Wedding Fun

Sometime in June, Hyrum's brother informed us he would be getting married in October.  We thought as usual Hyrum would attend while I would stay here with the kids and hold down the fort.  The couple dropped a little bomb on us when they requested we all come and even made an offer to help with that endeavor.  After some thought and prayer we decided it would be a good idea and boy was it ever. 

The floor in our car after a few hours.  It only went downhill from here.

We made a few choices that made it easier and one that made it a little harder--maybe.  We decided to drive to Salt Lake City, Utah spend the three days there for wedding events and drive home.  We bee-lined to Utah and home again afterwards, making for four very long days in the car.  we did decide to stay in a hotel with a two bedroom suite which helped alleviate stress of space conflicts and sleep schedules.  We also stayed in Salt Lake so we would be closer to the activities.  We didn't get to see much family other than the ones participating in the wedding which was sad but, you do what you have to do, right?

Monday and Tuesday were spent in the car.  I revamped the kids' car bags after our summer trip so everyone would have their own.  I was hoping to prevent things getting spilled all over the care but, that didn't work out so well.  One great idea was to get cheap cookie sheets and magnetic shapes.  The kids loved it and spent hours making pictures.  I also bought slinkys at the dollar store.  They were a great success.  Spencer loved calling out when saw a train, windmills or cows.  Thankfully there were a lot of those things.  It kept him busy. The other kids did a pretty good job of playing together or just enjoying their stuff in their space.  They traveled great, especially since we usually make a point of stopping and seeing things. 

Kids outside the tabernacle on Temple Square.

Wednesday we got up early and drove north of Salt Lake to a friend's house, where we dropped the kids off so we could attend a session at the Bountiful Temple.  It was a beautiful day and a beautiful way to spend our morning.  The temple is always a source of peace and comfort for me but that day it was especially so.  We picked the kids up and then hurried back to hotel to drop the kids and Hyrum off for lunch, naps, and work. 

Hannah and I headed to the Dodo for lunch with Charity and her bridesmaids, sisters, sister-in-law, mom and those soon to be related.  It was fun to get to know Charity's side of the family.   After lunch Hannah and I ran errands to places I can only go shop at in Utah--we had to check out the cooking store, Orson Gygi.  Love it.

That evening we joined the two families for a pizza dinner and some fun to get to know Ian and Charity a bit better.  They just glowed with excitement for their big day.  The pizza was good, the company was better and it was just a fun night. 

View from the top of the Conference Center.

One of the biggest reasons we decided to take the kids with us was because of all the times we've been to Utah we had never visited Temple Square.  This was one of the highlights of the whole trip.  On Thursday, we arrived a couple of hours before the wedding and took a tour of the Conference Center.  The kids loved it.  They loved seeing the place we had just watched General Conference take place in.  We saw several wedding pictures taking place on the grounds of the temple and had wonderful opportunities to talk about why we strive to be sealed in the temple.

Cousins at the Salt Lake Temple.

Then came the wedding.  It was a lovely ceremony that helped remind me of a few things I need to do better.   A great mom from Charity's home ward watched our kids while we were inside.  Then came the waiting and the pictures.  Spencer had a hard time with the pictures.  He was so tired.  After pictures we raced back to the hotel and arrived about 15 minutes before my sister who was watching the kids for the evening. 

The Happy Couple with the groom's nieces and nephews. 

We left the kids in my sister's capable hands and we joined the wedding party for dinner at the Millcreek Inn.  It was up Millcreek canyon and was so beautiful.  Charity and Ian's wedding colors were were navy, gold and coral.  The flowers were beautiful and the fall colors on the trees added to the romantic atmosphere.  It was a quiet evening spent with family and friends celebrating Ian and Charity. 

Siblings

Brothers

 Friday we drove to BYU so Hyrum could meet with someone on campus.  That didn't work out but the kids enjoyed the experiments at the Eyring Science Center.  My brother and his wife had just had a baby so on our way back up to Salt Lake we stopped by the hospital so I could say Hi and meet my new niece.  Unfortunately the kids couldn't go up and Hyurm was battling a cold so I was the only one who got to say Hi. 

Sillies at BYU

We grabbed some quick lunch and then got everyone ready for the reception that night as well as packed for our return trip home.  The reception was beautiful and so much fun.  The food was fabulous too.  We just got to soak it all in.  We left after the party was over and headed to Evanston, Wyoming so we could get an hour under our belt for our trip home. 

Our family at the reception

Saturday and Sunday were spent in the car though we did stop for church.  We stopped in Newton, Iowa which later I found out my parents had lived there for 6 months before I was born.  it was a busy week but so worth it.  The kids traveled well and we had a great time as a family.  We are so exited to have Charity in our family and look forward to getting to know her better. 

Most of the nieces and nephews, it's a big family.