Happy 19th Birthday Stuart!

Again, I do realize that there is a bit of a timing issue on this post since my brother's birthday was in June and it is now September... but there you go. Anyway, we had a little family party at Shane's house ON Stuart's birthday with those of us that live here in the area (Spencer, Shane, me and our families...) Then later that same week after Kjersti had a chance to get up here from California, my parents drove down from Idaho and we had a surprise party for Stuart at a park.... pictures to be forthcoming.

In LDS-dom, when a young man turns 19, about 50% of the time he will choose to serve a mission if he is in good health. Stuart has chosen to serve a mission and he has been called to serve in the Ghana Accra Mission English speaking (yeah... he got his call well over a month ago). He will report directly to the Accra MTC the 3rd week of October, spend 3 weeks there and then spend the next two years of his life teaching the good people of Ghana about the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are so excited for him! He will be the first grandchild of either sets of my grandparents to serve in Africa - the rest of us served in North and South America, South-East Asia and Europe, but so far nobody has EVER gone to Africa (my great-grandfather served a mission to Australia where he met our great-grandmother... so I'm including that far back of my direct line).

I still can't get over that he is really old enough to serve a mission, I actually remember him as a baby and toddler! I think that's why I sometimes call Mason "Stuart" and have to correct myself and call Mason by his correct name! Stuart and Mason are the same many years apart that Stuart and Spencer (my oldest brother) are... so I'm going to work really hard to make sure that Mason doesn't forget Stuart, like Stuart forgot who Spencer was by the time Soencer came home from his mission.

Here's Stuart and Ethan.

This is really cousin Lily's car, but it is Mason's favorite toy when he goes to his Aunt Lolo's house and the times that Aunt Lolo has watched Mason for me, she tells me that he stays in that car pretty much the entire time he is over there. Ah Mason... if only we had a house we would get you your own car.

And here is my sweet niece Abby. I love her large blue eyes! I just realized that all of my parents' grandchildren have inherited large blue eyes. They are so cute and at least Mason gets complimented on them all the time, as I'm sure his cousins do as well!