May 2012

May has been so aMAYzing that I almost wish I were still alliterating the months! Maybe "Marvelous," or "Matchless," or certainly "Memorable."It has been the busiest month so far this year and I have so many pictures that I don't know if one blog will hold them all.  We'll see when we get to the end of the month if it did. We had all the end-of-school programs and Mothers' Day that always happen in May, but this year we had two high school graduations, assorted other graduations, two Priesthood ordinations, an engagement as well as some aMAYzing birthdays. We have Ellie, Harrison, Isabel, Luke, Thomas and Analynn and our newest family member, Nicole, who were all born in the merry month of May.  The weather has been so warm and sunny, windy sometimes, of course, but Dad has made our house a showplace of flowers, as you can see. Doesn't that look like a happy home?

Ellie turned 7 on the 5th

Harrison turned 12 on the 6th

Isabel turned 12 on the 9th

Luke turned 9 on the 10th

Nicole turned 18 on the 16th

Thomas' birthday was the 19th

Analynn turned 8 on the 24th (We are going to Colorado for her baptism on June 2, so that will be the lead story in June)

Bethany, as you all know, because you have all been praying for her, had a serious situation with a blood clot in her lung.  I took this picture from Shauna's blog at the beginning of the month. Bethany had to spend several days in the hospital under close observation to make sure that the clot dissolved and didn't travel to her heart or brain.  She was either in a lot of pain or asleep most of the time. She is home now and doing so much better. Thank you for your prayers.

This was our happy Bethany after she was allowed to take her first shower

The first activity of May was Brianna and  Lindsay's community children's theater play of Peter Pan.  Lindsay was a rabbit and Brianna was Tinkerbell.  Here she in with Peter and Wendy. Her mom made her costume.

This is when she was teaching Wendy and John and Michael to fly

Here she is, dead...waiting for people to clap their hands to bring her back to life.

Here is Lindsay doing a dance with the forest animals

Curtain call

Fan club

We finally had Misha Biggs, John Biggs' daughter over for dinner. Josh actually did the cooking...Roman Holiday.  She said her dad made Roman Holiday at home sometimes. She is a very sweet, pretty girl and was glad to meet some new cousins.

And she got to be here for all the excitement of the arrival, in the mail, of Joshua's ring.  It was Joshua's ring until he gave it to Nicole, anyway. We were all so eager to see it that we crowded around while he opened it.

It's a good thing Joshua finally got a job...delivering Pizzas for Domino's.  We had him deliver a couple to us and gave him a nice tip to help him pay for his ring.

Thomas Bellamy (as differentiated from Thomas Wyatt) is moving from his lovely home in Guadalajara, which is too expensive now that his student loans have been cut back, and is going to live in an apartment near where he lives now. It is even in the same Ward. It costs less and he's glad he found a nice, cheaper place to live but he feels sad to be leaving the rose bush he planted for Jenn in their yard.

Rebecca and Scott and their family went to St. George, by way of Las Vegas, the first weekend in May, to pick up Allison from Dixie College.

Allison and one of her roommates showing the St. George Temple to Lillian and Polly

The Evans family in front of the St.George Temple

Saying "good-bye" to the tennis courts where Allison spent so much of her time last year. 

You can see how sad she was to be leaving all this behind!

We were glad to have her home. She fit right back in to the regular family routine. One of the first things she did was paint my toenails. In fact I had a picture of her doing just that, and one of Reygan and one of Marlie, each performing that loving service for their Grandmother, but I couldn't figure out a way to have their pictures on here without also putting my fat feet on too. So, I deleted the pictures. But for the record, they willingly and lovingly painted my toenails.

Allison went right to work for her dad until she starts giving tennis lessons for the summer.  Then she is headed to BYU Idaho in the fall.

Ellie's birthday was the 5th of May.  We went to Mesa that day, so we went to her house and took her present.  Her friend is the granddaughter of Ken Larson of Safford.

We also went by to see Harrison who was celebrating his 12th birthday on the 5th because the 6th was a fast Sunday and he didn't want to fast on his birthday!

This picture of the moon at the condo is blurry, I know, but it was the closest the moon has been to the earth in decades, so it was worth recording.

On Sunday, Harrison's 12th birthday, he was ordained a Deacon by his father, assisted by Dad, Shad's father and the Bishop.

We rushed right back home so we could get to DeWitt's Seminary graduation.  As the president of the Safford Seminary, he was one of the main speakers.  It was a tri-stake graduation, so the presidents of the Thatcher and Pima Seminaries also spoke, but I have to say, and I know you are all going to say I'm prejudiced, but DeWitt's talk was by far the best.  He sounded like a missionary...returned, not prospective.  It was well prepared, well-organized and well delivered. You would never know that he had just witnessed the near death or near paralysis of one of his best friends, Patrick Eady(who has already received his mission call to Russia), the day before.  No one was home at DeWitt's house, and they were flying over the balcony in DeWitt's family room, landing on a love sack below. I don't know, pretending to be Avengers? Patrick missed, one time, hit the hard floor with his head and started having seizures. DeWitt called 911 and Patrick's father but by the time everyone got there, Patrick was fine.  He even came to the graduation.

Isabel at her surprise family birthday party the day before her birthday.  She was really surprised.

On her very birthday, she and Rylie went to the Temple with the YWYM in their ward and did baptisms. It was on a Wednesday, when Dad and I were there. I even traded assignments so I could be in the baptistry when they came.

The next day was Luke's 9th birthday, so he had a swimming party with some of his cousins and siblings.

Another big event, for us, this month was the baptism of Mario, Maria Joao's husband, in Portugal.  We worked and worked with Mario and although he was always willing to let us come and to listen to our lessons, he wasn't ready to be baptized by the time we left. It's been four years, and we were so happy to receive the email from Maria Joao that he was finally baptized. It was also good to see some of our best Portuguese friends there with them. Maybe we can go to Portugal to see their new temple when it is done. It is going slowly enough that he should be ready to go through by then.

On Saturday, May 12, DeWitt's Eagle court of honor was held at Discovery Park. He asked Dad to be the speaker, and it was definitely one of the best talks I have ever heard Dad give, and I have heard him give many great talks.

A very impressive Eagles' Nest~See Dad, Tony, Scott and Patrick Eady among them?

Here are DeWitt and Rebecca listening in rapt attention to Dad.

Proud Eagle parents

Nephews getting the message that becoming an Eagle Scout is the cool thing to do.

Mothers' Day this year was especially meaningful with a houseful of children again, two grandsons on a mission and another one getting ready to start a new generation of Biggses.

Here are Mary and Jenn helping each other's kids make Mothers' Day gifts for their mother.

Jenn, Mary, Rachel, Me, Rebecca at our annual Mothers' Day dinner where the men, supposedly, did all the cooking.  Actually, I don't know about the others but my man definitely cooked his share.

I received a children's book that I had been wanting, "Heckedy Peg," so I read it to the kids who were there that day.

I received so many lovely gifts and cards and calls and even flowers from you kids that it made my heart smile.  Dad gave me the 2011 blog book and a new microwave that actually has a turntable. The other one just wouldn't break down.  It took a licking but kept on ticking (to paraphrase an ancient Timex slogan). It had been in that spot since we built the house in 1988 and was still working when we took it out.

Stephanie's Mothers' Day was special in that she got to talk to her missionary.   Stetson visited with the whole family on SKYPE. Isn't modern technology great? He looked and sounded good and made Stephanie tearfully happy.

Due to some miscommunications, and after a tearful Sunday, Rebecca didn't get to speak to Dallin until Monday.  But it was worth the wait. The whole family, except Polly, (who was in Mesa at Sunsplash) got to visit with him.  He, too, looked and sounded good.  Both Rebecca and Stephanie commented on how mature their missionaries seemed, how much more manly after a year in the field.

We received Mothers' Day pictures from some of you:

Connie's Mothers' Day breakfast in bed!

We went to Luke's final baseball game. It's embarrassing to admit that it is the only one we were able to attend the whole season...especially since he is such a good player.  He gets a hit every time and scores unless someone else makes the 3rd out before he gets around. Here he is, scoring a point for his team. Tony is the coach, by the way.

Docker ran for and won the office of Student Body Treasurer at his school for next year. This is a shot of the election assembly where he gave his speech.

Most of the elementary school kids had to give a presentation on a state or a country.  Docker, of course, chose Argentina.  This is the gaucho he had on his poster, with his grandma-made Argentinian pancho.

Harrison reported on the Dominican Republic. He is holding a flag that I drew and he painted.

I didn't help Marlie at all with her Mississippi report, and she's the one who won the prize for the best state report!  She dressed as a tornado! 

May is also the time of all the end-of-school programs.  

Here is Luke in his program.

Isabel in hers.  Hers was a 5th and 6th grade special choir called the Bulldog Express

Camille in the 1st grade choir..They didn't put Brynlie and Camille together! Imagine.

Brynlie

Polly and Rylie in the Jr. High School choir program

Rylie's quartet sang...acapella...a medley of Wilson Phillips songs

DeWitt's high school choir performance

Kirtlyn's class had a talent show. She sang a solo of one of Taylor Swift's songs. It was on a Temple day so I wasn't able to go, so I took this picture before she went. Her mom said she did great.

Crew's 3rd grade choir program

Hannah's choir program...see, she's singing a solo

Thomas' kindergarten program

We went to Mesa to hear Reygan's band concert.  We originally went because she invited us and because we wanted to show our love and support for Reygan, but we were pleasantly surprised at how good that jr. high band was. It was as good as any high school band I have ever heard, and better than most!

She played the clarinet in the jazz band and in the concert band.

We went to Bahama  Buck's with Jer's family after the concert.

We stayed until Saturday so we could go to Ellie's ballet performance.  What a beautiful little princess! See her birthday picture at the top.

After the ballet, we ate lunch with Joel and Stephanie, who talked us into staying through Sunday.  We were planning to go right home after Ellie's performance and then come back on Thursday for Levi's graduation, but they talked us into staying and attending his Seminary graduation instead.  We agreed that this was a wise, practical plan, so we stayed.  And are we ever glad we did. We had time to visit Grandma and Grandpa and we took the kids out to lunch to In-n-out burger on Saturday...just the kids...no parents...and it was Dad's idea.  Yes it was.

We went to dinner with Esther and Shad after their Temple session.

Because we stayed through Sunday, we went to the stake conference where Joel and Esther's stake was being divided. Levi was presented and sustained to be given the Melchizedek Priesthood, so we were able to be there for Dad to participate in his ordination.  Here are Dad, Joel, and Shad afterwards. After Seminary graduation, we even got to go with Joel and Stephanie when he was being re-set apart as a high counselor in their new stake.  Dad also got to participate in that blessing.  We are so glad we stayed.  We would have missed all of this if we had followed

  our first plan and gone home. We had dinner at Joel and Stephanie's house after conference, along with Esther and Shad and their family. 

Sunday afternoon was Levi's Seminary graduation. It was so much nicer to go to that than to try to pick him out among all the gowned students at the high school graduation.  They chose 4 kids to pick a favorite scripture and tell how they felt about it, and Levi was one of the 4, so we even got to hear him as well as see him.

This is one of his friends who also graduated. I was so impressed with his lei.

Here are Levi and Dad at Levi's baccalaureate which was held right after Seminary graduation. 

and with his parents

That night there was a rare total eclipse of the sun. We couldn't really see it because we were in Seminary graduation and besides that you are not supposed to look directly at it anyway. But Jeremy and his family went out and took pictures.  Here is one of the most amazing pictures I have ever seen. Look on Daynen's arm. The sun, which is to his left, is somehow reflected on his right sleeve.  Do you see the starting of the eclipse?

May is graduation month...and we had a lot of graduations. Here is Lindsay at her preschool graduation which was held at our house.  See the mortar board caps on the table?

Some of the kids in Mesa and Gilbert had 6th grade promotion ceremonies, but in Safford they wait until 8th grade when they are going to high school. Here is Rylie at her awards program where she not only made the Principal's gold list for all 4 semesters of middle school, but was voted by the teachers to receive the 8th grade citizenship award.  Polly, too, was on the principal's gold list for both semesters that she has been in middle school.

Shauna, receiving her Associates degree at her graduation from Iowa Western College

DeWitt and family at his Baccalaureate. Scott must have been taking the picture below.

And with his family at graduation.  The girl you don't recognize is a cousin on Scott's side. Notice the cool bow tie.

Levi with his family after graduation. I wonder if the beautiful lei was a gift from his friend who had the lei at Seminary graduation.

When we got home on Monday, Kirtlyn and Jenn had planned a "Parents appreciation night." We were served an excellent dinner of chicken and pasta and vegetables. Some of the older cousins got to be adults at the dinner and also be served.  Josh wasn't there because he was working at Domino's. They invited all the Safford cousins to be waiters, dressed appropriately.  Contrary to what this picture suggests, they were all on their best behavior and took our orders and brought our food and cleaned up our plates with dignity and decorum.

Making the "Welcome Parents" sign

Josh took a week off work, (prearranged before he even took the job) to go to California with Nicole's family. He planned to pop the question at Disneyland. As you can see, he did, and she said YES! I made this picture big so you can see the people in the background, gawking, smiling, taking pictures and yes, even wiping away a tear or two.

The happy couple...may they always remember the way the felt that day.

                                                      

Esther and Shad's family came to spend the Memorial Day weekend with us. Tony and Shad, along with Rylie and Isabel, took Luke, Harrison,Bridger and Thomas Wyatt, and went camping clear up to Riggs' Lake, with Tyson and Carson, who had been on the mountain for several days already, at Scout camp.  It was  a rough night, by all accounts, freezing cold and to top it all off, no plates or utensils for breakfast. Tony cut a cardboard box with his pocketknife so some had a plate of sorts, but fingers were the only utensils available. I take that back, Shad used chips.

While they were having so much fun, freezing and roughing it, the little girls had a party, watching a Barbie movie, getting their toenails painted and having their hair curled in rag ties.  We all went to Mary's for chicken enchiladas and enjoyed being warm and having forks to eat with!

Allison and Polly joined in as well

Hyrum and Soren didn't know what to think about all this girlie stuff

The next day, all the curly locks Shirley Temples watching a Shirley Temple movie while we made tamales.

While all the moms were busy with Tamales, the kids had a dance party in the living room. They were dancing to "Malagena," one of Brianna's recital songs.

We had Dad's annual kick-off-the-summer weenie roast, but it was too windy to light up a fire, so we cooked the hot dogs inside.  But the kids didn't think it was too windy to swim! Can you see how choppy the water is?

When Esther was ready to go home, we had to get a picture of her and Dad with her shoes. She and her family went to church with us and Dad teased her unmercifully, all day, about her platform shoes.

NEWS FROM AROUND THE FAMILY

Jeremy and his boys went on a Fathers and Son's outing this month. Here are Tayte and Hayden enjoying the fishing.

Luke found a quail nest in his back yard. I hope he put them back.

Daniel's family became cattle ranchers

On Analynn's birthday, her school, and some of her siblings went to Mesa Verde, a cliff dwelling in Colorado.

Her birthday cake, was an iceberg, populated by penguins...the chocolate variety.

Parker's prom date...he had a wonderful time, Devynne says...she and Shadrach chauffeured him around in their van/limo

This is a picture of the festival of color in Spanish Fork, Utah, of all places, at the Hindu temple.  Everyone threw chalk on each other

Devynne and friend at the Hindu Temple color fest

DeWitt got a summer job at Valley Furniture

The Moroni went on the top of the Gilbert Temple

Thomas' Mexican Ward had a big party on his birthday...for some Mexican holiday, I think, but at least he was with friends and wasn't alone on his birthday.

Brianna got glasses!!

You know that seeing this sign made Stephanie's heart beat faster and she made Joel stand in front of it so she could take this picture!

I'm not sure what the voting is for, but it's good to see Bethany looking so well and herself again.

And it's good to see beautiful Hannah too.

I'm guessing that this was taken after Hannah's choir sang for high school graduation. It looks familiar to me from when we were there last year for Bethany's graduation.

Here is Levi, all ready for his stake's pioneer trek. Can you tell how excited he is about it?

The very things that make May, or any other month, for that matter, busy and frantic, are the very things that make it wonderful...you. We love hearing about your activities and participating in them when we can.  We truly are living the Lord's promise of joy in our posterity. Thank you for being such amazing posterity. We love you.

And to end this wonderful month, something to make you smile. 

If I put on another picture that would make you smile, Hayden would never speak to me again!