We went adventuring today! We drove up to Salt Lake City today and explored a little bit.
A few weeks ago, Mommy bought me a picture of the Salt Lake Temple that I can keep in my bed. My other picture of the Temple is in a frame with glass, so she said I can't have that one in my bed because it might break. This Temple picture also has the Capitol on it. I've been asking to go see the Capitol since she got it for me, and we finally got to go today!
We left home after nap time, so we went straight to the Capitol. The inside was closed, but Mommy and Daddy said we could walk around the outside for a while. I really liked that! Daddy and I went up all the stairs in the front. Then, we walked around the whole building. I liked walking on the little step that was right next to the walls. I also had lots of fun running around the gardens in the front. Daddy had to keep chasing me to keep me out of the flowers! They were just so much fun to hide in, I couldn't help it.
Little Johnny was getting tired and hungry, and Mommy had to feed him. So, we got our stuff and drove down to City Creek. Inside, Mommy sat on a big chair and fed Little John while Daddy and I looked at the water and the fish.
While we were driving in, I saw a train! I wanted to to ride on it "right now." I really miss riding the train all the time like we did when we lived in England. Mommy and Daddy and Little John came with me, and we rode on the train just a little bit (Mommy's Note: we rode down two stops, then rode back up to Temple Square. :) ) After that, we went and saw the Temple!
I really liked walking around the Temple. There was a really fun water fountain that Daddy helped me with--you use your foot to make the water come out! We also went in to one of the buildings and looked at the inside of the Temple. I also looked at some of the tools they used to build the Temple. They had to use a lot of rocks to build it!
After going in the building, we went and walked right up next to the Temple! Mommy showed me the sun, moon, and star rocks that are on the Temple. Then, I climbed up all the stairs to the door. "Go inside?" I said. "Go inside right now?" But Daddy said I have to wait until I'm a lot bigger before I can go in the Temple. I was pretty sad about that. I liked the door a lot, so I think the inside is also pretty cool.
It was getting late, and Mommy said we needed to get home and go to bed. So, we went back to City Creek, went down the lift (I pushed the button!) and then got in my car and drove home. I liked seeing the Capitol and the Temple. Mommy and Daddy said we could go back again some time and go inside the Capitol. I hope so!
Did you know Grandpa turns on waterfalls? He can. It's is superpower, Daddy says. (Daddy's super power is turning off beep alarms (Mommy calls them smoke alarms), Mommy's super power is turning on sprinklers, and Grandpa's is turning on waterfalls. Well, today, we went and saw a really big waterfall that he turned on for me!
Grandpa told me it's called Stillwater Dam. It's up in the mountains, kind of where Grandpa's house is. He said it's a special waterfall that they only turn on sometimes. While we were visiting this weekend, we went with Grandpa and Grandma to see it! It's really noisy and really big.
My favorite part was throwing sticks in at the bottom of the waterfall. Daddy even helped me pick up some really big sticks to throw in! I also filled up the pockets on his shorts with rocks. After we looked at the waterfall for a while, we went and threw the rocks in the river. We got to stand on the bridge and throw them through the fence!
Even though we didn't stay very long, I really liked seeing the waterfall. I think Baby John liked it, too. I told Mommy I wanted to see it every day. She said all I have to do is ask Grandpa and he can make it turn on again!
We took little brother adventuring today! Mommy and Daddy really wanted to take us to go see an old airplane at "Daddy's Airport" in Heber. Daddy said it's called a "B-17" and its nickname is a "Flying Fortress." I talked it over with John, and we decided we should go.
So, as soon as we were all dressed and ready, and Mommy had fed John one more time (he eats a lot, by the way), we got into our car and drove through the mountains to Heber.
Mommy and Daddy were so excited, because as soon as we pulled into Heber, the plane flew right over our car! Daddy unrolled all the windows so we could hear the engines. It was pretty noisy, but really cool. Mommy said she got goosebumps and said she might even cry. I don't know why the plane flying over us made her sad; I thought it was exciting.
It was pretty hot at the airport today. We took nice cool water and Mommy covered John up with a blankie so he wouldn't get sunburned. It was nice though, because there weren't a lot of people there. We looked at a couple of other planes while we waited for the B-17 to land. There was a big yellow airplane that Daddy said was a Boeing Stearman. It had just one engine, but it was really noisy, too!
Finally, we saw the B-17 coming in to land. It was noisy again and kind of windy. While we watched it land, Mommy turned to the man next to us and asked him if he was excited to go for a ride in it (he was wearing a badge that said he would get to be a passenger). He said, "they're letting me go free!" "Oh?" Mommy said. "I was a pilot during WWII, I flew a B-17. I'm 93 years old."
I knew that was pretty cool, because Mommy got really excited. She talked to him for a few more minutes, and found out that he flew a plane called Passion Wagon and flew over Holland during the war. After he left to get on the plane, Mommy said she bets that he comes every day while the B-17 is in Heber. I think she's right.
Oh! Guess what? While we were waiting, Mommy bought some postcards for our collections and she also got me my very own B-17 to play with! It is just the right size for me to play with and Daddy showed me how to make it fly. He makes the sound just like the B-17 made when it landed--except not as loud.
After the plane landed and everyone got out, we got to go walk around it and look at the wings, the engines, and the big white star on the side. We also looked at the big wheels and the chocks (the things that keep the wheels still). Daddy showed me the ball turret and explained that a man usually sat there and fired guns at the bad guys! I don't think I would like that spot at all. We were sad that we couldn't go in, because they were giving rides to people today. Luckily, Mommy asked one of the ladies in charge and she said if we came back after 2:00 we could go inside!
The plane took off again while we were there. Daddy held me up and we watched the man on the ground wave to the pilot and tell him when to turn each engine on. Daddy said they start with number 4, then do number 3, then 2, then 1. As each engine started, it got louder and louder. Finally, it went down the runway and was flying in the sky!
We went and got some lunch (I had french fries) and visited Daddy's office. Mommy fed John, again, while I colored with Daddy's markers and he checked his work email. I like going to Daddy's office. Amelia always gives me treats and I get to sit in a chair that spins around!
I was pretty tired, and Mommy and Daddy talked about just taking us home. But I said "see plane again?" And Mommy said, "Ok, let's go and see it one more time." "One more time," I confirmed.
We loaded up in the car again, went across the street, and went to see the plane. I held on tight to my plane as we walked back in. The lady at the gate remembered us, so we got to go right on through.
There was a bit of a line to get on the plane, so Daddy and I walked around the plane again and looked at everything while Mommy and John held our place in line. It was really hot still. Luckily, they had umbrellas for people to hold to keep the sun off. That helped a lot!
Finally, it was our turn. Mommy and John climbed up first. We went through what Daddy called the "forward hatch," which is right by where the navigator and the bombardier sit. It was pretty crowded, and I got kind of scared. I asked Daddy if we could get out, but he promised me there would be more room in a minute and some cool things to see. He was right!
We stopped and took a look at where the pilot and co-pilot sit, and then where the radio man sat. But my favorite part was definitely seeing the bombs! That was so cool. Mommy said they wouldn't explode, so I could touch one. I liked seeing them all lined up inside the plane.
After that, we went back to where the waist gunners sit. There was lots more room back there, and I felt a lot better exploring a bit. We looked at the guns and out the windows at the people below us. That plane is really big!
It was getting past nap time and John was getting pretty hot, so Mommy said it was time to go. We clambered out of the airplane (a nice man helped Mommy and John get down), took one last look at the B-17 and the Boeing Stearman before we said good bye.
We had a great time today! Even though it was hot, I loved going to see the cool airplanes. Daddy says we can go to another airport again sometime!
