Mother's Day May 13, 2012

I love mother's day!!!!
I feel like everyday is mother's day for me.  I have the best husband and the greatest kids, who make me feel loved and special and who show me gratitude everyday.  I love my family so much, and I am so grateful for them.  I also love mother's day, because it gives me a reminder to pause and think of my own wonderful mom.  She was super mom when we were all kids, and now that we are older she is even more super.  She amazes me, at her love, and patience that she has for each one of us.  I also have the best mother in law.  I feel like I have known her forever.  I could not have chosen a more perfect family to be married into.  I am one mother that is counting her blessings on this special day.  I have been surrounded by such special people, and I am HAPPY!!!

Umm,  I also love my house!!!

Scott with his mama!  We love you so much and are so grateful for the wonderful influence you are in our lives and  in our children's.

Mom and I with Rachel, Mary and Jennifer.  We had a delicious dinner together.  One of the greatest blessing in our lives is that we live close to family.  The influence you all have on us and our family is priceless.  I love you mom, happy mother's day!!

This is a wonderful picture, but with it comes a bit of a sad story.  I hesitate to tell it, but for the sake of history I will.  All day mother's day I was anticipating "my missionary phone call" from Dallin.  I carried my phone with me everywhere I went.  I even walked out of the Branch meeting, because I had forgotten my phone, I did go back so that I could hear Scott's talk.  It was a beautiful tribute to mom's, to Sherry and to me.  He is so thoughtful, loving and spiritual.  Anyway.  By 4pm I was getting worried that Dallin wasn't going to call, because it would be 8pm his time.  So I started to get teary and emotional.  Then at mom's people were asking me how the "phone call went" so then I got more emotional.  DeWitt and Scott wrote an e-mail to Dallin kind of laying on the guilt.  Not kind of really laying it on.  On Monday when Dallin read it, he felt bad of course, but he explained that he had asked a sister in the ward, to send me an
e-mail explaining the instructions of how to call.  I was supposed to skype him, so he was waiting by the computer all afternoon, waiting for me to call him.  Oh my heart breaks when I have to tell this story.  Dallin wrote not to dwell on this, but that we would talk this afternoon, and everything would be fine!  He is such a joy.  I forgot how his smile would make me smile.  Talking and being able to see Dallin made me so happy.  I felt like I had no worries in the world.  I love being a missionary mom.  I love watching DeWitt prepare for his mission.  He is anxious to leave already.  I love to see all of my kids living and breathing the gospel.  I love to see their testimonies in action.  The joy that I'm feeling right now, cannot be described in words.  I love my family so much, and I'm so grateful to a loving Heavenly Father who has blessed me so much.  The only thing I can think of to repay him is to live righteously and be an instrument in his hands, which I'm so willing to be.

Dear sweet Polly isn't here, because she is at Sun splash at a reward party for straight A students in her middle school.  We are so proud of her.  She was so sorry to miss this, but I video taped some and we have these pictures.  Dallin called when DeWitt was just getting home for lunch, so we told him to go back and get Lillian.  He ran into the Seminary building and hollered, "let's go, Dallin is on the phone"  Lillian ran out without any hesitation.  We got to talk for about and hour and a half.  So much more than last time, and this time was so satisfying!!!

Goodbye Dallin!  We'll talk with you in December, hopefully without the drama!!!!  Dallin is at a cyber in Centenario, his companion whom we met is Elder Gomez.

DeWitt's Eagle Court of Honor May 12, 2012

May 12, 2012, this day will go down in history!!!!  The Eagle Scout court of honor for my baby boy.  It turned out very nice.  We had it in the "Barn" at Discovery Park.  This is the park where DeWitt completed his Eagle project.  He built two walking trails from the telescope area to the barn.  He was a great leader and dis a great job.

We had the Safford high school make this cake, it was beautiful and delicious.  I used the pictures for decorations.

My two Eagle Scouts

The girls doing the "coyote"  When they were little, Scott would teach them this little trick.  He said that they looked like a coyote looking for a square meal.  Polly is actaully howling.

Scott with mama Sherry

Wow, grandpa, you knocked this speech out of the park.  It was so good. We loved how you reminisced about when you were a scout.  We loved how you told us  facts about eagles.  It was so very interesting.  And we just loved listening to your wise words of wisdom, and to have you  be the one to talk was such an honor for us.  Thanks dad.

Tommy Davis presenting the award.  He has been with DeWitt through his whole scouting career.

DeWitt pinning on the Mama pin.  I love it, and I'm so grateful that I was able to receive it even though I didn't do much in the way of DeWitt working towards his Eagle.  I just loved him through it!!

Oh the proud mama.  

DeWitt pinning the mentor pin on Tommy Davis.  Tommy has been Scouting with DeWitt since DeWitt was in Cub Scouts.  I've never heard of  a leader going through all of a Scouting with a boy.  I know that he is proud of DeWitt too.

Tony leaving the Eagle's nest to say the closing prayer.

The Bishop congratulating DeWitt.

Mayor Chris Gibbs gave the Eagle Charge.  He was also DeWitt's soccer coach.

Grandma and Grandpa Biggs.  You were one of the biggest pushers for DeWitt's success on his journey to Eagle.  Thanks mom, you knew he could do it, and he did!!

The ever supporter Grandma Sherry

DeWitt and Savannah

Tommy Davis and DeWitt

DeWitt and Polly

DeWitt and Allison

DeWitt and Lillian

Wanda, Skyler, and DeWitt

Tony, Rachel, and DeWitt

DeWitt and Patrick

The Official Eagle Scout and the Official proud mama!!

Seminary Graduation May 6, 2012

Seminary Graduation:

What an amazing meeting!  This was a tri-stake Seminary Graduation so they had the Seminary presidents from each town speak.  DeWitt spoke for Safford, and wow, that boy knocked that talk out of the park!!!  I was shocked and impressed all in the same moment.  DeWitt had been collecting material and had been thinking about this talk for quite awhile, so I knew that he was really wanting to do well, but to me, he sounded much like a general authority.  He presented so well, his material was perfect, he didn't seem nervous at all, and he did it all on his own.  Am I a proud mama?  Yep!!

Grandpa with DeWitt

DeWitt with Lillian, Polly, Allison and Savannah

DeWitt with Rachel

DeWitt with Bishop Carpenter

DeWitt with Patrick.  This is a beautiful picture to me, because just that morning at 4:30 am these two boys left the emergency room together.  We were all in St. George bringing Allison home.  I told DeWitt, that nobody was to come to the house at all except for Patrick.  I knew that he would help DeWitt from being bored and I also knew that they would be good influences on each other.  These two boys are good, good boys.  They went to the Temple, Saturday morning, Patrick baptised his nephew a member of the church.  They went swimming in our pool, and then they decided to liven things up a bit I guess.  They put the big love sacs under the balcony in our family room and were climbing over the railing and jumping off.  Stupid.  They decided to take it a bit further.  Patrick wanted to do super man over the railing with a running start.  So he backed up ran and jumped.  When he jumped his leg caught the railing and he flipped weird, and his legs landed on the love sac and his back, shoulders and head landed on the hard floor.  He started to have a high impact seizeure.  DeWitt was calm but very scared.  He called 911.  After a bit of time Patrick came to, and was worried that the EMT's would see him in his boxers.  (I guess they were too restricted with clothes on) So he had DeWitt put on his pants.  Patrick was checked out, went to the emergency room and was tested, and tested, and he ended up being OK.  He is a walking miracle.  I'm so glad that they are good boys, doing stupid things instead of the alternative.  I love them both, and I'm so grateful that things turned out the way they did.  Angels were watching out for them that night.   Patrick has been such a dear friend to DeWitt, I appreciate his good example, and the love that he has for the gospel.

DeWitt with Whitney.

Road Trip to St. George 05-05-0-12

Scott and I discovered this yummy place to eat really good burrows.  It's in down town Phoenix.  We found it when we were going back and forth to State tennis.  So we made a plan to stop here on our way to St. George to pick up Allison.

Armondo's our new favorite drive through.

Lillian and Polly ready for our roadtrip.  They both wanted to sit in the back, funny girls.

We decided to stop at Hoover Dam, it was good to stretch our legs, and it was fun to see.

Oh Scott, you are mighty risky.  I was scared to even take the picture, because I felt like I was too close to the wall.

We made it to Las Vegas.  The girls felt out of place for sure.  I wanted this picture, but they were telling me to hurry, because they didn't want to be in the casino for very long.  We were just passing through, because we had used their parking lot.

I guess their are some cool things in this strange city.

They thought it was fun to see a little bit of Paris in the U.S.

In of the Balagio 

This is inside of the Venetian Hotel.  I saw this statue with one dollar bills and ten dollar bills sitting on the ledge.  I walked real close to it, wondering why anyone would leave money out like that, and next to a statue.  When I got pretty close, the statue winked at Scott.  I didn't see it, but Scott started to bust up laughing and so did everybody else.  Oh my heck, it wasn't a statue at all, it was a person.  It looked so real.  For these pictures with Lillian it would make the slightest movements so to keep the statue like stance.

Lillian wasn't sure what it was going to do, so she was a bit leery.

This is also in the Venetian.  The sky and clouds are painted.  It is incredible!!

Lillian and Polly with the Blue Man Group.  (Not real)

Ahhh we finally made it to St. George to get our Allison and bring her home.  It's good to get her back.  Her apartment is the one just to the left of Polly's shoulder on the ground floor.

Inside of Allison's apartment

We wanted to take the girls to a special dinner, so here we are at Olive Garden

The beautiful St. George Temple.  Allison, Lillian, Polly, and Kassi Gillette, one of Allison's roommates.

At the St. George Temple

We were being a bit goofy this night.  Scott was standing to the side looking at the beautiful roses, he wanted everybody to appreciate their beauty.  So we had to calm our laughter, to see the beauty around us.  They were really were magnificent.

You're a cutie Scott, I love you!!!

Allison's roommates:  Lydia Jeppson, Felicia Omos, Kassi Gillette, and Allison, Kimmery Day had already gone home.

The St. George Temple the next day.  We were able to do baptisms, it was a wonderful experience.

Moving Allison out.  Since this is an action shot, it is kind of blurry.

We got to walk around campus and have Allison show us her paths around since she was a walker all year.  It is quite a feat to walk this whole place, I'm amazed that she was able to do it.

This is where Allison spent oh so much of her time.  This is where she worked to pay her way through school.  Good job Allison, we are so very proud of you.

The girls having a bit of fun!!!

This is a tree that Allison helped plant at the beginning of the school year.