PRIESTHOOD POWER!

Colten received the Aaronic Priesthood today.

I feel so blessed to have Priesthood Power in my home.

I really am a lucky girl to be surrounded by these boys.

I'm so grateful to be their mom. They definitely challenge me everyday.

but i wouldn't trade it for anything.

isaac didn't want to be in the picture cuz he didn't have his sunday clothes on.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY "CHOTE"!

How can it be? It is just crazy to me....this sweet little red headed boy is 12!

What a joy Colten is! He really is a great kid!

Hope you had a great birthday "Chote"!

COLTEN DANIEL BASTIAN

* Sincere

* Talented

* Artistic

* Thoughtful

* Obedient

* Self Motivated

*Proactive

* Practical

* Simple

* Intelligent

*Content

If you don't know Colten very well....you are missing out!

When Colten was asked what he wanted for his birthday he said,

"uummmmm....nothin' really." He is a pretty content kid.

One thing i really love about Colten is how sincere he is.

i watch him do little acts of kindness for family members,neighbors and even strangers.

it is so endearing to a mother's heart to see her child practice such things.

Colten.....we are so glad Heavenly Father sent you to our home.

YOU ROCK!

MC HOMECOMING

So Mountain Crest had thier Homecoming a couple weeks ago and Jaden took one of his BESTEST friends in the world, Kenzie Taylor. They had a good time! They went boating for the day date, and Kenzie even managed to break her foot on the date! She still went to the dance and danced all night like it never even happened. And we can't leave out Jaden's ADORABLE smile... WHAT A DORK!

INSPIRATION POINT

Sometimes I am so overwhelmed with how beautiful this world is.

I truly feel blessed and closer to my Heavenly Father when I am enjoying nature.

I know I really take for granted the beautiful things I am blessed with.

We love taking drives up the mountains.

Each time we do, I know it is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.

My top 10 list is continually changing with each new drive and view we see.

It is amazing how the earth changes with each season.

I love living where we do so we can experience each season.

I hope you are all taking the time to enjoy the simple things.

Life can get too busy and we can miss out on what really matters if we aren't careful.

OUCH!!

So Riley was longboarding with Jaden....his long board caught a rock and.....YEAH....this would be the result.

He is beat up pretty bad.

His right hand is broken and his left hand is sprained.

When this happened jaden said,

"aaahhh riley, why does all the cool stuff happen to you?"

Boys.

SALSA TIME

Aren 't these beauties? Every year I wonder why I can as much as I do. Then the next year I do it again. This is a record year. I've canned more this year than any other year and I'm STILL not done! I'M TIRED! But I must admit...it is satisfying seeing all those jars on my shelves in my basement. I will have you know all those onions, peppers, cucumbers, beans and tomatoes came from my Dad's garden! He is aMaZiNg! He can really grow a garden. It is really beautiful this year. He is so generous and grows these things for everyone elses use. He really takes great care of us all. What a good man he is. Thanks Dad....you're the Best!

EAGLE SCOUT

HE DID IT!!!!

We had Jaden's Eagle Court of Honor on Sunday! It turned out perfect. I couldn't believe the turn out we had! It was great to have so much support. Jaden was really shocked when our great friends from West Jordan showed up, that really made his night. And special thanks to all of our family that made a special effort to celebrate this accomplishment. It really meant a lot to jaden. Bruce and I were able to plan the whole court of honor, so we really tailored it around jaden and what he loves. I have to tell the details.....Jaden has always had a special place in his heart for the Military and he has always loved the American Flag. A friend of Bruce's sang the Star Spangled Banner, man can he sing....AMAZING! We made special arrangments to have an American Flag flown over the Nation's Capitol in Jaden's name in recognition of him receiving his Eagle Award. Then we asked some of our local military do the flag ceremony, they were so accomodating, they were awesome, they also presented Jaden with the flag that was flown over the Capitol. It was really neat to see how excited he was. Jaden knew nothing about those details, so it was pretty special. These Young Men work so hard to earn this award....it is quite an accomplishment. Already jaden's brothers Riley and Colten are well on their way. Riley should have his Eagle real soon and Colten is already a 1st Class, pretty exciting. CONGRATS J!

CAMPING AT FLAMING GORGE

camping

fishing

boating

swimming

hiking

wakeboarding

tubing

cliff jumping

We had so much fun camping at flaming gorge. the water is gorgeous, the weather was perfect and EVERYTHING we enjoy doing we were able to do. I'm sure this will be an annual trip cuz it was so much fun. we took tons of pictures, it was hard to decide which ones to post. we are so grateful to bruce's parents, they always make camping extra fun. it's a lot of fun memories for the boys to go camping and fishing with grandpa and grandma.

WHO ATE THE STRAWBERRY MARSHMALLOWS!?

Well....to answer my question.....I guess I did!!?? Ya, I just bought them a couple days ago and they seemed to be slowly disappearing, as I asked around my little family, it seems that I am the guilty thief. You know when you buy a treat and it is really yummy and you take a few here and a few there and pretty soon you're like, "Hey....who's been eating my treats!?" And then.......YA....no one has been eating your treats, it's you, only you, you are the pig, you are the one that has been sneaking them ALL DAY long. hmmmmmm, does it count that I have done pilates EVERYDAY this week? No probably not?

note to self: don't ever buy treats again.

by the way....if you haven't tried these strawberry babies, they are really yummy. Try them by tearing them in two and adding a few chocolate chips, ya....double the yum! "Oh willpower.....where have you gone?"

19 YEARS and LOVIN' IT!

Bruce and I celebrated our 19th Wedding Anniversary on Tuesday!

It seems crazy it has been 19 years!

But what fun it has been!

I love this man!

I feel so blessed.

We have a lot of fun together.

He is crazy and makes me laugh all the time.

He is sensitive and is everything I need.

Thanks for the memories Babe....I love you!

Morning Dew

Jaden does a good job with picture opportunities.

He is pretty talented with his camera.

There are many, many more.

Every time he takes a picture i say,

"Wow....I love it....I'm making it big."

MY COLTEN MOVES ON TO MIDDLE SCHOOL!!!

It's hard to believe Colten

will be in Middle School!

This kid is a lot of fun.

He did really well in school this year.

He received an award for being

the most academic in his class.

He has worked with the special needs children

and has received many compliments

with his ability to reach out to them.

We are proud of you "Totem"!

Thanks for making life so much fun.

MOM....We'll just ride our skateboards home in the rain!

I Forgot to post this picture.

It was POURING rain two Sundays ago.

But the boys insisted on riding their skateboards home from church.

Isaac got home first, he was on his scooter.

Jaden got him second, he was on the longboard.

And poor Riley got home last, he was on the ripstick

(a little harder to ride all that way).

Ohhhh....and COLTEN actually got home first,

cuz he was smart and rode home in the car.

I LOVE THIS KID!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RY-BEAR!

WHO IS THIS KID:

Riley is quite hilarious....he makes us laugh all the time.

Riley is sensitive...he cares a LOT about others and their feelings.

Riley has a heart of gold....he goes out of his way to help people.

Riley is steadfast....he knows who he is and does not waiver.

Riley is constant....we tell him he is like the North Star.

Riley is my ROCK....he is strong in the young man he is.

Riley has a testimony....he loves the Priesthood and the gospel.

Riley is OURS.....You Rock Ry-Bear!

You are such an important part to our family.

WE LOVE YOU!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

PROM PICTURES!

Jaden had a blast at Jr. Prom!

Isn't his date adorable!

I told him he had to ask the prettiest girl at school.

That he did! She said "yes". And they had a blast.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN

Colten got to be Abraham Lincoln at the "Living History Museum" at his school.

Thanks to the most creative person in our family,

Dad....The Bomb, his costume turned out awesome.

Colten did a great job and was so excited to be Abraham Lincoln.

He thinks he ROCKS!

Colten's speech is as follows.

See if you know these interesting facts.

~ I was known for ending slavery. Who Am I? I am Abraham Lincoln.

~ My Mother died when I was young, but I was very close to my

Step-Mother.

~ Even though I enjoyed telling jokes and making people laugh,

I was no stranger to sadness, as I battled with depression.

~ I was fond of pets and owned horses, cats dogs, and even a turkey.

~ I had four sons, but only one of them lived to be an adult.

~ My nickname is "Honest Abe" because I was always careful to be honest in everything I did.

~ One week before my death, I had a dream of someone crying in the White House,

I looked in and asked who had died, and someone said,

"The President".

When I looked in the coffin it was my own face I saw.

~ Many people claim me to be the best President of the United States.

JADEN'S FIRST PROM!!

Would you go to the Jr. Prom with this hunk of a man? Yeah!

Isn't he such a good-lookin' kid?

I thought he looked pretty good, just sayin'!

He was excited and a little nervous.

These are such fun milestones.

But.....they grow up TOO fast.

We hope you have a great time "J"!

We are so proud of the young man you are.

THE MANY FACES

Jaden had far too much fun on our trip for Spring Break. I think he enjoys taking pictures of himself FAR too much. Although, we were all laughing until our guts hurt. He really reminds me of RACH and her silly pictures all the time. I miss her and her crazy ideas of "pull the ugliest face ever". Just sayin'... CRAZY, but...... I SURE LOVE THESE BOYS!

SPRING BREAK

Here are some pics from our Spring Break.

We had so much fun! It was absolutely BEAUTIFUL!

It was definitely worth the trip.

We for sure want to take the trip again.

We went to St George, Bryce and Zions. By far Zions is the BEST!

We even got to see Dinosaur tracks just outside of St George.

And a Gypsum mine as well.

FUN TIME!

Aren't they so CUTE!?

Les, Ang, and kids came to visit this weekend!

It was so fun to see them.

I LOVE it when we have visitors.

Dalton is such a good big brother.

Drew cracks us up every second.

And Lena.....well, she is a princess.

Thanks for coming to see us!

WE LOVE YOU!

BIG DAY AT THE GYM!

COLTEN, started the Boys Gymnastics Team yesterday.

He had a GrEaT time!

He said they worked him hard, but it was

the funnest time ever!

Way to Go COLT! We are proud of you!

JUST A SAD DAY!

I found out yesterday a former member of our ward here in Nibley passed away. He was SO young, 36, and has a beautiful wife and 4 young children. My heart aches for this family. He was such a wonderful man. I think what makes it extra sad is the circumstances related to his death. Life can be so strange and it is different for everyone. We are all faced with our own challenges, sicknesses, and heartache. And I think it is important that we understand disease and sickness can show it's ugly head in many different ways. No matter the circumstances I know Darin is okay and his wife will be blessed through this tragedy. But it is what it is.....And I AM sad.

OH WOW....My SON is SHAVING?!

I can't believe I forgot to post these pictures!

Ya know....it is vital to a swimmer's times to shave his legs during Region?

Yes....I must admit leaning over the tub to help my SON shave his legs

wasn't something I thought I would be doing.

But......MC did take Region and Jaden did drop time!

aMaZiNg!

BEORE or AFTER?

I must admit....I was pretty excited when Jaden asked me to cut his hair off!

Something about Jaden.....

he does what he wants to do when he is good and ready.

It doesn't matter who bugs him or tells him what they think.

He does things when HE is ready.

I think he is adorable no matter what.

But I missed his "baby" face.

Short hair is my favorite.

I wanted to kiss his face off when I was done.

WE LOVE THIS GUY!!!!!

We have always been pretty involved with politics, and for the most part we have always loved Barack Obama. We watched the Address to Congress and we only have 3 words to say...

"BARACK YOU ROCK!!"

FAMILY NIGHT ICE SKATING

We went ice skating for fhe.

It was a lot of fun!

RILEY is our princess!

When Isaac is concentrating.....his tongue hangs out, so funny!
I'M ScARed, MOM!

I had a blast! I remember skating as a young girl.