Well, he's gone.

So Spencer went into the MTC in Provo today. I'm gong to do this blog in an order that makes sense to me. I'm an emotional woman, so I can do what I want. Mark says I'm a "basket case". Nice. I guess I really am. I am so glad he is going on a mission, but my baby is gone. There are no kids coming home tonight. Sadness.

Anyhow, Here Spencer, Tara and John are packing. Yes, Tara's John. He's back. They aren't very good at packing, are they?

After "packing", we went to the stake center and Spencer was set apart as a missionary. I'm so glad Nickell and Aaron live close! It was very nice to have them there! Spencer thinks they are about the best people ever. Great, more tears!

Nickell brought her house bug over for us to look at after he was set apart. It is a cool bug. I think it's dead now, and I'm not sure what I should do with it. I guess it's gonna get flushed because I sure don't want it crawling back into my house.

We all went to bed pretty early last night, and Spencer slept in for the last time in 2 years. Here he is pretending to sleep for the picture. Cute, isn't he?

We had a fine breakfast and did the last minute packing things. He was very anxious to go!

But we weren't finished with him yet. Mark made him try on his Japan mission tag just to see what a tag will look like. Looks pretty good, I'd say!

Tara did all sorts of gymnastics in her dress to get creative pictures. Nickell has influenced both children in this way.

Then we took some pictures out by the locust tree, since it's so pretty right now.

The kids did one last quick trampoline moment (cute) and Spencer did not even break his arm!

This is Spencer's "We're finally leaving the house" dance. He looks very missionary-ish to me!

Packing the car.

And our last glimps of him before he took off with some elder that is going to Russia in 2 weeks. You just drop them off at the curb now, and they make you drive away out the back side of the MTC. Then, when you discover your son's camera and immunization record on the back seat afterwards, you have to go all the way around to the front again.

And now, whenever she is with us for the next two years, Tara gets the seat behind me. The one with legroom! Wahoo!

No Brazil - yet

So! Pretty weird thing just happened...I got a letter today from the Church Travel Services saying that Brazil just recently changed their visa application process, so I have to do a bunch more stuff to get the visa, and the Provo MTC is forming some sort of special missionaries-who-can't-quite-go-yet group that I'll be joining...so...I guess I'm not flying to Brazil on Tuesday, I'm going to the Provo MTC on Wednesday...hopefully. Weird.

The other side of the puzzle . . .

So, do you remember the gigantic puzzle that took me months to finish? This one?

We decided to mount it on a sheet of wood because its kinda pretty and I'm quite proud of it, and display it above the coat closet where nobody will notice it anyway. Actually I decided. Mark just went along. The we (again, that means I) decided that Tara will paint a Christmas snowy scene on the back of the sheet of wood so I can just turn it around for Christmas time. She finally started. Here's what she's done so far.

Isn't the lonely penguin cute? Now you all should comment about how great it looks and what a fantastic painter she is so she will finish it and I can get it out of my family room. Oh, the candy cane man is the north pole. Comment about how you could tell that right away, too.

And another important matter, I have received Mindy's and Heidi's. They are really good. Everyone else get on the ball. Time is running out!