Just and update, and some sledding

We were able to get out and take the boys sledding again. We hit the school across the street but it wasn't quite the same. The snow was pretty hard and poor Ryan had to do all of the work. He ran the boys all over the field so they could "sled"
Ryan would pull the boys to the top of the hill and after pulling them down fast he would let them go and they would take off into the field.

Gauge decided pretty quickly that he wanted to hit the playground but Paxton loved sledding!

The boys had a great time. It was nice to be out too. We haven't had any snow for a little bit and its been nice getting outside.

There isn't much happening in the Bastian household these days. I have my induction date set at the hospital for February 3rd. My last day at work is coming up too which is both heartbreaking and exciting at the same time. I love my job, especially at Provo with the girls that I work with but its so exciting to be looking towards a change. New house, new city, new baby-its all pretty overwhelming. Probably all of the biggest stresses possible, all happening at once--I'd say we are taking it quite well!

I am running out of energy, I'm going to be honest. I have turned into a sleepy head while Ryan takes care of everything else. We are making some headway in our packing and just waiting for Shelby to come so that we can start making some trips up to Idaho. Now that Ryan is finished with school here in Provo we can kind of take our time getting moved which has made things so nice! I can't help but pack things even though we don't need them packed yet so we are starting to have to do without things that maybe we could have used for a few more weeks--like the boys beds and all of our food :) I can't help it!!

So we are living it up-living on hamburgers-donuts (my recent craving) and enjoying being together just waiting for things to move along. Sorry not a whole lot to report!

I hope your all doing well. We appreciate all of the kind words, help and support that we have gotten from our friends! You guys are the best!

Jumping fools

Today we decided to take a break from packing and other things and just hang out with the boys. We ran a few errands and the boys ran their little hearts out around the stores and then we went to the jumping jack's place in our area. I just took some shots of the boys sliding- I think we were there for a couple of hours, they had a good time!
Paxton is at the age where he doesn't get pushed around anymore. It used to be that we would go to a place like this and all of the kids would climb over the top of you if you weren't fast enough. Gauge is at about that stage. Paxton however, can hold his own now and I love it! No more falling down to the bottom of the line because the other kids pushed him down there. In fact, he was the biggest kid there and I am pretty sure most of the other kids were older than him... I was very proud! Do you other mom's go through that?! The kid can go on the biggest slides and he doesn't need Ryan or myself to follow him around anymore. In fact, on this next ride with the boat Ryan and I watched Paxton help Gauge up the stairs that were pretty steep and then at the top he pulled him onto his lap where they slid down together. Such a good brother!

(That poor girl there with them didn't get out of the way fast enough...she wasn't too happy by the time they reached the bottom) Ryan went on a few slides with the boys. On this one you can't really see it but they all went down together

Gauger-I think he caught air on this one!

Lately I think that I have been a little too much with the "nesting" thing. Preparing for this move has really had my mind on everything. I plan how we are going to make the trips in my sleep, I also think about where everything will need to go in our next house. I am making Dr appointments like crazy so that we can all see our dentist and doctors before we leave because we don't know who to go to in Idaho. Poor Ryan has like 3 appointments just next week. I discuss with Ryan what needs to be done over and over and over again. I have been planning like crazy and packing like crazy. I can't seem to help it-which made today SO NICE. I have been noticing that Paxton has had enough of my being around and not hanging out with him so it was good to just take a day and relax a bit. When we got home Gauge and I took a nap and I enjoyed myself with my family. I think I need more days like this one!

A whole lot a snow

Just to give you an idea of the amount of snow we have received...
It's been crazy. To keep on top of it our neighbor Doug is outside at all hours of the day and night shoveling the snow in both his yard and ours. He is a Saint-probably the best neighbor EVER! So Ryan and the boys decided to keep on top of his driveway for a day while he was at work.

It snowed that whole entire day. To keep on top of our sidewalks Ryan and Paxton went out several times and by the time they went back inside, the sidewalks were all white again.

Paxton absolutely loves shoveling the walks with his Dad. In fact, he asks all day long if its time to go out and shovel snow again.

One time we found him out shoveling himself. His best technique with the snow shovel is to find huge piles of snow, dig into them and transfer that pile of snow to another one that he finds somewhere else.
Not really productive, but the kid is sure a hard worker!

All the boys shoveling together
Paxton working hard!

This is how much snow was on the trampoline out back

It's so nice to have Ryan around lately to help with the boys. I just don't have the energy anymore-this last month of pregnancy is kicking my butt!
Paxton came to me while I was packing and said, "Mom- your working and Gauge is sleeping-no one wants to play with me" Then he walked away with his head down. Ryan got home right after that with a sled in hand and took him right outside to play. Here he got thrown onto the trampoline full of snowthey kicked down frosty

and kicked down the snow fortthen they went across the street where there are gigantic piles of snow in the school parking lot and sledded down over and over again. I wish I had taken pictures. We will have to get picture of the boys all sledding later.

On another note...

We found out this week that Ryan is finished with his classes on BYU campus. This means that when we move Ryan won't have to stay behind and we won't have to figure out how to finish these two classes while going back and fourth from Idaho. He is officially finished with school at BYU on campus and can take the rest of his classes online or at Boise State and still graduate from the Y. One more out of so many blessing we have received while trying to plan and move. I think this is blessing 1,999 -just since we have been trying to get moved!

Random things

Last weekend we were able to stop in and see some of my family and a friend of Ryan's that live down in south Utah County. I had to take this picture of the boys on the way down there because Paxton has been wearing these goggles everywhere and Gauge looked so funny where he fell asleep.When we got to our friend Dave's house he wasn't quite ready for company so I stayed in the car with Gauge while Ryan and Paxton visited. I took these pictures as we played in the car, they crack me up! Most people don't get to see this side of Gauge because he doesn't like the camera so even though there is no basis for these pictures I had to post them.

This first one is when he realized he could see me in the rear view mirrorthen we played peek a boo

I love that smile! After Ryan was finished visiting we took off to my sisters house. My parents were stopping by to give us some Christmas gifts since we weren't able to be with them during Christmas.

Paxton and my Dad have a real bond. They laugh, they hug and Pax totally makes my Dad smile and come out of his tough guy...ness. If you knew him you would know what I mean. The two are close and it makes me happy. My mom spoiled these guys

Paxton got a new spider man sleeping bag and a real tent shaped like bat man's head and ears
Gauge got a bunch of toys and these new pj's that are so adorable on him. Kyra and the boys are really close. Its going to be hard to leave her for Idaho!
THIS (drum roll please) is my new little Nephew Wyatt. He was born on Dec 29th but was in the hospital for a couple of days due to some complications that I have never heard of before. The good news is that he is home and healthy. Isn't he cute?

I can't believe how long its been since I have held a baby. Wyatt was born 8lbs 4oz and he looked SO tiny!Congratulations Heather and Dave!

Well, the new year has come! I really feel like 2009 is going to be our year. Now that the cat is out of the bag about our moving, I can update you on whats happening.

This weekend we headed up to Idaho so that I could sign some papers for my new job at Ada County Sheriff's office. When we first started talking about moving up there I thought I would check their website to see if they had any jobs available for dispatchers. They didn't, but I emailed them anyway and asked them to keep me in mind for when they were hiring. I got a call the next day and they wanted to do a phone interview with me that following day. Things have gone well so far and all that I have left for this job is a background check and a polygraph test. My offer for a job there will be dependant upon my polygraph test mostly, which after seeing my drug history (or lack thereof) they are pretty sure I am going to pass.
The background check lady actually looked over all of the drugs that I had not ever used and said "really?!" I told her yes. Then she said "how did you manage that?!"
I smiled and said "Provo, Utah"
Enough said!
We found out while we were up there that I am unable to do the polygraph while pregnant so we are going to have to make another trip.
We went up and back pretty quickly this weekend but while we were up there we ran by Ryan's brother Dan and his wife Sarah's new house. It is so beautiful!
It is really exciting to think that we are going to be living up in Idaho closer to them.
After I deliver Shelby we will start making the move up to Idaho. We have a house picked out, really cute with the coolest landlord's ever! We have a job for me and we've been looking for some jobs for Ryan for as soon as he completes school here.
We have wanted to move to Idaho for a really long time so the fact that we are doing this is way too surreal!
We had a great time in Idaho even though the trip was quick. Hopefully by the end of Feb or sometime in March we will be moved up there for good. The opportunity to go came really fast and we grabbed it. A month ago we had no idea we were going to be moving.
I have never moved anywhere before. I've been in Provo my whole life and although I am scared to death to go somewhere else, Idaho feels right for us. We are so happy up there and it feels like we are going to have a chance to start all over. We feel like we are finally going to be able to put down some roots. Something we just knew wasn't going to happen here in Provo.
Anyway, that is a little more of an explanation about our sudden move or sudden plans to move.
I am really having a hard time leaving my girls at work, and my friends here. Thank goodness for blogs right?! This is Ryan and Paxton at Lake Lowell in Idaho.
Here we come 2009!!