More Brasher/Bassett pics

Fountain Fun

TOM & EMILY come to town

What a gorgeous group. We were so happy to see Tom & Emily and their sweet family. I can't believe how well the kids remembered us! I was afraid they would have forgotten us. Jack-o knew my name! Grace gave big hugs to everyone-especially her favorite Uncle Mark. Even shy Miss Faith had a hug for everyone. Lucy was...well, Lucy; but we know that game well since we have our very own youngest child, Jeffrey.
While Mark and I had meetings, the kids, young and old, played in the pool. I spoke with a woman who had been watching our children play together. She was amazed at how much they were enjoying each others company. She was especially impressed with Taylor and Grace-he was so kind to her and Grace trusted him so much.
Faith said one of her favorite things was the 5 & Diner. I'm not sure if it was because of the chocolate shakes or "Olivia", the kids' new best friend. She bought all the kids gumballs and then proceeded to chat with them for about half an hour. It was fun to listen in on the conversation-but Tom kept a sharp eye on her to make sure she didn't accidentally wander off with anyone. She was a really nice lady; I guess I'm not being very appreciative. I know Emily appreciated the chocolate shake, but I'm not sure if 5 & Diner makes it on her list of 'the 5 restaurants you would choose if you couldn't go anywhere else for the rest of your life'.
The kids of course loved all the games in the pool: the giant waterfall, the fountains, Marco polo, categories, sharks n minnows, tunnel tag, hair-do, craziest jump contests and chicken fight towers. They also managed to sneak in some other games, a dance party, and some card games. We also wouldn't want to forget Brian Regan (Tom, I can't believe you fell asleep), 'world's deadliest catch' or the homemade blizzards. Who'd have guessed Emily had never seen 'Count of Monte Cristo'

After a tour of the house, Tom left this little memory of himself. Sigh...I miss my family, so I'm glad to have this little memento. We were all sad they had to go. When Mark was telling Jackson good-bye, he said "Please don't go!" Jackson's reply, "But I'll give you a hug." I guess he was done with Arizona and ready to get back to Snickers. Gladly, he was full of compliments and hugs all week long. We started comparing notes after they left and realized that Jackson went up to half the family and whispered, "You're my favorite Bassett." He also had the habit of telling you he liked your shirt or your shoes or your hair and then tacking on, "I think you're pretty." He told Jessica he tells that to everyone. Gotta love it!

You Go Girl!

Amanda learned a new skill. Like any good mother, I want to help my children reach their full potential, even if that means I have to sacrifice my girlish figure to encourage her success. Sometimes it's difficult to be a mom. She may have to make batch after batch, just to ensure she gets it right, but I'll be there for her.

After all, you know what they say:

"Practice makes perfect."

You can do it, Amanda!Last month when Jen was visiting, Sister Willis came over and taught Amanda, Jen and her granddaughter how to make rolls. They made enough for transfers that Monday and had two pans left over to learn how to make cinnamon rolls.
She's done it on her own a few times.

This batch was for her young women's group.

Oh, they smelled GOOD! I got into a little trouble taking pictures-my family thinks I've gone overboard with the pictures/blog thing, so these shots were all stolen.

If I want her to continue, I'll have to stash the camera.
In other words-there won't be anymore Amanda-baking-pictures.....but just keep in mind, if you happen to stop by...chances are there will be something yummy waiting in the kitchen.

The Best Rock Hound Ever (Jeffrey's self proclaimed title)

Today, I pulled out Jeffrey's drawer of art supplies, and it was heavy! The whole thing is full of rock collections from the different excursions he's made in the last 3 months. His fascination for rocks was kindled during a year end field trip for school to the Arizona Rock and Mineral Museum.While we were at the museum, he picked out a few great samples already tagged and bagged to start his collection. He started adding to it as soon as he came home.

I don't know how many of you have been to Arizona, but it is a 'rockhound's' dream. The state is basically a large rock pile. Jeffrey started coming home with his pockets full of rocks. Even trips through the back yard yielded incredible new treasures.

The first must is a trip to the bathtub or the sink. He absolutely insists, because, "Mom, it makes the colors cool and makes them look good!"

The rocks then end up in little groups everywhere! They were hidden all over the house in little boxes, in drawers, under table, in corners, under couch cushions...We finally had to make a rule about how many rocks he could have in his collection at one time. If the number of rocks he had exceeded a predetermined number he had to put the extras back outside.
Not wanting his precious finds to get mixed in with all the ordinary rocks, he stashes them behind bushes/trees or in corners around the patio. The kids have a 'clubhouse' around the back of the office. You can see part of Jeff's collection along the back ledge.
What makes a rock special enough to land in his collection? I have no idea, but he does. He actually remembers quite a few of his rocks and can tell you why it's so great and when he found. One of my favorite descriptions was his simple description of an arrow head. He told his friend Caleb, "Indians use these to kill chickens."
This rocks on this brick wall are around the side of the house by the air conditioning unit. The ones below are just outside the door. Patio collections frequently get dispersed to the greater rock pile in the yard by dad, so Jeff is learning to make his discoveries harder for the untrained eye to find.
This is my favorite rock. The kids actually all signed it and brought to me when I was in recovery mode a few months ago. They love me! And now I have it etched in stone.

Let the Cookie Wars Begin!

The Key Players-well, at least half of them. The other team was 'unavoidable detained' at the last minute...Hmmm...sounds like someone was scared.

Sounds like someone's cookies might not be all they were said to be. Makes me happy though, since after the 'test batch' and then the 'competition batch' I've already had plenty of great cookies PLUS there will be more to look forward to in the near future. The gauntlet has been thrown-or maybe the cookies tossed? ouch, I know....
OK-so maybe Jeffrey wasn't an official part of the competition. "So why does he get all the looks?" my kids ask.
Well, look!

Matt & Jamie's visit

Check out this beautiful family! We're having all kinds of great visits this year. Jamie and Hayden were able to spend the week with us. Matt joined us on Friday. What great visitors-perfectly content to just hang out with the kids. Mark and I were lucky enough to have some time to spend with them, too. It was great to meet Hayden-and especially fun to see how much he loves his mom and dad.
Look out-here he comes. The boy is a crawling machine. Too bad for Lucky. Happily, Lucky was patient-and fast-at least fast enough to stay a step ahead. No such luck with the dog food and the water machine-we had to keep those doors closed.
What an appetite! His mom thinks he only likes his bottle-but he enjoyed all kinds of new things at our house: watermelon, prune juice, RICE, rocks....
'The point'-one of our favorites beside 'the wave' (Check out the link and look for 'the wave' in front of the yellow flowers. You can go back and forth between two of the pictures to reinact Hayden waving to his dad.)
We tried and tried to get a running man pic-but this is as close as we could come. My camera wouldn't get it fast enough and bright enough at the same time! They'll just have to come back so we can try again-next time with little Maximus.

LOVE YOU GUYS!

For more pics, check out my picasa album.

Hayden comes to town

Hayden brought his mom and dad to meet the family!
We're so glad. Thanks for coming.

4th of July visitors!!!

Dave and Raina brought their family for a visit on the 4th of July. Here we are doing what Bassetts do best....planning what to eat!
First Stop, Tortas El Guero for Cubanas, Pastores, Hawaiianas, ...jamaicas y tacos.
Next, Bahama Bucks for some Bahama Rama Mama shaved ice
Brandon's fav...Blue Coconut.
And here's Cole with his "yellow snow"Of course, we did manage to squeeze in a few other activities besides eating. Dave and Raina took all the kids to our neighbor's to swim. It reminded me of the last Bassett family reunion we had in California...
... everyone is just a little bit bigger? We made a trip to the visitor's center (it WAS on the way to Tortas and Bahama Buck's after all, so why not?). We also stopped by the ward 4th of July pancake breakfast. We caught 2 fireworks shows along the canal just down the street. The adults enjoyed the fireworks and the lightning. I think the kids did too, for at least a few minutes. Then they were more interested in running through the sprinklers along the golf course. Cole even managed to find a really cool big white 'rock' in the dark on the T-box-and his Dad managed to figure out where to put it back...again, in the dark.Eventually, it did have to come to an end. Here's our 'brothers gotta hug', slow-mo good-byeAnd a tearful farewell!!!!

Thanks for coming. We love you!