GILBERT TEMPLE

The mr. and I had originally planned to visit the Gilbert temple with my mom a week ago, but things just didn't work out. We decided to pass on taking a tour since we were cutting it close to the end of the open house. No big deal. But then a friend made mention of bringing their children to the temple and what a wonderful experience it was for them. Bringing children? No. No way. I hadn't ever even entertained the idea. The funny thing is, after that comment was made by my friend the thought of bringing children stuck with me. I couldn't get it out of my mind. I ran the idea by the mr. one night. Told him that we should just suck it up and take them. Yes, it would be hectic. Yes, they would whine. But we both realized how much of a blessing it would be for our family. So we went on Friday evening. The lines were long, but the kids were well behaved. It was not hectic. They did not whine. All five of the kids were PERFECT. They loved wearing the booties used to protect the carpet. They were fascinated by the stained glass on the ceilings. They were in complete awe of the gorgeous crystal chandeliers. I was so caught up in, well, herding my littles around that it didn't even dawn on me that I was in the temple until we entered the celestial room and caught sight of that magnificent chandelier. It took my breath away. I'm so glad that my little family had the opportunity to visit the temple. What a blessing - even if it immediately became hectic and they started whining again the moment we left the temple grounds.
The guy who took our picture acted as if he had literally never used a camera... So not an amazing photo.