Spring Break in Utah, part 1 - March 30 - April 1

Eric and I decided end of February that we would use tax refund money, and his AmEx credit card miles, to get our family out to Utah for General Conference/Spring Break. Eric wanted Graigry's first priesthood session to be in the Conference Center, so we made it happen. Xela and Aurora left on March 25 and then I flew out the morning of March 30, with Eric and the younger three following later that night. We haven't been to Utah in five years so this was something we were all excited about.

High on a snow caped mountain

Words cannot accurately express what a wonderful trip it was for my family. The kids loved seeing and playing with their cousins, some they'd never met and for all, it had been a long time since the last visit. They had soo much fun together. It was great for me to hang out with my parents and siblings (we had a "late-over" at my parents' home on April 3 after a group dinner at the Smart's house - SOOO MUCH FUN and in many other ways fulfilling).

The HIBBERT Posterity
(For now anyway. More to come.)

All of us Scotts were able to physically attend General Conference at the Conference Center, thanks to extra tickets that were given to us right before we left. Nate, Neta and I were originally not going to go to the Conference Center and just watch it at my parents' house. It was great for all of us to attend in person. It was such a great conference!! Such a GREAT FAMILY VACATION.

Here are a few of the pictures I took of our trip.

Like I said, I got there Wednesday morning, so Dad took the girls' and I to a few places I wanted to see and/or that he wanted to show me before the rest of the crew arrived. I wanted to preview Liberty Park to see if it was some place I wanted to take the kids. I remembered it having a HUGE ball crawl and adult-sized jungle gym. I had told Neta about it a week or so prior to our trip. Sadly, that fun contraption was no more.

Xela's wingspan 

Aurora's wingspan was a little longer than Xela's.

It started to drizzle, so Xela had Grandpa's umbrella. She opened it and then couldn't close it, or open it, properly. Ro and I kept kidding with her that she broke Grandpa's umbrella. Grandpa consoled her that this umbrella was on it's last button anyway. We had a good laugh.

"I didn't break it. I promise."
That's about as much as this umbrella
is going to cover. 

We stopped by Temple Square before going back to the house. I love Temple Square and I love to take pictures of my kids in front of the temple.

The tulips and blossoming trees were
BEAUTIFUL!!

Perfect picture

Thursday morning, after getting settled in the hotel and catching up (Eric mostly) on some sleep, I wanted to go to the This is the Place Monument and Graigry wanted to go to the mountains, so I figured win, win as the monument is at the start of Immigration Canyon. So we spent a little bit of time at the monument and then drove up the canyon. Sad part of Immigration Canyon is that it is too populated so there is no place to get out and be "in" the mountains the way that Graigry wanted to be. After 15 minutes of driving, I decided to turn around. That frustrated Graigry, but I wasn't going to keep driving, especially when I knew that Big Cottonwood Canyon had snow.

Joseph Smith showing Brigham Young
the promised valley.

This monument pays tribute to
various explorers that helped settle Utah.

I love this symbol.
It reminds me of my mission.

We drove downtown, via Foothill Blvd, so that we could go to Temple Square and take the kids of the Conference Center. First we stopped and had Little Ceasars pizza for lunch. Outside was a little breezy, but the kids still enjoyed themselves. I enjoyed being with the family on Temple Square.

My family
in the Family History Center,
Discovery Center.

Neta - my family ancestrologist

There was another section/interactive display that was malfunctioning, so we left. I can't be on Temple Square and not take pictures at the reflecting pool.

The last picture I took like this,
Neta was in her infant car seat.

Hard to tell, but this is Nate
(he was cold & wearing my jacket).

Graigry - "I'll go inside some day."

Aurora at the temple
(like the newlywed couple in the background?)

Another picture perfect princess

The temple doors seem to say to me...
I have an eternal family!

My five sitting on the hard pioneer benches
in the tabernacle.

As amazing as the Salt Lake Tabernacle is, I wanted them to have the contrast with the Conference Center (granted Xela and Aurora had been to the Women's Conference the Saturday before) and it's amazingness. We walked across the street and were able to go on a tour. The inside of the Conference Center is breath taking! (It was fun to show these pictures to people at work.)

I took this picture Saturday afternoon,
while the choir was practicing.
The overall center just makes my heart happy.

Looking into a skylight.
There's only one, but with the mirrors,
it looks like more.
LOVE IT!!

Kids looking into the faces of the past,
and their own while on the roof of the Center.

You can see's Nate's face in the wall
(not just the back of his head in the camera)

Neta and Graigry
looking out over the fountain

My monkeys & the Temple

After visiting downtown, we headed to Grant and Stephanie's house in Utah County. As we were within about a mile, my phone, that had the address and GPS info, died. Thankfully, Aurora had Grant's phone number so she called and we were safely guided to our destination. SO GOOD to see Grant and Steph and their boys are soo cute! My three younger ones, with Taden, Grant's oldest, slid down the stairs on their stomachs, like it was a slide, while Steph finished making some dinner and we visited until almost 9:00. Then we headed to the Wrides.

We dropped Nate and Neta off at the Wride house to spend the night. Xela and Ro spent the night with Eric, Graigry and I in the hotel so that we could head to the Salt Lake Temple to do baptisms Friday morning.

I'd never been in the Salt Lake Temple baptistry, so I was excited to go with the kids. It was a beautiful morning. Not knowing, we went to the temple entrance and then were told that the baptistry entrance was outside of the temple, kind of in front of the visitors center. Unless you know where to go and what to look for, you'd totally miss it. I had no idea and I've been on Temple Square hundreds of times. Kind of fun to unravel that mystery. :)

After baptisms on a Friday morning

Picture #2
I couldn't pick a favorite picture

Waiting to cross the street 
to get to the parking garage.
Daddy licking Graigry
(can't remember why)

We went to the Wride house to visit and pick up Nate and Neta. We hung out there for a couple of hours, letting the kids play while Eric and I did a little work via internet (Mom & Dad's place didn't have wifi we could use).

Neta holding baby Owen

Graigry & Nate bouncing with Wesley

Neta with her new BFF - cousin Abby

Ro started a game, which I'll call "I'm Taller."
The kids stood on the counter to be taller than Ro,
then they jumped into her arms so she was taller.

While there, Tiff, via text, coordinated a Hibb Sibb dinner. We left there around noon and headed to Emily Cooper's house, in Utah County.

We love Emily and her family. They moved to Utah for her husband's job and she was the girl's activity day leader years ago. She is the one non-family member we made sure we visited, because, she is family, just not in the blood relation sense. :) We were able to visit just adults for a little while before he kids came home from school. My phone was dead again, so I didn't get any pictures of us playing the Pie Face game. So funny!!

Friday night, the Scott & Wride cousins hung out at the Wride house while the Hibb Sibbs and Spouses went out to dinner. Always lots of laughs when we adults get together. I'm pretty sure the kids had fun at the Wrides as well, made apparent by the "Can we move to Utah? We want to play with our cousins more often."

It would be fun to be closer to my family, at least be able to see them more often. Next, General Conference!!