August Abundance

August 31...BREAKING NEWS...Allison and Taylor are officially engaged! Wedding scheduled for October 19 in the Gila Valley Temple.

For August, we really did have an abundance...an abundance of blessings...including some abundant weather, abundant missionaries coming and going, abundant students starting school, abundant audits for Dad to do in the stake, abundant birthdays, abundant romance and abundant enjoying of each other's company.  Isn't it funny that when you say a word over and over it seems to lose its meaning?  Just remember how much we have been blessed, blessings pressed down and running over.  That's true abundance.  Our special birthdays in August are Tyson, Brynlie, Camille, Brody and Carson.

Tyson's birthday was the 14th

Brynlie turned 8 on the 17th

Camille turned 8 on the 17th

Brody turned 4 on the 17th

Carson turned 7 on the 22nd

I have been enjoying the dramatic summer weather.  Here is picture of the haboob that bore down on Mesa last week.  This is at Brown and Gilbert.  The picture was taken by my cousin, Milo R. LeBaron.  I took it from instagram. I'm glad we haven't "enjoyed" that particular kind of weather here in the Gila Valley!

The same haboob (Doesn't that sound like an Esther word?) taken from a traffic helicopter over the Valley.  This was on Facebook, I think.  I got it from Mary. I remember those storms from when I was a little girl in Mesa, and how scared I would be to be caught outside when one rolled in.  We just called them dust storms.  I don't know who started calling them "haboobs."  Probably some weather guy.

Stetson arrived home from Argentina on the 3rd of August, to be greeted by loving family and friends.  His family, who went to Argentina to pick him up, arrived with him, of course, but I think they got a little lost in the excitement of seeing Stetson.  Dad and I went to Mesa so we could be among those greeting him, but I was not well enough to go, so Dad went by himself.  I did make welcome home signs, though, and wished I could have been there.  

By the time they went to lunch, I was able to join them.  It was so good to see him.  He looked wonderful. I thoroughly embarrassed him, I think.

Since this blog has become my journal and since I don't think anyone really reads it, and since I need to record some things for the record, I have to write why I wasn't feeling well when Stetson got home.  I had been having some trouble with one of my teeth and the dentist gave me Amoxicillan, which I have taken before, but this time it made me so sick.  I had pain in my back, nausea, chills, among other unpleasant symptoms.  I called the doctor and asked the pharmacist and others if it could be the medicine, and everyone told me that Amoxicillan wouldn't have that effect.  So I kept taking it.  Finally, I remembered that Mary told me one time that you can Google anything, so I Googled the PDR (Physicians Desk Reference) and found that a less common side effect of Amoxicillan is hepatic dysfunction, including liver pain, constipation, nausea, etc.!  So I stopped taking the pills and every day felt a little better.

On the 4th, Parker finally got to open his mission call.  They were kind enough to face-time all of us so we could be a part of this occasion.  When Parker got clearance from his doctor in Denver to serve a mission, the doctor also put on his papers that Parker needs to serve in the USA, preferably in Denver.   So we were all more than half-way expecting his call to be in Denver.  However we were wrong.  What a happy surprise to hear him say it was Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  What a great place for a kid from Colorado, who already has cold-weather gear.  Of course, I think he'll learn a whole new respect for cold in Wisconsin.

Everyone watched by computer and sent us pictures, except Joel, Rebecca and Esther, who watched but didn't photograph.

August is back-to-school month.  It used to be September and we always had a full 3-month summer vacation.  Not any more, though.  It is barely 2 months long now.  We pray that the kids will have a great year and learn to like their teachers, make good friends and learn all they need to know.

Of course, Docker won't let me take his picture, so I had to cut one out of something else.

We had three kindergartners this year: Hyrum, Lindsay and Soren.  They were so excited to get their very own kindergarten box.

After-first-day-of-school snacks! YUM!

Back-to-school means back-to-lunch crowd again.  Rebecca's lunch crew.

It also means homework! Rachel's solution for homework-forgetting kids.

The Arizona Courrier put in pictures of back-to-school activities and Tyson and Jenn and Thomas and Kirtlyn were featured in two of them.

On the 9th, Jared was scheduled for a hernia repair, so when we went down for Stetson's homecoming talk we watched the kids at the condo while he and his parents were at the hospital.  

The next day, Dad and some of the kids went shooting out in the desert.

And stopped for a treat afterwards.

That Sunday was Stetson's homecoming talk.  He did such a fantastic job.  I loved hearing about his mission.  And I loved seeing how mature and spiritual he has become. Mike and Karen were there, Rebecca, Dallin and Allison, Rachel and Tony, Jeremy and Erika's family, Esther and Shad's family, and of course, his loving Grandpa and Grandma...not to mention assorted Layton relatives and his Grandma Layton.

They had an amazing feast and I hardly even sampled a portion of it.  I was full after only a couple of items.  But you know Joel and Stephanie, there was a ton of food!

The Monday after his homecoming, we went with Brynlie and Camille to size their ring fingers with a stop at MacDonald's for ice cream.

On Wednesday, Daniel and Connie and their family, except for Devynne, who was in Washington visiting Brock, came to Safford so that Parker could go through the Gila  Valley Temple for his first time.  It was an overflowing session with chairs in the aisles.  We had 16 or 17 people there, ourselves, including Parker, of course.  Rebecca, Scott, Dallin, Rachel, Tony, Thomas, Jenn, Mary, Tyson, Dad, me, Jess and Karen Nevin, Connie's brother and his wife.

After the Temple, what else? El Charro, of course.

That evening, we all gathered around while Parker put his pin on our missionary map.

Proud cousins!

The next day we had a cookout/swim party.  Of course the whole time they were here was one long swim party.

Can't have cousins together without dressing up! Emma, Maya, Kirtlyn, Analynn.

Cousins Albert and Hyrum playing video games.  Age doesn't matter!!

Maya didn't forget Shadrach from the last time he was here.  She loved him just as much as before...even when he threwLane's cat back into its own back yard!

They were here for the twins' birthday party.  Can you imagine the luck? Brynlie and Camille got to have a Connie Cake!  And what a cake it was!!!

We just all sat around watching it come together and being amazed at her good ideas.

The next Friday, Dad and Tyson went to Wilcox to visit one of Tyson's customers who is a "tractor man."  Dad must have thought he died and went to heaven.  He drove some of this guy's old tractors and just loved every minute.  I think he made a new lifelong friend.

That same day, Esther and Shad's family came for the twins' baptism, so they came a day early to celebrate Brody's and Carson's birthdays together.  Brody turned 4 and Carson turned 7 and they had a Minecraft party, planned by Mary, that appealed to every age.  Behind them on the counter is a Minecraft tile piñata.  Mary even made a Minecraft cake.

And they had a Minecraft tournament, with  Thomas as the Minecraft Master.  I think he got bested, however :)

The kicked the piñata instead of hitting it with a stick!

The next day was a special day.  It was the baptism day of Brynlie and Camille.  They and Brianna and Kirtlyn sang a special number.  I gave a talk on baptism, Darlene Alder gave a talk on the Holy Ghost, Rylie was the pianist and Esther was the chorister.  The prayers were given by Aunt Meg and Uncle  Thomas, and the witnesses were Grandpa and Uncle Jake.

They were baptized and confirmed by their father. In the circle were: Uncles Shad, Tyson, Thomas, Scott, Jake and cousin Dallin, and Richie Yentsch a member of the bishopric.

Proud grandparents.

Proud cousins.

They had a delicious luncheon at the Alder's house. The weather was perfect.

Grandpa took the opportunity to visit with them singly and together about the importance of the wonderful gift they had received, the Gift of the Holy Ghost.

Allison and Taylor came by on the 31st just so the grandparents could welcome him into the family! We had a good visit and they look so happy.

The missionaries called that afternoon and said that we were on their schedule for dinner.  None of us remembered signing up for this day, but we said "great," and took them to the El Charro. A good way to end up the month.

NEWS FROM AROUND THE FAMILY

~Nathan and Shauna~

Hannah is starting her senior year, and starting to get senior pictures. If they are all this beautiful, they will each be a treasured photograph. I think the camera loves Hannah.

Ok. I took this off of Facebook, but I am thinking it is from last year because I don't think they have already had homecoming this year.  In either case, it is a really cute picture of Hannah having a great time, so I decided to use it anyway.

~Joel and Stephanie~

Joel and Stephanie, of course, started off August in Argentina where they picked up Stetson, saw DeWitt and enjoyed the country.

Missing Levi and wishing he were there!

The Temple in Buenos Aires, courtesy of Docker.

A tug of war between the mission presidents and his parents. He was a good missionary that they hated to lose.

~Daniel and Connie~

Daniel had to spend some time in Boston for his work, so he took advantage of it and went to see the Boston Red Sox.

When they were getting ready to leave Safford, they all tried to decide how Daniel was going to take his old boat and his new scooter home to Colorado.  He bought Thomas' scooter for Parker and decided that the boat he left here when he got married was just what he needs to keep his canoes company.

Sweet Shannyn got braces!

~Rebecca and Scott~

Rebecca and Rachel went to Mesa to take Dallin to the airport to fly to Virginia for school.  They met Allison and Esther in Mesa and went wedding dress and flower shopping!  

They looked at so many dresses.  This is just one of them that they liked.  But they never felt that they had found the perfect one.

After a hard day of shopping, they treated themselves to dinner at Macaroni Grill.

Lillian and her friend at the Seminary opening social. Later : This friend is Rylie! I would never have recognized her if Rebecca hadn't called and even then I argued with her about it...in fact, I wouldn't even have recognized Lillian if her name hadn't been above the picture on Instagram. And I certainly wouldn't have recognized Polly! I still don't.

~Jeremy and Erika~

Proud parents and their "star" son, Tayte.

After they went to the airport to see Stetson, they went shopping and ran into the "quack pack."

Ok. This is an interesting story.  Erika attended the Mesa Rotary Club with one of her medical mentors and when they found out that she was the granddaughter of Rudge Hiatt, they gave her his name tag to wear.  He is a past president and won perfect attendance awards for many years in a row.

Jeremy snapped this picture last night, the 30th at the Gilbert Temple.

It was fun to see of Facebook these pictures of the Biggs family enjoying a Diamondbacks game.

~Rachel and Tony~

The Alder family celebrated the baptism of their youngest children, Brynlie and Camille.  It was truly a stressful week for them because they had meetings they were in charge of during the week and then the baptism, visiting with Esther's family who was here for the weekend, and then the next day, Sunday, she, Tony, Rylie all had to speak in church and Isabel sang a solo.

Rachel ran into cousins at Walmart.  You wouldn't think it is such a big deal, but for some reason it is.   It is always a pleasant surprise to see family at the store.

~Esther and Shad~

Poor Brody.  He fell and hurt his lip, loosening a tooth, on his birthday! I told Esther to push it back in the socket and keep it there because it might just settle back in and be ok.  I know that has happened before, but I really wasn't sure if it would this time or not.  But I think it did.  When they came for the baptism, his teeth looked fine.

And Harrison had to have ear surgery the day before they came.  He's been through this before and didn't really want to do it again, but the doctor felt it was necessary at least one more time.

Showing me where they stuck the needles.

~Thomas and Jenn~

Maya got her hair cut for school (she's in joy school) by her Aunt Mary. 

Thomas has started working at the El Charro.  And yes, the rumors are true, Joel is buying it and is hiring Thomas to manage it.  Several people at the Temple have questioned me about it so I know it's not a secret any more, and they all say "That's my favorite restaurant."  I hope it stays that way.

Jenn also had to speak in church the same Sunday as the Alders did, as part of the new Primary Presidency.  Dad and I split up so we could hear everyone.  They all did a fantastic job.

~Mary and Tyson~

Jared at the hospital after his hernia repair.

Mary was worried that she would not be able to keep him quiet for a couple of days as the doctor suggested, but as you can see, he had his own agenda.  I told her not to worry.  After Jeremy's hernia repair when he was about 5 years old, he came home and was riding his 2-wheeler the next day!

OUR COLLEGE STUDENTS

Josh and Nicole celebrated their 1st anniversary of wedded bliss.  He is going to school at the University of Nebraska, I think, and she is attending Iowa Western.  

Bethany and Palmer are also blissfully happy, although they look less than thrilled to be losing at Monopoly to Josh and Nicole.  He is in pre-dental studies and she is working at his dad's dental office.

Thank goodness for Hannah and her Facebook pictures.  Otherwise, I wouldn't have any of Bethany and Palmer.  But how fun to be having a family Monopoly tournament, and not even electronic! I love it!

Although Allison has graduated from BYUI, she is still doing an internship to complete her degree.  She is working for Joel and doing company writing for him.  She and Taylor will go back to Idaho in January, I think, for him to attend school, so they will still be on our college-student list.

Dallin, saying "goodbye" to his family as he takes off to attend Southern Virginia University.  He has moved in to his 9-person house and is loving it.  Hopefully pictures will be forthcoming.

Stetson, in his new Mazda, heading to school at Gilbert Community College.

First day of school!

Devynne made a trip to Washington to be with Brock this month.  They had so much fun, fishing and eating the catch.  She will return to BYU in the fall and Brock graduated already. He is going to be working on his prize-winning formula business, I think.

One time, Devynne slipped under the water and was stuck on a pylon and couldn't surface by herself, so Brock's brother, who was still in the water and had just tangled with the pylon himself, rescued her and saved her life!  Thanks, Devon.  Yes, that's right, Brock's brother's name is Devon! His family calls Devynne "Devynne Marie."

At PA school, Erika is learning so many medical techniques.  Here, I can't tell if she is drawing blood or giving an injection...drawing blood, I think, on closer inspection.  Either way, good luck, Erika!

OUR MISSIONARIES

Levi had a wonderful surprise when his brother and cousin went to Salt Lake to visit him.  They even had a chance to go to lunch together.  He is still visa waiting, but has such a patient, trusting attitude. He knows the Lord is in charge and in the meantime, he is having success in Salt Lake, sharing the Gospel and being a valiant missionary.

I hope this video works.

DeWitt loved seeing Stetson and Joel and Stephanie and the boys.  Here he is giving Stephanie a hug to pass on to Rebecca.  He is just finishing up the Argentine winter and going into spring.  He loves it there and is having success as a missionary.  His Spanish is growing as is his testimony.

Parker is excited about going to Wisconsin!

SOMETHING TO MAKE YOU SMILE

Hyrum came upstairs one morning and said, "Grandma, I'm not wearing my backpack, my backpack is wearing me!"

On a particularly hot August day, Jared couldn't venture beyond the shade because the cement was so hot.  "Hot! hot!" he said, and vigorously blew on it to cool it.  Mary said the shade provides a natural "Arizona fence."

When Esther took Allison shopping, she had to take Bridger and Soren with her. When Bridger found out where they were going, he said,"Mom, I'm a grown man and I have a reputation!"

So that was August.  Abundant, right?  We are so very blessed, in our family; I try to be humble about it but find myself often thinking that we must be Heavenly Father's favorites!  The thing is, He loves us all, no matter what.  Even when we mess up, when we are less than we should be, He loves us anyway, not because we are good, but because He is.  That means He loves all His children, not just us ;-) But oh how He loves us and blesses us.  Let us always be grateful for our blessings, especially the blessing of each other.

Have a great September, and take lots of pictures!