Called to Serve

My brother, Matt, has been waiting on a mission call.  It was an anxious time for all of us!  Last Thursday, the telltale white envelope appeared in the mailbox.  When I brought it inside, Matt was so excited that he literally jumped up and down!  It was absolute torture for him to wait 4 hours to open it!

After Adam came home, Matt's friends showed up, and we got the rest of the family connected via phone and google hangout, the moment of truth arrived.

"Dear Elder Kaiser:

You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  You are assigned to labor in the Brazil Cuiaba Mission!!!"

Matt will report to the Brazil MTC on November 27, which is the day before Thanksgiving.  That was the only bummer--I think Matt was hoping to go a little sooner.  But Brazil may be the most difficult country in the world to get a visa to, so he will need the time to get that all done.
Matt is thrilled about his call, even more so because two of his best friends are also going to serve in Brazil, although all in different missions.  I know he is going to be an amazing missionary, but the reality of him leaving our family is a little tough for me.  He will be with us just a month shy of two years when he leaves, and he is completely and totally a part of our family.  It's definitely going to be hard on all of us when he goes.  But I couldn't be more proud of him and excited for him.  He is going to rock Brazil!

Ty's Turn

A first birthday is pretty special, but turning six is pretty great, too!  We had a birthday party for Ty the Saturday before we left for Utah.  He wanted a lego-theme party.  He invited a couple of kids from his primary class and a couple of kids from his kindergarten class.  Because we had so much going on, we just decided to keep it simple and have it at home. 

The boys had a lego car building contest.  It was fun to see their creative juices at work!

And we played "Put the Shark in the Watter," (a pin the tail on the donkey-type game).

The mask that came with the game was pretty awesome!!

We had pizza and cake, too.  My cake decorating skills have definitely been lacking this month.  Neither Ty's nor Annie's cakes were all that great.  But Ty thought his cake was amazing, and that's all that mattered!

The next Sunday we were in Utah and we had a combined party for Ty and Annie with my family.

And then Wednesday was his actual birthday, and he got to celebrate it with all his Marchant cousins at the Rockin' R Ranch!  It was so cute--he honestly thought the reason the entire family was at the ranch was to celebrate his birthday with him.  So adorable!

We went to Chuck E. Cheese last night for his birthday dinner, since he hadn't yet gotten to pick a place to go out to dinner with our family.  So it seemed like Ty's birthday sort of lasted forever!  And I hope it doesn't make me a bad mom to say this, but I am glad to be done with all the celebrations!

Ty at Age Six:

Favorite Food:  Pizza

Favorite Treat:  Ice Cream

Favorite Color:  Blue

Favorite Sport:  Basketball

Favorite Subject:  P.E.

Favorite Thing to Do:  Play Legos

When I Grow Up, I Want to Be:  A Basketball Player

My Hero is:  My Mom

If I Had $100, I Would:  Buy a $100 Lego Set!

Ty is bright--he was the top reader in his class in kindergarten.  His handwriting improved by leaps and bounds this year, too.  He's very good at math, just like his dad!  He is generally a mellow, mild-mannered little boy.  His laugh is quick to surface, and quite infectious.  Ty's also very responsible.  For example, a couple mornings ago he woke up and threw up all over his bed.  I was gone running and Adam was still asleep.  Instead of waking Adam up, he put his dirty pajamas on top of the washing machine and got himself a shower.  He was getting dressed when Adam woke up and asked what was going on.  That's just how he is--responsible and independent.  He spends most of his time playing basketball and legos (as evidenced by his responses above!).  If he has a fault, it's that he can be bossy.  He is definitely an oldest child, and wants things to be done his way!  But he is really just an all-star kid, and we love him to bits!

Annie Jane: The First Year in Photos

One Day:

One Month:

Two Months:

Three Months:

Four Months:

Five Months:

Six Months:

Seven Months:

Eight Months:

Nine Months:

 No Ten Month Photos--Oopsie!

Eleven Months:

Twelve Months:

I'm Back!

I'm back from my blogging hiatus!  In the nearly six years since I started this blog, I don't think I have ever gone such a long time without posting.  Truth is, over the last three months since Adam has been the bishop, it's just about all I can do to keep my head above water.  If I had to sum up the last few months in a single word, it would undoubtedly be "overwhelming."  But we have had several important events over the last couple months, too.  During the two months between April 16 and June 16, 4 of us in our family have birthdays.  Matt graduated high school (and should be getting a mission call THIS WEEK!!!), Annie took her first steps, Ty graduated from kindergarten, I ran a PR half marathon, and we spent some time at a dude ranch in Southern Utah.  So I'm even feeling a little overwhelmed about catching up on all that!  But I have to start somewhere, so here goes.
I guess I'll begin with Annie's birthday, which was yesterday.  As it happened, her first birthday fell on Father's Day, so she and Adam got to share their special day together.  After being in Utah all week, we just kept things pretty low-key.  I made her some pink cupcakes, which she LOVED!  And then we opened presents and hung out with our family.

She had blueberries and scrambled eggs for breakfast--2 of her favorites!

All ready for church in her new birthdy dress

It's blurry, but so cute!

Birthday cupcake

That cupcake didn't stand a chance!

Yum!

Getting hosed down after the cupcake

Present Time!

She loved ripping the paper

And she loved the doll Ty chose for her.  

And here's one of McKay, well, just being McKay

All About Annie at Age One:

• She's still my smallest baby and my baldest baby.  Her hair is finally starting to sprout some, but it's so fair that she still looks extremely bald.  
• She can walk, but needs a pretty good incentive to.  She is not a risk taker at all--she keeps a hand on the couch, wall, table, etc. whenever she can.  But she has walked a good 7 or 8 steps at a time without holding on to anything.
• She's very attached to me.  Often she won't let anyone else hold her if I am in the room.
• She also adores McKay.  I can't tell you how fun it is to watch the two of them interact!
• She can say several words, but it seems like as soon as she learns a new one, she stops saying one of the old ones!  These are the words she says or has said in the past:  bye-bye, ball, mama, uh-oh, baby, thank you, no, mmm-hmm.  She also signs "please" when she wants a bottle, nods her head "yes," and shakes it "no," and can wave "hi" and "bye."
• She has a pretty mellow temperment overall.  But when you make her mad, oh baby, watch out!  She does this whole body shake thing and screams "Na, na, na, na!"  (Which means no.)  It's kind of hilarious.  
• She definetly has a strong sense of agency.  She does NOT like to be told what to do.
• She is an absolute pleasure to have in our family.  I always thought we would only have boys, and honestly, I really thought I was ok with that.  I can't say enough how much I LOVE having a little girl.  We just adore her!