Brigham City Temple Open House

 We were lucky enough to find a time to hit the new Brigham City temple open house recently.  As a Mom, I felt really good about myself in getting this accomplished.  Scheduling an appointment, getting us fed and ready and all there-you know the routine.  This was to be a chance to feel the spirit, answer deep questions about the temple and its significance, grow closer to each other as we contemplate the eternal nature of our family.

Well, here's what really happened.  We were late, it was hot, and the kids didn't want to get church clothes on.  We arrived at the temple and walked around back to the parking garage (which was where they were having people gather.  We met for a short introductory video which was so drown out by fans and the noise of people and the heat that it was completely lost to our children.  After this we began our walk to the entry doors.  The underground parking lot was (though decorated nicely, clean, and flanked on every corner by kind smiling volunteers, also packed with slow moving people, and hot.  We finally got our booties, which was fun to see the same size of bootie envelop Rhyse's feet and stretch itself to the limits for Craig's. 

For the sake of time I'll just list a few of the highlights of our visit.
Landen was in rare form during our visit.  He found himself so completely dehydrated that he was begging for water, focussing only on water and even leaving our snail paced line to locate water (this all during the first stint through the parking garage.  He begged to sit down during the whole visit, and often kept trying to sit on all the beautiful furniture that we were supposed to just be enjoying with our eyes.  He realized in his desperate state of overheatedness that many of the surfaces of the temple were cooler than the air.  I kept looking over at him to find him running his check over the countertops, the walls, the stalls, the windows!  I tried to remind him that he was 11 and that this sort of behavior wasn't exactly condusive to this age, something he didn't seem to comprehend.  When we finished our tour and made it to the cookie table Landen (quite cleverly I must say) smashed two cookies together so they would appear to everyone else to be just one cookie.  (I'm not sure how dumb he really things I am!)

Rhyse was our poker and climber.  She poked her sweet little fingers through every things she could to touch everything she shouldn't.  She climbed on special things.  When she was sitting down eating her cookie she dropped most of it on lap.  Unwilling to let go of her water bottle and the remains of her cookie in the other hand, she simply bent in half and ate the fallen cookie like a little dog off her own lap.

Capriel, did only one thing I can remember as noteworthy.  She left the line we were in when she saw a drinking fountain that was polished so beautifully and not to be used since we were just touring not using the facilities.  As she does everything, she ran up to it and immediately slipped flat on her back  This was the kind of fall you see on a cartoon when the person slips on a banana.  I quickly grabbed her (while Landen slipped in quietly for a forbidden drink) and an attendant was immediately there to wipe away our mess and return things to their pristine state.  Oh and she did squeeze her waterbottle so hard till it began leaking all over. 

Talia got the biggest giggle out of the fact that we all toured the girls dressing room.  She asked if people wear booties in the water to do baptisms.  She enjoyed the Celestial room chandelier and was sure that it cost (trillions). 

Here are my children after having survived the difficult ordeal.  You would have thought we had done something really difficult.  What is it about crowds, walking slowly and "no touch"  and quiet zones that just makes our family SOOOO tired?

So, I don't know if my children came away from our experience with my above mentioned motives, but they certainly found a greater appreciation for a soft seat, a chocolate chip cookie, a cold water bottle, and the refreshing spacious grounds surrounding the temple.  Maybe next time...