Sunday

Hey Jess-Here are some pictures of what we talked about today. It was strange not having you here, but it sounds like things are going well. We're so proud of you. You looked great.

Woo-hoo for Skype. We've rediscovered that some things never change.

Taylor was laying on the couch with Lucky. Cute-I snapped a picture. Taylor made a face.
Jeffrey idolizes Taylor, so-he grabbed Lucky, posed and begged me to take his picture.

(How do dogs do that? WHY do dogs do that?)

In shifting bedrooms around, and cleaning things out-Taylor dug out his old pair of glasses. He tried to convince Jeffrey that the doctor sent them to Jeff after his last visit. Jeff isn't nearly as gullible as the other kids were at his age, but he still had fun wearing them-which totally took the fun out of it for Taylor. Same old, same old. Here's one thing I'm sure Jessica's glad she missed since she wasn't found of the original Helotes (Sorry Steven). We had some fresh corn, so I played around and came up with this salad based on Elder Hermann's 'authentic' helotes minus the cart. Fantastic, if I do say so myself.

Fresh corn, boiled or roasted and cut off the cob

a squeeze of lime juice (or grandma, you could use your lemon sprinkles)

Queso (feta if you can't find any)

grated Parmesan

Olive oil-just enough to drizzle over the top & gloss the corn

tajin, salt, and pepper all to taste

(the green onion were just for color-you could leave those out)

First Week of College

I am having so much fun! The week started off as a "bad week at EFY". We were put into Y groups. Our group was not very friendly, the guys wouldn't talk to us. So we ended up not going to much except for the devotionals. We hung out with some boys that Jane and Ashley knew from EFY and their roomates. They are a lot of fun! We had a dance last night that was a blast...and I don't even like to dance! Then we went to Denny's. I got rammed in the chest yesterday and knocked over playing football. It literally knocked the wind out of me and I couldn't breath. It was really scary. Then it hurt to laugh or cough all day, I feel better now though so that's good. My roomate is great! We haven't hung out much but hopefully that will change. We were starting to get worried this week when we hadn't met many people and we all started to look forward to church. Let me just say...I love my ward!!! There are over 150 of us and everyone is so different: a guy that grew up in england, identical twin brothers, guys that chose to come to BYU over playing football and water polo in college, recent converts, multiple people from Arizona (the two guys i sat between at church were from gilbert/mesa), a girl that went to Granite Bay High School, people that have amazing testimones, people that are still learning about the church, 86 gorgeous girls(seriously, those guys are lucky. there are some beautiful girls in my ward...and on top of that there are more girls than guys), a kind, funny Bishop, a sweet Relief Society Specialist...and I'm sure I'm going to learn so much more about everyone! Tonight we get our FHE groups, Tuesday are interviews, and Wednesday we have our ward social. Ashley, Jane, and I couldn't stop talking about how great our ward is and how we couldn't be happier. I can only imagine it will get better. It's worth the huge hill we have to climb, two stories of stairs, and hot sun (for now) to go to church. I felt the spirit so much. Another thing I'm excited for are the devotionals, we went to one on Thursday and it was incredible. I'm so excited. I'm nervous for class tomorrow, especially because I had to rearrange my schedule, but I'm excited to meet people! I miss my family so much, but I know this is where I need to be right now.

Denny's...very fun group.

Ashley and I headed to a reception and Jane and Eliza going to a farewell party for a girl that is headed to Israel

my cute bed

at the dollar theatre..did I mention we went twice this week?

my desk

Oh! I also was able to see/spend some time with Chris Hamilton, James Mackie, and Elder Cook( i cant remember his first name!) It was so great to see them and I can't wait to see everyone else from the mission! I wasn't able to go to Cam's bonfire last night or to Jacobie's place for dinner tonight but hopefully I'll see everyone soon!

Love IT!

Rebbecca gave this pillowcase kit to Jeffrey at his baptism. I love how he chose to color it! Isn't it perfect? He was so excited to finish it and sleep on it tonight. He had Mark iron it and seal the colors while Mark was doing the boys' white shirts for church. (What a nice dad!)

OK-so yes. This picture is posed. I wanted a picture of it finished and he wanted to be in it sleeping. But I snuck in later while he was sleeping-and it was even cuter, just no picture.

August Arrivals

This looks like a great new group-which is a good thing. They have big shoes to grow into, but they will before they know it. FYI, the pictures of them standing around talking are of them practicing TTI (Street contacting) short for Teach, Testify, and Invite. They'll be doing a lot of that. They talk to hundreds of people each month, but those first few times can be a little intimidating...OK maybe more than the first couple. After lunch and pictures, they head off with their new companions to go teach their first lessons. Whew. Big day.

August Departures

The key that unlocks the gate

Just behind the house is the mission office. It's separated from the house by a beautiful backyard. We walk that path every day and used its familiarity in our final gift for Jeffrey this evening. If Jeffrey was at the office and wanted to come home, he would first need to open the gate. Then he would walk along the path to get to the house. Easy! But what if the gate was locked? He would need a key. Jeffrey found these jailer keys (he called them pirate keys) at the antique shop this summer and wanted to buy them. He didn't have $5 to buy them, but Mark and I snuck back later to purchase and save them for his birthday. Before they were unwrapped, we read 2 Nephi 31:17-21. It was easy to relate this to his baptism and confirmation today. Then we talked about what the keys represented; the power and authority of the priesthood that makes access to the gate possible. It was a good lesson and one that I hope will help him remember how and why his baptism is valid as he prepares himself for that day when he will receive the priesthood and share this opportunity with others.

Can you say "Presidential"?

I wanted to take some pictures to put on Jeffrey's baptismal program. I kept trying to get him to smile, but he really wanted serious pictures (holding his new 'gold plates'). I've never met a 7 year, sorry, old-8 year old (!!!), so particular about and aware of his image. He said he wanted me to take this one so people would see him looking out at the world. Then I tried to do a few in front of the sign with the church's name. He thought they would be better if he faced the sign so people would know it was important.

Where is this kid headed? Anyone need a campaign manager?

Jeffrey's big night

Jeffrey has done a great job already of telling about his baptism. I'll just add a few more details from my perspective.

When he woke up this morning, I asked him what he wanted for breakfast. Just before I started to get it together, he changed his mind and decided to fast. Emy and Ben sent a package of things to help Jeffrey prepare for his baptism. One of the things we did was start praying for a confirming feeling during his baptism. I think his idea of fasting was an extension of that. I was proud of him for thinking of that on his own. He's come to the age, when it is definitely not cool to cry. When he and Mark came back from changing after the baptism, Jeffrey's emotions were under control, but his eyes were red. I could tell he was feeling something. He described it well on his post. The feeling is something I hope he'll be able to remember even if he doesn't remember anything else.

Bishop Carter conducted the baptism and had Jeffrey come up front to see all the people that had come to support him. The bishop asked Jeff who the people were that had come. I think he expected Jeffrey to say 'my family and friends'. Instead, Jeffrey started scanning the room and naming off each individual. It was impressive; there were a lot of people!

Jeffrey had decided to invite the senior couples to participate in the program. During the talks, these men that have had a chance to get to know Jeffrey (LOTS of after-school conversations) invited him to the front and had him participate by asking several questions. It was amazing how quickly he responded and the depth of some of his answers. When the bishop interviewed Jeffrey for baptism, he invited me to sit in. That was a similar experience to this one. It was instructive for me to listen to my son relay what he understood about the gospel, the restoration and specifics about the plan of salvation and how baptism fit into that plan.

Last week, we had a discussion in the office about raising children. I was asked how I thought we had raised such great kids (and they aren't even raised yet!). Half joking, I quoted a friend, Rosalyn, "I don't want all the blame, so I can't take all the credit." There's a lot more to these kids than Mark and I. They may be young, but children are so much more complete than we give them credit for. We are not always as far ahead of them as we think. They have a broad range of emotions, personality traits, capacity, and talent. Occasionally, I need to remind myself of this; that we're on a more equal footing than current circumstances suggest. I may be the parent, but who knows what the relationship was like and will be like 100 years before and after today. Tonight was one of those moments when Jeffrey once again earned my respect. He's a great person. I'm so grateful to be a part of this family.

It's great to be 8!

This was a fantastic, incredible day. Jeff put on his new suit, combed his hair, grabbed his scriptures and headed over to the church with me to take a picture for his baptism program. He is such a character. This was his favorite picture. (I liked it to, but only enough for it to warrant a place on the back of the program.) He didn't want to look at the camera, he wanted to "be looking out into the world". We took some others in front of the marble sign with the church logo on it. I wanted him facing me, but he wanted his back to the camera with him facing the church. Where does he get this!?As a toddler, he used this same expression as the one above. It was the one he adopted when he listened to the instrumental music from Remember the Titans. He loved that song. He listened to it on car rides whenever we let him. He sat in his car seat and rocked back and forth to the beat of the music with this look on his face. Sometimes, I would look in the rear view mirror and catch him touching his brow to make sure it was furrowed. Over the years, I've realized we incorrectly labeled it his 'angry face' used when he listened to the 'angry song'. Instead, I think the emotion he was going for was determination. It's a very distinct characteristic and one that will be interesting to watch as he gets older.
Here's the picture that actually made it on the program. We had to scrap all the ones in front of the church. Apparently, Jeffrey doesn't have those thick, long, beautiful eyelashes for nothing. He can hardly keep his eyes open outside on a bright day and in front of the church was just too bright for him to smile AND open his eyes at the same time. That's OK, these ones in the shadier back yard worked out great.
He especially wanted his pictures with his new suit and 'gold' plates-the two BIG items he wanted most for his birthday. He's been waiting for a set of scriptures for so long. It was hard to stop him from highlighting whole chapters as soon as the presents were unwrapped. I think we've worked it out so that we can do it together, otherwise most of Alma would already be yellow.
The rest of these are just for fun. It just goes to show how much better a photo shot can go when you have a big teenage brother throwing pine cones at you to make you smile.

And telling really bad jokes.

Baptism by Immersion

The talks were so thoughtful. Elder Livingston talked about what baptism could do for me. He said I was a star. He pulled out a wooden star. He said every time I do something wrong, it's like a nail in my star, and he hammered two nails into my star. Then once you repent, the nails get pulled out. BUT, there were still holes in the wood from the nails. The only way to fill the holes is to be baptized. To show that, he used a special putty pencil out and filled the holes. Taking the Sacrament each week will help me stay clean for my whole life.

Elder Willis gave a talk about the Holy Ghost and he compared it to the Liahona. To make the Holy Ghost part of our lives we need to trust it or have faith, give heed which means listen, and be diligent. Elder Willis told me that every single person here was here for me. That made me feel good.

(My dad baptized me and then he confirmed me.)

When I was baptized by immersion, the water felt like the Holy Ghost. When I came out of the water I felt warm inside like the Holy Ghost was with me. A lot of people came. My family helped me make book marks, and I put my testimony on them. This is what it said:

Thank you for sharing this special day with me. I am very excited to be baptized today. I am getting baptized, because I know it is the right thing to do. I’m being baptized, because Jesus showed us by His example that we should be baptized. No matter how perfect we think we are, we still need to be baptized.

Jesus Christ gave His life for us so that we could return to Heavenly Father. That gives me a warm feeling in my heart. The Bible and The Book of Mormon help me learn what the prophets teach about Jesus. The prophet Gordon B. Hinckley told us we should be like Jesus and be grateful, prayerful, smart, true, clean and humble.

My favorite scriptures in

The Book of Mormon about the 6 ‘“B’s” are:

• Be Smart-Alma 37:35 pg 303
• Be True-Alma 53:17-21& 57:21 pg 343, 353
• Be Clean-3 Nephi 20:41 pg 449
• Be Humble-Ether 12:27 pg 510
• Be Prayerful-Alma 37:36-37 pg 303
• Be Grateful-Alma 34:38 pg 297

I also like the story about Helaman’s stripling warriors. Alma 53-57.

The prophet today, Thomas Monson said:

“My beloved brothers and sisters, fear not. Be of good cheer. The future is as bright as your faith. I declare that God lives and that He hears and answers our prayers. His Son, Jesus Christ, is our Savior and our Redeemer. Heaven’s blessing await us."

Of all our kids, Jeff is the best at opening presents.
He LOVES everything. It's so fun to watch.

He's back.

Elder & Sister deCesare have come back to the mission after a year hiatus. He's up to his old bag of tricks, including plenty of treats for Jeffrey. Have you ever even seen a rice krispie treat this big? Later I'll post a video of his first day back to ZDM's: cue fog machine.

(There were 8 of these strips total. I don't think anyone was able to finish theirs.)

The Assistants had some fun with President's birthday.

We've had a whole birthday weekend. Wednesday, the office brought over cake and balloons (since they knew we were leaving the next day for interviews.). The missionaries sang, brought brownies and cookies-they even saved the corner/edge for President-that's true loyalty. Gauger's sent a key lime pie. And then of course, presents from the kids! Happy Birthday

First Day of School

O Remember, Remember

Yesterday I decided to revisit my commitment to follow the counsel in Elder Eyring's talk, O Remember, Remember. In simple terms, the idea is to take time each day to reflect on how we saw the hand of God (often through others) in the lives of our family, or to ask yourself if you felt some inspiration from Heavenly Father during the day.

SO, during the day I'm looking for that special something. Mark and I came home just after our meetings (just in time to get a snack ready before the younger boys got home from school) and BINGO! There it was. But first, let me preset the scenario.

Jeffrey goes to the office every day to check the mail, just in case there's a letter for him. There's usually not a happy ending to this ritual (and yes, every time I remind him that if he wants letters he has to write letters! He says he did-to which I respond that letters written over a year and a half ago don't count. He stomps off upset. That pattern never varies.)

Back to the present. Waiting for us, wrapped in a simple card board box, was a present from Emy, Ben & Clara. There was a fun package for each of us. I had intentions of taking a picture to post and say thanks, but the contents were dissembled too quickly. We had a great time going through all those things. It felt so good to be loved and remembered. Thank you Ben and Emy! We love you, too.

Phoenix Art Museum

The boys made good use of our culture pass this month. I didn't think they'd last long at the museum, but by the end of the afternoon, I was the one saying it was time to go. They loved the gift shop most of all (no-we didn't buy anything, but they had lots of wishful window shopping), but my favorite part was watching each of them with their sketch books copying down their favorite parts. The agreed favorite show piece was "Being attacked by fireflies" or something like that. A dark room filled with mirrors and 1000's of hanging LED lights that shifted colors. Walking through felt like you were in space. It was fun to vaguely see your silhouette among thousands of multi colored lights. I literally was dragging Jeff out of that one. Brandon had fun with some of the exhibits that played on light and shadow. Thanks for the date boys!

murmur, murmur, murmur

I love all the songs in the primary children's song book, but one of the kids' favorites is Nephi's Courage. (Do you think it's because of the hand motions?) And why not? It's a great story! What kid can't relate to being teased for wanting to do the right thing or has a big task ahead of them that they've never done before? What young boy or girl (grown ups, too) out there doesn't need more courage to do the hard things? We want heros that inspire us.

Certainly Nephi was courageous, but even more than courage, Nephi possessed a willing heart. Perhaps those two qualities can't thrive without the other. Reflecting over the last two years and rereading the passages of 1 and 2 Nephi again and again, I'm struck by how much attitude, not aptitude or opportunity, make the difference in a successful and happy 'journey'.

When I read 1 Nephi 3:5 & 6, it seems to me that Lehi is sad his older sons don't recognize his relationship with the Lord and his role as a prophet. They 'murmur' about the difficulty of the assignment. (Note that Lehi doesn't discount it is a challenging requirement.) Then, without any recorded comment from Nephi, Lehi knows Nephi will go without murmuring. For that willingness, Lehi responds, "go...and thou shalt be favored of the Lord..." It's only after these statements that we receive Nephi's inspiring words, "I will go and do..." How did Lehi know Nephi would respond positively? Can I think of specific responses I've made that put me in either the category of the 'doers' or the 'murmurers'? What possibilities opened up to Nephi due to his willing heart?

When Mark talks about Nephi, he often speaks of 1 Nephi 3:7 "I will go and do" and 2 Nephi 33:15 "I must obey" as the book ends of Nephi's life. I love that visual. I feel like I'm doing OK with the first end, now I only have to finish strong-and isn't the finish the most important part and the most difficult? So what do we do to maintain or even develop a willing heart?

Nephi knew the Lord would prepare a way-how? Through the same pattern that any principle becomes knowledge; through his own experiences and the experiences of others as taught by prophets-scriptures. [Alma 32, Bible Dictionary 'faith' and John 7:17-a pattern of persistent action and obedience.] Nephi had developed a relationship with God that Laman and Lemuel hadn't despite being taught by the same parent. (1 Nephi 2:12) Reflecting on the past and learning from it is a big part of that. We don't just read the scriptures, we apply those principles, or precepts, to our life. One of my favorite phrases in the scriptures is, "O remember, remember". And what is it that we're meant to remember?

'What great things the Lord has done for the children of men'. Each of those accounts deal with Him freeing them from bondage, healing them, guiding them, and being merciful to them-all shadows or types of the Atonement. To have a willing heart, we must come to know the Savior-who He is and why He is.

"As your understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ grows, your desire to share the gospel [and obey any of God's commandments with a willing heart] will increase. You will feel, as Lehi did, the 'great importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth.' " (PMG pg 2) Increasing our understanding of the Atonement is a topic for another day, but I'll leave with one final thought. When we take the Sacrament, we do it in 'remembrance' and as a 'wittness' that we are willing, that we will remember, and that we will obey.

What happens at home when all the girls are gone?

Yes, Brandon was a willing participant.

He even managed to find a way to read...sort of.

Just so no one's worried, the whole ordeal only lasted a handful of minutes.

The most painful part...

Where in the world is Jessica?