A Look Back...

This picture was taken the night before we left Elisabeth at SUU for her first semester.

What a difficult time this was!

It was two years ago this month that we drove Elisabeth down to SUU and I had to say goodbye to my little girl and hello to my grown daughter.

It was hard...very hard.

But, it was a good thing for her and she has grown.

Afterall, isn't that how it's supposed to be?

A lot has happened in these past two years.

My children have grown, for starters.

The boys, especially Scott, look like little boys in this picture and now they look like young men.

Emma was only two.

Elisabeth was trying to be brave but I know she was scared to start this new phase of her life.

This picture reminds me of how terrified and sad I was that my baby was grown and leaving me. I remember having a lot of anxiety about whether I taught her everything she needed to know.

I remember thinking about how much I was going to miss her but how incredibly proud I was of the person she was and the things she accomplished.

I was also sad Jake wasn't in this picture.

Jake wasn't able to make this trip because he looked like this after a tumble down a cliff while working at a scout camp:

He had a broken collar bone and didn't feel up to a car drive. He also had started school already and didn't want to get behind so he stayed with Lee's parents.

Time has flown by and much has happened in their lives in these short two years.

Elisabeth has received her AS degree and will be starting her Jr. year in college!

(Seriously. I can't be old enough to have a grown daughter!)

She's starting the teaching program and will have

her own apartment this year.

Jake is a senior in H.S. and getting his applications ready for

colleges and scholarships.

Scott is taller than me now and will be a

Sophmore in H.S.

Cole is almost as tall as me and will be finishing up

Middle School this year.

Max will be 9 soon (I can't believe it!) and is trying as hard as he can to be just like his older brothers.

He wants nothing to do with being little anymore.

And Emma is 4 and starting Preschool.

It's hard to believe.

Then I start thinking about the future.

In just two short years,

(If all goes well)

Elisabeth will be a teacher,

Jake will have completed two years of college and will be on his mission,

Scott will be a Sr. getting his applications ready,

Cole will be a Sophmore and taller than me too,

Max will be 11 and will start preparing to receive the priesthood,

and Emma will be in first grade!

It's all just amazing to think about.

Sometimes I wish time would slow down.

(just a little bit!)