Family Pictures

Last weekend Pete and I went to Nyssa to hear my younger brother, Eric, speak in church. Then we brought him back to Utah with us to drop him off at the MTC! He will be serving an English speaking mission in Jacksonville, Florida. It was fun to have him stay with us the last few days before the MTC. As Pete was working most of the time, I was Eric's "companion" and we went tie shopping, got miscellaneous odds and ends for his mission, and went to the Salt Lake Temple together (where I saw an old friend that thought Eric was my husband. I was like uh, no. Brother. Younger brother.)

We got some family pictures taken while we were in Nyssa. Here's a few:

My 14-year old brother, Quentin...

I just had to post this next picture so I could tell the story of what me, Pete, and the rest of my siblings were talking about at this moment in time. We were all just in a circle chatting, and Eric says, "Dad definitely turned out the least hick-like out of his whole family." Then we turn around and see him chewing on a piece of dry grass. Classic.

Here's the non-hick version:

Nate woke up the morning of the picture day and was super excited for them (we had been building him up for days by now--hoping he would cooperate). He wanted to put his "picture clothes" on right away and was flashing his "picture smile" right and left. We had to explain to him that we wouldn't be doing the pictures until that evening. By the time this picture was taken, he was definitely getting grumpy.

So all the boys did a grumpy picture especially for Nate...

The Girls...

and, of course, the missionary...



Since this is the first missionary my family has sent out I think we are all kind of oblivious to what is going on. Noone cried saying goodbye or anything...I think it just hasn't hit us that he will be gone for two years.

(photos taken by Kevin and Maria Draper: http://kandmfamilyphotography.blogspot.com/)

Here's us right before he went into the MTC.