Airport Farewells--Saying our Last Good Byes!

We got the kids out of school early on Wednesday to take Ben to the airport.

First, he got checked in, paid for his two bags and got his boarding pass.

Next, he talked with a very nice Delta employee. She had us all smiling and laughing with her comments about how good he looked in his new suit, amazed that he was going to be gone for 2 years and reassuring him that Delta would not lose any of his bags (they are #1 in the last 6 months for bags making it to their destination).

William wanted to be a helper for his big brother, so he assisted with his bag as we made our way to the food court, outside of the security checkpoint.

We found an area where all of the final hugging should begin. William immediately grabbed a hold of Ben and hugged for all he was worth.

That wasn't quite good enough, so Ben picked him up and gave him and even better hug and kiss.

Lily got the next hug. She will really miss her big brother.

It is hard to tell from this angle, but Justin was the next one to hug Ben. This is not something I have seen since they boys were quite a bit younger. They have always been close since they are just 2 years apart in age. They have been much closer since high school, because of marching band and drumline. Ben would drive Justin everywhere, even if it was someplace he did not want to go. Justin will probably not see Ben until Justin comes home from his mission, so this hug had to last them 4 years.

Grandpa Taylor got the next hug. He told Ben to work hard. I know he will.

Grandma Taylor got the next hug. I imagine she was probably promising to make him some amazing meal when he gets home after his mission. 

I got the next hug--what can I say? I will miss my son so much. I am so happy that he has decided to serve a mission and know that he is going to be a great missionary.

Dad got the last hug. I am sure this brought back memories of when he was leaving to serve his mission. 

 As you can see, William is going to miss Ben. He just couldn't stop hugging him and standing by him. Ben has been an awesome big brother!

Ben was anxious to get through Security and to his gate, so he did not prolong his goodbyes. William ran after him to hold his hand as long as possible before Ben left.

If you look real close, William has tears running down his cheeks. He will miss his big brother, Ben. At this point, our whole group was pretty emotional (except for Justin who doesn't like to cry). 

Here is my missionary son, Elder Taylor, ready to go to Argentina for 6 weeks of training at the MTC and then on to Uruguay, Montevideo for 24 months. We love you Ben!

UPDATE!!!  UPDATE!!!

We just got our first email from Ben. It came the next morning after he had left Indiana, once he arrived in Argentina. It was extremely short, but we were not expecting any contact until he had been there for a little while. Here is his message:

Hey Mom and Dad, I just got to the MTC (Argentina is beautiful). Just a quick update: Everything worked out with the flight and I'm safe. My P-Day is Thursday, so email me on or before if you want a response to any questions.

I made the font bigger so you could appreciate the short message even more