Fun & Games

Grandma had a whole day of activities planned originally for Father's Day, but since it rained and was like 40 degrees outside, we postponed the games for a later date. The kids played T-Ball, soccer, frisbee, ring toss, basketball and bowling with each other and with the dads. It was a whole lot of fun! Will and his sister who lived next door came to join in on the games. Afterward, each kid got a medal to wear around their neck, because they all were winners!!

Grandpa also had some fun and games for the kids. He called it his "Grandpa Activity." Grandpa took the kids from room to room throughout the house and they pretended each room was a place, such as the library, church, a hotel, a bowling ally, etc. At "church" the kids each got to give a little talk and they ate bread and water for pretend. In the "library" they got to check out books from the shelf. In the "hotel" they got to watch a movie, and at the "bowling ally" (hallway) they got to go bowling. There were all sorts of rooms and the kids thought that was super fun.

We had so much fun at Grandma & Grandpa's house and visiting all kinds of places, people, and things in Utah. It was a memorable trip that we won't forget. Cooper especially keeps asking to go to Utah on an airplane again. It is hard to explain to a 3 year-old that it is difficult to pay for airplane tickets and travel all the way to Utah with a family of 5 often. I told him we will go next summer, but he complains that that is "toooo lonnnng." He had a wonderful time, as did Jaxton and Kaylee. Nate & I had a great time too. We were able to establish some great memories with the kids that will last forever. Thank you Grandma & Grandpa, cousins, family, and friends for a great trip!

Utah Friends

In addition to visiting the Glausers, we were able to visit with other friends whom we miss lots since we now live in the midwest. We met Nate's friend Kenny and his wife and new baby at the Cannon Center at BYU. Kenny is the head chef at the Cannon Center for the dorms Helaman Halls. Our babies are very close in age and it was soo fun to see their new baby and to catch up with Kenny and Brittani.

We also were lucky enough to be in town for the birth of Nate's other great friend Johnny's very first baby. It was lots of fun to catch up with them and help them along in their first few days as new parents.

Lehi Round-Up Rodeo

Grandma got us tickets to the Lehi Round-Up Rodeo, an event that was part of the Lehi Days summer events. It was a one-of-a-kind event, one that the boys have never done before, and one that they will probably never forget!! Grandma equipped them each with a cowboy hat and a Lehi Round-Up T-shirt (boys got white and girls got pink). They were some adorable little cowboys and girls out there watching in amazement as the horses bucked their riders right off their backs. Grandpa took care of the mouth watering snow cones that the kids were eyeing every other child at the rodeo holding. Jaxton poked his straw through the bottom of his cup and it leaked blue staining juice through the bottom as the ice melted. No doubt we were sticky, but it was all worth the whole rodeo experience!!

At one point, I was holding Baby Spencer. He had on Dillon's cowboy hat. One of the rodeo riders was riding a horse and it started trying to buck his rider off. As it was kicking and running and kicking, it kicked up some mounds of mud and sod and flicked it into the crowd. Well, Spencer just happened to be right in the perfect spot for that sod to land right on his hat. The poor little boy was so suddenly startled by the thud he felt on top of his head, he began to cry. Thank goodness for that cowboy hat!!

During the half time of the show, they brought out BMX bikes. This was sooo exciting to Jaxton especially, but all the kids too. It was sooo loud and the bikes were so fast! They got faster and faster up the ramp and then they would do a complete 360 degree circle in the air and land right side up on the other ramp to go down. It was incredible and extremely dangerous!! The kids were glued. They could not believe their eyes!

Thanks Grandma & Grandpa for a fun time at the rodeo!!

Audrey & Calvin

Jaxton & Audrey are about 6 weeks apart. They were betrothed to be married while still in their mommy's tummies! They were friends as little newborns and we watched the two of them grow together. Then, our family moved to Indiana and these two haven't spent much time together over the last several years. So they also got a chance to get re-acquainted. Though they didn't remember each other too well, they quickly became friends again and it was like no time had passed at all. Even though Audrey stands at least 1 or 2 heads taller than Jaxton, they ran around finding fun things to do together at our picnic at Grandmas house and then again at Audrey's house for a BBQ. We miss their family very much. They have been really good friends to us and we miss their company out in Indiana. It was a lot of fun to catch up!

Calvin, Audrey, Jaxton & Cooper

Utah Fun in the Sun

We spent 1 super fun day all day in the sun. Grandma & Grandpa have such nice grass to play on...I forgot how nice grass is!! We took full advantage of the grass and splashed in the pools, slid on the slip and slide, and picnicked in the sun, up on the mountain overlooking the valley and the mountains in the distance. What could top this perfect summer day! The kids splashed around with their cousins of course. We also invited Melissa Glauser and her 2 kids Audrey and Calvin to come join in on the water fun. It was really fun to see them and the kids were able to get re-acquanted again. Grandma provided us with a super yummy picnic of sandwiches, yogurts, strawberries and juice boxes. Yum Yum!!

Jaxton said that Amanda taught him how to hold his breath in this pool. A few weeks after our vacation to Utah, Jaxton did figure out how to really hold his breath, something he didn't know how to do very well. Cooper tried out the slip & slide. He wasn't quite sure how it worked, so he mostly enjoyed just running on top of it all the way down. He was a bit too nervous to drop to his knees or tummy and slide that way, so instead, he just ran across it through the sprinklers. Cute boy!!

Grandma & Grandpa with Spencer & Kaylee

Fun in the sun

LDS Church History Museum

We visited the LDS Church History Museum. It has a new hands on children's area that is beyond amazing for little ones!! Here are the 4 big cousins. They are sitting on a bunk in a look-alike boat that many of the saints may have taken across the Atlantic Ocean. They had a real handcart in the museum that the kids could try to pull. We have been talking a little bit about the pioneers during our family scripture study at night, and we have talked to the boys about the handcarts. So it was neat for them to see one and handle one. I related the story of my great grandfather, Josephus Bleak, and how he pulled his handcart in the snow and his toes got so frozen that he couldn't walk anymore. Then his family had to carry him in the cart and pull it themselves. It is a true pioneer story of our heritage, and it is exciting for the kids to see and touch pioneer things in this museum and begin to better understand all that the pioneers did for us.

Grandma has always been so interested in our family's pioneer heritage. It has given me my own excitement about our ancestors and relating the stories to my own children. The handcart has so much significance in our family, and I am so grateful for those pioneers, my ancestors, who had the faith, courage, and endurance to do what they did.

We got to see a life-size version of the Angel Moroni which stands on top of many of the temples around the world. The kids recognized it to be on top of the temples, and they were excited to be this close to the Angel Moroni.

They had a large area all about Book of Mormon prophets, including the famous Nephi of Old. Here is Cooper standing with Nephi. What a wonderful example he is to my children.

Cooper had a great time in the boat that Nephi built. He even got to help Nephi put some boards up on his boat! He got to fish over the boat and feel how it would be to ride a boat to the promised land, just as the Book of Mormon video shows. Cooper loves that video. I know he made the connection with the video story of the promised land and this boat here with Nephi.

There also was a replica of the golden plates for the kids to touch! How exciting! They were thin metal leaf pages, just like we always understand them to have been. Cooper was very excited to feel the engravings on the plates and turn each page of the future Book of Mormon.

Jaxton was able to use an old fashioned quill pen to recreate Egyptian hyroglyphics, to copy images similar to the ones on the golden plates. He thought that was very fun, to write the pictures and symbols of the old golden plates.

There was another area having to do with self reliance and food storage. They had chickens with eggs underneath. Nate's dad just recently got some baby chicks that will soon be old enough to start laying eggs. Jaxton is familiar with his other Grandpa's chickens, so this was a neat display for him to see.

Near the chicken coop, there is a garden where kids can "grow" their own vegetables, and then use them in a nearby kitchen to cook dinner for the missionaries. Cooper had a great time cooking dinner with Amanda and growing the food in the garden for dinner. Nate had a blast talking with the "missionaries" about the mission and their recent converts. :-)

Kaylee and Spencer just enjoyed being all around the hustle and bustle of children exploring. What a very fun and exciting place to learn and better understand gospel principles.

Temple Square

Because we don't live in Utah anymore, it is a priority to come visit Temple Square every time we come to the Beehive State. More than anything, I want my children to remember the magnificence of Temple Square and the significance of it as members of the church. It was a picture perfect day to visit the square.

We walked all around the square, looked at the tallest church office building, all the beautiful flowers and fountains. We spoke to some missionaries from Sweden and Japan, which Nate happened to know a mission companion that knew this particular sister missionary. What a small world in the church! We saw the old tabernacle, and looked across the street at the new Conference Center. We visited the Joseph Smith Building, where we got to see the new Joseph Smith movie. It was a brilliant production, as Lucy Mack Smith, Joseph's mother, narrated the story from her perspective. Very moving! The kids loved it on the huge massive theater screen. We also got to eat lunch at the Lion House, a tradition when going to Temple Square.

Jaxton made the observation that this fountain looked like a Temple. What a creative little man. This fountain faces the temple, and I'm sure that they made it look this way to mimic the temple shape.

The boys were very excited that they were able to touch the Temple Doors. Grandma and Grandpa explained to them how we cannot go inside, but that we can touch the doors. So they went up all the stairs and what a memory to touch the doors of the temple. Jaxton gave a talk a few weeks later on the topic of "Preparing to go to the temple someday." He shared in his talk how he went to the temple in Utah and with his Grandma and Grandpa, he was able to touch the temple doors. In his talk he shared that he will choose the right and prepare so that someday he can actually go inside those temple doors. It was very sweet as he recalled that memory of touching the doors of the temple with his Grandparents.

We also went inside the visitor's center to see the tall Christus. The kids have never seen it before, and it was a very special, reverent moment. As we rounded the ramp that goes around and around up to where the Christus stands, the kids became more reverent. I'm sure they were able to feel the reverent spirit that was there. We sat down to look at the figure of Christ and they were quiet as His words were spoken out of the speakers. Afterward, we went up and they could see the marks in His hands and feet, just like we have talked about and looked at pictures about for so long. It was a special moment for them that I think they will remember.

Cousins in Utah

Of course the cousins in Utah are the other biggest highlight of our vacation. The kids got to spend lots and lots of time with their cousins. Since the 4 big kids are all around the same age range somewhat, they all got along so well and played so well together, coming up with random fun ideas to play and do. Amanda was so cute to always take care of Cooper. She has always had something special for Cooper. When he was tiny, I remember her reading princess books to him on the floor. Even now, she helps him to feel special, and always included him in their play and took extra good care of him to make him a part of the group. And in return, he absolutely adores her. Jaxton really enjoyed spending time with Dillon this time. The two of them really got along well and had quite a bit of fun together.

We went to see the movie CARS 2 in the theaters. It was action packed and super exciting. Of course the kiddos loved it! Cooper made sure that he was sitting next to Amanda for the show!

Here are the big kids frosting sugar cookies after our BBQ one evening. They are all so deep in concentration! They are all awefully cute!

Kaylee & Spencer got re-acquainted again since they got to know each other in California a few weeks back. Spencer is starting to try to scoot and crawl a little, and Kaylee is just trying her very best to prove that she isn't far behind him! They are about 3 months apart or so and it is so fun to see Spencer and look forward to Kaylee sitting up and getting around in just a few months!

Jaxton took especially to Baby Spencer. He really has enjoyed having a baby in his house, and he has really enjoyed getting to know a new baby, his newest cousin. He was trying so hard to be gentle with Spencer and share with him and play with him. It was fun to watch. Here he is teaching Spencer how to hit the drum!