November News

November was a whirlwind!!! I couldn't even find an alliteration that came close to describing it.  So I just settled for the generic "November News."  I knew it was going to be busy, with Thanksgiving at our house this year, so I was prepared for that, but I wasn't prepared, though I should have been, for the latest episode in the continuing saga of Mary's health.  She had an emergency appendectomy on the Monday before Thanksgiving.   We had other things going on this month, such as Temple service, visits to Roadrunner Rehab for physical therapy for my back, which I found out this month was out of whack. We found out, also, that Dad has the beginnings of glaucoma and has to take drops in his eyes, probably for the rest of his life...a small price to pay to keep from going blind, I would say. We had Stake Conference and the huge, big deal dinner that Rachel puts on to feed the Stake presidency and all the conference visitors.  I subbed in the Safford Seminary this month and I worked all month on finishing and polishing Grandmother and Papa's book.  I also worked at finding family names that we could take to the Temple when we went as a family after Thanksgiving.  November is also the month of the fewest birthdays in our family.  But those birthdays are pretty important, I have to say.  Allison and I celebrate our birthdays in November, as did Grandmother Nora.

Allison turned 21 on the 2nd

Mom turned 66 on the 8th

Dad has been having fun mowing lawns with his (Joel's) new John Deere riding lawn mower.  Here, Carson is carefully following Dad around the yard.

Even the front yard.  It takes him about 5 minutes

Rebecca had a  yard sale this month.  She cleaned out everything and earned over $900!

My birthday was on a Tuesday, a Temple day, so we had our birthday lunch on Monday.  We got Chinese takeout and ate in the living room. It was fun to have Rebecca, Rachel and Mary for my birthday party, but I really did miss the rest of you.

I got Blog books, among  other things...and a camera, with which I took the rest of the pictures on this blog, and with which I can continue to drive Docker crazy!

It was a cold, windy day, so Dad made me a fire for my birthday.

Rachel's and Tony's Stake conference dinner was so elegant and delicious.  They had brisket and cream cheese potatoes and sauteed green beans and Rebecca's special rolls, and other things.  I can't even remember it all.  But I received a lot of comments about it from those who were invited to eat.

                    Mary and I helped them set up the night before, and Rebecca and her family helped serve and clean up on the day of the dinner.  She and Rachel and their husbands weren't even able to make it to the saturday night session of conference because they were still cleaning  up!

After Stake Conference, Dad and I went to Mesa for doctors' appointments the following day.  Esther and Shad invited us to eat dinner with them that night.

After dinner, we went over to Jeremy and Erika's to visit with their family.  Ellie read to us and Reygan presented me with one of her specialty cards, listing 66 reasons why she loves me.  What a thrill that was.

The next day we had lunch with Joel and Stephanie and Jeremy.  So, basically, I celebrated my birthday from Monday to Monday

On the Thursday before Thanksgiving, Lillian and Rylie went to the Temple with me to do baptisms for family members so that they would be ready to go through on the Friday after Thanksgiving.  I did the initiatories for the women and Dad did them for the men.

 We ate dinner at Rachel and Tony's house, with their missionaries.  When we got there, they were helping the kids dig a hole to China.  I think they probably got clear to India, at least.  We had our missionaries the week before, (one from North Carolina, whose Bishop was a Bishop Hiatt) but I didn't take any pictures of them...can you believe that?

Here is Mary in her hospital room in Mesa.  It is a blessing to her that no matter where she has to go to have one of her surgeries, she has a sister close at hand.

Her kids slept one night at my house, one night at Rachel's house, and Rebecca kept Jared at her house both nights.  The next night, Rachel's kids stayed at my house while she and Tony went to Mesa, so we had a 3-night slumber party.

Thanksgiving dawned bright and beautiful.  Joel and Stephanie's family, and Esther and Shad's family all came to celebrate with us..."us" being the Safford/Thatcher branch of the Biggs Bunch.  We had the Stake center reserved, just in case the weather didn't cooperate, but it did.  It was warm and calm and we were able to have our dinner outside. This is a picture I stole from Lillian, showing how we even had fall foliage along with our beautiful weather.

We had so much food!  All four ovens were busy.  Here, Stephanie is retrieving her ham which had been cooking in Rebecca's oven because ours was full of turkey.  While they were over there, they went to see the new apartment complex that Scott is building.

Rylie and Marlie with a lovely bouquet that Rylie picked from our yard and arranged.

We had sisters bonding, brothers bonding, and cousins bonding.  It was great!

                                                         And we had TONS of pie!!!

                    Allison was able to come home for Christmas.  Cute hair cut!  Notice on her birthday
                     picture.

                                                Tyson and Jared watching football

                  After dinner, the kids decorated ornaments and generally made a glittery mess!

Our beautiful youth...Remember?  That's how we used to look!

The abbreviated Biggs family

The day after Thanksgiving, some of us went to the Temple to do endowments for your cousins and aunts and uncles whose names I found.  We went, after the session, to do sealings with Dad, for those people.  We sealed couples together and parents and children together.  I sat in the sealing room and felt their joy at being reunited finally.  Some of them were in the 1700's.  Rebecca works on Friday mornings, so she was able to supervise the young family members who went to do baptisms for our family.  It was truly a glorious experience.  Then, we all met at El Charro for a late lunch.
             The next day, Shad and Harrison helped Dad put up lights, and then Joel's fam came over and helped with the tree.  Dad put up the nativity scene.  It was so good to get that done.

                    While everyone was working, Brody baby sat Jared

                   Brown kids bringing up the Christmas boxes

                                                Biggs Families' Thanksgivings around the world

                                                      The Nathan & Shauna Biggs family

                                    The Jeremy & Erika Biggs family went to visit Grandma and Grandpa

                     The Thomas and Jenn Biggs family dug a pit, roasted a turkey (with help from Lincoln)

                and invited everyone in Guadalajara to enjoy it with them.

                              The Daniel and Connie Biggs family.  Devynne was able to go home for Thanksgiving.  She drove herself!

                                                   

News from around the Family

Bethany got a job at Bath and Bodyworks and Josh got a job at Omaha Steaks, for the Christmas season.  He is still planning to come here next semester.

                                                 Kirtlyn had her first piano recital.  Here she is with her teacher.

Hannah enjoying being the Belle of the Ball (or medical tech at the Halloween party)

Allison's friends threw her a surprise Mexican birthday party...they all think she is half Mexican

Devynne posing with four of the starters on the BYU basketball team at the Creamery

                                          Polly and Rylie at their Fall choir concert.  Oh by the way, although I don't have pics, I need to mention that Polly made the 7th grade b-ball team, Isabel's soccer team won the city championships (and she is the best player) and Rylie made the school choir's quartet.

Lillian got her braces off!

                     Jeremy and Hayden watching the planes take off and land at Falcon Field

     Brianna posing with her "fancy hairdo" for a style show her aunt Elizabeth did, using her as a model.

Analynn and Emma playing in the snow on Thanksgiving day

                                              Jared, two months and 10 whopping pounds!

DeWitt was crowned "Frolic King!"  He was voted on by all the students at the high school

Harrison with the plaque he received as his school's representative for the City of Gilbert's "Good Citizen"

  Our Missionaries, Dallin and Stetson seem to be doing very well.  They are enthusiastic, hard-working, and coping with the language and discomforts of a more primitive society.  We don't see as many pictures as we would like, but what I have, I will share.  Stetson injured his leg this month, and I don't even know how he did it...something connected with missionary work, I presume.  Anyway, it is getting better, thank goodness, and he says it is nothing at all.  It certainly hasn't slowed him down any.

     This picture of Dallin is amazing!  He is down, close to the Antarctic, so he encounters penguins from time to time.  The strange thing is that the vegetation is so much like what he is used to here, in the desert, and it is a little shocking to see penguins strutting around in the sagebrush!  He, too injured himself a while ago, doing a service project, but he is ok too.  These boys are truly tough in body as well as spirit.  We are so proud of both of them.

To top off the month, we are having a wonderful visit from Thomas and Jenn and their family.

Finally, I asked Jeremy to help me with our family picture for Grandmother and Papa's book.  Here is one of the results I received.  A good way to end the month!