"and please bless blady"...

well okay. today was not one of my best.

sick kids all week equals no sleepy all week.  

insane allergies (yes i am one of those allergy dorks) equals quasimodo red, itchy, puffy eyes.

messy house equals disgruntled husband.  

far too optimistic in my project-to-time ratio, which equals 47 half-done endeavors {or half undone depending on if you see your glass as full or empty, i s'pose}

but...

BUT...

B  U  T . . .

in just 5 days, I will get to hug this guy again!

my favoritest person in the whole entire world!

(alright, I know that ryan is actually my numero uno, but he loves this kid like crazy too, so its all good!) see? :)

man oh man oh man oh man, am I excited for monday!

my little brother, Elder Brady Matthew Wright, will be returning to the happy valley.

after two years... 24 fast sundays... 104 weeks... 

I could not be MORE PROUD of my brother.  He has grown in a way that even I wasn't expecting- and I've had great expectations for this guy.  What a blessing it has been to witness his growth, and to try to catch some of his contagious spirit of love, service, and testimony!

Brady and I have a relationship that I know is rare. I cherish it, and know that it won't change, even when our lives do.  

When he left, Jaac was just 15 months old, and they were such little buddies!  And now, at EVERY SINGLE prayer, Jaac says "and please bless Blady on his MISH-on, and please bless Tannuh on his Mish-on". (Tanner is Ryan's brother who is serving a mission in Hungary and has 1 year left!) 

It has been so obvious to see the effects of Brady and Tanner's example to serve a mission. 

Jaac's #1 song request is 'I hope they call me on a mission' 

(which is such a nice break from our usual 'Mambo Italiano' and 'Fly me to the moon'!)

At just three years old, he has such amazing examples all around him...

His dad, his uncles, his grandpas, his greatgrandpas...

SO many men who honor their priesthood covenants, and who are some of the most Christ-like people I know.  He has some enormous shoes to fill, and I hope that as his mother, I can teach him to live up to his potential.  daunting task, i must say. 

And gracie? well she and uncle blady will finally get to meet.  I was pregnant with her when he ventured out to bring great southern souls to the gospel.  in the weeks before he left, we had many talks about the lil' babe in my belly (lovingly referred to as fetus mccleatus), and how I thought if it was a girl she might be Grace. he approved, and gave me a few beautiful songs that he found that made it all fit just right.  yes, they will have a little catching up to do, but i must say, it is highly unlikely that they won't fall madly in love within the first few minutes. that's my hope anyway.  he says this Easter picture is his favorite that I've sent him:

It was such a treat to get to talk to both of our brothers on Mother's Day, 

and I just hope that someday they will be able to see the blessings that have been poured out upon our families because of their willingness to serve The Lord!

Baarrrrddddeeeee, I'll see you in a few days! 

I can't wait for the late night talks, the walks, the laughs, the maverick yogurts, and to see you finally snuggling the kiddles!

 Love, Kiiiiiikiiiiii!!!  :)

( there aren't enough memory cards for all of our crazy {embarrassing} pictures! )