The First Day, Part 2

Around 5:00, we were feeling hungry. We had told Ethan that he could choose wherever he wanted to eat for his birthday dinner. Well, there aren't many restaurants in Nauvoo, so we followed the Mississippi River south 15 minutes to Keokuk. Then we drove down the main street, scouting for restaurants. We gave Ethan many, many choices and this is what he chose:

And this is why:

Now, a few words about fast food restaurants. Christian and I were counting how many times we have been to different fast food restaurants since Ethan was born five years ago. Here's the tally: McDonald's - once; Wendy's - zero; Arby's - 8 or 9 (it was a block away from where we lived in Orem); Burger King - zero; Sonic - I've never ever eaten there; Subway - 2; Quizno's - probably 5. Basically, we never eat fast food. So, once we told Ethan Wendy's sold shakes called Frostys, that was the end of that. We were going to Wendy's. Both boys loved it. They loved the little Arthur toys that came in the kid's meal. Aidan ate his whole cheeseburger and fries, and some of Ethan's mandarin oranges. Ethan ate his chicken sandwich. It's a bit depressing that they happily eat deep fried fast food, and won't eat my healthy meals. But hopefully it's just a phase...

The boys hamming it up. Yes, Aidan's straw was filled with ketchup. I was gagging.

Ethan wanted to sit by Daddy. Both boys always want to sit by Daddy. One day I will be loved again.On the drive back to Nauvoo, we stopped and took a few scenic pictures:

Wow, the Mississippi looks so small! Just kidding. Actually, this is a "small" river draining into the Mississippi River. It was so pretty. The whole view was so pretty.

Another pretty bridge.What ugly ducklings! Oh, I mean what cute goslings!
At 7:00, we went to Rendezvous. This is what the Nauvoo website says about it, "This delightful musical comedy, performed by senior missionaries, tells the story of many Latter-day Saints in Nauvoo near the time of the Exodus. Will George find the peace and quiet he needs? Will Jed learn to say "heck"? Will Abigail ever get a pickle barrel? Will horses with wings ever leave Nauvoo? Come to see the answers to these and many other interesting and entertaining questions nightly at the Cultural Hall!" I didn't take any pictures of the production itself, because I didn't think about it, but here's a picture from the website:

Senior missionaries in period clothing, singing, acting (and messing up lines), and having a good time. The boys were great. Aidan got a little rambunctious toward the end. They had Ethan stand up in the front, and the whole audience sang Happy Birthday to him. He was so bashful!

Kids get to sit on the front row.
Then we went to the hotel, went swimming in the pool,

and went to the hotel room afterward and ate ice cream.
We finally got the kids in bed at 10:00.
Bedtime is usually 8:00, so they were exhausted. But it sure was a fun-filled day! (Until 4:30 in the morning, when Aidan fell out of the bed and we were woken up by a thud and a cry. Then I couldn't get back to sleep because I was too worked up.) Come back tomorrow to hear about Carthage!