CALLED TO SERVE.... exciting times

We are just feelin the missionary spirit so much these days in our family! Matt's great friend Trey McGhin, who joined the church last summer, got his call yesterday. He is going to Denver, Colorado South! We are so happy for him! He will be a great missionary. He has been such a great example for our whole family and we were so excited to hear his news! My brother is a bishop in that mission and we hope Trey gets to be in his ward sometime.

It's been so fun/inspirational to hear all the calls Matt's friends/roommates are receiving this year. We also have some friends who are investigating the church. It's been awesome to have them coming to church with us. We are loving it!

My nephew gets home from his mission to Spokane in 2 weeks, Dave's mom leaves for Nauvoo in 2 months, we have a nephew in Mexico, a nephew in Ivory Coast Africa and a niece in Brazil. We are LOVING THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Matt is going through the temple tomorrow and we know it will be a WONDERFUL day. We are thrilled! What a great time of life right now. It's just been AWESOME!

IN OTHER NEWS...
My Dad made another offer on a house yesterday. This time it is just 2 doors down, right on our street. We are REALLY praying he gets it. It's tricky buying right now with all the foreclosures, banks are harder to buy from than regular home owners, so we are literally praying he gets it. It would be perfect!!

Our 21st anniversary was yesterday! Yea! Dave came through with the dozen roses/chocolate combo. LOVED IT. He is the best ~ I am a lucky girl!

Life is crazy busy - but good!

CATCHING UP

We went to Colorado the weekend of April 15th for braces and had a great time! Thanks ONCE AGAIN to Cosi and Mark and their family for letting us invade and most of all for the braces! Lindsey and Katie got some great news-- only a year left! And Ellie is going to start this summer! Yee-haw! Seriously, how can we thank you enough?!?!

Grammie had a boat load of candy for the kids and we did a belated Easter hunt in Cosi's back yard... these were about the only shots I took while we were there, but we had a great time hanging out with the gals... Deb, Amber, Cosi, it was THE TOPS! Chocolate dessert place, shopping for plants/flowers, talking til all hours of the night, etc etc etc... LOVED it!







On the 21st I drove up to Provo to pick up Matt from school. This was a bittersweet day for Matt. He was so happy to be done with finals, but so sad to leave his great friends/roommates. He had a GREAT year at BYU. He learned a lot and grew a lot! We were so happy that he had such a great experience!

We went to the bookstore, the creamery and packed up. He spent one last night in the dorms and had a serious party and then I drove over bright and early and we packed up and headed down the road to open THE CALL!!!!

I took these shots of Provo because I truly love it there. It's what I consider my hometown and I love it there... Can't beat those Mtns and all the memories I have there of my teenage years and the first about 10 years of marriage...

I love these shots of Matt in front of Kimball Hall... I remember leaving him there last fall and thinking my heart would break and then seeing all he has learned this past year I am just so happy for him. He lived in room 2010 in 2010!! :)
P.S. Note the NASTY kitchen these 6+ boys shared for the past year... ugh...

Cape Town, South Africa!!!

Elder Matthew Douglas Doxey received his mission call yesterday to Cape Town, South Africa! He reports to the South African MTC on September 9th. We are all so excited!! Matt couldn't be happier! It was a wonderful, AWESOME day!! CONGRATULATIONS MATT! We are so proud of you!!!!!

FOUR YEARS

Today it has been four years since my Mom passed away. It feels like 20. Honestly, it seems like she has been gone for so long now. I miss her ~I really do. I wish I could tell her about my kids, the things they are doing, the exciting times and the trying times. She was my biggest cheerleader. She always knew how to make me feel like I was doing a good job and that everything would work out fine! I love her. I want to be more like her. I am so thankful for all she sacrificed for me.

I love this picture of my Mom and Dad with Dave and the kids... It was at Katie's first birthday party at my Mom and Dad's home in Provo, 1999. Lindsey was 2, Katie 1 and Matt was 7. We had just moved to Cedar City. Those were some sweet days. My mom and I talked pretty much every single day of my life until she passed away ~ if not in person, on the phone when I moved away. I miss that sooo much! She helped me make it through nursing school by watching Matt everyday. And OH! How he benefited from that! She read to him all day, played games with him, watched movies with him, drew pictures with him etc. I have always attributed his smarts to the time my Mom spent one on one with him. My mom was such an awesome Grandma!! I love the sweet expression on her face... that is how she always was, kind and sweet. I wish she was still here!!

Spring is always a great reminder to me because she passed away Easter week and it was such a fitting time to really feel the power of the atonement and the resurrection. Losing a loved one makes that act so real. I am so grateful to the Savior! I am so thankful that I KNOW I will see my Mother again and that we will be together forever!!

I saw this sign at Tai Pan while we were in St. George and just had to buy it. I hung it on the wall across from my computer and it makes me think of her every time I see it. LOVE YOU MOM!!

SPRING BREAK

Like what happens with all good things... spring break came and left too fast! We enjoyed the time off so much. With being sick the week before and then taking a day off for spring break, I had TWO WHOLE weeks of work off! It was SO wonderful. Even though the first week I spent mostly in bed -- it just felt SO GOOD to be HOME!

We rarely get to go out of town for spring break because Dave can't get time off in April because he is saving up for all the time off he needs in the summer for girls camp and family reunions... Soooo... we hung out at home.

Monday and Tuesday my dad was here and we spent those two days with a realtor looking for homes for him. YES! He is moving here! We were able to have FHE together and went to Famous Dave's for dinner, courtesy of Grandpa! THANKS! It was lots of fun. He also bought the girls new shirts while he was here- what a nice Grandpa!

Wednesday the girls and I had a picture day (yeah..yeah.. we know our photos are amateur and cheesy,we had fun playing around with them) at the park (SUPER WINDY) then went shopping, out to lunch and then home to watch a movie. It was so fun!

Thursday we tie dyed t-shirts with our friends... that was lots of fun too! :) They turned out super cute!

Friday we colored our Easter Eggs and then the girls played with friends all afternoon. That night we textured our walls in the kitchen... that was a MESS! But it was a fun family project. We are getting a little closer everyday! :) Can't wait to be done!

Saturday I worked, got sent home early at 3 pm (which was a nice bonus) and then Deb/Rob & Cher/Bry and kids came to visit! They got here around 5 (just in time for priesthood) and then the ladies went out to dinner at Indian Curry Bowl (yum!) while the girls babysat. Always so great to visit with the gals. Then after the guys got home from priesthood/dinner we went and hung out at Rich/Heidi's, saw their new kitchen and ate ice cream. It was fun stuff.

Sunday morning the easter bunny came to our back yard! It was a deluxe candy fest! We then did the conference breakfast (complete with homemade sweet rolls from Heidi, strawberries, bagels, oj and hard boiled easter eggs!) then watched the first session together (actually I think most slept- oops!).. then after everyone left we took a nap, watched the second session and then went to Rich and Heidi's for dinner with Nikki and Jordan and family too!

ALL in ALL it was a great week and we enjoyed ourselves a lot! It's just so wonderful to spend time with family and not have so many pressing things to do!

Last night we had the missionaries over for dinner and FHE. Lindsey gave an awesome lesson on tithing.. even though it was a little more pressure doing it in front of the Elders. I have a whole new perspective on these missionaries nowadays. I just can't help but picture Matt in someone's home in a few months... We are getting SO EXCITED to find out where he will be serving! He turned his papers over to the Bishop yesterday! YIPPEE!

Then today-- work called at 4:45 am and said the census was low so I didn't have to come in!!! YEA!!! WOOT WOO!! I am so happy! :)

Upcoming APRIL events:

Matt's papers go in April 16th!

Leslie and girls going to Colorado

Dave and Les- Youth Conf

Finishing the kitchen project

Picking up Matt-- coming home!!!

Girls starting tennis lessons!