Temple trip

We've been driving past the Brigham City temple on our way to Idaho for some time now.  I've wanted to take the kids to the temple, and the Fort Collins temple hasn't even broken ground, so, over Labor Day weekend, we made the trip to Brigham City.  Clint and I lived one block south of the temple years ago while he finished up his bachelor's degree, although it was an abandoned elementary school then. 

The kids really got a kick out of riding the bus from parking to the temple.  Not enough that Regan is willing to ride the bus to or from school, though.

The temple is absolutely beautiful.  We had to wear booties over our shoes to protect the carpets.  Lila demanded that hers come off, so she got to be held.  Neither of the other two mentioned them at the time, but several days later Haden asked if daddy and I had to wear those "ugly shoes" when we got married in the temple.  So much for thinking about eternal families while we were in the sealing room, he was just envisioning my beautiful dress with those booties!  I am always amused to see what Haden thinks about!  Regan loved the celestial room and asked if we couldn't please decorate her room like that when we got home?  I don't think they got everything out of their first time in the temple that I wanted to them to, but hopefully it will still be a good memory. 

We ate more than our share of cookies in the parking garage of the temple and then headed onto the grounds for pictures.  It was really bright, thus the kids' squinty eyes and funny faces.

We stopped at Idle Isle for lunch.  I love that little restaurant.  When we lived in Brigham, my visiting teacher worked there and she would always bring me pies, soups, sandwiches,etc.  Needless to say, I loved it when she came! Everyone else must love the restaurant, too, because we had to wait a good 45 minutes for our food.

Seriously, can she get any cuter? 

Rather than disrupt everyone else's meal with our entertaining kids, we took our food to a nearby park.  I miss the huge parks in Utah with the mature trees in the middle of town.  Right after we finished eating, the kids got to watch a truck restock the fish in the pond.  It was pretty neat to watch!

Regan showed off her monkey bar skills.

Lila climbed anything she could.  Her slippery church shoes barely slowed her down.

Haden loved hanging upside down!

Regan will forever be her daddy's girl!  On the way back to Clint's parents' house, we stopped and got Regan some real cowgirl boots.  She loves them and even struts when she wears them.  (She prefers to wear them with her skinny jeans so she can show them off!) Haden wanted something at the hardware store, too, just not cowboy boots.  So, he found a pair of irrigation boots that he couldn't live without.  They actually came in handy.  We had the water that evening and Haden got to help Clint water our piece of land.  We spent that night playing games with some friends.  I loved how well all the kids got along.  It was like they had know each other much longer than a few hours. 

 

No work in Samaria goes unrewarded.  The kids convinced Clint that they had worked hard enough to earn to trip to the Blue Goose.

Notice Lila's one wet pant leg?  Perhaps we should have invested in irrigation boots for her, too!  Lila already knows about filling her own little bag with penny candy. 

The next day we met Clint's brother and his family camping up Emigration Canyon.  I was worried that we were going to be cold in our borrowed tent and sleeping bags, but we are used to camping in Colorado several thousand feet higher than we were there.  We were all toasty warm.

My kids always love playing with their cousins!

The next day we went to Bear Lake.  The day was cold and windy, hardly the kind of day to spend at the beach.  We had also gotten a phone call that a friend of the family's had been killed while working on his ranch.  My kids didn't know him well at all, but the rest of us were just in shock.  Events like that make me so grateful to know that my family can be together forever.

Even with the cold, Haden insisted on wearing his swimsuit. He worked on building sandcastles the entire time we were there.

 Lila worked on destroying everyone's sandcastles most of the time we were there.

 

Regan loves jumping in the waves.  She really does belong on a warm beach somewhere!

While Luke and Shayna were helping with funeral arrangements, we helped do chores.  I wasn't much help-I don't really like to touch animals, but I am really good at telling kids what to do!

Haden loved this tiny day old little chick.  I was impressed he was willing and even eager to hold it!

Lila loved these little lambs!

They built a fort in the haystack and my kids had the best time playing in it!

Lila loved riding in the cow trailer.

Hiding in Grandpa's corn.

Karalee took all the grandkids that were there for a ride on the gator.  It was really peaceful for the few minutes they were all gone!

It was a good trip.  I am very grateful for the chance we had to take our kids to the temple and talk about the importance of eternal families, especially with Jeff's passing.  I love my sweet little family so very much!