One of the most exciting parts of our trip, was getting to go to the Ogden Temple Open House.  A few years ago, they closed the temple and did a complete remodel, taking the entire building apart.  We happened to be in Ogden right before they started, back in 2010, and I got a picture with Lily and Derek out in front.

Just look at the after.  Pretty amazing!

Before we headed to the open house, we spent the morning with Brent and Marilyn.  While we were there, another old friend that we hadn't seen in years stopped by to visit.  Dawn and her girls lived in Savannah while we were there, and she had recently moved to Utah.  It was so fun to catch up, and even more fun to see how well our girls still got along after not seeing each other in 4 1/2 years :).

Then we met my sister, Holly, and her family for lunch at a yummy pizzeria in Ogden.  I love any chance I get to spend with Holly :). After lunch, we all headed over to the temple open house.  It was so much fun to get to go with family.  Lily and Derek love their cousins!  My parents met us as well, and so it was a great group and fun to be together.

The inside of the temple was amazing!!  Truly amazing.  The artwork, the details, the lighting, the murals, the windows were all so beautiful. (Here is a link to the pictures the church released, since you cannot take your camera inside.) The kids were all amazed by it as well, and loved the feeling they felt there.  Arthur had been taking a nap, but woke up right before we went into the temple, and he loved it too.  I think his favorite part was getting a drink out of every water fountain we passed :).  And he looked so cute with the booties over his shoes.

It was truly a wonderful experience, and as Holly and I were walking through with Lily and Austin, it hit us that next year, they can do baptisms for the dead in the temple.  How did they grow up so fast?  I am so grateful we had the chance to share this with our children.

I especially loved getting to have another opportunity to see my parents.  With my dad going to be 77 in a few weeks, it makes me realize that each opportunity I have for my kids to build memories with him, is especially important.

That evening, we went back to the Jones' house and had a great double date with Brent and Marilyn, while Lily babysat.  We love spending time with them!  Before we knew it, it was Sunday morning and we were on the road again, heading home.  Derek even built a fort for himself in the back seat :).  It was a fantastic weekend, and a wonderful Utah adventure.