History Lessons

It was social studies all day at school-LIVE. Each of the kids' teachers, science and PE teachers too, had students watch the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States of America. History in the making.



the hopes of so many

President Obama's address drew from inspiring American patriots like George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Thomas Paine. My favorite quote:

"Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested, we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations."

Obama mania. crazy.

crazy fun

crazy fun up close

a little too crazy

Holiday

At least it was for the kids! They were excited to have a Monday off that coincided with the elders preparation day. FINALLY a chance to climb Camelback with them. And none too soon. Elder Endemano leaves for home next Tuesday. Above you can see one of the steeper climbs at the beginning of the hike. From what I hear, Jeffrey was a mountain goat-racing up and down. I think Elder Endemano took the rear position to make sure none of my kids toppled down the hill! Jeffrey found a tailor made spot to rest up while everyone else decided which path to take next. Somewhere along the ling, Elder Gee taught the kids how to play Quaker meeting. It's kind of like the quiet game, except that you add not moving to silence. They had a lot of fun the elders. They were all so happy to be together. Later at dinner, the kids had fun telling us all of Elder Gee's jokes.

When we drove up to the office, there in their suits ready to head off on exchanges. Seeing them was a relief, it meant no little Bassetts (Jeffrey) went running off the side of the mountain. Jeffrey got offended earlier in the morning when I prayed for him by name that he wouldn't get hurt or wander off. I guess he's forgetting what happened last time!

Jess ran into her friend Walker from Mesa hiking with his family. It was just a coincidence that they were there, too.

After dinner, we finally took my Christmas present on a trial run. The awesome 'twig' with all the marshmallows on it is Amanda's stocking stuffer. Jessica gave me a whole bag of s'more fixin's (including several packs of peanut butter cups to use instead of Hersey's), but those were gone long ago. It feels like we've been roasting marshmallows a couple times a week since Christmas.

Mark gave me a whole stack of firewood that we've been using regularly with the indoor fireplace, but the house has started to smell like smoke, so no more fires inside until next year.

And this is the perfect alternative. I love it!

Good Friends

Lucky remembered me! (And he wasn't even wearing Jacob's suit.) Cam & Chris (former elders Soane & Hamilton) came down to Mesa with their buddy Ryan. One of their investigators was getting baptized. They arrived early, early Saturday morning and left late, late Saturday night.
Chris gave us (Brandon) a Frisbee for Christmas. But this wasn't just any Frisbee, it was their team Frisbee from BYU. They played for awhile-just so Brandon could have another chance to show him how it's done. But then Brandon introduced a new game that Jessica gave him for his birthday. It's kind of like Simon Says and Turbo Twist combined. Each player gets a colored band and scans it into the ball. Depending on what game you choose, the ball calls out where to toss the ball. A perfect game for Chris....

...since he's color blind.

But Brandon's plan to beat him at something failed again since Chris' photographic memory trumped being color blind.

It was fun to take a few minutes and catch up with Cam and Chris. Ryan was a good moderator. I wish they'd had a camera in the car with them. Chris glanced at google maps and 'memorized' the way down-so no else was allowed to drive. To help him stay awake, they sang the whole 10 hour trip down, but Cam would only wake up occasionally to sing snatches of songs and then crash back to oblivion. (Am I getting any of that right?) They drove all night, and we served....pizza. I don't think there were any complaints.

At least Jeffrey was entertained.

This is just about the only chance the kids have of beating the elders at anything....and I'm not sure they were successful.

And no visit is complete until the s'mores. (Guys-Sorry we wimped out and didn't build the fire outside. But you know how it is; Arizona is just sooo cold.) Gotta love Utah-hope you're having fun!

Taylor is awesome. Last night, he and his friends (Chad, Adam & Kyle) got dressed up and went out with different missionaries. They came back to our house and lifted weights, built a fire and stayed up for who knows how long. In the morning, they met back up with the missionaries at 5:30 (a.m., yes a.m.) to lift weights. Then they came back to our house while the missionaries had their study time. They made up a huge bowl of pancake batter and started making pancakes for everyone in the house. They ended up with this monster. Later, when I was getting ready to leave, I walked down the hall and heard them in Taylor's room studying their scriptures to get ready

to go back out with the missionaries. What a way to spend your Saturday! Taylor, Jessica and Amanda met Mark and I in Mesa for a missionary meeting. Elder David Bednar and Elder Snow were in town for leadership training and asked to meet with a group of our missionaries. One of my favorite parts of the day was going to the grocery store with Amanda while she told me the impressions and aha moments she had during the meeting.

Jessica came home and did a different kind of dressing up. Her friend Lizzie came over and did her hair and make-up. (We love Lizzie!) Jessica got on her most formal dress (she and Lizzie went looking for something warmer without spending a fortune, but couldn't find anything) and waited. The plan was, well Jessica didn't know the plan. Her friend Walker asked her out and told her to dress up. He came in a tux.

They met another couple and drove down to the new light rail station that just opened in Mesa. They rode up and down the light rail in their 'formal' attire, dined at McDonald's, had dessert at a crazy little sandwich shop that specializes in cookies and ice cream with every possible combination of the two (I gotta go there!), and had a great time puzzling everyone around them. It sounded really silly and like a lot of fun. I'll let her post more if she wants. I wish they had pictures all together, but I was allowed to ask.

Jeffrey helped her pass the time, and then of course I got out my camera and she was patient for at least one or two pictures. Jeffrey isn't pleased there's a picture of him kissing his sister on the blog but I need a record of how sweet he is to his big sister. He's a good little brother.

Yes, this is the same picture. I was trying to fiddle with the photo editor a little bit, except I didn't get past the quick fix menus. A digital photography class is on my wish list for the future. Anybody up for a class in, oh, say 2 years? Maybe Janea will just come down and teach me what to do.

beautiful

I am so tired I want to just close my little eyes and rest...but I can't. It's only 2:45 pm! Most that know me understand I'm not a good napper. A friend's blog (Hi Cherie) suggested that instead of making a long list of New Year's Resolutions that probably won't be 'resolved' during the year, you just focus on one word that sums up what you want to accomplish. Great idea, right? Problem....I'm too tired to make my brain think of a meaningful word, and the only words I can think of have do with bed, blankies, and pillows, lots of pillows. I suppose there's a hidden meaning in all this, but I'm not sure I'm up to the challenge of sleuthing it out. Fortunately, sleep deprivation is a temporary dilemma easily solved later this evening. And though I'll probably experience this same ailment tomorrow..and the next day and the next, I know it's because my life is full. Happily, I am doing a better job of 'enjoying the moment'-there are just so many moments to enjoy. So, I'm counting my blessings. It's a little like counting sheep... and here I go again-where's my pillow!

Christmas Blessings

Starting just after Thanksgiving, the mission office begins looking like a mail room. Family and friends of the missionaries start sending in gifts for Christmas. Every day the mail comes, then our office secretary sorts them all to get to the missionaries the next day. Some days, the mail is packed so high, it's like walking through a corn maze at Halloween. A couple days this past week, the mailman (driving one of the big trucks) came by first thing in the morning with nothing but packages so he could make room for the rest of the mail. Those days, he usually stops by 3 times...not to mention the UPS and FedEx guys. (And yes, a few of those packages were for us-THANKS! We have soooo many yummy treats...maybe I need some bigger clothes for Christmas.)

Even with all those packages, there are still some missionaries that don't receive anything for one reason or another-especially those from foreign countries. This year, we had several people bring gifts to pass out to missionaries 'just in case' and some other good people who donated some money to buy gifts so none of the missionaries would be left out. So...yesterday, Jess, Taylor & Jacob (a returned missionary back to visit) went tie shopping while Amanda and I spent a good chunk of the day shopping for other things. Which meant today we spent a lot of time wrapping and sorting and making them special. Tomorrow, the packages will get delivered. I love Christmas time. We are blessed to be surrounded by so many with the spirit of Christmas!

*Hoping you feel the joy of

Christmas giving*

2 days to go!!!

***On a side note: I found a stack of about 100 Christmas cards that didn't get mailed two weeks ago with the rest of the batch. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Fortunately, no tears were shed and my tummy got a great work out. But, if you haven't heard from us yet, that's probably the reason. I raced and got to the post office today. Hopefully some of you will hear from us before the week is out. In the meantime, remember we love you all. Merry Christmas!

Happy Anniversary

We spent a great day on Saturday celebrating the beginning of our family. 19 years ago, we were married in the Salt Lake City temple for time and all eternity. It's hard to wrap my brain around how much our lives have changed since then, and almost inconcievable that I could be even more crazy about Mark now than I was then.

Way back when, I could only dream what life would be like. I certainly couldn't picture how life would be with 5 children, and now I can't seem to imagine it without them. We spent the morning with the whole family at the park feeding the ducks (and the pigeons, the kids invented a new game called 'bowling for pigeons') and eating bagels w/ cream cheese, mandarins and hot chocolate. (It works) Even Lucky tagged along-though it was hard to keep him from eating the bread we were feeding the birds. Next time, we'll remember to bring doggy treats.

When we got back, the assistants came over. They 'built us a cake'. A pineapple upside down cake, one of Elder Endemano's family traditions on anniversaries. (I couldn't figure out why Taylor was going in and out of the house at 6 in the morning-but apparently, it had something to do with the cake.) They also bought us some hunting ball caps with the scripture from Jeremiah 16:16 on them. Just after they left, Jacob Johnson (a returning missionary) surprised us with a visit (first Mark's birthday and now our anniversary. He's going to spoil us.) Jessica did a good job stalling us until all the visitor's arrived. I think she enjoys all the collaborating. It was fun to have some of our 'adopted' sons spend that time with us, too. (Wow, in a year and a half when we go home, we'll have 500 new 'sons & daughters')

Jessica had things well in hand, so we snuck off after that, and spent the bulk of the day together (no cell phones). It was great to hold hands and just meander around totally inconspicuous. We did a little shopping and went to dinner. So uneventful and so wonderful! It was fantastic to just be.

I love my life. When Elder Hafen spoke to the missionaries this last week, he said some things about the mentoring we were giving the missionaries; specifically about our marriage and our family. At the time, I thought he was being too generous, but yesterday I though again about what he said and about our 19 years together. We are so very blessed. Blessed to each come from strong homes; to have common desires and goals; to have opportunities that stretch us and help us grow closer together as a companionship; to both have strong & abiding testimonies of Jesus Christ; add the love and respect we have for each other and I cannot help but be grateful for the wonderful man with whom I'm lucky enough to share my life.

...and this is only the beginning.

Lights, Advents, Gingerbread & other Christmas traditions

I love Christmas traditions. Our family has a new one. Well, maybe not new, just altered. Christmas for me will never be the same. We've always enjoyed looking at Christmas lights. This year we started on Thanksgiving with a bike ride through streets behind our house finding all those who were quick to get their lights up. It was wonderful. (And a little scary, Jeffrey still doesn't quite understand the important dynamics between cards and bikes.) But our (almost) nightly trips to the Mesa temple grounds to see the lights are fantastic. We usually arrive before dark, before it's crowded, to meet with some of the missionaries. (*Jeffrey has been so funny in those meetings) We stroll the grounds just as dusk turns to inky night and the lights brighten in contrast.


There's a beautiful full sized Nativity. Another replica of the Old Testament prophet Isaiah writing about Jesus Christ stands next to Joseph leading the donkey with Mary on its back. All surround by thousands and thousands of lights scattered across the grounds leading up to the Temple. I love being there before the crowds come, but I also love seeing the busy sidewalks of people crowding around the displays and listening to the narrations...and especially watching the missionaries talking to people-sharing their powerful testimonies of Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world.

Every carol, and every Christmas scripture has such a powerful missionary theme. After reading Luke 2, I felt so blessed for this opportunity to be like shepherds...after they learned of Christ, they sought after him and then went abroad to tell everyone about their experience. What a wonderful way to spend Christmas-Helping people find Jesus Christ.

All roads may lead to Rome, but only through Christ can we hope to find the path back to our Father in Heaven.

Learning more about Jesus Christ and His gospel, understanding why we need a Savior, blesses every aspect of my life especially in regards to my family. Everyday, we are work on being a stronger family and helping each other. The Monday after Thanksgiving, we build gingerbread houses and turn them into a village.

I started the first year we moved to California, and while the tradition has had its off years, it's something I hope the kids will always remember. As part of this special family night, we talk about how we can build a stronger home life for our family. Great families just don't happen. It takes people working together and consciously striving for it.

Jeff's master piece (with mom's artistic direction)

by Amanda

total group effort

I love Christmas stars!

(Somebody always wants mess things up!)

We also discuss the gift that God gave us in His Son that allows our family to be together forever. We have a little manager (this year, just a basket), that is empty. I buy straw to put in the basket, one piece at a time for each kind thing a member of the family does for someone else. On Christmas Eve, we plan to lay a baby doll in a manger filled with soft straw. The goal isn't just to have a full basket (no shoving someone out of the way to race and put a straw in the basket!), but to have softer hearts more kindly disposed to the ones we love most. Patiently, we wait for Christmas. We have all kinds of different advent calendars. This year, Grandma Brasher sent boxes with a special treat for each day. We also have a cute sticker Nativity that Jeffrey and Dad have been working on. My favorite, is a book that relates the history of the advent. It's titled, Waiting for Christmas. Some years, part of our nativity includes only putting out selected pieces of the Nativity sets we have. For example, first we set out all the Mary figurines...and how we can learn from her story; then Joseph, the creche & making room for Christ, the Shepherds in receiving and sharing the good news, the angels (I wonder where we were that day!), and then the baby Jesus on Christmas Eve. (The wise men come on New Year's when we talk about looking for him each day of the New Year. They're my favorite.)

So many things that make Christmas wonderful.....

* Jeffrey in the meetings-I'll have to explain that another day

Time to catch up before this memory is too old!

We had a fun trip to Gelato Spot in November while my parents were here. While we were all tasting the different kinds of gelato, 4 firemen walked into the store. Jeffrey was so excited. Loud enough so that they could hear, he called out for me to look at them. Then he walked up to one of them and said thanks for being a fireman and a hero and asked him for his autograph. The fireman thought that was great, grandma dug a pen and notepad out of her purse and the fireman obliged. Then he invited Jeffrey for a private tour of the new fire department that weekend.
Jeffrey wanted to make a treat for the firemen; he insisted on making congo bars.

Saturday morning, our kitchen smelled great-but this time instead of me telling the kids they couldn't have any because it was for someone else, it was Jeff telling me that I wasn't allowed-these were for his fireman.

For the past several years he's wanted to be "a fireman-doctor-astronaut". Don't ask me how those 3 all fit together-I'd hate to think of a fire in space. He's held onto that dream for a few years now, and I think this has kindled the flame. Jeffrey was almost a fireman for Halloween-but ended up with the SWAT costume (he liked the pretend walkie talkie, handcuffs, & sunglasses). Now I'm wishing he'd chosen that costume! After this, he asked me if we could go back and get it, but it was long gone. Maybe next year...

What a great day!

We have a new cousin. The kids are so excited. Hopefully we can update this post soon with a picture and a NAME!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

*And now we have the rest of the story.*

Matt, Jamie, & Hayden welcomed Jacob Eugene to their home. We all wish we could see them, but know that will have to wait. Matt did promise to visit soon! Until then, Jessica will be flying down after all the grandmas leave to give some extra love and help. She'd better check her suitcase to make sure there are no stow-a-ways!

more pictures at haydenspace.blogspot.com