THE BASTINGS BUZZ

Christmas with Cousins

It is always fun when all of Austin's cousins from the Bastings family come into town....a little noisy and chaotic---yes.......but still always lots of fun. They had a great time decorating Gingerbread houses together.

Maddie was my big helper as we assembled 13 gingerbread houses. Plus she helped frost many of the younger kids houses.

Austin did such a great job decorating his house all on his own and couldn't wait to dig in!!

It was also fun watching them act out the Nativity Story. Here they are waiting so patiently backstage.

Cast Members included:

Narrator: Maddie

Mary: Jessica

Joseph: Tanner

Angels: Sariah and Caty

Shepherd: Meagan

Wise Men: Connor, Klayton, and Austin

Notice Austin's gift to baby Jesus (his dalmation doggies)

I love that little guy!!!

I Love Christmas Goodies!!!

Austin has becomes quite the helper in the kitchen. He loves to pour, mix, stir, and of course taste test.

This year we made goodie plates and took them to a few of our friends in the ward. Austin had a great time delivering them to his friends and wishing them a Merry Christmas!!!

3 Years Old !!!

Austin is growing up so fast. Everyday he continues to suprise me by the things he learns. Austin can count to 10, recognizes shapes (circle, square, rectangle, heart), and his vocabulary is growing fast. Everyday he discovers new words such as "that's disgusting" which he usually says during Mikayla's diaper change. He has recently discovered that he has a last name and calls us "mommy and daddy Bastings." His favorite color is red and his favorite TV show is still Little Einsteins. However he also really enjoys watching Mickey Mouse and runs around the room in circle during the opening song to the new Disney show Jungle Junction.

Austin has tons of energy and a vibrant personality which we all agree comes from his daddy's genes. He still loves playing with cars and trucks. He also likes to line things up which I have seen him do many times with his cars, blocks, animals, etc...

Austin is still a very picky eater and his favorite snacks are chips, cheese, and bread (just like his daddy). I realize now that he developed his picky-ness because once he learned how to pick up food himself (like cereal, raisins, etc) he would never let me feed him again....so he never gave any food that required a spoon to eat a chance at being tasty. And now that he has developed his food preferences, he is pretty stubborn about not trying anything new.

Austin's favorite songs are "If You're Happy And You Know It" and "I Love To See The Temple". His favorite movie is 101 Dalmations and he loves his Dalmation doggies. From sun up to sun down they are always by his side---in the car, in the store, at mealtime, and at bedtime. Although Austin can be rough and tough like a boy, he also has a very loving and nurturing side to him. He spends much of his day taking care of his doggies....feeding them, playing with them, putting them to bed, taking them on walks, and loving on them.

And even though he now a 3 year old big boy, he will always still be my sweet baby boy!!

Surviving a "3 Year Old" Birthday Party!!!

Austin is more aware what a "birthday party" means and got really excited for his...especially because this year we thought it would be fun to have several of Austin's friends over to celebrate!!

Connor and Klayton

Paxton, Ana, Tanner, and Audra

Nathan and Pheona

and Mikayla!!!

We started the fun by playing games: ring a round the rosies, duck duck goose, and hide and seek. Then we went for a bug hunt and found the 20 bugs that I had hidden around the room.

After that we played the balloon game. I placed a smarty candy in each of the balloons and the kids had to pop the balloon by sitting on it in order to get their candy out. It was a pretty funny sight to watch. A few of the older kids were able to do it, then Craig had to finished popping the rest of the balloons.

Then it was present time. It was nice being able to standby and watch Austin open them all on his own this year. He got lots of fun gifts.

Austin and his new back-pack

Happy Birthday Austin!!!

Nursery Graduation

Austin has had some of the best Nursery teachers who have always gone above and beyond when it comes to teaching and playing with these 1-3 year olds for 2 straight hours. Austin has loved his time in Nursery. He enjoys playing with the toys and with his Nursery friends.

Last week was graduation for the Nursery kids that turn 3 this year. And Austin barely makes the cut.....that's right, starting in January he will be a Sunbeam!! (I'm thinking I better apologize and warn the Sunbeam teacher that Austin has plenty of energy and doesn't like to sit in one place for very long). But the Nursery Graduation was so cute!!! All the kids sat in their chairs at the front of the classroom and they did "Going on A Lion Hunt" followed by "Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam." Then the graduating kids walked across a Nursery table (aka "the stage") while their teacher read a little about them.

Here is what Austin's certificate said:

Austin is very playful (ahh, such a nice way of saying he is crazy full of energy?!?). He especially enjoys playing with dinosaurs. He is good at sha ring with his nursery friends. He is helpful and caring. Austin is such a special boy who is loved very much!!

Congrats Austin....your first graduation!!

First Words

Mikayla has started to repeat words.....she can say "mama" and "dada" when coached to do so. However, one day she pushed a toy down the stairs and after it had fallen over she said "uh oh." She has done that several times since, using the word "uh oh" when something has fallen down, etc.....yet she only says "mama" and "dada" when coached to do so. And so I guess this means that Mikayla's first official word is "uh oh."