Serving in the Bentonville Temple

Over the last month we have been blessed to serve in the temple multiple times. 
Somehow we managed to snag the first slot for youth baptisms. So Tanner and Bailey were in the first group to do proxy baptisms in the Bentonville Temple. 
It made for a pretty special evening. 

It seems crazy that in just two short years, Tanner will be able to perform baptisms not just be baptized. 

We had a wonderful evening in the temple. 

Chris and I also got to serve and worship in the temple during an endowment session. It was such a great evening at the temple. 

One thing that is so cool about our temple is that when you walk inside you see so many friendly and familiar faces. Many of the temple workers are from our stake and so we know them. 
I've never experienced that before and it was so fun. 
But I think the best part of the night was being in the celestial room after our session and watching so many friends and familiar faces walk through the beautiful doors to join us. I kept thinking, "This has to be what heaven is like". It is one thing to attend a temple session with friends and sit together and then enter the celestial room together. But it's something entirely different being surprised as the doors open and friends walk inside. We had so many sweet little reunions and so many happy smiles as we all celebrated, worshipped and gave thanks for our beautiful temple. 

We came outside after dark and I just love the light of the temple and the beacon that it is for our community.

Shortly after our first visits to the temple, it was time for general conference. 
Talks about temple service or temple and family history just hit a little different now, with our temple so close and conference was wonderful. 

The kids did pretty great listening and they really loved my "conference charcuterie boards". 
Charcuterie boards are always a good idea, but they are the best during conference!

We all enjoyed just snacking on and off while listening to talks. 

General conference was awesome and we really enjoyed having Dad home with us. 

The following weekend Nanny and Papa came over to visit and attend the temple for the first time. 
We were also able to get an appointment for Bailey and Tanner to do baptisms with them after their endowment session.

Their baptism appointment was in the evening and they both enjoyed getting to serve in the baptistry with Nanny and Papa. 

The next day we hung out with Nanny and Papa at our house. 
We watched a Halloween Movie , the new "Haunted Mansion" and we made caramel apple nachos. 
It was a yummy treat. 

Nanny, Papa and I also got to do proxy sealings at the temple the next morning and it was so nice. 
The wording for the sealings has changed recently and the promised blessings were so sweet. 
I felt so grateful to get to serve in the temple with my parents. That is something that I will forever cherish. 

Another week I had the coolest experience. I spent many hours researching and doing family history. I found an ancestor on my Dad's paternal side. Her name was Monique and I learned so much about her life during the process of my research. 
I was able to find her  last name, then her parents, two more of her spouses ( she was married three times) and so I was able to do all this work for her. I spent 4 days in the temple, one day after the other doing one ordinance each day for Monique. It was a very cool experience. I felt so happy for Monique and I loved learning about her life. She was a very neat lady. She endured a lot but spent many years serving in her community on different charities and after her death, she designated that her body be donated to science. I think that is rad.

I had an incredible 4 days in the temple and it was just so cool that we have a temple here now and I could do something like this. 

We are looking forward to many more visits to the temple with Nanny and Papa. We feel so incredibly blessed to have a temple and that Nanny and Papa have even more reason to come to Bentonville now!

We get to see them even more!