I want to see Jesus Christ...

A couple of weeks ago we had the opportunity to take our family to the Gila Valley temple. We were so excited and the kids had somewhat of an idea of what a temple is like from Avery's sealing last year. On the way down we read the conference talks aloud in the car. I love the talk about Mother's and Daughter's it was so good. We asked Hunter what he really wanted to see at the temple. He told us he was excited to see the baptismal font. He has been asking a lot of questions about baptism lately. When we asked Ave what she wanted to see she said, "Ummmm, I would like to see Jesus Christ." Nothing like high expectations :)Deke and I tried to contain ourselves as we explained to her that she would probably see pictures of Jesus and would feel his spirit but that she probably wouldn't actually get to see him in the temple. It was so cute and it made us smile. I love how simple life is in the mind of a child. The temple was of course beautiful. I have never seen such beautiful light fixtures, they were gorgeous. The kids were so reverent and it was such a neat experience. Hunter quietly observed everything with a content little smile on his face. Avery asked questions every five seconds and continued to be intrigued by the fact that they had put slippers over her shoes. Emma of course slept the whole time and we ended up burning her little face. Duh mom and dad for not covering her with a blanket as we waited out in the sun. Thank goodness it turned or she would have looked like a perfectly round faced cherry tomato for her blessing day. Not only was seeing the temple neat but the discussions that it provoked were also neat. As we drove away from the temple we asked the kids if they had any questions. Hunter asked, "Why is it important that we get married at the temple and no where else?" This question led to a great gospel discussion with him. They had many other questions and it was a special parenting time for Deke and I to get to discuss these things with our children in more detail. By the way I love this picture of Deke and the girls it is just so candid and cute. He is so awesome with Emma it never ceases to amaze me how great he is with the kids always, especially though when they are so tiny and brand new. Our babies have all been pretty little and yet he always knows just how to care for them. I am not exactly a huge fan of car trips but I have to admit I love the quiet time in the car without TV or telephones or other distractors to sit and visit or sing or play road games. I also love the scenery you get to see as you drive. I look forward to taking the kids to the Phoenix and Gilbert temples as well.