SO MUCH HAS CHANGED

It is hard to believe that I haven't posted for so long that I don't even know how to change things on my blog. The whole set up has changed. But I wanted to talk about the changes in our family since I last wrote so long ago. James came home in May and it was a very special and spiritual time having him in our home for a few months. He didn't waste anytime getting a job. He quickly got a job at a catering company here in Provo. Shortly after getting that job, he got the job of his dreams.....The Missionary Training Center in Provo. He was so excited that he could play a big part in preparing missionaries for their field of service. He loves to teach and he loved being a missionary. A perfect combination for someone wanting to teach at the MTC. He has since moved out into an apartment off campus with his friends from Alabama and his freshman year at BYU. He started school in August and is still working both jobs. He is a very busy young man....we see him once a week. Kae Lee is back at BYU-Idaho for her sophomore year. She received an unexpected academic scholarship for this next Fall/Spring semesters. She has worked so hard and here GPA shows it. We just were so surprised when we found out about it. She is living with five other girls and is doing very well there. She loves the smaller classes and the dress code but she doesn't like the cold and the wind. Brynna is a junior this year. Hard to believe that in a year and a half we will be watching our youngest graduate from high school.She just recently got her drivers permit----so watch out on the road!! She really doesn't enjoy driving that much. She is passionate about ASL and she learns so quickly. She wishes that her parents could be as quick learners but alas.....we are old people. Michael was made bishop of our ward on August 12,2012. He is a great bishop and I know that he is praying and trying so hard to magnify his calling. He is busy but we set aside date nights and try to make sure that we keep our relationship strong and alive. He is still working at LDS Philanthropies. He is getting way to good at racquetball, it is really hard for me to beat him when we play. He continues to tutor Brynna on Math and Chemistry. Sure glad one of us has the smarts to help her with her homework. He is a wonderful husband and father. I love my Bishop!!!! I am still in the nursery with about 37 little kids. It is fun and they seem to like me. I have been so busy keeping up with canning for myself and my parents that I am glad that canning season is about over. My dad had hip replacement surgery a month ago and so I have been taking care of the garden. Wow---it has been quite the undertaking but I am glad that I am here to help them. I will be glad when we can put his garden to rest. My garden did really well this year. No one thought I would have a garden and I have been so surprised at how much produce we got from it. I am still picking beans...they didn't freeze the other night along with everything else. Just feeling so blessed with everything. So much to be thankful for. We spent General Conference weekend at Mom and Dad Blair's. We were so shocked with the news of changing the ages for young men and women to serve missions. Kae Lee was really shocked. She says that she isn't quite ready to go but I am sure that will come in time. Loved conference. Loved being with all of our kids. Again----just feeling so very blessed. We have a good life!!!

PREPARING FOR HIS RETURN

The calendar tells me that it has been two years since we took our oldest child and only son to the MTC to serve a two year mission in Sacramento California. I know what the calendar says but my brain and my heart refuse to believe that the time has really gone by and the year is correct. Don't get me wrong-----I am excited to have our son home, I just can't believe how quickly those two years went by. As a mother sends off her first missionary, you wonder if the time will drag on or will it fly by on wings of lightening. Well, I am here to tell you that the time just rushed on so quickly that it's hard to believe that we will be welcoming our missionary home in 11 days. But who is counting? Me!!! I have such mixed feelings about having a son return from full time service as a missionary. A friend explained the experience as a really good book. You love reading it and you are so involved in the story and the adventures taking place that you don't want it to end. You just want it to go on and on and on. But how would you know how great it will be unless you come to the end. I know that James needs to come home and get on with his life but I guess that is the part that I have a hard time with. I know this is what we have raised our children to do---to be independent---but that means that they won't need me anymore and they will have their own lives. I have loved reading the missionary letters and enjoyed the phone calls at Christmas and Mother's Day. I have cried tears over missing him and feeling sad at his struggles with investigators and companions. I have triumphed along with him when he has seen people change and be baptized. I was thrilled when he finally got to do the actual baptism of an investigator he had grown to love. I pondered over the lessons he was learning and the growth in his testimony that was taking place. I loved seeing the leader in him come out when asked to be a district leader, zone leader, office Elder, and trainer. I cried when I read about his last testimony at his last zone conference. I cried reading every letter out loud to my parents. I laughed at his comical way of telling about his funny adventures and experiences with missionaries or investigators. I worried when he broke his hand playing basketball and then later injuring his ankle and wearing a boot for six weeks. I prayed and prayed for his success and he had success not only with people to teach and baptize but success in his own conversion of the Gospel. I worried about him being on a bike and people not seeing him on the road. I was grateful when he was riding in a car but sometimes that isn't much safer. I rejoiced when President Lewis was able to return to California after suffering a terrible illness. I knew that James had grown to love this man so much and would be sad if he couldn't have his exit interview with him. I loved the times that James and I could have a chat sessions on email and just ask questions and get answers immediately. I cry when I read that James isn't ready to come home because he is just now realizing what it means to be a good missionary. I cry thinking about the big choices he will have to make upon his return home. I cry thinking about him taking off that name tag that reads: Elder Blair. I am happy thinking about hugging him and looking into those big blue eyes of his and telling him that I love him----face to face. I am thankful that I have a son returning from a honorable mission. I feel so blessed to be James' mom. I am happy that we have so many wonderful things to look forward to in the years to come with James. I am happy that I will always be his mom and I believe that he will always need me. Welcome Home Elder Blair!!!!!!

CHRISTMAS 2011

Kelly and I when we were very young


The whole family----a long time ago!!!

We had such a wonderful Christmas in 2011. We had wonderful time with my family and with Michael's family. We were able to Skype with James on Christmas day and that was our best Christmas present. He is so happy and loving the work that he is doing. He will be home in 4 months. Time is just flying by so fast.

This year for Christmas I worked hard on getting all of my parents slides of all of us kids put onto a DVD for them so that they could look at the pictures anytime. It was quite the undertaking to go through over 1300 slides and decide which ones to keep and what to throw out. It was fun looking at the slides and laughing at our funny hair dos and outfits from the past. Fun times with the family!!! These pictures are two of the slides that gives a good picture of our funny clothes and hairstyles. My parents wanted to make sure that each of their children got a copy of these slides so that we could share them with our own children. They are such a treasure to have. We are so thankful that we have pictures of Kelly and other loved ones who have passed on.

Another thing that we did for Christmas was I took all of my Dad's reel to reel tapes and had them put onto CD's so that we could have the recordings of us when we sang in the group when we were younger and also the run down of what we got for Christmas each year. What a treasure these CD's are to us. It has our Grandpa Smith telling his life story and singing songs he knew as a young boy. It is hard to hear Kelly's voice in 1990 after he had been married just a short time and then he is gone by the next Christmas. So thankful we have his voice recorded and memories of him to look back on. We still miss him but hearing his voice and seeing pictures of him bring his memory back to us and we are thankful that he will always be a part of our eternal family. We all ended up with 19 CD's that gives us many hours of entertaining music and interaction as a family. What great treasures these are for each of us. So thankful for modern technology that makes it possible to capture these memories from the past.

It was certainly a Christmas to remember. Love our families and love being with them.
Christmas 2011 was a magical and wonderful Christmas!!! Looking forward to Christmas 2012 when our missionary will be home. Can't wait!!!!