My favorite child

My favorite missionary is coming home soon.  (Oh?  I mentioned that?)

I think about it all the time.   For example, when emailing him last Monday, I realized I'll only email him 5 more times.

I am more than ready to hug him and listen to him and talk to him and laugh with him and trick him into converting to 1% milk.  I know his favorite cereals and I'm not afraid to use them.  Even with a few "intermissions," two years has been a very long time without my boy.

We got his final travel itinerary.

The same kind person that sent me the above picture of the missionaries at Williamsburg sent me the tracking number for his bike that has been sent home.

We found out the procedure for him getting released by the stake president (call when we leave the airport and he'll be ready for us).

This is getting real and I couldn't be more happy.

My favorite traveling girl is on a trip with her friends.

Happy girl at Grandma's house

They went to Seattle in intrepid little Loki.  I didn't think it was such a grand idea but Adam did so I guess you know who has the most clout on such matters.

Here they are miniature golfing (with Freja) in Snohomish.  The game looks intense....

The lucky girls are staying with Geri who is an excellent hostess.  She is helping them with their plans and helping me feel better because she assured us she will make sure they go to bed early the night before they drive home.

It's nice to have a mother on both ends.

Geri hosted some of Emma's Washington friends for dinner which was very kind.

from front left, Addy, Freja, Emma, Morgan, Adri and Vanessa.  I love each one of these girls and the role they've played in Emma's life.

Last night I was about asleep when I saw she'd texted.  She said, "Are you awake?  Can I call you when we get back to Grandma's?"

That's worth waiting up for when you have an incredibly independent daughter who you haven't heard from nearly enough since she's been gone.

She was bubbly and happy and had had a wonderful day showing her friends the Seattle sights.

I'm home with my favorite sidekick.  Mark is our only child that doesn't mind shopping.  I'll say, "Hey do you want to go to the store?"

He'll say, "Sure," and then inevitably wonder if there will be food for him involved.  (The answer is usually yes.)

Our other two kids shop under duress (they always have) but Mark is game.  He used to wander away to look at toys, now he wanders away to look at electronics but he touches base often and he's happy to give his opinion on anything and everything.  He's also strong and takes it as a personal challenge to carry all the groceries in when we get home.  We talk about current events and cars while we drive and he prefers the oldies radio station.  He knows more 80s music than I do and I was alive then.

The other day we were doing a few errands and he named a few other stores we should maybe "stop by while we're out."  He then noticed Old Navy was having a 75% off clearance sale and he thought we should check it out.

I asked, "Are you sure you want to?"  I felt like we'd been shopping long enough.

"Mom," he said, draping his arm around my shoulder, "the day is young."