A Piece of History

Before our Ogden Temple is changed beyond recognition, we thought we'd better take a "we were here" shot. I once heard that this design was meant to represent a lightning bolt in a cloud, and if you recall, it's only been a few years since this spire was gold instead of white. I don't know how much truth there is to the lightning story, but it always made sense to me.

We've spent a lot of time on these temple grounds. We've made lots of memories in our current family and with our families growing up. It's bittersweet to think of the changes that are coming. We hope the new Ogden Temple will facilitate many more wonderful memories for all of us.

Our neighbor caught the boys cooling off in the temple's inviting fountains after Stake Conference last summer. Smarty will be profoundly disappointed if the fountains are omitted from the new design.

Here are my favorites from a Bardwell cousins' photo shoot in '09

Smarty's Kindergarten Program

Before school let out, Smarty's Kindergarten group put on a darling program filled with songs about all the things they've learned this year: months, days of the week, weather, safety issues, opposites, nursery rhymes, etc. It was so much fun to watch all these kids beaming with pride.


Smarty is the second person in from the right on the second row. He's looking right at us.

Smarty loved performing his special parts. He shook a maraca during the Hawaiian song...

And he held an airplane during the weather song...
Here he is with his teacher, Mrs. LaFevre.
Here he is with Grandma B--who was good enough to spend her lunch break with us--and his cousin--who made an adorable Miss Muffet.

Bike Ridin'

I am so pleased to announce that Sweety has officially graduated to a big-boy bike! He's really getting the hang of peddling these days. It's so fun to watch him experience a taste of the freedom one can grab only when self-propelled.

And, I don't have an appropriate picture, but Smarty is working without training wheels these days! So far his greatest accomplishment is learning to fall without being mangled up in his bike, but he'll get there.