Uncle Roy's

We have chickens.  My parent's have dogs, cats, pigs, cows, llamas and more.  So why were my children entralled when they saw Uncle Roy's birds?  I'm not sure.  I don't understand it, but there you have it.  They were running around after them and begging to hold them.  Really?!?  Anyway, Uncle Roy was obliging and caught a hen and a duck for children torturing.

Chris, Lex and Ev petting the hen

Evan holding the poor bird on his lap.  I'm surprised the thing didn't die of a heart attack.

Now it's the duck's turn.

Peter was the smart one and found a nice spot in the cherry tree.

Now excitement over this next item I can understand and even relate to a little bit.  A trampoline!  It is on our list of things to get and the kids sure enjoyed playing around.  I love watching babies try to walk on a trampoline.  It's so fun.

Mt. Timpanogos Temple

Back when Doug was going to school and we lived in Utah we changed locations three times.  If you know me, you know that I hate moving.  I like stability and security.  So moving wasn't easy, however, the last place we lived at was so very close to the Mt. Timpanogos Temple.  It was nice to drive 10min max to the temple and would often take Ben and Chris there on Sunday afternoons.  We visited it and our old home during our recent visit.

Doug tried to get Peter to smell the flowers but he was having none of that.

Doug with the kids in front of the temple

The landscaping is amazing at the temple.  The flowers aren't always what I would choose but the arrangement and color are fantastic.

I really loved these arbor/trellis things.  So much so that I want them in my dream flower garden.

My five angels sitting on the temple wall.

Because I had been taking all the pictures and not in many, Benjamin offered to take a picture of the rest of us at the temple.  I guess Peter didn't want in the picture.

I love that my children love going to the temple and walking around the grounds.  It is something that we don't do often enough especially since they ask to go.  It was nice to be close to so many temples while visiting.  The spirit of the place is so peaceful and relaxing.

Salt Lake

We couldn't go down to Utah without a stop at the temple and conference center.  Here's the gang, with mom taking the picture, in front of the falls on the conference center.  After going inside the center we joined a group and took a tour.  It has been many years since any of us have been inside and I think Ben was just about 3.  I love all the pictures and other pieces of art work in the center.

This picture is a shot of the balcony seats in the center.  Because we went down at conference time those of us that were old enough went to a conference session in the center.  It was sooo neat.  The Spirit was so peaceful and for the first time in 11 years I could pay attention to every speaker and gain that much more from the session.  I love my children but when they are young they do tend to make paying attention a difficulty.  Anyway, these are the seats that we sat in.  The white parts are the bottoms of our seats.  Kinda makes you scared to think you are literally just hanging there.

A picture of my stripling warriors

This was a picture I took the last time we were at the center.  On the roof is a whole new world you would never imagine could be there.  The plant life alone is amazing with full grown pine trees and more.  However, there is also a fountain, the start of the water fall and this glass mural.  If you look closely it looks as if Ben is holding the girl's hand.

So, I had to get another shot with him by the same girl just to capture the passing of time.

Here's all of us at the fountain with the trees growing around us and the temple behind us.

No stop to the temple would be complete without a stop to the visitors center and a picture of the family with the Christus.

If you can't tell by Lexie's look, by the end we were getting tired and grumpy.  After our site seeing trip we went to see Doug's father, step-mother and adopted sister.  They are a different type of people and one I'm not that comfortable to be with.  The children don't know them and so were a little antsy, but they did hold up fairly well.  They were also a good excuse to not stay too long.  After that was our second trip to Thanksgiving Point which I already told you about and then a birthday dinner for Doug.  Roy took us all out to this Brazilian restaurant for dinner to celebrate.  The food was amazing and the atmosphere was great.  It was an all you can eat soup and salad bar and then as long as you want them to they will come around periodically and carve off freshly cooked meat off of this huge skewer.  I was so full, but there was room for dessert since I found a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Store in the same mall area. 

Here is Doug playing his birthday tambourine while the workers sang to him.

Thanksgiving Point

There were two trips to Thanksgiving Point and would have been more if we had had more time and money.  The kids thoroughly loved it.  Who would have thought that a bunch of farm animals and information would be interesting but it was. 

The first trip consisted of Evan, Lex, Peter, Aunt Sierra and me.  We went as a group while the men folk were attending priesthood session of conference in the conference center.

First things first...let's see how much my little piggies weigh.  About the weight of a new born lamb or two.

There were many farm animals around.  We saw chickens, ducks, pigs, horses, cows and more.

Evan looking at the ducks and geese.

Peter looking at the little piggy

In addition to animals there were a couple of "old west" buildings.  Here are Lex and Evan in jail with the mighty Sheriff Peter watching.

Also included in the price was a wagon ride.  Our timing was perfect because the sun was going down and a storm was brewing in the distance.  It made for a beautiful ride and one the children enjoyed.

(Sierra please forgive me for including you in the picture and then having the nerve to post it)

Evan and Lex with Aunt Sierra ready for the wagon ride to start.

After our ride we went into a building all about farming.  There were tractors, soil samples, fake trees for picking and then a conveyor belt leading to a truck to take the picked produce to market.  Really I think the kids could have stayed for hours, but we didn't have that long.  Even Peter was happy to stay and play.

Farmer Peter on the tractor.

Picking the trees

A scientific display about what a good bugs to have on a farm and what are bad bugs.  Very educational while fun for the kids.

After this first trip I knew we had to take the rest of the family.  So, on our way back from Salt Lake we made another stop.

First was a stop to play in water.  In the middle of the shopping center at Thanksgiving Point there is this machine of pipes with levers and pulleys to make water blow out.  The children had loads of fun trying to make the water blow and hit each other.  Here Christopher managed to blow this huge spout of water that not only got him, but Evan too.

As luck would have it we entered the farm area in time to see a cow eat.  Peter was quite interested maybe even hungry himself.  The cow did not share.

You can't quite see it but all my little piggies together weigh the same as a goat and kid.

Alexis is trying her hardest, with a little help from daddy, to pull up a bucket of food weighing the amount of what a chicken would eat per day.  There were also buckets for sheep, cows, and pigs.

As part of admission to the farm area each child that is old enough gets to ride once on a real life carousel.  The kids enjoyed it so much that I was almost tempted into purchasing a horse in the near future.  Thank goodness I was stronger than the temptation.

Ben

Chris

Evan

Alexis

Again, we visited the "old west." 

My children at Miss Kitty's Dance Hall.

Must have been a rough night of dancing because they all ended up in jail.

Not even Sheriff Peter got away with too much dancing

Then to end it all...another wagon ride.

The weather couldn't have been better for our trips to the farm at the point.  I'm thankful summer held on in Utah for our vacation.

Headed down to Utah

I'm not sure why but for some reason we decided to take a week and head down to Utah.  This wasn't a summer trip, but a mid fall school is in session trip.  Oh, the boys were more than willing to travel.  I mean who wouldn't want a week off from school.  Too bad for them that I'm a mean mom and made them ask their teachers for homework to do while absent.  We made the first part of our journey after Doug got home from work on the 28th of September.  We made it to Missoula and stayed with Granny for the night.  Next morning it was the rest of the journey.  The children traveled pretty good but by Idaho Falls we were do a break.  We took the exit to the temple and drove by this little park, heading pass it because we were looking to eat on temple grounds.  However, the grounds were under construction so, we came back to the park and there took a break and had lunch.  A much better idea as it turned out.

The kids sure loved this big toy and in the background if you look closely you can see a smaller version perfect for Peter.

Ben comin' down the slide

Next it was Chris' turn.

Ben got caged. I think I like the idea.

Evan Doug got into the play action.

My cutie Peter sittin' on the table

The gang on the big toy.

That was a nice break, but then it was back to the road.

We finally did make it after all the potty breaks and road construction got our of our way.  And then the children fell in love.  I mean what child wouldn't?  There were fish, dogs, chickens, ducks, a turtle, a trampoline, and lest I should forget a snake.

Don't let Peter standing back fool you because that boy was not afraid of the snake at all.  As a matter of fact, the snake should have been scared of Peter since Peter just up and tried to squeeze the thing to death.



Pirates

Arrrrrrgh!

Doug and I were pirates this Halloween, but I wasn't able to get a picture of us then.  However, Doug's work had a banquet that was pirate themed and we dressed up for that and I got a picture.

First snow

Last weekend we saw are first real snow fall of the new winter season.  I'm pretty sure Chris about wet his pants with excitement after he looked out the window and saw the ground covered in white.  Every last child was ready to run outside and start playing.  I'm not sure I was ever like that as a child, but maybe.  I can tell you now that I was not thrilled with the white stuff and wished it a speedy melt.  After a day it left and while still cold at lease the ground is mostly cleared.

Chris shoveling the porch off

Yes, he is wearing a heavy coat with shorts and no socks.  Silly boy.