April- Field Trips!

We did SO MUCH this month! I was talking to one of my friends about it and realized how much emotional energy it is taking me to have so many friends and family so close to connect with and new places to go. I am a person who likes to think about conversations and take time to process what I learned and what I can do about what I discuss with people who are important to me. Same thing with places that I go, especially when it involves teaching opportunities for my children. Since we have moved here, we are seeing deeply meaningful people and going new places several times a week, as opposed to every couple weeks when we lived in California. I feel like it is a life of skimming the surface in some ways and I have to make the conscious effort to dive into fresh memories and preserve the important things before they are gone. We are having an awesome time, it is just SO DIFFERENT than what we were used to. I feel like not being pregnant and/or nursing has opened up a whole new world of schedule possibilities and that I am going to have to be intentional about spending time at home too. I remember talking with my aunt when I was first starting to home school and one of the suggestions she gave was to have one day, not on the weekend, that was your home day to do laundry and clean and yard work and just be in the home space with no outside commitments. I'm so grateful she made a point of discussing that because it has let me have permission in some weird way to take one day "off" from being a teacher. I mean we still do lessons that day, but "school" isn't the focus. I don't know if that makes sense. Homemaking is the focus on Mondays for me and I am grateful for that time. I may not look like an OCD housewife, but I am! It just takes the back burner the majority of the time. =o] Wow! I didn't know I had all that to say! Now on to my usual pictures with small captions...

We got invited by some of our best friends, the Harrisons, to go with them to a farm festival in the place she grew up. I'm kinda glad I didn't know how far away Cache Valley is from us or I might not have been able to convince the kids to make the drive! But it was such a cool experience that I'm grateful we got to go. There were a ton of awesome interactive exhibits!  

Caleb and Will are BFFs =o]

This guy was hilarious. He said something about the men who discovered Yosemite Valley and were the first people to see all that, and I muttered under my breath to Andrea 'except for the native people who had been living there for centuries' to which she chuckled. Then he turned to me and said "what was that?" so I repeated it louder to the whole group and he looked flustered for a second and then restated "fine, the first white men. how is that?" and then was purposefully overly politically correct the rest of his presentation. It is so ridiculous to me how one sided historians can be! 

Natalie has brought up several times since this trip that she would NOT want to live in a pioneer dung-out ha ha!

We took a crammed wagon ride to see the baby bison. 

We took a nature hike to the gold panning station but it was closed! 

The kids all got a pony ride.

It was a long wait in line and they were so excited to get on!

And then Jenna SOBBED the entire ride LOL! She said the pony was going to "bump" her off.

Natalie makes friends wherever she goes! Our friends also invited other friends who had a girl about her age and they hit it off like no tomorrow. 

The wait to see the baby bears was unbelievable. Luckily Blake was willing to stand in line and read a book on his phone while we went around to see other stuff. When I asked him what he wanted to make sure to get to do that day he said "Today I am supporting my wife. That's the only reason I'm here so whatever she wants to do that's what we'll do." Awesome. They are such an amazing example to me you don't even know. Seriously I'm going to miss Andrea so much now that they have moved to Georgia, but more on that later. 

Here are some baby animals that Seth especially loved =o] 

Here is a little mini class they took about eggs and nests. 

And last but not least, the baby bears!

After that we stopped by the general store for a treat and then headed out! It was a full and fun day!

Another day we went to my favorite BYU Museums because Jonathan was staying with us and had a job interview in Provo (more on that later). Everything has changed so much since the last time I was there! When I had to visit this lab for my Geology class there were like 5 exhibits in here. 

Now just look at it!! We had such a great time and there was NO ONE else there! 

Jonathan lookin' sharp in his suit after the interview. 

Next stop was the Bean Museum. The kids all thought it was going to be about beans lol! I felt bad for not explaining it better and was also impressed that they so willingly went with me! This place was also incredibly new and improved! 

A Liger! And the best part is, Kent showed the kids Napoleon Dynamite when I was at Relief Society so they all thought it was awesome to see his favorite animal ha ha! 

While we were down on the bottom floor I ran into my Biology teacher from my freshman year Professor Sinclair. I told him so, and while jovially shaking my hand he said with a twinkle in his eye "And it looks like you took some of those principles I taught you to heart!" It still makes me smile just thinking about it. 

And the last stop was the MoA! 

Isn't this gorgeous?!? It is string. Thousands and thousands of strings!

As we walked into the exhibit I started snapping pictures of the kids and was approached by a security guard "reminding" me that photography was not allowed- oops!

There was one part with a tutorial on origami that I thought was maybe acceptable for picture taking... It was super hard though and finally we called it good. Caleb sort of made a panda and Natalie sort of made a bat I think. Jenna and Seth made a mess. 

For some reason Seth loved this statue outside and escaped to run back to it twice! All in all it was a great day and I was grateful for the sack lunches I made that sustained us throughout the day until we got home. 

We went on a field trip to the fire station with one of our homeschooling groups and to say that the kids enjoyed it would be a huge understatement! Seth kept raising his hand along with all the other kids during the presentation, for which we HAD to sit in the very front. 

The chief suited up for us. 

They said some kids actually hide from the firemen because they are scared! So now on tours they always show kids not to be afraid. He went around and gave everyone a high-five before taking it all back off. 

Caleb was MESMERIZED. Seriously, he was just awe struck! 

We got to tour the house. Did you know firemen have to pay for their own food while on duty? I didn't. I thought they got a meal stipend or something. Super lame in my opinion. 

Checking out all the equipment!

They even got to walk through the truck! 

Caleb was having the time of his life! He went back up to one of the firemen and was asking him all these questions about what he would have to do to be a firemen when he grows up- which is HUGE if you know Caleb who has the worst case of stranger danger ever. The guy even let him climb up into the front to check it out. By the time we got back around to the other side everyone had already received their little handout bags and hats so the fireman had to go get some more.  

Do you know the difference between a fire engine and a fire truck? I didn't. If it has an extension ladder on the top it is a truck, and everything else regardless of make or model is an engine. That was counter-intuitive to me, and I was glad when another parent asked for a reaffirming of the definition. So now you know! 

Good times!!

We went to the aquarium with some friends. Aren't animals fascinating?!? 

We got to watch some divers this time. Jenna was super jealous lol!

My FAVORITE field trip EVER: The Payson Temple Open House!

Talk about living the dream! It was such an amazing opportunity to have my whole family together in the temple. The kids were seriously the most reverent they have ever been, and the Spirit was undeniable. It is an exquisite temple! All of them are! But this one was especially unique because of all the stained glass windows, and the intricate designs on the woodwork and furniture. 

I got these pictures off their website just to give you a glimpse, though photographs just can't compare to seeing it in real life!

Here are the pictures we took outside after the tour:

Jenna could hardly contain herself as we got out of the car to walk up to the building! The entire time while we were inside she was wide eyed and soaking it all in, but a in miraculously reverent way. My favorite moment I saw of her (though Kent was holding her the majority of the time because I had Seth) was when we walked up the stairs with the stained glass windows at our backs and she had turned around to stare at them over Kent's shoulder. Her look is hard to describe, but she was so filled with joy and awe at being INSIDE the temple and the light was shining on her face through the window. She looked like an angel. 

Caleb's anticipation for this big event was also the boisterous kind! But once we got inside he was all quiet feet and open heart. Several times he took my hand or tugged on my dress to point something out, just the hugest smile and widest eyes you can imagine! My favorite moment was going into the baptistery. I quietly told them how the water feels and how the Spirit feels when you are baptized for your ancestors who have been waiting for you. He whispered "I can't wait!" as he gripped the railing and stared at the water, leaning in.  

Natalie was the first to spot the temple as we came off the freeway, and as we drove into the parking lot she was singing "I love to see the temple! I'm going there TODAY!" She tried her best to set the example and be absolutely reverent but I knew she was just as excited as the other kids. As we walked up the first set of stairs she turned to me with the sweetest smile and whispered "Mom, we're actually INSIDE!" My favorite memory of her was hands down the Celestial Room. Looking up is absolutely breathtaking and she looked so serene and filled to the brim with faith and love! Her smile was precious. She told me later that she understands now what I mean when I say the temple is a peaceful place. 

I held Seth almost the entire time, so I'm not kidding when I say that he pointed to things at least once a minute saying "wow" over and over again. It was so precious to see that even he recognized how special and beautiful it was. 

I am so grateful Kent made the time in his hectic schedule to make this trip possible for our family. I loved watching him point out different things to whichever of the kids were closest to him at the time. And I loved catching each others' smiling eyes and sharing special moments as the kids reacted to different things throughout the tour. 

Here is an experience I shared on fb: 

Then this one sister came up and asked if we would like to see a special room. She took us to the side on the very top floor near the sealing rooms and showed us the waiting area for children and even a little nursery complete with cribs and rocking chairs for the babies and children of families who are being sealed in the temple. The art on the walls was so inviting to the kids and Seth excitedly signed Jesus when he saw a painting of Christ with children. It was a sweet experience that was icing on the cake for our tour.

It wasn't overly crowded or stressful at all. Such a great experience! 

And of course the grounds were beautiful!! 

Here is one other post I made to fb to close my record of this event:

I have felt God in my kitchen, and in my garden, and during theatre productions, and a hundred other places, but there is NOTHING that compares to the feeling of peace and joy and love that abides in the House of the Lord!

We went to the Murray's house and seriously would you just look at this view?!?! 

Ah, cousins! 

We went to Will's birthday party up "on the bench" in SLC. 

Notice how my kids all have prime seating not only next to Will but also with easiest access to the cupcakes? Yeah, gotta work on that! 

Seth wasn't sure about the frosting. He is actually a pretty clean kid, so these stains after the frosting was wiped off bothered him lol!

We went to Katelyn's dance group performance. It was awesome! She was adorable and hilarious!

Waiting for it to start however, was NOT awesome. Neither was intermission ha ha!

The kids were super bored when it wasn't Katelyn's group performing so they would go over to the side and dance their socks off. Good thing this was a super informal event! =o]

After Katelyn's solo we headed out, since we still had almost an hour drive home. 

And of course we went to the library every week. One of them near us has an awesome interactive toddler section that keeps Seth busy while the rest of us find books to bring home. Win-win-win!

Do you see what I mean now? And this is just the places we went and a few of the people we spent time with! There is still another post to do about things that happened just around here! Whew! Until next time then...