Re: Love from Mom

I always love reading your letters. So fun to see David A in the temple. 

On Sunday, June 29, 2014, Rosey <roseybassett@gmail.com> wrote:

What a fun filled week you had mom! Way to go! Love you!

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jun 29, 2014, at 11:44 PM, Wendy Bassett <wendy.bassett@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Dear Max,
>
> Another beautiful Sabbath.  We had homemade ice cream tonight on Yorg's new patio and celebrated Nancy's birthday.  It was a perfect summer evening.  Then we headed over to see Kath and Gordy's new home.  They are ready to move in sometime this week after living at Brent and Nancy's for a couple months.  Kath was so excited to show us all they had done.  It is the exact floor plan of our original house which brought back lots of memories!
>
> News flash - the dairy did NOT close - only the Country Store.  The rest of Winder Farms is running great.  You can still be proud to be a part of it.  It is sad about the store, however!
>
> Next news flash - baby Madeline Maughan was born this morning to Gwen and Robbie Maughan.  Nancy actually got to witness the birth ( along with Robbie) which was fun for her.  Baby and mom are doing well and little Peyton gets to stay at his grandpa and grandmas for a couple days.
>
> I'm sitting here looking at my calendar thinking about what a fun week I have had.  I just love summer and it is zipping by way too quick.  So here is a highlight from each day:
>
> Monday - met up with old GHS madrigal friends and went out to dinner.  It was great to reconnect with people who knew me way back when and still love me, and vice versa.  I appreciate the nice group of friends I had in high school.
>
> Tuesday I tended the three boys for a few hours while Stef did some errands.  They are so fun and I enjoy having them close.  We worked on batting practice with foam covered bats and wiffle balls.  Clay and Bret are getting so they can hit pretty good.  It must be the great pitcher they have!
>
> Wednesday the Temple opened back up after being closed for cleaning.  Guess who was on my session?  David Archuleta!  He gave me a big smile.  What a cute kid!
>
> Thursday Stef and boys and Gwen, Ben, Ivy and I all went on a BYU field trip.  First we ate a picnic lunch at the bell tower.  The kids were so curious how people got up to the top so we went down to the two doors to check it out.  As we were standing there talking out came a guy who was in practicing on the tower organ.  He was a music professor at BYU and invited us into the practice room played a song for us on the bell organ.  This isn't the organ that broadcasts all over campus, but just the practice one.  But I thought it was very cool!  Did you know mine and dad's first date included a picnic KFC dinner at the bell tower?  Then we headed to the newly remodeled Bean Museum to check that out and finished the day with an ice cream cone from the creamery.
>
> Friday I worked so Jordan could go backpacking.   That was not a highlight but made me appreciate all the days I don't have to work!  Watching The Lego Movie in the cool basement with dad and Janey and Warner was probably the highlight.
>
> Saturday was the Taylorsville parade. I love parades!   We (Stef, Bret, Clay,  Ned and I) helped Aimee Winder Newton in her campaign for County Council. We walked along side the white convertible (Clay Winder at the wheel) that Aimee was sitting in and handed out taffy and Aimee Winder Chapstick. Who would have thought Chapstick would be so popular!
>
> David Orgill got home from his mission last night and spoke in church today.  He served as an assistant and shared a great message on the doctrine of Christ.  I loved this statement he made:  "obedience brings blessings, exact obedience brings miracles."
>
> So so so happy for your success last week.  We loved hearing about Maribel and kids baptism.  What a great day.  We got lots of responses from Bassett family to your letter that I am planning to snail mail to you.  I hope this is the correct address:
>
> C/Baleares N*8D 1*C
> Chiclana 11130
> Espana
>
> I'm excited to hear about your new companion.  We pray you can continue to find those who the Lord has prepared.  Keep being a good example.  Thanks for all the great pictures from last week!  Make it another good week.
>
> Lots of love,
> Mom
>
> Sent from my iPad
>
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Re: Little Leoney

I love your blog write ups. And I love the name Leoney. Haha. 

On Monday, June 30, 2014, bret bassett <bretbassett@gmail.com> wrote:

Fun fun fun writeup of a sacred occassion.  I especially love your thoughts about being a teenage girl wondering how many kids you would have and what they would be etc.  But now they are here and you know them and love them.  I love them all to.  Thanks for enduring the pain to get them all here safe and sound.  Now for the fun job of getting your grandkids here.  Hang on for that wild ride.

Loves.  Dad

On Mon, Jun 30, 2014 at 5:19 AM, Kristi <kristi.bassett@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi from baby Tess! (Who Ivy has affectionately nicknamed "Leoney")

Max, I just collapse in bed exhausted every night! I'm so sorry! I hope to write soon! On Sunday nights I think "I should write Max, and speaking of things I should do, I should probably figure out how in the dickins we are going to move to Texas" and then rather than do anything I just go to sleep. And the next morning summer lures me outside, what with it's splash pads, hiking trails and snocones. And nothing productive ever gets done, and then I'm wiped out again.  Vicious cycle I tell you.

Anyway, I pried my eyes open at this 4am feeding to forward you the blog post I posted of Tess's birth! 

Sure love you!

---

Wow, two posts in a year, I am really killing it in the blogging department :). You know, I remember at one point finding my dad's old journal and reading through it. I realized that there had only been one entry in my entire life, shortly after I was born. At the time I was deeply offended, but the older I get and the more kids I have the more I am thoroughly impressed that he even had a journal, let alone that he wrote in it after I (the caboose of the family) was born.

With my first three kids I had written their birth story within hours of their arrival. I can't on earth figure out how I had the time and gumption to do that. Tess is now over a month old and if she is asleep then I am trying to sleep and if she is awake it's all I can do to pull my eyes off of her to accomplish anything. Plus, she really likes being held and really doesn't like anything else. And, truthfully, I don't mind. I realize now how quickly she is going to grow and so I indulge myself in holding her almost all of the time. Yeah, the house is a total disaster and we have absolutely made no progress on how we are going to move our household from here to Texas in about six weeks. I bet I will blissfully keep neglecting my other duties as long as possible. Babies were meant to be savored.

So yah, since my last post I managed to get pregnant, endure (not well) a very miserable pregnancy and finally birth a beautiful baby. It's a lot more complicated than I make it sound there, there were complications, sleepless nights of worry and prayer, ultrasounds, NSTs, meetings with perinatologists and calls from genetic counselors. And everything has revolved around the complications, but I kind of just want to post her birth story. You know, one without all of those stresses. So hopefully I will post more about the trials and miracles of her gestation and birth and first month... but not today.

----

I scheduled my induction about two weeks beforehand. I was feeling all self righteous and didn't want anyone to know I was getting induced. You might wonder why, and the short answer is that I think I am a nut case. We have always kept the name of our babies a secret (even our list of possible names). Somehow though my older kids got wind of the names I was considering and all converged on one name from the list. Tess. And then when said complications arose they prayed mightily for "Tessie" and talked about her and to her and...how could I possibly name her anything else after all of that? The problem was they were open with the name Tess and before long everyone who was anyone knew what her name was going to be. I didn't like that. I like having a surprise name announcement. So much so that I almost named her something else simply because so many people knew about "Tess". All this is to say that because many people knew the name I channeled all of my energy in to making her arrival a surprise.

The logical way to do that would probably have been to not schedule an induction at all and let nature take its course, but when push comes to shove if someone hands me a "get out of pregnancy a week or more early" card I take it.

So my induction was to take place on May 21st. I had to tell my parents so that someone could come and watch the kids. We held off telling anyone else though, which I was pretty proud of. My parents came early the night before so Blaine and I could go on our traditional "night before induction" date. We went out to dinner at The Cheesecake Factory, and then grabbed an Italian Ice at Rita's. We were going to go to a movie but I was just. SO. TIRED. And knowing that it would probably be a good four or more years until I would get a decent night of sleep again, we headed home at about 10:30PM. It was kind of a fun surprise to arrive home and find our kids all still awake (this was a school night) watching a movie with Grandma and Grandpa. What can I say? My parents are partiers.

We woke up early and headed to the hospital for our 7AM induction. We had chosen to deliver at Orem Community Hospital on the good recommendation of Laurie, plus the fries at their snack bar are to-die-for good.

I started getting awfully nervous about the whole thing. I did a lot more thinking about this pregnancy than the others, as, barring any heavenly messengers commanding us otherwise, this will be our last. Did I want an epidural? Did I even really want to be induced? Lots of time thinking about this things. They quickly got me hooked up to an IV and got the pitocin going. It was kind of a fun feeling being there and starting labor and no one even knowing. We felt very sneaky. I'm so weird.

Deep down I know I am an epidural type of girl. I have a pain tolerance of about zero. With the other kids I asked for the epidural as soon as they would give it to me (because I knew I would cave eventually, and if you are going to cave eventually there is no sense in trying to be a hero for a while). But this time I thought I would give it a go and see how long I could make it. Try to really experience labor for as long as I could. Who knew, maybe I would surprise myself.

It took a bit for the contractions to get going, and once they did I was just so darn proud of myself for breathing through them. Maybe I really was a hero. The baby's heartbeat was doing weird things. It would speed way up and slow way down. It was all over the map. They had me flip sides and do all sorts of things to try to get it to regulate. I believe they eventually put something in my IV to help. Things were all quiet when I told Blaine it would be okay for him to go and get some food.

Sure enough as soon as he left things kind of went to pot. The heart rate was even more erratic. People came in, they put me on oxygen. And the really ironic thing is that the exact same thing happened with at least Ivy, and Gwen, if not all three other kids. Blaine leaves and chaos sets in. Just a fact of life I guess.

They decided they better put on an internal monitor on the baby (you know, the one they poke into the baby's head. Sad.). And this is where the details are a little fuzzy. It seems like they did this before breaking my water, but wouldn't the act of doing that break my water? No idea. At some point they put on a monitor and things seemed less traumatic after that.

So by 10:30AM I was still busy proving what a capable birther I was by not getting an epidural. Sure the contractions were painful, but nothing I couldn't handle with a little dramatic breathing. Then my OBGYN waltzes in, "hey sorry I am late! You ready to get this party started?!". And there I was, like an idiot, thinking the party had already been going for some three hours.

Wow, two posts in a year, I am really killing it in the blogging department :). You know, I remember at one point finding my dad's old journal and reading through it. I realized that there had only been one entry in my entire life, shortly after I was born. At the time I was deeply offended, but the older I get and the more kids I have the more I am thoroughly impressed that he even had a journal, let alone that he wrote in it after I (the caboose of the family) was born.

With my first three kids I had written their birth story within hours of their arrival. I can't on earth figure out how I had the time and gumption to do that. Tess is now over a month old and if she is asleep then I am trying to sleep and if she is awake it's all I can do to pull my eyes off of her to accomplish anything. Plus, she really likes being held and really doesn't like anything else. And, truthfully, I don't mind. I realize now how quickly she is going to grow and so I indulge myself in holding her almost all of the time. Yeah, the house is a total disaster and we have absolutely made no progress on how we are going to move our household from here to Texas in about six weeks. I bet I will blissfully keep neglecting my other duties as long as possible. Babies were meant to be savored.

So yah, since my last post I managed to get pregnant, endure (not well) a very miserable pregnancy and finally birth a beautiful baby. It's a lot more complicated than I make it sound there, there were complications, sleepless nights of worry and prayer, ultrasounds, NSTs, meetings with perinatologists and calls from genetic counselors. And everything has revolved around the complications, but I kind of just want to post her birth story. You know, one without all of those stresses. So hopefully I will post more about the trials and miracles of her gestation and birth and first month... but not today.

----

I scheduled my induction about two weeks beforehand. I was feeling all self righteous and didn't want anyone to know I was getting induced. You might wonder why, and the short answer is that I think I am a nut case. We have always kept the name of our babies a secret (even our list of possible names). Somehow though my older kids got wind of the names I was considering and all converged on one name from the list. Tess. And then when said complications arose they prayed mightily for "Tessie" and talked about her and to her and...how could I possibly name her anything else after all of that? The problem was they were open with the name Tess and before long everyone who was anyone knew that her name was going to be Tess. I didn't like that. I like having a surprise name announcement. So much so that I almost named her something else simply because so many people knew about Tess. All this is to say that because many people knew the name I channeled all of my energy in to making her arrival a surprise.

The logical way to do that would probably have been to not schedule an induction at all and let nature take its course, but when push comes to shove if someone hands me a "get out of pregnancy a week or more early" card I take it.

So my induction was to take place on May 21st. I had to tell my parents so that someone could come and watch the kids. We held off telling anyone else though, which I was pretty proud of. My parents came early the night before so Blaine and I could go on our traditional "night before induction" date. We went out to dinner at The Cheesecake Factory, and then grabbed an Italian Ice at Rita's. We were going to go to a movie but I was just. SO. TIRED. And knowing that it would probably be a good four or more years until I would get a decent night of sleep again, we headed home at about 10:30PM. It was kind of a fun surprise to arrive home and find our kids all still awake (this was a school night) watching a movie with Grandma and Grandpa. What can I say? My parents are partiers.

We woke up early and headed to the hospital for our 7AM induction. We had chosen to deliver at Orem Community Hospital on the good recommendation of Laurie, plus the fries at their snack bar are to-die-for good.

I started getting awfully nervous about the whole thing. I did a lot more thinking about this pregnancy than the others, as, barring any heavenly messengers commanding us otherwise, this will be our last. Did I want an epidural? Did I even really want to be induced? Lots of time thinking about this things. They quickly got me hooked up to an IV and got the pitocin going. It was kind of a fun feeling being there and starting labor and no one even knowing. We felt very sneaky. I'm so weird.

Deep down I know I am an epidural type of girl. I have a pain tolerance of about zero. With the other kids I asked for the epidural as soon as they would give it to me (because I knew I would cave eventually, and if you are going to cave eventually there is no sense in trying to be a hero for a while). But this time I thought I would give it a go and see how long I could make it. Try to really experience labor for as long as I could. Who knew, maybe I would surprise myself.

It took a bit for the contractions to get going, and once they did I was just so darn proud of myself for breathing through them. Maybe I really was a hero. The baby's heartbeat was doing weird things. It would speed way up and slow way down. It was all over the map. They had me flip sides and do all sorts of things to try to get it to regulate. I believe they eventually put something in my IV to help. Things were all quiet when I told Blaine it would be okay for him to go and get some food.

Sure enough as soon as he left things kind of went to pot. The heart rate was even more erratic. People came in, they put me on oxygen. And the really ironic thing is that the exact same thing happened with at least Ivy, and Gwen, if not all three other kids. Blaine leaves and chaos sets in. Just a fact of life I guess.

They decided they better put on an internal monitor on the baby (you know, the one they poke into the baby's head. Sad.). And this is where the details are a little fuzzy. It seems like they did this before breaking my water, but wouldn't the act of doing that break my water? No idea. At some point they put on a monitor and things seemed less traumatic after that.

So by 10:30AM I was still busy proving what a capable birther I was by not getting an epidural. Sure the contractions were painful, but nothing I couldn't handle with a little dramatic breathing. Then my OBGYN waltzes in, "hey sorry I am late! You ready to get this party started?!". And there I was, like an idiot, thinking the party had already been going for some three hours.

So he breaks my water.

And oh was there ever water! Water and water, from the expressions of amazement from all in the room you'd think I nearly flooded the hospital. So. Much. Water. Everyone was duly impressed.

I've read a million times how contractions get worse once your water is broken. And let me just tell you, they aren't kidding. The very first contraction after that basically had me in tears and washed away any superhero resolves I had. Epidural, Stat! Seriously. The party had started.

My OB had made it sound like the anesthesiologist was waiting in the hall for me to say the word. Wrong. I begged and pleaded with Blaine to find the guy and drag him in! It took like almost an hour to get the guy in. And I know that isn't a super long time, but I am convinced this was the most painful labor ever experienced so it felt like an eternity. I wanted to go back in time and slap the earlier version of myself who no less than five times told the nurse that "no, no epidural yet, I'm doing jussssst fineeeee". Why self? Why?.

Then once the anesthesiologist and his partner (who was not actually his partner but turned out to be my new nurse...but I didn't know that) arrived it took forever to get the epi in place. They were sitting there talking about the most random lame things, like where to get good mexican food, and where they were going to go on vacation. I was gritting my teeth and just really wishing we could all focus on the task at hand. I could tell they were trying to get my mind off of the pain by asking me questions, which I refused to answer. Poor Blaine, he kept apologizing "I'm sorry, she's normally very friendly... I think she's in a lot of pain". Yeah, I was. They had me sit up, which was a little better. But man, it took them an hour to place the epidural, an hour! In my past experience it seems like it normally took like ten minutes max. The guy was having some trouble placing the catheter? Or something. But that didn't stop him from discussing with my nurse where the best salsa in Utah County could be found. I was thinking all sorts of mean thoughts like, "oh yeah let's talk about salsa while we mess around with the nerves in my back, that's a brilliant idea". Anyway, definitely not my finest hour and I was sure I was going to die from the epidural being placed wrong because no one was focusing on their jobs ;)

So there we were at like noon with an epidural in place and sweet relief flowing through. I apologized to my nurse for being mean. It's amazing how much more I liked her once I had an epidural. She was totally great. Pain can be really blinding.

I think my contraction monitor must have fallen off or slightly off or something because I couldn't feel my contractions and according to the monitor I wasn't really having any. But I must have been because all of the sudden I was a ten! Then there was my OB again. And it was time to push. Would I push for three hours like with Gwen? Ten seconds like Bentley? I always expect it to take a long time. And again the OB and my nurse were discussing good places to go eat. I don't know what it is about me giving birth that inspires these conversations :). Anyway, it was a matter of a few pushes, like say six, and she was here! 2:05PM 5/21/2014.

I am always amazed at the incredible relief I feel immediately after my babies are born. Pregnancy is so cruel to me, and immediately after the baby is born I start feeling better. She cried her little newborn cry and I just couldn't believe that she was finally here! Finally! And she was okay! And she looked beautiful! And it was over, I never have to be pregnant again :). It was amazing to just sit and marvel. A baby girl. My third girl. I have three girls and one boy. I spent so many nights as a kid dreaming about my future family, wondering how many boys and girls I would have. What they would look like. Finally they are all here and I know and love them all.

9lbs 6 oz, 20.5 inches. My biggest baby yet. And later I would be so grateful for every one of those blessed ounces as she still had so much to endure ahead of her. But that's another story for another day.

Sent from my iPhone

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Bret Bassett 

Bret Bassett  - PMP | International Product Manager |

4268 Sherm Circle West Valley City UT. 84120

Home: 801.968-0760 | Cell: 801.815.5860 | bretbassett@gmail.com

 

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Re: Week 67 - Dad - Words from Spain

Dad,

This is so fun to see you talking to Rocio! She and her family are really some of my favorite people in the entire country and it is just crazy to see pictures of them and think about how their life is still moving forward and they are still out there somewhere even after all these years. You definitely need to help her hook up with Kristi's Facebook account if you can. I would love to send her a message but I don't know how all that works and the last thing I have time for right now is to sign up for Facebook myself. :) Actually, I wonder if I even have time to try to correspond with a Spaniard in Spanish. I am really impressed with your Spanish as I read through these. It is so easy for me to read, but I am really nervous to try to type out a big letter and say everything I want in Spanish after all these years. I feel like it would take me an hour just to write a quick note like those you have been sending! Does it take you awhile? Anyway, I am very impressed how well your Spanish has held up over the years. I remember feeling so superior right when I got home that my Spanish was so sharp compared to "old-timers" like you, but somewhere in the interim I have been humbled to the dust and I would feel lucky to be able to communicate as well as you do now, let alone when I am your age. Anyway, so props for that. Love ya!

Blaine

From: bret bassett <bretbassett@gmail.com>
Date: Sunday, June 29, 2014 10:40 PM
To: Max Bassett <max.bassett@myldsmail.net>, "bwbassetts@googlegroups.com" <bwbassetts@googlegroups.com>, The BAWB <bret.bassett2.bawb@blogger.com>
Subject: Week 67 - Dad - Words from Spain

Week 67 - Dad (t-minus 37) - Words from Spain

Sunday, June 29, 2014

9:41 PM

 

Dear Max,

 

We are soooo happy that Meribel, Pau, and Gala were baptized.  We are soo happy for them.  Your description of their feelings was soo good.  At first excited, then troubled, then scared, then panicked.  Finally jubilent that they went through with it.   I sometimes think the harder it is to decide to commit to the Lord, the harder it is to decide to abandon those feelings.  While I don't believe it is true for all, I do believe it is true for many.  I do hope you are still spending ample time with them, showing them how much the Lord loves them for their big obedience…and how great it is to be a member of the church.

Here's a great thought you can share with them.  It is a thought David Orgill gave in his homecoming talk.  "Obedience brings forth the blessings of heaven.  Perfect Obedience brings forth Miracles. " 

 

We are also anxious to hear about Elder Neira's send off.  We heard a lot of comments from a lot of family about how hard companionship breakups can be.  After you've been together for so long, 24 hours/day, 7 days a week.  It is always hard.  And then to receive another companion and start all over.  It is difficult, but also a blessing.

 

I mentioned that David Orgill is back from his mission.  Rosey and Mom gave a wonderful report about  what a great missionary report he gave.  But even more amazing than his report was the fact that he didn't want Rachel Higginson (David's girlfriend) was there.  The weird thing is that he didn't want her at the airport when he got back.  And he didn't want to really see her until he was released.  Then after he got released he didn't really want to see her.  She told him to just call her when he was ready.  Then after his talk, I guess mom and rosey saw them hugging in the foyer after his talk.  So I guess things are going well…but it was a little weird at first I guess.

 

I had a good week this week.  I've written a book called 'The Agartha Rescue'.  It's been available for family to read for many months… and the only one who has been able to get through it is Nick who read the whole thing to Clay and Bret who both seemed to love it.  I owe he and the boys something big for giving me hope.  I may take em for pizza this week.  So to encourage more participation, I've read the whole thing into an audio-book.  We'll see if that generates any additional interest. 

 

I thought I'd share somethings I got from your friends in Spain.  First  I visited with the Rocio Rincon.  Here's our dialog.

 

 

Another person I've communicated with is a woman in Huelva.  She is friends with Lindsi Robinson (Bo and Bailey's mom) and Lindsi told me I needed to contact her.  It's been fun because she really talks like she wants to come meet you.  So don't be surprised if this sister shows up to visit.

 

 

 

So that's it from the homeland.  Just a quick thought to end with…

 

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,

 

When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,

When the funds are low and the debts are high,

And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,

When care is pressing you down a bit-

Rest if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,

 

As every one of us sometimes learns,

And many a fellow turns about

When he might have won had he stuck it out.

Don't give up though the pace seems slow -

You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than

 

It seems to a faint and faltering man;

Often the struggler has given up

Whe he might have captured the victor's cup;

And he learned too late when the night came down,

How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out -

 

The silver tint in the clouds of doubt,

And you never can tell how close you are,

It might be near when it seems afar;

So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit -

It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

 

 

Love.  Hang in there.  The Lord loves his missionaries.  We we love em too.

 

Dad

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Re: Little Leoney

Fun fun fun writeup of a sacred occassion.  I especially love your thoughts about being a teenage girl wondering how many kids you would have and what they would be etc.  But now they are here and you know them and love them.  I love them all to.  Thanks for enduring the pain to get them all here safe and sound.  Now for the fun job of getting your grandkids here.  Hang on for that wild ride.

Loves.  Dad

On Mon, Jun 30, 2014 at 5:19 AM, Kristi <kristi.bassett@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi from baby Tess! (Who Ivy has affectionately nicknamed "Leoney")

Max, I just collapse in bed exhausted every night! I'm so sorry! I hope to write soon! On Sunday nights I think "I should write Max, and speaking of things I should do, I should probably figure out how in the dickins we are going to move to Texas" and then rather than do anything I just go to sleep. And the next morning summer lures me outside, what with it's splash pads, hiking trails and snocones. And nothing productive ever gets done, and then I'm wiped out again.  Vicious cycle I tell you.

Anyway, I pried my eyes open at this 4am feeding to forward you the blog post I posted of Tess's birth! 

Sure love you!

---

Wow, two posts in a year, I am really killing it in the blogging department :). You know, I remember at one point finding my dad's old journal and reading through it. I realized that there had only been one entry in my entire life, shortly after I was born. At the time I was deeply offended, but the older I get and the more kids I have the more I am thoroughly impressed that he even had a journal, let alone that he wrote in it after I (the caboose of the family) was born.

With my first three kids I had written their birth story within hours of their arrival. I can't on earth figure out how I had the time and gumption to do that. Tess is now over a month old and if she is asleep then I am trying to sleep and if she is awake it's all I can do to pull my eyes off of her to accomplish anything. Plus, she really likes being held and really doesn't like anything else. And, truthfully, I don't mind. I realize now how quickly she is going to grow and so I indulge myself in holding her almost all of the time. Yeah, the house is a total disaster and we have absolutely made no progress on how we are going to move our household from here to Texas in about six weeks. I bet I will blissfully keep neglecting my other duties as long as possible. Babies were meant to be savored.

So yah, since my last post I managed to get pregnant, endure (not well) a very miserable pregnancy and finally birth a beautiful baby. It's a lot more complicated than I make it sound there, there were complications, sleepless nights of worry and prayer, ultrasounds, NSTs, meetings with perinatologists and calls from genetic counselors. And everything has revolved around the complications, but I kind of just want to post her birth story. You know, one without all of those stresses. So hopefully I will post more about the trials and miracles of her gestation and birth and first month... but not today.

----

I scheduled my induction about two weeks beforehand. I was feeling all self righteous and didn't want anyone to know I was getting induced. You might wonder why, and the short answer is that I think I am a nut case. We have always kept the name of our babies a secret (even our list of possible names). Somehow though my older kids got wind of the names I was considering and all converged on one name from the list. Tess. And then when said complications arose they prayed mightily for "Tessie" and talked about her and to her and...how could I possibly name her anything else after all of that? The problem was they were open with the name Tess and before long everyone who was anyone knew what her name was going to be. I didn't like that. I like having a surprise name announcement. So much so that I almost named her something else simply because so many people knew about "Tess". All this is to say that because many people knew the name I channeled all of my energy in to making her arrival a surprise.

The logical way to do that would probably have been to not schedule an induction at all and let nature take its course, but when push comes to shove if someone hands me a "get out of pregnancy a week or more early" card I take it.

So my induction was to take place on May 21st. I had to tell my parents so that someone could come and watch the kids. We held off telling anyone else though, which I was pretty proud of. My parents came early the night before so Blaine and I could go on our traditional "night before induction" date. We went out to dinner at The Cheesecake Factory, and then grabbed an Italian Ice at Rita's. We were going to go to a movie but I was just. SO. TIRED. And knowing that it would probably be a good four or more years until I would get a decent night of sleep again, we headed home at about 10:30PM. It was kind of a fun surprise to arrive home and find our kids all still awake (this was a school night) watching a movie with Grandma and Grandpa. What can I say? My parents are partiers.

We woke up early and headed to the hospital for our 7AM induction. We had chosen to deliver at Orem Community Hospital on the good recommendation of Laurie, plus the fries at their snack bar are to-die-for good.

I started getting awfully nervous about the whole thing. I did a lot more thinking about this pregnancy than the others, as, barring any heavenly messengers commanding us otherwise, this will be our last. Did I want an epidural? Did I even really want to be induced? Lots of time thinking about this things. They quickly got me hooked up to an IV and got the pitocin going. It was kind of a fun feeling being there and starting labor and no one even knowing. We felt very sneaky. I'm so weird.

Deep down I know I am an epidural type of girl. I have a pain tolerance of about zero. With the other kids I asked for the epidural as soon as they would give it to me (because I knew I would cave eventually, and if you are going to cave eventually there is no sense in trying to be a hero for a while). But this time I thought I would give it a go and see how long I could make it. Try to really experience labor for as long as I could. Who knew, maybe I would surprise myself.

It took a bit for the contractions to get going, and once they did I was just so darn proud of myself for breathing through them. Maybe I really was a hero. The baby's heartbeat was doing weird things. It would speed way up and slow way down. It was all over the map. They had me flip sides and do all sorts of things to try to get it to regulate. I believe they eventually put something in my IV to help. Things were all quiet when I told Blaine it would be okay for him to go and get some food.

Sure enough as soon as he left things kind of went to pot. The heart rate was even more erratic. People came in, they put me on oxygen. And the really ironic thing is that the exact same thing happened with at least Ivy, and Gwen, if not all three other kids. Blaine leaves and chaos sets in. Just a fact of life I guess.

They decided they better put on an internal monitor on the baby (you know, the one they poke into the baby's head. Sad.). And this is where the details are a little fuzzy. It seems like they did this before breaking my water, but wouldn't the act of doing that break my water? No idea. At some point they put on a monitor and things seemed less traumatic after that.

So by 10:30AM I was still busy proving what a capable birther I was by not getting an epidural. Sure the contractions were painful, but nothing I couldn't handle with a little dramatic breathing. Then my OBGYN waltzes in, "hey sorry I am late! You ready to get this party started?!". And there I was, like an idiot, thinking the party had already been going for some three hours.

Wow, two posts in a year, I am really killing it in the blogging department :). You know, I remember at one point finding my dad's old journal and reading through it. I realized that there had only been one entry in my entire life, shortly after I was born. At the time I was deeply offended, but the older I get and the more kids I have the more I am thoroughly impressed that he even had a journal, let alone that he wrote in it after I (the caboose of the family) was born.

With my first three kids I had written their birth story within hours of their arrival. I can't on earth figure out how I had the time and gumption to do that. Tess is now over a month old and if she is asleep then I am trying to sleep and if she is awake it's all I can do to pull my eyes off of her to accomplish anything. Plus, she really likes being held and really doesn't like anything else. And, truthfully, I don't mind. I realize now how quickly she is going to grow and so I indulge myself in holding her almost all of the time. Yeah, the house is a total disaster and we have absolutely made no progress on how we are going to move our household from here to Texas in about six weeks. I bet I will blissfully keep neglecting my other duties as long as possible. Babies were meant to be savored.

So yah, since my last post I managed to get pregnant, endure (not well) a very miserable pregnancy and finally birth a beautiful baby. It's a lot more complicated than I make it sound there, there were complications, sleepless nights of worry and prayer, ultrasounds, NSTs, meetings with perinatologists and calls from genetic counselors. And everything has revolved around the complications, but I kind of just want to post her birth story. You know, one without all of those stresses. So hopefully I will post more about the trials and miracles of her gestation and birth and first month... but not today.

----

I scheduled my induction about two weeks beforehand. I was feeling all self righteous and didn't want anyone to know I was getting induced. You might wonder why, and the short answer is that I think I am a nut case. We have always kept the name of our babies a secret (even our list of possible names). Somehow though my older kids got wind of the names I was considering and all converged on one name from the list. Tess. And then when said complications arose they prayed mightily for "Tessie" and talked about her and to her and...how could I possibly name her anything else after all of that? The problem was they were open with the name Tess and before long everyone who was anyone knew that her name was going to be Tess. I didn't like that. I like having a surprise name announcement. So much so that I almost named her something else simply because so many people knew about Tess. All this is to say that because many people knew the name I channeled all of my energy in to making her arrival a surprise.

The logical way to do that would probably have been to not schedule an induction at all and let nature take its course, but when push comes to shove if someone hands me a "get out of pregnancy a week or more early" card I take it.

So my induction was to take place on May 21st. I had to tell my parents so that someone could come and watch the kids. We held off telling anyone else though, which I was pretty proud of. My parents came early the night before so Blaine and I could go on our traditional "night before induction" date. We went out to dinner at The Cheesecake Factory, and then grabbed an Italian Ice at Rita's. We were going to go to a movie but I was just. SO. TIRED. And knowing that it would probably be a good four or more years until I would get a decent night of sleep again, we headed home at about 10:30PM. It was kind of a fun surprise to arrive home and find our kids all still awake (this was a school night) watching a movie with Grandma and Grandpa. What can I say? My parents are partiers.

We woke up early and headed to the hospital for our 7AM induction. We had chosen to deliver at Orem Community Hospital on the good recommendation of Laurie, plus the fries at their snack bar are to-die-for good.

I started getting awfully nervous about the whole thing. I did a lot more thinking about this pregnancy than the others, as, barring any heavenly messengers commanding us otherwise, this will be our last. Did I want an epidural? Did I even really want to be induced? Lots of time thinking about this things. They quickly got me hooked up to an IV and got the pitocin going. It was kind of a fun feeling being there and starting labor and no one even knowing. We felt very sneaky. I'm so weird.

Deep down I know I am an epidural type of girl. I have a pain tolerance of about zero. With the other kids I asked for the epidural as soon as they would give it to me (because I knew I would cave eventually, and if you are going to cave eventually there is no sense in trying to be a hero for a while). But this time I thought I would give it a go and see how long I could make it. Try to really experience labor for as long as I could. Who knew, maybe I would surprise myself.

It took a bit for the contractions to get going, and once they did I was just so darn proud of myself for breathing through them. Maybe I really was a hero. The baby's heartbeat was doing weird things. It would speed way up and slow way down. It was all over the map. They had me flip sides and do all sorts of things to try to get it to regulate. I believe they eventually put something in my IV to help. Things were all quiet when I told Blaine it would be okay for him to go and get some food.

Sure enough as soon as he left things kind of went to pot. The heart rate was even more erratic. People came in, they put me on oxygen. And the really ironic thing is that the exact same thing happened with at least Ivy, and Gwen, if not all three other kids. Blaine leaves and chaos sets in. Just a fact of life I guess.

They decided they better put on an internal monitor on the baby (you know, the one they poke into the baby's head. Sad.). And this is where the details are a little fuzzy. It seems like they did this before breaking my water, but wouldn't the act of doing that break my water? No idea. At some point they put on a monitor and things seemed less traumatic after that.

So by 10:30AM I was still busy proving what a capable birther I was by not getting an epidural. Sure the contractions were painful, but nothing I couldn't handle with a little dramatic breathing. Then my OBGYN waltzes in, "hey sorry I am late! You ready to get this party started?!". And there I was, like an idiot, thinking the party had already been going for some three hours.

So he breaks my water.

And oh was there ever water! Water and water, from the expressions of amazement from all in the room you'd think I nearly flooded the hospital. So. Much. Water. Everyone was duly impressed.

I've read a million times how contractions get worse once your water is broken. And let me just tell you, they aren't kidding. The very first contraction after that basically had me in tears and washed away any superhero resolves I had. Epidural, Stat! Seriously. The party had started.

My OB had made it sound like the anesthesiologist was waiting in the hall for me to say the word. Wrong. I begged and pleaded with Blaine to find the guy and drag him in! It took like almost an hour to get the guy in. And I know that isn't a super long time, but I am convinced this was the most painful labor ever experienced so it felt like an eternity. I wanted to go back in time and slap the earlier version of myself who no less than five times told the nurse that "no, no epidural yet, I'm doing jussssst fineeeee". Why self? Why?.

Then once the anesthesiologist and his partner (who was not actually his partner but turned out to be my new nurse...but I didn't know that) arrived it took forever to get the epi in place. They were sitting there talking about the most random lame things, like where to get good mexican food, and where they were going to go on vacation. I was gritting my teeth and just really wishing we could all focus on the task at hand. I could tell they were trying to get my mind off of the pain by asking me questions, which I refused to answer. Poor Blaine, he kept apologizing "I'm sorry, she's normally very friendly... I think she's in a lot of pain". Yeah, I was. They had me sit up, which was a little better. But man, it took them an hour to place the epidural, an hour! In my past experience it seems like it normally took like ten minutes max. The guy was having some trouble placing the catheter? Or something. But that didn't stop him from discussing with my nurse where the best salsa in Utah County could be found. I was thinking all sorts of mean thoughts like, "oh yeah let's talk about salsa while we mess around with the nerves in my back, that's a brilliant idea". Anyway, definitely not my finest hour and I was sure I was going to die from the epidural being placed wrong because no one was focusing on their jobs ;)

So there we were at like noon with an epidural in place and sweet relief flowing through. I apologized to my nurse for being mean. It's amazing how much more I liked her once I had an epidural. She was totally great. Pain can be really blinding.

I think my contraction monitor must have fallen off or slightly off or something because I couldn't feel my contractions and according to the monitor I wasn't really having any. But I must have been because all of the sudden I was a ten! Then there was my OB again. And it was time to push. Would I push for three hours like with Gwen? Ten seconds like Bentley? I always expect it to take a long time. And again the OB and my nurse were discussing good places to go eat. I don't know what it is about me giving birth that inspires these conversations :). Anyway, it was a matter of a few pushes, like say six, and she was here! 2:05PM 5/21/2014.

I am always amazed at the incredible relief I feel immediately after my babies are born. Pregnancy is so cruel to me, and immediately after the baby is born I start feeling better. She cried her little newborn cry and I just couldn't believe that she was finally here! Finally! And she was okay! And she looked beautiful! And it was over, I never have to be pregnant again :). It was amazing to just sit and marvel. A baby girl. My third girl. I have three girls and one boy. I spent so many nights as a kid dreaming about my future family, wondering how many boys and girls I would have. What they would look like. Finally they are all here and I know and love them all.

9lbs 6 oz, 20.5 inches. My biggest baby yet. And later I would be so grateful for every one of those blessed ounces as she still had so much to endure ahead of her. But that's another story for another day.

Sent from my iPhone

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Bret Bassett 

Bret Bassett  - PMP | International Product Manager |

4268 Sherm Circle West Valley City UT. 84120

Home: 801.968-0760 | Cell: 801.815.5860 | bretbassett@gmail.com

 

Week 67 - Max - Bonjour!

Hola familia!

Its been another successful week here in good ole Chiclana. The heat is blazing up more and more everyday, and I come home stickier and stickier every night (from the humidity) but I am loving life. I am honestly, truly, sincerely loving life.

ELDER THIA HA LLEGADO!!!!!!!! :) (Elder Thia has arrived!)

My new companion arrived on Wednesday afternoon. His name is Elder Thia (its pronounced Tee a, which in Spain, Tia means "aunt," and in Andalucia Tia means "girl dude.") haha For exampl, if I say Que Pasa Tio! in Andalucia, it means "Whats up dude (boy) " But if I say, Que pasa tia! in Andalucia, it means "Whats up dude (girl) " 

So with that said, you can probably imagine the infinite jokes that go on with his name! He is a good sport about it though.

Elder Thia is from France. He is half chinese and half american (dad chinese, mom american) I love having an asian comp!!!! But he has lived in France all of his life. He has been a member all of his life. He is taller than I am. He loves sports, plays soccer and rugby. He knows Spanish pretty well (its my first time in the mission however knowing spanish better than my comp) He has been out for 10 months. He is so great! He is probably one of the most Christ like missionaries that I have met so far on my mission. And I mean that completely seriously. He is so humble and sincere. He just loves listening to random stories. He is innocent in his mind, you wouldnt catch him saying a dirty joke. He is obedient! I love that! :) And so much more

I am so excited for these next 2 transfers with him. We might not see immediate physical success, but I am 100% positive that we are going to see spiritual success, and a lot of it.

This week, we have continued working with Maribel. Pau and Gala get back from Malaga this week so we are prepping to teach them EVERYTHING again, starting from 0! 

Maribel, however, is progressing like a champ! Yesterday, she came to a cita with us with Stef (who has a fecha for the 12 of next month) Maribel just shared her testimony about how you might not be completely 100% of everything right at first, but the comprension comes with time. She is a great missionary! :) I feel that through her, we are going to find many more people to bring to the waters of baptism! :) Please keep her, Pau and Gala in your prayers along with Stef!

This week I have been reading a talk by a mission President Lawrence Corbridge. He talks about "the 4th missionary." I dont have time to explain the talk, but I would HIGHLY recommend going and searching it. It, along with many other talks, has changed my view of missionary work and the meaning of being a missionary. It also helped me understand a bit more about the Atonement.

One of the main things I got out of the talk was a very important principle that I had heard about many times before the mission, but didnt really see how important it was.

Dad always always would talk about his famous theory, "The Gaping Hole" theory. I believed in the theory and would listen to him as he shared his thoughts about it, but it was kind of always something we would chuckle about. 

Now I see that this Gaping Hole theory that Dad had is tied to the center of the atonement, the purpose of Christ´s coming, the purpose of OUR coming, and so much more.

Basically the gaping hole theory is that when we like or dislike something (a personality trait, a type of food, etc), we begin to tell ourselves "its who we are." We begin to tell others, "i cant, I dont like that," or something along those lines. With time, that like or dislike turns into a gaping hole that we cant escape. 

The same is true with spiritual attributes. Once we start to say, "Its just who I am," we begin to lose our potential of who we really can become. The atonement is here for us to change. To not only change our behavior, but to change our nature. 

The Lord loves when we start to obey because we want to. That is how we truly can become happy. That is how we can change our nature. You cant be happy without wanting to do the things that make you happy, even if you do those very things! 

Once we start obeying with our "mind" and "Heart" and not only with our "Might" and "strength," we become changed beings. We escape that gaping hole.

I dont know if that makes sense, but I encourage ya´ll to look up "The 4th Missionary"

I better be off! I hope you all know how much I love you and appreciate all you do for me! I feel your prayers every day!

Carry on!

A vencer! :)

Sure love you!

Love, Elder Bassett

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Bret Bassett 

Bret Bassett  - PMP | International Product Manager |

4268 Sherm Circle West Valley City UT. 84120

Home: 801.968-0760 | Cell: 801.815.5860 | bretbassett@gmail.com

 

Letter from Blaine, June 29, 2014

Max, 

First of all, CONGRATULATIONS!!!! I just couldn't be happier for your success with Maribel, Gala, and Pau and for their awesome decision to join the church. I hope things continue to go well with them, that they will be a strength to the ward, and that the ward will be a strength to them. Of all your areas to baptize a family, I just couldn't be happier that you got to do it in Chiclana. Congrats and send them our love!

Well, it's been a fun but busy week for us, as usual. The bar exam continues to consume my every thought and almost my every waking hour. This weekend was nice because Kristi got to take the kids to a condo share her parents had in Midway so they were there all weekend and I had half of Friday and all of Saturday to just work, work, work. It probably doesn't sound fun, but it actually was a really good feeling to get to really hit it hard with no distractions. I probably put in about 22-24 during those two days and, though I'm still far from being really caught up, I am feeling much better about things than I have in a long time. Anyway, one more month and then I can stop talking about this, but for now, that's about all I've got… :) 

Today, I came up to Midway and it has been fun to spend day with Kristi and the kids and her parents after being away from them and working so hard the rest of the weekend. We went on some nice little walks around and even drove over to Cascade Springs to hike around there. Then we had a nice scripture study lesson about faith, hope, and charity (from Moroni 7) before putting the kids to bed. Then the adults stayed up and played a few games. Now I'm just praying Tess will sleep well enough that we can get a little shut eye, especially Kris who hasn't really slept much in weeks. Tomorrow we are looking forward to swimming and hanging out a little before I have to head back and get back to work and then the rest of the family are going to come home on Tuesday. 

Anyway, so there's not much to report this week on our end, but I do feel really bad that you haven't been getting my letters apparently. I'm not sure what's up with that. I feel like I've written you every week since Tess was born except maybe one, so I definitely want to make sure you've gotten my letters. In particular, I sent one right after Tess was born  and you got to Chiclana where I reminisced about all the people I remembered and sent you a bunch of pictures I found of them. (I actually kind of spent the whole day working on it, in fact, so I was kind of sad you never responded to it!) I don't know how you missed that, but all I can figure is that maybe it was too big with all the pictures and couldn't go through? Or maybe your ldsmail account does not allow attachments or something? Are you guys allowed to receive pictures? Anyway, I am going to resend everything to you now (I won't copy the rest of the family) and I will separate out the pictures into several smaller emails in hopes that they will go through (in case the one big email I sent was just too big). First I'll send the text which retells the story of Tess's birth and has some information about the pictures, then I'll send all the pictures, then I'll reforward the other emails I've written since then, just in case there are others you have missed. If possible, could you please let me know what comes through so I know you got them? If I need to send hard copies I can, but I'm really hoping you have ways of printing things off—especially the long letter if you don't have time right away to read it. (It is long, but it is worth it and I would love to hear back from you on it—who you know, who is still around, etc.) 

Also, say hi to all my peeps for me. It's sad that not only you think I've been too busy for you but that they think I've been too busy for them. On the contrary, I put everything down the second I got your first email from Chiclana and had a great day going through my mission journal and pictures, thinking about all these people, and anxiously awaiting hearing about and from them. 

Anyway, good luck with your transfer and your new companion and congratulations again on the baptism. Keep up the good work—I'm looking forward to the day when Chiclana gets its own STAKE! :)

Love ya, 

Blaine

From: Max Bassett <max.bassett@myldsmail.net>
Date: Tuesday, June 24, 2014 4:22 AM
To: Blaine Bassett <blainebbassett@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: Letter from Blaine, June 22, 2014

Hey Blaine! Thanks so much for the letter! Everyone here just loves you. I will try to send out more pics of the families I see.

I have not recieved yet any photos or emails from you for the past few weeks. I recieved your bark letter about Tess, but thats all Ive got. I just figured with Tess and everything that was going on, you hadnt had the chance to send anything...which is totally fine! But I havent recieved anything for a while from you.

Thanks for your example bro!

I sure love ya!

Love, Elder Bassett

On Mon, Jun 23, 2014 at 6:30 AM, Blaine Bassett <blainebbassett@gmail.com> wrote:

Max,

It has been so fun to read your letters lately as you close in on more and more ever-elusive baptisms, and, in the meantime, as you continue on the ever-important ministering that is really the meat of your mission and exactly what  will lead to those baptisms. We hope and pray for good news tomorrow—that the baptisms went through and that more are on the roster soon. But whether or not that's the case, we love hearing about everybody you are working with and we are all so pleased with your faithful spirit, solid work ethic, and positive attitude. Keep it up!

I don't hear much about any members or menos activos that you are working with or eating meals with, but I would love to hear more or see pictures. Have you been to dinner at the Rincones or the Pachecos yet? Or anyone else that I might know? Did you get all my pictures from a few weeks ago? Did any of them help or was there anyone you knew in any of them? Or do I need to resend them? I would love to hear more about the ward and the current members as you also tell us some of the exciting things going on with your investigators. 

We've had a stressful few weeks with lots more stressful weeks ahead. Well, that's not totally fair I guess. They've been very sweet weeks too. Summer is so dang fun. We see so much of everyone. There is so much to do outside and around town. Though studying for the bar has totally consumed my life lately, if you take that time away, it really feels like we're just going from one fun party to another. Honestly, it is so fun that it almost adds to the stress. That probably sounds weird, but I think you can understand what I mean as much as anybody. It is probably hard for you to hear about all the parities and fun that are going on here because you just get to hear about them but don't get to be a part of them. Well, the only difference between you and us right now is which parties we each have to miss. You have to hear about the fun and know that you aren't part of it in the present, but you at least know that you will get to be a part of it soon, in the future. On the other hand, we are experiencing the fun for ourselves in the present, but with every fun party comes this sick feeling at the end knowing that we are going to miss all (or at least most) of the fun stuff in the future. It's a different feeling than what you might call "trunkiness" but it really is kind of similar and it is hard to deal with, especially with all the other stress going on. In fact I think we've hit some of the lowest lows I've had in my life in the past few weeks and some of my feelings I can only compare to the mission. I just hope that we are doing the right thing. I wish that I felt the confirmation every minute that I felt back when we made the decision to move to Texas. I wish Kristi would feel it. I wish that things would come together better and that there was more to look forward to instead of just this big scary black void of what will happen next. Poor Kristi is finally coming off being worried sick about Tess's health every minute to find that while the fun summer is flying by her, she has a mountain of work to do to plan a move that she is not at all sure she wants to make. Meanwhile, I am fighting such an uphill battle with my bar studies. I don't know how many hours I would need to work in a day to be able to go to bed feeling like it was enough, that it was a good day, but I've never hit that number yet. No matter how much time I spend, it's never nearly enough. Anyway, I'm not trying to complain but just to say that it's funny how life always seems to be balanced in its various seasons. I can't imagine how fun life would be right now if I didn't have to study for the bar and we didn't have to move, but that's just not the case. And I can't imagine how stressful it would be if all the pain we are going through wasn't punctuated by fun parties all the time, but, thankfully, that isn't the case either. There's just always a challenge in life that you have to be working on and there's always lots of good things around you to be grateful for at the same time, and taking it all in—whatever good and bad life throws at you at any given time—is what living life is all about, I guess. That's my working theory at least. :)

Anyway, so what have we done? Well, tonight we had a fun party at our house with Mom and Dad and Easton and Kaylani. We had a great meal followed by homemade coconut ice cream (made by Kris) and my latest fun treat I have been trying to perfect, homemade half-pops. My patented recipe for these little delicacies is literally patented—just not by me. :) I was trying to figure out how to make an entire batch of popcorn that just pops half way and the best answer I could find was by searching the U.S. Patents for ones owned by a company that we just discovered that actually markets these little treats. I have tweaked the recipe over the past couple weeks and had fun playing around with it. Though mine aren't exactly like the ones that you buy at the store, I think they're really good and fun for me to make. This was the first time I shared them with people outside the family and I got a good reception from everybody. So as I continue perfecting them, I'll look forward to making you a batch someday. 

We also had a Genessy family party this week with the entire Genessy extended family. They don't get together too often so it was a really fun chance to get to see some of the cousins on that side that we rarely see. A lot of the kids and teenagers I don't even know or recognize because they were so much younger last time we all got together. But anyway, that was a fun little reunion that I was glad we could go to. 

Kristi has been taking the kids to swimming lessons as a way to get everybody out of the house to help me get more studying done. I'll have to let Kristi tell you more about that, but they all seem to be enjoying it and I'm excited to eventually have all the kids be good enough swimmers that we don't have to worry about them too much when we go swimming different places. We're not there yet, but hopefully we'll get there eventually. :) 

I did a couple 5-6 hour walks this week which do interesting things to a body. I have to carry my clipboard to take notes on the lectures I'm listening to (I'm obviously doing these to study, not just for fun) but it has been really fun and interesting to push myself to the limits and see how far I can go. I realized that it is less akin to a run than it is to a long hike when you go that far. It is not about the intensity but the endurance. After 5-6 hours in he sun, I have come home pretty dang sunburned a couple times (even with having taken sunscreen). I have had to do various different things to try to stay hydrated, I have gone through shoes faster than I ever have before, etc. But on the plus side, I have burned thousands of calories per day and have stayed awake and alert for multiple long, boring lectures in a row. When I think back and review what I have learned, I associate various locations on my walk with various things I am learning, which is interesting. Hopefully, it is helping me remember and retain better than I would otherwise. Either way, it makes for a unique and memorable season of life right now. No job, no real responsibilities, just thousands upon thousands of steps to take and facts to remember. :)

Okay, I guess that's all the time either of us has for now. Sure look forward to hearing from you tomorrow and we sure love you and continue to pray for you. I was telling Tess today all about this awesome uncle that she hasn't even met yet but that she's going to love. I have no doubt she will!

Love you bro,

Blaine

Re: Love from Mom

What a fun filled week you had mom! Way to go! Love you!

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jun 29, 2014, at 11:44 PM, Wendy Bassett <wendy.bassett@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Dear Max,
>
> Another beautiful Sabbath. We had homemade ice cream tonight on Yorg's new patio and celebrated Nancy's birthday. It was a perfect summer evening. Then we headed over to see Kath and Gordy's new home. They are ready to move in sometime this week after living at Brent and Nancy's for a couple months. Kath was so excited to show us all they had done. It is the exact floor plan of our original house which brought back lots of memories!
>
> News flash - the dairy did NOT close - only the Country Store. The rest of Winder Farms is running great. You can still be proud to be a part of it. It is sad about the store, however!
>
> Next news flash - baby Madeline Maughan was born this morning to Gwen and Robbie Maughan. Nancy actually got to witness the birth ( along with Robbie) which was fun for her. Baby and mom are doing well and little Peyton gets to stay at his grandpa and grandmas for a couple days.
>
> I'm sitting here looking at my calendar thinking about what a fun week I have had. I just love summer and it is zipping by way too quick. So here is a highlight from each day:
>
> Monday - met up with old GHS madrigal friends and went out to dinner. It was great to reconnect with people who knew me way back when and still love me, and vice versa. I appreciate the nice group of friends I had in high school.
>
> Tuesday I tended the three boys for a few hours while Stef did some errands. They are so fun and I enjoy having them close. We worked on batting practice with foam covered bats and wiffle balls. Clay and Bret are getting so they can hit pretty good. It must be the great pitcher they have!
>
> Wednesday the Temple opened back up after being closed for cleaning. Guess who was on my session? David Archuleta! He gave me a big smile. What a cute kid!
>
> Thursday Stef and boys and Gwen, Ben, Ivy and I all went on a BYU field trip. First we ate a picnic lunch at the bell tower. The kids were so curious how people got up to the top so we went down to the two doors to check it out. As we were standing there talking out came a guy who was in practicing on the tower organ. He was a music professor at BYU and invited us into the practice room played a song for us on the bell organ. This isn't the organ that broadcasts all over campus, but just the practice one. But I thought it was very cool! Did you know mine and dad's first date included a picnic KFC dinner at the bell tower? Then we headed to the newly remodeled Bean Museum to check that out and finished the day with an ice cream cone from the creamery.
>
> Friday I worked so Jordan could go backpacking. That was not a highlight but made me appreciate all the days I don't have to work! Watching The Lego Movie in the cool basement with dad and Janey and Warner was probably the highlight.
>
> Saturday was the Taylorsville parade. I love parades! We (Stef, Bret, Clay, Ned and I) helped Aimee Winder Newton in her campaign for County Council. We walked along side the white convertible (Clay Winder at the wheel) that Aimee was sitting in and handed out taffy and Aimee Winder Chapstick. Who would have thought Chapstick would be so popular!
>
> David Orgill got home from his mission last night and spoke in church today. He served as an assistant and shared a great message on the doctrine of Christ. I loved this statement he made: "obedience brings blessings, exact obedience brings miracles."
>
> So so so happy for your success last week. We loved hearing about Maribel and kids baptism. What a great day. We got lots of responses from Bassett family to your letter that I am planning to snail mail to you. I hope this is the correct address:
>
> C/Baleares N*8D 1*C
> Chiclana 11130
> Espana
>
> I'm excited to hear about your new companion. We pray you can continue to find those who the Lord has prepared. Keep being a good example. Thanks for all the great pictures from last week! Make it another good week.
>
> Lots of love,
> Mom
>
> Sent from my iPad
>
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