Off To Peru

We have another missionary in the family! 

My not-so-little-but-always-little-to-me cousin Nephi stopped by to eat and say farewell with Hy Hy.

It was SO fun to see these two goofballs again. 

We've shared some good times together! 

He's going to make one awesome missionary.

Peru's going to love you, Nephi!!

April 2012

Missionary Tradition

You may already know that every year we have missionaries serving in our family, we make holiday packages for them. 

The kids really look forward to it! 

This year Uncle Josh headed to Nevada to serve a two year LDS mission.

We miss him lots!  Especially the kid-Os.  

He's a favorite play buddy.  

So, they took their letter making very seriously and made yummy cookies just for him!

Josh loves letters!!  If you want to send him some love, here's his mission addy :)

We filled a box up with silly Halloween fun and lots of goodies!

Hopefully it wasn't too embarrassing for him. Haha

Check out our masterpieces!

Sport wrote his first letter to Uncle Josh all by himself! 

Writing his own letter was important to him. 

He feels a special bond with his uncle.

We love our missionaries!

Another Elder In Our Family

Our little Dopey is serving a mission in Nevada! 

I can hardly believe it. 

He's always been our goofy brother that knows how to lighten the mood, make us laugh, fix anything, wreck anything, and charm a lady with his grin.  

Thus the nick-name Dopey :)

It's easy to feel comfortable and safe with Josh. 

We are sure going to miss him!

(Celebrating his big day at Texas Roadhouse.  Yum!)

The kids couldn't get enough of Uncle Josh's attention!! 

He always had someone on his back, clinging to his leg, or talking in his face. 

Sport had been waiting for weeks to show Uncle Josh his rubber-band guns...

Uncle Josh didn't let him down! 

They spent all evening and morning shooting each other.  

I don't see the pleasure in getting hit in the back or leg with a rubber-band... 

but they did!

When it came time for Uncle Josh to get dressed up and packed for the MTC (Missionary Training Center),

Sport was right there to help him along. 

I'm so grateful we have worthy young men for our boys to admire and look up to!

This is for you, mom...


Loading up!

Looking like an Elder...

Last hugs and goodbyes are always tearful for me. 

I'm turning into my Grandma!

The kids didn't want to let Uncle Josh go...

We were running late, as usual.

All the last minute preparations, items to grab...and a shower that didn't take place until five minutes before we were suppose to be in the car (Josh)!  Kind of made things a rush! 

But, believe it or not, we got him there ON TIME! 

The Hosts (Elders) were super fast...

They grabbed his bags and whisked him away before I could give a proper goodbye! 

I don't know what I'm going to do when my little Sport's big day arrives. 

It's gonna just about kill me.

I snapped one last picture (I didn't even have time to see what I was taking a picture of) before he walked away for two years. 

At least he was smiling! 

I guess it was a bit easier to say goodbye this way, rather then having a long, emotional farewell.

It felt a lot more like ripping a band-aid off...it was quick!

We are so proud of you, Josh!

There's no doubt you're going to be an asset to the Lord.

Two years will be over before you know it!

Have fun and enjoy the journey in the Las Vegas, Nevada Mission :)

I'm glad we got to spend two days with my little brother. 

He's a special kid and, I love him to bits!

September 26-28, 2011

The day after Uncle Josh left...

A Picnic With Great-Grandma Bee

Lucky us!

We got to spend a few days with our Great-Grandma Bee before she left us for her second two year mission.

She's been called to serve in the Family History Center in Houston, TX for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

G-Grandma Bee is super excited and we're excited for her! 

Her Grandkids and Great-Grandkids love her.

She always has a minute to listen, snuggle, and hold them.

We went to Bridal Veil Falls with G-Grandma and the kids for a family picnic...

It started getting dark fast! 

But, we just kept on talking while the kidd-Os explored...

{Jeez!  I look tall... we were on a hill!}

G-Grandma with a handful of her Great-Grandkids!

We love you G-Grandma Bee! 

Thank you for sacrificing your time for the Lord. 

We have some amazing family to look up to!

She's so much fun.

We are grateful for the time we got to spend with her!

You're a special missionary, Grandma.

Miss you already!

A Hello & Goodbye

My cousin Mary has set off on a new adventure! She's been called to serve a mission for the  Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints in Cleveland, Ohio. In addition to her call, she'll get to serve in the Kirtland Temple Visitors Center.  How exciting for her!  I'm almost jealous :)  As much as we will all miss her, she's going to have an amazing time and be able to serve the Lord in so many ways.  I couldn't be happier for her!
{Cousins}

As a bonus for us, we got to play with our uncle, aunt, and cousins for a couple of days before they took their little girl to the MTC (Mission Training Center).  Aunt Rachel pulled out her games and we had a blast laughing at each other.   It was a good time!  We already miss them.

We tried to get a snap shot with EVERYONE in it.  It took a couple of tries, but we did it (We're still missing a few)!

Thanks for playing with us guys!  We miss all of you soooo much.  It was nice to be with our family from Arkansas.

Hopefully it won't be too much longer before we see you again.

Missionary Prep.

According to our Sport, he's got to learn how to cook now before it's time for him to serve a mission. For some reason, he's been really concerned about it! So, he came to me the other day and said:

Sport: "Mom, will you teach me how to make my very own cheese crisp?"
Mom: "Are you hungry? I can make you one really quick."
Sport: "No mom. I HAVE to do it myself. I need to learn how to make stuff for when I'm on a mission without you!"
Mom: "Ooohh. Well, that's not going to be for a while. You have time to learn. But, I'll show you how."
Sport: "I know. But, it's coming really fast!"

Where did this come from? I'm not sure! But, I thought it was pretty darn cute that he had thought all of this through.

There it is! The Cheese Crisp made by our future missionary.

At least I know he'll be capable of making something when he grows up and leaves me for two years.

A Night For Uncle Ammon

I'm pretty sure my brother Ammon has the coolest nieces and nephew EVER. Alright, maybe not. But, pretty close :)

We spent a family night putting together a Halloween package for Uncle Ammon, who's serving a mission in Colorado.

The girls, showing off their masterpieces...

Complete with decorated cards (by the kids), homemade cookies (by the kids, so beware!), candy, pumpkin bags, cereal, beef jerky, ties... you get the picture. It was a lot of fun! And it helps the kids keep in touch with who their Uncle Ammon is and what he's up to.

Sport took his letter very seriously. All the pictures had to be placed just so, and his writing had to be perfect. He loves his Uncle Ammon.

The Countdown begins...

Two years!
July 6-7, 2010

Our last day with my little brother Ammon was exciting, emotional, and bonding.  All those in my family that are endowed got to go through the Timpanogos, UT temple with Ammon.  It was a great feeling to be there as a family, experiencing all that we did together!  We each completed the endowments and sealings for family members. The influence of the spirit was so strong, and I was impressed with the amazing missionary Ammon is going to be.  He's a special young man :)  

Ammon has been called to serve a two year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the Colorado Springs, CO mission!

After the temple, we rescued our awesome babysitters, then splurged and ate lunch at Tucanos. It was delish! The best food to celebrate Ammon's mission call, and Sport's Birthday.

{Sport was pretty shocked that the waiters knew it was his birthday! He grinned from ear to ear as they sang Happy Birthday to him...he felt so special.}

We've been so blessed to have both my brother's, Ben and Ammon, set apart by Pres. Adams.  It has brought our families closer then we've ever been!
 {It's official!  Ammon's now an Elder.  Thank you, Pres. Adams!--Seth, Pres. Adams, Elder Ammon P., Dad, and JP}

Present time!  He can't serve a mission without scriptures!  And, of course, lets not forget the tie named after him... 

The day we had been waiting for and slightly sad to see come...  

{All the kids swarmed Uncle Ammon, wanting to give him a hug and kiss before saying goodbye for two years.}

Doing a "double check" to make sure everything was there...

Matt didn't want to see his brother go.  He really loves his big brother... 

Mom giving her baby a big hug.  Who knows what she was saying to him, but he obviously liked it!

Me with my little brother...

Cami with her little brother...

Emma (a little choked up) with her big brother...

Seth giving a few last words of advice...

Dad is so pleased with his boy...

A big hug from dad...

They'll always be best friends.  Josh with his big brother... he's looking forward to next year when he'll be in Ammon's shoes! 

Little brother David is one of Ammon's greatest fans...

Loading up!  Now that we drop our boys off at the curb near the MTC, instead of going in with them, we all said our goodbyes at the house, and waved as the van drove away...

Sport can't wait for the day when he gets to serve a mission too (mom can).  Just like Uncle Ben and Ammon!   And he's looking forward to Uncle Ammon coming home in two Christmases (that's his way of counting years). 

Where is he now?
Ammon's a missionary in the Colorado Springs, CO mission.  He's learning, growing, teaching, working, and realizing just how much he loves his family and the gospel of Jesus Christ, and wants to share his testimony with everyone.   He's happy, and doing great!  We love reading his letters, and learning all about his personal growth and experiences.  We always knew he'd make a fantastic missionary for the Lord, and he is! 

We love you, Elder Palmer! Keep up the good work :)