Oquirrh Mountain Temple

Another highlight during our trip to Utah was the morning we spent at the temple open house. This beautiful building is just down the street from Grandma Debbie's house in South Jordan (where we lived when Parker was born).

When I was pregnant with Parker and working in the Jordan River Temple, I was always thankful that it was a short 5-minute drive from our house because I had to be there at 5am and a longer drive would have meant getting up even earlier. I never would have imagined that there would be another temple even closer someday!




The tour began with a brief video presentation in an air-conditioned tent outside the temple. Todd took this picture while we were waiting for it to start. I had to include it since Parker's eyes are shut in ALL the outdoor pics (he's so sensitive to the sunlight).




Lincoln was surprisingly well-behaved. He only got fussy when we had to wait for the elevator (which we used several times because of the stroller). As long as we were moving, he was happy.




Parker was fascinated by the piano in the reception tent at the end of the tour because it could play hymns without anyone pressing the keys.




It was a lovely experience and I can't wait to attend this new temple after it is dedicated.

Fruit - Lincoln can't get enough!

This little boy LOVES fruit. I know that it is pretty common for fruit to be a favorite food for toddlers since it's so naturally sweet. But Lincoln has taken it to a whole new level.

It has gotten to the point that he refuses to eat anything else if he even thinks there is fruit in the house. We seriously have to HIDE the fruit from him in order to have any chance of getting him to eat something from one of the other food groups. The kid is obsessed.

Hand him a nectarine and it will be completely consumed in seconds. He'll even try to swallow the pit if we don't watch him carefully and dig it out when he's about halfway through.









In that third picture you can see he's eyeing the watermelon like he's trying to figure out how to get to the good stuff inside.

a brief note

Since I didn't write any posts for over two months, I have a bit of catching-up to do. So along with posts about our time in Utah, I'm going to sprinkle in some random summer things from before and after our trip. That means these next few posts will not be in chronological order - sorry!

Swinging with Jane and Maren

Our trip to Utah in July was great. One of our favorite evenings was when we met up with Nate and Kristen at Jessie's place.

All four kids wanted to have the first turn in the swing, but thankfully everyone agreed that Lincoln (as the youngest) could go. Is that like a universal rule that all kids are taught by their parents? It's a good one.




Uncle Nate posed with the kids who weren't swinging - we distracted them so well with picture-taking that they didn't even notice that Lincoln was already done until Todd brought him over to join the group.






When it came to Jane's turn, she looked a little unsure if she trusted this big red-headed uncle (that she hadn't seen in a long time) buckling her in to the seat.




I don't think we realized how much the sun was peeking through the leaves when we got this picture, but I decided to include it anyway.




Of course, we had to capture the two pregnant bellies. It's hard to believe these two little girl cousins will be only 2 months apart (due in October and December).




While the two mommies-to-be were in front of the camera, Nate was giving Parker the ride of his life. As a side note: we now have the exact same swing in our back-yard... yes, that's how much Parker loved it - he had to have one for his very own. Now how do I explain why I can't do it quite like Uncle Nate when it's my job to push him?



I wish I were photo-shop savvy enough to zoom in on Parker's expression in this second shot - it is priceless.



Remember, as a kid, that feeling you got when you were swinging REALLY high and you could almost imagine yourself flying right off into the sky like superman? I think that is one of the best things about being a parent - I am constantly reminded of those simple childhood joys as I try to put myself in their shoes and think about how they see the world.


We were sad that we missed Brad, but it was nice to see everyone else. Thanks for everything, guys!

...last of our trip pictures

Just to sum up some of the other good times we enjoyed on our vacation:


Fun in Ben and Heidi's backyard...

Parker on the slip-n-slide




Lincoln never wanted to get OFF the trampoline




Todd and Ben cut down a tree in preparation for tree-house construction




Lincoln tried to help cut the branches!



(I know - all the moms out there are cringing at the sight of a 14-month-old with a saw - all I can say is: I was blissfully napping inside and Todd was in charge outside, so I'm sure he was supervising VERY closely... when he wasn't busy clicking the camera, that is!).



Of course I should document the indoor fun as well...

If you ask Parker about his favorite part of our visit, he'd probably say it was playing the Wii with his cousins




However, it wasn't just the kids who devoted chunks of free-time to group-gaming on the Wii (Parker captured this shot of the men's version of 'watching the kids' while the women cleaned up lunch after our swimming adventure at Erika's).




Speaking of Erika's apartment, it is on the 3rd floor and Lincoln LOVED climbing up the stairs to her door - especially when his cousins were calling, cheering, and waving to him from several landings up...









Finally, on our trip home we stopped for gas at a store that got our oldest son excited:

Pool fun with cousins

While we were visiting, Erika and Brian had the whole gang over for a swim in the pool at their apartment complex. Todd (who opted not to get wet) became photographer for the afternoon and got some fun shots of all our favorite people.


Uncle Ben and Noah:




Aunt Heidi and Bethany:




Natalie:




Emma:




and our wonderful Host & Hostess:





One of the kids' favorite games was for Ben to pull them as they each held on to a foam tube making a long 'snake' or 'train' in the water. In this pic Noah had just let go, but you can still get the idea. Notice that Parker always wanted to be the 'tail' or 'caboose' - I think he figured out that's the person who moves the fastest.






Even after the girls decided to just ride on Daddy, the boys still wanted to be pulled. Thanks, Ben - you rock!









Brian got in on the fun - making a foam tube into a squirt gun by blowing water out of it. Here's a pic taken just before he 'fired' on an unsuspecting Parker and Noah:






At first, Lincoln wasn't too sure if he was excited about swimming:





But soon Parker got him laughing by sneaking up on him under the water and then popping out with a splash and a hug:





After a while, though, Lincoln discovered his FAVORITE activity of the day - climbing in and out of the pool over and over and over again... silly boy!












Finally, when we were all too tired and cold (Emma's lips were positively purple!) to swim any more, Brian and Erika took us all inside for a VERY YUMMY lunch - thanks, guys!!!!

Washington, DC

Our Memorial Day weekend in Virginia was a blast! Even though it was cold and drizzling the day we spent in DC, we enjoyed our sight-seeing adventure.









Lincoln's favorite part was running along the little wall that went all the way around the Washington Monument - especially with his big brother playing the "I'm gonna getcha!" game.








I am very glad that they are such good pals (despite the 5 1/2 year age difference).










We stopped for lunch near the Lincoln Memorial and bought a sweatshirt for OUR Lincoln (since we'd somehow forgotten his jacket - oops!). Parker's favorite part of lunch was feeding the birds.









In the Memorial, Parker read almost everything written on the walls out-loud to me... he is amazing! We also had a chance to talk a little about the Civil War and why President Lincoln had such an important role in American history. Our little Lincoln mostly just toddled around, but I managed to steal a quick kiss as he passed by.








On the way back to the car, Parker's legs were tired so he got to ride on my back. Lincoln was also tired and fell asleep on Todd's shoulder. It was a pretty great day with our really great boys.