Ogden Temple Open House

When an LDS temple reaches completion, it is open to the public for a few weeks before dedication.  Once a temple is dedicated, only members who have been interviewed by church leaders and deemed worthy can enter due to the sacred and holy nature of what goes on inside.

Children under 12 cannot go in after the dedication, so we were excited for a chance to take the kids through.  The oldest three went to the Kansas City, MO temple open house, but that was a couple years ago, so they don't remember it much.

Unfortunately, we ended up being unable to go the night we had tickets for and by the time we did make it, I think it was the last day it was open and there were so many people there, we didn't get to go in.

Fortunately, the grounds themselves are also quite beautiful.

And the sacred spirit that resides within the walls can also be felt outside.

And there were these fun horses for the kids to climb on.

And be silly on.

Good thing they both wore their boots!

For more information on LDS temples, please click here.

First Day of School

 It's always a little scary starting at a new school...

But, it's easier when you've at least got one person to watch you back.  These two don't always get along and sometimes are best friends.  I love moments like this.

My cute 4th grader.

My very proud, super 4th grader!

Not sure he's ready for 2nd grade?

I love my silly sillies!

See that?  That's my sweet Kayli's nervous smile.

Fortunately, she ended up have a wonderful, sweet woman for a teacher.  Someone who has kept an extra eye out for her and really helped her to bloom, in spite of all her nerves and stresses.

Bryce's teacher?  Sort of a different story.

We're so glad this year is almost over!

Proof That I'm A Year Older

True story:

A couple months ago, I was talking to friends about being 31 and then they started asking questions about my birth year and all, and then they did some math... and they informed me that I'm actually 32.

It was sort of a difficult moment for me.

That's what happens when you forget your birthday.

But, here are the pictures and the proof.

And I bet that if you count those candles, you could confirm my 32-ness.

Good thing I have some healthy lungs.

Besides, age is just a number, right?  And when you're two, you don't care.  Especially if you can fit into Grandma's shoes.

Triathamom

I got to race with my mom and all of my sisters but one.  It was awesome!

Before.

After.

My sister-in-law Melanie made us these super cute shirts.  It was so fun to feel like part of a team!

Don't mess.

Isn't this a funny picture?  I love my family.

They had some face painting for the kids.

I thought they must've used stencils.

But, apparently, they were just really skilled face artists.

I'm not really sure how I feel about this one, though.

And my post-race selfie.

If you want to know all about my race, read on.

I've been swimming since about two days after I started walking, so I was one of the first swimmers to begin the race.  As far as I recall, the swim was pretty uneventful.

I'm notoriously slow in my transitions, but I was one of the first on my bike.  One of the downsides to being first is if the course isn't clearly marked and the person in front of you misses a turn.  Fortunately, I had bumped into another old friend from high school before the start of the race and she happened to be the biker behind me.  So, she called after me and I was able to come back before heading too far the wrong direction.

As I ran past the pool, I heard my brother cheering on my mom.  In the pool.  I couldn't believe that was still going on!

Rant Moment:  I have encouraged many women to participate in this race because it is not really competitive.  The swim seems to be the hang up for most people, so I have reassured everyone with the fact that there are women who simply walk the length of the swim in the pool.  I have no problem with this.  In fact, I'm impressed with people who are willing to do this since I'm lucky that the swim comes so easily for me.

That being said, there was a group of women who chose to walk but jumped ahead in line in front of women, like my mom and a couple sisters, who had trained and worked hard to be able to swim the swim!  So, my family had to wait until they were done before they even got to begin their race!  Not cool, people.  Not cool.

Anyway, I can't remember for sure, but I think I was in first place when I started the run.  If not, I passed whoever was in front of me early on in the run and found myself in the lead.  Always a fun place to be, although I knew that with my slow transition times I probably wasn't truly in first place.  Still, it was an enjoyable run.

As I came up the final stretch, I saw my dad at the top of the hill cheering me on.  Which was a proud moment.

And then I realized, he was the only one cheering me on.

Apparently, I came in sooner than they'd expected anyone to finish the race.  I could hear the race officials scrambling as I ran past.  Everyone else got a fun announcement and a big hoopla as they crossed the finish line.

I did not.

But, it's okay.

It was still fun to come in first.

Even though I actually took 11th place overall.

I really need to work on my transitions.

And turning corners at a speed a little quicker than a snail's pace on my bike.

Still--It was a really fun race and a great day.  And I was pretty proud of myself and all of my family. And I can't wait to do it again this year!

Other Fun Things to Do On the Family Trip

Going to the children's museum.

And fixing cars.

Have you ever met a mechanic this cute?

And I ran into another old friend!  This one from high school.  This one was totally coincidental.  Neither of us live there or knew the other one was there.  We just happened to run into each other at the children's museum.  How awesome is that?!  I love this girl.

Cute cousins on the carousel.

And then there was this animal place.  I don't really know what it was.  There was a self-guided audio tour.  It's hard to get much out of something like that when you're chasing after these crazies.  But, still fun.

Climbing cool red rocks.

Uncle Brandon decided to set all of the kids up on this fun little rock ledge.

They love their Uncle Brandon.

They thought this was pretty fun.

Except this one.  Poor thing.  Can you tell how terrified she is?

Cute girls.

I love the landscape out there.  It's so beautiful!

And then eat ice cream.

Shakes.  Yum.

Cool in the Pool

I think one of the favorite parts of the trip was the swimming pool at the house we stayed at.

Is it weird that I think goggles make my kids look extra cute?

See?

SEE?!

This is what happens when you don't rub in the sunscreen after using the stick kind.  Good thing he still loves his mama.

I love these two!

One of my dear friends currently lives near where we were visiting and she picked me up one morning so we could go for a run and catch up.  IT was so fun! I actually remember it!  I love this lady!