My Little Brother is All Grown Up and Going on a Mission

So, this week was a very exciting week for the Figgins family. On Wednesday, a special letter came in the mail for my brother, Josh. It was his mission call!! I couldn't be more excited for him. So I waited anxiously along with the rest of my family for everyone to gather that evening at my parents house. I was in touch thanks to the lovely technology of Face Time. Josh was called to the Florida Orlando Mission. He is leaving June 18, 2014. Just 2 weeks after he graduates from high school! It is so soon! He is so excited to go though. You can tell just by talking to him. I got to talk to him later that night and we talked for about a half hour. I have already done a little research and found the mission blog and looked up the general areas he will be serving in. I want to get a decent sized map of his areas and some colored push pins so we can mark where he is at and where he has been for Colson, along with adding pictures as well. I want to make sure Colson still learns who Josh is and what he is doing.

Called to Serve in the Florida,

Orlando Mission!

I will miss Josh a lot, but I really am so excited for him. Josh and I get along really well. I think we are really similar in a lot of ways. He is going to be a great missionary. Josh is the kind of person who is determined to do his best at everything he does. He simply will not allow himself to fail. His determination and ability to work until he succeeds amazes me. Sometimes it frustrates me too, but only because I am competitive and want to beat him when we are playing games against each other. Not an easy task. I have good memories of Josh and I "fighting" to get to our favorite spot to sit and read only to squish into the chair together. One time when I came home to visit from college, I pulled into the driveway and Josh came running outside with his arms wide open. I knew it was too good to be true. He threw his arms around the car and shouted "Green car, you're home!" It was his way of saying I love you and I'm glad to see you Talor. Josh has loved being an uncle. He is really good with Colson. Despite his not always saying I love you or sharing his feelings much, I know he loves me and our family. He is smart, athletic, funny, and just a great kid. He has a strong sense of right and wrong. He also has a strong testimony of the gospel and I know he will bless the lives of all those he meets. Look out Orlando, Florida. My little brother is coming and you won't know what hit you.

Love you Josh!

Moving on Up and Out and Shout out to the 29th Ward

Well, it has finally happened. Ben and I have found a new place to live. We are really excited about this new apartment. It is practically perfect. It has 2 bedrooms, 1 1/2 baths, a dishwasher, washer/dryer hookups, a shower, good storage space, and the location is fantastic. It is right by the park, zoo, river trail, and pool. Definitely looking forward to a lot of fun out and about with Colson this summer. The only downside to this whole situation is that we are leaving our ward. We absolutely love the ward we are in. I know we will come to love that ward too, but it is hard to leave behind such good friends and neighbors. Thankfully we are only about 10 minutes away so we can still hang out with people. Ben and I have lived in this same ward since we were married. We have learned so much from them. I have so many people who I look up to. There is a woman in the ward who is always so willing to help other sisters out with their young kids so they can have a chance to listen to the Relief Society lesson. Our Relief Society President is so devoted to serving others. She knows everyone by name, knows what the need and remembers so many things about each and every family. Our Bishop and his wife are so great at being kind and friendly to everyone. They model so well how to be self sufficient. Every year they grow so much produce and also offer garden spots to others and help out in those as well. And when they have all they need, they then share it with the ward. They are willing to teach others as well. There are several sisters who took the time to be my friend even though I had to work a lot of Sundays. I have had wonderful visiting teachers who have become some of my best friends. We learned a lot about preparedness, service, and love. So I just want to say thanks to all of the 29th Ward for having such a large impact on our lives. We love you all and will miss you.

Enjoying the better weather by going out for a walk.

Colson's new way to try crawling.

So in the next several weeks, we will be working hard on packing up and getting ready to go. We are also expecting Colson to be crawling any day now, so we will probably have to watch out for him underfoot while we are moving. We hope he will like the new place. We know we will. We are really excited for the changes to come.

Lessons from the Olympics

So, I love the Olympics. A lot. Since February 6, I have pretty much been watching them as much as possible. I think it is so much fun to see people who have worked so hard compete and share their talents with the world. (Kind of like why I like Summerfest in Logan too, but with a different art form in a way.) They give it their all. It is so neat to see athletes who are practically perfect, but it is equally neat to see people fall and get right back up and keep trying. Watching the Olympics this year has made me wonder what Colson is going to grow up and want to do. Is he going to want to be an athlete? Am I going to be a soccer mom, or will I spend a lot of time at the ball park? Will he like to swim like me or run like Ben? Whatever he decides he wants to do, I will support him. (Even if it is football...) But there are some things I have been thinking about during the Olympics that I want to teach him as he is growing up. I want Colson to learn that it is okay to take chances. To jump, to reach, to try. We are going to fall. It is inevitable. It's a part of life. But that's okay. It is better to fall and get back up then to not try anything and never live. I want Colson to reach for his dreams and to dream big. And I want him to know he can ask for help if he feels a little stuck on the ground and can't get up on his own. I also want Colson to know that not only is this a pattern for things in life, but it is a pattern for eternity as well. We are doing all we can on earth to do and be our best. But sometimes we will fall. We will make mistakes. It is inevitable. It's a part of life. Heavenly Father knew that would happen though. And He provided us with the help we would need. He sent His son, Jesus Christ, to be our Savior. He is there to help us get back up again so we can keep trying. So we can keep moving forward and ultimately reach our dreams. So as Colson grows and develops talents and abilities, I don't want him to be hindered by fear. I want him to go through all things in life knowing that he can get back up. He can keep going and reach all his goals and dreams. And if he learns that, I will be one happy mommy.

Some of Colson's goals include sitting and playing,

feeding himself,

learning to play with daddy,

and he's trying so hard to crawl that he is practicing in his sleep.

Fun Family Filled Weekend

Wow what a weekend we just had. I thoroughly enjoyed all the time we got to spend with family. And the best part was that most of the time, we got to stay here in Logan instead of going too far away. So last Friday one of my cousins got married. It was a great day. My mom, dad, Allie, and Hannah came up Thursday night so we could get to the temple on time Friday morning. Hannah went out to Stacey's house and Allie kept Colson so we could all get to the temple. Allie was a bridesmaid. The ceremony was beautiful. I was reminded of how I really need to try to get to the temple more often. Easier said than done with a baby but it is doable. We went to the luncheon that afternoon and later that night to the reception. It was a really good day. Everything was really beautiful. And the bride and groom looked super happy. Which is what is important. Allie and Hannah stayed the weekend with us and we had a great time. They were both a big help with Colson so I could get a few things done at home. They are both really good aunts and Colson is sure learning to like them. Sunday we headed down early to Clearfield to go to our new nephew's baby blessing. We just made it in time. It was really fun to see almost all of Ben's family and hang out with them for the day. We made sure to get pictures of Colson with our nephew. It is crazy how fast they both grow. Later that day we headed to my grandparents to watch the Super Bowl with my dad's family. (Most of whom we had seen on Friday ha ha.) We had a great time. Even though I'm not a huge football fan, we enjoy spending the time with family. Colson was so great all weekend. He didn't mind getting passed around at all. I hope he learns to love our family as much as I do.