More Salt Lake Fun!

{Saturday} August 20, 2011

This morning we woke up, got ready, and went downstairs for breakfast in the hotel. They had a bunch of options so everyone was happy {I'm loving this hotel!}. We wanted to make it to some of the tourist-y stuff . . . Temple Square, Beehive House, etc . . . so we headed out nice and early. We went over to Temple Square and enjoyed some time over there. 

One thing that struck Wade, something I now LOVE . . . was, seeing as it's Saturday there are a LOT of weddings going on today. Every time a new married couple walked out of the temple everyone would cheer . . . loud! At first he was kind of thinking it was weird being at the temple and cheering so loud, but then it hit him that it's exactly what it's going to be like when we die and see all of our loved ones that have gone before us again. I love to think that my Grandparents and Charish will be there cheering and crowding around me giving me hugs. Special thought and the cheering and celebrating outside of the temple will have more meaning to us now.

Charlise dancing instead of standing still . . . almost impossible to get a serious picture of her these days. One word: performer.

The kids with their Grandparents

 My life

This is my favorite picture from the whole trip. I love playing with this squishy little guy. Sooo cute!

The newest love of my life. *melt

Reha's photography skills . . . she almost got everyone in. haha

After visiting Temple Square we walked over to the Beehive House {Brigham Young's house}.

I'm loving the symbol of the beehive . . . everyone working together with the same goal in mind to make good things happen. I want my family to work this way . . . time to get to work! We're laggin'!

Hannah looking at one of the girls rooms. She took pictures of every room with her new Flip camera. She was so cute . . . and all of the sudden looks so old to me! What happened!?

Our favorite rooms {go figure}. The playroom . . . 

 . . . and the sewing room.

 Reha outside right after the tour.

After the tour we went over to the Lion House and had lunch. It felt like Thanksgiving . . . so much yummy food! 

After lunch we headed over to the Church History Library so that Wade could look up a few patriarchal blessings of some of his ancestors. This is the kind of place that he could hang out in all day. He might come back in October for conference and spend some time.

 Keeping Charly entertained in the library. They had these magnifier bookmarks that we had fun with. haha

 Like most of the time, Charly got too loud and we ended up having to wait outside . . . for a while! Hannah eventually came out too and played with my camera . . .

Me and my loud little cute monkey.

 Hannah's photography skills.

I just had to document this . . . Reha can't go anywhere without using the bathroom. This girl has a bladder the size of a pea. Here we are, waiting once again, for little miss Reha. ;)

This is just the first part of our day . . . stay tuned for more fun!

Utah Trip {part 3}

{Friday} August 19, 2011

This afternoon we met up with my dad and step-mom, Linda, in Salt Lake City. They drove from Idaho to meet up with us, got us a really nice hotel room and planned on hanging out with us today, tomorrow and maybe Sunday morning depending on what time we head home. After going to the cemeteries today we met up with them at the hotel, the girls got on their swim suits and we went over to the Gateway Mall across the street so they could play in the Olympic Legacy Plaza splash pad. They set the water jets to music so it makes it a little more exciting. They had a fun time . . . although, Charly, who was the most excited got her sunscreen on and took off to play, slipping three steps in and bonking her back really hard on the ground. She was SO sad, and completely done. She hasn't had a nap since we got to Utah a week ago and it's definitely catching up with her! Poor girl.

Hannah, Grandpa Ron, and Reha

Charly would NOT cheer up. She sat in the stroller the entire time. 

Porter was a happy little guy though . . . that is until he rubbed sunscreen off his cheek and into his eye. Sigh.

Grandpa Ron playing with Porter.

After the splash pad we decided just to head over to the pool so that Charly could play. She loves going to the pool and I thought it would perk her up a bit. It worked, thankfully! We swam for 30 minutes or so then went back to the mall to go to Applebees for dinner. 

Charly eating her dessert after dinner. I love that her shirt says, "Chocolate makes the world go 'round" and she's trying her hardest to get that chocolate out of the bottom of her sundae glass. She makes me laugh . . . cute girl.

Me and my dad . . . just for the record, I wouldn't have picked to put this dorky picture in, but out of the three pictures we took, I was blinking in both of the other one's. Sheesh!

After dinner we went back over to the hotel and watched a movie with Grandma and Grandpa before heading back to our room to go to sleep. Reha's trying to be included in the picture . . . stinker! Hannah and Grandma Linda back at the hotel.

Porter just started pulling himself up on things . . . I'm in for it! haha

It took Reha all of 3 minutes to fall asleep. It was such a comfortable hotel room with two beds and a pull out couch-bed, and they had a port-a-crib for Porter. So perfect. No one had to sleep on the floor like usual . . . bonus! 

I let Charly watch a movie on my iPad while she went to sleep . . . whatever works so that she conks out without driving everyone bonkers! Typical 3 year old. ;)

Visiting Cemeteries

{Friday} August 19, 2011

On our way to meet up with my dad and step-mom, Linda, we decided to stop by a couple of cemeteries. Wade's grandmother, Reha Gale Poulson, was buried at Valley View Memorial Park so we stopped by so that he could visit her grave. It was the first time he had been back since her funeral in 1991, so it's been 20 years . . . almost exactly. He was extremely close to her - hence the reason we named one of our daughters Reha.

Wade and Reha finding her grave.

Reha at her Great Grandma Reha's grave. 

Tracing her name. 

After visiting her grave and cleaning off her head stone a bit we headed over to the Salt Lake Cemetery to find Wade's Great-Great Grandpa Poulson's grave. Since he happened to be buried at the same cemetery as 11 different prophets and other historical figures we thought we'd look around for a few. We had a map so it was somewhat easy to find who we wanted to see. Of course we had to find Porter Rockwell's grave so that Porter could get a picture by it. It was really neat to be there. We could easily spend all day there.

Porter Rockwell

Wilford Woodruff

I loved this plaque on the back of the monument for President Hinckley. It's really cool that they used excess stone from the Salt Lake Temple and the Conference Center {the center he had built before he died}. For me it made the monument that much cooler.

The front of President Hinckley's monument. It almost made me tear up to see all of the gifts people had left him. There were matchbox cars, lolly pops, and other little trinkets. But mostly there were pennies . . . because President Hinckley had people from all over collecting pennies to help build temples. 

Gordon B. Hinckley . . . my favorite prophet. 

David O. McKay

I love this picture. It was fun to see Charly having so much fun at the cemetery {of all places}. I really want my kids to think of cemetery's as happy places instead of scary or sad. 

Wade at his Great-Great Grandpa Poulson's grave.  It took us a long time to find it! We thought we knew where to look but somehow just missed it. He had literally parked within just a few feet where it was, but we missed it and walked all over that area of the cemetery. Leave it to us to make things more difficult than they need to be! haha

Friend Fun

{Friday} August 19, 2011

We had to leave the Swopes today to meet up with my dad and step-mom, Linda in Salt Lake {we're spending the next couple of days with them . . . really excited, but really sad to have to leave these guys}. These girls had SO much fun playing together the past few days. They can leave each other for sometimes a year or more and pick up right where they left off. I love that about them . . . truly best friends. And when we're together with them I never have to worry about them arguing. It's just always a great time. So sad we won't see them again for who knows how long. I'm just so grateful we had a chance to meet them way back when when we both lived in Rancho Penasquitos. 

 The girls {minus Josie} playing in the basement. They spent all day making up a "show" for us, so before we left Laurie, Wade and I sat down there and watched them . . . trying to follow what they were dreaming up. ;) They're cute kids. 

Thank you, AJ and Laurie, for letting us stay with you. We had such a fun time catching up with you and letting the girls be silly together. We miss you guys way too much, but I'm grateful we had the chance to spend some time with you! Love you guys!!

"Camping" for Dinner

 {Thursday} August 18, 2011 {pm}

AJ and Laurie love to spend time up in the American Fork Canyon near their house and thought it would be fun to take us to have some tinfoil dinners and roast marshmallows for s'mores {and that's where a Wade quote always comes in; "How can we have s'more when we haven't had any yet? One word . . . NERD!}. It was so much fun . . . felt like camping, only not. 

Our yummy tinfoil dinners of kielbasa, potatoes, onions, bell pepper, mushrooms, and carrots with a spoon full of cream of mushroom soup and lots of seasoning, olive oil, etc. DeLISH!

Having fun!

 Kendall and Erika were SO nice and saved their money to buy a "best friends" necklace for Hannah and Reha. So cute!

 And who can go "camping" without bringing along nail polish? These girls definitely roughed it! haha

 Charly showing Wade her fancy nails.

 Not sure if we were being bad parents, but I couldn't pass up getting a picture of Charly and Parker playing in the "rattle snake habitat". We did remove them . . . just so ya know! ;)

Me with my little man. He wasn't exactly the happiest camper but he was somewhat happier after he had a short nap. Such a fun little trip!