Elder Coy! It has been nothing but pictures, pictures, pictures!  WE ARE SO HAPPY TO BE ENJOYING THEM!  They are so fun;  the caves, the beach, the food, the beautiful missionaries, and the beautiful people.  I love the one of you teaching English class. There are so MANY FUN PICTURES!   Thank you precious precious boy!  Dad has spent hours going through every single one over and over.  WE LOVE YOU!  I am so proud of you my son. I am so grateful that you are a covenant keeper, that you are being exactly obedient, and even extra mile valiant, like going around to wake up the Kampungs for church.   I just LOVE your smile. Everyone keeps talking about that smile. It’s like your whole soul is in it. 

            Well, it’s Friday night, and I am listening to a Welsh Lullabye by the Riverton High A’capella choir.  I just wept through Weep No More.  The Lord actually used that song to answer a prayer of mine recently.  He used it to remind me of the joys of the Atonement, and it’s glorious blessings. I love that song.  Pilgrim song is up next I think.  Everyone else is upstairs watching PLANES, but I want to talk to you. 

            We have had a blessed and fun week.  I’m so excited to tell you this next story.  The family is all about you on Sunday nights, waiting with baited breath at the computer for every word, checking dropbox every 5 seconds for new pictures.  Seth was so inspired by all of that last Sunday that HE GOT UP MONDAY MORNING AND PUT HIS SUIT ON.  He said “Mom, can I go out and be a missionary?”  He had a folded over piece of paper with the Book of Mormon written on the front, and he had drawn lines on the inside for the words. He wanted to go knock on doors.  I said yes but Spencer said “You can’t go alone! Do you want me to come with you?”  Seth definitely wanted a companion, and Spencer said, “Do I need to dress up?”  Seth said “Yes!”  and in a few minutes Spen was straightening his tie and they were out the door. They went to a few homes and he asked people to sign his Book of Mormon.    How can I thank YOU for your example?  That was SO PRECIOUS. 

( I just listened to “Gloria”, and now “I Can Tell the World” is on)

            The day continued to be blessed. I had gotten up that morning and pled with my Heavenly Father to help me find MY SCRIPTS FOR YOUTH CONFERENCE THAT I HAD MISPLACED!  (Greif and agony J). I have been looking for the better part of a week.   Later that day we “got” the great idea to go play basket ball at the church, and then I “got”

e idea to go in and play the piano in the primary room, wouldn’t that be fun?  I walked toward the piano and felt like that part in the Best Two Years when he asks if there is indeed a letter from Julie on the floor, because there was  WHITE FOLDER ON THE PIANO!  MY SCRIPTS!   I cried and kissed them and prayed in gratitude and played the brains out of that piano in joy!

            The rest of the week has been fun.  Yesterday I went to NPS with Kirsten Davis and Grandma, then we went to the Humanitarian Center to pick up quilts.  Grandma and Kirsten came in, and we had a small tour.  How can one not feel the spirit in a place like that?  It was so wonderful.  All these refugees who were without work and without hope are hired and trained by the D.I.  They are in English class for 4 hours a day, and they work for the other four, but THEY ARE PAID FOR 8 HOURS A DAY. Doesn’t that sound like the parable of the laborers in the vineyard!  I love it!  It was precious to be in that sacred place, and feel the pure charity everywhere, where every life is of equal value, infinite value. 

            Tuesday I was blessed to go over to the temple in the afternoon by myself.  They have made YET ANOTHER new movie, and it is beautiful. Take the intensity and emotion of the last one and twice it.  It is exquisitely beautiful.  I loved it. 

            

            ANYWAYS….The fam.  I am proud of Dad. He has worked his third week full time. It really wears him out, but he is working Monday and Tuesday, sleeping Wednesday, then two more 10 hour shifts Thursday and Friday.  He is doing well, really well. He is tired, but is keeping it up, and downstairs more, and doing great.  Mooks is on a campout with the scouts at the bishop’s cabin, snowmobiling, etc,  Poor baby. He is really excited about track this year. He has set a goal to run the 400 in 48 seconds. If he can make it, that is a full ride track scholarship to BYU!   Spen is at Kaden’s tonight.  He is really changing and growing right now. We had a conversation about his patriarchal blessing.  seth.   (He typed that).  Spen is preparing for it.  He was reading (I know, READING)  a book about Jimmer Fredette that Grandma Jello gave him for Christmas.  In the book Jimmer makes a contract with himself about what he wants out of life and what he is willing to do to get it.  Spencer made one for himself, and it was all spiritual stuff. It was a very sacred experience when he shared it with me.  He’s thinking deeply about things right now. He said he would share it with you as well.  He is very careful about praying for you in every detail. It is sweet. He is really growing up.  Joseph is struggling a little. He hasn’t decided for sure that he wants to completely apply himself in school.  I came down maybe a little too hard, but I don’t want him to tarnish his future with laziness.  He is LOVING his kindle. I hope he’ll write you about some of the stories he’s been reading. I know he’s been reading a lot of Sherlock Holmes.  He is such a great go-to guy at home. He is passionate, and I love that, though it’s a little inconvenient.  It still seems that a disproportionate percentage of the verbal correction in the home goes his direction.  I hope we can channel that energy and fuel it with the fire of a testimony and watch him fly. I hope home can be a canvas , supported, strong, with firm legs and stance, but a clean white canvas on which the children can paint their lives with their own agency. 

            Speaking of flying,  we are reading the Rocket Boys as a family book right now. Did we read that one before? It seems like we did. It seems familiar.  The story is fantastic. I’m glad I’m reading it aloud so I can edit out some pretty words and quite a bit of inappropriate material.  Spen needs to read it for school. This Wednesday night we snuggled up and had a family readathon for two or three hours after dinner.  IT WAS SO FUN. We were much better readers when you were here.  We were also much better at listening to music when you were here. And we miss your presence in a thousand other ways. You brought us together and made us laugh over something funny you had to share. I miss the way you talk the kids so gently when they need correction. WE JUST LOVE YOU! 

            Annie Angell, is darling and fun. She passed her gnarlies in Mrs. Brown’s class, and really enjoys school.  She gets kind of stressed about Seth and Joseph kind of easy, but that is normal.  She still doesn’t dare sleep alone. I wish we could help her feel a little more safe and secure.  She is really enjoying reading. I’ve been getting books at the library on audio, Chickens and Bullies in the Headlights, Frindle, Super Fudge and Double Fudge, it’s been a blessing to have them tuck in together in Annie’s bed and listen. If we are lucky they will stay in there about half the night J.  She is a sweetheart. 

            Seth is a joy. He is manifesting his agency in wonderful ways. He is so emotionally invested in every single moment of his life, and so vulnerable to every deep feeling at any time. In other words, every single thing is a big deal. He lives life to the fullest. He is such a little joy.  I LOVE to be around his innocent observations, to see life through his eyes and hear what he thinks of it all.  He’s been counting his money, wiggling his other front bottom tooth, writing stories, (I’ll send you the one he did this week)