HE'S HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, some moments in life are REALLY JUST AWESOME. This was one of those moments/days/weekends!! :) What pure joy filled our hearts when we watched this boy, who is now a man, come through those gates at the airport. Words just cannot express how much we love him and how happy we were to see him after two whole years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a great day!!!!

Lindsey, Katie, Ellie and Cosi worked so hard to make this awesome banner for Matt! :) We were so excited all day Friday, we cleaned the house, made goodies, and got ready ALL day long...we even put some finishing touches on the basement!! :)

Yeah, this moment literally took my breath away. I was crying so hard that I hyperventilated. I think Matt thought I was having a seizure... lol.... But I truly was just THAT happy to see him!!

Ellie couldn't stop the "happy tears". It was so sweet! She was just SO happy to see Matt!

I would like to say that seeing these four together again just warms the cockles of my heart. These girls have read every single word of every single email and have absolutely loved having a missionary brother that they can be so proud of. What a blessing Matt's mission has been for his sisters! They love him SO much!

This picture truly says a thousand words... I adore this shot!

The whole family came over to greet Matt Friday night right after he was released by the stake president. I think we had 35 aunts/uncles/cousins there that night. It was so wonderful to be reunited.

We got up early Saturday morning and drove down to Las Vegas, after stopping in Cedar City to see Grandpa... It was great to see all of our good friends that we have missed so much. Lisa McIntyre was SO gracious to host an open house for Matt and Trey. It was wonderful! 

Matt here with sweet Mickey Sorenson who faithfully wrote Matt and Trey throughout their missions. She is truly a hero of mine. I love her!

Debbie, Cheri, Cosi, Brynne and Caitlin all traveled down to Las Vegas with us to hear Matt's homecoming! It was SOOOOOO nice of them!! We all stayed at Rich and Heidi's house and had a blast hanging out with their family!! Thanks so much for housing us all!! It was so much fun!! Maddie, Lindsey and Katie did the musical number for Matt and Trey's homecoming. A violin/cello duet with Maddie accompanying on piano. They did such a great job!! Maddie worked so hard to learn the piece! We appreciated her sacrifice so much. She did an amazing job!!!!!! :) What an awesome day!

Trey with the Lanes and Mike McLeod (former YW Pres, when Trey was investigating church) below

It was so great that Trey and Matt could have their homecoming reports on the same day. Trey has been such an inspiration to our family! We love him so much and are so excited for these two boys to live here this semester! :)

The cousins reunited and it feels so good! :))

measuring their noses :)

The basement continues......

Lindsey painting- primer

Leslie getting ready to prime the walls

Dave getting excited to paint! :)

All the painting is done!!! :)

bedroom

shower tile mid grouting process... great job Dave! :)

bathroom floor just after grouting

window boxes Bry built :) Love them!

stairs before carpet

Dave putting grout in shower

And...... the basement continues.... Wow. It has been a long process!! But we are getting Soooooo close!! Tonight we put the grout in the tile in the bathroom shower and on the floor. The paint was finished today and tomorrow the carpet comes! Thursday Dave will install the toilet and the sink and then it's ready for moving in!!!!! Woo hoo!!! We will still have some work to do after the boys move in ... like building the cabinets/countertop for the kitchenette (that's going to take a while)...  and hanging blinds, hardware, light fixtures, plate covers etc... but after that... it's pretty much done... Oh! Except the entry/hallway where we have a MAJOR repair to do from a leaky roof issue... but that might be next years project... the entry way hall is going to be unfinished for a little while... But hip!hip!hooray!! We pretty much made our deadline-- they will have a family room, bedroom, closet, bathroom, dining area and a kitchenette (soon!)
Special thanks to BRY for all his help!!!! We definitely couldn't have done it without him!  His expertise was invaluable!! And Dale and Rob too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THANKS EVERYONE!
One last shout out... to Dave... He has worked soooo hard on this project. Like every single night and weekend all summer. He did all the framing, electrical, plumbing, sheet rocking (with help of BIL's), primer painting, tile, lighting, and will build the cabinets! He will be so glad when he doesn't have to "go down to the basement". I am so grateful for such a hard working and HANDY husband! :)

I can't help it....

I've got to share...
this could a boring post for you all, but I really want to record this for our family blog book my feelings about Matt's mission.

On September 7, 2010 I felt like a part of my heart had been sent to South Africa. I don't know when I have cried harder. Boy, does that airport scene rip a hole in your soul... What I didn't know that day was how much the Lord had in store for me over the next two years. Having Matt serve a mission was such a surprise blessing in my life. It is hard to put into words how I have felt, but I have truly grown during these 2 years. I have more clearly been able to see the Lords hand in my life. My testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel has grown more than I ever expected. My understanding of the scriptures has increased. My love for family and for missionary work has expanded. My heart has grown to love a country that I have never been to and a people that I will never meet.  My heart has grown to love missionaries from around the world who have served with my son, missionary friends of his who have been serving all around the world, cousins who are serving etc.. It has just been overwhelming. We have had more peace in our home. Our conversations have been filled with awe at the hand of the Lord in the missionary work in this world. Our hearts have been touched as we have realized our many, many blessings in comparison to those who are not of our faith or who do not live in our country.

So when I let that boy go 2 years ago, I gained much  more than I ever lost. Watching him grow has been the sweetest "Mom experience". Have I missed him? YES! But has it been worth it? DEFINITELY. It's amazing that it's coming to an end this week.

I never, ever thought I would be sad to have it come to an end... but I am. I am SO excited to be near him again, to talk to him face to face, to hug him, to laugh with him... but I will miss those Monday morning emails more than I can even express. I will miss the binding force that has been with our family and the increase in faith. I don't want that to end... so that is my job now... to keep that Spirit alive and well in our home and with our family!

I am so grateful for the wisdom of a Heavenly Father who knows so much more than I do. I am so thankful for the abundant spiritual blessings our family has been able to receive these past two years!!

A little "pick me up"

a great website!!!!

http://www.marcandangel.com/2012/04/26/you-should-be-able-to-say-about-yourself/

I LOVE THIS!!! It has some great ideas for self improvement.

I really enjoy self-help/improvement books... and I just found an awesome website that has lists and lists of ideas to improve your attitude and yourself.... SO.....

If you ever feel like you need a pick me up check out this website and read a few of their lists... they are awesome!!

GO US!!!!