Travis & Stephanie Evans Family: September

Felt the front porch could us a little sprucing up!

Dollies aren't just for the girls!

Best toddler juicer!

I still had to keep a close eye on him, but it was sweet to watch the kids help Tanner.

I have a feeling we have a potential couch potato on our hands.

Cohen Jesse Lindblom was born on 9-10-19! We're so unbelievably excited for Abbey and David! David's a father... ahhhhh!!

He was a week overdue and Abbey ended up with an emergency c-section, but all is well now. He is honestly the luckiest baby in the world to be doted on by Abbey.

Olive was the chosen one to accompany me to the hospital.
"I just want to be his mommy!"

But she's not excited or anything.

Olive also got invited to an outdoor ballet performance with Posey and Camilla. Wish I could have gone.

We had Chase and Shalyse Roger's family over for dinner. It's too bad we don't live closer to each other because the kids get along great.

Started soccer games! They sure looks sharp in their white uniforms!

Morrison Ranch had a "splash" party in the neighboring park that I took the oldest three to.

Dance like nobody's watching!

Done.

In our Sunday best, racing to church 15 min away! It's always nice when Trav comes home between meetings and takes the older boys with him to save our spot.

Trav and I really wanted to get to Salt Lake to go to the Salt Lake City temple before it shuts down at the end of the year for a 4 year remodel. We planned a quick weekend away and it was just what I needed.

Had to take a picture of me eating my Utah peach that I had brought from home on our drive from the airport to the temple, haha!

This was the closest I got to taking a picture inside the temple! Sneaky sneaky! First, we laughed when we realized we didn't know how to get IN the temple. If you notice, people don't actually go in and out the doors. Nope, there's a separate building a little ways away you enter through.

First, we got changed, then went up to the sealing room level. I wanted to do more than just a session, so we brought family names to do sealings for. Marcus and Megan happened to plan the exact same trip as us and were on our flights so we waited for them to do sealings with. As the temple worker was walking us down the hall to our room, the hall suddenly went dead silent as I felt Travis tugging at my arm. I suddenly realized someone important must be coming and sure enough, I turned around to see PRESIDENT NELSON walking down the hall!!!!!!! My stars, I about fell over. The once bustling area had completely frozen as he and two men walked past. He wasn't taking time to greet or speak to anyone, it was clear he had somewhere to be. As he passed in front of me though, I couldn't help myself. It was like my brain said stop, but my heart won out and I energetically whispered, "We love you!" OH! The energy that emanated just from that encounter. I had grateful tears in my eyes for the next 15 minutes as we sat in the sealing room just marveling over the unique and unexpected experience we just had!! That, right then and there, would have made the trip! But still, so many more good things to come!

After the sealings, we went down to the cafeteria and got lunch. I don't know why, but I just wanted to do "all the things" I could in the temple and that included an ordinary lunch in the cafeteria. I loved it! Felt like eating at Grandmother's house.

Christopher was able to get off work a little early and meet us for a session. This was the first live session, Travis or I had ever done. I was so very curious about it all. Well, as our group was being escorted into the first room, lo and behold who was greeting everyone! The temple president and his wife, Pres. and Sis. Wixom! Katie's parents! We were so surprised! Very quickly I introduced myself to them and was fortunate enough to see Rosemary again the hall after the session where we had more of a chance to talk. Just in that short conversation, you could feel her goodness. What amazing people. Obviously, I can't write many details, but the session was very interesting! The actors were kind of funny (of course, not intentionally) and the whole process of going to so many rooms was quite a bit of work! And the veil room was unlike any I've ever seen before. In a really tight, U shape. The Celestial room definitely had an "old school" feel to it. It was pretty but not particularly dazzling. Christopher showed us a door that leads to the Holy of Holies. Then, he told us if we exit the Celestial room, there is a door that leads to a room with a cool stained glass wall of the sacred grove. But it's locked and you have to kind of beg to be let it. Well, as it turns out, the temple worker in charge of that room was passing by and just invited us in! It was a small room with a desk and fireplace that is used as an office but it used to be where Lorenzo Snow lived. Around a corner was the stained glass window of the First Vision and past that was another door that we guessed had to be the prophet's entrance to the Holy of Holies. It was locked. Not that we tried it, wink wink. I was mesmerized by the entire building and experience. I tried to glimpse every part I could while we were walking around. I was so darn HAPPY just to be there that several people even made comments to me about my demeanor when I walked by. So much history. So much reverence. It was so special to just be there. I can't imagine being a temple worker and having this almost be a second home!

One of my favorite books of all time is Yearning for the Living God by Elder F. Enzio Busche. I recommended it to Christopher and he really enjoyed it as well. When he read on the inside cover that he lives in Bountiful, Utah he actually figured out his address and stopped by to meet him! Then asked if he could bring me back to meet him as well. So that's what we did next. Knowing we were going to do this, I read his book for a third time to prepare. I felt like a giddy fan girl being at his house!

He still has his Hitler Youth book from when he was a child!

We sat in his office for over an hour and just visited about different experiences he shared in his book. His English is good, but sometimes it helped to have Christopher there to translate something into German or vice versa. It was really cool to listen to them converse in German! The time we spent there was light-hearted, but I'll never forget that when we were getting up to leave, he took on a more serious demeanor and bore his testimony which was powerful. He has led an incredible, faith and miracle filled life and inspired me in so many ways. I have his book highlighted and marked up like scripture. One takeaway I'll always remember is that with sacrifice comes blessings. And often, the bigger the sacrifice, the bigger the blessing. It was an honor to meet my hero. Thank you, Christopher for your fine, internet stalking skills, haha! This was a major highlight of my year!

And of course, The Red Iguana for dinner! It's not just hype, this place is tasty!

We drove to Christopher's house to see the kids and Jael for a bit since they couldn't meet us for dinner. Lucy is such a character! I love her voice and how happy and outgoing she is! Christopher was reserved at first, but started warming up. And Enzo snuggles hit the spot!

We grabbed a concrete from Nielsens on our drive back to the Little America hotel.

It was a GOOD day!

Saturday morning we drove to a place Shelley recommended called Sweet Lake Biscuits and Limeade.

OHHHH MYYY GURSHHHHH.

These biscuits.

There are not words. I don't even know how a person bakes up such divinity. I'm not exaggerating. It made top 5 favorite meals of all time. And their orange lemonade was super delicious too. If this place was in Arizona, my thighs would be in deep, deep trouble.

From there we drove to Snowbird for Oktoberfest! Well, not really for Oktoberfest. It just happened to be going on right now. We were there for the alpine slides!

All the summer activities were out and we had fun trying the alpine roller coaster, going up the tram to the top of the mountain and even giving the trampolines a jump! They had harnesses above them so you could jump really high and do flips. Unfortunately, I'm uncoordinated and somehow twisted my finger in the harness. Ugh. It hurt really bad and got swollen so that I couldn't move it. I wasn't even drunk and somehow still injured myself on something so simple!

After we left, we had just enough time to grab Cubbies before getting on our plane. I loved this trip so much with Travis. Life with him is beautiful, but getting to do fun things and eat yummy food sure beats changing diapers and grocery shopping! Grateful for Paula looking after our brood while we were away!

Then you get back to real life and think your brains might actually explode and leak out your ears if you don't go for a jog and get away from your kids. Thank you, God, for great weather to escape in.

Back to story time and feeding those ducks! I know they were hungry waiting for us!

My Cubbies copycat beet salad! Have to say.... I think I do it better!

Hold the phone! And your scruncci's! Jefferson decided it was finally time to cut his long hair! All of us sisters gathered to be apart of the event! Shelley did a nice job!

Awwww, look at that handsome guy! Well, he was always handsome, but there is something about a clean cut style! I love this picture and his smile.

Collin and Weston were at a Diamondbacks game with Aunt Aubrey so we thought we'd take the rest of our shrunken family to a restaurant. We never do this because I'm over being at restaurants with kids. But with only two it couldn't be so bad, right? Ehhhh. It wasn't awesome. But her dancing was.

Had to try that churro place everyone keeps talking about. I'll stick to Dairy Queen, thanks!