Mesa Temple Lights

One of the things I was most excited for when we moved here is the Mesa Temple Lights. We got to take Madison one year when I was pregnant with McKinley, and she loved them! So I was anxious to go back with both girls this year. We went for FHE the Monday before Thanksgiving and were able to go back a couple more times in December. Christmas lights are my favorite part of the Christmas season, and it's so nice to have such an awesome display so close and nice weather to enjoy it! I also love the nativity scenes they have set up and the other touches that remind us of the Savior.

The first time we went was a little bit of an adventure that I want to remember since it seems funny now! They have concerts every evening outside the Visitors Center so after looking at the lights for a while we went and stood on the grass to listen to the music. Madison was riding on Jordan's shoulders and all of a sudden yelled that she needed to throw up. Jordan just barely had time to lean over, not even enough time to get her down, before she let loose on the lawn. A young man standing near us kept telling his female companion over and over, "dude, that just barely missed that guy's head!" It was definitely a close call for Jordan! We got things cleaned up and then talked to Madison a little bit about how she was feeling. She said she was fine and still wanted to stay and look at stuff inside the Visitors Center so we decided to stick around. We walked into the Visitors Center and watched the Jesus presentation and then headed into a room to watch a short Nativity movie. About halfway through the movie, Madison again turned to us and said she needed to throw up. Jordan bolted out of the room with her and barely made it outside (all of the bathrooms were blocked off due to the crowds) before she lost it again. I stayed in the room with McKinley to finish the movie and then was waiting for Jordan since I didn't know where he had gone when I got a text from him saying that we needed to leave now and telling me where to meet him. I began walking out of the building with McKinley and had just started going down the steps outside with McKinley when she all of a sudden threw up!! Needless to say, FHE was over! I still feel bad that we left our "mark" all over the temple grounds, but who knew?! And of course, neither girl threw up again after that. Oh the adventures of parenting!

Side note: Of course, the Visitors Center is crawling with missionaries, and as we struck up a conversation with one, Madison proudly told her about Aunt Casey, who had just returned from a mission the month before. In asking a few more questions, we discovered that this missionary's brother was serving in the same mission as Casey, and Casey confirmed that she knew him! Small world :)

She begged me to take this picture of her

Jordan says his favorite part is the three wise men on the front lawn