So you think you're going to the drive in movies with your babies?

Did you actually think you'd watch the movie?

  

Get ready for some good snuggling, then not snuggling, then snuggling, then tossing and turning, then sitting, then standing, then moving, then getting your toes smashed, then head butted, then rocking, then kissing, then snuggling, then smashing...

 

 Get it?  You won't really be watching the movie.  You go just to get out of the house and hang out with the kids.

No Movie Watching will be happening. 

(This post was super old but it was something I wanted to remember...so months later)

Pumpkin and Pandas

I really do love Ogden.  There is always something to see, do, eat.  It's just an amazing city.  For instance, this Pumpkin Quinoa dish from A Good Life Cafe was delish.  Sometimes it' hard to find a decent meal that doesn't have loads of dairy in it.  But this, this was amazing.  Aiko loved it too. 

Which, this girl can pound it in, I'm going to have to start buying her, her own meals, because she eats most of mine and I'm left hungry.  (Don't cross a mama who is nursing, especially when it comes to her food.)

The is the back entrance to the cafe.  Isn't it dreamy?

 Plus, my friends theater is just a few doors down.  If you guys haven't been to 25th street in Ogden, ya gotta go.  I've been loads of times and always find something new!

County Fair

We went to the County Fair!  I don't even remember when it was, but it's been sitting as a draft post forever.  I think this was the start of our whirlwind events.  Derek's dad came into town and instead of just sitting in the house we decided to go out and be part of the world!

I do love Fairs.  I love to walk around and see all the different booths, watching all the people and just being there.

Who doesn't love seeing all the different colors and textures of the world?

Like this guy above?  He's amazing.  He was also extremely large.

People watching. 

Cow watching.  (Did you even check the guy to the right?)

Seeing deadly sharks.  Like the Nurse sharks.  Which, I don't think they even have teeth.  They were the MAIN attraction and highlight. 

 

Of course, we had to go see the rodeo. 

 This baby girl loves her horses.  She would just stare at all the cowgirls.

I really though Aiko would love the petting zoo. 

Nope, we had to force her to touch any animal. 

The goat butts were pretty adorable.

Did you know that a Cebu was a real animal?  Here the husband and I thought that it was a figment of Larry the Cucumber's imagination.  How wrong we were.  See it here.

My favorite animal in the world?  Besides the rugged man you see before you, is the lovely donkey.  I'm still obsessed.  See them here. 

Hopefully Aiko and Orion will enjoy the petting zoo a little more next year!

Tea Party

A few weeks ago we stopped at the Treehouse Museum.  Aiko still loves it.  You'd think after going so many times we'd get bored.  But we never to do. 

We had a tea party in the British Section this time. Which, I'd never even seen or noticed before.  I'll admit, I probably had just as much fun as she did.  I love watching her play "pretend."

She would drink some tea and then smack her lips and say "Ahhhh."

Can they make this stove for my kitchen?

Little Brother and dad were watching from their mini recliner.  Little brother dressed up for tea.

Aiko loves animals.  LOVES them.  In the Germany section we found this little Playhouse.  Some of the other kids were putting on a play. 

Aiko and I decided to put on our own play.  It's a play about little animals that get smashed by a giant baby in red shoes.  The end.

 

Aiko embracing her inner-quarter-Asian self. Don't worry, Pikachu is in the Japanese section. 

Ogden Temple Open House

 

 Last week, we were able to go to the Ogden Temple Open House.  It was beautiful.  Thanks for inviting us Roxanne!

Last week was crazy.  We were going to Iowa to see my Grandpa before he died...then we turned around and then didn't go.  Then we were going to go.  It was just a hectic, sad time.  Walking through the temple brought some calm into the storm.  Once we got to the celestial room, I was overwhelmed with a sense of peace.  I knew everything was going to be okay, and that Grandpa would be home soon.

Love this little family of mine!

Ogden Temple.

I wrote this article for Indie Ogden.

Religion is in my blood.  Years ago, my great-grandfather ran away from his home in Japan to come to America to be a pastor.  He settled in Ogden long before the original Ogden Temple was built.  My great-grandfather was the Pastor for the Ogden Japanese Christian Church for years.   His son (My grandfather) later joined the LDS church, and my family has been members of the LDS church ever since.  

I can’t even fathom what my ancestors would think, if they could see Ogden now.  No longer the fields of farmers, it is now one of the main hubs of Utah. Ogden has become host to huge, crowd-drawing events year-round. Not only did we just have an epic weekend by Pepsi, Ogden is also hosting the Tour of Utah and the USA Cycling masters Road National Championships, in the near future.  The Ogden Temple open house is expected to be another huge event. According to Fox 13 News, “More than 500,000 people have RSVP’d for the open house.”   That’s an average of 13,500 people PER DAY, for the next 37 days!    So. Many. People.

(Photo from Wikipedia)

On February 17, 2010 the LDS Church announced that the Ogden Temple would “undergo major exterior and interior renovations.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogden_Utah_Temple)  .  The Ogden Temple was originally dedicated in 1972 and was the 14^th temple.   Now, there are 142 temples worldwide, with 13 of them in Utah.

With the renovation, the square footage of the temple dropped from 131,000 sf to 115,000 sf.   The original entrance was changed from the west side to the east side, facing Washington Boulevard.  The exterior, which was designed in the 1970s, has been completely redone in stone and beautiful stained glass windows.  No small detail has been overlooked.  As the temple is a very sacred place for the LDS church, only the best of the best materials have been used.  (To view a gallery of the Ogden Temple before renovation please click here.  To view a gallery during construction click here. )  

Ogden Utah Temple.© 2014 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.

Before a temple is dedicated, the LDS Church holds a public Open House for the Temple.  Our own Ogden Temple Open House will be held August 1 to September 6.  The tour includes a guided tour of the temple and the tabernacle building next door, along with a short 10 minute movie.   Visitors can ask questions and walk the grounds of the temple.  (To reserve tickets click here.) 

 

There will also be a Cultural Celebration on September 20, 2014 at the Weber State University Dee Events Center.  Youth from the LDS church, aged from 12-18 will be participating.  Dance and music practices are already being held for the event.  Elder Craig Fisher was quoted from standard.net saying, “We have original music written by people in the temple district. It focuses on our pioneer heritage, Ogden history, the Golden Spike, the Hispanic community, the Indian people and other prominent people from the area. It will be wonderful.”

Although, I am very excited for the open house, I am also just glad to have the temple finished.  For me, the temple is a place of peace and comfort.  It is a place that I can get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life there.   Hopefully, as you tour the grounds, you’ll be able to feel that same peace too.  It’s great to have our Ogden Temple complete once again.  

To read more about why the LDS Church builds Temples click here.

Public Open House Information (from LDSChurchtemples.com)

 The general public, including children of all ages, is invited to attend an open house of the Ogden Utah Temple. Admission is free, but reservations are requested.

Reservations:  Open house tickets are available at templeopenhouse.lds.org/tickets.
Open House Dates:  Friday, August 1, through Saturday, September 6, 2014, except for Sundays (August 3, August 10, August 17, August 24, and August 31, 2014)

Hours:

Sunday:  Closed Monday:  8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tuesday–Saturday:  8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Location:  350 22nd Street, Ogden, Utah – View Map 

Dress:  Modest dress is requested. 

Parking:  Parking attendants will guide you to an available parking space. Plan to arrive early to allow time for traffic and parking.
Tours:  Open house tours will generally last about an hour. Tours will begin in the tabernacle on the north side of the temple where a ten-minute video will be presented. Following the video, there will be a tour of the temple. Guests are invited to visit the reception area after the tour to enjoy various displays about the temple and ask questions.

For more tour information and tickets click here.

To read about other everyday LDS Mormons click here

Other Utah Temples: Bountiful Temple, Brigham City Temple, Draper Temple, Jordan River Temple, Logan Temple, Manti Temple, Monticello Temple, Mount Timpanogos Temple, Oquirrh Mountain Temple, Provo Temple, Salt Lake Temple, St. George Temple, and Vernal Temple.