Brothers

There's no other love like the love for a brother. There's no other love like the love from a brother. ~Astrid Alauda

I hope they call me on a mission

On Wednesday, May 13, 2008 my brother, Andrew, entered the MTC. We are so excited for him and what the next two years have in store for him. In the past few months he has grown so much. We had the privilege of having him come to visit us in April. We spent three days touring the church history sites in Nauvoo, Independence and Liberty. He was my boys best friend and it was hard to see him leave. Ryan kept asking if Andrew could stay longer or if he could go with him. I cannot begin to describe the gratitude I feel for Andrew and his choice to serve a mission. We have already begun to see the blessings as we've talked to Ryan about serving a mission, spending time in the MTC and sharing the gospel with others. When we told Ryan what the MTC was he said he'd like to go there to be trained as a missionary. When I told him he'd have to wait a few years he continued to tell me that he could be trained and he would try really hard to be a good missionary. Since then we've continued to talk about how we can be missionaries now and how we can prepare to serve the Lord as full time missionaries in the future. Thanks Andrew. You're amazing!!!

Soccer

Who's afraid of reptiles

On Thursday, Ryan, Caden and I had the opportunity to go to Truman State University and see a reptile exhibit. Ryan was fearless! He touched everything from a huge snake to a large turtle. He even held several small snakes. At one point in time the small yellow snake that he was holding crawled into the collar of his shirt and into his sleeve. His eyes grew big but he sat their until someone came and got the snake. Caden enjoyed looking at the reptiles but wasn't as interested in touching them. Every once in a while he'd stick out his little hand to touch it and when they brought it close enough he'd pull his hand back in quickly and hide his head in my shoulder. Then he'd look at them again with a big smile saying, "snake, snake". If you would have asked me a few years ago about touching reptiles or even being around them I would have told you absolutely not but now I enjoy the unknown. I guess that's what having boys does to you.

Finally Finished

After two years Trevor has finally finished the book studies of medical school. It all ended yesterday at around 10:00 am. It was the most rewarding, wonderful thing we've experienced for awhile. It was the first time in two years that he's been able to enjoy a meal, play with the kids and watch a movie with his wife without being haunted by the next quiz, assignment or exam. It was pure freedom. I loved it. He laughed and played with the kids which continued through the night. Today has been just as great. We've gone to the farmers market, shopping, played outside, had lunch and now he's been making a model car with his son. These are many things he's done before but never without peace of mind. Medical school has been a grueling, painful and wonderful experience. It has brought our family closer together, taught us that we can continue to push through even the hardiest tasks and that the end is so sweet. We are now prepping for the medical boards, which take place on the 12th of June, and the arrival of our new baby. I'm so glad that we have a Heavenly Father who allows us to be tested to our limits so when we finally make it through we can remember what heaven feels like. This is definitely Heaven!!!