What a Christmas present!

I got this quick e-mail from Kevin's mission mom, Sister Clark:

Hello Georgia,

I watched Elder Blissett do his first baptism this afternoon. I’m sure that he will want to tell you all about it when you get to talk with each other next week on Christmas. Thought you’d like to know…

Have a wonderful Christmas!

Sister Clark

Where the pavement ends

We've been where "the pavement ends" visiting the new ranch in Nebraska. We had a great time. I think of the many years I dreaded spending summers on the ranch. How age changes perspectives. Now I can't think of anything better than solitude.

Here's John and Johnny modeling their camo. Johnny got all dressed, and did the men take him hunting? No! Probably a good idea since he was a fussy boy. He is teething and it has been a hard week!

Johnny is not interested in staying a baby. While we were at the ranch, he started pulling himself up to standing and now he's taking steps holding onto furniture. This guy is 7 months old! I keep telling him there's no hurry. I want him to be a baby just a little longer! But, Kevin walked at 8 months and I think he's going to as well. You should see what he does to the house. Well, no, you shouldn't...

First Assignment: Singapore!

I finally got a quick e-mail from Kevin. Everything went very well with traveling and his first area is in Singapore! His companion is from Mongolia. They basically only do street contacting in Singapore and I think mostly speak English. Kevin mentioned in his phone call to me before he got there that his MTC trainer told him he had a companion that was assigned to Singapore for 7 months. During that time, he only taught a second discussion once. So...challenging...but if anybody can do it, Kevin can!

No news...

But I think that is good news! Surely I would have heard something by now if they had a major problem. I've joined a missionary mom e-mail circle where you are connected to other mothers whose sons are in the Singapore Mission. One mother whose son was in the group who arrived 2 months ago told me she never got a call, but received an e-mail from the mission president saying they had arrived safely a few days later. I'll let you all know as soon as I hear something!

Up on Toes

I've tried and tried to get a clear picture of Johnny while he is up on his toes. He has learned that when his knees slide on the wood floor, sometimes going up on his toes is a more effective way to go. It is the funniest thing. It looks like a yoga pose and takes an impressive amount of balance to crawl this way.

In other news, I was able to talk to Kevin on the phone and he sounds great! He's been on the plane to Taiwan since about 11:30 p.m. last night and will arrive about 5:00 p.m. Then, it's on to Singapore!

Nov. 3rd Off to Singapore

The day is finally here! Kevin leaves tomorrow for Singapore! Please keep him in your prayers. This is the single picture that he has sent me while in the MTC. I hope to get a few more once he is actually out on his mission. His companion, Elder Lang, is to his left.

We just had a missionary from our ward return from Portugal and he was sitting in front of us on Sunday. He asked where Kevin was going and when I told him Singapore/Malaysia, he told me that he has a really good friend who is serving over there! It is common in Utah for a designated mom (or a couple of mothers) to compile a newsletter for their boys and their friends on missions so they can keep in touch without writing a ton of letters. (Somehow I inherited this honor for Kevin's friends. Right now, I have 26 boys/parents who send me monthly updates and I compile them into a newsletter. Isn't that amazing, though, that Kevin has 26 close friends all serving missions? It really is such a blessing.) Anyway, Judd sent me a copy of his group's newsletter so I could see his friend in Malaysia's last entry. The great news is that he loves his mission and they are having tons of success over there. His friend was actually assigned to Borneo and was speaking Iban (a third language Kevin may learn in addition to Indonesian and Malay). In his entry, he noted that as recently as 2 generations ago, the Iban people were headhunters.

What???

There was one other entry in the newsletter that was classic! Unfortunately, the document is a PDF file and I can't get a clear copy of the photo that was posted, but it was a picture of a church billboard in a rural city in New York where he was serving. It said, "Don't Pray About the Book of Mormon. That's How They Get You!"

Halloween Highlights

First stop, Aunt Charlotte and Uncle Tyler's house where Johnny checked out all of the aquatic themed costumes. Tucker was an octopus, Savannah was a mermaid, Emma was a jelly-fish and Oliver was a dolphin. A giraffe didn't quite fit with the theme! It was very tough to get a picture where everyone was looking and still enough that the picture wasn't blurry. This was the best I could do.

Those tentacles were mesmerizing!

On to Aunt Suzy's... Johnny wore his "I'm so cute it's scary" pajamas that Suzy gave him underneath his costume.

Suzy stood him up in a chair to pose for pictures and he stayed standing!

John's nephew's son, Hayden, was a darling little frog. Here he is examining Johnny's costume. Johnny loves to be around all of his cousins!

Boo at the Zoo

Johnny and I had a great time with Ryan, Kristine, and Simon at the zoo! Unfortunately, John had to work so he missed out on the fun. From Johnny's picture, you might wonder if he was really having fun! He wasn't too sure about wearing his giraffe costume.

Simon was handsome in his tiger costume.

We were trying to get a picture with the tigers in the background, but they were lying down so that was difficult!

This baby elephant was absolutely adorable!

The doctor says...

6 month old babies aren't supposed to be crawling yet. Someone forgot to tell Johnny!

Cutest Cowboy Ever

Fall Leaves

Can you believe all of these colors?


Fall leaves are so exciting!

What do you think about them, Dad?

It's Not For Sale...

It's not for sale... This was always John's first response when someone asked him about his white Toyota truck. Looking at the picture of the truck, you'll see why this brought a chuckle.

John bought it when he got home from his mission (we won't mention how many years ago that was) and at one point, he sold it to his brother, but then bought it back a few years later. The old Toyota was just a part of John.

When we got married, we had a bit of a debate about what we would do with the truck. I had memories of my neighbor suggesting that it might be best if my brother-in-law, Tyler (who had a very similar white Toyota truck) not park in front of her house anymore. I thought the Toyota would really enjoy living out in Wyoming on his uncle's property; John thought it would be the perfect vehicle for Kevin. Now Kevin has never been a materialistic person, but as a senior in high school, I wasn't quite sure how he would feel about driving the truck. I should never have doubted...he was thrilled.

The week after we started parking it in front of the house, we found a scribbled note under the windshield wiper, "Slimbo, you're bringing down the neighborhood." Kevin died with laughter. (He didn't realize that John's friend, Mark, left the note...given away by his using John's nickname "Slimbo.")

I came to understand why John thought it was the perfect vehicle for Kevin. It would only go about 30 mph downhill with a wind at it's back. We never had to worry about Kevin getting a speeding ticket. He learned how to drive a stick shift and the importance of using the emergency break. (He only told us right before he left for his mission about the morning he woke up early to go to school and went out to the curb, only to find the truck missing. Huh! He looked around and low and behold, the truck had taken a trip across the street, luckily stopped by the street curb before rolling into our neighbor's living room. And yes, it was the same neighbor who asked Tyler to not park his truck in front of her house...hee, hee)

We got a lot of good use out of the truck. When John and I were dating, he decided it wasn't really Christmas without a real tree. We stuffed one in the back (and nearly had to tie the tailgate closed because it decided it didn't want to latch anymore) and enjoyed the smell of pine through the whole season. We brought Johnny's crib home in the trusty Toyota. Kevin and I bought John a massive treadmill that he was sure he wanted for Father's Day. It filled the entire bed. The whole way home, I kept asking Kevin, "What have we done??? Should we take it back?"

Before Kevin left for his mission, we discussed that it was probably time to say goodbye to the Toyota. We took a picture of it's best angle and John put it on KSL.com on Sunday night about 10 p.m. At 8 a.m. the next morning, we had a guy on our doorstep with $500.00 cash. John gave him a complete rundown of the Toyota's weaknesses. (Boy, I didn't know that much was wrong with it. Maybe I shouldn't have been letting Kevin drive it back and forth to Provo.) The guy listened to everything, nodded his head and asked in very broken English, "It starts? I take." Since it had new breaks, new tires and a new battery, we had listed it for $1000.00, but all of the sudden, John just wanted to sell it and be done with it. With the picture on the ad, how many offers would we get? We took the money and felt good about it.

Would you believe that we have continued to get calls on that truck for 3 weeks now?

So long, Toyota. We'll miss you guy.

Small Reassurances

On Saturday, in preparation for teaching Relief Society on Sunday, I googled "LDS Relief Society Wentworth Letter" to see if anyone had any great lesson plans. The second link that came up was titled "Kuala Lumpur Relief Society." That name looked slightly familiar to me, so I clicked on the link. It is a great blog so I read it further. On the sidebar, they welcome sisters who are visiting and generally update everyone on what is happening in the ward. One of the entries mentioned praying for a sister's father who was having surgery in Sarawak. Suddenly, it dawned on me that Kuala Lumpur and Sarawak were familiar to me because they are cities in Malaysia where there are branches of the church. This was the Relief Society blog for a branch in Malaysia!

Now, I have googled many church topics over the years, and I have never run across a blog from Malaysia! I don't think it is any coincidence and I'm comforted that the Lord shows us that He cares by sending little reassurances along the way. I'll probably know more about the goings on in the branch than Kevin will!

Martha thought it would be great to not tell Kevin I had found it, then when he is assigned there, start asking questions about people in the ward.... How's so and so doing after her appendectomy??? It would have been really funny, but of course, I cannot keep such a secret!

Yellowstone 2009

Before Kevin left on his mission, we took a fabulous trip to Yellowstone. Morgan, John's sister Suzy, her husband Neal, and their son Paul joined us and we all had a great time.

I Wanna Hold Your Hand

Whenever we have an important event in our family, we try to freeze the moment by making a plaster cast of our hands. We have one of my hand and Kevin's hand when he was 12 years old and received the Priesthood. Before Kevin left on his mission, I wanted to make one of him holding Johnny's hand. It turned out so well! You can see every detail, including their fingernails, wrinkles, and veins.

Johnny is big on holding hands. I noticed he was doing it at about 3 months but I thought it was just a reflex to grasp objects. I first realized it was purposeful when I took him for his 4 month doctor check-up. He was happy, smiling and cooing at everyone. This came to an abrupt halt when the nurse gave him his vaccinations. He was completely shocked that someone would hurt him. We had to stay in the room for quite some time for him to calm down after the experience.

When I went to check out and make his next appointment, I put him in his carseat. I heard this little whimper and looked down and he was reaching out his little hand for me to hold. It was the sweetest, saddest thing. He was fine as long as I was holding his hand.

I've never seen a baby do this, but if he is sitting on someone's lap, and someone else he loves is sitting next to them, he will reach out to hold their hand. How could anyone resist? He also wants to hold hands while he is taking his bottle, which makes holding his bottle difficult!

It is so fun to make these casts. I recommend you do it with your family too! The kits are in a bucket and are made by a company called Precious Memories. I found mine at the craft store.

Kisses

He's Off!

Today was a defining moment in my life as we dropped Kevin off at the MTC. Although I have planned for and hoped for this day for all of Kevin's life, I was not prepared for how it felt to say goodbye to him for 2 years. Kevin is so much a part of me. I can't imagine how it will be not to be able to talk to him except through letters. I can't imagine him living in a foreign country and speaking a different language. When I wake up in the morning, he'll be finishing his day. I'll go on eating the same food, interacting with the same people, and sleeping in the same bed every night. He'll be doing none of those things!

Last night was physically painful. My chest ached every time I took a breath and if anyone even looked my way, tears welled up in my eyes. I'm so excited for the opportunities for growth before him, but it's hard to think that I'm sending away my boy, and he's going to come back a man. I've loved having him as my little boy, and I'm going to miss that forever.

Little Johnny is going to miss his brother! They have become fast friends in the few months that Kevin has been home from college. When Kevin comes back, Johnny will be a bouncing 2 1/2 year old. When Johnny is old enough for a mission, Kevin will be the age I am now! (Isn't that a sobering thought!)

We couldn't love you any more than we do, Kevin. Have a great mission!

Johnny's first million dollar budget

I have the pleasure of working from home with our new little addition always at my side. As you know from my previous post, Johnny MUCH prefers our bed to his. Sometimes, I'll lay him on the bed and let him fall asleep, then I can spread out my work and get a few things done. This week, I was working on this very important budget and had been poring over a document figuring what procedures to charge for. Johnny was snoozing and all was going well until my phone rang. Hoping the ring didn't wake him up, I grabbed it and ran out of the room to take the call. I returned not two minutes later to a wide-eyed baby, with a guilty face and my important papers crumpled and smeared with baby slobber. He looked at me as if to say, "Was this not for me?" There's nothing like a new baby to bring what is important back into perspective.

Sweet night of sleep

For the second time, Johnny slept through the night! Sweet relief! He has not been an easy sleeper. This little swaddling blanket has saved our lives, as he wouldn't sleep more than about 2 hours at a time until we discovered it. It has velcro that keeps him bundled up for at least long enough to fall asleep. After he awakens, he can wriggle his way out like a regular Houdini.

I've let him get into a bad habit of allowing him to sleep in the bed with us starting at about 5 a.m. He's done with his cradle by then, but sometimes we can squeeze out another hour or two of sleep if he is allowed to snuggle up against one of us. Who can blame him? I don't like to sleep by myself either!

Gone Ridin'

Those of you who know me well might guess that this isn't my cowboy hat (John made me wear his) but you might never guess that I'm learning to ride a horse. Yes, that is correct. I'm the daughter of a cattle rancher, yet I've spent my whole life being terrified of horses. Now, I'm taking horseback riding classes every Tuesday night...and I even like it! I have pretty much overcome my fear, and that is saying a lot. I ride a very patient, very slow horse named Nick. He is unflappable! This week, I had to ride him down a steep embankment into a stream. Big stuff! Good thing he likes water. Here we are with John's horse, Jimmie. (Jimmie was the baby of the family until we had Johnny.)

6 more weeks

Kevin was horrified when he realized I brought the camera along when we went for his suit fitting. The picture isn't great because I was trying to do it when the salesman wouldn't notice. I can't believe he will be leaving in 6 weeks! His farewell will be on Sunday, August 30th. You are all invited. Our Sacrament Meeting starts at 12:45, so you'll need to be there by 12:35 to get a seat. We'll have an informal gathering at our house afterwards. Hope to see you there!

Where is my hair?

Have you been wondering what I've been up to?

I'm working hard to learn to turn the wheel on my toy.

I've learned to grasp small toys, and can get them in my mouth...sometimes.

But what I would really like to know is, "How do I go about growing hair???"

A Cowboy

If I have an Atwood hat...

And the latest in sheepskin boots...

Does this mean I'm a cowboy?

Singapore

Speaking of our kids going on missions, my neighbor told me, "They're doing what you want them to do, and they're breaking your heart." Kevin has been preparing for years to go on a mission. Many of his friends had received exotic calls, and we were discussing the possibility of Boise, ID., and how that would be perfectly fine if that was where he was supposed to go. After all, this is a mission assignment, not a vacation destination. When he received his call in the mail, it was a "thin" envelope. Everyone knows that you are going somewhere in the U.S. if you receive a "thin" envelope, right? We each ventured a guess, and were all surely surprised when he opened up the letter and read, "You are hereby called to serve...in the Singapore mission." I must confess that I didn't know exactly where Singapore was located. Now, come September, my first baby will head for the MTC and on to an exotic country for an experience that will change his life, and ours, forever. I can't wait, and then again, I hope September never comes. In the meantime, my whole family is safe and sound underneath the same roof, and I am truly happy.