Babies make everything right with the world!

Kiersten, age 7 months

Kiersten's baby Oliver, age 7 months 

Happy endings and beginnings

 “I don’t know how to speak about heaven in the traditional, lovely, paradisiacal, beauty that we speak of heaven – I wouldn’t know how to speak of heaven without my wife, my children. It would, it would not be heaven for me.” 

-- Elder Jeffrey Holland

These past couple of weeks have been pure bliss.

We prepared our home for Erik's return.

Kiersten came home with baby Oliver from Denver, and then we picked up Erik from the airport late one night. There is nothing that quite prepares you for welcoming home a child who's been away for a time. I imagine this is what leaving this world might be like.

Oh, how we missed that boy of ours. This was the last photo I took of him as we dropped him off at the MTC 2 years ago,

and this is one I snapped of him returning. Looks like same suit with a few more wrinkles and a bit more faded.

Bright and early the next morning we met at the stake president's office to release Erik and set apart Nate as a missionary before Nate entered home-MTC later that day. President Child commented how this was a first for him . . . having two missionary brothers coming and going on the same day.

Nate's P-day happened to coincide with Tyler's birthday later that week where we spent the morning at the zoo with ALL our children.

Sunday was Erik's homecoming talk and Oliver's baby blessing with family photos afterwards.

Photo courtesy Brian Leary

Photo courtesy Brian Leary

Photo courtesy Air and Ember Photography

Photo courtesy Air and Ember Photography

My heart has been so full. There are still good things to come.

June

For behold, at that day shall he rage in the hearts of the children of men, and stir them up to anger against that which is good.

And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well—and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell.  -- 2 Nephi 28:20-21

There is such division in our country right now. To wear a mask or not to wear a mask. Protests and riots about Black Lives Matter. The state of Utah COVID-19 numbers have skyrocketed in the past month. Businesses have slowly been opening and I think that has given people a false sense of security. That and I just think they are tired of this whole virus thing and the social distancing that comes with it.

I take heart in Elder Holland's words from our last general conference where he said, "Even as we speak, we are waging an ‘all hands on deck’ war with COVID-19, a solemn reminder that a virus 1,000 times smaller than a grain of sand can bring entire populations and global economies to their knees. When we have conquered it — and we will — may we be equally committed to freeing the world from the virus of hunger and freeing neighborhoods and nations from the virus of poverty."

In the meantime, Nate opened his mission call. Unlike Erik's that came in the mail, Nate's came through his email. It showed up on Tuesday but since he was working every night, he wanted to wait until Saturday to open it. Talk about patience!

Nate's headed to the Adelaide, Australia mission, English speaking. He enters the MTC (which has now been changed to home-MTC) on September 2 and flies out on September 23, quite possibly to a reassignment until Australia opens back up.

The kicker . . . Erik flies home on September 23 at 9:30am. What are the odds Nate leaves a little later and they'll be able to see each other briefly at the airport?

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

We left a little piece of our heart in Colorado a week ago.

Jason was offered a job to work in Denver doing maintenance at the apartment complexes two of his aunts manage. So with little notice, they packed up all their belongings and we moved them to Lakewood, Colorado. 

Ash got some driving time on the way home.

Did I mention she finally passed her driving test to get her permit!

But before they left we got a 5-generation photo or two with Grandma and Grandpa Ellis. 

We made a trip to Ferron to see the Greats down there.

And we visited with the Goldens who are like a 2nd set of grandparents.


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Alex celebrated turning double digits. He opened presents at Grandma's,

came home to drive-thru birthday dinner like Ash's,

went to Settlement to practice fishing with his new pole,

and came back to birthday pie and Erik and his companions singing Happy Birthday.

June was a good month. It was a sad month. But babies somehow make everything right with the world. We tried to get as much baby time as possible.

We all miss our little Ollie [and I guess KJ too, but maybe not as much ;)]