Also, as usual, Phoenix. Zoom in on that face. He was NOT happy about all that slimy seaweed. The tide was VERY low today.
But Sarah sure enjoyed it. The girls all made a mountain of seaweed then Sarah decided to wear it all in to show Mom. Apparently it's as warm as a coat, or so she said. Yuck!
While on the dock we watched fisherman and Lobster fishers. There was this cute little leopard seal watching the fisherman too. I didn't see them catch much, but I'm guessing that little seal did.
As many as I could catch in one frame. Too many to count. :)
I always enjoy walking to the park to play. But the walk to Guy's park is actually a 1/4 mile hike through the most beautiful, sweet smelling forest. Then there's the park itself, excellent. I even tried out this swing, super fun!
So sad we didn't make it all the way to the peak. The kids had fun at the Visitor Center watching the video of it blowing up. People actually had over a months warning that it was going to happen, I'd always been under the impression that it just exploded. Dumb idiots they still had to rescue, you'd think they'd have realized they were on a VOLCANO, I mean, come on!
When I was a kid we went to visit my Uncle Cordell. On their mantle they had a vase marked, "Aunt Helen." I said, "I never knew we had an Aunt Helen." They proceeded to make me feel all guilty that I didn't know my ancestors. Long story short, it was actually ashes from Mt. St. Helen. Dang them! I super wanted some ashes though so I could pull the same joke, but alas, kids have little legs and the hike would have been just a bit too much. There's still plenty up there though apparently, so I'll get some next time.
They say volcanic ash makes things really grow. Check out those clover. We really searched for a 4 leaf, that BIG would've been EXTRA lucky!
Sicily had a hard time finding her straw today. At one point it went up her nose. I think she might have done it on purpose to get a laugh out of us.
Amy and I drove up to her house together with the 2 babies and Tuff. Cy is just in a diaper because, if you've ever had kids, you'll know that sometimes diapers just don't do their job. So we had a quick rest stop recovery and Tuff got a walk. Everyone was much happier when we got back in the car.
WE LOVE GOSSNER'S!!!
And since we're mostly all married now we're no longer small in numbers. This is what happens when you're from Utah and love kids so much. Not exactly sure how many kids, give em a count. 15 kids, I think, from only 6 girls. Not bad odds.
The kids just couldn't push each other fast enough. I volunteered to help out. London got sick after about the 5th time I pushed them. But still got on later when some random Dad gave them a push.
I just love her little face!
What a wonderful day for my little nephew Spencer! He was so brave in front of all this family. He's normally so shy so all this support was probably a bit overwhelming. But we love Spencer SOOOO much and are so proud of him for getting baptised. CONGRATULATIONS!
Sicily and Cyrus shared their "phones" for quite some time. They were both TV remotes, so when one wouldn't "work," (aka beep) they'd switch to try the other one. In the end they held them up to their ears, stared at each other and talked on the phone. So cute!
These are some of my awesome friends: Tori, Eva and Jeremiah. There would have been more but the Swine Flu took out a few, not literally though. We meant to stay just a while but ended up being there quite some time. It's so fun to catch up with everyone.
While Phoenix and Sicily took naps today, London, Aspen and I went for a hike up Mueller Park Canyon. If you've ever been on this hike you know it's a good 2-3 hours, one way, to Elephant Rock. We hiked 40 mins up and 40 mins back. It was so much fun to do this with my kiddos. They've NEVER been in the mountains and definitely never hiked like this.
The first interior building has all the OLD airplanes. Starting with the Wright Brothers air crafts. Then moving through to WWI, WWII and the Vietnam fighters. There's also an off room with all the uniforms from the different areas in the world where the air force is stationed.
On Temple Square there is this beautiful Chapel. I'm pretty sure it was eventually used as their Tabernacle. Originally it was used at the Conference Center. If anyone can correct me on this please do, it's not too easy to take a tour with little ones. I love this building all the same. If you look close, Phoenix is in there running to catch up with all of us.
We were lucky enough to be on Temple Square when there was an organ concert. It was amazing, though we had to keep the kids outrageously quiet because the acoustics in the Tabernacle are outstanding.
Forewarning to you. This video is a little fuzzy and NOT steady, I suggest closing your eyes and just listening to the music. I was videoing and dealing with kids at the same time. So sorry.
Thomas S. Monson is the current Prophet and President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He is an amazing man with an amazing testimony.
There were all sorts of weddings going on today. Aspen was so excited to see all the different Brides. Therefore we were lucky enough to get to walk right around the Temple. It is such a beautiful building and such a neat experience for the kids.
The last time I walked around the Temple was in 1993 when they celebrated the Centennial of it's dedication.
This is the Oquirrh Temple. The name Oquirrh comes from the Oquirrh Mountain which is close by, it's pronounced: o-ker. That's London and Aspen sitting on the flower box in front.
From the front of the Oquirrh Temple you look down into the Salt Lake Valley. And from there you can see the new Draper Temple and
the West Jordan Temple and
the Salt Lake Temple, which I didn't get a shot of cause the kids were ready to go. It was a wonderful day, and 1 in a million that our kids actually got to attend an Open House. I've only ever been to the Open House of the Bountiful Temple. We got to help put booties on people as they entered to help keep the Temple carpets clean. These things don't happen often, so if you have the time go see this Open House while you can.
