Mom loves Two Boys

I have called my sons "Two Boys" since they were little. It occurred to me recently that they have become two young men and I shouldn't call them two boys any longer.

My Joe is 21 and is on an LDS mission for the Mormon Church in Atlanta, GA. His mission includes Alabama and he is doing fantastic with his growing maturity and his love for people in general. I am so proud of him. He returns in Nov 2011 and has said he would like to attend BYU Idaho when he returns.

My Rob is 19 and is on an LDS mission for the Mormon Church in Kampala, Uganda. His mission includes Ethiopia where he is currently serving. He was called to an English speaking mission but has been working on learning the languages of Africa. I am so proud of him. He left in May of this year and will return in May 2013.

Because their missions overlap, they won't see each other for almost four years. But I think it was the perfect choice for them to serve when they did. Tony says I am positively beaming when I get our weekly emails from them. Yes, I think that is true.

They both are over six feet tall. They are maturing and growing into the potential husband and fathers that I have hoped they would be. It will be interesting to see where everyone ends up logistically. The largest percentage of the Jan Van Clan now live in Utah County. Another interesting tidbit: I am the oldest and 13 years older than our only brother, who is the youngest, John Hirschi Van Orman. JHVO was 10 when Joe was born. JHVO and his wife, Jen, are expecting their first baby this September. So it is likely that Joe and Rob as cousins will be regarded more as Uncles to those kids. I hope we will all be able to see each other often.

They say that boys follow their wives who like to be close to her family. Tony asked me where I see myself living in my old age. As much as I object to living in Utah, I desire to be close to family and that may end up back in Utah. And for those of you who don't know, I consider my home to be Arlington, VA, just outside of DC, since I graduated from High School there. So many people just assume I was born and bred in Utah, and I wasn't.

I am pleased that I haven't ever wanted more kids, I look forward to being Grandma Lisa someday. And maybe the Scrapbook Lady. And definitely a puppy mom to two maltese.