The Hall Family: July: Utah Vacation Part 3 (Provo and Salt Lake Fun)

While in Salt Lake, we visited my sister-in-law Liz and her children. Our visit with them was just one day but that was because they were going to be leaving to Oregon that week where we would join up with them for their last 7 days of that trip. While at Liz's house, we let them play on a slip n' slide while Liz and I dined on Cafe Rio'. No trip to Utah is complete without some pork barbaqoa!

My dad was able to get us tickets to the Oquirrh Mtn Temple openhouse. The kids were so thrilled to be able to go inside a temple. I asked Ethan what his favorite part of the temple was and he said, "Jesus's hot tub" and the cows. He was speaking of the baptismal font that rests on top of twelve oxen statues.

After the temple open house, my parents took my kids home and I visited my old work. My former boss and cardiologist, Dale Renlund, has just been called to be a Seventy in our church. He will now be serving our church in South Africa with his wife. He was to retire the week after this visit. It was so good to see him and also to see my dear friend and partner Kismet. She and I were thick as thick could be at work. We worked so well together whether it was caring for patients or writing care process models for the IHC system. Boy was it a fun ride! It was good to see them and especially Dale since I might not see him for a very long time.

I returned home to find my mother on the fence picking cherries, throwing them down to the many onlookers including my own children. I told my mom she wasn't doing a very good job of being an example of not climbing in trees, on ladders or fences.

She commented that the end result of cherries was worth it. Ethan agreed.

My mom took off her wig and let the kids try a new look. What I was surprised by was the fact that Ethan looked just like Chelsea as a kid with that wig on!

Then it was off to Chuck-E-Cheese for our annual trip to spend money on worthless games and even more worthless tickets to get that prized prize, the cherished cheap toy or tootsie roll. Regardless, every time we go there the kids are so excited. They love this place. Ethan says, "I love Yuck-E-Cheese." Mom and dad agree.

Fastest finger is an addicting game that all my sisters and mother are totally addicted to when we go to Chuck-E-Cheese.

Ethan hurling a ball as high and hard as he can.

Is it cheating when your two year old is running up the runway?

After Chuck-E-Cheese we kept with nostalgia and took a trip to Brick Oven for some yummy pizza, pasta, and balloons. It was great that some of my siblings were able to join us for these festivities.