Oh Boy

Benny escaped from the house for the 15th time today, and when I went out in the back yard to get him, he had this getup on. Let me repeat, this is not posed, and I didn't put these on him. He just wants to be like his dad, I guess!

Pioneer Day

Pioneer Day was lots of fun. It is always nice to have a holiday that only Utahns get to observe. We celebrated by going bright and early to the Mapleton Days Parade. It was a fun little parade for the kids, with lots of fire trucks, covered wagons, and little ponies. And we're still eating all the candy that was thrown at us! We didn't do much the rest of the day, (my heck, it was a holiday!) but later that evening we did take the kids to see G-Force. Seriously, Ben has never sat through an entire movie before. And this one held his attention for the whole thing! Maybe he's growing up? Nah, probably just the movie. And of course, while walking out, we were asked for the MILLIONTH time if Sylvia and Ben were twins. I always feel the need to explain, "No, they're not. They're 13 months apart. But it feels like I have twins!" Driving home, Nate said that he wants to start wearing a t-shirt whenever we take the kids out in public that says, "No, my children are NOT twins. So, don't ask." All in all, we had a very fun Pioneer Day.

Oh, Yes...Harry Potter

So yeah, we saw Harry Potter. Was it exactly the same as the book? Nah. But the real question is, was it a good movie? Yeah, it was. I'm such a geek that I've been re-reading Half Blood Prince before I went to see the movie. Don't give me too much crap though, considering this is the ONLY time I've done this. It seems almost inappropriate to have an (albeit, old lady) crush on either of these two young hunks, doesn't it? Since we've watched Harry, Ron and Hermione grow up on screen for the last, what, eight years, it's like they're our little brothers or sister or something. I don't know. But those boys are Cute. (With a capital C.) Also, I need to find someone who can teach me to take a picture like the one above. I lurve it! All in all, another good HP film that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Very Cool

I've always enjoyed the "quirk rock" of They Might Be Giants. I especially love the song Birdhouse in Your Soul. I was amused to find out that TMBG has been dabbling in children's music of late. I think that the band's unique sense of humor is perfectly suited to making smart kids' music that parents can really enjoy. (I'm not exactly a "Barney Live" kind of mom!) So, now my kids love listening to NO!, Here Come the 123's, and Here Come the ABC's. And mom likes listening as well.

Provo Temple

A while ago, our stake president challenged us to take a family photo in front of the Provo Temple. The Provo Temple is the temple for our district. Today was the perfect day, as we were attending a double mission homecoming at a ward house in Provo. I recently read a post from a favorite blog (cjanerun), and she noted that the Provo Temple, "is a gift from the decade of its conception. Built in the late '60's, the design is symbolic of the 'cloud by day, fire by night' promises made to the children of Israel." It really is a special temple with a very cool, retro design.

It is so easy to discount the Provo Temple, since many of us Utah County dwellers drive by it on a regular basis. But I'll tell you who doesn't take this temple for granted-little Sylvia. As we drive up the hill, her energy builds, and when we reach the bend in the road where we pass the temple, she EXPLODES!! "Mama! Mama! Look, there's the temple! I see it! I'm gonna get married in the temple, huh, mama?! Oh, the angel Moroni is so cute!" I'm not kidding.

Looking at the family picture we took today reminds me of how much I really have. I'm not rich, terribly thin (can you believe my butt in the picture w/Ben above???), and I don't drive a fancy car. But I have a happy marriage, a beautiful family, and a special faith that is precious to me.

Another Fun Day at the Dinosaur Museum

What a spectacular day to visit the Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving Point! We went with the Rocks, the Cornwalls, and the Baileys to do some prehistoric partying. The museum is celebrating it's birthday, so there are lots of fun activities for the kids. We decorated crowns, got our faces painted (for the 3rd time in a week), and went fishing for candy. We loved being able to spend so much time this week with fun cousins who are just our age! We are so sad that the Rocks have to go back to Maryland/Pennsylvania tomorrow, because our kids have so much fun together. We need to go back east to visit them before too long!

Happy 4th

We had a great time this 4th of July. First, we went to the Thompson Family Reunion, and enjoyed KFC and lots of visiting with extended family members. Then, we went home for a much needed nap, so the kids could enjoy the evening festivities. We were lucky to receive free tickets to the Stadium of Fire. (Thanks, uncle Bret!) What a fun show! I know I'm a little older than they're target demographic, but the Jonas Brothers put on a pretty fun show. Now, I'm not going to rush out and buy their latest album or anything, but the music was fun for Sylvia and I to dance to! She stood on Nate's lap, and shook her little behind to the music-she was more entertaining than the show! Unfortunately for Ben, he didn't really enjoy the music or the fireworks. I'm pretty sure it was just too loud for his taste. He spent most of the time huddled under his chair with his bag of popcorn! Poor kid. We couldn't even get him to hold a sparkler this year! But now he's been exposed to it, and maybe he'll do better next year.

Balloon Festival

This morning we woke up early and went to the Balloon Festival at the Provo High Fields. We had such a fun time, as this is one of Ben's most favorite things ever. He loves hot air balloons! After we watched the balloons launch, we had breakfast at Magelby's Fresh. Way fun!

Temple Day

Today was such a fun day! We met up with the Rock Family (visiting from Maryland) and had a temple day. We took the kids--yes, seven kids and two strollers--to Temple Square, and took an abbreviated tour of the Conference Center as well. Then, we went to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house in South Jordan. What a beautiful temple! It was lovely, and the kids were very well behaved. Well, except that Ben loved the echo in the Baptistry. So other than that...

After the temple, we went to Chic-fil-A for dinner. We lucked out! It was kids' night, and meals were discounted and they had free face painting! The lady was a real artist, and never complained about, er, fidgety two year olds who couldn't decide what they wanted on their face. Fun was definitely had by all.