It’s Morón

{For 18 months – Jan ’17 to Jul ’18 – I'm posting our letter to Miranda while she's on her mission to Cochabamba, Bolivia.  Our letter titles are taken from a list of family sayings & catchphrases we recorded onto a pillowcase she has with her.  You can read her adventures on her mission blog: www.hermanamadsen.blogspot.com!}

  

I always want to get your family letter out before your pday!

So let's see...  Here's a pic of Dad playing with Zeus.  They were both in heaven.

And he helped Connor build a snowman.  =)

Morgan was a stud muffin and blew the snow for us while Grandma Levie was here for wedding planning.

Morgan played a basketball game against Curtis... they were forfeiting because they didn't have enough players, so Curtis stepped in because he had just come to watch his friend on the other team.  We had all the same boys that have been on the soccer team with Morgan & Curtis, so he was high-fiving our team in between plays.  =)  They played about even... it was such a good game!

Derek went on the Klondike Derby overnight, and LOVED it. 



Westfield is having their readathon this week, so since the kids will miss PJ/treats/read day at school (to stay home and play with cousins), and Casey till miss her class pizza party back at home, the kids are going to have a cousin readathon with pizza and treats on Friday.  Just Christi & Gpa & Gma are staying with us.

I put together His & Hers car kits for ScoJo.  And finished off Carlie's.  Have to go do a million more things for the wedding.  Totally loved your letter today and your letter to Dad.  You're amazing and I love you so much!!!!  xox, Mom

Good night Hermana BaBa. :)

{For 18 months – Jan ’17 to Jul ’18 – I'm posting our letter to Miranda while she's on her mission to Cochabamba, Bolivia.  Our letter titles are taken from a list of family sayings & catchphrases we recorded onto a pillowcase she has with her.  You can read her adventures on her mission blog: www.hermanamadsen.blogspot.com!}

  

We took this just now to say Good night to you. :) You're the best. Grandmas bringing your laundry bag tomorrow. And maybe some brownies. 
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Preference happened!

So at first, when I wrote Miranda, I wasn't thinking of her letters as blog posts that needed to include every nitty gritty detail of our lives.  But now I know better.  =)  Here are some of the things that needed recording.

We brainstormed family sayings & catchphrases with Miranda before she left, then ordered a pillowcase with 4 famous family pictures on the front, with Hermana Miranda Madsen and her mission dates on the front.  We wrote all the sayings on the back and sent it with Carol to the MTC. =)  I cried many times writing these.  I can still hear her little voice saying some of them:



And Zeus got a new winter jacket.  He looks so handsome.  =)



Carlie went with such a cute group to Preference. She looked gorgeous, as usual.  =)







And I found this.  Made me smile out loud:

Monkey Bread

Writing to Miranda on her mission

iiiHola, Hermana Madsen!!!  Como esta el MTC??? iNo puedo esperar para escuchar todos tus sucesos! 

So when we drove away from you, Dad lost it again, and could barely drive.  He cried & processed all the way home, and while we were at the Scout store buying awards for pack meeting.  He just kept saying: That's my little girl.  That was too fast.  She's gone, just like that.  This isn't right.  When he got to work, he told me that Alanna & Melissa asked him how it went, and he said he would talk to them about it next week.  He kept texting during his shift and just saying that he still couldn't talk about it because he didn't want to break down in front of anyone.

Of course he was just processing all the feelings I had in August, and I was feeling what he felt in August: Go Boldly, Little One. Go get 'em.  You got this.  How exciting.  =)  And he woke up the next morning just fine, and said he was glad he got a chance to be sad and process it, and now he's going to be good.  =)  Very very very sweet Daddy.  =)

So Wed night, after pack meeting, Morgan had a basketball game.  It was one of those nail-biters, where they stayed ahead or behind only 2 points until they tied, then won in overtime.  Morgan was on fire, and kept making all his shots... Proud Mommy.

And the anxious crowd:

Then that night, Derek got the laryngitis you & I had, but was also up with dad, sitting outside and in the shower with croup.  Poor boy.  Then Dad & Morgan went to the Bishop's cabin for the Teachers' Quorum snowmobiling trip Friday night, and Morgan spent Saturday night throwing up... he's still in bed recovering.  =(

Carlie had Preference, and it was cute.  We agreed that she would send the pics to you, but I don't think she'll include this one:

Today Pepper has a vet appointment.  =(  She has a growth on her jaw that has made all the hair stop growing around it... it's about 2/3 of an inch round.  I really hope it's easy to fix.  Poor kitty.

Oh I love you so much!  I hope I conveyed that enough.  I'm so proud of who you are.  CANNOT WAIT to hear how things are going.  

Love Mom

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Reporting to the MTC!!!

I did not cry.  I'm soooo happy for this rockstar.  She was so ready to get out and serve the Lord.  The time I cried was moving her into her dorm 4 months before.  But Jeff... he kept driving around beforehand; going up to the temple, lengthening the time he had with her, even if it was subconscious.  We hugged her, and she took off with her greeter to start her adventure.









If we have to describe Jeff's emotional reaction, he was ugly-crying while he hugged her.  It was the same reaction I would expect if she had died.  We said bye to her.

And then Jeff cried all the way home. 

He kept saying "That's not right... that's my little girl..." His heart was ripped open and he was bleeding everywhere.  When we got home, the faucets turned off.  His heart was still a tender wounded thing while he was at work, and he said he could barely hold it together while he was there, but he had some good people to talk to there, and he survived the night.  After that day, he could talk about it again, but for the entire Wednesday, this man was a broken, broken daddy. 

The part of January before our family was ripped apart

Looking back on our blog (today is actually Nov. 9, '17), I need to write a post for January of those things that happened before we installed our eldest sweetheart in the MTC.  Then from that point, our blog will consist of our letters to her; because after a few family letters to her, I knew I would be posting them here for our family history, so they include EVERYTHING.  Poor girl.  We don't hold back.  =)  So, truth be told, to find out what happened to us, I look at our family pictures in iPhoto to see what we did.  If that's my policy, I need to take more pictures, or make notes every day to find out what happened without pictures.  But if any of you are like me, I don't see the point in reading lengthy blogs without a lot of pictures.  In fact, this narrative has gone on a little too

Ok fine:



Meet Miss Snobby Pants.  She doesn't love anyone touching her rabbit-soft fur, for then she would have to lick it clean, for heavens' sake.  When you try to pet, said "Pants," she reverse-arches her back so you can't pet her before she has slinked out of the way.  Her name is actually Miss Pepper Potts.  Pepper loves to sit and wait for us in our sink.  She doesn't like to drink from the animal watering dispenser if she can help it; Zeus backwashes so much, we can hardly keep up with the bacterial growth in the dish.  EW; which is exactly what this princess thinks of it.  Then we turn on the faucet, and she's happy again... I mean, satisfied with our service.  Back to being blandly intrigued/ imperiously disinterested in us.

Another New Year's Day portrait... Miranda home with us, the kids watching movies together:



The kind of day that was made for movies in the living room with the pets:



Then Daddy shows his true colors as he takes Miranda to go buy mission clothes/ shoes. #suchagoodsport #thatsarealman:



Just for kicks:



Connor had asked for a "giant Pikachu stuffed animal" for Christmas.  We found this one:



Now, that is not a 6 year old, and we were paying about $40, so we figured whatever close to that size is going to be GREAT.  Estimated to come on Dec. 17th, before we leave for the cabin.  Fine.

Then we get a message that it would be pushed back, until the 21st... that's ok, we leave for the cabin on the 23rd.  Then nothing...  ugh.  Connor's not going to have his Christmas present at the cabin after all.  That's ok, because we'll print this picture for him and WHO CARES when you get this GIANT stuffed toy?  It's so awesome we can wait!

So finally, on January 6th, this little package arrives, and behold!  It's the giant toy:



Now, don't get us wrong, Connor still loves it.  But WOW.  I went to post this picture of Connor on the reviews, and the picture for the item is mysteriously deleted.  So I did a quick search, found a cached picture, posted both of them, and explained what happened.  Not in an angry tone, honestly.  As long as you have all the information, if you still want to buy it, great!  Just don't be fooled.  This picture above is now the pic for the same toy on Ebay for $8.88... a little too good to be true.  =)

Halle & Kierste went to a late night movie party at their friend Talia's house, 2 houses down.  =)



The boys went shopping with Dad and came home with new matching boots.  I knew the minute I saw them:  this is a moment for Daddy.  They won't wear these, and they cost more than enough.  But somehow I knew it was worth it.  Morgan inherited Jeff's previously-broken-in ones, so they actually all match.



A little sister bonding before.... you know.



And this had to be shared:



And this:



Alejandra sent me a picture of herself, using the apron I made her for Christmas.  I just love this woman.  What a good, faithful, honest, Catholic woman who has become my friend.



This doggy LOVES the snow and his "brothers."  He bounds around in it; scoops it up with his nose and throws it, digs his face in it, and frolics.  =)  ~He is Jeff as a dog.~



Halle & Kierste had a girls' makeover night with Miranda:











The boys went with Daddy and met Alex & Jack for their annual Car Show attendance.  Wait.  First:



Ok now:







Ah.  Maybe someday Daddy will get a Raptor:



Then, since everyone's coming in for Miranda's farewell, we have Madsen GNO:





Miranda give a WONDERFUL talk, including the story about the room and the index card files.  Hopefully I can find it and share it here sometime.

Then BAM.  Lots of food and friends & family.



Mmmm... a little mulligatawny & chicken tortilla soup.  =)



















Then we had our last FHE, where we asked Miranda to bear her testimony to the family.  Connor was extra emotional  I think it finally hit him that she was really leaving.



Tuesday was our Last Supper with Miranda.  We went to Black Bear Diner.  A one-time experience for us.  I mean, it's yummy, and it's food... but for the money, we would rather take the kids other places.  =)







OUR LAST FAMILY TOGETHER PICTURE FOR EIGHTEEN MONTHS:





Okay.  We celebrated the heck out of it.  Now to send her off.