The Return of Elder and Sister Excell

It's Sunday morning. 10:00. Memorial Day weekend. No school/work on Monday. When Jeff says to me, "I talked to my mom last night. They're going to be home tomorrow." 

WHAAAAAAAAAAT?!?! They were driving home from their mission in Canada and I knew they were going to be home EVENTUALLY but also it kind of felt like they would just be driving home for the rest of forever. We're so not used to having them accessible that it was beyond my comprehension to have them...ACCESSIBLE! 

"We have to go see them! We HAVE to be there when your parents get home!" I urged. There was just too much in our favor to NOT go down. We had Monday off. No plans. An open schedule for the open road. Our minds were made up.

I was so glad we made it down because I know it would have killed me to only digitally see the homecoming. It was fun to be a part of the preparations and anticipation.

Plus a day with cousins isn't so bad either. Am I right, Eli.

There we go!

Jeff wanted to welcome Mary home by reminding her why she was glad she left -- she escaped the antics of her button-pushing children for 2 years.

THEY MADE IT! It was such a sweet reunion, and with our trip being so last minute, we were able to legitimately surprise them with our presence.

When they left, Lincoln was Jonah's size. Watching Mary and David meet Jonah made the whole trip worth it!

Bryan cooked us a delicious lunch. 

Then there was plenty of some much needed grandma/grandchild bonding time.

Complete with Kindereggs the size of a dinosaur egg. That's a sure way to get a reaction out of Eli!

We are so grateful for the example our 4 boys have of grandparents who diligently served missions. It's opened endless discussions about missionary work and got us already in the preparing mindset for our boys.

It's so good to have them back and I'm so glad we were able to be a part of their welcoming party!