The BYU experience.

With the family over, we thought we'd show them some of the sights around campus. This included Dessert at the BYU Creamery, a couple of trips to the Bookstore (The US Government should be grateful for the Lekias acting as the most recent and probably most successful economic stimilus package) as well as a game of bowling at the Wilkinson Centre. Finally, we were able to enjoy a meal at the brand new Cannon centre (the cafeteria for students living in the dorms). Unlimited drinks, various dinner selection, deserts, salad bar....Joel was in Heaven!

Despite most of the adults being outclassed on the lanes by the kids, everyone had a great time.

We were also able to find a rare moment when the snow was not falling to go on a tour of campus starting at the beautiful Hinckley Building.

We were driven around in a couple of golf carts, getting a bit of a history of the campus and then watched a short movie about BYU.

Snow, glorious snow!

For Christmas this year we were able to spend it with some of David's family from Perth and it was great to see all the cousins having fun together.

An igloo attempt!

Rock Canyon park.

Snowwomannnnn! This is where Abbey lost her scarf.

A snow angel.

The snow just kept on coming!

The sledding queens. Backwards, sideways, upside down, they would try anyway possible!!

Temple crawl

Mount Timpanogoes temple.

This was how it looked back in October, but it looks rather different now.

On Sunday after going to Salt Lake as we headed home, we stopped off at all the nearby temples along the way. We counted 7 all up! The Lekias's went to Mount Timp lastly and we decided to drive on as we had seen it earlier in the year(as shown above), without it covered in snow. But it was fun to visit all the others with them.

It was absoultely FREEZING cold and Beth found a good technique to keeping warm!

Jordan River Temple.

Bountiful temple, where we all met to have a very COLD lunch.

At Salt Lake we got to see a different angle of the beautiful temple. Dave had sweet talked a security officer to go up to the top level of the Joseph Smith building (it was closed for Sunday) for a great look at the temple and Salt Lake.

10th floor of the Joseph Smith building.

Provo temple, after a session.

The nativity at Provo temple.

My cousin Esther on a tour of Provo temple.

Hyrum's Baptism

Hyrum is now the BIG "8". He has been

preparing for this special day for a long

time. He was excited to get his first "real"

set of scriptures, engraved with his name

courteous of the BYU bookstore and now

wants to do his own personal scripture

reading each day.

We were very fortunate to have Dave's parents come over from Perth for his baptisim, the Lekias family from Perth. Unfortunately, the Gharrings were caught in a snow storm and were unable to make it from California in time. This spiced up the program becuase Trent and Rachel were going to give a testimony and talk and that had to be changed very quickly. We have made some beautiful friends here in Provo also and were extremely grateful that they could also come to help make Hyrum's baptisim real special.


One funny thing that happened was the mixup of Chapels. We arrived early to get things ready, checked the baptimal font to see if it was running....check! But nobody was arriving and when we spoke to someone we realised we were in the wrong stake centre!!!!!! So we drove the whole 150m to the next Stake centre to find some rather stressed people waiting for us. (There was going to be a baptisim straight after Hyrums and we had to make it short and sweet!!) I guess you can't be late to your own baptisim!

I asked Hyrum what the best thing about his Baptisim was and he said..."going into the water and feeling the Holy Ghost."

The Brick Oven.

We ate there the night of Hyrums Baptisim.

It was a very yummy night.

Hyrum paticularly liked his free desert.

At the wrong

Stake

Centre!!

Liddicoat family after the baptisim. We missed out on pictures of Hyrum and Dave in all white as they had to go straight in and get ready.

A proud moment for mum.

Our Provo Baptism experience.

Two handsome boys!

Happy Birthday Bethany!

For Bethany's early birthday party we went to the Bean Musem located on campus. It is an animal museum and it even has an animal from Perh, the black swan!!! Firstly, it was FREE!!! They do live animal demonstrations and we got to see a slithering snake, turtle and lizard.

Beth was more interested in the DEAD animals. Don't know why she wasn't to keen on holding the snake???

She had friends from church, pre-school, from the MBA program and some neighbors. She wanted more, but we had to fit them all in our apartment after for cake, so that definately helped in narrowing her selection of friends.

She is counting the sleeps till her 'real birthday'. She is excited to get a small set of scriptures because her older brother and sister now both have one. (Hyrum got his baptisim set yesterday for his birthday) She also can't wait to go to the Cannon centre on campus to eat dinner with her cousins, Grandparents, Aunt's and Uncles and eat as much desert and fizzy drink as she wants!!!

Happy Birthday!