Hot Date

I usually decline when Ben asks me to go to work things with him.

He's going to be busy . . . too busy to really talk to me or anything, so why would I go?

I also just don't like mingling with people I don't know.

I can never think of anything to say.

And I never regret saying "NO" either . . . except when he went to France this last February.

That was a REALLY stupid thing to say "NO" to.

What was I thinking?

Anyway.

Somehow, he managed to ask me to this event at the right time . . . because I found myself saying yes.

Kind of wishing I had said "NO".

But I should give it a shot every once in awhile, right?

This event was actually really fun.

BYU's Vocal Point group was having a CD release party.

They performed too . . . which is always fun to watch and pretty impressive.

And this time, Ben was actually able to hang out. 

Kind of a cool work thing if you ask me.

Too bad most of them are not like that :)

Spring Break Vacay - Day 4

We made it to the top of the "Y"!

This hike was actually so much easier this time . . . and it is NOT because I am in better shape, but because we went in MUCH cooler weather.

In the past, Gwen has really complained about hiking, which of course made me sad because I really like it and want my kids to all like it too.  

But this time, she did really well . . . and even said she liked it!

Here we are on the top!

Austin complained a lot . . . which is kind of what he does these days about everything.

His sisters think that we should just leave him with babysitters when we want to do family things.  

He did whine and cry a lot . . . which led me to be SO glad we did not do the Disneyland trip.

We will wait a little longer :)

Spring Break Vacay - Day 3

 

There are a lot of museums in Salt Lake that we have never checked out before.

So after swimming some more at the hotel of course, we decided to see what The Leonardo was like.

They had some neat exhibits.  Here the kids (and Ben) are seeing what a "green screen" will do.

Here you could move objects around, take pictures of them, and then watch the movie you created.

Abby and Austin both spent a long time at this one!

Halle and Austin worked on a clay person.

Here the girls made things out of clay.

Overall, we had a good time!

I enjoyed the exhibits that were there . . . I just wish there were more.

We were done in about 2 hours, and the kids felt like they had seen and done everything.

Spring Break Vacay - Day 2

For our 2nd day, we spent time on Temple Square. 

Well, after we got our fill of the hotel breakfast and pool.

I think that for our kids, we could just stay in any hotel with a pool, in any city, call that the vacation, and they would think that is the BEST THING EVER!

As soon as we started walking around the city, Gwen pointed out how Salt Lake 

is A LOT different than where we live.  

We stopped by the city's Visitor's Center.

If you stand in the middle of the room and look up, it is set up to look like you are in a beehive!

Here we are in the Tabernacle.

We listened to the "pin drop" presentation.

I think the kids were pretty impressed!

Next we hit the Visitor's Center on Temple Square.

Gwen really wanted to read each caption for every picture, and she did!

We walked up the winding walkway to see the Christ staute

.

Austin just wanted to go up and down the escalators . . . no matter where we were!

Here we are viewing the temple.

And enjoying the beautiful grounds.

The Nauvoo Cafe sells BYU ice cream . . . . 

After checking out everything we wanted to on Temple Square, 

we visited the Church History Museum.  

On to more swimming at the hotel tonight!

Spring Break Vacay - Day 1

I had a hard time figuring out what to do for Spring Break this year.

A few months ago I thought maybe it would be fun to spend a couple days at Disneyland
and then a day at the beach.  I started planning it and reserved a hotel room.
 But as Spring Break got closer, that thought just made me tired :)

Then I started leaning toward St. George.   A couple years ago we rented a condo there and had a really good time swimming and hiking and visiting a few church sites.

But then, Ben pointed out that there are so many things closer to us that we haven't really done.

So, we decided to have a Salt Lake City vacation for Spring Break this year!

Our first stop was actually about an hour north of Salt Lake.

We wanted to visit the Crystal Hot Springs in Honeyville, UT.

Our kids have never visited a hot springs before, and I haven't been to one since I was in high school.

This one has two water slides, a few different pools with varying temperatures, and a clothing rule!

It has been so long since we have been able to swim outside!

The water was really warm and the facility wasn't crowded at all.

The water slides are a nice addition for kids (and adults).  

The kids and Ben went down that so many times!

Abby did complain about bugs in the water (although I'm not sure what you can do about that).

Gwen didn't really like how her skin felt after being in the mineral/salty water.

The facility wasn't as big as I expected . . . I guess pictures are always misleading!

But ultimately, we had a GREAT time and liked swimming somewhere different!

Going to Work!

Going to work with Dad is pretty cool sometimes!

Ben needed to be at a video shoot which was combining BYU Men's Chorus with BYU's Vocal Point. The girls all wanted to go . . . and ended up having a great time . . . and got really full from pizza.

Abby feels like she knows members of Vocal Point and likes interacting them.

Abby actually is going to an a cappella music camp this summer!

It is put on by the Vocal Point director.  She can't wait!

General Conference

We decided to go to a session of General Conference this year!

Ben was able to get tickets to the afternoon session on Saturday :)

Halle had never been, so this was a special treat!

Ben's mom was in town with Michelle and Matt.  So Gwen and Austin watched conference 

with them and Angela in the tabernacle on Temple Square while 

we went into the Conference Center (Ben only had 4 tickets).

Here we are in our seats.  I had forgotten how massive this building is, 

and how many people can fit into it!

Abby and Halle enjoyed being in the Conference Center, and Gwen and Austin had a 

GREAT time with Angela and Nana.

They kept talking about the ice cream they got :)

Once it was over, we rode the train or tram (whatever it is called) for a short time to get to our car, 

and the kids thought that was the best thing ever!

I still REALLY  enjoy watching conference at home, 

but it is fun to go up there once in awhile and see it in real life!

Nana in Town!

Nana was in town for Halle's game too!

Halle played well again, scoring 3 of the 6 goals!

It was pretty cold outside, but Halle doesn't seem to notice.

Volleyball

Abby played volleyball again this spring!

She really likes it and is getting better every season.

I felt like her season was so short this time.

She missed a couple games and practices because of play rehearsal or shows, 

and then someone was sick at our house for about two weeks, so I was just dropping her off at her games instead of staying to watch :(

Nana was in town for her last game!

So fun to have the extra support!

April Fool's Day

So, April Fool's Day isn't a holiday I really celebrate (along with St. Patrick's Day).

I think my kids are sensing my lameness because when I woke up today, 

this is how the kids all looked!

They each had made up this crazy story as to why they were so battered.  

They went to school like this (well Austin didn't wear the wig to playgroup)! 

Maybe I will have to rethink celebrating some of these holidays :)