The Mission Call...

Hayden went to the mail box every 15 minutes all morning long  hoping to find his mission call.......I stood ready at the door with the camera every time to see his happy face.......every time except for the time when the mail actually arrived. I wasn't expecting it since our mail delivery for the past two weeks has not been at a consistent time and things were crazy at that minute....Laurie was picking up Ryan from his morning with Grandma and the aunt and uncles and Meg, Nelson and Hayden were leaving for work for the day. I assumed that if it came today that Gary and I would take it up to the theater later today to be opened......but things don't work as planned. Hayden checked the mail as he was getting in the car to leave and it was here......
I told Hayden that the call was his to open and he could do open it how and whenever he wanted to....he wanted to do it before he left for work.....needless to say Laurie called Jordan, he couldn't speak so we videoed  it. Gary called his mom and I called my parents and we had them on speaker phone...funny it was actually a speaker phone chain; mom was the only one home so she called dad with her cell phone....anyway......

Hayden was grinning ear to ear and so excited as he read his letter to us.
He has been called to serve in the New York Utica mission (the wide section of the state which doesn't include the eastern portion or the section from Fayett west). He reports to the MTC December 12, 2012 and will spend Christmas at the MTC.
(I guess to be my son you have to return home from your mission just before Christmas.....)

The crazy thing for me was Sunday as I was reading the Ensign I was reading who the newly assigned Mission Presidents were and the only name I noticed and remembered besides my friend who is a new mission president was the name of Joseph B. Wirthlin Jr.....who happens to be the mission president for the New York Utica Mission.
We are so happy and excited to have another full time missionary serving form the family.  He will be awesome!

MCC

Summer Fun

Ryan & Uncle Hayden playing in the sprinklers....faces full of water, figuring out the mechanics, blue lips, burr.....it was cold for the little guy.

MCC

the Graduate!

The last one, the caboose is finishing up high school, Hayden officially graduates tomorrow at 2:00 pm....yikes a new life for Marcie and Gary.
We did seminary graduation on Sunday. It was nice. We came home and I said "4 Seminary graduates, check." The Rest of the family then chimed in with the other checks off our list of to dos...3 Eagle scouts, 2 soon to be 3 missionaries, 3 soon to be 4 high school graduates, 1 soon to be 2 college graduates, etc....  Life is good!
So what has Hayden been up to? His high school has been very busy and active. For his senior tribute in the year book we noted how busy and different his interests in High School were with the quote "Why fit in when you were born to stand out?"

Hayden is a great guy with a lot to look forward to. He tells us that he is nervous about the future....he doesn't have a plan other than a mission right now....yes, he will go to college that is in the plans but studying what, is the big don't know.
I know that he could do what ever he set his mind to do so I am not worried for him.
Here is what he has been up to for the past year.

 Homecoming - #70 first out!

 Oklahoma as Curly

 Nominated as best actor Utah High School Musical Awards

 State Football semi final game

 Beauty and the Beast - Gaston

 Chamber Choir

Mr. Drama in the Braveman pageant

 Rugby #3

 Solo

 A'Capella Choir

 Red Sox Game

Your Good Man Charlie Brown

Hayden is a good man too.

Love him tons.

MCC

The Last Field Trip

Gary and I just completed our last public school field trip to Washington DC with the BHS Choir.
We had a great time. Lots of fun observing and talking with the kids, and most of all hearing the choir sing. I teared up several times. Singing the National Anthem at Lincoln Memorial was just the start....tears at Arlington when they sang Danny Boy, and Homage at the LDS visitors center just to name a few.  Chills at the National Cathedral and Saint Johns....especially when they began singing a lovely arraignment of Jesus Once of Humble Birth.

 at the White House. We actually got to sing with permission of the the Secret Service.

 Red Sox vs.  Nationals baseball game.  To watch Hayden you would have thought it was Christmas.

 Singing at the National Cathedral.

Hayden singing his solo at the concert at the LDS visitors center.

They sang and toured at Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, Mt. Vernon, National Anthem at the Washington Wizards Basketball game, National Cathedral, St. Johns Church - for the noon service, LDS Visitors Center - they were the advertised concert group and sang for about an hour, and the White House. We also toured Fords Theatre, and saw the show 1776...excellent. Went to a Baseball game, the Smithsonian museums including the National Archives and the Holocaust Museum. It was a jam packed trip, we saw a ton but there is a ton left to see and do.

I am so glad that all of our kids allowed us to go with them on their choir trips. Everyone of them was wonderful. So glad I got to see my kids in their social element. You learn a lot about your child when you observe them in this type of setting. I am glad to say that they all were well behaved, kind and inclusive.

MCC

Beauty and the Beast

It was awesome if I say so myself......
Hayden as Gaston Doing "Me" it was a show stopper

Other shoe...I mean show stopper was "Be Our Guest" Megan choreographed it and I costumed it it was fun for the eyes.

 

MCC

Captain is Two

The Captain is two.....wow, wow, wow!

We had fun last Sunday celebrating his birthday. The best moments were his reactions to the gifts given by Megan, Nelson and Hayden....Megs was a play hut and ball pit with a Thomas the Train motif. The reaction to this was a wow, and  all he wanted to do was open it, but dad said no, not until we get home...so he hugged it and stroked it and stared at it for a long time. Nelson and Hayden gave him more Cars 2 shake and go cars and a track.......this elicited a shrieking scream....he was so happy and just kept  shrieking.  Grandma and Grandpa gave him a  red wagon plus other stuff. I would have to say home runs all the way around.

MCC