Provo Tabernacle Temple: Foundations

At the Provo Tabernacle, April 2012

(Eliot 4 1/2, Zachary 9 months)

Our little family is watching with great anticipation the building of the "Provo Tabernacle Temple" (what we're calling it; not sure what the official name will be). The area of south Provo where the former tabernacle/future temple stands is where our life began as a married couple. Grant and I lived in that very humble neighborhood for nearly five years, from when we were newlyweds in a scary little apartment where the Backman metal foundry, railroad tracks, and freeway overpass all intersect. It was a pretty shady place to live, that's for sure, but it was a wonderful, memorable time in our lives. There we were, as young newlyweds, high on life and full of hope, both fresh off our missions and ready to be put to work in one of the most poverty stricken neighborhoods of Utah. And put to work we were! We got to work right in the trenches, me as the Gospel Principles teacher, ward missionary, Young Women camp director, and eventually as a counselor in the Relief Society Presidency, Grant as Ward Mission Leader, Employment Specialist (a big calling in that particular ward, where a large percentage of the members were facing severe economic hardship), and then as counselor in the bishopric.

To say that we loved our time in that ward would be a gross understatement. I cannot think of that time in my life without filling with emotion and being so grateful that Heavenly Father led us to an area where we were truly needed. It was the best thing that could have happened to us as a newly married couple. To this day, I am convinced that those circumstances, though not ideal as far as safety, aesthetics, or convenience were concerned, were absolutely ideal for building the foundation of our marriage and family. We got to serve and work in an area where most of the members of our ward were truly downtrodden. And we got to do so alongside some of the most Christlike, pure-hearted people I have ever met. I cherish our memories in the Provo South Stake.

One of the tender blessings of living in south Provo was getting to attend stake conference in the Provo Tabernacle. There we were uplifted and encouraged to press forward by President "Buddy" Richards, our humble and magnificent stake president, who was a childhood friend of my mother's. At Christmas time, our stake was blessed to host the Living Nativity outside the Tabernacle walls, and Grant and I were fortunate enough to portray Mary and Joseph in 2005. Some of the most prized memories of our first years happened right in that humble little pocket of Provo. So it seems only fitting that our family, now growing with two little boys, will get to watch the tragically burned Tabernacle be converted into a temple. We feel deeply that this temple will be such a gift to that troubled yet wonderful little area of southwest Provo. We hope that its presence will be a light and a blessing to the people there. We plan to take our children for many more photo ops and teaching opportunities at that sacred site. Because, after all, that holy ground is part of the special place where the foundation of our family was built. We hope that our children will feel a respect and reverence for that place. It means so much to Grant and me. I will never forget when President Monson announced the plans to convert the Tabernacle into a temple at General Conference. Grant and I were both speechless and looked at each other with tears in our eyes. Our hearts are filled with joy to watch this miracle be built in a place that is so dear to us.

I'm so glad we caught this in time. This is the foundation of the original Provo Tabernacle. Apparently, a different one was there before the current one was built. You can see a picture of what it looked like below (on the "Provo Tabernacle" sign). The Church has had it excavated to dig up artifacts and do some research, but I guess they're going to cover it up again (we think they should have turned it into step-down garden, but I don't think they're taking suggestions ...)

We're excited to watch "our temple" be built up from this historic site that means so much to our little family!

(Side note: the gentleman you can see in this picture was such a fascinating person! He's a real history buff and photographer, with a special interest in photographing Church historic sites. He said he has over 9,000 photos of the Mormon pioneer trail! Amazing!)

"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; ... to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; ... And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations. ... And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the Lord hath blessed. I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; ... For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations."

-- Isaiah 61:1-4, 9-11

Jumpin' for Joy

This little video pretty much sums up what Eliot's into right now: his trampoline and his "Maddie's Mix CD" (music he got as a party favor at his cousin's birthday party). I would say those things are a part of our daily life right now. Jumping on his trampoline to one of "Maddie's Songs" (usually one from the newest Muppet movie soundtrack) has even become part of our bedtime routine. To which I say, "Whatever wears him out!" I do have to say that the trampoline, which Eliot received as a Christmas gift from his aunties, has been a wonderful way to expend all that little boy energy, especially on rainy days.

Spring ... Sorta

We built this snowman, the first one we've been able to build this season, literally on the first day of spring (do you see the daffodils in the background?). Ah, bizarre Utah weather. Eliot had been begging me to use his "snowman kit" that his Grandma Dickinson gave him for Christmas all winter, but we never had any snow that stuck ... until spring! His little buddy Weston came and helped us put the finishing touches on. Unfortunately, the day warmed up too quickly, and Frosty was toppled over and mostly melted by the afternoon. It made a little boy's day while it lasted!

9 Months

I am in serious denial right now! My "baby" is nine months old! And he wants to be twice that age! Maybe it's the difference between first child and second child, but Zach seems like he's in such a hurry to grow up. He's crawling -- lightning fast, I might add -- and sitting, and pounding down crazy amounts of food, and wanting to ride in the seat of the grocery cart and NOT in his car seat. Grant and I have a hunch he'll be an earlier walker than Eliot was, too. And I just want him to stay little and be my snuggly babe! Even if he's in a rush to be a big boy, I wouldn't trade my Zachers for anything. He has such a sweet and happy disposition, mixed with a fair share of mischievousness!

Here's some of what Zach's up to as a 9 month old:

• Crawling like crazy. He is one quick dude!
• Pulling to standing. He's especially motivated if there's something he can get into, like food at the kids' table, puzzles or toys on the train table, laundry on the couch or ottoman. The only down side to this skill (besides getting into everything) is that he doesn't know how to get back down. He just stands and fusses for help!
• Babbling up a storm. We're moving away from the screams and screeches, but he has kept them in his repertoire and saves them for what he deems as opportune moments -- like sacrament meeting.
• Gobbling up food. Ironic that we've spent some extra time at the pediatrician's, who's concerned about his weight, because the kid has put one serious dent in our grocery bill and eats like a pig. He loves just about anything we give him, which is great.
• Sitting up tall. We were getting nervous about this one. He crawled before he ever sat. He just didn't seem interested (there's too much to do, after all!) But now he sits up big and strong.
• Four teeth and working on an entire top row. There's no shortage of drool around these parts!
• Hair's still a beautiful strawberry blond, but getting long and wispy. I'm tempted to trim off the "wings" over his ears but can't bring myself to give him that first haircut. So for now he stays fuzzy wuzzy. But oh, it's gorgeous in the sunlight!
• Sweet and happy. He can charm just about anyone with his squinty, cheesy smile. He reminds me so much of Grant because he is honestly happy all the time (except if you fail to get food in his mouth fast enough).

We love our little "Ree"!!

Climbing in the foam pits at cousin Madelyn's birthday party in March. Just one of the big kids!

"The world is my jungle gym." Give him anything, he'll climb in, on, through, around, on top of it!! Another busy, busy boy!

Eliot's Primary Solo

It has been months since Eliot's debut performance in our Primary sacrament meeting program, but I had to get him singing his song on video. This version is a little more "forced" than his official performance (I'm sure having a captive audience of a couple hundred people helped him with holding back a little!), but this is still tender. Needless to say, he melted a few hearts that day (I still get comments about it from ward members). I'm so proud of my brave, sweet little singer!

What's Your Sign?

You have to watch this to the end to see the meaning of my post title. It's reassuring to me, in a very bittersweet way, that we all have our own beautiful heartbreaks. Working through mine one day at a time. As we all are. What a beautiful woman for writing and sharing this song. Take a minute. It's worth a watch. You should probably grab a Kleenex before you do.

Love This!

Why is it easy to see this as part of my future with boys?!

Be Our Valentine!

Happy Valentine's Day!

We've Got Ourselves a Crawler!

Our not-so-baby Z is crawling! And he is into everything!

"Triple D" Triple Date!

Corey, Brittany, Jon, Ange, me and Grant at Pat's BBQ in SLC.

Last month my sweet friend Ange organized a triple date with some great couples we don't get to see nearly as often as we would like. I met Ange and her husband Jon through my good friend Brittany, whom I met working at the Liahona magazine at the Church Office Building. All three of us were pregnant with our first babies together, and after hanging out a few times and even taking a trip to St. George together, we all hit it off amazingly well! The guys all love being together, and all of us die laughing when we're together. It's so nice when you can have groups that just work like that, you know? Whenever we're together, we know there's going to be a lot of laughing and probably some good food, too! Ange delighted Grant and me with the suggestion to eat at a SLC BBQ joint that was featured on Diners, Drive Ins and Dives about a year ago! Grant and I have been somewhat "closet" fans of the show for a while now, and we've spent more Friday nights than we'd like to admit watching "Triple D" marathons. Lo and behold, our friends LOVE it as well!! In Brittany's words, "Isn't everything on Food Network or HGTV amazing and awesome??" This is why we're friends! Needless to say, we had a great, kid-free evening. We ate ourselves sick and laughed ourselves silly. We definitely plan to make this a tradition!

Grant and I with our HUGE plates of ribs, pulled pork, and brisket. And no, though your eyes may deceive you, that is not Mr. Fieri behind me (though I wish it was!).

As Eliot Sees It

Eliot got a kids digital camera for Christmas. After he spent over an hour last night figuring out all the special effects, I was curious about the pictures he's taken thus far. I'll post more of his videos and the special effect photos later, but I thought the assortment of photos he has taken is pretty telling. Here's a sample that pretty well represents what's on his camera:

Cars 2 cars, toys, books, videos, more Cars 2 cars, Dad, Mom, Brother, Grandma ... yep, that's pretty much Eliot's world! If only he were allowed to take his camera to preschool and swim class, there'd be plenty of that, too. Oh, to be a kid again, when life revolves around toys, a small group of important people, and simple pleasures. The world as Eliot sees it is a pretty simple, happy place.

Date Night

I've been wanting to spend more one-on-one time with Eliot lately, so when I heard Beauty and the Beast was going to be in theaters, I thought that would be the perfect night out for the two of us! Belle is my favorite Disney princess, and Eliot loves movies, especially in the theater. We had such a great time together! It made me want to carve out more time for just me and my handsome little guy. He was the perfect gentleman and followed his daddy's advice to be sure to get the door for me and be very polite. So every time there was a handicap button on a door, he pushed it. He even carried his own booster seat in and out of the theater. What a sweetheart.

Headed out the door with our tickets in hand!

After the show. Eliot's summary of the evening was perfect: "I had a great time with you, Mom!" We already have plans for another night out when Nemo comes back to the theaters this fall. I sure love spending time with all the men in my life!