Hailey's Mission Call!

I stalked the mail carrier all afternoon last Wednesday.  I should've just stayed by the mailbox.  When I finally tracked down the mail truck, I pulled in front of him and got out to ask if he had our mail.  Before I could say anything, he said "I just put it in your mailbox 5 minutes ago.  It's under the newspaper ads.  It's for Sister Hailey Tebbs, right?"  RIGHT!!

I called to let Hailey know her call had arrived, so she gathered a few BYU friends and drove to Bountiful from Provo arriving at 7 pm.  She also invited a few other special people and we had a few favorite treats...

 

She got Hillary and Patrick on Skype and we had to wait a couple of minutes as Hillary ran across the street (literally) from work to her apartment with a smile on her face and narration the whole time she was running.

We all gathered around the spot where Hailey had envisioned opening her call...

Reading the mission call...

Congratulatory hugs...

 We are SO proud of Hailey and her decision to serve a mission!  She has been preparing to do this and we know she will be a FABULOUS missionary in the Tennessee Nashville Mission.

Another busy and fun week!

The highlight of my week was getting a new phone--finally!! I usually get the kids' hand-me-downs or whatever phone is "free" on John's massive business plan so they're either recycled or old technology.  I LOVE THIS PHONE!!!

Another highlight was that mom (aka Grammy) came home from the rehab hospital to finish recuperating from her broken hip and surgery in her own digs.  I've made the trip to Sandy and back many times to help out and give dad a break from the 24/7 care.

 With the long Martin Luther King weekend and no basketball games to cheer at or play in, we took the kids to St. George for several days.

Some of our favorite activities while we're there are to go to the gym together (John is waiting for everyone to get ready...)

 

(Cooper has to stay home while we go)

 

... and then go have a big breakfast at our favorite place, Bear Paw Cafe on Main St.

 

We usually find Cooper waiting for us in the most unusual places when we return!

 

Hillary and Patrick happened to be in Las Vegas to return something so they popped up to spend some time with us.  The 4 kids spent several hours playing tennis and having fun together.

 

We are great spectators--especially with blue, clean skies and 60-degree sunny weather!

After the Coffeys headed back to California on Sunday, we attended church and took our Sunday afternoon walk to the duck pond a few blocks from our house.

 

 Hailey has a special friend named "Dinosaur" that always attacks her for the bread she brings to feed everyone in the pond.

 

 The four of us were a bit nostalgic as Hailey received a text from her Bishop letting her know her mission call had been assigned and she should be receiving her letter this week.  Grayson will be the lone child in the home and will miss their close friendship deeply.

 We're all most worried about John and how he's going to be able to handle life without his Tuesday-night Provo dates with Hailey and being "linked!"

She will be an awesome missionary wherever she is called and we are happy and proud of her decision to serve the Lord.  Stay tuned for location and date!!

It is done!

Hailey turns 19 in May and wants to serve a mission.  She started filling out her mission papers in October and completed all of her medical appointments in December.

 

 She had her final interview with the Stake President yesterday.  Today is the 120-day mark (the earliest you can send them in before your availability date).  We just got a text that her mission papers were submitted at 6:04 am.

 

Now the wait begins...

My mom's a Rock Star!

My mom comes home from the rehab hospital tomorrow!  She broke her hip on Christmas Eve and had surgery that same night.  She stayed in a regular hospital for a few days and was then moved to a rehabilitation hospital to heal and learn how to take care of her injury as she continues the healing process at home.

She has worked really hard to get around and learn how to maneuver without putting any weight on her right leg.

There are 14 stairs in her house from the main floor up to the 2nd floor where her bedroom is located.  She has learned how to use one crutch while holding onto the rail to get up and down the stairs.  She is so excited to go home and we are excited at the progress she has made!

We also said goodbye to this great couple, my nephew Collin and his cute wife Lacey.  They left today for Washington, D.C. where he will begin with the Metro Police Academy in a couple of weeks and Lacey will look for a nursing job.  We wish them well and hope they'll be available if we ever need a 2-week babysitting stint for Grayson again--he had WAY more fun with them than his own family!  Good luck to the Kings in D.C.!

He's Legit!

He's legit... IF he chooses to drive.  Grayson turned 15 in November and I had to bribe him with In-N-Out to go take the test to get his driving permit in January!  Hope he fits in the 40 hours behind the wheel with a parent before he turns 16!!

New Years Eve

Our New Years Eve celebrations started off early--4:30 pm to be exact--so the kids would have enough time to paint something at Color Me Mine.  Grayson chose a basketball bank (of course) and Hailey wanted a personal plate she could use to eat off of at BYU.

They worked steadily using tape, markers and small paint items to get their projects exact.  

After they're fired, the colors will be a lot darker and enhanced.  We get to pick them up in a few days.

Hailey, Grayson and I headed to McGrath's for dinner.  John had a building project that ran into some snags so he was working late.  We were glad he was able to join up with us for a movie, "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" and ate dinner in the theater.

Grayson gave up friends and 2 parties to spend with the family and because of a cold I've been trying to fight off, we opted to do our Sparkling Pomegranate and Sparkling Lemonade toast on Eastern Time at 10 pm so I could hit the sack and the everyone else could play xbox until midnight.

Our family was truly blessed in 2013 and we all have big plans for the New Year!!  Happy 2014!