Before and After

Here's our primary activity on Saturday, riding on a train around the neighborhood driven by the bishop.

Here is today. Stomach flu.

A Year In Review

I got an iPhone this year for my birthday, and finally started taking pictures. And then left them all on my phone. And felt guilty.
Here are a few photos to document our year. :)

 

 

My first picture. Kendall thrilled at the prospect. We're in our favorite Chinese restaurant.

Two of my ANWA friends at the conference in February where I won...

1st place in the BOB contest, for a book that is currently languishing while I finish "Death Gets A Life".

The Mexican poppies that bloom in late Feb and March all over the Arizona hills. My favorite desert flower since our first move to Arizona 12 years ago.

Benji handing me one that wilted in 5 minutes. So pretty but so delicate.

We took a drive one Sunday to see all the flowers and took a back road back to town, about 10 miles along a dirt road. We took a break  at a picnic site and I found these little flowers struggling out from under some rock.

Meri, Andrew, and Benji hamming it up.

One thing about the desert: the sunsets and moon sets are incredible. Here it is about 6:30 in the morning and the moon is setting over Mount Graham. I will miss the grand vistas here.

My birthday cake, with the bakery's attempt at poppies...kinda look like roses, don't they?

Benji with his favorite food: anything with sugar. He has a nose for the stuff like no one I know. Except maybe me.

In April we made an unexpected and poignant trip to Utah to attend the funeral of my Grampa Collins. He was buried in the same cemetery as Kendall's mom, and as we hadn't had the opportunity to see her gravestone, we took a few minutes to visit her after Grampa's funeral. Meri picked little purple wildflowers growing in the field just next to the grave and put tiny bouquets on each corner of the headstone.

All the kids at the cemetery, trying to show the snow on the mountains that day.

We also stopped to visit Kendall's dad and had to go visit the cows at the farm where we lived for several years. Still don't like the cows.

Meri and Andrew look like they're strolling in the sunshine, but it was cold and a bitter wind and they were both running to me for their jackets.

Our attempt to corral all the grandkids for a picture before we all left to our respective states.

All the kids piled up on each other. It seems to happen a lot around here.

Sarah and her best friend Shelea for their joint birthday party, Hunger Games themed. And yes, their lips look weird because they'd painted them blue.

Texas sheetcake with the Hunger Games logo made out of chocolate and yellow sugar.

All the "food" for the party, also following the theme. They had a great time. A lot of work though. :)

Meri got baptized in May as well. Grandma and Grandpa Collins came down for a few days for the occasion.

We went and showed them the Gila Valley Temple, and Grandpa couldn't figure out why there was a train track running right next to it. What can you say? The train track was there first for the cotton farms. :)

In June I had a getaway with the sisters and Mom. Here we are getting our pedis.

Sarah went on Pioneer Trek, and here is the dress I had to make in just a few days between a writer's retreat (where the a/c blew and everyone at home sweltered in 100 degree heat) and the trek. Very pioneerish, huh?

This happens way too much around here.

Our family vacation to Utah during the July 4th holiday. This is only Superior, about 1 1/2 hours away from Safford. And the last picture without a cast on Andrew's arm, since when we stopped in Delta to visit Lisa and Julian, he slipped and broke his arm and had a cast for the rest of the summer break.

We still went to Lagoon, and while the bigger kids ran around with their cousins, we had Benji and Andrew with us. You can't see his left arm, which was in a splint the whole day.

Also Lagoon. Having lots of exhausting fun.

We stayed at the condo for the week. Here are Meri and Benji playing on the splash pad. Andrew was so disappointed about not being able to swim, he and Kendall just hung out a lot so I could take the other two kids to get wet.

Grandma, Tina, little Alan and Maggie came up to play and swim at the condo one day. Sarah was great and played with Maggie in the water. Alan and Benji had a great time playing.

Popcicles. Yum.

Part of the Oliphant family gathering at Lynette's house. In Kendall's past, his grandfather used to hold the hose so the kids could slide down the hill in their backyard. Lynnette had a similar hill, so they did the same thing. By this time Andrew had a waterproof cast on, so the child on the slide at that moment is actually Andrew. His arm hurt afterward, though.

Here is Kendall and all of his siblings, with Dad at the bottom. They are in order by age, so it goes Pauline, Lynnette, Kerry, Melanie, Lisa, Trent, Travis, Kendall, Laura, and Tyler. It was a great reunion that the kids enjoyed immensely.

The thanksgiving dinner made from tootsie rolls that Sarah made on the trip.

What happens when the kids get a hold of my phone in the car.

Mr. Coolio.

A stop in Flagstaff at a Greek restaurant. Pretty good food. Pouring rain.

Andrew with his cast.

The county Fair in October, face painting by our good friend the Karen Fox.

Author Jenni James and me hanging out.

A trip to the Copper Steer with a one hour wait and bad food. Supposed to be "the" restaurant in town here.

Fall in North Carolina. This is parking lot of the church building in Forest City.

The house we are in the process of buying. Gack. I hate the house buying process.

The adorable local library.

Thanksgiving dinner, with Kendall home. Sorry for the blurry pic.

Our single bush outside. Meri decorated it with gleaned from the leftovers at the local cotton field.

Dog pile. Also a common occurrence around here.

Our teeny-tiny Christmas tree so it will go down easy after Christmas.

Andrew eating his enormous sandwich for his birthday lunch. 

So there we are. The year isn't over, and the biggest part of it comes after the Christmas holiday. And I probably won't add much more after today. But consider yourself caught up, lol.