Our Last Stop

One of the last things that we did in Utah was stop at my grandparents graves. It had been probably 10-15 years since I had stopped to see their graves and I thought it would be fun to take the kids and show them where their great grandparents were buried. I have only been to this cemetery 3 or 4 times. As we drove in to the cemetery I remembered the area where they were buried and when Jon asked me where to stop I told him. We ended up parking straight out from their headstone. Another reason why I thought it was important for us to stop, was for Gabe. His middle name is Stoddard just like my grandpa's.

Zoorassic Park At The Hogle Zoo

Our last day in Utah we took the kids to the Hogle Zoo. After Lagoon and Heritage Park they were both pretty tuckered out. We had a sort of grumpy day at the Zoo. They had animatronic dinosaurs all over the zoo and Gabe loved it. If you can see from Lydia's face in the second picture she was not a fan of them. Now she says, "Dinosaurs too scary."

Lagoon

We went to Lagoon and let me just say it was AWESOME! There were tons of rides that were fun for Jon and me, and BOTH kids! I was really worried before we went that our kids might not be quite big enough to go on many rides. Thankfully Lydia was over 36 inches and could go on almost everything with us. The first ride we took her on was Bombora. As we waited in the short line I was extremely nervous! At the end she LOVED IT and asked to ride it again! It looks like we will have many more trips to Lagoon in our future.

p.s. please disregard me and my crazy fluffy hair in the last picture. We went on Rattlesnake Rapids and I was completely drench. Just look at Gabe's cute face. He was so excited!

Temple Square

While we were in Salt Lake we decided it would be a good idea to take the kids to Temple Square. We stopped by after we went to Heritage Park. It was so fun to show them the Salt Lake Temple. In one of the visitor centers they have a model of the temple and we could show the kids what it looks like inside. I was just a little bit older than Gabe the first time I went to Temple Square and I still remember it pretty well. Lydia loved the Tabernacle because she could yell and hear it echo through the whole building. Gabe took the 2nd picture all by himself. Jon met a sister missionary from Germany that he got to practice his German with and Lydia just loved exploring. I am grateful that we have been blessed with the gospel. I am grateful to the sacrifices that were given to build the beautiful Salt Lake Temple. I am most grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ. I love this statue and the feeling of peace and love that it brings to my heart.

Heritage Park

All of the 3 posts below are from Heritage Park in Salt Lake City.  We went on July 25th the day that they celebrated Pioneer Day.  The kids had so much fun at the petting zoo and riding the horses.  We learned how to make rope, yarn, beaded bracelets, and much more.  They had such a good time checking everything out.

Heritage Park

Heritage Park

Heritage Park

Pics.

Here are a few pics of the kids in our room where we stayed in UT.

Thanksgiving Point

While in Utah a few weeks ago one of the places that we stopped was Thanksgiving Point, The Museum of Ancient Life. They Kids both had a lot of fun. I think that Gabe enjoyed it a little more than Lydia. She was not real fond of all the dinosaur bones. I was really bummed when we left the museum only to discover that I didn't get one picture of any of the dinosaurs:(. Gabe's favorite part was the erosion table. Lydia loved the "fossil beds" at the end.

Shoshone Ice Caves

On our way down to Utah we stopped at the Shoshone Ice Caves. I had never been and Gabe who is obsessed with Volcanoes LOVED IT! The ice cave is a lava tube. I was so glad that we had the backpack for Lydia. It was a nice break from being in the car and helped make the rest of the trip bearable.

Happy 30th Jon

This past month Jon turned the big 3-0! We had cake and ice cream that night with some family and friends.