Our family has had the privilege of serving in the Santan Branch for the past 3 years and we have LOVED IT! Families are asked to serve for a period of 3-ish years so I know our time is coming up soon. I have served in the Primary the entire time we have been there and it is going to CRUSH my heart to leave these kiddos. I guess in making this post, I'm hoping I'm somehow preparing myself for the release. I never thought I could love other kids as much as my own but here I am. I wish I could take these kiddos into my own home and protect them from everything that lies ahead of them in their teen years in Sacaton. But how grateful I am to know these people and the close associations I have with the other families and missionaries that I have served with--seriously, even the missionaries are like my own sons. These are some of my most favorite/treasured memories:
This is Leelee M. She comes to church every single week she can (which is most). There are a few Sundays a year that she spends with her other grandma out in Blackwater but does her best to be back because she says, "Sis. Meeker, I HAD to come back because I knew you would miss me way too much." How correct she is.💕
This is Hunter J. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this gentle giant. He was one of my first kiddos I met as he was in my 10 year old class. I don't see him as often as I would like but every time he does come, he ALWAYS finds me to give me a hug.
My husband was honored to baptize both Lydia & Leona M. Their grandmother, Shiela, is one of the most noble people I have ever met.
Activity Day Shenanigans:
Grace J. & Me (Sis. Critchfield Photobomb)
McKay
Tallan
Grace J.
Our Missionaries:
White, Max, Miller, & Hinckley
YM lined up: Aiden, Logan, Carter, Max, Jackson, Ashton, & Miller (who is 6'9")
We headed out to Spanish Fork, UT for Thanksgiving with my younger brother and his family. Carlie was already super close (in Provo) and Ethan drove in from Rexburg, ID so it was a great meeting spot for all of us. We had such a great time--eating lots of good food, doing a little Christmas shopping, see some Christmas lights. Chris and Travis got some drywalling projects done so it was a successful trip. Our kids are not close in ages (except for Tatum & Sabey) but we all just had a great time being together.
My niece, Taylee, is 6 and just the cutest little "girly girl" ever! She LOVES my kids and I had a great time painting her nails and fixing her hair--stuff my girls don't let me do anymore😂. I'm ready for some grandbabies already!!!
The boys just HAD to get ugly Christmas sweaters. I think Ethan's is the BEST!!! Sumo Wrestler + Christmas...umm....YES!!!
Believe it or not, this was a pretty low-key year for the Meekers. We only doll-dropped one person--Elder Miller. He is one of our favorite missionaries to serve at the Branch with us. He's 6'9" and HATES Halloween so we just couldn't let that be! There's NO disrespecting our favorite holiday after feeding you every Sunday for 6 months! He was transferred to Casa Grande before Halloween hit so we made plans with his companion (Elder Hinckley who was also a Branch missionary AND the great-great grandson of the Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley so we figured we were okay with him on our side despite probably breaking a few mission rules 😂) through FB messenger. So we drove down to Casa Grande on a Friday night at 9:15 pm to carry this out. Well, we didn't quite get the reaction that we were hoping--not really possible to get a rise out of Miller--but it was just great to see two our of favorite missionaries again. LOVE these boys like my own:
Here is our home Halloween set-up for 2021:
We were also asked to create a haunted room for a Haunted Maze that several of the wards in our Stake participate in each year. IT WAS SOO MUCH FUN!!! I hope they ask again next year. Check out our "Meeker Doll Room." We found a creepy white night gown for Tatum to wear as she sat inside our room rocking in a rocking chair holding a doll. She would ask creepy questions to all the kids that came through--Carlie sat outside the tent feeding her creepy lines and Max sat nearby to hit the tarp as people walked past for an extra scare.
We tested out the creepiness of our bride in Max's room a few days before:)
Daytime Set up
Ethan found a great girl that went with him to TWO haunted attractions in ID. I love this girl I've never even met:). Bless her.
Carlie flew in this weekend to see the Mesa Temple AND to see her Best Friend (Kayleah) in "Mary Poppins" at Hale Theatre--which was FANTASTIC!
And the main event: The Mesa Temple Open House!!! It was so great to walk through this magnificent building again after so many years.
We of course set out on our front porch on Halloween night eating pizza with our neighbors, the Thurmans--one of my most favorite traditions. So like I said, it was a fun/jammed-pack season but pretty low-key for us. Guess we're just getting too old...
After a much needed break over the summer, I was ready to jump back into my most favorite side-hobby of PUPPY RESCUE!!! And man! It's raining puppies this fall! So far I've taken 12 pups this past month--with 3 more active litters I'm working on getting. So hopefully MORE puppies will come my way soon.
Aladdin Pups:
Peter Pan Clan: I love this next little photo sequence--Cool Auntie Lola patiently waiting for her new pups to come out! INSTANT BEST FRIENDS!!!
This is the Meeker family residing in beautiful, sunny Chandler, AZ. Chris and I have 4 beautiful kids: Carlie (23), Ethan (21), Maxwell (18), and Tatum (16). Thanks for stopping by:)
