OUR ETERNAL FAMILY: Today is the day! 36 years!

Look at how young Justin was when he got his Eagle Scout Award. He followed Jer's example and got it before he got so involved in sports. Maybe that is the reason Hyrum say's his dad just likes to ."Get things done." I think it is a great quality. He, Jer, and Shannon have always been there for each other and as they have married such wonderful spouses....they have joined in. Justin and Tasha made the long drive from Omaha...wouldn't have dreamed of not doing it....to be with Jer and Andrea. Thank you!

When Justin was born, he already had a best friend. Then when Shannon came along....he was so good to include her in his play. He always liked having Jer or Shannon to play with him. He also liked having the neighborhood over to play some b-ball! We adopted a huge extended family!

The pictures above were taken when we still lived in Manderfield. Justin always preferred playing ball to farm work...but he did work on the farm, and it taught him to get a good education if he didn't want to stay on the farm. (You can also see the announcement for when they told us they were expecting Hyrum. It is a good thing he got that education because they have a lot of kids to support).

Jer is also the one that got him interested in his course for choosing his career path.

We tried to keep Justin well rounded. He not only played ball, participated in scouts, but in the small bottom picture he is performing at a piano recital. He never really did get into the music thing though. Now he loves listening to church music and sings a lot with his kids.

Thanksgiving day....1999 in Southern CA. with the Snow College Basketball Team. We really did travel to a few places we had never been as we followed him. It was a lot of fun and we appreciate his hard work and dedication in basketball that allowed us to have some great times together! Through the experiences of the last few weeks...we are all realizing how important these family times together are to each of us!

Our "standard" motel in Vegas when Justin played in tournament after tournament. Jer was on his mission at this time, so Shannon was Justin's best cheerleader . We had some great learning experiences and Justin was responsible for getting me out of my comfort zone. Thank you for the good times Justin. They are memories we will always treasure. Memories are such an important part of our lives.

I think Colleen took all of these Scout Pictures because she was there with Kiley. Justin didn't really like scouts that much but he was a good sport and went along with us pushing him without complaining.......again .....following in Jer's footsteps.

This is when we realized that Justin's true passion wasn't basketball....it was having his own little family. That is definitely his top priority and it has been so fun watching him as he interacts with his kids and puts Tasha and the kids first. It has been a joy to watch each of my children put their children first. It is a mother's greatest blessing.

This picture was taken the night of Shannon and Nate's reception. Little did we know that shortly before this, they had planned to be married in 2 years when Tasha's parents were home from their mission. This was a llooonnnggg engagement, but they did it and now have 7 beautiful children. Justin does stick to his goals.

I never got tired of watching Justin play ball. He had worked so hard to become so good. He really was amazing!

While Justin was still 17, he signed to play basketball at Dixie College with Coach Dave Rose (at our dining room table). Dave Rose is now the head coach at BYU. We have some great memories of Justin and basketball, but Justin really found himself while he was on his mission. He re-prioritized his life, and it was good that basketball no longer was his life. He gained a strong testimony of his own and is diligent in sharing that testimony with others and especially his own family. Scripture study is a top priority in their home, along with prayer and church responsibilities. He is also very involved in the day to day happenings of the kids. He does a lot or "running kids back and forth" and "watching" sports....and a lot of "coaching" his kids when he gets them alone. He is also very involved with their school work and is conscientious of how they are doing in each class at school.

In some ways I think Justin is the most focused person I know. If he believes he is right and he get's it into his mind that he is going to do something......he goes after it with out a thought that he could fail. That just isn't an option for him. He was like that in school, on his mission, in basketball, his career, and especially in his determination to live the gospel and teach his children the gospel. He is also great at making the time for a date with Tasha. This past while he has truly shown is dedication and love for our family!