Morning Madness

What a way to start the day!

We hiked Camelback again Saturday...or at least the kids hiked it again and this time Mom & Dad joined them.

It's a great climb, but it starts with some killer stairs that almost make me want to turn around, except that I know the fun part is just ahead. This is the part I like...climbing over all these huge red rocks.

It looks a lot smaller from the ground, and then you start hiking and wondering when it will end. Taylor kept taunting me with "one more climb like this last one and we're there."

In the picture below, Brandon has just scaled one of the steeper sections of the hike. There are some great iron rods drilled through the rock...I always to choose to hold tight to the rod. (One day I'll get a picture of those. Great object lesson.)

The crazy thing about this hike, are the people who lap you 3 or 4 times. They literally run up and down the mountain...and some of them are pretty old. There's a lady in our congregation that climbs almost every day. I don't know her exact age, but she and her husband retired years ago...70's?

That's Taylor way up there. The picture below is that same rock, but a different person in the distance and taken from a different angle. Brandon and I chose to stay on the trail and hike around that rock instead of up and over it.

Jeff dutifully packed snacks for the whole family. As impatient as I was to get started, I was grateful for them when we got to the top. It's fun to take a minute and catch your breath at the top and count all the tennis courts and pools below. There are some pretty incredible estates that you can see from up there. Somebody put a cardinals flag at the top.

Yes, I'm as tired as I look, but it's a great kind of tired.

Almost to the end of the trail...Jeff was the first one up, but the last one down. It's always amazing to watch him run up the hill, but when it comes time to climbing down, some of those descents are steep. He literally slides down on his rear.

The great things about a long hike on Saturday, is that everyone gets to bed on time in the evening so we can all wake up fresh for Sunday! By about 9:30 everyone, OK, almost everyone-Taylor was up a little longer, was sound asleep.

Sensible Shoes

I know I have sisters on both sides of this issue, so I'll tread carefully... What kind of crazy person invented high heels? I mean really! And is there honestly anyone out there who feels more comfortable in high heels? honestly?

Now these are some sensible shoes!

Way to go girls

Successful recipes

Are you ready for a great recipe? Last week we had a lunch with 10 of the Stake Presidents & their wives, President Clark and his wife from the Mesa Temple, Elder Wilford Anderson & his Wife, Elder Snow also from the seventy (he remembered being in Antelope last year and said great things!), and Elder & Sister Bednar. A family of 5 sisters in the hosting stake served a great meal. Here's the recipe for their adaptation of Chicken Rolls. You can find more great recipes from their cookbook, The Fat Sisters Cookbook.

Chicken Rolls

1 cup chopped chicken

3 oz. cream cheese

1 3oz. can mushrooms

2 Tbsp. butter

1 can refrigerator crescent rolls

1/3 c crushed seasoned croutons

1/2 tsp sage

1/4 c walnuts or pecans

3 Tbsp melted butter

Filling: Mix softened cream cheese and butter well, then stir in chicken & mushrooms. Separate crescent rolls. Spread each with 1/4 cup chicken mixture. Roll up; tuck sides and point under to seal.

Pulse croutons, nuts & sage in food processor. Dip each roll in melted butter, then crumb mixture. Put on cookie sheet and back 15-20 minutes at 375 degrees. Serve with a spoonful of gravy on top.

(Gravy-try cream of chicken soup thinned with 1/3 milk and add 2 Tbsp chopped chives.)

We liked the chicken rolls so much, we decided to make them for dinner tonight when Elder and Sister Perry came. They turned out great. They looked so good, I think they even would have made the list for those of my friends out there who only like to serve 'pretty' food.

Elder Perry is visiting several of the missions in the North America Southwest area; meeting with groups of missionaries and also with groups of leaders involved in missionary work (basically, everyone!). He gave the elders a 'recipe' for being successful teachers. They're very excited to work on the things he talked with them about. We're already planning how we can implement the things he taught into our trainings. The stake and ward leaders he met with were equally enthusiastic to come sit at the feet of an apostle and be instructed. I couldn't believe how crowded the building was! For some of our missionaries, it was their first full day in the mission field. What a way to start your mission!

January Transfer

Missionary life is a roller coaster of ups and downs. Never is that more blatant than transfer week. We literally drive one group to the airport and turn around to pick another group up. The goodbyes are still difficult and the hellos still exciting. 6 Missionaries left for home.

The evening before they leave they come over to our house. The kids keep them busy signing journals and telling stories.

Dinner's always fun, because they relax a little and start telling stories about all the crazy things that happen on a mission.

It gets really good when they start trying to out do each other on embarrassing moments.

The next morning we wake up around 4:30 to be up and ready to make them breakfast before they leave. Mark's the hero-he makes all the breakfast so all I have to do is wake-up and get dressed. Breakfast usually starts around 5:00 then they're out the door by 5:30 to make their early morning flights.

Jeffrey was afraid he'd miss saying goodbye, so he made this little bed in the hallway...it was still hard to get him alert enough to realize they were leaving.

Sister Bigelow and Sister Ashcraft right before packing into the van.

Elder Endemano's family came to pick him up a little while later. We usually don't have the chance to see these reunions, but it's always a great feeling when we get to see the other side of our goodbye's. This one was especially sweet, since Elder Endemano's role as assistant lead to a close bond between him and our whole family. We sure appreciate the influene he's had on them. It was fun to see him with his 'other' family.

Here's the slide show of our group leaving...

...and coming. I'll post something eventually about the group that came...

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!