Johnson Watch

I'm SLOW!!

2012-01-25T10:34:00.003-07:00

Here I am, thinking that I need to get back into blogging. I'm going to try to be better. We'll see how long it goes....hopefully longer than the last phase.

We were able to invite people over a couple of weeks ago to celebrate our house with them. This process has been a LONG one as you all know and we are so glad to be here at this point. Thank you all for your support.

I really haven't taken many pictures...I've been slacking there as well. We've pretty much unpacked the boxes, but we still have a lot of organizing/decorating to do. So, I still have a bunch of boxes to empty in that reguard.

I've gotten involved in pintrest and I seem to spend plenty of time there looking at ideas and pinning things that I slack in other areas. We're working on getting chore charts up and ready to go for the kids. We really need the revamping and scheduling that they can provide. I think we're going to start using this chart found here: suttongrace.blogspot.com

If there are a few of you out there looking for something here is another site I found that lits a bunch of ideas: blogs.babble.com/family-style/2011/10/17/15-of-the-coolest-chore-charts-for-kids/?pid=7820#slideshow

While looking at chore charts for the kids...I thought I should come up with something for me. I found this blog that has a TON of ideas and a challenge that I think can help me out too. cleanmama.blogspot.com

So, this is basically what I have been up to and working on at this point. I'm hoping to get everything implemented by next week (if not today :)).

I'm here, just busy trying to organize my life and feel like we can settle into a good schedule. :)

Best Day Ever

2012-01-05T21:01:00.002-07:00

That's what my oldest said the morning that we told him we were moving. It really did happen and we really are in our new home and trying to unpack and put things back together.

In some ways it still doesn't seem real (granted it only happened yesterday), but I do LOVE my house and the change that it has provided. As you can see, our internet is up and our phone number is now working!! YEAH!!

Now it's time to organize and unpack. We will be having an Open House Celebration in a week or so. There have been so many people involved in this that we would like you all to be able to Celebrate with us as well.

Again...Thank you all for your support through this. We are forever grateful!

Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year

2011-12-23T17:23:00.002-07:00

WOW!! I really haven't been very good at blogging. New Years resolution will be to be better. :) On to my point in blogging today.

The best gift I could get this year is my new house and it looks like I will get my wish. It should come the weekend after. So, it looks like we will be into our new house in time for the New Year. We are very excited and are looking forward to this change. We should get exact times early next week. YAHOO!!! It's really going to happen.

A HUGE THANK YOU to all of you that have walked this long path with us. We have felt the prayers that have been offered and I KNOW that those prayers are being answered. I am often reminded that things don't always work out how we expect or plan, but they do always work out. We may never know why things have gone this way with our house, but I know that for some reason we needed to experience something or something had to happen and now it will be the best.

So, for now we are planning on signing on Thursday and then moving thereafter. Possibly Thursday night, but for sure Friday will be a big move day.

Haircut Time!

2011-11-15T12:51:00.003-07:00

For mom that is. It had gotten to the point that I needed to get a haircut. Everyone out that that has seen my hair in the past bit would agree with me as well, I'm sure. Anyway, I had my kids take a picture of me before and one after I had my haircut. Here are the pictures of the event:

Here is the pic of before.

Here is one of after.

Other Pictures

2011-11-09T13:56:00.005-07:00

Here are some other pictures that I found on our camera. I have been terrible these last couple of years and I haven't gotten pictures of us or the kids in our costumes. I know that just screams TERRIBLE MOM, but oh well. It's done now.

I did take pictures of some cupcakes I made and I really had a good time making them.

I decided to try a black and orange swirl...Strange thing...most didn't want to eat the cupcakes with black frosting.

These are some that I made for a cake walk. They are chocolate cake and orange frosting with chocolate sprinkles. I had dreamed about them and decided that they would be great. The payoff came when my husband walks in from work while I'm frosting them and tells me how great they looked. Later he told me that they tasted good too, so it worked out.

There is a pumpkin patch that has a maze and some fun things to do for kids and here are some pictures of when we went to get pumpkins.

My little 4 year old.

2011-11-09T13:33:00.003-07:00

I know have a 4 yr old little girl. As I was writing the other day I realized that I haven't posted anything about her big day. It's hard to believe that my 3rd child is 4. Time moves WAAAY too fast.

She has always been a happy little girl and I am so glad that she came to my family. I am so lucky, actually the whole family is lucky to have her in our lives. Here are some pictures of the big day.

She wanted sandwiches for dinner, so we made some on ciabatta bread that we had gotten at bountiful baskets the week previously. This is her at the table.

This is part of her cake. She said that she wanted a cake with flowers and a butterfly, I didn't get a good picture of the butterfly, but these are some of the flowers.

Here we are singing before she blows out her candles. The blowing out didn't go the greatest, but she figured it out by the 4th one. :)

This is a picture of a scarf that she got from her grandma. After opening a bunch of her presents she said, "It's just what I wanted!" Some things I really didn't know that she wanted, but it worked out anyway.

Here is a picture that we took of all the kids at the end of the day. They sure all have their very own personalities.

The difference a day makes...

2011-11-06T20:23:00.000-07:00

So for those that follow this blog know that we have been trying to sell our house for quite awhile. We finally got an offer in Aug. and as we have worked with our buyers, for one reason or another we haven't heard from them in the last few days. We don't know why, and I'm trying to be nice about it all, but it's very frustrating to know that they have pretty much stopped contact. Now, that all could change in a moments notice when/if their funding situation works out. We just haven't heard anything, so we have decided to re-list our house on the MLS.

Today has been a great day for us by way of calming emotions and re-focusing on what's important. With it being the first Sunday of the month and Fast Sunday, we took the time to really focus on the house situation and see where we were at the end of the day. We both felt like the testimonies born and lessons were for us. I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father. I don't know what the future is for us right now. We will hopefully hear tomorrow what the status is on the house that we have built. As far as the other stuff, we will ride it out and see where we end up. The next biggest thing that we need to figure out is where to attend church. About a month ago, thinking we would be moving in the next couple of weeks, we transfered our records over to the new ward so we could start participating there. For whatever reason, our records are still there and we are here, so we are thinking that maybe we need to move them back. We're not sure and we will be spending the week figuring that part out. If I had to choose right now, I think I might choose to move them back, but we'll see how I feel as the week moves on...

Thank you so much to those that have been supporting us through this VERY LONG trial of ours. I hope and pray that at the end of it all we will all have our faith strengthened and we can all grow and learn something from this. :)

Mission

2011-10-15T05:49:00.002-06:00

Did you serve a mission? Tell about your companions. From previous posts, if you haven't already figured it out I served an LDS Mission, which is why that question yesterday was a little big for one day.

I served in the Argentina Neuquen Mission. The best Mission! During my mission, I ended up having 8 companions. I won't go into too much detail about each of them for various reasons (the big one being privacy issues). I had a few 6 wk companions that I "killed". "Killed" being the term that we used when you were their last comp. I guess like everything else in life that was both good and bad. I didn't get to know them as well as I might have liked, but I did get to know more sisters that way.

I very much enjoyed having my native companions. (I had 4 that were native to Argentina, 1 that was native to Honduras, and 3 that were from America.) That was something totally new/different for me. Growing up I didn't spend a lot of time with other cultures, so it was fun to have companions that were from other cultures.

Probably the best thing that I came away from with my companions is know that relationships take work. Sometimes it's easy and sometimes, not so. I know that you can work through anything you want/desire in a relationship if you both care about it. I also learned about my own faults (and some of you might be reminded of them more regularly than you want to be).

I'm feeling totally under qualified to do/be what I am today. I am very much not perfect (and these companions could all tell you that), and have many of my own faults. It helps me feel more and more grateful for those that can look past them and love and accept me anyway. I guess that's sort of how I feel about my companions. As we spent pretty much every waking hour in each others sight you find that not everyone is perfect, but we are all trying. I won't lie and say that things were all peaches and roses, but I am grateful for those hard times as well as the good times.

A little shout out to any of my companions that read this blog. Thank you for caring about me even though I have my faults and imperfections. And for those that could be wondering, I love and care about you too!

Bloggers Block

2011-10-13T13:59:00.004-06:00

I have been thinking about how I need to be better about updating the blog, but it seems like there really isn't that much going on to talk/write about. Just normal life that doesn't seem very note-worthy.

I have been thinking about my lack of mothering skills. I need to be better in a lot of ways, but it's hard for me to be motivated to REALLY do something about it. I would call myself addicted to being lazy! :) I do a very good job of it. So, in an effort to be less lazy and more productive as well as help with my lack of writing abilities. (My writing abilities weren't that good to begin with.) I found this jar that has a whole bunch of little questions inside. I want to say that it's a type of journal jar. I'm actually not very sure what's all in here, but I'm thinking I will find out with all of you. So, during the week-days I am hoping to be able to answer one of the questions that are found in here.

So, as I pull the strip of paper out of the jar today, it says: "Tell some of your favorite scriptures and why they are important to you. Did you serve a mission? Tell about your companions."

That is one loaded question. I think I will break this one down into two days. So, to start I will share my favorite scripture. My all-time favorite would be found in the Book of Mormon (if you want to know more about what it is look here: www.lds.org)

Alma 37:37 Which reads..."Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day."

As I think back, I really don't remember how/when it became my favorite, but it sure did and it still is. I love how it says counsel, we can discuss and learn, it's a two way street. I also think it's interesting to note that we pray that we will be watched over in our sleep. Recently I read a book The Cleansing of America. It talks about the Second Coming and what it will be like as we get there and how things will look at the end. I think about the terrible things that will happen and with that in mind I can understand even more the importance of being protected while we sleep.

The other thing is that I'm a mom and I get nervous that I'll have a child not wake up in the morning. I do pray that my family and I will be watched over each night. I am also grateful that I wake up each morning and that my family does as well.

I am so grateful for the scriptures and what they teach. They help me to continue on and hope for things. I know that they were written for our day and they can help us as we go about our lives.

Hurry up, and wait!

2011-10-08T05:56:00.002-06:00

This is how I have been feeling. We got the offer on the house and as we have been packing and getting ready for our move the date has been changed multiple times. Hopefully we have had our last change and it will officially happen at the end of the month.

I'm really having a problem with mortgage company underwriting. They take WAY to long to do what they have to do. I understand that they are worried about having a problem, but they can't see the future to know for sure and so they take it out on anyone and everyone. Yes, we have a housing problem right now. Yes, it was brought on by the fact that they had allowed anyone and everyone to get a mortgage, whether they should have or not. I understand that, but do they know if we will loose a job? Did they know that any of those others would loose their jobs? NO!! It sure seems like they have gone backward rather than forward in reguards to how to handle this mess. Taking weeks and weeks to do something that should have only taken weeks is a joke. Do they really know any more now than they did then? I really don't think things have changed that much to warrent something like this.

Our buyers are having to re-verify their income. What difference does it really make? Now, if they had lost a job or something of a sort that would make so much more sense, but really, come on people. Move things along or stay in this housing slump FOREVER!!

Obviously, I don't have much of an opinion. :) We are excited to hopefully have a true ending date, we'll know for sure as we get closer.

ALL DONE!

2011-08-29T13:11:00.000-06:00

This has needed to be posted about for a bit. A few things in the last little bit are now all done.

We got an offer on our house and we accepted it!!! YEAH!! It couldn't have happened a moment too soon. We got the offer and then a few days later we had our final walk-through on the new house. It was great to go through the house with the arcitect and have him talk to us about warrenties, home care and other things to help us understand what is going on with our house. One tip he gave that I think everyone should hear is about touch-up painting. He talked about when the paint gets dinged up on the corners. He suggested you use a q-tip to touch up the paint. What a great idea and no brush stroking issues.

So, the house is ready for us and we just have to close on both of the houses and then we can move in. Right now the closing date is the end of Sept. but we are trying to work with those that are buying our house to see about moving the date up to the middle of the month. We'll see what happens with that.

My baby is now 1 yr old. It's crazy to think that's he's been around for a year. We were able to celebrate with family and dinner and cake with ice cream. I also made some cupcakes and filled them with ice cream. It was different, but no one complained about them. :)

My oldest is now in 2nd grade and his teacher is in our ward, so that's fun. He's liking school and seems to be doing ok....it is only the 2nd week, so there's still a lot of time for anything to happen.

My second started kingergarten this week. He has the same teacher that #1 did and that's fun. It's a little crazier for me to go back and forth 3 times a day. The afternoons are fairly calm with 2 at school, 2 napping and 1 awake. Maybe I can get more things done?

I think that's all for now that's going on. I think that's probably enough for now anyway. I will post pictures of the events in the next post.

BUSY TIME!

2011-08-12T14:28:00.005-06:00

Since my last post we have had some big/fun changes with the house, my brother came home from his mission in Germany and we enjoyed a great time with family at the beach in Oceanside. I wish I could go back. I had a dream last night that we were going to drive down for the day and I thought that it would be great. It really was a great trip.

I've got pictures of everything but my brother coming home. I had left my camera at home. :(

To go chronologically my brother came home first on Thursday. His flight didn't arrive until about 9:00PM so that made things a little tricky. I have a Johnson bro-in-law that lives in Wyoming and his family was down here and would be heading up soon so all the brothers got together while the girls and the kids hung out for awhile. Afterward we headed out to see the Returned Missionary and visit with my family. It turned into a late night with the drive home and all, but it was great to see him.

Friday we spent getting ready to leave with a couple house showings in-between. It was busy, but we got it done so we were ready to get up at 3:30 to get out by 4:30. All went well and we made it to CA by about 4:00PM. We spent a lot of time at the beach and the pool. We also went to the Mormon Batallion Museum in San Diego. We also celebrated our 9yr anniversary while we were there and we went into San Diego and had dinner at Panevino (a nice Italian place). For a little back story, my wedding ring broke a few months ago and I haven't been wearing it because of that. Well, I got my wedding ring back all fixed. It was so fun to get it back. I had been missing it. I realized how much I LOVE my ring. My dear husband did a great job getting it fixed and I didn't really even know that he had. (I had freaked out earlier that week because I couldn't find it and was going to go see about getting it fixed.) While there we also went to the Maritime Museum. We had a tour and our tour guide was WONDERFUL! He was an actor in Masters and Commanders and had lots of tid bits about that. We then came home late Sat. night.

Mormon Batallion Pics:

Beach Time Pics:

When we got home we had to go see how things had changed at the house. As of this morning the light and fixtures are pretty much all in, we have all the cabinetry done. The appliances are almost all in. The counter tops have been installed. So, now we pretty much just have to get the cooktop and sinks in and it'll be good.

Life is good/interesting. This isn't a very complete update, but it's fairly simple. Maybe it's more complete than I think too? Anyway, it's been a great couple of weeks and it's just going to get better at this point. :) There are a bunch of things coming up, so stay posted.

Update of the House

2011-07-27T09:26:00.004-06:00

We have had some big changes at the house in the past few weeks. Most of the exterior is done. The finish work has also been added to the interior.

Here are some pictures of the house:
This is how the house looked before I left for girls camp.

Flooring in the house:

Finish work in the house:

Exterior almost done:

Half Marathon

2011-07-27T08:40:00.003-06:00

My dear hubby ran his first half marathon (and maybe his last as well). He did a fantastic job. He ran it under 2 hrs which is amazing to me.

The kids and I were able to see him run in and finish. Things just worked out right in order for that to happen.

Fun With Food

2011-07-15T20:03:00.004-06:00

We have had some fun with some new recipes. I tried my hand at making some different cupcakes as well as cake bites. I know I posted earlier about that with links, but I found some pictures of the cake bites and thought I better share them.

We also tried some new pizzas one night. We did bbq chicken and an chicken, spinach, artichoke pizza. Here are some pictures of that as well.

Appliance Time....

2011-06-28T23:28:00.002-06:00

Apparently it's time to go appliance shopping. The sooner we get the shopping done, the sooner they can start working on the kitchen. :) It's amazing how fast this process is. I'm anxious/excited for this time. So, this weekend we will be out buying a gas cook top, double wall ovens, microwave, and a dishwasher. If you have any thoughts about appliances, please share. I'll be gathering all the info I can between now and Friday/Saturday!

Things seem to be changing everyday. We now have shingles on our roof and insulation up in the basement (which is how it'll be for awhile). It also looks like all the electrical work has been put in. I got to run out there this morning for my run and it's fun to see the changes that happen and also to see it before anyone is there. I have seen some arriving during my runs, but that's about all.

Life sure is interesting, isn't it? I am so blessed!

House Update!

2011-06-27T10:24:00.002-06:00

Here are the latest house pictures!

Front of house...

Back of house...

View from front room into the garage...

I have a ton more, but I don't think you can really tell what everything is, so that's why they aren't on the blog. If you want more, let me know and I will add some.

Last we heard, the finish date is for July 28th. We know the date may change, but for now that's what the plan is. For those wondering, we still have yet to sell this house. We started this path feeling really good about it and felt like we were directed in this route. I know that things will work out. I wish I knew the details, but I don't. We keep going along and things will be good. It's amazing the clarity we felt when we first thought about building. We had gone to the Temple and felt so good and then we talked to 4 different builders and only one got back to us. It sure made it easy for us to know where we needed to go next.

We are very excited about the progress on the new house and anticipate the sale of this one and the move that will follow. Trials make us stronger and through this one for me/us, I have gotten stronger (the lesson isn't over yet, so I have yet to get stronger) and learned much. I am grateful for the things that I have learned and the struggle that it has been. I just have to keep enduring to the end. :)

Thank you all for letting us bore you with the details. Also thank you for your help and advice and suggestions it has been great. Any other ideas and suggestions are welcome as well. :)

Hole in the Ground

2011-05-29T13:59:00.003-06:00

Who would have EVER thought that I would be so excited about a big hole in the ground?? I can assure you that I never thought it would be me. Building a home always seemed like something that would be *fun* to do, but I never thought I would be one to do it.

When you learn that a new developing location feels just so "right", how do you not listen? Here we are now in the first stage of actual building and it still just feels so "right". It's a wonderful feeling. I guess I'm posting pictures of this hole because I want you to be a part of this journey with us. I don't think I've ever shared all that has gotten us to this point and maybe I'll have to do that in the next post.

Anyway, here is our hole as it sits now. I know things will change quickly and I will try to continue to show you the progress. ;)

Preschool Graduation!

2011-05-29T13:40:00.003-06:00

I have the cutest 5 yr old. He is an easy going, good kid. I'm excited for him to start kindergarten next year. He is too. :) Here are some pictures from his Preschool Graduation. Enjoy!

Cupcakes and Cake Pops

2011-05-27T12:48:00.007-06:00

I was wanting to make cupcakes, so I went internet hunting and found some things that I could mix together and make what I want.

So, I took the chocolate cake recipe from the "Red Checked Cookbook" (Better Homes and Gardens) to make the cupcakes. I added an extra 2 Tbls water to compensate for cooking in high altitude.

I then made the filling from here: http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/hostess-inspired/
http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

I used this method to fill them: http://www.beantownbaker.com/2007/09/cone-method.html

I then used the buttercream frosting recipe from here:
http://iammommy.typepad.com/i_am_baker/2011/01/cake-decorating-ideas-valentines-day-edition.html

When I made the cupcakes I ended up having more batter than liners, so I sprayed the cupcake pan hoping that I might be able to get more out....it didn't work out so well, so I decided to just get the cake out and make cake pops/bites with it. I used the buttercream frosting recipe to mix in with the cooked cake and shaped them into balls. I then dipped/rolled/spooned them into chocolate.

I had never done either of these things before (I've made cupcakes, but never filled them). I also used the cake tips that I have to try different things on top of the cupcakes... I didn't really know what I was doing, but it was fun to pretend like I did. :)

Another Birthday!

2011-05-23T12:27:00.004-06:00

My oldest is now 7! Can anyone believe it? I surely can't. It seems like not that long ago that he was born. What a blessing his is in our lives. He is such a big helper to his younger siblings. He enjoys first grade and likes to color. He is also doing really well reading. He is reading books in the Magic Tree House series and it's fun to see him excited about reading and books.

He asked for an ice cream cake with oreo ice cream. So, it's a 9x13 chocolate cake with a layer of oreo ice cream in the middle. It is also topped with cool whip. It was YUMMY!!! Here are some of the pictures from his birthday.

He probably won't be happy with this picture, but the cake was good enough to lick the plate. That says something, right?

Birthday Time!

2011-05-22T16:44:00.000-06:00

I realized that I never posted on my Hubby's Birthday. Also, looking at pictures, I realized that I never got a picture of his cake. He asked for a poke cake, so that's what he got. Lemon cake with Cherry jello poke and cool whip for frosting. It tasted really good. :)

Here are some pictures of the event:

Spring Break!!

2011-04-20T08:28:00.009-06:00

Last week was Spring Break. We had a busy/fun/big week. We put in an offer and got it accepted on a house to be built for us. It'll be built just west of here, so not too far away and Mike will probably add another 5 min or so onto his commute. :)

Here are some pictures of the lot and a copy of the plan.

At the back of the property is a stream with a walking trail that will be city maintained.

Here's a floor plan, not sure how well you can see it, but.....

We also got to go to Trafalga in Lehi. I think everyone had a good time. Here are some pics of that...

We also got to spend some time at the park

Ben

2011-04-20T07:58:00.003-06:00

Here are pictures from when Ben got the citizenship award in his class.

The first grade class put on a Honesty program. Ben played a part as Abraham Lincoln and had a line to say. Here are some pictures and a video with him saying his part.

The video didn't work. I'll try to add it later.

My Birthday!

2011-04-20T07:22:00.003-06:00

The next pictures I have are from my b-day... I have to show you the cake. My new favorite kind to make are ice cream cakes. I did strawberry swirl ice cream with a chocolate cake.

The best gift was to go to the temple with Mike in the afternoon! It was great. I won't tell you how long it had been since we went, but it was well needed and so worth while. :)

It's fun to turn another year older when it doesn't matter :)
Thank you family!

Jacob's Birthday!

2011-04-08T09:05:00.003-06:00

HapPy BirThdAy JacOb!

He made it to 2 (back in Feb, we're slow posting)! He is such a cute little boy and we had fun on his day. Here are some pictures of the event.

$$$$$$

2011-03-15T09:28:00.003-06:00

Curious about..... My son needed a prescription and with insurance right now we have a pretty high deductable so it cost us $40 to fill it. The thing I really don't understand is that this morning I gave him the last of the dosage, but I still have at least 3 days left of medicine.

So, I spend $40 for a prescription that I don't even use all of?? I don't understand why? If you are in pharmacy or know something about this, please tell me what's going on. Is the medicine really that expensive to make, then why do you give me more than I need. If not, I think someone is making good $ from all of us that get more medicine than we need.

As a side note....how do you tell someone that they should finish the prescription, but yet they have more than we need to take? Just looking at these 2 bottles that I now need to throw away, sure makes me wonder what we are teaching ourselves and others to do.

Sorry, I just wish I understood what we really are supposed to do. I will throw out these bottles, but I can't help but wonder if my son should actually be finishing it off.....

Princeton

2011-02-14T15:05:00.003-07:00

Mike had to go to Princeton again to work on the Praxis test. (He went last July.) We decided that I would go with him this time. With help from my wonderful mother we were able to leave all 5 children and take this little trip on our own.

We left Thursday morning and got into Princeton about 6:30 local time. We were able to have dinner with some of the others on the committee. Friday and Saturday Mike was in meetings from about 9-5 so I got to wonder around Princeton, relax, nap, and read. We did go to Princeton together Friday night and walked around and did a little shopping. I ate at a place called My Panera, it was very good. The closest one to me here is in Denver or Las Vegas. I may not get to go back there for awhile. I also got to take a tour of Princeton University. It was neat to see and learn about the programs that are offered. I felt a bit out of place, but it was good.

We then left just after noon to head back home. We got home about 9:30 at night. Mom seemed to have survived. :) Thank you mom.

Here are some pictures of our trip:

This is where the Princeton University Pres. lives.

This is inside the Cathedral on campus. It seats 2000, one of the largest Cathedrals on a campus. (It might be THE largest, but it might just be the second largest.)

A picture taken while driving to the airport of the Philadelphia skyline.

These are 2 bridges that we passed. I just thought that they were cool looking. Don't see many of them around here. :)

Quick Update

2011-01-16T21:25:00.004-07:00

For those that have read the last post, here is an update to that. We were able to go see my brother and his wife in the hospital on Sat (yesterday). They were doing well. Julia (the baby) is doing amazingly well for her gestational age. She weighed 1 lb 4 oz at birth and was 12 in. long. She is TINY. She is pretty much just hooked up to oxygen and has a feeding tube and iv, but other than that things are good.

We are so glad that things are going well and that the tough choice that was made is having the outcome that it is. Our thoughts and prayers are with you guys as she continues to grow and develop in the NICU.

Thank you for your thoughts and concerns. We appreciate it. It'll be a slow process and we're hoping that she'll be able to come home from the hospital by her original due date (May 10th).

I will try to keep you updated as things progress....no news is good news. :)

Baby Julia with her Dad's wedding ring on her wrist.

Humm.....

2011-01-13T12:42:00.003-07:00

Not sure if this is appropriate or not, but I know that not many people even look at my blog and if you do, it's probably ok to say this.

We are having a pretty rough day today. I have a new niece that was born last night 17 wks early. This is one of those times that I wished I lived just a little closer and could do just a little more.

How grateful I am for family and the love and support we are able to provide one another. As I talked to one sister this morning (she's in Spain) we talked about how we both wish we were closer. I decided that my 5 kids is the same as her being a country away. Two very real reasons as to why not being there/closer is the same.

I guess I just wanted to wish the family the best without having to call them at this time. I'm thinking of them and praying for them.

HaPpY BiRtHdAy ChArLiE!!

2011-01-07T05:02:00.004-07:00

It's been awhile, but Happy Birthday to my 5 yr old boy. It turned out to be a pretty bad day weather wise, so we decided to stay in. We ended up watching the Toy Story movies back to back. We finished eating pizza while we watched the last one.

I'm so glad to have Charlie around he is mellow and pretty easy going and that's very nice. He is a great older brother and helps me out quite a bit.

Happy Birthday Kiddo!

Happy Wedding and Merry Christmas

2011-01-01T09:38:00.003-07:00

We have been so busy, I am getting so far behind.

We had a great time with family for the wedding festivities. We also got to spend time with Mike's dad on his actual birthday, which he hasn't been able to do since leaving home.

We then got to spend more time with family at Christmas. It's fun to be together and just get to know one another better. We wish we could have spent more time with you all, but it was good anyway.

We also got a TON of snow the Tuesday between the two previous events and I've got pictures of that here as well.

We are anticipating this new year and hope it's a good year with some fun things happening.

Wedding Pictures:

Snow Day:

Christmas:

As you can imagine, I have tons more pictures than what are on here.... Hopefully, this will give you a good sampling.

It's Been A LONG Time...

2010-12-15T09:39:00.003-07:00

I've been out of the blogging world for awhile. I've been slow to read blogs as well as write on my own. Just a little info...

We were able to go to St. George for Thanksgiving and had a fun time with all the family. It was nice to get away for a bit. My brother and wife that live in Montana were able to come down, so that was special as well. We missed one sister and her family since they moved to Spain this summer. We missed another sister for her travelings. In her travelings though she ended in Spain so we got to Skype with both of them and that was fun.

We got home and started preparing for the Christmas Season. The Christmas music came on along with the decorations. With the changes that we've made to our house to accomidate our growing family, I think it leaves some areas more cluttered, but I don't have any other options at this point. We are glad to have it up though.

We are now preparing to head up North for Christmas festivities as well as a wedding. Mike has a brother who is getting married in Logan tomorrow. With that, his parents were able to come in this last weekend to be here for the Events that come with that. We were also able to spend some time with them on Mike's dad's birthday.

In the last couple of months we have had some changes by way of callings around here. Mike was put in as the Ward Clerk. We have learned that it's a pretty intense Sunday calling. It's a struggle for me at times, but it's good. I got a new calling to be the Beehive Advisor. It's a busy calling at times as well. It's a little different with the holidays and such, but Mike is a great support here at home for me. Last activity, I even got to go with out Seth. Thank you Mike!!

I will post soon with pictures and more updates before things get too crazy again.

Life really is good. I'm very grateful that it snowed. I think it is helpful for me to get in the mood of the season and remember those things that REALLY are important. I am very grateful for this time of year and the time that we have to focus on those important things. I am so blessed.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRIGIT!!

2010-11-03T14:19:00.005-06:00

My little girl is now a 3 year old. I can't believe how fast time flies. We are so lucky to have her. Here are some pictures from the big day.

Present Time:
She got a bunch of dress-up items that she was excited to get. The morning after her birthday I found Ben and Charlie in helping her with a dress and accessories.

The Cake:
My mother-in-law had made this cake in the summer and I decided to try it. It's chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream and cool whip for the frosting. It turned out great. While we were eating it, Mike tells me that he's figured out what kind of cake he wants for his birthday. So, we started discussing cake/ice cream combos that we would like. Yum!

You know your getting old when....

2010-10-21T10:40:00.003-06:00

You know your getting old when you have officially found 4 different gray hairs growing on your head.

I really was hoping it would take a few more years to get more than the one that I have had. Hopefully they don't show up again for a VERY long time.

I was also realizing that I almost have a 7 yr old and I still feel like I could be 23 (well, sometimes at least).

When most of the friends that you have are younger than you.

When you start to realize that you really want to add something to your pancakes. Blueberries anyone? Yummy!

New Pictures

2010-10-18T12:49:00.004-06:00

It's time to update our family picture as well as individuals of the kids. We decided that we would just do them ourselves and here is what we ended up with. See what you think.

Seth's Blessing

2010-10-13T13:32:00.004-06:00

We were able to bless Seth this last Sunday. Thank you everyone who was able to join us. We appreciate the love and support that we receive from all of you. I did get some pictures so here they are:

Smile on Camera

2010-10-07T15:01:00.002-06:00

FINALLY!! Seth has been smiling for two weeks tomorrow and this last weekend I was able to get it on camera. I've got lots of pictures where I tried, but finally it worked out. So, here it is:

Thanks for getting him to smile Ellen. :)

Too Long

2010-09-27T12:55:00.005-06:00

It's been quite awhile since I have posted anything and I have been thinking about it and meaning to for quite some time. I have a few tings that I didn't post about back when they happened, so I will do it now.

Here is a picture of Seth's first bath. Yeah!

Charlie started pre-school and here are some pics from his first day.

I have been wanting to go to the Temple, but right now it's quite difficult to go. I decided that I would take the kids up and we could enjoy the Spirit while being on the Temple Grounds. I love going to the Temple!

I tried to get a picture of all 5 kids, but they didn't cooperate at the same time.

Jacob and Brigit held hands while we walked around. It was too cute to not take a picture of.

Then this last Saturday, Mike participated in The Dirty Dash at Soldier Hollow in Heber City. For those of you who aren't familiar with The Dirty Dash. It's basically a 10K obstacle course in mud. So, that's why they are all covered in mud. Here are some pictures of he and his team (2 bros, 1 bro-in-law and 1 sis).

Finishing the race:

THEY DID IT!

We were there:

Weight Loss

2010-09-22T19:16:00.008-06:00

I really hate to be a braggart but I am feeling really good about myself and need to spend a little time gloating.

Unfortunately I am not naturally disposed to having a health looking body (i.e it is really easy for me to look unhealthy/overweight), and over the past nine years I have done little or nothing to change that fact. In high school as I played football and ran track I was able to maintain a descent weight even though I stuffed my face with whatever I felt like. In the year between my graduating from High School and leaving on my mission I ballooned fairly unfortunate proportions. Then came a 2 year stint in Peru eating rice and beans every day and walking everywhere. One of those weeks in Peru included some jungle sickness where I lost 10 pounds and reached my lowest adult weight of 175.

After my mission I returned to my life of idleness with occasional forays into extra physical activities but none of them ever stuck. As I replaced clothes that where worn (and maybe a little tighter), I found myself looking at bigger sizes than I have worn before and justified it to myself by saying that everything is cut differently and clothes are just smaller. I moved up to a 40 inch waist and began buying XXL shirts. My weight topped out at 244 (at least that was my highest measured weight).

In January my parents decided to sponsor a Biggest Loser contest. Not wanting to adjust my life style too much I figured I could make minimal changes, lose a few pounds and still walk away maybe in third (I apologize now to my family for my lack of confidence in your abilities to lose weight, we all did wonderfully). So I added 2 nights of Basketball to my weekly schedule thinking that it would be enough to lose a few pounds.

After a couple of weeks I had lost nothing! And I was getting frustrated! About this time I read several articles about adjusting your eating being more important for weight loss than exercise. So I began eating less. The major change I made was in not taking seconds. I had got into the habit of eating until I could not eat anymore, usually a large first serving with a descent second serving. I made my first servings the size of what my seconds had been and was done after my first plate. I also made my snacks healthier and limited the amount of sweets I would eat (one desert a day, 2 scoops of Ice Cream instead on 3). And I began to lose weight! Slowly, I lost 1-2 lbs a week.

I was able to consistently maintain that weight loss all the way through the summer. In July I began running again and ran a 10K on the 24th of July. The big race that I have been training for is coming up on Sat., The Dirty Dash a 10K in mud with Obstacles and I am really excited. As of last week I have really reached many of my goals and had a few extra bonuses thrown in. I am now wearing pants with a 36 inch waist (I actually got a 34 inch pair on and buttoned but nobody wants to see me in skinny jeans) and the shirts that I buy for the most part are larges. As fun as this is it does tend to be a little hard on the budget. And for the most significant accomplishment, I now weigh less than 200 pounds! This is the most healthy, and best I have been in my adult life! I have plans to keep it up and I hope to get down to even healthier levels but I am very satisfied with where I am now and am excited for Becky to join me as we work together to be healthier.

Pictures!!

2010-08-30T12:01:00.003-06:00

Much needed. Mike got to take Ben and pick him up from his first day of school. After he dropped him off, he got to come up and bring Seth and I home from the hospital. Here are some pictures from that first day (or 2) home.

Ben, mad that it's not time yet to head to school

Ben, happy to be at school

Seth ready for his car ride home from the hospital

The "boys"

The bigger three heard Seth crying and so they went to investigate.

Brigit holding Seth

A Day of Firsts

2010-08-24T21:01:00.003-06:00

I will have to post pictures later. I'm a little tired and lazy right now, but I wanted to make note of today.

Today was Ben's first day of First Grade. It's a little strange to have him gone all day. I've been having mixed feelings about it for awhile now.... It really is hard, but good at the same time. It'll be interesting to see how things go this week adjusting to his new schedule.

Seth and I came home from the hospital today, so that was another first for us. Everyone was excited to have us back home. It'll be interesting to get some routine going and figuring out how things are with 7 of us now.

There weren't that many firsts today, just a couple of big ones for us.

Thank you for your well wishes for us. It's fun to make these kind of announcements.

Seth Orvel Johnson

2010-08-22T19:46:00.004-06:00

Well, last night at about 9:00 we felt it was time to visit the hospital again. It was very convenient because the older three had just gotten back from Camping with Grandma and Grandpa Hansen and Grandma and Diane were here to watch the kids.
When we got there we were told that Becky was at a 4 and that we would stay until the baby was delivered. So we stayed all night long. By 6 in the morning Becky was at a 6, the contractions having calmed down quite a bit after we showed up at the hospital. The doctor then decided to speed things up by putting her on Pitocin at 7 and lilttle Seth arrived at 9:30.
Here are some pictures that we have taken since then.

Life is good!

2010-08-20T11:16:00.003-06:00

Here I am thinking about how great life really is. Maybe part of that is knowing that I will only have one child over night. My wonderful mother is heading up to a family reunion and offered to take the older 3 with her. It'll be fun for them. We'll see how this goes, she may decide never to do it again (hopefully not though).

I am still pregnant and actually not feeling too bad about that either. I'm ready for this little one to come (and to find out if it's a boy or girl), but it's ok that it hasn't happened yet. I am sure hoping that by this time next week though, that we are on the other side. :) We'll see what happens with that though.

We have lowered the price on our home and it may be getting more activity now. So, that's a good thing as well. We'll see how things play out in the next few weeks.

You just never know what will happen do you. Life sure can keep us on our toes. Hopefully as we are going through this time our legs will surely be strengthened by standing on our toes so much. :) Thank you for your help and the blessing of just chatting with some of you. We will keep you posted as to what happens and when.

More Venting in the Waiting Game

2010-08-16T03:16:00.002-06:00

So, I thought I wouldn't have another post until the baby is here, but I can't sleep and it's 3 AM. I've been having a pain that isn't helping me in the sleep department. I have my Dr. apt tomorrow morning and I keep thinking about that as well and I don't think that's helping me sleep either. Also, I just keep having to go to the b-room that it's not helping at all. I've been 4 times since 12:30. Of course, I'm also thirsty, so I can't get up without getting a drink.

I'm getting anxious for this little one to arrive. I think the pains aren't helping either. Mike and I also figured out that this is the longest I have ever been pregnant. I've had all my kids exactly a week or more early. I'm just hoping that my Dr. will start me and I'm hoping it will happen by Thursday so I can at least get home before back to school night on Monday and school starting on Tuesday.

I'm trying not to complain, but I can't say I'm doing too well in that department. I'm just getting anxious and nervous to see how things are going to work out. So, there are my early morning thoughts when I can't sleep.

On a side note, I think we have narrowed down names a bit. YEAH!! I've determined that the name game is the hardest part of pregnancy. We'll see if we can finalize it by the time this baby does come and we get out of the hospital. :) We'll let you know as soon as we know the name. Anyway, enough for tonight. We'll see how things go and I'll probably post again soon.

Ventations of a Pregnant Woman

2010-08-04T18:46:00.002-06:00

I feel that I need to write a few things and let others know what's going on and to help me remember down the road a bit.

I have been to the hospital 3 times at the time of writing this. I have been having contractions and go to the hospital only to have them send me home about an hour later. I went in Monday night, they checked me. There wasn't much happening so I got sent home.

Yesterday was Mike and I's anniversary and we decided to go to a little Peruvian restaurant in Provo. While eating I started having contractions again. In the car on our way home, I started having pretty intense contractions...worse than they had been the night before. We came home and started timing them and debating what to do. We finally decided to just go in. The pain was getting bad and it had been about 2 1/2 hours since we started timing. We then arrive at the hospital and she checks me and I really hadn't had any changes. They monitored me for an hour and then checked me again and still nothing had changed. They gave me a shot of morphine to help me sleep and ease the pain of contractions. We then got home and I went straight to sleep (I was actually pretty loopy by the time we got to the car).

This morning we got up and about an hour after getting up the contractions started again. Basically as painful as last night. So, after a bit we decided to just head to the hospital. We get there and I get checked again and this time I was actually dialated to a 2 (one cm more than last night). They monitored me for an hour, checked me again and nothing had changed, so I got another shot of morphine and I slept the whole way home. Right now I am still under the influence of this fine drug and I'm not really in any pain. I'm anticipating the medicine to wear off and start this all over again.

If you really want to hear me complain just call me in about an hour when the pain starts again. :) I'm hoping that the next time we go in it will be the real thing. I'm tired and frustrated with what's going on with my body right now. I have learned that every pregnancy and delivery really is different. You just never really know what's going to happen. I'm very much hoping that the next post is of a new baby or that things have died down enough that I'm not worrying about this part any more.

I don't know how helpful this all is or if it's anything any body really wants to know that much about, but it's nice for me to get it out in writing. Now you know a little of the therapy that helps me. ;) We'll see how things go.

Randomness....

2010-07-02T21:23:00.002-06:00

Things are going fairly well around here. Some days patience grows more thin than other days, but I guess that's to be expected... It just may surprise you that it's not so much kid related as it is house related. We are still here and hoping/waiting for the perfect person to come see our house and love it!

Also, I have begun to realize that we will be having a baby fairly soon and that school will be starting as well. It's weird to think we only have 7+ wks left until both things happen.

We have been thinking again about names....I think it might be the hardest part for me in having a baby, deciding on a name. I decided to take a few gender predicting quizes and it looks like according to them, it's a girl. So, if that's the case those that think we'll have a girl will be right.

As you can see we still have a few big things that we are anticipating having happen. My patience gets tried, but I know things will work out how they are supposed to. I am looking forward to the changes and all that will be taking place in the next little while.

Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3....

2010-06-20T11:14:00.002-06:00

So, I just wanted to post something that is fun. Since Charlie's surgery I haven't noticed too much the difference in his hearing. This morning though, I realized how his hearing is affecting him. It's time for him to change his clothes and take a bath. He's pretty much just been wearing the same thing since surgery and it has reached the moment of stink that needed to be addressed. He wasn't excited about getting in the tub, but after some coaxing he is finally in there. I put some bubbles in the tub and I was sitting with him and he asks what a noise is. We talk and it's the sound of the bubbles all popping. I left and came back a min later and there he is with bubbles in his hand and he's holding them up to his ear. HE CAN HEAR!! What a blessing hearing is. It is really a miracle unfolding before my eyes. I am so grateful for Doctors and the advance in technology that makes this possible.

I'm guessing that as I watch him and as he gets feeling better that I will see more manifestations of our own personal miracle in our lives. What a wonder.

Also, in other news. Jacob is taking more and more steps. I think he will reach his goal of walking by July (I'm not sure how much he understands his goal, but that's what it is none the less). Things are going well, just hoping our house will sell soon. We have found a couple that we like and can't make any offers until this one is done. So, we'll stay patient and it'll work out for the best.

Surgery Day

2010-06-15T20:05:00.004-06:00

So, today was the day. Surgery day for Charlie. We talked to him about what was going on a few days ago and he seemed to handle it well. I don't know how much he has actually understood about what was going to happen today, but he did well.

What do you expect from something like this?? Well, he really started to act nervous/scared when they came to take him back to the operating room. When they had us come back to see him he was obviously just waking up from the anaesthesia. It was a good thing dad was there to hold him. He was thrashing about and not doing too well. We finally got him to calm down and he fell asleep. He slept for quite awhile before he woke up and was calm. He was then ready to try something to eat and then he had to take some pain meds. He was good eating some jello and then when we got the medicine for him, he really didn't want anything to do with it. Finally, he took it and then they monitored us just a little bit more before they would let us go home.

So, we expected to be home by 1:00 and it turned out to be closer to 2. It was a long time, but good. He seems to be doing well and is currently asleep and isn't supposed to get more pain meds until 9:00. In about an hour we might find out how much pain he really is in.

I'll probably be able to post more later with how his hearing seems. We were told that his worst day will probably be day 4, so on Sat. we'll know how that is and maybe have a better idea on how his hearing is.

2010 Dino Camp

2010-06-11T09:25:00.004-06:00

So we just spent 4 days in Central/Eastern Utah camping and exploring a variety of dinosaur associated sites in the Price area. On Monday we arrived and set up camp at the Huntington Reservoir State park. It was a very nice camp ground with a lot of grass but little shade. The biggest benefit though was that it was empty. There were 22 sites and no more than 5 were full each night. We had a simple meal of roasted hot dogs and then spent the night eating a wide selection of S'more variations. These included using Keebler Fudge striped cookies, Chocolate covered Graham Crackers, Grasshopper cookies (Mike's favorite), using peanut butter cups instead of plain chocolate, A banana boat (banana sliced open and stuffed with marshmallows and chocolate and heated till the chocolate and marshmallows melt, Ben's favorite) and the classic S'more (Becky's favorite). (Charlie, Brigit and Jacob were content to eat the various ingredients uncooked.)

We began Tuesday with a lesson in Baseball (I never realized how difficult this would be to teach). Ben and Charlie had gotten Balls and Mitts for Easter and had been practicing throwing and catching for a bit. This week we introduced the Bat. We had both Ben and Charlie hit the ball. Ben from a soft pitch and Charlie from in improvised tee (my hand). They both did great with it and we will try to attach the video of Ben hitting the ball.

Of course this was the hottest day of our trip and we chose this day to visit the Cleveland Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry and go for a hike. The Quarry was about a half hour away (14 miles of that over dirt road), and includes the single largest source of Allosaurus bones in the world. One full skeleton was there on display and more than 40 others are on display throughout the world. We were able to see an excavation site and then spent some time hiking around the Quarry. There were several trails and we chose the moderate difficulty 1.5 mile trail and took of walking and looking for dinosaur bones. I thought that 1.5 miles would be easy even with Jacob on my back but I did not count on having to travel at the slowest pace or that we were truly in a desert. We spent about 2 hours on that trail. Ben did an Awesome job of leading us (though he did keep confusing the trail with dried out water creek beds. Charlie did well for about the first mile. Towards the end he got really tired but he did finish the whole thing. Brigit did fine though she did need to be carried occasionally. And Jacob fell asleep on my back. It was a fun adventure.

After returning to camp we spent the rest of the day and all of Wednesday pretty much recovering and trying not to get any worse sunburns. Being right on the reservoir we were able to get into the water a few times and cool off there and just enjoy camping in general. Wednesday night I tried my hand at Dutch oven cooking for the first time and it did not go too bad. We had BBQ chicken which was great but I had trouble baking the Potatoes at the same time. We'll have to try something different next time.

On our final day, Thursday we headed home through Price with a stop at The College of Eastern Utah's Prehistoric Museum. It was a neat place to visit with several full skeletons including a Mammoth, Saber Toothed Tiger, Short Faced Bear, Wolf, Allosaurus, Raptor, Ankylosaurus, Stegosaurus, Triceratops, and many others. The kids were able to dig for bones and they had a great time.

With this being our first major trip of the summer I think we have stepped off on the right foot.

Lots of happenings....

2010-06-07T04:51:00.006-06:00

So, I realized that I STILL hadn't uploaded pictures from our camera and we are going camping today, so I figured I better post now and get ahead of things before I have camping pictures to add.

Mother's Day we spent dinner up with my Mother. My brother-in-law did a wonderful job with the ribs and I ate to my hearts content. It was great! Here are some pictures of the event.

Next we have Ben's graduation from Kindergarten. He got to dress up and there was a ceremony with all the Kindergarten classes. Here are some pictures of my recent graduate.

The next big event that we have pictures from was Memorial Day. It was great to spend some time with family. We have always had a reunion at the Perry Park on Memorial Day and it was decided that it was the last one this year, so we'll be coming up with new Memorial Day traditions I am sure. Here are the pictures I have from this event.

Poll

2010-05-17T16:13:00.003-06:00

So, I've been thinking about it and thought this would be fun. Since we really don't know what we are having and both Mike and I are intuitive desensitized right now, this might be fun.

So, feel free to vote and let us know what you think. It'll be interesting to see who has the intuition and who is like me. For now, the poll will be up for quite awhile, so you have plenty of time to think about it.

We are looking forward to this summer. I'm SO ready for the end of school this year. I don't remember feeling this way in years past, so I think a lot of it has to do with having a kindergartener. He will actually have his last day this Friday and the rest of the schools aren't done until next Thursday. Mike will then be working for a bit longer and right now it looks like he may be done on the 5th of June. (YEAH!!) I think I just have to keep having fun so the time will fly. I'm sure we'll be busy whether fun or not though.

Life is good and we'll keep you updated as things change.

2nd ENT Visit

2010-05-10T19:26:00.003-06:00

We made it to the ENT for the second time today. After again looking at Charlie's eardrums we found that they are both completely full of fluid. They then checked to see if his eardrums have movement. As the audiologist said "They are as flat as pancakes."

We then talked to the Dr. again and we talked for a bit and we decided that it was time to schedule surgery. Charlie has been a snorer all his life and so we will be doing tubes, and also taking out the adenoids and tonsils as well. It will be interesting. I haven't said anything to Charlie about it and don't plan to until surgery date (June 15th) gets closer. So don't talk to him about it please. As far as I know at this point recovery will be about 10 days, so we plan on laying low a bit as he gets feeling better and we'll just have to play a few things by ear.

It will be nice for him to hear well again and maybe breath a little lighter. :) I don't think there will be much else to say until after the surgery, so for now it's nice to know that it will be taken care of in about a month.

Cloth Diaper Contest

2010-05-08T19:03:00.004-06:00

You can sign up here to win a free cloth diaper. If you are interested, check it out. It's a company here in Utah. :)

http://www.raisingmy4sons.com/2010/05/katydid-one-size-cloth-diaper-review.html?showComment=1273367134144_AIe9_BEyKH8wcYJN1mETyEQke7NNXkInvEx-uo82iT_OQCdRAQ9Gx1foZkA5dftvJJn5Cwcf3E0QXNFBwZ-2gGGij-k3QwqGn_nezqM4VCvEBEeEji4r-DtVwWlsMzW6IxkmXaDAAxy-fxQ84j_Codsl5bisXB4Rt3GRPQY07ViFMULJtysP-Lxi88TiHIttnmwZaWOTq3gID2MVvdulLDZsVstxDpXERUbi8zNUE5GEIgDJiMylUtXZwEZc9AdQo9y91oQTyphw#c7707548484266419817

WIN a FREE Katydid One-Size Cloth Diaper @RaisingMy4Sons http://bit.ly/94ieS7

Rules: Open to readers in the US. Giveaway ends May 16,2010 at 11:59pm EST. The winner will be randomly chosen and will have 48 hours to respond. Thank you so much to the sponsor and good luck to everyone entering!

For some reason, I can't get links to work. Try this instead... www.raisingmy4sons.com Katydid giveaway

HaPpY BiRtHdAy BeN!!

2010-04-27T14:33:00.004-06:00

It was Ben's b-day yesterday. I now have a 6 year old, weird!! I can't believe how time flies. We are so lucky to have him in our lives. He can be a wonderful helper and so sweet. When Ben was asked what he wanted to do, he said go to breakfast at Denny's. So, since his b-day was on a Monday, we decided that Sat. would be a better day to do that. He also said that he wanted to go Minature Golfing. So, Saturday we went to Denny's to eat and then we headed to Trafalga to do some mini-golf. The kids all seemed to enjoy themselves, which was fun for mom and dad. Of course on Sat. we forgot the camera, so no pictures of mini-golf.

For his birthday he got to take treats to class. He decided on Rice Crispy Treats. I also got to help in the classroom as well, so I got to be there for the handing out of treats and listening to his class sing to him. He seemed to enjoy it. Dad got home a little earlier than usual and we prepared Ben's favorite meal; chicken alfredo with spinach noodles. We also made french bread to go with it. Instead of cake, we had brownies. So, we sang to him and opened presents and then had brownies with ice cream and chocolate syrup on top.

Thank you for the gifts and well wishes. He had a good day and is glad to be six now. He did say today that he wished he was 9. I asked him why and he said that he would be closer to 10. I asked him what was so good about 10 and he just said that he would be closer to 15 and 20 and so on. So, getting older is fun for him now. I'll just remind him of that when he's turning 30 or 40. :)

Here are some pictures of my oldest:

The Crazy Happenings

2010-04-22T08:01:00.009-06:00

We are having fun here at our house. Charlie has been coughing and we decided it was time to get it checked out. We went in and they ended up taking an x-ray of his chest because of wheezing. It turns out that he's got pneumonia... How he got it, I'll never know.

Also during this we have been trying to finish up getting out house up on the market to sell. It's been a busy/fun week giving out medication and getting things cleaned up.

Our house is officially on the market and it's a little strange to see a for sale sign in our yard. I know it's time though, so that helps. We borrowed my dad's truck to help get rid of some stuff this week and it's even more weird to see a for sale sign in front of my house with a different truck in the drive-way.

So, that's basically what's going on right now. We'll see how things go and I will post more later.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIKE!!

2010-04-21T19:53:00.003-06:00

I'm slow in posting all of this, but it was Mike's birthday this last Sunday and I have been meaning to write a post since then, but just haven't made it. So, better late than never, here it is....

Since his birthday was on a Sunday he decided to have a family party Sat. night. I decided it was time to have a date. We have a girl that lives by us that was trying to get some service hours and offered to babysit as well, so that helped us. We ended up going to the Macaroni Grill in Orem and then we decided to just go to the grocery store and find some dessert that we wanted. We ended up getting 2 pints of Ben & Jerry's. What great guys they are. We then watched a movie here at the house and ate ice cream. Then on Sat. we got some cleaning done and we then prepared for our party. There is a pizza/sandwich place here in Springville that is called Zubs. They order from there at the high school, so Mike has gotten familiar with them. So, we ordered some sandwiches and watched "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" all together. It was fun to spend some time together. We saved the presents and his cake for Sunday.

After church the plan was to head home and we would eat and then wait an hour or two and then do presents, cake and ice cream. We ended up having a little problem. We couldn't find Ben...anywhere. Come to find out he had walked home with the neighbors and didn't tell us. We looked everywhere. Scared me to death. After we dealt with that trama, we ate. While eating Brigit was falling asleep, so we deicded that we would let her sleep for about an hour and then we could do the festivities.

We then sang and opened presents and had cake and ice cream. It was fun to celebrate his day with him.

We are very glad that he was born and that he's a part of our family. We love him very much. Happy Birthday dear!

Photo update

2010-04-13T21:33:00.004-06:00

I FINALLY uploaded my camera and I have a bunch of pictures. I need to take more to update a bit more, but for now, here are some pictures.

Updates of our newly painted basement great-room

Brigit asleep while reading

Coloring Easter Eggs

The kids with their Easter baskets

The family in Easter attire

Ultrasound

2010-04-06T17:16:00.006-06:00

We had a wonderful Easter weekend and enjoyed seeing the family. We didn't take near as many pictures that we should have, but I guess that's how it goes sometimes. We got back yesterday. Today I had a Dr. apt and my ultrasound. All is looking good. As previously stated we didn't end up finding out the gender. We will have a wonderful surprise at delivery. We are excited and looking forward to the event in about 20 wks. Either gender will be fun to have. I have been feeling well, so that makes things easy and fun. I have started to feel movement in the last few weeks. I'm looking forward to the baby getting stronger so others can feel it move.

Life is good. We have now gotten the major painting done. YEAH!! We have some touch-up and trim/doors left, but other than that, it's pretty much done. That's exciting for us. We are looking forward to nice weather for the next few days, so we can get some things done outside. We are enjoying our spring break from school for the most part. A couple sick kids so far.... Hopefully by the end of the week all will be well. ;)

Charlie and Life Update

2010-03-29T12:21:00.002-06:00

So, when I made the apt with the ENT for Charlie I was put on a canceled list, which means that they would call me if someone canceled and I could come in earlier. So, last Thurs. they called and said they had an opening at 3:10 Friday afternoon. We got things arranged so we could make it in.

The ENT took pictures of Charlies' eardrums so we could see them on a little tv screen. It was pretty cool. Looking at both ears we found that the right ear is about 90% filled with fluid and the left is 100% filled with fluid. Then he had an audiologist check out his ears again. This time his right ear tested better and was within normal hearing ranges. His left again was off the charts. When looking at tubes, you need to have 2 ears full of fluid for 3 months or 1 ear for 6 months. We are now getting all the medical records for the last year so we can see how long the problem has been going on in order to move forward. The ENT will call me when he has the information and will let us know where things stand and what we need to do.

In other news. Jacob is starting to really get his own little personality. He's becoming more vocal and that's fun. He'll growl with the other kids. He still only has 2 teeth, but I'm anticipating more any time now. Brigit is still working on the potty. We definitely have hit and miss times. Last week wasn't so good, but I will be more on top of it this week and that should help. I think I got too involved painting and things that it very much just got pushed to the side. Ben is loving school and it's fun to watch him read and getting better as he goes along. His teacher has him bringing home level C books now. (I'm not exactly sure where that is, but I know it's beyond the B he was.)

Life is going well for Mike and I. Mike has been playing basketball 2X per week and is enjoying that. He's been working on loosing some weight and since Jan. he's now lost about 13lbs. I'm proud of him for doing so even with watching me. (I have been VERY bad in the amounts and kinds of food I have been eating lately.) Work is good both at the school and here at home. We have now gotten the great-room downstairs all painted and I've got the boys room touched up mostly this morning. I'll need to do some more tonight and then I will move on to the bathroom. It's amazing what a coat of paint can do. I have been feeling well and opening windows while I paint. We have our ultra sound next week on the 6th. We are still thinking that we won't find out gender now and save it for a surprise at the other end.

Things are good and we are enjoying the nice weather and the spring season. My bulbs are coming up and my daffodils have started to have buds, so I think it really is spring. I'm looking forward to getting more of the inside things done and spending the mornings outside and getting a few things done out there. We'll keep you posted on the goings on.

What? What? WHAT?...

2010-03-15T14:04:00.002-06:00

Some of you may have heard, others probably not, but I have been concerned about Charlies' hearing for a bit now. I can't really remember how long it's been a concern, I just know it has been for awhile. So, I got an apt with an audiologist through the school district to get it checked out. We had the apt this morning and Charlie handled it pretty well.

He got his ears looked at and then they checked the vibrations on his ear drum. The color looked off, and when they tested vibrations, there weren't any. He then got to go in the sound booth and put on headphones to really see where he's at. After they were done, I got to find out how he is.

I guess Mother's intuition was right. He really does have a problem. I guess normal range is 0-20 and he is at a 35-40 range. As I understand it, 40 is about normal talking, so he is barely understanding normal talking. I feel like I yell at him a lot and now I know that I really do. The nice thing is that he probably doesn't feel like I am at all. I have to go up about 20 decibels to get in his comfortable hearing range. So, from here, we get to go to an ENT and go from there. We've got that apt made, but it's not until mid-May. I thought I would just write it down now so I don't forget. My memory really isn't good right now, so hopefully this will help.

It'll be interesting to see what happens. I'll let you know in a couple of months.

The End of Day Three

2010-03-13T18:51:00.002-07:00

Thursday turned out to be an interesting day. I'm not exactly sure how I got started or how I decided, but it was time to start potty training Brigit. She ended up using the potty most of the day with only one accident. I think we got started around 10:00AM and got ready for bed around 6:00PM, so, with only one accident, I felt great and she wasn't feeling the greatest. So, later that day, I decided I better get to the store and get some underwear and also some pull-ups to help us since we had gotten started.

So, Friday comes and Brigit seems sicker and I'm not sure how the day is going to go. It was also my birthday and so I was hoping for the BEST birthday gift ever would be for her to be done. That was not really how the day turned out. After she woke up, I showed her the new underwear and by the time breakfast was over, she had gone through 3 pairs of underwear, but only one was an accident caused change. (I think she just wanted to try on all the new pairs.) She ended up having a couple more accidents, so not too bad on the second day feeling aweful. She barely let me put her down all day. Also, I think she is intimidated by big toilets and while we were out to eat she did go and try, but she ended up having an accident a short time later.

Now, for today (Saturday) she has done wonderful again. I think she is feeling a little better as well, but she's only had one accident today. Not to get too graphic, but she just has a hard time with the pooping. So, the next big thing to work on. We'll see how she does, but so far, I think I've got a good gift.

On a little side note, Jacob actually let go of me tonight while he was moving around. He really let go of me and stood for a few seconds on his own accord.

Anyway, that is the latest in what's going on at our house. We are having fun and enjoying the spring type weather that has come. (Now it's snowing, so not quite full spring yet.) All is going well.

NEW VAN!!

2010-03-03T09:20:00.006-07:00

YEAH!! We are so excited to have our new van. It arrived yesterday and I had fun putting car seats in. We will be playing around with that for the next little while. We had to take a trip last night all of us together just to break it in...we ended up just going to the store. It was fun to drive around and get used to the new things. Here are some pictures before we got the car seats put in.

I also am adding a couple of more pictures of the bathroom for those that wanted to see more. Hopefully, this will help you see more. There are a couple little things that we want to do (put knobs on the cabinets and frame the mirror), but for now, it's basically done.

Cabinets across from toilet

Tile floor

Shower Curtain Please

2010-02-24T08:06:00.003-07:00

So, it's taken almost 3 wks, but it is finally done!! We finished that bathroom last night and today I will be putting things back into it. We are happy with how it has turned out and look forward to the next project. (I think it will be getting maternity clothes out. :)) We'll keep you posted though. Here are some pictures of our bathroom. I don't really have any before, but plenty of during and after so here you go:

#5 Child

2010-02-17T13:11:00.003-07:00

We are expecting #5 to arrive in August. We are very excited for the arrival of this little one. I haven't been too sick, just a little here and there. Mike and I both feel like this one is probably a boy (at least at this point that's how we feel). We are thinking that we won't find out the gender this time around. It doesn't make any difference to us and it'll be fun to have that surprise at the end.

I have been more tired and this pregnancy feel similar to the first 3 by way of size. I have started showing sooner and I'm hoping to put off maternity clothes for another week. Wish me luck. :) I love rubber bands and we'll see if I can make it to week 14 before having to wear maternity clothes. That's my goal...Mike said he didn't think I would make it that far. I just have to make it to Sunday. I think I can do it.

As a little side note: We sold our van, the buyer is coming to pick it up tomorrow, so it'll be interesting to be down to one car as we find out next family vehicle. Anyway, I hope this helps you to feel updated and we'll let you know when we can go out again as a family. :)

Happy Birthday Jacob!!

2010-02-15T15:23:00.003-07:00

We are so glad that Jacob is a part of our family. As I think back over the last year of his life, I am reminded of how blessed I am. We were able to celebrate today with some family that could come down and celebrate with us as well. It was fun for all with a few twists as well. Here are some highlights of Jacob's 1st year and birthday.

This picture seemed to get quite a bit of reaction....

Goodbye Playroom

2010-02-05T19:58:00.003-07:00

This past week we have painted our playroom. It was time to say goodbye to our crazy red, yellow and blue room. Here are some pics of before and after for you to enjoy. The updating of our house has begun. I'll throw in another picture for you to anticipate the next BIG change going on here. :)

Biggest Looser

2010-02-04T11:16:00.007-07:00

At the beginning of the year, Mike's family started a Biggest Looser Competition. It started on Jan. 4th and finishes on July 4th. As we have been going along trying to loose weight, it's got me thinking about a few different things.

One thing that you read about all the time if you want to loose weight is to not skip breakfast. Otherwise known as the "Most Important Meal of the Day." As I have been looking up recipes to give us a little more variety, I'm finding that there are a lot of things that qualify for a healthy breakfast. I think it comes down to portion control. Waffles are good for you, but you need to limit your syrup intake a little and don't eat 15 of them and you are OK. It's interesting to read that crumb cake, muffins, french toast, breakfast taco, egg sandwich (without the cheese), bagels, and pancakes all make it on the list as well as many others.

Some things that were suggested by this site http://intermountainlive.org/habits/Pages/breakfast.aspx (sorry, my link isn't working) says that for breakfast these should be our goals: 3 out of 5 food groups in the meal, use Whole Grains, switch to low-fat dairy, select cereals that are low in sugar, no trans fats and the first ingredient is a whole grain, top cereals off with fruit, mix fruit and granola into yogurt. Go to the website if you want more detail than that.

Looking at all this is getting me inspired. I think I will try out a few of these ideas/recipes and see how they go over with my family. Since marrying Mike, I have cut down a lot on my cereal consumption and it's nice to find an alternate occasionally to the pancakes and waffles. I'll let you know which recipe we try and how they taste. (I have to like the taste or the healthy benefit makes it hard for me to do again. :))

Time Keeps Going....

2010-01-28T11:16:00.002-07:00

It's amazing how fast time seems to fly by these days. After the holiday break we have been able to get our lives back to rutine which is VERY nice. Ben has been walking to school with a friend and his mom and I pick them up. So, it's nice to not have to hurry and get all of us rushed out of here in the mornings. I might be getting a little lazy though.

We are getting ready to paint the playroom downstairs. It will be a very nuteral color and we are hoping to have it done by February. We'll see if we can make it.

We are actually trying to sell our van right now as well. We have listed it on KSL.com and we still need to get a sign to actually put up in there. If anyone is interested or know someone who might be, send them our way. :)

This should be a good year this year. I think it'll turn out busier than we think it will at this point. It always seems that there is something going on, so we'll see how things turn out. Life is good and we are excited to be in 2010 (even though it seems so strange at the same time.)

Captain Moroni

2010-01-21T14:14:00.002-07:00

I was reading about Captain Moroni today in Alma and started thinking about him and who he was and all that he did. I am always so amazed at how he led the army at age 25. Now that I am beyond 25, I realize more of what an amazing thing that is. I also realized that he was prepared just like so many others that have come before us. This thinking then tied in to a conversation that we had at my parents' house on Sunday.

My dad had taught the lesson in Priesthood and gave us a briefing of the lesson (I don't hear them since I'm in Nursery, so it was good for me). As he talked my sister brought up a point in the lesson that says "...our Father in Heaven knows who we are and what we did before we came here. He has chosen the time and place for each of us to be born so we can learn the lessons we personally need and do the most good with our individual talents and personalities."

With that being said and thinking of Captain Moroni, I realize how prepared we all are before we came down to the earth. I think I forget that I AM SPECIAL, just like YOU ARE SPECIAL. I may find things about my life/situation hard, but doesn't everyone at some point and how lucky I am to KNOW that there is someone who loves me so much that he has given me these opportunities and situations that will help me out the very best for me and he has also done this for everyone else as well.

I am very grateful for this knowledge and the chance that we have to remember things as we do simple things in our lives. I decided to share it with you all, because maybe you feel the same way or need a reminder just like I did. Also, this is a journal of sorts for me, so....

Happy Birthday Charlie!!

2010-01-10T20:30:00.002-07:00

He is now a 4 year old. He is such a cuddlely, fun boy, We love having him around. We finally got him to decide a little bit on how he wanted to spend his birthday. We ended up going to see "The Princess and the Frog" everyone seemed to enjoy it and Jacob took a little nap while we were there as well and that was nice. After we went to Golden Corral to eat. It was a great place for everyone to get what they wanted.

We then came home and had naps and relaxed. Later that night we got the presents and cake out to sing and to have Charlie open his presents. We sang and he blew out his candles and as he was getting ready there was a knock at the door. It was the UPS man. It was a gift to Charlie from his G & G Johnson in Germany. They had told us earlier that we shouldn't expect it and it sure was a suprise at just the right moment. He got a bunch of things and he seemed excited to have them all. Here are some pictures of him and his birthday.

Merry Christmas!!

2010-01-07T13:07:00.003-07:00

Isn't Christmas just wonderful? I love this time of year, it really is the most wonderful time. It was busy as usual. We attended Christmas eve dinner with the Hansen's and then came home so Santa could come. We then headed back up Christmas Day to get together with the Johnson's. We then had a Dredge gathering on the 26th and then headed home on the 27th.

It was fun to be with all the family and the kids LOVED spending time with their cousins. They did not want the cousin time to end. (Maybe we can convince someone to move down to this area. :))

Thank you to those that let us come invade their space and staying and hopefully didn't leave too big of a mess.

Long time, no Posts

2009-12-17T08:14:00.007-07:00

Yes, it has been WAY too long since I have updated our blog. I have been thinking about updating since before Thanksgiving, well here we are.

So, the last thing that was really blogged about was Brigit's birthday. Going back through my pictures, I have a few things that I can comment on and fill you all in on what's been going on here....

Ben had a loose tooth and when I went to pick him up from school on the 13th (yes, Friday the 13th) it was no longer in his mouth. He said that his teacher helped him and wrapped it up and put it in a ziploc bag to bring home. The tooth fairy did visit him.

Next on our list was an awards assembly for Ben. Each month at the school in the classes they choose a child who shows development/talent for scholorship, citizenship, and one other that I can't remember now. Anyway, Ben got an award for Scholarship. Here are pictures of that event:

THANKSGIVING!!
I love Thanksgiving. This year was different for us because we ended up having Thanksgiving here at our house with Mike's brother Nick and his family and sister Samantha and her husband. It was fun to have them come down and share this holiday together. We had dinner and everyone helped with the food. We then played on the wii and later watched a movie. I'm glad that we could spend that time together. Nick ended up spending the night so he could do some Black Friday shopping with Mike. I think they both had a good time doing that as well.

Thank you Nick, Ellen, Samantha, and Nick for coming down and sharing with us. We are looking forward to spending time with all of the family (well those that are around) at Christmas!!

Time to decorate the house for Christmas. The first Monday after the house is decorated we take an FHE and all the kids get to pick out an ornament. Here are the kids with their ornaments.

Jacob seems more interested in Ben's ornament, but his is the little snowman that I'm pointing too.

You can't see Brigit's real well either, but it's a lollipop.

Charlie actually got a Grinch ornament last year as well. :)

Ben seems to like the BIGGER ornaments. :)

Now, I better say something about TODAY!! We are updated as best we can for now, I guess. I hit a milestone today as well. I sent Ben out the front to meet a friend and his mom to walk Ben to school. It was interesting (that's the best word I can come up with) to watch him walk away. After school I brought the friend home. It seemed to go well, so I think we will keep up with this for now. I have had a problem getting Ben to school on time and it's not his fault. I've just decided that getting 4 kids ready and out of the house doesn't always make us arrive to school on time.

Also today, I decided it was time to give Jacob a hair cut. It has gotten long and is into his eyes quite a bit, so I decided to just do it...NOW. So, I pulled out my trimmer and opted to use the 7/8 piece. His hair is more fine like Charlie. Here are some before and after pictures.

It's still crazy, just quite a bit shorter and not in his eyes anymore.

Dad hasn't seen the haircut yet, we'll see how he reacts. :)

Next up will be Brigit's haircut. I need to get her's taken care of, hopefully before Christmas. I will post pictures of that as well.

Bugs . . .

2009-12-03T11:11:00.002-07:00

Another comedic episode from the life of a parent . . .

About a week ago Charlie came up to me with something between his fingers . . .

Charlie "Look Dad, a box elder bug."

Me "That's nice Charlie now go put it outside."

[Charlie walks into his room briefly and then runs back very excitedly]

Charlie [With great excitement] "Dad, Dad . . . Box Elder Bugs POP!"

And if that weren't enough . . .

Charlie [With even more excitement] "and guess what's inside . . . sticky stuff!"

Halloween Surprise

2009-11-07T08:14:00.003-07:00

We finally got around to taking down our Halloween decorations today and found something that I thought was particularly funny. This year we decided to make Ghosts out of Suckers and Napkins. We then added these to our Halloween decorations outside our house. The kids really loved seeing something that they did decorate the house. When I went out to take them down I found one that, due to weather, had become even more appropriate for halloween.

Gotta love those red suckers!

Happy Birthday Brigit

2009-11-02T13:58:00.006-07:00

It was 2 years ago that Brigit joined our family. She is always so happy and a joy to have around. We are so glad that she made it to our family. Last week sometime Ben told me that she needed a Castle Cake for her birthday. I wasn't too sure about that and did some looking to find some online. It turns out that most Castle Cakes require more cake than we are actually able to consume before it gets bad. We did a little modification and I think it turned out well. We'll save the full blown Castle Cake when there are more people around to help us eat it. :) It was a little different with it being a Sunday. She had said she wanted pizza, so we got a couple from Sam's club the day before so we could eat it Sunday. We took a ton of pictures and had a good time celebrating. Thank you for your birthday wishes. Here's our girl:

Happy Halloween

2009-11-02T13:49:00.003-07:00

We had a different Halloween this year. It started very early as our 2 older boys decided that it was time to wake up at about 3:30 in the morning.... We had a few things that needed to be returned to a few different stores and had a few more things we needed to do before Brigit's birthday on Sunday. So, we had a earlier lunch and headed out the door. I think everyone was pretty much asleep before we backed out of our drive way. We got to do our running around and then the kids all woke up at about 3:00. We still had two more stops to make, but no big deal if kids are with us. We decided that we would try out trick-or-treating at the mall since it was close to where we were at the time.

So, we made it through and got back home and had a bite to eat before heading out for some trick-or-treating in our neighborhood. Captain Hook took Dash, Peter Pan and Tinker Bell out and I stayed home with our little army man.

They made it back with plenty of candy and we ended up having about 18 trick-or-treaters here at our own house. I think that's the most we have ever had and that does include the 3 that live here. Well, here are pictures of them all, they didn't turn out as good as I hoped. Hope you enjoy.

New Recipes

2009-10-31T06:22:00.003-06:00

I have been meaning to post these for a couple of days now. Since I got my bountiful basket full of produce, I have had to come up with different ways of useing a few things. With my Mexican Mix that I got I found a recipe for Chalupas that turned out to use a lot of what I had gotten. You use a green salsa which base would be tomatillos. It turned out to be quite a bit spicier than first intended. Very little is needed to feel it. :) You blend the salsa all together then cook it. You also heat corn tortillas and then you add a LITTLE salsa then sour cream, chicken pieces, and cheese on top. You can find the recipe here: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Soft-Fried-Tortillas-with-Tomatillo-Salsa-and-Chicken-109433

You blend the salsa all together then cook it. You also heat corn tortillas and then you add a LITTLE salsa then sour cream, chicken pieces, and cheese on top.

We also had some Bok Choy to use. I have heard of it, but never used it. So, I found a recipe that uses it as a stir-fry. I missed taking pictures of it, but here is the recipe if anyone wants to try it: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chicken-Broccoli-Ca---Uniengs-Style/Detail.aspx

We ommitted the oyster sauce, because I don't have that on hand, but it still turned out really well. If you've never eaten Bok Choy, but you eat oriental food, then you probably have tried it and just didn't know it. While I was eating I recognized the flavor and taste. The leaves almost have a spinich look to them.

Anyway, It's been fun trying new recipes. We'll see if we come up with anything else this week.

Sorry, I can't get the links to work. I'll see if I can get them fixed.

Bountiful Baskets

2009-10-24T09:30:00.005-06:00

I just had a wonderful experience this morning. I have been hearing about Bountiful Baskets for a little while now, but there hasn't been a distribution point close enough to me for it to work out for me. For a basic overview: It is a produce co-op. So a bunch of people purchase into this so you get a better price (take out the middle man). So, for a first timer it is $18 for the basket. After you're first time it is $15/basket and there is a fee of $1.50 for handling. Besides just the basket you can add other items as well. Other items such as bread, pumpkin, box of apples, a Mexican mix. Each week is different, so you get online and order through the website.

The Springville site is new. Today was the second time that it's been here. I wasn't able to participate the first time, but I went today. So, I ordered just a regular basket and then added on the Mexican mix. The total price was $27. I also was able to go a little early to help them set the produce out. 50% is fruit and 50% vegetables. Here is a list and pictures of what I came home with. A pineapple, a bunch of bananas, a bunch of apples, a bunch of plums, 2 tomatoes, a bunch of broccoli, bock choy, 2 cucumbers, a bag of grapes, 2 heads of lettuce, 4 artichokes, and some sort of fruit that looks like a lemon only smaller...not sure exactly what it is and a bunch of them. In the Mexican mix I got 3 avocados, 3 different types of peppers, corn tortillas, cilantro, green onion, yellow onion, and tomatillos.

Mexican Mix and a tomato

Anyway, I was very happy with what I came home with. Now if I can learn to use it all and eat it before it goes bad, I think I got a great deal.

You can find more about it at

Feeling Accomplished

2009-10-15T16:02:00.006-06:00

WOW, what a day we have had today. We decided it was time to take care of some things outside today. I forgot to take pictures today of what it looked like before, but I did take plenty of during and after clean-up. I will see if I can find an older one of the outside. We worked on the "Devil's Strip" getting it cleared out and then we put some carpet down and are now in the process of getting rocks to cover the area. If anyone has some rocks that they want to get rid of, let us know. :)

We also took out all the bushes that were in front of the house. We are thinking that we will put rose bushes around the house to cover up the ugly cement.

It's fun to do something and really see the results of the work. We may be feeling it more in our bodies tomorrow, but for now, it just plain feels good. :)

I couldn't find a picture before with the bushes out front, but just imagine them way to big for the space and wanting to climb over the porch. That should give you an idea.

Welcome Home Niels!!

2009-10-12T09:49:00.004-06:00

This past week Mike's brother came home from his mission. We weren't able to go up the day he came home, but this weekend we got to see him and spend time with those that are around. We also got to go to a baby blessing for our newest nephew Oliver. I waited to post, so I could add pictures. Of course, I really didn't take enough, but here are a few.

Conference Weekend

2009-10-05T12:54:00.002-06:00

I just wanted to say that I loved Conference. I always look forward to hearing from the leaders of the church. I am so glad that we live in an age and time where anyone who wants to can hear/participate in it. What an amazing time we live in. I am glad for guidance in this truly interesting time in which we live. I am grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ that helps me as I go about my activities and helps me become a better me. I am grateful for Temples and the excitement that I feel in hearing about new Temples that are going up around the world. What a blessing it will be to those that will now have a temple close to them. I am also very grateful for a wonderful family. My husband is wonderful and helps me in so many ways. At the close of this conference session, I succumb to a physical illness and I was grateful to have an extra pair of hands as I do the things that I need to. I am also very grateful for my children. They do provide a lot of joy to me. Since being sick myself and others having been sick this weekend, Ben stayed home from school. As Brigit decided it was time to take her nap; Ben has a bunch of books next to Brigit on her bed as he reads to her and Charlie. They are great and recognize some things that I never would have thought possible.

Life is wonderful and I am grateful to be a part of it at this time. My family is forever and I am excited to share forever with them.

I did it!!

2009-09-24T07:28:00.002-06:00

Wow, what a morning. I have been doing my run/walk 5k training and it's going ok. I have missed a bunch of days here and there, but today I made it 2 miles.

If I never mentioned it before, maybe I should now. I am NOT a runner. Never have been, but maybe I may become more of one anyway. I am definitely not fast, but it's fun. My motivation some mornings is low and makes it hard for me to leave (assuming I actually make it), but this morning I was definitely glad I did.

I just wanted to share this with all of you. I also tried out a new recipe for breakfast and I think it turned out well as well. So, it's been a good morning!!

Long time no post...

2009-09-17T10:25:00.002-06:00

It's been a long time. I think I must be busy with four kids. What do you think?

A few weeks ago when they had the Temple Dedication and so we didn't have church, we decided to take the kids and visit the temple. That same week Walgreens had a free collage print. I decided to take the pictures we took at the temple and put them in a collage. I've been wanting to share it, but I haven't really had a chance to do much with it other than put it in a frame. So, I will post it here so you can see what cute kids we have.

Not too much else is going on right now. We just keep doing our thing.

We did it!

2009-08-26T14:50:00.004-06:00

We have officially made it through our first day of Kindergarten. I had to hold back tears as I dropped him off, other than that, no incidents. We met one of the kids from his class that lives about a block away from our house. I think that will prove to be nice as this year goes on. When we were leaving from dropping off Ben, Charlie asked me about when he will go to school. This may be interesting for him. While Ben was gone, Brigit and Charlie played together and that was nice. It'll be interesting to have him gone EVERY day and not just a couple of days a week like it was with pre-school.

First Day:

Lined up and ready to go to class:

Charlie and Brigit playing:

His first day done:

Anyway, it was good and I think it'll be a great year for him. On a brief side note. I never updated with the haircuts. I took Brigit in to see what we should do and they suggested just leaving it alone and just let it grow in again. So, that's what we are doing. I think we may go back in a few months and get it evened up a bit, but until then, we're dealing with it. Here is also another picture of her hair where it shows more of where it was cut off.

This would never happen to me....

2009-08-22T12:26:00.008-06:00

Boy, was I wrong. I have had a couple of things happen in the last couple of days. One was a wonderful surprise. The other...I'm still trying to calm down about (it happened less than an hour ago). Here are pictures of both events.

The boys washing dishes:

Ben after his own haircut:

Ben after his buzz:

Charlie after his own haircut:

Charlie after his buzz:

Brigit wet and dry after her brothers cut her hair:

After I go and get her hair fixed I will post another picture.

6 months old

2009-08-20T19:36:00.004-06:00

Wow! I can't believe how fast time flies. While at the Dr.'s office today, I saw one of the respiratory therapists from the NICU while Jacob was in there. She remembered him and it was fun to talk to her a little bit.

So, I decided to try something really fun. Ok, maybe not too fun for you, but fun for me. After talking to Mike here is what we decided to do. You can match up the picture with the stats. How does that sound?

Ok, here we go....

a.
b.
c.
d.

Here are the stats:

1. 17 lb 11 oz and 27 in
2. 16 lbs 4 oz and 25.8 in
3. 18 lb 2 oz and 24 in
4. 17 lb 7 oz and 26.5 in

I hope you have fun with this one. It's interesting to compare and remember and realize how individual we all are. :)

Dr. Office's

2009-08-17T14:25:00.002-06:00

Who loves their doctor's office? I'm thinking about looking into a new doctor. I had Jacob's apt scheduled for Friday. They called and asked if they could re-schedule for today. Then today they called and asked if they could re-schedule for Thursday. Would this drive anyone else crazy or is it just me?

So, hopefully by this weekend I can have an update with all the kids and their stats at 6 months. Maybe we can mix up pictures again and see how you do? I have until later this week to get it figured out, so we'll see what I come up with.

I just needed to vent about the Dr. office that we go to!! Seriously though, if you have a great recommendation for me...let me know. :)

To do or not too do...

2009-08-12T12:17:00.004-06:00

I decided to do.

After hearing about a bunch of people that I know that have been participating in 5k and the like. It has motivated me to try it out. One friend suggested this site http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml I have been following it, but I'm only on day 3 of week one. lol I have plenty of time and I just started, so I haven't noticed significant changes. I have noticed that I am feeling better mentally and I feel like I have a better outlook than I have some days. I have been trying to come up with a route to run. While I have been figuring this out, I came across this website http://www.mapmyrun.com/ I have gotten lost figuring out some different routes that I can go and finding the location and distance that I like. Anyway, that's what I have been thinking about the last little bit.

On another note, the kids are doing well. Brigit now says "O tay" (okay) very well. It reminds me of the little rascals. Ben is getting excited to start school and so, it's become school shopping time. Charlie is doing pretty good with the potty training stuff. He has some great days and then some not so good. Hopefully it'll just get better. Jacob is growing a ton and has his 6 mth apt on Monday, so that will be fun.

Happy Anniversary

2009-08-04T14:30:00.003-06:00

I just thought I would let everyone know how happy I am to be married and not just to be married, but to be married to Mike. He is a wonderful husband and father. He is so supportive of me and what I do as well as our children.

As of yesterday we have been married 7 years now. As I think about these last 7 years it's amazing all the things that we have been through. We have had some hard times, but we have had pleanty of good times to help keep things rolling happily along.

I would post pictures of us or something, but we really don't have many pictures of just the two of us. Now either one of us and kids are in the pictures. I might just have to pay closer attention to that now....

Life is good and it's a fun time to be alive and in love. I am still very much in love with Mike and it's wonderful!! :)

Ok, here is a wedding picture and I seriously can't find a picture of just the two of us since I was prego with Ben. Maybe someone else has a picture, but I don't, so you'll have to just enjoy this one. :)

Oquirrh Mountain Temple

2009-07-23T19:10:00.003-06:00

We got a chance to go to the open house of the Oquirrh Mountain Temple today. As we were preparing to go, I realized that we never really mentioned or posted pictures from the Draper Temple open house.

So, for an update from the Draper Temple. We went on Feb. 13th at night. It was crowded and very busy. That's what you get for a Friday night. We went as we headed up north for a bridal shower and visiting of family. We got back Sat. night and then Sun we ended up having Jacob, so we never really gave the weekend much credit.

A couple of pictures from the Draper Temple open house:

waiting for the bus

bus ride

This time around we decided to try and go at a calm middle of the week kind of time. We did it. We ended up going at 1:50. It was fairly calm and their where other kids in the group as well, so that made it nice.

family outside the temple

Charlie and Ben

I have loved being able to take my kids with me to the Temple and go inside. It's nice to be able to show them a little of what the Temple is and what it means to me. I love knowing that through our marriage our kids are sealed to us for forever. I am so gratefull for that knowledge and the blessings that we enjoy because of that knowledge. I am so lucky to be around at this time when the gospel is blooming at such a rapid rate. I am grateful that my kids have had this chance and I hope they get the opportunity to visit more temples as they grow. Until then, the pictures will have to do.

Update...

2009-07-21T20:08:00.001-06:00

Baby Oliver is now home with his parents. We are so glad for them. Mike has gotten to see him, but we'll have to figure out how the kids and I can at some point.

Congratulations Nick and Ellen!!

New Nephew

2009-07-19T20:44:00.003-06:00

I just had to write and say that I have a new nephew!! We are so excited for Nick and Ellen. Oliver was born at 3:00 Sat. morning. He was 6 lbs 10 oz and 20 in long. He is 3 weeks early and he's in the NICU. They are hoping he will be able to go home tomorrow (Monday). We are hoping/praying for a quick and speedy recovery for them both.

Needed Updates

2009-07-08T22:56:00.002-06:00

Take a look and you can see what we have been up to. We have had a good month+. I haven't been doing so well lately at keeping up here. I will try and do better. Hopefully you can at least enjoy the pictures, so just keep scrolling. :)

Wyoming Vacation

2009-07-08T22:17:00.002-06:00

We decided to take a little vacation and visit Mike's brother and his wife in Wyoming over the 4th. We took off Thursday (the 2nd) and our 8-9 hr trip took us more like 10 hrs. The kids wanted to stop a lot. On Friday we took a little drive to Devil's Tower. We were able to get out, and walk around the base of the monument. A little Wyoming Fact... Wyoming was the first state to have both the first National Park (Yellowstone) and National Monument (Devil's Tower). It was a nice little hike around it and the kids did pretty well.

In Sheridan on the 4th they have a car show down main street. We decided to head out and check out the cars and downtown main. A lot of the little stores were closed for the holiday, but it was fun to look around. Later that night Mike and Matt light up some fireworks. It was fun for everyone. Some of them would have been illegal here. :) We also got to see some big fireworks from their porch later, so that was good.

Sunday we went to church and got ready for our trip home on Monday. We then left together on Monday. We weren't in much of a hurry to get home, so we decided to make a couple of stops along the way.

We first stopped at Independence Rock. We took the little walk out there and Ben had started climbing up it by the time I got there with the end of the crew. I got to go climb up with him and Charlie came along as well. I was amazed to see those two little boys climbing up this rock all by themselves. They did great. Once we got to the top we got to look around at some of the names that are still visible. We saw a name dated back in 1904 and few around there. It was hard to read exact names, but it was neat to see them. We then hiked back down to Mike, Jacob and Brigit.

We then stopped at the Devil's Gate turn-off, but there really wasn't too much to see without really getting out and going for a walk, so we decided to just head down to Martin's Cove. We talked to a missionary there and he talked to us about Martin's Cove as well as the family that settled that area about 20 yrs after the Pioneers came through. We walked through the museum there and with tired, hungry kids we decided it was time to get back on the road and get going.

We made it home and the boys talked all night about 'climbing the big rock' earlier in the day. They talk about wanting to do it again. We may just have to do that the next time we go up that way. I took a ton of pictures, so I hope you can enjoy them.

Grain Mill

2009-07-08T19:21:00.003-06:00

My mom has a grain mill that she let us borrow so we could grind some wheat for her and ourselves. It was a fun activity for Mike and I. We decided to just grind all the wheat that we have right now. We have about 2 1/2 buckets full of wheat. It's been fun to have whole wheat around. Thanks mom and dad.

Springville Art City Days

2009-07-08T19:11:00.002-06:00

It was the beginning of June. The city puts on a lot of different events. We go see the Hot Air Balloons take off and this year they were doing a drawing for rides. Mike's ticket got drawn and he got to go for about 1 1/2 hrs up in a hot air balloon. He had a good time. While he was gone the kids and I watched the other balloons take off and waited for the tethered balloon rides to start. We all got to ride in a tethered balloon and the kids enjoyed it. Ben kept wanting to go higher.

We also attended the Art Museums Children't art festival. They had a lot of different activities for the kids to participate in. They had a good time.

It was fun to spend some time together doing different things. Here are a couple of pics.

Turn of events...

2009-06-19T16:18:00.002-06:00

So, here we are working on getting Charlie potty trained. He's doing ok. The last couple of days have been about 50/50 accidents vs successes. So far today he's only had one accident, so things are improving (knock on wood ;).

Brigit is where things really get interesting. A couple of weeks ago she was driving me crazy with her not wanting to wear a diaper, so I decided that I would get her a potty for herself. That way we had two whether it be for each child or for each bathroom. Anyway, I worked with her for a couple of days and I've read into a few different methods/ideas. (If your curious, let me know and I can go more in depth later.) Things didn't seem to be going anywere really, so I backed off. Well, last night after she had gone to bed she woke up at about 11:30PM. This is definitely out of character for her. As I got her she indicated that she needed a diaper change. As I took off her diaper I realized that it was completely dry. I suggested that she try the potty. She did and had a great success. I put her diaper back on and she went to bed. Then this morning she actually woke up dry!!

Today I have offered the potty, but she hasn't done anything really. I change her all day long because if she's a little wet, she freaks out and starts pulling at her diaper.

Crazy, huh!! We'll see what happens over the next little while.

Potty Time!!

2009-06-16T20:18:00.003-06:00

Oh, yes... I have decided that it's time to get serious about potty training Charlie. He is well beyond 3 and I've about had it with 3 kids in diapers. I'm amazed that I've been dealing with 3 in diapers for 4 months now. WOW!!

So, today it is. We had nothing going on and not really anything to do specifically and I decided that it was time. Mike backed me up really well and after about 3 accidents told Charlie that he doesn't get diapers any more. He is done! After that he went pee 2 times before going to bed. So, I figure today has been a success. We'll see how tomorrow goes, but so far, I think it'll be ok.

I am very excited for this to happen, so hopefully I can not pressure him too much and keep him going. Like I said before though, we'll see what happens and just take it one day at a time. It'll be interesting to see how Brigit handles all of this. A couple of weeks ago I ended up buying a little potty for her because she sure gave me an upset. So, she will sit on the potty as well.

What will I do if I can get 2 out of diapers at once? I think I will love it, because I haven't done that since Ben was the only one.

I'll keep you all posted!!

A 5 Year olds Logic

2009-06-14T19:27:00.002-06:00

Actual conversation with a five year old:

Situation: Ben, having been sent to bed slightly earlier than normal is throwing a tantrum. His mom, not being able to calm him down leaves the room stating that when he can act like a five year old and not a two year old she will come back and say good night. A few minutes later Dad walks by the room:

Ben: MOM, MOM, MOM . . .

Dad: Mom told you that when you start acting like a five-year old she will come down and say good night.

Ben: I AM FIVE!

Dad: Than you need to act like it.

Ben: I AM FIVE NOT TWO!

Dad: Five year old don't cry like that, two-year olds do.

Ben: WELL I'M CRYING AND I AM FIVE SO FIVE-YEAR OLDS DO CRY LIKE THIS!

Amazing isn't it. I need to get this kid working on logic puzzles now. He might be pretty good at them.