Easter Pageant and Mission Calls

We haven't made it to the Mesa Temple Easter Pageant in a couple years, mostly just out of trying to schedule it, so this year we picked a date before so we'd be sure and schedule it in.

We got there early with blankets and pillows ready to sit on the lawn to watch, but when we saw how close we could get in the chairs we decided to take it - 7th row in the middle!!!  It was AWESOME!!!  And, very helpful, since I still can't see too well.  Here's our row - Ethan, Jamie, me, Laura, Kelcie, Erin, Talin - Lafe's taking the picture.

Taking a walk before it starts - Isn't the Temple beautiful?!?

The very end of the Pageant - my favorite part!  It's just so beautiful and wonderful.  Of course, the reason Lafe could take this picture was because he had to take Talin to the bathroom about 30 seconds before this (he was just a little mad since we tried to take him before).

At the end of the Pageant, Lafe got a text that his sister 3 kids were going to open their mission calls - so we ran over there to watch!!!  Austin and Ruston (identical twins) and their older sister, Kimri.  (Incidentally, numbers 6,7,8 of their kids)  Here, Ruston is opening his call to......Guatemala!!!

Then, Auston opened his to.......Honduras!!!  Twins in neighboring countries!

Kimri..........Macon, Georgia!!!!  Which is fun because her Dad served some in Georgia and because my niece, Tiffany, is going to Atlanta, Georgia.
Above is the Proud and Happy parents, Russ and Shelle. (Bloggers messing me up)

No more braces!!!

Time to get the braces off!!!  She's just a LITTLE excited!!!

The note on the placemat thing with the instructions for today!!!  Sorry, I was standing on the other side.....

Beautiful smile!!!!!!!!  Happy girl!!!  For a few months, nobody in our house has braces!!!  It won't last long......

Pizza Anyone???

  So, Lafe works with the 14-15 yr old boys at Church, and he challenged all of them to finish the Book of Mormon before Trek.  If they ALL finished, he would take them Venezia's Pizza, who makes the HUGEST Pizzas ever!  Well, they all  finished........well, at least by the end of Trek.  So, they went and there's a challenge at the restaurant for 2 people to finish a gigantic pizza in one hour.  4 teams wanted to try.....

Ready, Set,.......

2 of them did it!  Of course, they were sick afterwards, but they got it!  Brett and Cole

Brandon and Dakota

Talin's Birthday!!!

He's 6!!!  He's grown so much recently - he's definitely 6!!!

His request - a Skateboard!!!

He saw this Spiderman web shooter on TV a while ago and I wasn't too excited about it because Ethan had one when he was younger.  But, as I was thinking about gifts, I remembered he thought it was really cool - so now we have it again!

This just looked really cool in the store!  And, the kids love it - even the girls!

Squirting his Spidey Web

He wanted a party this year, but I was EXHAUSTED after Trek, so we talked him into a "Street" party, which is basically cousins and the one other family with kids that lives on the street - and they're practically family!  Here, they are playing Alligator

"Do you love you neighbor?"

Piñata!

Waiting for the Piñata to break - Love the pose!  Laura, Autumn, Kaylee M., and Becka.

Blowing out the candles

THen, we got together with my family on Sunday to celebrate and he got presents from family.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Talin!!!!!!!!  

Can't believe you're six, but you're so ready to be six its ok :)DAY, Talin!!!!!!!!  

Can't believe you're six, but you're so ready to be six its ok :)

Christmas in March

Erin and Jamie had to wait for their big Christmas present this year - all the way until March!  But, I'm pretty sure it was worth it!!!  They got tickets to see WICKED in Tucson!!!  So, we drove down that morning and went to the Matinee so that we could drive back in time for Laura's band concert that night.

Lunch at Cracker Barrel - aren't' they pretty?

It was so cool to drive in and see the trailer for the set!!!

Before the show - we had the very front row of the first balcony.  The theatre wasn't as big as Gammage in Tempe, but it was still great!

Mom splurged and helped them buy T-shirts - they're SO COOL!!!

Had to get the Dragon after the show!

 We had a GREAT time and it was so fun to spend time with just the two older girls!  Merry Christmas, again!

Meanwhile.....

While we were on Trek, Grandma and Grandpa Starr took the kids on a little field trip to  Sea Life Aquarium - SUPER nice!!!!!

Talin, Sophie (cousin), and Kelcie in the bubble inside the shark tank, I think?

Grandma taking pictures

Grandpa taking pictures

Chandler East Stake Pioneer Trek 2013

There's a reason I haven't been blogging.  Last October, I had a feeling the we might get called to be Ma and Pa on the upcoming Trek, and sure enough we got called!  I was excited at first and then REALLY nervous.  My back goes out A LOT, and my feet always have trouble, so I was worried.  

And, would I be spiritual enough, strong enough, etc.  Well, I got my feet all figured out with the Foot Dr. and when I started walking to prepare, my back improved like crazy!  Blessings!!!  Lots of blessings getting ready with times of peace and time to get ready and practice meals, and finances allowing us to get what we needed.  Here's the pictures:

First Morning - Sunrise (it's bright!)  Right after an awesome breakfast they fed us.

Just starting out with the handcarts - notice our cool "Zion or Bust" sign on the back!  Erin made it for us at school so we could put it on our cart - ended up being VERY handy to find it again, as ALL the carts looked the same.  (With Audrey and Kyle)

Pulling the cart - Travis, Kyle, Madelyne, Steven, Taylor, Jeffrey

LOVE this picture - that's me in the back; they didn't want the Ma and Pa helping much, so I walked, and walked, and walked.......

The Women's Pull - a really hard hill where the men and boys were not allowed to help us.  I only had 2 1/2 (one medical and had to drop out half way) girls with me, so a couple Stake Women jumped in to help us.  

Kyle was there for his second time, so he got called on a "mission" and taken from our family - we missed him!  It was his second mission call in a week since his real call came the week before - to AFRICA!!!

Camp the first night under the stars - which was actually really great except the ground is really hard/ rocky.  I actually was really warm hunkered down in there and loved listening to the wind because I wasn't cold.

Erin's family was in our company and happened to be camped right next to us and she was on the edge, so we were sleeping 4 feet from each other.

Ethan greeting the morning :)

Our camp for the second and third nights - not easy to set up, but it did withstand the windy day!!!

Erin kept finding us :)  I think we were making dinner while the kids were doing activities.

Ethan at his family tent.

Pioneer Lafe aka Pa Carroll

Pioneer LeAnn aka Ma Carroll

Ethan found us - didn't see him as often 

Our whole ward - we had a meeting where we got to be together as a ward on our  "Sabbath" - so fun to see all of them.

Kind of fuzzy, but these are all the tents - 35 families out there plus 2 missionary camps.

The Ma's and Pa's from our ward - Stubbarts, Warners, us, Herrings

Snake someone found at our "Sacrament Mtg" - fast little guy!

Our whole family!!!  Our family changed over and over because we had a couple medical kids and one that joined us late.  L-R: Ebony, Audrey, Travis, Steven, Lafe, Nick, Taylor, Jeffrey, Kendon, Me, Madalyne, McKenna

Silly kids!

Ethan trekking

At the end there was one last long hill and this is what greeted us at the top!  Brought tears and our two kids that had to leave us joined us again to we could all be together as a Trek Family.

Our real family at the Temple

The engraved EVERYBODIES names in their families on the Temple - so wonderful!

What greeted us when we got home!!!!!!  They're wearing the shirts they made and they made us run through the sign.  Jamie did an incredible job watching the kids during the day.

Such an INCREDIBLE experience!!!  So glad we were able to be involved.