Our little Family trip 2010

Every winter since we have had Carsen we have gone down to Salt Lake City and stayed over at a hotel for the night so we can enjoy our time down there and not worry about rushing back after we take Carsen to see the lights. We have decided that this is going to be a family tradition for us tha we will go and spend a night in SLC as a family and just have fun spending time together and going to see fun things and the lights.
When we went last year Carsen was only 5 months old and didn't really understand much about the lights other than just staring at them, but this year I think he really enjoyed them and kept saying oooohhhhh. It was really bitter cold so we bundled all up and got to use Carsen's wonderful so warm bundle me thingy for the stroller!! It is amazing how warm he stayed :) I was a little worried. (I'm sure you can tell by how this poor little guy was so bundled up. He actually fell asleep after a little while he was just so warm and cozy :) what a sweetie!!
Before we went to see the lights we went out to dinner at the olive garden, it was pretty funny to see everyone's reactions as to why we had our little guy with us. It is definitely more work to take him with us, but I just really wanted to have this family tradition and enjoy the time together and just being a family.
We had such a great time and were able to have Doug and Luke come with us to see the lights, they were beautiful as always, and we went to the different visitors centers. We also were able to see the huge new model of the Salt Lake Temple. It was awesome, I have been wanting to see it for so long. I have grown up going to these places and have loved them, but somehow there is a new love for these places as I show my child what is important to me and why I love these places so much and to let him start to grow a love for them as well. It is so sweet and pure to watch a child look at the temple and to feel the spirit and to see a glimpse through their eyes!

The next day we walked around some more and then rode trax and went to the Gateway to do a build a bear for Carsen for Christmas. It was a lot of fun. I took a bunch of pictures but we forgot our camera at home and had to go buy disposable ones, the quality of the pictures is awful!! so sad. Oh well at least I have some pictures of our little vacation :)

The Gateway had their water squirter feature thingy (ha ha...I don't know what to call it!) going to the beats of Christmas music. Carsen LOVED it!! He just kept giggling and saying "ball, ball, ball!" I'm pretty sure that he could have watched it all day long.
We had such a nice time and can't wait for our next family vacation!

All bundled up
cute cousins
pretty Temple with lights
In front of the reflecting pond

Jumping on the hotel bid. He was in heaven!

He thought the dog was real :)
Loving the water show!!

Just picked his bear...
giving it to the sweet girl to stuff it...
Pushing the pedal to stuff his cute bear...
Picking a heart for the bear...
giving the heart a kiss before putting it in the bear... (so sweet!!)
Giving the bear a heart :)....
fluffing the bear...He didn't like this part much, the air was scary ;)

He picked a santa hat for the bear and then we went to name him. It is such a cute little process! When we sat down to name the bear I asked him what he wanted to name his bear and he said "GRRR!" Cutest thing EVER!!! So we named him Grrr and printed out the bear birth certificate and he has slept with him every night since. He gets into his bed every night and says GRRR and Grrr's hat! And he now loves him so much that he will share his binky's with grrr! Love it!! :)