Oquirrh Mountain Temple Dedication

Today we had the awesome opportunity to go into the temple for the dedication. It was so neat. Tiaree and I went for the 9:00 session and Tracy went to the 3:00 session. It was amazing. The talks and the whole service made me realize how lucky we are. I love that I got to help at the open house and serve there already. This whole summer has been such a special experience. We've felt the blessings of the temple already.

As I sat in the Telestial room with Tiaree, I realized that the next time I sit in that room with her, she will be going through the temple for herself. It made me excited and sad all at the same time. I hope she remembers the feelings she felt in there today and remembers the talks that were given so that she does make it back. Most of the talks in our session were directed at the youth and how to make it back to the temple as they grow older. It was truly amazing to listen to.

When the dedication was over, we were able to say hi to President Monson. He stopped in the room we were in and asked how we were doing. We were right by the door and so Tiaree got to say hi. He looked right at her and waved at her. She kind of froze and didn't go to shake his hand or anything, even though she would have just had to take 2 steps to be next to him! I couldn't have done it either! Then President Uchtdorf gave us a huge wave and Elder Bednar winked at Tiaree as he walked by. President Uchtdorf also gave us a huge wave as they went into the Celestial room before the dedication. Both waves were with both hands and a huge smile on his face! That was really special to be that close to the prophet of God.

I will always cherish the memories I have of today. That I had a child old enough to go with me was such a great experience. I am so grateful for our Stake President who worked so hard to get us tickets in the Temple. It was so amazing to feel the spirit there. I haven't felt the Spirit that strong since I went through the Temple the first time. I know angels were there today. I kept thinking of the story of the angels walking around the top of the Kirtland Temple when it was dedicated. That story kept coming to mind and I think it was a testimony to me that they were there today. I can not wait to go and do a session and spend time in the Celestial room soaking up the peace I know I'll find. What an awesome day!!

Grocery Smarts

I just wanted to invite everyone who reads this, which I know isn't many :D, to my house on August 25th at 7:00 pm to learn about Grocery Smarts. I've been wanting to save money on my grocery bill for a long time and this is a great way to do it! Here is some more info:

http://www.asweetsale.blogspot.com/

Let me know if you are interested in coming!!

What a month!

July was just as busy as all the rest of the year has been! We had a lot of fun though and took a lot of pictures! If you are interested in what we did, keep reading and I'll catch ya up! :) There are 7 new posts! Don't miss the 7th one, you'll probably have to click on older posts to see it!

Had to share

Had to add this picture in while I'm on the blogging spree! We told Bree to go clean her room. She threw a total fit and went in and slammed the door. Well about half an hour later, it was all quiet in there so we went to check on her. We didn't see her so we figured she had snuck out and was downstairs playing with the other kids. We went down to get her and she wasn't there. We looked all over the house because she wasn't in her room, we'd already checked. Well when we couldn't find her, we looked in her room again, and this is what we saw after we looked a little closer:Her room was so messy that we didn't see her asleep on the floor when we first looked. It was funny, and we finally got her room cleaned and nice again!

Bree's first Day of Kindergarten!

Tuesday Bree started Kindergarten. I was so excited for her but also very sad. I can't believe she is big enough to go to school. I don't want her to be big enough to go to school! She was all ready Monday night. She had her outfit picked out and was anxious to go to bed. She woke up Tuesday and was just wanting to get dressed and go right away. She is in afternoon Kindergarten so that was kind of a hard wait for her! We cleaned her room and then she took a bath and we had lunch and then she was able to finally get dressed! She was so cute! We walked up to school with our neighbors, the Gowans'. Bree and their Cortnee are in the same class. It was cute to see them walking up, holding hands. We got there and Bree was so anxious for her teacher to come. It was hard for her to wait patiently. Then when her teacher came and got them and took them inside, she didn't even turn around and wave! What???!!! I was sad, but also kind of relieved. I don't know which is worse, to have her sobbing and have to leave her there crying or for her to not even seem to care. Well I cried and had a hard time all the way home. Luckily Corntee's mom, Camilla kept me company and we spent the whole afternoon together and went up and picked them up after school. She was so happy when she got out! She loves school and has had a wonderful two days and can't wait to go back today! Here are some pics of her cuteness:Showing off her cute backpack!
Her new outfit!
Her All About Me flower she had to make
Walking up with Cortnee
Going in without even waving bye *sniff*!!

My birthday

For my birthday, Tracy took me to see Transformers 2 and to dinner at Chili's. It was a lot of fun! Our friends, the Gowans' came with us and it was so nice to have an adult night! Thanks to mom for babysitting so we could go! When we got home she had made a cake and the kids had all made me cards and there were flowers. It was so nice. Tracy gave me a spiral bound hymn book so I can practice my piano skills (which aren't very good at all!). He even got my name printed on it. It was a really nice birthday!My cake the kids helped my mom make.


We also had a birthday dinner for me on Sunday at my moms house. It was a lot of fun!

Back to School

The day after we got back from Camping, Tiaree and Jarik started school. They were both very excited to get back with friends and to learn and all that fun stuff! Tiaree started 4th grade this year and Jarik started 2nd. A week after they started and I am amazed at how fast the homework started, especially for Tiaree. She already has a book report due every three weeks, and a huge Utah counties project due in May. 4th grade is really a step up from the "little kids". Her teacher warned us last year that it would be kind of a shock and it sure has been. A lot more is expected of her than last year, but she is doing great so far! Jarik is doing good too, he has homework every night but he likes it and does it without complaining, so far! Here is their first day:
Walking up to school
Tiaree. She looks so grown up!
Jarik. What a stud!
Tiaree going inside!Jarik going inside!

Camping!

I love camping! I love getting away from everything and just spending time in the mountains! We went on our annual camping trip over the 24th of July and we had a blast! It was nice and cool and I loved being able to just sit in my camp chair and visit or read or nap. The kids got sufficiently dirty from playing so hard and I was able to come home feeling refreshed and ready for life again! We went with my whole family this year, by brothers and their wives, my sister and her husband, my parents and my nieces. It was so great to be with them all and have such a fun time! I think it was one of the best camping trips we've had in a long time! Uncle Erik and Sister Ali (his wife's name, she was part of the family for so long that the kids gave her a name before she became an aunt and it's just stuck!) took the kids on a walk and named everything they saw after one of the kids or their moms or dads or grammy or papa! It was cool and the kids had so much fun! They made us go on the hike and showed us everything and were so proud! I think the best way to show you all the fun, is to do a slide show!

I also have to add this cute video of Colette and Keighlee singing by the stream!

Boise

My best friend Katie and her daughter Kylie live in Boise so when Tracy went to Youth Conference, we decided to pay them a visit! It was so much fun! I drove up the day after going to Harry Potter so by the time we got there I was exhausted! We took the kids to a park that night so they could get some of their energy out, and I walked around like a zombie! It was very hot up there, hotter than usual. On Thursday we had a picnic lunch, did some shopping and played at a splash pad. Katie and I even got wet, it felt wonderful! Friday we hung out and didn't do a whole lot, just visited and helped Katie get ready for Kylie's birthday party. Saturday was Kylie's birthday party and it was so fun! Katie put on a tea party and had a special lunch. Then the girls made paper purses while Jarik and another little boy watched Transformers. Then we had cake and ice cream and presents. Katie also had a bounce house that the kids loved! They all had so much fun and I was very impressed with Katie. She was planning on doing a 4 hour party with 8 kids alone. Crazy lady. But she could have. I couldn't have though! Sunday we went to church and then headed home. It was a really fun week! I so loved spending time with Katie and Kylie! I miss them and wish we lived closer. But it is fun to have an excuse to get away! Here's a slide show of the fun:

Harry Potter!

So my sister, Tiaree and I went to the midnight show of Harry Potter 6. It was so much fun! Tiaree felt like such a grown up and I loved spending time with just her. The movie was great, I thought! I love the Harry Potter series and I just keep in mind that the books will always be better than the movies and I am never disappointed! I stole some pictures from Caitlin from the night!