Dad's Funeral

Dad unexpectedly passed away in February. It was a shock to the entire family. He had had so many different illnesses and near-death experiences that one would think he would live to be 100. Everyone copes with death differently. In the Robles family work is therapeutic. Dad always had us working on something around the house his hole life. So the men in the family repaired the siding on the roof and painted the apartment & garage.

Some of us even put in a small flower garden for mom. The garden went in before the painting so the guys had to be careful not to trample on it.
This gateway needed a concrete slab poured to keep the doggies in. All of the grand kids who were at the house that day left their mark in the concrete. Grant was the oldest kiddo there.
The girls cope with stress a little differently. We took mom out to get her hair cut and colored. some of the ladies also had hair cuts and had a pedicure. Our strategy was to look as pretty as possible despite how we all felt inside.
It's great to have 5 brothers who worthily hold the priesthood. One night they took turns giving mom a blessing, uncle Brent a blessing, some of their sisters and each other a blessing. It was a special and very spiritual night.
Colby & Cayden are mom's biggest helpers. They ride down the hill on the rocky road to did holes for trees, drive front loaders, roof the house, eat cinnamon rolls, and help with the chickens. They are the hardest working 11 year olds I know!
Inevitably the day of the funeral services arrived. Mom was surrounded by lots of people who love her. Madison & Payten give her a big hug.

The funeral program was so very special. It was one I wish I had recorded so I could listen to it over and over again.

Sarah, pregnant Julie, Mom, pregnant Amy & myself. Supporting each other through the day.

Cousins & Brothers

Back Row: Michael, Brandon, Chad, & Jacob.

Front Row: Cody, Ben, Daniel, Joe, David & Nathan.

What a nice lookin' group of men!

Uncle Brent & Mom.
The burial was held at Greenwood Memorial Lawn. It was a cool breezy morning.

The graveside services were simple but very special.

Brandon arranged to release doves as part of the service. It was incredible to see the birds fly off and then group together.

Mom & her cousin Candy.

Kami & kids.

Uncle Kieth, Uncle Scott & Aunt Lori.

Jana & Daniel

Cyrene

Payten

Madison

Andrew

Ember

Joshua

Cayden

Bearett

Justin

Logan

Robby

Presley

Aunt Randee & Aunt Brenda

Michael & Mom

Jacob, Michael, Mom, Haley, Sarah & Amy wore their sunglasses in the picture the way Dad always did. Joe & Julie couldn't find their sunglasses in time. :)

Chad, Aunt Brenda & Brandon

Uncle Brent, Mom & Aunt Brenda

Amy, the photographer of the day. Thank you.

Mitchell & I.

The Expressive Girls!

Cyrene, Presley & Ember

Brent's Birthday...

Brent turned 45 this year. Lots of family came over to celebrate with him. He received cards from his nieces & nephews.

Check out this great card...

The cards are exciting.

Wow, that's a great shirt. I bet you'll look awesome in it!

Mitchell & I collaborated on a perfect gift for Brent. We had a seat made for him for the really old motorcycle he is rebuilding.

Brent's Squirrels

Brent found his long lost squirrels.He had them skinned a long time time ago and supposedly preserved. Maggots attacked the squirrels so it is time to throw them away.

Guns & Motorcycles

On Thursday, December 29th, Brent, Perry, Mitchell, Grant & I headed out to Sycamore Creek to ride motorcycles and shoot guns. It was a BEAUTIFUL day! We couldn't have asked for more perfect weather. Our first item of business was to get Perry riding the 80. The most difficult part of riding this bike is starting it and then get going. It's easy to stall when you take off.

Perry did great riding the bike. She didn't crash!

Our next order of business was to have Grant ride the 80 and shift into 2nd gear. He does just fine in 1st gear but it's tricky to shift to 2nd. Mitchell took him out to ride to the summit. This was Grant's first experience going up and down hills. He didn't crash so we will call it a success!

Mitchell loves to go out riding. Brent and Mitchell took off and rode out to Sycamore Creek and were able to play in the stream for a short amount of time.

Here is a short video of all of our bikers!

In between rides in the desert, we took turns shooting my new 22 pistol. It's louder than I thought it would be. The boys and Perry also shot the BB guns and 22 rifle.

Perry and I had enough fun in the desert to last us a while. However, the boys are anxious to go back and play some more.

Christmas Day

Christmas morning at the Jensen's.

Brent & I after church.

Grant and his best friend, Max.

Mitchell & Perry.

Max was the first one to open gifts from his stocking. He loved all of his treats. He immediately took one of the Oinkies, ran to the couch and chewed on it.

Last June I purchased this desk & cabinet at a yard sale in Flagstaff with Sarah & Jacque for $30. It need some repair work done in order to put it together. I asked Brent to finish it for me for Christmas. Here it is! I love it!

Grant asked for the "clapper" for Christmas. He doesn't want to get up and turn off his bedroom light. He is so funny :0

Brent was eyeing Michael's impact drill the last time we were in Kingman. Now he has one of his own and is very happy! Perry received a pink BB gun from Mitchell. She is dangerous now!

Mitchell & Grant both received lots of pellets for their airsoft guns...

hidden inside the pellets were little air soft guns...

and they also received BIG air soft guns. Later that day, Grant, Mitchell & Perry were running through the neighborhood shooting at each other. I wasn't invited to play with them because I received a REAL gun. Brent gave me a 22 pistol. (I think that is what it is. I don't know anything about guns.) You should be afraid of me now! :)

Mitchell saved a special gift for last. Perry wanted to open it the entire morning, but Mitchell made her wait. She hates waiting. However, she was thrilled with the heart shaped pendant necklace that was inside.

Mitchell's last gift from Brent was a helmet camera. Now Mitchell can record what he sees as he rides dirt bikes in the desert. I'm sure he will get some intense footage!

After we unwrapped presents, we got ready for family to come over for Christmas dinner. It was a wonderful Christmas day!

Mitchell & Perry's Wedding

On Friday, November 11th, Mitchell & Perry were married.It was a lovely ceremony. They both were beaming!Madison & Andrew were the flower girl & ring bearer. They did a super job!Our new family photo.Perry's honorary "moms."Perry's bridesmaids were Nicole S. & Nicole T.Mitchell's friends: Justin, Chad & Devon.The cake was made by Dominique. Very pretty and yummy. Mitchell & Perry were very civil as they cut the cake and served each other.

The first dance.

It was a fun evening celebrating their love for each other. I hope they remember every moment of it!

School Pictures...

Here are this year's school pictures... Grant is a freshman at Corona del Sol High School. High school is a good fit for him. He is really enjoying all of his classes; especially, his math class. He finally has a fantastic math teacher who has a sense of humor! His Algebra 3-4 class had an airplane flying contest. There were very specific rules on the construction of the plane. Grant not only won in his class but then he won out of all of his teacher's classes. He came home with a trophy! It's going to be a great year for him!

Here is my school picture :) I'm still teaching 8th grade math at Aprende Middle School. I have two sections of pre-algebra, one section of algebra, one section of geometry and one math remediation class. I have an INCREDIBLE group of students this year. I love this group!!!

Lastly, this is the first year that we don't have a school picture of Mitchell. Now that he has graduated from high school he doesn't have to sit through these painful school photo shoots. Lucky!