And Drew will be serving a mission in...

Jackson, Mississippi!!!

Thanks to all of his amazing friends who showed up to to see Drew open his letter. 

He is so very happy and excited. I know the people of Jackson will love him (almost) as much as I do.

So incredibly proud of this kid. 

So grateful for the amazing privilege of being his mom.  

summer and waiting by the mail box

California is always so good to us. 

I especially appreciated my time with baby Max.

Happy Birthday America. 

Beach time was also divine.

Jade (Photo credit Sierra) 

And I discovered something this year.  I actually do think Disneyland might just be one of the happiest places on earth. Especially when Gentry and I had a wheelchair pass. #nowaitinginline

My favorite....Gentry was still restricted to minimum walking, but it was really no problem.

#sisterlove

The girls will start school in just two weeks.  

And the waiting part of this post? 

On July 12th, in Salt Lake City, Drew was assigned his mission call.  He has been diligently checking the mail for days.  We are hoping it will come this week for sure. 

I promise to post when we find out....

I keep thinking Japan?!

Dang, I am going to miss this kid so much.

the end of "the flo" and another mission

This was the text I got from Drew last week...

And he was serious, because, as you can see... "the flo" is no more.

But dang, he look good, right?!

Recently Drew made an important decision.   Just like Sadie, he has decided to serve a full time (two year) mission for our church.  Last night he had his final interview and submitted the last of his paper work.  We should know where he's going in two to three weeks.  He's really hoping to go somewhere besides the United States.  My gut is that he's going to be sent somewhere that has some significant challenges...somewhere where he will need to learn a new language.  We'll see.  With everything in my life that has completely blown up recently, this will be another bitter sweet chapter in my motherhood journey.   Sadie still considers her mission to be one of the very best experiences of her life.  It is my hope that Drew's mission will also be amazing. 

Just like he is.  Sometimes I don't even have words to express how much I love these kids of mine.

They are my greatest strength and the reason I keep getting up and trying to move forward each and every day.  

glorious

There are some very hard things going on in our family right now.  Things that I won't write about today, but things that I may write about someday. I considered taking a break from blogging, but this little blog is a big part of who I am.  So, I will continue to write.

 Yesterday this song helped me to get out of bed. 

There are times when you might feel aimless

And can't see the places where you belong

But you will find that there is a purpose

It's been there within you all along

And when you're near it you can almost hear it.

It's like a symphony just keep listening

And pretty soon you'll start to figure out your part

Everyone plays a piece in their own melodies

In each one of us, oh, it's glorious

So today I will just keep listening and trusting in God's love for me as I continue to move forward each day.  

There is nothing more glorious to me than the love our Savior has for each and everyone of us. 

class of 2016

we parked Gentry's walker and had her balance a minute for this one

Congratulations Drewby

How I love this kid