Ready for the Best Two Years

Kevin was finally all packed and ready for the best two years.

He said good-bye to Krysta at home since she had to go to work. (When she got to work, she found that her patients had cancelled a few minutes before. She could have come to the MTC with us.)

We parked across the street at the Provo Temple and took a few last pictures. Driving into the parking lot, we were immediately confronted with crying families. A younger sister and grandparents were wiping away tears. Families were hugging and taking pictures. Hard to hold it together, but we remembered that we were HAPPY that Kevin was getting this wonderful opportunity to serve, and he reminded us that even though he'd miss us, this is what he really wanted to do .

 A father dropping off his daughter kindly took a picture of all of us.

Then we followed the long line of cars into the MTC and the drop off points at the curb. I could see parents in the other cars, and I wondered if my face reflected the emotions I could see on their faces. A mixture of happy and sad.

Missionaries were lined up to escort the new missionaries. This cute elder, who was Kevin's host, nicely told us how many missionaries were coming into the MTC that day--over 800! "So you want us to hurry," I joked.

 I still tear up when I see the following pictures. One last hug for everyone.

 And then good-bye. Into the Lord's hands for two years.

Such a wonderful/reflective/happy/emotional/contemplative good-bye. Words really can't describe it. We were a solemn bunch on the way home. We went to Kneader's to let cookies and cinnamon rolls help us feel better. I didn't want to go home immediately and deal with an empty room. A few good friends brought treats and kind words that night.

However, the overriding emotion is gratitude. We are so grateful that Kevin is on a mission and that he is enjoying his experience. We love him and have already felt blessings from his service.

You can read his letters on his missionary blog (listed on the right).

Soldier Hollow Snow Tubing

The day after Kevin spoke in church, we headed up to Soldier Hollow for one of our last activities with the entire family for a few years.  This was another Christmas present. The sky was beautiful, the runs were uncrowded, and the air was crisp. The rules were that only five tubes could be connected at once, so we usually went down in groups of three or four.  However, our last run, we all stayed together. Kevin pushed us and then had to quickly jump on his tube. The best run of the night.  

Missionary Farewell

Kevin's missionary farewell was Sunday, January 27th.  The night before we had a family dinner. Kevin loved hanging out with the cousins one last time. 

The same night we had friends over for treats. Many of this group traveled from Logan. He made such good friends there and loved Utah State. Good thing we had a late church as many of his roommates stayed until almost 1:00.

On Sunday, we had a full church house with a double missionary farewell. We were proud of the great job Kevin did on his talk.

Kevin's good friend, Brandon. drove all the way from Arizona. (A certain BYU girl may also have given him some incentive to drive all that distance.) But we appreciated him being here.

Kevin and Christian were able to go to the temple right before he left. What a great experience for both of them. We are grateful for our wonderful extended family.

Christmas 2012

Yes, we did have Christmas at our house and here are a few pictures to prove it. Look at the sincere faces calling for Pixie.  Hey, no calling, no presents.

See, Pixie present.

Our traditional (not so) early morning feast. The sun is shining and we haven't opened presents yet. Christmas anticipation should last as long as possible.

Rachel got this bean bag chair and she's all cuddled up waiting for her siblings.

Kevin got missionary things. Shirts and shoes...

...and more shirts.

We all got a trampoline. We're going to rewrap it and regift it from the Easter Bunny! By then it will be warm enough to actually set up in the yard.

We also got a lot of fun gift certificates for family activities.

The best was from Curt to me and included an overnight stay and surprise tickets to the Donny and Marie Christmas show which was fantastic. Easy to see why they've been in show business for all of this time.

This was the snow covered evening of the show and the view from inside Abravanel Hall.

Verl and family came over for Christmas dinner.

One of our gifts was a family pass to Clark Planetarium...IMAX and Dome theatre for a year.

We also got skating passes to the Galivan Center. The kids did great. When they figured out that the parents, who have never been skating, would fit in their skates, they took us each out for a spin/drag around the ice. It turns out that Curt has never even been rollerskating before! Watching him was hilarious. I'm sure my turn was equally funny, but I don't have to post pictures of that! Kevin kept saying "just pick up your feet, Mom." Nope, just pull me along, I'm fine. Now pull me to the side so I can cling for dear life until the exit. Good times.

We also had a fun visit to the Grand America with the cousins at the end of the holiday. We tried to make the Christmas events last for the entire school break.

We also saw the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas concert, Alfie Boe and the Candy Bomber. Best concert ever!