The Leprechauns Came

Every year those sneaky leprechauns come into our house on St. Patrick's morning. They make mischief and always seem to drop plenty of gold before they leave.

They also deliver Lucky Charms cereal and green milk for breakfast!

Everyone has to make sure they are wearing green of some sort.

It's always fun to share our traditions with family who are visiting. This year ALL of our food was green: spinach tortillas for quesadillas at lunch, and corned beef and cabbage at dinner. Nana and Papa were pretty willing to try it all. Yum! Happy St. Patrick's Day.

Thank You

Final Post about Missionary Week!

We spent some time reflecting on the wonderful people who all came together to encourage my boys on their way to a testimony of missionary work. A big Thank-You to people who sent missionary packages and wrote letters! We loved getting them in the mail each day and gave the boys some love to look forward to. Thanks to: Nana and Papa, Uncle Jon, Granny and Grandpa, Aunt Kami and family, Aunt Emily and family, Aunt Katy and family, Aunt Jo and Uncle Alex

A Missionary: Someone who leaves their family for two years, so others can be with theirs for eternity.

And, by the way, the soundtrack to our week was an amazing collection of songs called "The Work" by Jason Deere and the Nashville Tribute Band ("we are here to serve our King" and "rockin' on, knockin' on a million doors" were favorite sing-alongs!).

Last Day

On the morning of the last day of Missionary Week, I had lined up a service project for my "Elders" to do.

The Coon Family had just purchased a home in our ward and needed help in their big backyard.

We helped them rake debris into piles for nearly two hours.

It was fun to spend time with new friends, and it felt good to help someone who needed our service.

During Missionary Week, we had so many great teaching moments.

This was my favorite: Nana and Papa teaching about putting on the armor of the Lord. Funny Papa.

 
 

Thursday night, after the boys came home from their last teaching appointments, they were Welcomed Home! President King interviewed each of them and they were honorably released from their missionary service.

Spencer and Isaac lengthen their stride.

Welcome home, Noah and Jacob!

Lengthen Your Stride.

"P" Day

Midway through our Missionary Week, we took a "P" Day. The boys helped with their laundry and learned to iron their white shirts, and then we took a break and had some fun. We rode the light rail into Phoenix and the boys had the challenge to have a conversation with five different people as we rode along. The train got pretty crowded and after the initial discomfort, all four boys did great finding people to talk to!

Once we got to Phoenix, we visited the Science Museum. In the lobby, we love the telescope that magnifies your eye!

We had free passes for two people to ride the SkyCycle. Jacob was nervous but finally talked himself into riding.

Go Jacob!

And who was the other rider? Hmmm...it was Papa!  We laughed so hard at his antics as he swayed back and forth on the bike. I think he really enjoyed himself!

Spencer and I left the group and viewed a special exhibit called "Van Gogh Alive." We really enjoyed this multi-sensory experience. The music, lighting, artwork, movement, and personal quotes were so engaging. We really learned so much! I appreciate his art and understand so much more about the artist.

Nana has been having terrible pains and thought some therapy from the bed of nails might help. I guess it was worth a try!

Everyone had lots of fun revisiting their favorite activities.

Good bye, museum! We had a great time!

On the way home, we provided our missionaries with another cultural experience. We stopped by the mexican market and the companionships shopped together. They were so excited to receive their $5 from Nana that they could spend on all kinds of interesting food!

The pastry section is just beautiful, and irresistible.

I love this store. Especially the aguas frescas, fresh-made tortillas, crazy meat section (whole cow heads, anyone?), and awesome produce prices! The ambience is so fun.

The Tattooed Man

On Tuesday morning of Missionary Week, President King took Spencer and Noah to the temple to do baptisms for the dead. Sister King, Jacob, Isaac, and I met them at the temple grounds when they were finished. We met some of the real missionaries who were serving at the visitor's center. They were so interested in what we were doing and so eager to be of help! One sweet sister missionary offered to help us tour the exhibit "God's Plan for Families." Just before we were ready to go, a man approached. He was tattooed from head to toe and the boys couldn't help but stare. The sister missionary asked him what brought him there that day and he responded, "I just needed to feel close to Jesus today." She invited him to tour the exhibit with us. Wow, was it beautiful! Nana and I were crying the entire time and the boys noticed the tattooed man weeping as well. They were so touched that he had been able to feel the spirit and learn about eternal families. This was one of the sweetest experiences of our entire week. And, to make it sweeter, Papa treated us to Dairy Queen blizzards as we left!

Later that night, the boys received their transfers and exhanged companions. Jacob packed up his stuff and moved in with Noah and Isaac got Spencer's bottom bunk.

Elder Jacob King and Elder Noah King

Elder Isaac King and Elder Spencer King

Hooray for missionary companions!