy. Kaija is Quincy's 2(almost 3) year old daughter--who can recite the whole 4th article of faith completely on her own. Also, she is a mastermind when it comes to puzzles. She and Maisy are proclaimed best friends now. They had so much fun just sitting on the couch giggling together.
This is Brittany Auger and her son Brandon. Brandon just turned 2 and boy is he full of personality! He was so much fun. He had 3 stuffed animals that came everywhere with us: Doggie, Kitty, and Giraffe. (You can see Doggie posing in this picture.) They live in Salt Lake City, Utah and sacrificed a lot to be in Nauvoo with us. Thank you, Brittany!
This is the Kummer Family. They live in Two Rivers, Wisconsin. Rachel is about 4-5 months pregnant. Evander is their very smart 2 year old little boy. I was so impressed with Evander because he remembered practically everyone's name. Also, this little boy's smile lights up the room. He's so sweet. Rachel was my randomly selected roommate my freshman year, and we were roommates the rest of our time at BYU. I guess you could say the system worked for us. 
Here are all the children (yes, we somehow got them to sit still and look at the camera at the same time--a successful, yet freakish occurance.) Top left to right: Wilson, Zoe Sorensen, Maisy. Bottom left to right: Brandon Auger, Kaija Sorensen, Evander Kummer.
This is little Elijah Sorensen. At 3 months old, he was our token infant on the trip and he was SO GOOD. We barely heard a peep out of him, except when he wanted to spread love with his sweet coos. I think we wore him out because he slept through the night the 2nd night we were there!
THE ROSEBUDS! Aren't we a beautiful sight! You gals are my insipration. I love ya so much. Thank you for making our reunion possible. I can't wait to see you again...
The first evening we were in Nauvoo, we had the buffet dinner at the Hotel Nauvoo. This is Wilson posing on an antique bench in the hotel. This hotel created a historical ambiance through its many oldfangled pieces of funiture.
WAGONS HO! We ventured on a wagon ride tour through the city of Nauvoo. It started to rain and Wilson deftly caught the drops as we toured.
Need a Rope? Wil can make you one. We learned how to make them at the Family Living Center. We also learned to make candles, bread, and barrels.
We spent most of our time at the Pioneer Pastimes experimenting with pioneer toys and games.
Maisy fulfilled her life long aspiration of becoming Cinderella. 
The kids dressed in replica Nauvoo garb while they tried out the various activities and imagined in the psuedo schoolhouse.
Pioneer children sang as they posed and posed and posed AND posed . . .
Here we are at the brickyard. The early Nauvooians had some brickmaking SKILLS! The missionaries gave Wilson and Maisy their own bricks to take home. Wil then proceeded to use his brick as chalk and Maisy used hers as a cell phone.
We also saw the Monument to Women at the garden next to the visitors' center. Wil and Maisy loved interacting with the statues.
We loved the authentic period clothing of all the volunteers. Maisy reluctantly posed for this picture at the Scovil Bakery with the promise of a gingerbread cookie waiting for her if she complied. 
One of our favorite events in Nauvoo was the Sunset on the Mississippi River. It was a variety show with singing and dancing performed on the bank of the Mississippi River. Before the show began, all the children made hats and participated in a PARADE. Wilson and his best friend Zoe led the parade while shaking their tambourines. Maisy was close behind enjoying every minute of the spotlight.
One of the most special places we visited was the Nauvoo Temple. It is a breathtaking temple that suddenly appears at the top of the hill as one enters Nauvoo. It is just a beautiful place.
