Top 10 great things about our trip to Utah

I realize that my posts have been a little boring lately. We've been busy to save time I've done a lot of collages and slide shows ("enough is enough" you might be thinking). So to spice things up a little and to show you how much we enjoyed our trip to Utah I thought I'd share my top 10 memories or experiences from our trip. Hope you enjoy.

#10 This awesome swing at Megan and Todd's house in Hyde park. It was hanging from a huge tree so you could go soooo high in the sky. If it would have held me I would have gotten on for sure.

#9 Reading 2 novels in the car on the way there and on the way back. I so appreciate Ethan who sat by Ellie and by the food box. He saved me so much neck strain from turning around by reaching things to all the girls while I continued reading in the front seat. What a good son. Here's what I read: and...Both were great, thanks to Mindy for loaning me "Pope Joan" and if anyone wants to borrow "The hourglass door" just let me know. It's another Mormon woman author trying to make it big like Stephanie Meyer, and a book one in a series just to warn you. (not as good as Twilight though)

#8 Free museums! When the budget is tight just head to the BYU campus! The kids loved the Walter Wick exhibit at the BYU art museum (he's one of the "I spy" guys). We also went to the Bean museum there with all the dead animals on display (eek), and the Hill Air Force base museum up in Ogden. Yea for all the cool planes and the fact that we got there in time for the air rocket activity. Who doesn't like shooting things in the air?

#7 Grandma Sycamore's bread. For those of you who have lived in Utah you know what I mean. It's the yummiest bread ever and for some sad reason you can only get it in Utah. I always bring a few loaves home with me to savor the yum a little longer but alas, they're almost gone already. Please Grandma, move to Texas!!

#6 Kids playing with cousins. I love it when cousins get together and play like it's only been a months since we've seen them instead of the year that it has been. Or when 8 year old 2nd cousins that have never even met until now become instant best friends and are sad when they have to say good bye just 24 hours later. From the Bullocks to the Bakers, we miss you already and thanks for the fun times!

#5 The fact that it wasn't 105 degrees. After one the hottest June's on record in Texas we were sooo ready for a break. When we drove into the Colorado Springs valley and started smelling the rain we rolled down our windows and started singing praises. It was so nice to not sweat every time we went out side or to go up the canyon to enjoy a hike in the cool breeze! We kept asking ourselves why did we move from this place? Both Utah and Colorado were perfect with the 80 degree highs, that beats 105!#4 Our A/C not breaking in our Yukon until AFTER we got home! I'm totally not complaining that it broke or that we have to pay an insane amount of money to get it fixed, simply because it didn't break DURING our drive home. That would have been MISERABLE!! It had started making odd noises during the last 8 hours or so and even started leaking water on my feet on the passenger side floor but it didn't stop working until the next morning! To me that's a blessing.

#3 The dizzy bat. Have you ever played that game where you put your head on the top of a baseball bat and spin around and around 8 times and then try and run a race? That's the dizzy bat game and someone made me play it. I don't do well when I'm dizzy and I totally biffed it. I shouldn't say playing the dizzy bat was my #3 on my list but rather laughing about it afterwards was my #3. I loved laughing that hard.

I know this is not a picture of the dizzy bat but Dallas hoola-hooping came soon after and was another fun game we played at the Bullock Reunion in Midway. Maybe just maybe I'll get the video footage of me falling from the dizzy bat posted later. Stay tuned for that 'cause it's a doozy!

#2 Finishing this:

here:

I'm so proud of my kids. We took up our Stake President's challenge back in January to finish the Book of Mormon by June 30 and read 3 pages a day and 4 pages on Sundays. Dallas and I didn't just read to the kids, Ethan read his pages on his own, Abbey would read out loud to me and Miah would listen. They either followed along or read every page of that amazing book. We just had a few pages to go when we rolled into Colorado on the 27th of June so we hiked the kids up to Siamese Twins rock (our favorite place at the Garden of the Gods), and finished that last 3 of the 531 pages together in that beautiful place. I hope they never forget that moment, I know I never will.

#1 The number one memory from our trip to Utah was..............

going to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house.

My kids were so excited to go inside the temple, this was their first time and it was oh so awesome. Even though it's not dedicated yet there was just the neatest feeling to be inside with them. We especially loved sitting in the Sealing room and feeling the power of being an Eternal Family. I'm so grateful that I can be together forever with these kiddos and Dallas.

Until next year!