Samuel's Weekly E-Mail

I love getting Samuel's weekly e-mail's, and since it has been forever since I have posted anything here I have decided to post Samuel's e-mail from this week. He is an amazing young man (I know, I am a little biased) I hope you enjoy this letter as much as I did.

During his talk at the end of the Conference, Elder Holland invited us all to reflect on the miracle that is General Conference, and it took me back. I remember dozens of Conferences spent at home, playing with Legos in front of the TV screen until my dad said it was "time to stop playing and listen to the prophet." I do not remember a single thing that President Hinckley said in any of those General Conferences, but I remember that when the Prophet of the Lord spoke, my family listened.

I remember receiving the Aaronic Priesthood and therefore going to the church with my father and later my brother to watch the Priesthood Sessions of Conference, and soon as they said the final Amen, running out to be first in line for ice-cream. I do not remember more than one or two of the talks delivered in sessions such as these, but I Do remember the brotherhood I felt with my fellow Priesthood bearers, ready to receive instruction by the Spirit.

Now I am older. I've experienced more. I've felt the Spirit in ways or to levels I never had thought of before. And I wait in anticipation for the Conference, preparing questions that want answered. I root through the Ensigns and Liahonas stacked in our apartment, searching out the Conference issues. I hang on to every word uttered by those men ordained of God inspired to chastise and build me up. I scribble notes of the modern scripture coming from the pulpit and any inspiration that the Spirit distils upon my soul.

General Conference really is a Miracle. I know that Thomas S. Monson is the duely ordained Speaker of the Lord Jesus Christ on the Earth. I know that the First Presidency and Quorem of the Twelve are just as qualified as were the Apostles of old to be witnesses of the Living Christ to a world hungry for the truths of Heaven. I know that this is not the church of men. Christ Himself directs this work and gave the Church His name, for by none other can we be saved.

This was my last Conference in the mission. I'll be finishing the mission the last week of July. Plenty of time to "make these things known unto the inhabitants of the Earth."

Later Days

Elder Wright

Cameron's Senior Year in a Slide Show!

Cameron (or as he was announced at graduation, Cameron Shaw Wright, esq.) had so many fun activities this year in and out of school. I decided to sum up his Senior Year in a slide show. We are so proud of him and all of his accomplishments. Now that he is finished with school, he will be working until he leaves for BYU-I in January. Enjoy the slideshow.

Samuel's new friends

In Samuel's e-mail this week he sent us pictures of some of the little critters he and his companion have found in their apartment. I would not like to find these guys in my house! I guess he is going to have several encounters with unwelcome guests while serving a mission in Paraguay.

He is really enjoying his mission. He and his companion, Elder Swink get along great with each other. They have a couple of investigators that they are working with, and they have a baptism scheduled on April 3 for 3 women. One of the women, the grandmother, told them that she had a dream where she is wearing all white while standing in water next to a man with long hair and a beard. The work is moving forward and he loves being a part of it. I love getting his e-mails and reading about what he is doing. He has grown so much spiritually since being on his mission. I am so proud of him.

Samuel's Birthday Surprise!

It doesn't matter how many times I say it, I just can't believe my oldest is 20! Samuel had a birthday on Monday. I was sad that I didn't get to talk to him, but I went ahead and made his favorite meal for dinner: Enchilada's. In his e-mail to us this week, he said that his birthday was great! He got a phone call from the Mission Presidents wife wishing him a Happy Birthday and then he received his Christmas package that we sent in November along with two others from an Uncle and a friend. I was so happy that he finally got them. On Tuesday, he attended the Temple, and while there he met a couple from Livermore, who were in my ward when I was a youth. What a small world! We love our Missionary and are so very Proud of him!

Samuel's first baptism (Oct.)

Happy Birthday Kaelyn!

I can't believe it has been a year already. Kaelyn was sick for her birthday, but she still enjoyed her cake! Kaelyn weighs 21lbs. 13.6oz. and is 30 1/2 in. long. She has been walking for two months now. Some things she enjoys are: Peek-a-boo, Patty-cake, being in her swing, facing forward in the carseat, playing with anything that Kendall has, and dancing to the ABC song!

We have totally enjoyed our little Kaelyn! She is so much fun! I am so happy to have her in our family, she makes us complete! Happy Birthday Kaelyn, We Love You!

Cameron's Musical Revue

Tonight Cameron had his Musical Theatre Revue. He did a great job! He sang songs from Chicago, Shrek the Musical, and Spamalot. The video below is not easy to see but you can hear what an Awesome job he did. He looks so comfortable when he is on stage and has a lot of fun!

"The Song That Goes Like This" Spamalot

He roams the stage like a star, like he belongs there. It's fun to watch. Even if he weren't our son, we'd want to see him. Perhaps the most entertaining part of the show is watching how the other students look up to and are entertained by him.

Happy New Year!!

We had such a great 2009! A lot happened and I hardly blogged about any of it. So, this post is a re-cap of some of the things that happened in the Wright home:

We started the year off with the final addition to our family, Kaelyn. She has been such a joy! She started taking steps at 9mos., now at 11mos. she is walking and loving it, she is just trying to keep up with Kendall.

In April, Samuel came home from BYU and received his Mission Call to the Paraguay Asuncion Mission. He entered the MTC on July 22 and left the MTC on Sept. 21. And arrived in Paraguay on the 22nd of Sept. He loves being a missionary! It is so fun to read his weekly e-mails and hear about his experiences and to see how much he has grown spiritually. It was great to talk to him on Christmas Day. He is such a great example to all of us!

Cameron has been in a few plays this past year. He has been in Footloose, The Crucible, and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. He has become quite a good singer! He had solos in Footloose and Willy Wonka. Besides the plays, he is still playing Lacrosse, he is the VP of the Senior class and he was on the Homecoming Court. He stays very busy!

Shelby turned 12 in July. She has moved up to the Young Women program at Church. She celebrated her birthday at Girls Camp. She has maintained straight A's in school and enjoys being in the Band playing Flute. She marched in the Veterans Day Parade and the Holiday Parade in Nov and Dec. She has become such a beautiful young lady.

Kendall loves being a big brother to Kaelyn. At first when we brought her home from the Hospital, he wasn't too sure about her. He wanted her to go away! But now, he is so cute with her, and her face lights up when she sees him. These two little ones are definitely keeping me young!

In June we put our house up for sale. It was very sad, but necessary. In Sept. we accepted an offer and closed on Oct. 16th. We were very fortunate to find a place to rent in the same area so that the kids could finish school and we could stay in our Ward. The house we are in now is a lot smaller than what we are used to but it works for us. Kendall still asks if we are going to get our big house back when we are done with the little one:)

James is now employed once again! He is working in the renewable energy industry and is just as busy as can be. We are so grateful for the work he has and that 2009 was a great year for our family. We have truly been blessed and look forward to what 2010 has in store for us!