Easter

We truly had an amazing weekend... for many reasons. Easter is one of those holidays that seems to sneak up on you but when it arrives, you realize it's significant because Spring is here and 1/4 of the year has already passed. Can't believe summer is around the corner.

Our Easter celebrations this year began on Wednesday night, with a visit to the Mesa Temple Easter Pageant, a HUGE production that draws hundreds of thousands of spectators every year. Corbin really got into it this year and even stayed up to watch the whole thing, even though it started at 8pm. Q hung out in the stroller while we saved seats for the young women in our ward to show up... and enjoyed our picnic dinner. It was cold and breezy, but its always fun to bundle up at the pageant to await the warm message.
As soon as the show started Quinton fell asleep on my lap and kept me warm. Jeff narrated the entire thing in Corbin's ear. This picture is from the famous ascension scene at the very end when Jesus Christ has been resurrected and ascends back up to His father in heaven.

Good Friday was exceptionally good for us because Jeff was HOME! (benefits of working at a Christian University.) We spent nearly the whole day cleaning, packing and organizing the garage, our closets, our storage cupboards, and the pantry. We got things ready for our freecycle, (i.e.- giving our junk away to friends and family) on Saturday morning. that evening we had our traditional egg dye. Corbin loved it this year... and he and his dad got pretty creative with two-toned eggs, etc.

This is an art, son, watch and learn...

Corbin was proud of his work and wasn't ready to quite when all the eggs were colored.

Saturday morning, after the pouring rain and our successful (and liberating) freecycle, we attended a good friend Lucas Banda's 2nd birthday party. Of course there was an Easter egg hunt along with a yummy BBQ, bounce house/slide, and lots of good company to visit with... and say our goodbyes to. :(

Caden Albright and Corbin going at it.

Immediately after the birthday party/egg hunt we headed for my parents' house for the annual egg hunt and Easter dinner. Here are the girls (minus Mandy, Sarah, Eizley, and Brittney) in their dresses from my mom.

Corbin, now a pro at egg hunting, found the Easter bunny to be very generous this year.

And yes.... that is Brittney Hamilton, my new sister-in-law-to-be with 2 of my nieces! Jesse (my little brother) proposed to her Friday morning on a romantic hot-air balloon ride on top of the world. (Their big day is August 8th!)

Easter Sunday was fabulous because of its significance paired with the fact that Jeff had no meetings and got to spend the entire morning with us before 11am church!

After church and naps the Easter bunny arrived yet again in our own backyard! Corbin had a blast crawling all over the yard looking for eggs to throw around. He had no clue why but sure looked cute doing it.

Corbin was excited to find eggs filled with candy as well as the real eggs that we dyed. "How did that Easter bunny get in our house?"

That's a full basket of sugar!

The family Easter photo.

This year's Easter was especially memorable because it's our last in Arizona. Corbin was also very enchanted with the entire Easter story and asked us to tell him "that story 'bout Jesus" again and again. In fact Jeff and Corbin laid on the couch for almost 45 minutes on Friday retelling the entire Easter pageant. Sunday we watched the Testaments and he got to see more of those scenes when the "bad guys" (Roman soldiers) are mean to Jesus and then nail Him on the cross. But then a look of relief crosses Corbin's face when he again hears that Jesus was resurrected and rose from the dead.... that He lives still. That simple truth is the reason we celebrate Easter and the real reason we find death not to have too much sting in this life, because we know that because of Jesus Christ's Atonement, Crucifixion, and Resurrection we too can live again both spiritually and physically after this life. I don't know of any other knowledge more comforting than that.
In light of this we found out on Friday that my cousin Rusty and his wife Kristina, who were expecting their 3rd baby girl lost her. During Kristina's last doctor appointment (before her scheduled C-section this Tuesday) the nurse and doctors couldn't find the heart beat. An emergency c-section was performed and little lifeless Adrianna was born, still-born. They were able to spend lots of time holding her and admiring all her red hair. Her big sisters got acquainted with her and lots of pictures were taken. Rusty and Kristina have kept an amazing outlook and I can't think of a better time of year to be reminded of the purpose of life and death.... even after such a tragic loss the hope of life hereafter brings a comfort that otherwise would bring doom and gloom to such a good family. Needless to say they are in our prayers and thoughts and we're sad we'll never know little Adrianna!