April - Annual Easter Egg Hunt

This was the first year that Neta was the only one to hunt eggs. Ro, Graigry and Nate each got a bag of eggs to hide and then Neta went to find them. I don't think it was as fun for her as she thought it might be; it was either that or it was colder than it's been in years past. Maybe she was tired; I just remember more complaining than usual for such an event.

Neta on the hunt;
Graigry doing a pull up

Finding one under the stairs

Where to next??

In the wood pile??

There's always one in the trailer...

"Seriously people?? Did you have to
be so obnoxious with your hiding places?"

The pool is another favorite hiding place

Here's a quick video clip of a piece of the hunt. It's always nice to see "live action"  :)

After a while, we were all thinking it was taking too long so we helped her out and then went back inside. It will be interesting to see how next year goes. It will be her very last one. What will I do after that? Maybe just leave a little Easter basket at their doors when they wake up in the morning....I don't know.

We went inside and because I always have candy set aside for the hiders, Eric decided to make it more fun that just handing it over. He did the larger piece and each kid took a turn to find it. Aurora and Graigry had to find theirs in the kitchen and we moved Nate to the living room.

Aurora and Nate waiting their turn;
Neta is the blurred head in the middle

Every location is a possible suspect
when it's Dad that is hiding things.
Even inside the cereal box.

Finding the Prize

Here's to another year of candy hunting done. :)

Mar/Apr - Trip to Utah

Nate turned twelve end of 2017, so we went out to Utah for General Conference. We waited until almost last minute to book tickets so it cost us more than we wanted, but such is life. In October they switched up Priesthood and Women's session so that they were both annual, and so we were lucky that Priesthood was selected to be in April and not October.

I flew out with the four younger kids and Eric flew out with Xela a day or two later so that she could get in a day or two more of work. Neil picked us up from the airport and let us borrow his mini van while we were there. He works at the Church Office Building, so we dropped him off there and then went to my parents' house. When he was done with work, we went to pick him up and then went to his house for dinner.

While waiting for Neil, we took some pictures around Temple Square.

Playing Avalon with the Hibberts after dinner

Eric and Xela got in the next afternoon. While waiting until they arrived, we walked over to my elementary school and played on the playground. I'm not a fan of tire swings, but the kids liked them. That is where Aurora's phone got a facelift - ie fell and the screen cracked. Tire swings make me want to vomit.

We also made a stop at Tiffanie's place, but all the big kids were still at school, so we basically sat around and made small talk or made designs with Blokus pieces.

See yourself in the Temple
(Not a perfect picture, but I like it)

That evening we had organized a baptismal session at the Salt Lake Temple with cousins. Sadly, half of the Wride cousins couldn't make it, but Joseph (who has his mission call to Guatemala City South) came. I wish my kids lived closed to him to have that example in their life.

It was Nate's second time doing baptisms; he thought it was cool to be in the Salt Lake Temple. Joseph did the baptizing of the family members. It was neat for me to be baptized by my nephew and to see the smile on his face and the joy shining from his eyes. Neil and Conner were there as was my Dad. I really enjoyed myself - temple and family - doesn't get much better than that.

After baptisms, we went to Sonic for ice cream. Apparently on certain nights, certain shakes are half off and tonight was one of those nights. We stood outside, ordered our food, Dad paid and then we shivered a little while we at around an outdoor table for about 45 minutes and then we all headed to our separate places of rest.

Once Eric and Xela arrived, we hit Temple Square for a walk around and so I could take an updated picture of the one from two years ago.

Families can be Together Forever

Inside the Visitor's Center

We spent time, the kids and I at least, playing with Wride cousins at Granite Park.

This is my Sound of Music picture

Owen found a good friend in Graigry
(he called Graigry Dad)

Daniel and Aurora became buddies

Wrides and Scotts playing frisbee
at the feet of the great Rocky Mountains

The next day, March 29, the kids wanted to go to the mountains. One should not go to Utah and not visit natural temple tops. Eric didn't want to go so the kids and I headed east up the canyon. We created some fun and soggy memories. :)

We climbed in two spots. The first had some slate, I think that's what it's called, it's on a corner of the road as you drive up the canyon. I remember as a kid always being nervous driving around that corner because there was a big rock that, in an earthquake, I was sure would fall and kill someone. We stopped there because the kids wanted to climb a mountain and there was a pull out spot for cars.

You see the rocks here, right?
The kids were having a ball;
I saw bodies sliding to their deaths

The sliding thing I mentioned,
that's how Aurora got back down

These ledges seemed a little more stable, 
but still made me nervous

Photo op! Everybody smile!!

Hiding in a little cave
Another photo op

"Take a picture of me, Mom!"

We found a comfy blanket in the little cave, and Aurora wrapped herself in it. Then we found a condom, which grossed out Aurora who, quickly tossed the blanket on the ground. Got a good chuckle out of that one. 

Nate really had to use the bathroom and he was tempted to use the little cavern as a porta-potty, but then decided, without any wiping product, he would wait. Thankfully, our next stop, further up the mountain had an out house. Nate was very relieved. :)

The second place we stopped was the same place we climbed on our last trip. Kids call it "Shoe-less Mountain" because as we hiked last time, some of us lost a shoe in our effort to hike up through the snow. Two years ago we did not make it to the peak and they decided this year would be different. We had nowhere to be, so off we went.

There was an attempt to cross the same stream
from two years ago, but too much had thawed.

Graigry is already in the trees
ready to run up the mountain

Had to make a stop at the same tree from
two years ago for a photo op

Kids were determined to make it to the top of the world so we continued to climb, and fall and slip and plunge through the thigh high snow.

He was the first one up;
watched everyone else finish the trek.
Here are Aurora and Xela

Everyone together...
(Notice the soggy pants)

...looking to the mountains on the west.

Once we'd got to the top of the mountain, being Hibberts, we had to, well just watch...

Coming down was a lot faster than going up (sliding goes faster than climbing); it was still a bit nerve wracking for me as I saw potential for becoming a human snowball if they were not careful in their efforts to reach the bottom. Thankfully,

we made it!

I had to take a picture of their wet backsides

Once they got in the car, half of them pulled their pants off to help their legs warm up and dry. Good times!!!

GENERAL CONFERENCE

We had tickets to the Saturday, March 30, morning session of General Conference, which was also the solemn assembly. I didn't plan the timing well, so there was a HUGE, HUGE line...

... and we didn't get into the Conference Center until after the opening song, then were standing during the sustaining of President Nelson and the new First Presidency, having not found a seat. Because we didn't get there early enough, there weren't enough seats together so the ushers had to separate us and Eric had to sit out in the hall. We all met afterward when the 21,000 plus people flowed out of the building.

Saturday evening, the men went to priesthood session. Eric, Graigry, Nate and my dad had tickets and we women met at the Wrides, where we had dinner and colored eggs while watching the session on BYUtv. When Pres Nelson got up and announced the change in Elders Quorum and High Priest Quorum, the older of us we rivetted on the screen. (It was a GREAT session.)

Neta and Abby

Ro trying to decide what she'll eat 

Coloring eggs with cousins

Neta's new favorite pets - the Wride guinea pigs

Younger kids spent the night at the Wrides, which would be more fun that sleeping with their parents in the boring hotel and we met up with them for the second session on Sunday, after watching the first session at Hibbert Headquarters.

Time to snuggle on the couch for Conference

Time to snooze on the couch for Conference

Afterwards, Hibberts all gathered at the Wrides for a big family dinner before Patrice had to leave back to Texas and play with cousins before they had to head back to school on Monday.

Come and Get It!!

Ro & Daniel

Playing Spoons after dinner

Xela takes a turn with Daniel

BYU Campus Visit

Monday we took the kids to our old new married stomping grounds - Orem/Provo. It was interesting to see how much things had changed; not completely unexpected, but still interesting.

Our very first home off Orem Blvd;
almost 20 years later, it's still standing

There was an older lady, Carolyn Phillips, that lived three doors down when we lived here (and then moved two doors down). She watched us grow from newly weds to a small family of four. Eric and I decided to stop and see if she was still in that small brick house. We knocked and she was. She invited the seven of us into her home and we visited for about 20 minutes, after which we drove around our old ward boundaries. There is another chapel in the area. Again, not surprising it being Utah County, but interesting to see.

Then down the hill we went to BYU to explore. First stop, because it was closest, the Wilkinson Center and air hockey, which was one of Eric and my favorite cheap dates.

After some rounds of air hockey we walked across campus and headed to The Brick Oven for a late lunch.

Cheers to Apple Beer!
Kids thought drinking "beer" was hilarious

Per kids request, we went over to the Wrides' that evening to hang out. We decided to attempt a picture and someone had the bright idea of doing a pinwheel type picture.

Wrides & Scotts
(Joseph above is the oldest and around they go)

This picture was taken after a living room dance party. Here is just one of the many songs we danced too.

Eric and Xela had to leave for Indiana before we did. The day after they had left, I took the other kids to Ensign Peak. I had actually never been, and more of the extended family was supposed to come, but it ended up being just us, which was fine. It's maybe one mile up the mountain and you can see the entire valley.

Up the trail we go

Looking out to the west side of the valley

South side of SLC

Gaining perspective
(while making your mother nervous)

We flew out of Salt Lake that day with the airline itinerary to drop us back to Indianapolis early the next morning. We loaded the plane, headed to LA before going to Indy, and then due to a technical difficulty, sat on the tarmack for 45 minutes. Obviously, we got to LA late. The stewardesses had told those of us that had connecting flights that the pilot would ask that those without connecting flights remain sitting so those with connections could jet off to their next stop. That announcement wasn't made and we were in the back of the plane. Near us were several others who would be missing their flights (one lady trying to get to Japan).

We had to get to a different terminal and, being LA, it wasn't a jog across a hallway, it was a shuttle ride. Despite our running, we missed our flight. Now the decision, sit in the airport, get a hotel and if get a hotel, when to leave the next morning. In talking to the Delta attendant, I decided I'd rather get less sleep and get home earlier than later. Took a shuttle to the hotel..

so many smiling faces...

..got signed up for a room and tried to get to sleep. It was almost midnight, LA time, and our flight out was at six-ish which meant a 4:00 wake up.

Excited and ready to go back to the airport

We got to the airport and the terminal wasn't open so we sat and waited, again. At least we were first in line. Once it opened, I bought a hideously expensive breakfast for my crew and we waited for our plane to board.

FINALLY - Homeward Bound!

We landed after two o'clock. Eric brought the dog when he came to pick us up. It was nice to be home and have some time to unpack and prep for school and work the next day. A great vacation, many memories made and now it was back to reality.