Juneau January

I'll bet you've all been wondering, with bated breath, I'm sure, what theme the blog would take for 2015.  Well, this year, I am going to try to correlate the months with places the Biggs family has been.  It's a "Biggses Around the World" year.  Of course, with the letter limitations, I won't be able to get all the places members of our family have visited or lived or served.  There's no month that starts with "G" or "B" or several other significant place names, for instance.  But I will finagle wherever I can and cover at least some of the interesting places around the world where members of our family have set foot.  The first one, Juneau January, is my first example of finagling.  I intended to just do countries, but we haven't been in Jamaica or Japan or Jordan, so Juneau was the obvious choice, even though it's a city, not a country.  I took this picture from the top of the mountain on the left when we were there with Joel and Steph and their family.  It was way more beautiful than this picture shows, of course.

Our January birthdays are beautiful, too.  They help us start off our year just right.

Shad's birthday was on the 7th, also Rebecca and Scott's 26th anniversary.

Connie's birthday was the 14th.

Reygan turned 17 on the 20th.

Albert turned 15 on the 25th.

New Year's Day, January 1st, was a big day for everyone, but especially for Rebecca and Scott's family.  They had postponed Christmas so that they could celebrate it with DeWitt.  They did all their Christmas traditions on New Year's Day, just as if it were December 25th.  And I think they loved doing it that way.  They even invited us over for their Christmas morning breakfast and gift-opening.  We thought it was a great way to start the new year, especially since we got to see Allison and Taylor and Dallin and Sara as well as DeWitt...and Lillian and Polly and Rebecca and Scott, of course:-)

We had a wonderful little skiff of snow.  It was enough to give the ground and our house a light frosting.  

This is in the desert in Artesia. They got more snow than we did.  Snow on cactus. What a sight!

We got a great idea from somewhere, Rachel, I think to wrap our tree in cellophane so it would be all ready for next year.  It was quite a project, not as easy as we thought it would be.  We'll see if it was worth it next year!

On the 5th, we went to Mesa to see Brad.  He was still in intensive care and was just being prepared to go into surgery when we got there, so we didn't get to see him much.  He had a breathing tube and other tubes hooked into him so he couldn't talk anyway, but he was glad to see us.  He smiled and squeezed my hand.  We had a good visit with Carolyn, though and she was so happy that we came.  Brad is much improved, now, and has moved to a therapy facility.

Carolyn told me that when Bob died, Grandpa Hiatt came to her house and sat with her for a long time, expressing his love and also his feeling of loss at the passing of one of his best friends.  He and Bob were only 4 years apart in age.  It touched her so much and she still treasures that memory.  After we visited with her, we went to visit Grandma and Grandpa.  He was so alert.  I kissed him and said, "I'm Susan."  He said, "I know who you are, and there's Tom."  It made me so happy to have him present with us for that visit.  I thought I would tell him how much it had meant to Carolyn for him to visit her after Bob died, but that was the wrong thing to do.  He started to cry and pounded his fist on the arm of his chair and said "Bob died?"  It was as if he were losing his good friend all over again.  However, it was an amazing indication of how alert he was that he even knew who Bob was.

Esther and Harrison met us there and also had a nice visit.  Grandma, especially, was so happy to see them.  She loves having company, so whenever you get the chance, you should stop by.  It only needs to be for a short time.

While we were in Mesa, we also went to the Apple store for our seemingly "regular"visit with the geniuses.  My phone wouldn't accept the charger for some strange reason.  This time the genius really earned his name.  He looked in the charge receptacle and saw a tiny, microscopic...I mean hardly even visible...piece of mint!  So I've learned not to keep my phone in the same pocket with my mints :-/

We wanted to go to El Charro and treat Sara to real Arizona, Sonoran Mexican food before they went back to Virginia to school.  I think she liked it.

On the 8th, we went to Polly's basketball game and watched her be the star of the show.  Lillian is the stat taker so I got a picture of her on the bench.

After shining at the b-ball game, Polly had to have her wisdom teeth taken out the next day!  Poor thing, she was so swollen and miserable.  Sara also had some major dental work done that day, so we took milkshakes to both of them.  Shadrach had his wisdom teeth out this month, too, and we thought about him, but couldn't figure out how to mail him a milkshake!

Dallin painted the trim on our house this month.  Dad got a nice, new ladder so Dallin wouldn't kill himself on the sawhorse-too-short-ladder-contraption he was using in December.

On Sunday, the 11th, we went to DeWitt's homecoming talk.  He did such a good job and we could really tell that he loved his mission and learned a lot from serving the Lord in Argentina.  He really grew up there.  His farewell talk was very good, too, of course, but I could tell the difference in his mature, experienced outlook.

I finally talked Dad into putting up blinds in the garage.  I never liked that the junk in the garage was exposed for anyone driving by to see, but he was never very interested until people in our neighborhood were getting burglarized when they weren't home.  I pointed out that anyone could look in the window and see when our car wasn't there.  That did it.  He recruited Mary to help him hang the blinds and now we are both satisfied.

ROCK HOUSE FIELD TRIP

I texted all the AZ kids that on MLK day, Dad and I were planning a field trip to have a picnic at Oak Flat and then hike down to see the rock house.  I invited any who were interested to join us.  Almost everyone did!  Rebecca and Scott and their family were already planning a trip to Mesa to pick up Lillian, who had gone to visit Allison, and Shad and Tony had to work, but all the rest came, even the big kids like Stetson and Rylie and Reygan.  It was so much fun.  Everyone brought their own lunches and we just played and hiked (most hiked, Mary and I rode Joel's golf cart) and took pictures.

This panoramic view is from Stetson.

I always especially love seeing all the cousins bonding and playing together.  These pictures are from the Oak Flat Campground where we ate.

Before we started down to the rock house, Dad gathered everyone together and told them a little of its history.  He really impressed them with the tale of their great great grandmother, sitting in front of the house with a huge butcher knife in her hand to scare away any passing Apache Indians.

Then we started the hike to the cabin.  Mary and I only went part way in Joel's golf cart.  Dad assured me that I wouldn't be able to negotiate the rocks, as prone to tripping over cracks in the sidewalk as I am, and Mary had her baby strapped to her and didn't want to risk it either.

Exploring the rock house and the old well.

Hands-on family history.

I love this picture of Dad leading the way and kids following in his footsteps.  What an allegory for our lives.

Posing with Grandpa

These boys even posed with Grandma!

By the time we were ready to go home, I had pretty much frustrated everyone by my determination to have a group picture.  Reygan had brought a friend along, so we asked her to take the picture.

"Not ready yet"

"Ok.  That's pretty good.  As good as it's going to get.  I love it!"

Rachel had a minor accident on the way to Oak Flat and crushed her fender on some rocks.  Dad, Tyson, Thomas and Jeremy were able to pull it out enough that she could make it home safely where Tony could take care of it.  But that was the only "accident" that we had on this whole trip.  I had prayed that morning that everyone would arrive safely and get home safely and that no harm would come to any of us while we were hiking around.  There are so many opportunities for injuries in and around those big rocks...not to mention the abandoned well...but I prayed that we would be protected.  When we got home, I realized that my prayers were answered and we had no injuries of any kind...NO injuries of any kind on this whole trip.  Even with Rachel's bump into the rocks with her car, no one was hurt.  I fervently thanked Heavenly Father for His tender mercies to our family that day.

Master of all he surveys.

A metaphor for all we are climbing toward.  I think if we can get to be where he is we'll be ok.

It was a memorable field trip

Dad found that one of the tires on his precious John Deere tractor had gone flat, but lucky for us, we have a son-in-law in the tire business:-)

Dad is really into his square foot gardening thing.  He has grown some yummy salad veggies and other things.  This is a square-foot frame for one of the boxes.

Carson and I worked on decorating his pinewood derby car like a slice of pizza.

Thomas and Thomas also came over to work on his pinewood derby car.  They just needed Dad's tools.

Thomas and Tyson pooled their (in)experience and tools to come up with some pretty fabulous cars for those pretty fabulous boys.

The six of us went to a fireside featuring Sister Diana Hoelscher, a popular speaker in the church, on Saturday, the 24th.  It was so good.  She spoke about the Atonement, a subject that seems to be always on my mind.

We went to Mesa after Church so that we would be there for Levi's homecoming.  We wanted to have enough time to see Grandpa and Grandma and Brad while we were there...and, of course, our regular visit to the Apple geniuses.  The girl, this time, looked at the contacts on my phone and said, "Hey, I know her!" It was Nancy.  She was in Nancy's ward and grew up with Amy and had been Kristen's visiting teacher.  She's related to Tyson through the Joneses in Virden.  Her name is Lizzy King.  This time she gave me a whole new  phone instead of trying to fix it again.

Joel and Jeremy went with us to visit Brad.  He looks really good.  He is in a rehab facility, and Teresa sleeps on a cot in his room.  He had his trache tube removed, so he was able to talk to us.  He can't feel anything below his chest, and I guess, since he has a shattered knee, it's a good thing he can't feel that.  But he was smiling and cracking jokes with Joel and Jeremy and had such a good attitude about starting all over again, learning how to live his life as if he were a little child.  That blanket over his legs was given to him by a sister in his ward.

Teresa even takes him outside sometimes.

While we were in Mesa, we had the opportunity to visit with each of the kids, as well.  We ate dinner with Joel and Stephanie on Monday night at Black Angus, had yummy green chile burros with Esther on Tuesday night (Shad was coaching soccer) and had a condo visit with Jeremy and his girls later on Tuesday.  It's always fun to see them all and they are so welcoming, even though I wonder if it's a hassle if every time the parents come to town they have to worry about getting with us so we won't feel bad.  I hope they enjoy it as much as we do.

LEVI RETURNS

On Wednesday morning, the 29th, Levi arrived from Argentina.  Jeremy and his family were there, as well as Shad, bearing donuts.  Esther had preschool so she wasn't able to come, but Shad had noticed in Levi's last letter that he wanted donuts.

Of course, there was also a contingent of Laytons there too.  Levi looked so happy to see everyone.  Stephanie, as all missionary moms will understand, was so nervous and emotional until he finally got there, and she could hold him in her arms and hug him.  Then she was ok.

The reunited Joel and Stephanie Biggs family

The entirewelcoming party

After the airport, and after Levi got released by his stake President, we all gathered to eat at Arriba's.

On the 31st, Rebecca, DeWitt, Lillian, Polly and Isabel ran the 5k color run...in the rain.  Good job! They certainly look colorful, and happy.

The last couple of days in January have been drizzly days.  Such slow, drippy rain, soaking in to our desert soil.  A very nice way to end the month.

NEWS FROM AROUND THE FAMILY

NATHAN AND SHAUNA

The pictures on Bethany's wall are billets from the Broadway shows they went to see while they were in NY

Not long after they got home, Palmer went with his dad on a shopping trip across the country to outfit their new dentist office.  Here he is, practicing on a dental dummy.

While Palmer was gone, Bethany sent him a couple of selfies to remind him who was waiting for him at home...a silly one and a loving one...two sides of a silly, loving wife.  Bethany is still working at the bank as a personal banker and has been taking a new therapy for her Colitis and is feeling healthier than she has in a long time.

Nathan and Shauna had their traditional pork chop breakfast near the end of January because they were in DC on Christmas.  Nathan said that Shauna's dad, John, really likes their pork chop breakfast and was so disappointed to miss it, so they had it in January.

Hannah is home from BYU I until spring and has gone back to work as the receptionist for a local chiropractor. 

Some beautiful buildings from Josh the preservationist.  He is still working at Red Robin as a cook, but he also has a job now, with a real estate developer who was very impressed with Josh's passion for preserving the historical buildings and also with his pictures.  He is going to school full time, as well, and is a counselor in the Elders' Quorum presidency.

This is a historical library and its foyer.

JOEL AND STEPHANIE

They invited Esther's family over to help celebrate the New Year.

January in Mesa is actually Fall.  That's Crew in the leaves!

Believe it or not...I didn't believe it...I had to ask several times to be sure I was hearing right...Stetson has gone back into the goat business!  He has two in their back yard now :-/  He's planning to sell them and make some money.  He's a "goat flipper." He is an honor student at ASU and has one year left.

At the Oak Flat picnic. Joel brought his golf cart for old folks to ride around in, but everyone enjoyed it, not just old folks.

They took us to Black Angus two nights before Levi's return.

Happy parents, happy missionary

Happy family

Levi and his parents with President Barker after he had been released.

DANIEL AND CONNIE

Connie, the amazing cake maker, was treated, on January 14th, to her own birthday cakes by her girls.

Emma and her rock climbing class.  

Albert also was treated to 100 cupcakes for his 15th birthday.  A word-find puzzle.

His birthday was on Sunday, the 25th, so that is why he is all dressed up and looks so handsome.

The very next day, he went out and got his learner's permit.  In CO they get their permit when they are 15 and then drive for the whole year until they are 16 and get their license.

Albert is in wrestling at his high school  He is on the right.  He won 2nd place.  Great job, Albert!

REBECCA AND SCOTT

Pictures of the Evans family's New Year Christmas.

It was very special because they were all together again.  They had Allison and Taylor, Dallin and Sara, and DeWitt and Lillian and Polly.  They loved being together to celebrate Christmas.  They even got snow!  Because they waited a week, they had what none of the rest of us had...a white Christmas.

Rebecca and Scott celebrated their 26th anniversary on the 7th.

Poor Polly had her wisdom teeth out.  She was miserable for a few days, but showed up, smiling, (chipmunk cheeks notwithstanding) for DeWitt's Sacrament Meeting talk the next Sunday.

Her cheeks were so swollen and stiff that she could hardly smile.  Lillian and DeWitt, trying to out chipmunk Polly. DeWitt is in school, at EAC, at least for this semester, then he hopes to go to a school where he can pay his way playing tennis. By the end of January, Polly had contracted an infection and undergone a couple of rounds of antibiotics.  She's still miserable :-(

The basketball team honored their seniors at a game, even including Lillian, their stat taker.

Rachel went to that game, but we were home babysitting, so we didn't go.  We knew they weren't going to honor Polly since she is a Sophomore, but we didn't know they were going to include Lillian, so we were glad Rachel was there to represent the family.

Rachel and her girls are actually very faithful attenders at Polly's games.

She's famous, after all.  I think that's the boys' varsity team holding pictures of the girls' team starters.

Talking about basketball, they got to go to a Suns game.

Lillian saved up her money and took a trip, all by herself, to visit Allison in Washington. Allison is working as a paralegal and Taylor is running a portion of his dad's business.

A Oregon forest. Isn't this an amazing photo?

This is part of Dallin's SVU Architecture club.

The Evans family had a reunion, mostly at Rebecca and Scott's house.

Rebecca and her girls with Sister Hoelscher at the morningside she presented for the youth.

Some gorgeous models for the new El Charro t-shirts.

JEREMY AND ERIKA

It even snowed in Mesa! On the cactus.  It didn't stick, of course, so Reygan and her friends had to find some real snow to play in.

Jeremy and Ellie had a daddy/daughter date to the movies.

Hayden got his First Class and pinned the pin on his dad because Erika was at the "Insane asylum."  Not really, but she has mental health this rotation and does deal with some pretty troubled (crazy) people.

A couple of times, while we were in Mesa, the Jer and Er Biggs family have come to visit us at the condo.  It's a treat to have them.

At the Oak Flat picnic.  Maya just couldn't make up her mind between two such handsome boys.

Reygan celebrated her 17th birthday with a redecorated room and dinner at Mi Amigos.  Notice the pictures above her bed.  One each of her mom and dad looking down at her, guarding and protecting, of course, and one of them together...actually on the train at the Polar Express reunion.

This is a picture of Sao Paolo that Daynen took while he was at the MTC.  I included it to give Dad and Tony saudades:-}

I have been so impressed with Reygan's artistic talent and with her persistence in practicing her art.  This is definitely one of my favorites.  It could almost be Dad and me except that he's usually the one holding me up instead of the other way around.

RACHEL AND TONY

Rylie used her own money and bought a ping pong table for the family for Christmas.

Rachel and Tony chaperoned at the youth New Year's Eve dance.  When they got out, it was snowing.

The kids loved playing in the snow.

Luke is loving his violin lessons and wants to practice all the time.

I don't know how much he loves letting the little cousins try, though.

At the Oak Flat picnic.

Rachel and he girls on Sunday morning with Sister Hoelscher, at the youth morningside.

Rachel was the photographer for these El Charro t-shirt ads.

ESTHER AND SHAD

They celebrated the New Year with sparklers.

Shad and the kids in their traditional birthday picture.  It would be fun to look at all the pictures together and see how they've changed over the years.

Bridger, playing basketball.

Marlie and her friend went to the Gilbert Temple to do baptisms.

She also got braces!

At the Oak Flat picnic.

Miss Esther's preschool certainly has a lot of fun, learning activities.

THOMAS AND JENN

Since there wasn't much snow on the ground, here, they went up to the mountain where they could find plenty.  They said their dog, Kevin, really loved the snow.

Maya was thrilled to be a CTR in Primary this year.

Jenn comes over to swim on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so Henry and I watch Dora together.

Thomas and Henry surveying one of our lots across the street.

Hyrum had a "science" birthday party.

At the Oak Flat picnic.

Thomas and Thomas working on their pinewood derby car.

Watching it race.

On the last Sunday in January, Jenn and Kirtlyn sang I Wonder When He Comes Again in Sacrament meeting.  They sounded so beautiful together.

The El Charro is now selling Charro Up and Gila Valley Hotty t-shirts.  He didn't ask me or I would have told him that Hottie is spelled with an ie.  However, since there's really no other way to pronounce Hotty, it's ok.  Oh, and Charro means Cowboy, so Charro up is...you're right.

Seeing those gorgeous kids in their shirts is definitely an incentive to buy one.

MARY AND TYSON

Welcoming in the New Year

Snow in Cotton City.

Everyone likes to hold baby Alex.

Brianna, Henry, Kirtlyn, Brynlie

At the Oak Flat picnic

Watching his car race.

4th place!

Nine pounds! In 7 weeks, he went from 5 pounds to 9 pounds.  Good job Alex!

OUR MISSIONARIES

Levi had some baptism opportunities before he came home.

Parker with some member families.

Daynen, at the Sao Paolo MTC.  He is now serving in Trinidade.  Jeremy says "There are two Trinidades in Brazil.  One's a popular vacation spot.  One's a small run down little town.  He's not in the popular one."

With his district by the Sao Paolo Temple.

SOMETHING TO SMILE ABOUT

Shad, searching out tax loopholes? No just playing army with his boys.  Looks a lot different than playing army used to look when we were kids.

A note from Rachel on January 30:  Rylie and Issy leave about 6:30.  It's still dark, and this morning it was pouring rain and cold. I get a call from Isabel, then she hands  it to Rylie.  She says, "Moommm, I promise I wasn't going fast."  I  of course start worrying and then she says "we got stuck in the mud!"  I say "ok I'll be right there."  Honestly, what do I think I'm going to do with a truck stuck in the mud??  But I walk out, thinking they are by the house. But no, so I go back in and call them back to find out where they are. I have no car. Tony went in early because he locked his keys in his truck so he took my car in to get the tool to unlock it, so I throw on a hoodie and some tennis shoes and run down the road in the dark, pouring rain, and, yes, I get in front of the truck and I say "put it in reverse!" and I push! Obviously not budging  it! Then run round back and yell "put it in drive," and I push again.  Then I realize there is no way I'm getting this out!  So I tell them we'll have to wait for dad?  But then I have Rylie try again...forward, then reverse, forward, reverse  all the while  splattering mud all up my side!  She finally gets free and drives off yelling " thanks mom!" as she heads down the road... leaving me standing in mud, covered in mud, in the rain, in the dark... I wave her off "no prob" I said, and then walk home. I open the door and Camille is standing there .

"Where were you?  I Iooked everywhere!!" Then she asks what's on my face? "Mud!!"

Thank you for all the wonderful memories in January.  Your full, loving, righteous lives give us so much joy as well as good things to remember.  We love it that you seem to like to be with us, even though we sometimes wonder if we are intruding on your lives.  We are so blessed as a family that I am convinced that we are surely Heavenly Father's favorites.  You probably don't remember, but when you were little, I used to sit by you in bed and we would count all the people who love you...Mommy, Daddy, Grandpa, Grandma, Grandmother, Papa, brothers, sisters, etc. etc., including aunts and uncles and finally, Heavenly Father and Jesus.  It was a secure, comforting way to fall asleep.  Well, never forget who loves you.

See you in February.  Send pictures :-)