Payson Temple Open House

Not too far from  us, a temple was recently completed.  This means we had the opportunity to go to the open house, when it is opened up to anyone who wants to come see the inside, whether they are members of our church or not.  It is a great experience and there is a joyful peace inside the building.
The kids, who are not old enough to attend the temple and participate in temple ordinances, were very excited to get to see what the inside of a temple is like.

This particular temple is as beautiful on the inside as it is on the outside.  We were happy for our children to see that our chapels are simple while our temples are beautiful, but not gaudy, because they are built for our Heavenly Father and we want to give Him our best.

James was not too keen on pictures but we had to try anyway.  We've got a fun group of kids here.

There are published pictures of the interior for those of you who didn't get to see it in person.  Here are two of my favorites:

This is a sealing room, where families are joined to be together for eternity and marriages also take place.  It is special to kneel with your companion in this beautiful, peaceful room and make promises that will last forever.  Having a supportive, intimate gathering of the most important people in your life there with you makes a temple marriage unforgettable.

This is called the Celestial Room.  It a representation of heaven and is the perfect place for reflection.  Even with the bustle of open house attendees, this room has a different, more powerful peace than even the other areas of the temple.

I think the kids had a wonderful time even though we had to wake up early to get to the temple in time for our tour.  I hope we get the opportunity to attend another open house soon.

(If you want to know more about why the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints builds temples, read this or watch this.)

Hiking

Since we live so close to many beautiful mountains and child-friendly hikes, I decided one day to take the kids up a particularly rocky canyon.  They were thrilled.  

We packed lunch and headed out.

We had been studying rocks and rock formations in  home school, so this canyon was a good choice.  The kids got to see some unusual rock patterns in real life.  I was excited for them to have some good hands-on learning time.

Not surprisingly, the kids were much more excited about meeting all the dogs (and dog owners) passing by us on the trail. 

However you slice it, a great time was had by all.

The trees hadn't greened up much yet but it was still pretty and peaceful.  The kids loved climbing around on anything they could find.  They also enjoyed being with each other.

There is something about physical activity that takes the itch to fight right out of my kids.

The higher, the better.  All of them were worried about snakes lounging on sunny rocks, slithering across the path, or jumping out at them from dark crevices.  But I don't think any of the kids were worried about falling.

Even James was not deterred by height.  He climbed after the rest of the kids and never slowed down.  "Just call me mountain-climbing Tyrannosaurus Rex!" he repeated enthusiastically.  James never once complained about the walking or the heat or anything else.  He was just thrilled to be alive and participating it what must have felt like a very grown-up adventure.

Everett would have climbed much higher if I had let him.  Visions of broken necks precluded me from encouraging the kids on too extensively.

Even Ashley, our resident fearer-of-heights (and water, and loud noises, and the dark), climbed nimbly and unabashedly.

William, our big imagination guy, filled our time with questions like, "What would you do if suddenly a hundred snakes came out of these rocks and tried to attack you?  Could you survive?"

Getting down was almost as fun as getting up.  The kids each fashioned themselves a walking stick, and Ashley instructed her younger brothers in how to use them for proper downhill sliding.

The little boys preferred to use their walking sticks as boomerangs (a term adopted by James), and tossed the projectiles joyfully from the top of their perches.

This is how Charlie enjoyed the hike.  We did find a nice place to stop for a snack, which meant Charlie could finally get out of his baby carrier and wander a bit.  It also meant my poor shoulders could get a rest from the poundage of a chubby toddler plus a backpack full of food and water for six.

What hike is complete without an intimate visit with Mother Nature?  The boys were thrilled and Ashley just rolled her eyes, glad she is physiologically compelled to be left out of that stunt.

We left the canyon after three hours and having grown a desire to return the very next day.  Unfortunately, life has gotten in the way and we haven't been back.  I think we are due for another hike very soon--probably one that will be just as new and exciting as this one was.

We're glad to be back in hiking territory!