Strength Through Tradition

We have had the tradition of attending the temple as a family each month for about six years now. That isn't to say that we have made it exactly every month for six years, but we have done pretty well at keeping it as a tradition. The other day I was actually imagining what it might be like to have children old enough that they could baby-sit while Clark and I go to the temple and I surprisingly felt sad.  I have enjoyed making this a family tradition, even if it is tiring and hard.  I am also reminded every time we make this trip that the family really is what the temple is all about.  We are doing our best to build a strong, faithful, loving family; and attending the temple reminds me of my goals to keep our family strong.

Out for a walk while at the temple.

I am certain that these sweet children I am blessed with are better friends with each other because we have kept this a tradition.  We are better able to handle the challenges that come with having a family because of this tradition.

Exploring while at the temple.

I know that the temple blesses our lives with power and strength to remain faithful through all the trials of life.  In the temple we can draw closer to God and have better perspective.  I really do "love to see the temple"!  (Link to Song)

Slide-tastic!

Our local Toys "R" Us is moving, so they're having a sale. We finally gave in and bought Andrew and Benjamin a new toy--instead of simply letting them play with worn out hand-me-downs. They sure love their new slide, as this picture (of Andrew fresh from a bath, not wanting to slow down to even get dressed) and video attest:

Little Field Trip

This week Benjamin and I have been focusing on transportation. I surprised him today by taking a field trip to Lion Country Safari for the train ride.   Before had I was excited to pick my own flowers from my garden.

My roses, still producing flowers!  I am so proud.  :-)

Sadly our trip ended up having A LOT of waiting.  Apparently the hours changed at the park and it now opens half-hour later than I thought...  Then none of the rides were open for another hour after that....  We made the best of things by seeing the animals around the park, and decided to ride a little coin ride.

Bejamin stuck his head in all the face picture things, I won't post all of those.  There is a section with dinosaurs and today there were dino sounds.  Benji wandered around there and kept saying it was so creepy.

The usual gator pose.

Finally the rides were available and we had each one to ourselves!  We rode the train, the elephant ride, and the carousel.  Benjamin rode his favorite, the giraffe, and Andrew rode an elephant. 

Hooray for things that "GO!"

Returning to Normal

After a long weekend, we're preparing for things to return to normal. Speaking of which, we went for a walk today and compared the water level in our neighborhood lake now to what it was just after Tropical Storm Isaac. It's been less than a week, but things appear back to normal (besides some debris at the high water mark, not shown in the picture). Here's a comparison: left is 28 Aug, right is 03 Sep

Just after TS Isaac (left), Back to Normal a Week Later (right)