Lookin' Sharp!

More soon!

Will you?

She will!

Savy and Taylor snuck over to Brighton's after seminary and decorated her room with chocolate kisses and flowers. He put up a big sign that said, "Now that I've kissed the ground you've walked on and showered you with roses, will you go to prom with me?" No pictures. :(

Later that night she came over and left her response. Here it is...CUTE!

Hole in the Rock

Looks interesting, huh? Hole in the Rock. Not beautiful, not ugly, just interesting. Brandon and Taylor helped work on an eagle project at one of Papago Park's trails. (The Park includes, the zoo, botanical gardens, the orienteering and archery courses, playing fields, army recruitment and training center and acres of bike and hiking trails/camp grounds.)  Brandon came home with great stories so it sounds like I'll need to make the climb. He pratically dared me to when he told me it was too hard for me. Mark's taken the boys before, but I haven't gone. Guess that needs to change.

Be Beautiful

Finished putting on my mascara, took a brief once over in the mirror and knew I was beautiful. I also knew it wasn’t the make-up, the hair style or the clothes. It wasn’t cheekbones or eyes or lips or skin. In fact, I knew if I looked a little closer, I’d be able to see the wrinkles starting to creep up around my eyes and the three or four gray hairs that were hiding out ready for their turn. My face is certainly rounder than it was a few years ago, and my figure is headed in a ‘matronly’ direction. No, what makes me beautiful isn’t merely how I look; it’s who I am. Being a mom taught me that.

It’s quite a remarkable feeling to be sitting on the floor playing ‘blocks’ then suddenly have two little hands stretch up to cradle your cheeks and hear those words, “*Mother, you’re beautiful.” You glance over at a nearby mirror, see the sweats, the messy hair, the sleep deprived features then turn back to see yourself in the mirror of your little boys eyes. Then awe! You can see it. Right there in front of you; in that face gazing up at you, honest and sincere and true. You ARE beautiful. And you get a glimpse of what real beauty is and what it isn’t. It’s kindness and love and purity and joy. Not happiness; joy. From the inside out.

Beauty without those things is lacking, hollow. That’s the difference between looking beautiful and being beautiful. And there is a difference. Merely looking beautiful, beautiful the way the world defines it, is never enough. That kind of beauty will never satisfy, because it is empty. There will always be a need to supplement with more. More clothes, a better hair cut, trendy make-up, a new stomach or thighs, jewelry…more. More what? More things. And things don’t satisfy. They deflect.

Maybe you're asking, “Am I beautiful?” Maybe there’s no little child handy for a similar litmus test; (and if there are they’re quite possibly cranky or sleeping or preoccupied or just not feeling angelic. Mine are grown.) That’s OK. If I want to know, if I want to be beautiful, not just look beautiful, where do I go? Yesterday. How did I treat the people around me? Today. What will I do differently, today? It’s how I feel about others and how I treat them. That’s something everyone has control over. We may not immediately be able to change our body type, financial situation, or facial features, but we can be choose to be nicer, now. We can choose to like people. We can choose to forgive. We can smile and mean it.
It starts with understanding who we are-children of God, and who all the others around us are, children of God.

“Mark 12: 30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.”

And that, ability, talent, gift comes from God.

“Moroni 10:48 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen.”

“Doctrine and Covenants 88: 63 Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.”

So, no matter what the world says. You can be beautiful.

*“Mother” When Taylor was 2, he saw Bambi. For a long time after that, he called me “Mother” instead of “Mommy.” It’s one of my favorite memories!

Find the hero in you!

Morgan is so good! She called Taylor last night to encourage him to give blood. So, here they are after school showing off their bandages. What good kids. The problem? Taylor, you probably shouldn't do a heavy workout the same day you give blood. He said he felt fine, but he was white as a ghost at dinner.
******
Post Scrip Feb. 5, 2010
I just read the post of my sweet young friend that has been caring for our house while we are serving our mission. She's had some serious health issues since she was a young girl, and had a bout this past week. She needed some blood transfusions. Feeling so grateful right now to the people (like Taylor and his friends) that donated the blood that helped save her life. I remember when I first started donating blood regularly. I've always had needles and shots and doctors. Even enough to really stall getting my marriage license! It was after my little friend was first diagnosed with diabetes at age 10 or 11. She was testing every day and doing injections. Needles everywhere! I remember thinking if she could do that, I could get over myself and my personal squeamishness and give blood every few weeks.

When someone you love is in trauma, it's great to be able to help, but sometimes the giving comes before you even know they'll need it. If I donate to the blood bank, I may not save my brother or my friend or my dad that day, but it will save someone's mom, or someone's sister, or someone's child. And isn't that worth it?

The TimTam Slam

Beautiful rain! So nice to have a cool, wet break...Taylor and some of his friends came over. We had a fire, and he introduced them to the TimTam Slam.

Thanks to Elder Bowden, formerly known as Tyson, we discovered this fun treat. And now, thanks to Target and the global market, you don't have to travel across the ocean to pick up a package of TimTam's. Stephan's hot choco is our favorite if we can't get Grandma's, but you can use any kind. Take a small shallow bite off each end of the TimTam. Then use your TimTam like a straw and suck on the end until you feel the hot chocolate coming through. Pop the TimTam in your mouth and let it melt! SLAM!

I like frozen TimTam's, but I don't think anyone else cares (FYI-Don't ask the missionaries from Australia and New Zealand where the Slam originates...We're trying to put rivalries behind us-ha ha!)

It may be the middle of winter, but the weather is beautiful! I could sit outside and take pictures of my boys all day. I wish the break could last a little longer, but there's work to do. Put your shoulder to the wheel!

Who does this remind you of?

The open mouth might suggest Grandpa? Mom? Well, no actually. The combination of mouth open, legs askew and arms over head = Lucky. I'll work on finding a picture for comparison. You'll see.

Say Cheese!

So here are some out-takes from our attempt at a Christmas card picture.  I just grabbed a few-and not any of the incredibly awful ones with strange expressions, closed eyes...

One of these at the fountain almost made the cut, but I was outvoted.

Jessica loved this picture, because she said it described all of our personalities. I can't remember all of it, but basically-Jeffrey is the star/center of attention. She's not jealous. ha ha. She'll need to comment and remind me what everyone's expressions say about our family dynamics.

The great thing about digital photography...

...you can take 100's of shots to gaurantee at least a handful of good ones to choose from.

The downfall of digital photography...

....you take 100's of shots!

And here are the fearless photographers, Adam and Rebekah! Actually Adam, took our family piture last year, too. So nice to have them close by!

Today I want to remember....

• coming home... and feeling like it was home, because it was where my family was 
• getting a package from my grown-up daughter and feeling like a kid when I saw the letter with my name on it
• cleaning the kitchen with my other daughter and realizing she is well on her way to being an adult, too 
• eating cookies Brandon and Jeffrey made by themselves 
• having Taylor hold still long enough for a real hug 
• singing, “This is the night we’ve waited for” with kids that are singing it along with me even though they’ve probably grown out of it a long time ago, and wondering how long we can keep it up. Wondering if they’ll sing it with their own children. 

A good day.

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)

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.)

First Day of School

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...

Sunday Stick Pull

Here's Taylor keeping the family close with some family togetherness activities.

Role Models

Sometimes, the inability to capture incredible moments into words and phrases prevents me from writing anything at all, but we had a beautiful moment today. I don't want to lose the feeling of this memory due to something as trivial as writer's block. Here's my attempt to record a few thoughts in the hope that on a later date it will help restore some of the precious feelings I had today.

A week ago Sunday-after seminary graduation for Jessica, we slipped into a side room with Bishop Carter and the Sanft family. Mark ordained Taylor to the office of priest in the Aaronic Priesthood. Bishop Carter, President Sanft and Taylor's friend, Adam Sanft, joined in the circle. Private, beautiful and personal. Going to church today, we anticipated that Taylor would have the chance to bless the Sacrament. I was so happy we didn't have other meetings to attend today so that we could just be there. What a pleasant surprise it was when they approached Mark before the meeting and invited him to join Taylor at the Sacrament Table. Seeing the two of them sitting together changed the entire meeting for me.

As I watched and listened to Mark and then Taylor, in turn, purposefully offering the prayer for the bread and then the water, my heart was full to overflowing with peace and contentment. For the past two years, Taylor has attended the final testimony meetings of departing missionaries. As part of his final instruction and testimony to those missionaries, Mark shares insights about the last days of the Savior's life with an emphasis on the roles and gifts of both the Father and the Savior-expressly talking of the Sacrament. Taylor has had the opportunity to see the power of faith and repentance in the lives of investigators, friends and missionaries. His seen his personal testimony touch the lives of those he's had the opportunity to teach. He's seen people baptized and receive the blessing of confirmation. And now he has the privilege and responsibility to worthily administer the ordinance of the Sacrament to those who are renewing their covenants, their commitment and faith.

I listened with a mother's interest to Taylor's inflection on certain words. I watched as two of the wonderful men in my life stood side by side in a symbolic act of service to others, respect and honor for the Savior. I watched the emblems of the Savior's sacrifice pass from the hands of priesthood bearers to members of the congregation; then from members of the congregation to the people closest to them-their family and friends. That's the way the Savior's very personal gospel reaches our hearts; through the organization of His priesthood, from person to person. One at a time. That's the way Taylor has watched his dad minister and serve others. That's the way our parents before us did it and the way I hope our grandchildren learn it. Grandma and Grandpa Brasher gave him a beautiful box with a Picture of the Sacramento Temple on the cover. Inside are some antique glass Sacrament cups, a glass plate from my Dad's mission in Finland and some antique white handkerchiefs; tools so that he can bring the Sacrament to those that are housebound.

Later in the program, Taylor played a piano solo, Lord, I would Follow Thee. I couldn't keep my tears to myself. Who is this young man? He amazes me. How blessed I am to be his mother. How grateful I am that he has a father to show him who the Savior is and that Taylor has his own desire to follow Him. How could I ask for anything more than a son who understands his relationship and responsibility to the Savior and is willing and earnest to magnify it?

"The perfect role model for use of the holy priesthood is our Savior, Jesus Christ. He ministered with love, compassion, and charity" Elder Richard G. Scott

6th of 6

Just for fun, here's the 6th photo from the 6th file on my computer.

Thanks for the chance to wax nostalgic.Letting the birthday boy (or girl) all to themselves with their first birthday cake is one of my favorite family traditions. I'm so glad I have pictures that have survived to remember Jeff's first birthday. I don't have pictures of all the others, but reminiscing Jeff's birthday helped me remember some of those other precious firsts. One of my favorites was when Taylor turned 1. I made a cookie monster cake....it took hours to make and minutes to demolish. It was awesome! We were celebrating at my mom's house on Lemon Street. Instead of taking pictures, we made a video. I haven't been able to find the video, so for posterity's sake: I remember Taylor, true to his personality, took one careful taste of frosting with his finger and then dove in mouth first right into the center of the cake.

It was such a mess. We become wiser with age, and so you can see in these pictures several years after Taylor's day-Jeff's shirt came off before all the frosting went on. It's much easier to clean skin than cotton!

Here are some more great memories from that day-I can't believe how all the kids have changed! And to think, this year my baby (Jeffrey) will be getting baptized and my other baby (Taylor) will be driving! How can two brothers be so much alike and so opposite at the same time?

Now I'm supposed to challenge 6 people to take their own stroll down memory lane. I don't even know if there are 6 of you out there to take up the challenge-but if you are, post a comment so I can 'remember' with you. In other words, if you're out there lurking: Tag. It's your turn...

ps....it's worth the trip

Now those are some COOL boots!

They belong to my nephew, Hayden, one of the craziest and happiest little guys I know. Taylor's holding his brother Jacob. Don't you just want to kiss those cheeks?
Yes, you just saw some pictures of a little boy picking grapefruit off the tree last week-but what can I say? It's time pick the fruit! Look closely and you'll notice that this little guy is palming a grapefruit almost as big as his head-and it's a big head! Hayden is 18 months old, and I can't believe how strong and big he is....and judging from his arms and hands....how big he's going to be! I'm glad he's on our side.I had to put this picture in.... I have a one of Jessica trying to cut an orange with a cheese slicer almost identical to this one! No posing, I promise! (besides, it's a better shot of the boots-and yes, I cleaned the counter afterwards.)

Like I said, Hayden's a happy little guy, but to Lucky, he looked dangerous. Even though he was gentle and soft, Lucky tried hard to keep his distance. I could tell Lucky was getting stressed out from all the unwanted attention until we finally got the two of them outside chasing each other. Barking, hand shaking and spinning around in circles. Fun while it lasted-but after 20 minutes or so-Lucky was spent. (He has a bit of a weight issue.) Too many little people in to short a time. Lucky needs to learn how to hide.