"I want to go to Jesus' house."

When my kids settle down enough to let us have a meaningful scripture study they are meaningful. :) We were reading in Mosiah where King Benjamin tells of how an angel came to him and as I tried to put those verses in kid talk it opened up a great discussion about how Jesus lives "up high in the sky in heaven!" Bridger exclaimed that he wanted to go to "Jesus' house". We talked about how we all want to live with him again and that is why we work hard to do what is right so we can return to heaven after we die. We talked about death and resurrection, and about eternal families. And Bridger kept expressing how he wanted to go to Jesus' house but didn't really want to have to die to do that. We finally caught the cue and Stewart said (via the cell phone) "temples are Jesus' houses on earth and we can go there and be in Jesus' house" while we are alive." Bridger and Angeli had a hard time wrapping their minds around that after we just explained that Jesus lives in heaven so we settled on telling them that they were his really small houses on earth that he sometimes goes to but that his really big house, that He lives in most the time, was up in heaven. They seemed pleased with that explanation. Bridger and Angeli were beaming and Bridger even got tears in his eyes. We told them that the warm happy feeling they were feeling was the Spirit. That its like feeling the love Jesus and Heavenly Father have for you. Feeling that they are close by even though you cant see them....and why it is important to reverent!!!! "If you sit still its easier to feel their love"... Reverence is a big topic of discussion at our house. :)

So after our very sweet scripture study I announced that we were going to go to the temple the next day for FHE. The kids were pleased with that and I sent them off to bed.

The entire next day we spent talking about how great it was going to be to go the temple, Jesus' very own house! As I got Angeli dressed in her little sun dress she was ecstatic. In her mind temples and castles are interchangeable and every girl knows that the most important thing to happen in castles and temples is that YOU GET MARRIED! She knew she was going to the temple and that meant marriage. She kept telling Bridger as she looked down at her dress "Look, I'm a princess! We are going to the temple and we are getting married!" It was the sweetest thing. I tried to explain but she'd have none of it. When she hurried out to the car she called to her Bridger, "Come on Bidger. We are going to get married!"

When we arrived the gates were locked which I was afraid of but we walked around the very out side of the temple anyways. Angeli was crushed that the gates were locked hindering from going inside to get married. She shed a few tears over that one. :) It was fun to show the kids Angel Moroni and tell them how he was going to blow his trumpet to let us know when Jesus was coming again. Bridger was relieved to know someone was making sure it was going to happen and would be on top of letting us know when it did.

The entire time Stewart was on the phone with us taking part in our FHE. Thank goodness for CELL PHONES! We missed him. However, its really good to know that no matter how we are parted we will have eternity side by side.

"We love to see the temple..."

Giving a flower to his bride to be ;)
Pointing to Angel Moroni - at least that's what I like to think ;)

So this is the best I could do for a group picture...fun memories ;)

And of course the daddy was there too!