The last of our vacation

I realize that I have been drawing this out, but we've only gone on one vacation in the past two years... bear with me here:

Playing the piano with mommy (NO, I don't play well enough to be called as a pianist at church)

"FRRROOGGYY!" Book - Claire was introduced to these by her Grandma and she couldn't get enough

We got to visit to the Oklahoma City Temple. My mom was nice enough to watch the kids. We left right after they went down for naps. The temple was only a 15 minute drive from their home. When we got back the kids were fine. I was worried about being away from Noel, but he did great and the kids slept most of the time we were gone anyway. I was so glad that we had the opportunity to go. This was the first time since we moved to Texas. We miss the Lansing Ward temple days and their way of organizing the babysitting right there at the Bloomfield Hills Stake Center next to the Detroit Temple. I wish they would do something similar here. Our ward was just too big was what I was told.

One of the nice temple ladies got choked up as she told me that she was feeling the spirit so strong that it was either emanating from me or the person I was going for. I felt it too. I remember the clean feeling after my baptism when I was eight years old. I felt the same feeling come back when I went to the temple the first time right before my mission. I felt it again this time. I know I should be able to get that in sacrament every week, but with the distractions from my sweet children, I admit that hasn't happened. I'm just so glad that we were able to make it back to the temple and that things went so smoothly with the kids. I've been praying for weeks that we would be able to make it work and it did!

Hanging out after the trip to the temple

Noel being cute as usual on the "doggie" pillow - don't worry no doggies had or will ever use it. It was a nice sitting area for Claire to watch her favorite movie "Monster Baby" aka. Monster's Inc.

Pigtails and bananas for breakfast

On the way home, it rained. It cooled things off a ton and we actually needed to put on some hoodies. But by the time we got home things were back into the upper 90's. We knew what to expect a little better on the way home, so it only took us 7 hours to get home rather than the 8 to get there... Claire was happy as long as she had her blanket and her baby. Claire was especially sad to leave Grandma and Grandpa and has been asking to go back to "gamma's" house ever since. I can't blame her, I can't wait to go back too.