Found this for Koby!

Mother's Day gift 2014

Kyson and Koby Open Mission Calls Together

Koby Does Back Tuck at Pine View High School Graduation 2014

T minus 10 hours

We visited my 98 year old grandmother at 9 pm after Kyson got set apart as a missionary.

She had a card ready for both my boys and $25 for each of them. That is a lot for her.
She was very glad to see them. She teased with Kyson that she might not be here when he gets back.

Oh, man, that hurts to think that this was the last time they would see each other on this earth.
Grandma tended Kyson from age 2 months till he was 2 years old when Koby was born, and I quit my job to stay home with them. She considers Kyson to be one of her own.

She told them she hasn't felt very well lately, and she asked them to give her a priesthood blessing.

Hubby and the boys went to her fridge and found her consecrated oil.

Kyson asked her specifically what was ailing her.

She said her head hurt and she hasn't been sleeping well.

Hubby held up the anointing prayer card while Koby put a drop on her head and anointed her.

Then, Hubby sat on the couch by me while our 2 Melchizedek Priesthood holding sons
gave their Great grandmother a blessing!

Wow! You want to feel like you've done your job as a parent well? Try that one!

She said she hasn't had a blessing in a long time, and she just wanted to feel special.

Kyson confidently gave her a blessing that she would feel better, and sleep well.

We asked a few questions about Kaibab where we had just been camping. She asked about the tree swing. We showed her a picture of our family at the tree swing just the day before.

She exchanged a few stories with Kyson. My favorite one is the one where he took off from her house and crossed Main Street while he was 1 1/2, and some man found him and brought him back to her. She had been searching all over for him.

He says he remembers it, and that he remembers levi's and a man taking his hand and walking with him.

T minus 14 hours

The Stake President's counselor, Pres Leslie, showed up right at 5 pm.

He interviewed Kyson for about 20 minutes in his room/play room.

We each took a minute to say things to Kyson why we think he will be a good missionary.

Kauri was so sweet and genuine, and cried the whole time she talked. I was very surprised she was so touched, because Kyson was not sweet to her at all this camping weekend.

Hubby's turn: he needed lots of tissues. He has gotten close with Kyson these past few summers while Kys worked with him.

I basically lectured Kyson, telling him that his maturity and experience living on his own was going to be a huge asset to his mission president and the people of Brazil, and to use it the best he could.
I told him his Patriarchal Blessing promised him way more blessings than was fair, and that he needs to live up to a lot of expectations in order for the Pat. blessing promises to be fulfilled.
I told him that I was excited and envious, and that I wish it was me that was going out on this adventure.

Kamarie refused to say anything and hid her head behind my arm, then she fell asleep.
This is hard on Kams. She is a Kyson favorite. She does not like "missing" him, and she counts down the days when he gets home from college.

Pres. Leslie, Hubby, Gpa Kay, (who calls himself the "fill-in" grandpa), and Koby all got to put their hands on Kyson's head.

Pres. Leslie set Kyson apart as a missionary for the church, and I felt the room get immediately HEAVY!
It felt as if all of Heaven was sitting on me. It was very HEAVY.
I don't think I have ever felt the Spirit that strong in that way before.

After all the hugs, Koby was basically Kyson's puppy dog the rest of the night. Kyson made him follow him everywhere. Since Koby has been ordained an Elder, Koby got to be his companion for the night.

(Missionaries are not supposed to ever be alone unless they are in the bathroom.)

Koby even had to get a cot and set it up in Kyson's room, so they could be together as companions.
They went to bed at 10:45, 15 minutes late, then the excitement took over, and they chatted for another hour before Kyson could go to sleep.

I stayed up way late going over my check list of things to make sure he had.
I put all my church and inspirational music on an mp3 for him.
Kash sold Kyson his speaker box he never uses, so Kyson's mp3 would be within the guidelines of missionary work.

Waited 20 years for these pics!

There's 2 Courtney's in Town!

Kamarie:

Mom, only 1 more day till Courtney gets here.

Hey, there's TWO Courtney's! There's TWO Courtney's in town!

(Christopher's wife's name is Cortney. They live in our casita right now. LOL)

uh, eww

Yesterday, Castle kissed Beckett and Kamarie, age 4, says:

Eww, I hate it when they kiss!!!

Carl kissing me goodnight tonight as Kamarie walks in:

Eeeewwwwww!

We keep kissing for more reaction.

After a few seconds, she says:

uh. . . EWW!

LOL

"I hate it when you kiss on the lips; it's so gross."

The longest 15 days of my life. . .

Ready or not, here he comes. . . .

PLEASE?!

PRETTY PLEASE?!

No, really, can he come NOW?

Happy freaking mother's day to me!

Three weeks from today.

My son will be in an MTC somewhere!

Brazil VISA's are notoriously slow pickin's.

He may be getting a second mission call soon!????

Start making homemade pizza in Omaha!

Let the Fun Begin!

He's home!

And I've only got the "shortest 3 weeks of my life" left with him!

He will spend every minute that he can working and earning money: helping his dad do concrete is not easy work.

We got him some baptism pants today. And a new set of scriptures. And a bunch of garments.

His scriptures were new for his baptism, and I was so excited that he was given scripture markers that I let him mark his scriptures as an 8 year old, and a 9 year old, and a 10 year old, and an 11 year old, and his scriptures look like it.

(Now, my rule is that kids can't mark them till they are 12.)

He is also trying to finish the Book of Mormon in 3 weeks.

I ordered the sheet music for the farewell today from the author. I left her a message that I needed it quickly, and she called me on the phone and found out what I needed and will even enclose the lyrics in Portuguese. :)

She will even throw in a 2nd copy for $1.50.

She will even autograph them to "Elder Sullivan". haha

Kys tried on several pair of slacks today to find the ones that fit just right. I had bought them on a really good Easter sale at JCPennney. Luckily, I only have to trade 2 pair.

Koby had to work after he got home from work with his dad, so he wasn't able to come with us today.

Since he graduated from high school already (his early-college high school), he is able to be ordained an Elder this coming Sunday, and after that, he is free to go to the temple. We have heard there is a huge rush at the temple the weekend after graduation, with all the boys who have turned 18 during the year. Koby wants to beat that rush.

Oh, man. . . .it's starting to get REAL.

Pass the tissues!