Some of my favorites...

I was organizing some pictures on my computer the other day and thought I would post some that made me smile.


I am so happy they have eachother!


Hard at work on Daddy's motorcycle!


I just think this picture is hilarious!

One of the best....

This week has been a rough one for me. A very good friend of mine lost her battle with cancer on Tuesday, and it has really hit me hard. She was such an amazing, beautiful person. I am not sure why Heavenly Father always seems to take those
ones, but it happens more often then we would like.

Amberly touched so many lives in her short time on Earth. She was so talented, sweet, kind, and just all around fun to be around. She had such a beautiful smile and was so real. I admired that so much in her. She was the type of person you could sit and talk for hours with. We had so much in common and I loved to talk to her about gardening, scrapbooking, our kids, and gripe to eachother about the woes of being self-employed.

She has four adorable little boys and an amazing husband. He is such an example of strength and faith. As Durke and I visited with him yesterday, he was so strong and seemed at peace. He has a rough road ahead of him and I know he will embrace it and make the most of what he has been dealt. Both Amberly and Jason have so much faith. Amberly never let go of hope that she would be ok. She knew there was a plan for her.

I have had so many thoughts this past week. I have resolved to be a better wife and mother. We never know how much time we have and we need to really do our best. We need to fully love and show that love to the ones we care about. I just want to hold my kids and never let go. Each day truly is a gift and we can't waste it.

I've also struggled with feeling so negative about the world. It seems like nothing good is happening. Natural disasters, divorce, death. I am so scared for the future of my children. What kind of a world are they going to live in? The future is looking pretty grim. But just like Amberly, I need to remember that Heavenly Father has a plan, and we need to be faithful and happy and in the end it will all be worth it.

I am so glad that I know that Amberly still lives, and that she is pain free and happy. I feel so blessed to have known her and to have been able to call her my friend.

I really like this song by Randy Houser, it seems to sum up what I have been trying to say.

In God's Time

In God's time
A million years might only be a single day
And everything He does gets done His own way
In God's time

Oh, but no one knows
Not you or me
It might be tomorrow or it might never be
Oh, but don't lose faith
Put it in His hands
'Cause it might be that He might have a bigger plan
Than you had in mind
Miracles happen
In God's time

And in God's time
You'll finally get the chance to hold your baby girl
And all the sudden everything'll make sense in this crazy world
In God's time

And In God's time
You go to sleep and wake up with wings and learn to fly
And you finally meet your loved ones on the other side
In God's time





Amberly, I love you and you will be missed by many.

Hunger Games Cast

I loved the Hunger Games series and I was so thrilled to hear they were going to make a movie. They just released the leads...what do you think?

Katniss- Jennifer Lawrence


Peeta- Josh Hutcherson


Gale- Liam Hemsworth





I thought they did a pretty good job, now if they can act!

Easter

Easter was fun as usual. We have all been looking forward to Easter, and weren't let down. The weather could have been a little better, but oh well. We have a long-standing tradition of celebrating Easter with the Gordons. This year we had dinner at the farm and then all the parents hid candy and eggs in the orchard. This is one of my favorite parts of Easter. Then Grandma and Grandpa had put together a treasure hunt for the kids. It was way fun and the treasure was money eggs in the barn. We all got $3. Yea!



Louk thought hunting for candy was the the greatest thing to ever happen to him!




On Sunday, I had to remind the girls and Louk to look for their baskets. Goofy kids. They got some clothes, flip-flops, candy and Tangled. After church we had a little egg-coloring party and watched Tangled.



Louk had to put all of his new stuff on over his pajamas. He especially liked his new rainboots.






These were our votes for the best eggs!

It was another fun holiday, and now we are definitely ready for Spring.

Just thought I would share...

Durke and I really enjoy reading together. We read on our own too, well I do anyway, but we really like to read together. Right now we are the 3rd volume of the Kingdom and the Crown series by Gerald Lund.




I don't know if any of you have read this series but it is amazing. It is set in Jerusalem and surrounding villages during Christ's life. I have been reading the New Testament along with the books and I have learned so much. These books have taught me a lot and helped me to understand the scriptures and the culture of this time in history a little more. Plus, it sparks some really great conversations for Durke and me. So, if you looking for a way to spend quality time with your hubby read together!

How do you eat your Oreo?

Oreo cookies are a staple at our house! They are one thing that I have to be sure to never run out of or I get in big trouble! Everyday after lunch Durke divies out the Oreo's, it is such a special time... just kidding. Anyway, Louk has caught on to this tradition and definitely enjoys his cookies. He's a dunker just like his dad, I don't enjoy it so much because then I have to clean him up, and he is usually pretty messy. I had to take a picture of him today though, because he was so dang cute and made me laugh.

I hate tax season...

and that's all I'm going to say!

Catching Leprechauns...

On St. Patrick's day Gracie came in from playing outside and asked me the steps to trapping a Leprechaun. I told her to set a trap and put some gold in it and they might catch one. So she built a little trap in her Aunt Joni's backyard who lives next door. A few hours later, Joni came over and said that there were green footprints all around the trap and the gold was gone! Gracie and Abi thought it was so cool, they had to take pictures. What a cute & sneaky aunt they have!

Baby Cole

I have so many posts to do that I am getting a little overwhelmed, but I thought I would post the most important one for now.

My cute little sis and her hubby had their second son last Monday. He was almost a month early and is a tiny little guy. He has been in the NICU and is working on gaining some weight and getting the whole eating thing figured out. We haven't even got to hold him, but I did get to sit with him for a little while last week and he is so sweet. I just love babies, I could eat them up!

Here are a few pics of the little guy, I'll post some more later when he's home and not looking like he's on an alien spaceship or something.

Love you Jaimie and Chase! Congrats!

Cole Ray Bawden --- 4 lbs. 8 oz. 18 inches long.

Winter Escape...

Durke and I have been in desperate need of a vacation, so for Christmas we decided to book a cruise. We booked a Mexican Riviera Cruise with Princess and went February 12-19. It was the most amazing trip and one we will never forget! We are having such a hard time adjusting to life again. Here are a few pictures and some of the fun things we did.

Neither of us had ever been on a cruise, so just being on the ship was so great. We ate a lot, sat in the sun, ate a lot, danced, watched movies, ate way too much, and just enjoyed being together!

We saw so many ocean animals and it was amazing. The whales are migrating right now so we saw them almost everyday. When we were in Puerta Vallarta on a small boat we got really close to theh whales. We also saw seals, turtles, and tons of dolphins.





Here are a few pictures of some of the amazing sunsets and views we saw everyday on our ship.







(I have a thing for lighthouses!)

We also got to spend Valentine's on the ship. Our Valentines are usually spent with the kids, so it was quite nice! They made a big deal. We had dinner, went to a show, and dancing. It was great!





We had a lot of fun when we went into the ports. Our cruise stopped at Puerta Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Cabo San Lucas. Those of you who know Durke, know he is quite adventurous so that means I am always doing things that I am not so sure about. We (he) thought it would be fun to do the Zip Line and Rappelling in Puerta Vallarta. It was a little crazy but really fun.

When we first got off the ship, they took us on a speedboat out into the ocean for about 20 minutes to this little village in the jungle, then they put us on these crazy trucks and hauled us into the mountain, THEN we got on mules and rode higher into the mountains, then they sent us on all of these ziplines and we rapelled waterfalls. I couldn't take my camera so these pictures are from the website. It was so fun!











After Puerta Vallarta, we stopped in Mazatlan. This wasn't my favorite port. It was a littler scary, but we still had fun. We had a VERY interesting cab ride and got to play on the beach and shop.




Our cab!




There were some crazy guys cliff diving of this rock for tips. It scared me just to watch! It was so shallow and rocky, I really thought they were going to get killed!

Our last stop was Cabo San Lucas. I immediately fell in love with this place. It was SOOOO beautiful and clean. I definitely would love to go back there soon! We (again, Durke) decided to do the Rhino ATV adventure. It turned out way fun, a little wild, but we had a blast, and the beach was amazing!






After the ride, we shopped in a way fun market and bought all of our souvenirs. They had beautiful clay pots that were handpainted. I bought me a bowl and me and the girls some fun sundresses and bracelets.







We had such an amazing time, and it was really hard for us to come home, but we missed our kiddos and family and it is good to be back. I think!

I suggest a cruise for everyone! It is the best way to travel!!!