I love to see the Temple

On Sunday we went for a drive to this place:

It's one of our favorite places to visit.
Some days we bring ice cream and sit in the car.
Other days it's just Daddy and Emmy that come on dates.
On Sunday it was our family. No ice cream or any extras.
Just us.
Lots of singing, picture taking, and talking about being sealed there as a family.
Lots of smiles as well from this little one.

When I asked her the other day her favorite place to go
she replied "the Temple!"

Singing "Book of Mormon Stories" with Daddy

Enjoying the sun roof and wind blowing her hair.

It was a perfect afternoon.

Five for Friday!

Wow, what a week and a half! Here's what you've been missing out on since I last blogged!

1. Last Wednesday/thursday, Jeremy and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary (a month late but we still celebrated!). Emmy stayed at her cousins house for her first overnight slumber party and had a wonderful time. I love that she is so happy wherever she goes and has no issues when Mommy and Daddy go out. As for me, I was a little teary leaving her for the first time overnight but reminded myself all night that she was having a blast and probably wasn't missing me! (I was right by the way - when we came to pick her up she was too busy to even come hug us! She loves her cousins!).

Jeremy took me to the Melting Pot for the first time. Fabulous food - I think I'm still full. The dessert was by far the best - how can you go wrong with dipping cheesecake, brownies, strawberries, pound cake and mallows into melted chocolate. You just can't. So Yumm!

That night we stayed at the Anniversary Inn. Nothing says "I love you" like sleeping surrounded by alligators, elephants and monkeys. Wow. Kinda Special. It's always good to laugh a lot!

Seriously though it was a really great getaway and much needed with the Hubs. We went shopping, ate lunch at Chipotle and then did sealings at the Draper Temple (hence why the Hubs is looking so fine sitting near his alligator.)

(the Hubs and I posing with our pet Elephant)

2. The night we got back from our little getaway, I had a message from the Bishop's secretary saying that the Bishop wanted to meet with me. That pretty much meant a new calling. A huge surprise considering I've only been teaching Gospel Doctrine for a year now ( a calling which I LOVE!). Well....I am now the YW 1st counselor!!!!!! I am so excited! I love the youth so much and I have wanted to serve in YW for awhile. I love the women that I am serving with and am so excited for all the new adventures that lie ahead.

3. Pioneer Day. We took Emmy swimming to the new community pool. Emmy is quite the fishy and she's learning how to swim pretty well. I think I'll be putting her in swim lessons this fall at our indoor pool. We had a blast swimming all morning - all of us could probably live at the swimming pool during the summer. Especially when your local pool involves water slides, lazy rivers, splash pads, flowriders, and hot tubs. Not too shabby. Later that night, Emmy and Daddy did poppers - Emmy learned they make much louder noises when you stomp on them.

4. The biggest excitement of the week started on Sunday with my little party animal kidney stones moving around. Monday morning the pain increased quite a bit and I ended up in the ER by Monday afternoon. IV drugs can be a fabulous thing. Since then it's been a week of blocked bladders, persistent stones, much throwing up, and lots of pain. Good times. However, I was finally able to eat yesterday and I'm doing better today. My body feels like it's had major surgery but Jeremy was able to go back to work today and I'm beginning to feel like a contributing member of this family once again. We're praying I pass the stone this weekend so I don't have to have surgery next week to remove the stone. Much power of positive thinking will be happening this weekend!

5. What this weekend holds - The National FSA (Families Supporting Adoption Conference) is today and tomorrow. Unfortunately because Jeremy took this entire week off to nurse his wife back to health, we weren't able to take today off to attend. But we'll be there tomorrow and I'm so excited! I love FSA and this conference. I have many friends presenting so I"m looking forward to being spiritually uplifted and taught.
Other things to look forward to - teaching my last sunday school lesson on sunday, our family fast for our birthmom, cleaning our house, and giving Emmy lots of attention and much needed kisses from her mommy!

Have a good weekend everyone!

I love to see the temple...

That is one of Em's new favorite songs to sing, except when she sings it it sounds more like pimple.... "I love to see the pimple..." No dear, you won't love seeing those when you're ages 13-17. Trust. me.
But back to the temple... Last week our family went to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple Open House (wow, say that 5 times fast or slow...). We've been truely blessed to live in an area where we've had 2 chances to attend temple open houses. It has been a very sweet experience to go inside the temple as a family and always reminds me of the day Emmy was sealed to us.
As we were leaving the temple, Emma started crying and quietly said "I don't want to go. Please stay inside." I love my sweet little girl and the amazing spirit that she carries with her. I am in awe that even a 2 year old who is constantly running around and laughing is in tune enough to know that the Spirit was strong inside the temple that day and that is a place where she wants to be.
When we left we explained to her that we would be back someday to be sealed again as a family when she got a new baby brother or sister. She said "Sister please." Oh how we all can't wait for that day to come. Please come soon.

So in tune....

(Emmy's sealing day, 2007)

We are having a wonderful weekend! I love weekends when we're busy and get to be together as a family. Yesterday we went to the baptism of our 8 year old cousins (triplets!). It was an amazing day and the spirit was incredible. Emmy was in heaven getting to play with cousins all day long. She was downstairs playing with the girls when I came down calling her name to let her know it was time to go home. She turned to her cousins and said "Uh-Oh" and put the blanket over her head hoping I wouldn't find her. She most definitely did not want to go home and would move in with the cousins if we let her!
Friday night we went downtown to look for big girl furniture and bedding. It is time to say adios to the crib. I really want to transition her before a new sibling might come along - new sibling and new bed all in one week could make for one unhappy toddler. After doing some shopping, we ate dinner at Temple Square and walked around the Salt Lake Temple (where Mommy and Daddy were married). Emmy loves seeing the temples. She could barely force herself to eat her dinner because she just wanted to go see the temple. She loved looking at all the brides in their "fancy" dresses. As we walked around she asked where her sister was. That reminded me of a really sweet experience Jeremy had with her a couple of months ago that I thought I'd share.
Jeremy and Em go on daddy-daughter dates and for this particular date they got ice cream and walked around the temple near our home. Daddy told her this was where she was sealed to us and how we would be together forever, etc. All of the sudden Emmy bolted off and tried to get inside the temple. She was absolutely determined to get in there and very very upset that Jeremy wouldn't let her get in. Finally through her sobs she kept saying "I go inside. My sister inside. My sister inside. I need inside."
I don't know if it means anything - believe me, I could analyze and ponder that all day and hope that she's received some sort of mini revelation for our family but I just love the simplicity and faith of a small child. I do hope that she is right and that she does know somehow that she'll be able to one day go inside with her sister (or brother!) and be sealed again as an eternal family. I greatly look forward to that day!