The J Crew

2012-01-20T22:09:00.002-06:00

Nauvoo

2011-07-16T20:30:00.000-05:00

I'm back for a minute!! I had to reserve for posterity our trip to Nauvoo!!
What an amazing journey for us.

It was a 13 hour drive for us. We arrived close to 11 PM and saw the temple. Beautiful. I can't believe how hard the early church members worked for that temple. I could tell from history how grateful they were to be able to attend a temple before they left across the plains to Utah. I love it that we rebuilt this temple. In many ways it is a tribute to them.

Here we are on the front steps of the temple.

This was fun. The kids didn't think I could do it. But I also love the symbolism. I go to the pioneers in my mind for examples of women who did hard things with faith and joy. So this pic is a keeper for me. I can get my kids across the modern day plains.

They have some wonderful plays and theatrical performances up in Nauvoo during July. We saw one at the visitors center called, High Hopes and Riverboats. We LOVED it. Beautifully done. Excellent message of love and faith of the early saints in Nauvoo. The pageant is an outdoor performance every evening during July. It is absolutely amazing. What a beautiful performance.

A couple great highlights without pictures: We were able to see the brick makers, the blacksmith, and the gunsmith. They showed us what life was like in the 1800s. We loved to tour the inside of these old homes. And it was meaningful for us to see the graves of Joseph, Emma, Hyrum and their parents. The trail of hope down to the waters edge was touching for the kids. And we also were able to visit Carthage jail, the site of the martyrdom of Joseph Smith.

All throughout Nauvoo is a special feeling of peace and love. The Spirit of the Lord is present in great abundance. It was a great experience for us all. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints has its restoration and beginnings with a boy named Joseph Smith who grew to a man and restored Jesus Christ's gospel to the earth once more, clarifying much of the confusion and differences in religion, translating the wonderful Book of Mormon for us as additional scripture. He sacrificed all for us to have all these awesome blessings and many more. I wish more people knew about the happy life of the LDS people.

Thirty Ways #19: Do Less

2010-12-23T16:57:00.000-06:00

Make time to ponder, to relax, to think, to feel, to experience, to listen, to study, to grow, to love and share. In all the serving and helping and enabling and encouraging and building and peacemaking and working and constructing and creating etc please take time to just feel. To enjoy. To love. You will feel in the quiet, an opportunity for the Savior to reach you. An opportunity for Him to speak to your heart. It can be a beautiful experience.

Thirty Ways #18: Make Gingerbread Houses

2010-12-14T07:49:00.000-06:00

Great wonderful friends invited us over last night to make gingerbread houses with them!! We each made two. We kept one and we are giving away one. SO FUN. We love to do this. She made the gingerbread for us and everything. What a dear. So creative too. When I saw her house and her fun ideas I realized once again how some people are just incredibly creatively gifted. Never fear though, for all of us who are marginally creatively gifted (or not at all like me.... :)) there are plenty of pre-made kits you can buy where all you do is set them up.

Christmas offers lots of activities and opportunities to be together. Building friendships and strengthening families and feeling love for and from each other are all things that bring us closer to Jesus Christ.

And this is just a quick shot of our little one ready for her dance recital.

Thirty Ways #17: Read The Book of Mormon

2010-12-10T08:34:00.000-06:00

When I read the Book of Mormon, I feel close to Jesus Christ, almost like I have spent time with a dear friend. I feel like I know Him better than when I started. This happens particularly when I read for longer periods of time. Christ's gospel is so clearly explained in the Book of Mormon and there are so many great examples in the stories and history that is told. Similarly to the Bible, I find myself learning from it all.

You can go to this great link to read an online, search-able copy of The Book or Mormon. http://lds.org/scriptures/bofm?lang=eng I recommend 3 Nephi 11. There is an account where Christ comes to visit an ancient people in the Americas. 3 Nephi 11

Also, here are the rest of the suggested scriptures to read one a day. I recommend you read them and then discuss them and read some more and talk with your families about what they are trying to teach.

December 10 Jacob 7:11-12
December 11 1 Nephi 10:4
December 12 1 Nephi 11:13-`8
December 13 1 Nephi 11:20, 21, 24
December 14 1 Nephi 11:27
December 15 Helaman 14:3
December 16 Helaman 14:5-6
December 17 Luke 1:30-31
December 18 3 Nephi 1:13
December 19 3 Nephi 1:19
December 20 Luke 2:4-7
December 21 Luke 2:8-11
December 22 Luke 2:12.14
December 23 Matthew 2:1-2
December 24 Luke 2

Read the Bible: Thirty Ways #16

2010-12-08T19:17:00.002-06:00

The absolutely best way to make Jesus Christ more a part of this Christmas season is to read the words of the Prophets about Him in the Bible http://lds.org/scriptures?lang=eng (and the Book of Mormon, more on that later). There are some great "scripture a day" programs I will share below. And also an awesome link to a search-able online Bible and an index by topic http://lds.org/scriptures/tg?lang=eng for it so you can choose your own scriptures to read on any topic. And also I will include a list of our favorite verses to read about Jesus Christ. If you do anything at all this Christmas to focus more on the Savior, this will work better than anything else, with a close second from serving others.

Scripture a Day until Christmas

December 1: Isaiah 7:14 "Behold a Virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name immanuel."
December 2: Isaiah 9:6 "Unto us a child is born..."
December 3: Micah 5:2 "out of thee shall He come forth"
December 4: Jeremiah 23:5 "I will raise unto David a righteous branch..."
December 5: Isaiah 40:3-4 "The voice of Him who crieth in the wilderness..."
December 6: Jeremiah 33: 14-15 "I will perform that good thing..."
December 7: Isaiah 40:11 "He shall feed his flock.."
December 8: Psalms 24:9-10 "Who is the King of Glory?"
December 9: Jeremiah 23:6 "In His days, Judah shall be saved..."
More later, from the Book of Mormon too.

Do you want to search for a specific word or phrase in the Bible? Do you want to know where a specific story is so you can read it again? Go to this online searchable set of scriptures. http://lds.org/scriptures?lang=eng
It is very user friendly.

And then if you want to look for Jesus Christ in an index and then go to some of the references listed for the Bible, go to this link
http://lds.org/scriptures/tg?lang=eng

We are going to read all the references to Jesus Christ The Good Shepherd and Jesus Christ Redeemer. It will take awhile, a few days at least, but I look forward to every minute.

Let me add a footnote here. We just finished our devotional for the night. So fun!! We picked out some families to do 12 days for and the kids listed some things they want to give them. And then under Jesus Christ The Good Shepherd in the Topical Guide of the Bible, we found the 23 Psalm. The kids recognized it and love it. They have heard it to music before. And then under Jesus Christ Redeemer, we read some of the story of Job. I am so inspired by him. And the kids were amazed. After all he had been through, his testimony and declaration that Jesus Christ is our redeemer is powerful.

Thirty Ways #8-15 or so: Service, Service, and more Service

2010-12-06T21:44:00.000-06:00

I was thinking of what makes Christmas really special for us. And it is when we serve, when we feel like we have made a difference in someone's life. Here are some ideas of things we have done or our friends have done to serve. I share them thinking that you might find joy and fun and blessings in doing the same with your families.

We love to do 12 days of Christmas for people. We start on day one and give them 1 thing up until 12 days on Christmas eve when we are giving them 12 things....which is usually a CD with 12 tracks or 12 brownies or napkin rings or something. But anyway, it is super fun for the kids to leave it on the doorstep and run.

We love to do the traditional make and deliver cookies. As much work as it is, the kids are the most excited about this activity. And we include all kinds of people in our delivery pool.

We have gone to elderly care homes and delivered cards and ornaments and talked with the residents. This is super fun too because they get really excited to have kids visit. Families have joined together and did a sort of talent show for them as well. I want to do this some day.

(I will stop talking in the first person:))

You could make and mail cards and packages to the soldiers.

You could assemble hygiene kits, education kits, newborn kits, etc. in your home with your kids and ship them to Salt Lake. http://classic.lds.org/humanitarianservices/0,19749,6208,00.html

You could quietly choose a family or a couple people or a couple families to serve during the holidays and anonymously mail them gift cards or drop off a box of fun Christmas cheer at their house.

You can organize a caroling group and visit the houses of friends and invite them to join you. Super fun!!

You could serve lunch at a soup kitchen. Union Gospel Mission in Fort Worth is a wonderful wonderful organization. http://www.uniongospelmissiontc.org

You could help stock a soup kitchen. You can help any and all battered women's organizations in your area. Their shelters are always in need of supplies and love and cheer.

You could invite your friends' children over for a kids party right in the middle of the busy holiday season. Their parents will be grateful. And the kids will have super fun.

You can serve at any and all Ronald McDonald houses over Christmas and change lives. My dear friend was blessed by such service and it meant so very much. What a hard time to have a sick hospitalized child.

Etc Etc Etc. Look around. There will be specific ways you can serve in your area every day. I was just telling a dear friend today. I would much rather be super busy serving than be super busy doing anything else. It isn't as draining. Instead it kind of fills you up.

Anyway, we will be implementing many of these throughout the holidays but it becomes tricky reporting on your service activities so I just thought I would throw out the big list to choose from over the next couple weeks.

If you have any other ideas or experiences to share, I am looking for more. Please let me know.

Watch LDS Christmas Programs: Thirty Ways #7

2010-12-05T20:49:00.002-06:00

We had an awesome day. Tonight we watched parts of a Christmas concert with the kids and we decorated our main tree. (I say main tree because this year we set up that additional inspirational tree in the other room.) See Original thirty ways And then we were blessed to see the annual Christmas devotional from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints. wow. It was phenomenal. Talk about bringing Christ into Christmas. We got some great ideas from them too about how to keep this Christmas a meaningful one.

The concert we watched, "Ring Christmas Bells" has a story behind it. Dustin and I were married at Christmas time and we like to get back to the Salt Lake City Temple Square area at Christmas time when we can. For our anniversary last year we took a quick trip to see the annual Christmas concert at the conference center in Salt Lake City. We were so so blessed because our dear kind awesome and wonderful friend Glen sings in the choir and was able to get us tickets on the SECOND ROW. Anyway, we aren't sure if it was because it was second row or our date trip or just a truly exceptional concert but we loved it and it is one of the highlights of Dustin's life he just told me. So, it is well worth seeing. Anyway, we showed the kids the retelling of the story surrounding "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day."

The annual Christmas Devotional can be seen here by December 6th. http://lds.org/broadcasts/watch/christmas-devotional/2010/12?lang=eng
It was really so so inspiring! The music was beautiful, the talks were heart changing and very timely. We loved it and found ourselves lingering together in the family room after it was over.

We ate yummy cinnamon rolls. mmmmmm. Thanks Grandma Jane for the recipe.

This is what it looks like right when we are done BEFORE I tweak it tomorrow when the kids are at school. :)

Fun Community Events: Thirty Ways #6

2010-12-04T19:27:00.001-06:00

Hi there,
Well, this activity was admittedly not at all Christ focused. And my plans to have a follow up devotional last night fell through. But of course, December is an awesome time of year to participate in community events, shows, plays, parades, lightings, carriage rides etc.

We went to a local showing of the Nutcracker and it was so beautiful. I was very impressed. If you are in the area, here is their website http://www.lifesongstudio.com It was great for us all to be out having fun together. In the past, we have seen the Rockettes together, attended various live nativities, participated in concerts etc. Later in December we will be seeing Annie in a local theater in the round type place. Http://www.artisanct.com
Wish I had a personal picture. This one will have to do for now.

Nutcracker Photo &

Talk about Jesus: Thirty Ways #5

2010-12-03T09:37:00.001-06:00

I am including everything we do this month even things like this which don't seem very creative. But today we sang our Christmas carol, said a prayer, and talked about Jesus. We talked about some of the things He did on earth. We mentioned all the people he healed. We talked about calming the storm. We talked about washing the disciples feet, about His hours in Gethsemane, about his time on the cross. We talked about His return. The kids are so excited for Him to come back some day. We talked about the scripture, "Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is the Christ." It was a great quiet evening. We felt closer to Him.

This year, I have also added several more word phrases to help us think of Jesus more. It is still a work in progress, but this has been great fun.

Christmas Stories: Thirty Ways #4

2010-12-01T20:06:00.000-06:00

We love to read stories! Over the years we have collected several binders full of Christmas stories designed to share one a day until Christmas. Today, being December 1st. We read the Gift of the Magi...or at least a smaller kid friendly version. It was fun to talk about love.

And this month is also all about fun!! We can't forget all the activities we do that just encourage togetherness! One thing is a tradition we started last year and it brings ALL the family together. We decorate with candy!

We tried another new thing last year. I saw this fun handmade garland at a friends' house and loved it immediately. I think I am a die hard fabric lover. :) That is a string of lights. We tied on strips of fabric and laid it along the back and sides of the couch. LOVE IT!

Kindness Chain, Thirty Ways #3

2010-11-30T20:42:00.002-06:00

Tonight was fun to see. We read in Matthew in the Bible how Jesus told the disciples that the sheep on his right hand were those who fed and clothed and served Him on earth and explained that "inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." Beautiful beautiful scripture, one of my very favorites.

So we talked about how Christmas is Jesus' birthday and if we want to give Him a present, the best thing would be for us to serve others. We started a kindness chain. Every time someone in the family does something kind we record the act on a strip of paper. Then on Christmas Eve, we string all these strips of paper together in a chain of kindness and gifts we have given to Jesus this month. The kids get super excited. In fact, we ended the meeting and within 3 minutes, there were already two strips with kind acts written on them. So this really works!!! :) Then they wanted to draw secret service names for the week too which we did. Each person has a another person in the family to secretly serve all week long. Great meeting, great times with the family.

This evening was the first time there were some conflicts with our time. Our oldest is overwhelmed about a huge test tomorrow, Dustin walked in from work late, and the four year old was having trouble finishing her dinner. But everyone settled and calmed while we sang our Christmas carol and said our prayer. Just when you think there is no way to add one more thing to an evening (like a Christmas devotional) you realize that one more thing might be the most important of all the things.

Thirty Ways #2

2010-11-29T20:15:00.001-06:00

As Promised, Mandi taught our lesson tonight on Mercy and Grace.

We want to focus on all the blessings we have because of Jesus Christ. Mandi taught us that Mercy and Grace are the infinite virtue. We learned that we all give our very best which is never quite good enough to return to Heavenly Father but then Christ makes up the difference so we can. Everyone's very best, their 100% is different. It doesn't matter. When we give our all, Christ completes the path and we can return to Him some day. And even better, He helps us to do our best, enabling us along the way. It is the beautiful power of Grace. It was a nice evening and decorating (and eating) Gingerbread people was super fun too.

Thirty Ways to Add Christ to Christmas

2010-11-29T12:20:00.003-06:00

Hello everyone!
We have started our Christmas holiday season and I just LOVE it and the kids are really appreciating it and so I thought we would share what we do each day.

Yesterday was the first day and we set up a new smaller tree in a different room. On this tree were all our symbols of Christ in Christmas. We had a lesson about each symbol and then put them up on the tree. We will add some more to it, but this is how it started:

Stars: We found some glittery start ornaments and talked about how Christ is the light of the world. And He always leaves a path to find Him. When He was born, God put a new start in the sky, announcing His birth and leading people to Him. We can see the path God left for us to find Jesus today through our scriptures and the prophets words.

Bell: We found some bell ornaments. We talked about how shepherds call their sheep using a bell and by name. We know that Jesus calls us to be part of His flock. He wants us to follow Him. We need to listen for His voice and do what He says. The bell calls the sheep together for safety and for food.

Candy Canes: We love to decorate with candycanes. We talked about how if a sheep strays from the flock, the shepherd uses the crook to bring him back in. If we make poor choices and stray from the flock, we can repent and be brought back in with the shepherds crook.

And we put up a nativity set of ornaments. It had all the pieces. So as we hung up each piece, we talked about how that character is important in the birth of Jesus.

It was a beautiful evening. We all love it.

We will be focusing on the Atonement of Jesus through this next month as well as ways to serve Him and more about His teachings. Tonight we asked our 13 year old daughter to teach us about Mercy and God's grace and how it applies to her. We'll see what she comes up with. :) And we will be decorating gingerbread people. I better get baking!!!

I told the kids no matter what is going on through December, the 7 PM hour is mine. :)

Merry Christmas!!!

2010-10-17T21:49:00.000-05:00

Noah loves to chase the chickens at grandma/pas!!!

What a swing!! It's like in the movies.

Our loves

2010-10-10T22:06:00.000-05:00

Audrey loves Dance!

She is having so much fun!

Noah loves whatever we are all doing! He is so much fun!

We love to be with Grandma!

We love each other, and we remember that lots of times! :)

I worked out today!!!

2010-09-13T10:31:00.000-05:00

I debated over whether this announcement should be a whole blog post or just a status update on facebook. And I thought it was big enough news to write a paragraph or two about it...also, I don't want all my facebook friends to know I never work out. :)

So, I have been having some less than healthy couple of months. I won't go into details, but I am a bit concerned so I decide that finally in my 37th year, it is time to start working out. But I need some serious advice here!!!!!

1. It is so boring. I chose to walk with our jogging stroller and 18 month old around our neighborhood lake/pond. It is a great little curcuit, some uphill and some down, but wow!!!! NOTHING to do but walk and walk and walk.

2. Have you ever exercised in a sauna?? Yeah, well, that was me this morning. I am all showered and dressed for the day and sitting in my air conditioned house STILL sweating.

3. It seems so hopeless, like I have to do this every single day for a whole month or something before I will notice it even helping me at all.

OK, so give me some encouragement. advice, help, what do you do to work out?

Thanks....

Football, parakeets, singing in church

2010-09-12T20:21:00.001-05:00

Wow, this post would sure be more exciting if I had some great pictures. I am working on it. My camera is kind of well, not working so........This is the best I can do.
Football, our town is a little bit excited about football. I have never seen anything like it. Every Friday all the kids wear our school color. We only have one highschool in our town so every school has the same mascot and color. Anyway, on Fridays which are game days for the highschool, all the kids in all the schools have a spirit day and wear our colors. Very cool. The moms all wear sequined spirit t-shirts and hats and things. There is a total market for crafty women who make stationary, hair bows, shoe laces, t-shirt designs, skirts, pencils, you name it. If it has our school colors and info on it, we buy it. Football starts when we are VERY young. 4-5 to be exact. Ben has been playing since then. And this year he just began tackle. He is 8. He is considered big for his age (90 lbs) so they red tape him and he plays on the line. Anyway, the point of all this is just to share that he practices THREE times a week at 2 1/2 hours each practice and has a game every Saturday. He game last Saturday was a 4 hour experience. wow. So who has time for anything else?

We do. In fact, we just bought two cute parakeets. Again, pictures to come. But the girls have been wanting a pet. I did and do not want to handle anything to do with pets so it is all up to Dad and the girls to keep these dear birds alive. It has been great fun for all the kids and an awesome babysitter for the 18 month old!!

My girls have caught the drama bug...yes, drama happens all the time, but I am talking about actually on stage!! :) So, we have one in a show called, The Wiz. Ever heard of it? It is the African American version of the Wizard of Oz. The last time it has been seen by large audiences is on TV with Diana Ross and Michael Jackson. Yeah. But anyway, should be fun, lots of dancing and singing.

The other daughter is trying out for Annie this month. Wish her luck!!

And then of course, we also have soccer going on. My other son LOVES Soccer. He also loves tennis and want to play basketball this winter. And somehow in all this, he really wants to try football to see if he likes it. I mean, we can't NOT do football right? right?

And it was just such a cool experience for us. The ward music specialist (the lady at church responsible for the music on Sundays) called and asked us to participate with some sort of musical number. Wow, we are not performers, but I told her yes and the three girls sang together. Wow, they were brave. Our little 4 year old started them off with the first line of the song. So cute. You never know what you or your kids can do until you try.

And then there is the subject of fashion. I can't help it. I must blog about this. WHY can't large flannel shirts and birkenstocks and thick wool socks come back into style??? I mean, come on!! IT has been over a decade now and it is about time people!! I think I came into my best look in the early 90s when I could go to my college classes with curly, somewhat messy hair and those before mentioned items of clothing. sigh.

OK, that's it for now. So much more to say.

Room Makeovers

2010-07-28T18:46:00.000-05:00

Mandi's room

Sarah's Dresser, I added fabric to the front with a staple gun, and a little padding. I want to paint it white and change the knobs, but this is the start.

Sarah's room. She still needs a bed frame.

Mandi's room

Swiss Family Robinson

2010-07-23T14:15:00.001-05:00

Hello!
I have so many posts planned and not enough time to post them.
From the first page of Swiss Family Robinson:

"My beloved children, God can save us, for nothing is impossible to Him. We must however hold ourselves resigned, and, instead of murmuring at His decree, rely that what He sees fit to do is best, and that should He call us from this earthly scene, we shall be near Him in heaven, and united through eternity. Death may be well supported when it does not separate those who love."

Well worth the read. I highly recommend this book for all families.

They surprised me!!

2010-06-15T09:19:00.002-05:00

Surprise!!

I went to Costco last night because I didn't want to have to go on my BDAY. Dustin rallied the kids and they cleaned the house AND decorated AND wrapped my presents AND were ready to party with me when I returned. SO FUN! I love my little family. They are so thoughtful and good to me.

One of my presents is very very fun. It doesn't actually come out until June 24 or so....

but you see, I have had the original I-phone since it was first created which is a very slow machine with only a little bit of memory. :) AND you see, they are just happening to release the new one in JUNE, in my birthday month, SOOOOO I get a new one! Yippeee!!! :) When I first got the I-phone, I thought it was fun for Dustin to get it for me and to load things on it for me and to set it all up etc. But it really has become such an invaluable tool for me now. I use the calendar and maps most of all. You would not believe how many times I get lost in a day. I am directionally challenged in a HUGE way. :) But I also love my tunes on there, the movies, general conference from our church (http://www.lds.org) the church directory with maps and phone numbers, the scriptures, and now I will be able to get a library of books on there. It is way cool. Wanna know another cool thing? I can read in the dark with that thing! So if I am sitting by a lonely child, or can't sleep, I can pull it out and read scriptures or check email, or even get on facebook. Very great for soccer/baseball/basketball/football games too. I am sure you all have one too, but I am feeling a little excited about my new one in just a week or so!!!

Today

2010-06-14T19:22:00.003-05:00

A Day in the Life of:

I am in quite the blogging slump so this may be totally boring to you, but I might find it interesting in a few years. :)

We all got up at 7 this morning. (Dustin was off to work at six--poor guy--always feel bad for the men who work in the summer. I was up with him too.) I just keep doing my Mommy job in the summer time which started at 7 today.

8:00 I went to cub scout day camp with my son Ben.
He was so excited and had three great buddies right there in the den with him. I stayed around helping everyone get settled and organized. I am the Primary President and felt a need to make sure our kids were in the right place and leaders felt comfortable. I drove out the driveway and down the street and couldn't shake the feeling that I needed to go back and check on things and talk to Trudy. She is an expert scouter who works with our boys. I asked her how she feels the cub scout program is running. Learned some new valuable pieces of info. And then drove off to head back home.

Returned home at 9.
Fed the children who had not yet had breakfast. My older girls are such a blessing to me. They were home watching everyone else while I dropped Ben at camp. And then I started to clean up the kitchen a bit at which time I remembered that my friend was taking me out to lunch because tomorrow is my birthday. SO nice. :) I got in the shower and actually round brushed my hair and got ready.

12:00 Lunch with a friend.
We went to Brio. It was REALLY tasty. And the conversation was wonderful. We laughed and cried. And I felt very close to the Lord as we were talking about some of her life's decisions she feels good about. It was a great lunch.

2:00 Then the girls had friends over.
Audrey went to play at Gracie's. I left to pick up Ben and two friends at camp. James came over to swim. I cleaned the kitchen floors and counters and did the dishes (finally, it was from breakfast and lunch now too) THEN the wonderful lawn crew showed up to trim our bushes. We are having a work dinner over here on Saturday night and it all needed to be trimmed. Last week Dustin and I tried to do it ourselves like usual and died of heat and almost got swarmed by wasps so we gave up. :) It was one of those moments when it was easy to convince Dustin to pay for someone else to do it. They did a great job!!

4:00 I made spaghetti and brocolli for dinner. Some of the children cheered and some cried. :)
Then I asked them to all do their power hour. We do it every day where they spend some time learning. So they are all quietly sitting and working. It is a happy moment. Noah is a bit bored though and when I sat down to blog, he pulled my hands away and tried to get my attention. So I have been interrupted two or three times to run races in our front room with Noah, then to feed him some more yogurt in his chair, then to wash him up from that. Then he wanted to go outside, then I had to get up to check on him out there because he is alone. The yard is fenced but still he needs supervision afterall. And then Dustin got home from work and I helped him bring up the garbage cans. whew! And now we are up to the present moment.

7:00 Tonight we will have a lesson together as a family and pray and read the scriptures. And then we will go to bed.

Not a super busy day, almost just right.
And I almost forgot it was FLAG DAY!!!!!

Glimpses

2010-06-12T22:29:00.001-05:00

Mandi and Tia

The kids looking for Ducks

Waiting to ride the train

Cub Scouts!!!

2010-06-08T16:06:00.005-05:00

Cub Scouts rock!!!
What was that? Yes, totally rock. I never understood the mystery that is scouting until here I am, forced to learn all about it because of my calling at church. Cub scouts is seriously the BEST thing for 8-10 year old boys!! They pound things, build things, create things, collect things, play hard, learn responsibility, learn leadership, have some serious character development, and MOST OF ALL, provide all kinds of opportunities for parents to interact with their boys in productive ways. Cubs creates good scouts who create fantastic men.

SO, I am all about it!!! I got my shirt, my badges; I am getting trained. I even learned a couple cheers and SKITS!!! Day Camp here I come!
http://www.scouting.org

Choose the Right

2010-06-06T19:30:00.002-05:00

Do you remember Indiana Jones? Remember that part where he drinks from the wrong cup and totally gruesomely explodes in your face and then that old guy says, "He chose poorly" Wow. Yucky visual image. But you know, it is all about our choices. And more than ever, I think the most important choices are those little ones we THINK don't really matter, the kinds of choices that mark us as borderline or rock solid. I don't really have an opinion about what these might be, but it is helpful for me to analyze my life and pay attention to where I stand.
That's it.

Locker space???

2010-06-02T18:34:00.003-05:00

Wow! All this paperwork happenned in just a few minutes!!
What on earth! Is that a plunger!!!????? Unused but can I ever use that counter again???
The kids emptied lockers and desks into their bags at school and when they got home, they couldn't stand their bags so messy......
I am kind of amused by it all. I wonder what they thought.....

Summer, Summer, Summer Summer!!!!

2010-06-01T12:02:00.008-05:00

Yay for Summer!!!
Let the fun begin!!! I LOVE having all my kids home! I LOVE being in charge of our family schedule once more!!!! I LOVE deciding at 9 AM that we all feel like going to the aquarium, so we do it!!! I LOVE that we can go to bed when we want to. I LOVE that we can wake up when we want to!!! I LOVE to be with these kids. and I really really really LOVE teaching them myself!! :)

We usually have some kind of summer learning motivating program. This year, it is more typically education based. I have field trips and extra fun, but they have a few work books to complete this summer before we are all through....

Don't worry for my kids. I am seriously more fun than work. So we will get our fair share. And the rewards make them super excited. I have tried all kinds of things. And given the age difference of my kids, I am going to do a couple different rewards systems. Mandi, Sarah, and maybe Ben will all get to pick a big reward for the end of the summer. If they complete the workbooks and other tasks, they will get their prize. Andrew and Audrey will have a big prize box that they can pick out of as we go along when they reach certain milestones. Very fun. I might get some candy for the big kids too to keep them motivated here and there. :) But I LOVE this! And I love it that the kids do too! :)
Mandi already has her prize all picked out...
VERA BRADLEY

All work, no play for Uncle Scott

2010-05-17T19:54:00.004-05:00

We were so so HAPPY to see Uncle Scott this weekend! Dustin's brother is a one of a kind soul who fits right in and makes everyone happy. He and Dustin are really close. Scott's wife Kristy and I really enjoy them and enjoy being together. It is just great all round. Poor Scott came out here to go to a workshop and then have some good ol Texas fun!!! Did we give it to him? Oh yeah!!!!
First, he played Wii with the kids. We had him groovin' to Just Dance to Eye of the Tiger, Girls just wanna have fun, who let the dogs out.... (sorry no pictures)

Then, he fixed our computer until 2:00 AM with Dustin.

Then, he worked all day from our house.

Then, we went to Cheesecake factory, yeah some fun finally.

Then, we didn't take him to see the Grascals (a Blue Grass band)

Then, he worked on the computer some MORE

Then, he woke up and did chores with us, went to Mandi's horse riding lesson, went to an electronics store, fixed the computer some more, did yard work in extreme humidity.

Then, he went to get good hand mixed shakes with us...

Then, he fixed the computer some more

Then he went to bed.

Woke up, fixed the computer some more, and went to the airport.....

Poor Uncle Scott. We love you and hope you still come back again to play and bring Kristy too!!!

Love, Dustin and Jen and the kids

Dustin's Mother's Day Talk...

2010-05-09T21:06:00.003-05:00

Dustin gave a really great Mother's Day talk today. This is how he began his talk. I loved it.

Mother’s Day

It is a privilege to get to share with you my thoughts on mother’s and motherhood today. It is a privilege because I think I recognize at least to some extent, what an important role you mothers have in making life better, endurable, enjoyable and comfortable for everyone, and how grateful each of the rest of should be to you for your influence.

Two weeks ago, along with some of you, my wife Jen travelled to Utah to attend Women’s conference at BYU. I was excited that she would be able to relax a little, and be away from the pressures and responsibilities she carries here at home. So off she went.

She was gone only from Wednesday to Saturday. Not long. Shorter than many of the business trips many here take all the time. But during that time, I’m sure I’ve never been busier in my whole life. From waking the kids up in the morning for school, to making breakfast, lunch, and dinner, to driving the kdis to theature practice, baseball practice, and every other activity. To even curling Mandi’s hair for her theatre performance. Yes, both curlers and a curling iron. I had moments of frustration, anxiety, discouragement, tiredness, and hunger. When Jen called home and asked the kids how I was, they answered, “Oh, dad seems stressed.”

If I didn’t appreciate all Jen did before this, I learned to appreciate her then. After watching her give her time, her talents, and everything she can to guiding and rearing our children, I am convinced that there is no role in life more essential and eternal than that of motherhood.

What type of girl are you?

2010-05-07T18:40:00.004-05:00

There are all kinds of awesome girls out there... women now aren't we? I was just talking with a group of friends about how we can't believe we are old. But anyway, the female half of the race come in all different emotional shapes and sizes. There are the girls who are totally girly, who LOVED sleepovers, who loved giggles, who had all the dolls, who played house, who loved to babysit, who can get along with girls wherever they go. Always have lots of girlfriends, always will. There are girls who are more active. Who prefer running around to sitting and playing, who bore quickly of dolls and would prefer something more, well, active. They often end up playing with lots of boys because they are the other active ones. :) They tend to be more down to earth. And grow to prefer boy company to girl company. Not real tom boys but not girly either. They usually find it hard to relate to the center of activity in a group of giggling and whispering and complimenting. There are the mean girls who found out they can intimidate people into friendship, there are the controlling girls who try to manipulate their way through life. There are the sweet kind girls, the shy girls, the outgoing student council-leadership types......all kinds of girls in this world. Girls who would hate this post because they try to not fit into any label. (don't like labels myself) Isn't it interesting that with all these different feminine types floating around, we are also all the same in many ways...

Two Internet Browsers

2010-05-04T17:54:00.003-05:00

Hi everyone!
This is just a quick blog because I am so happy to be back online. I have spent the last MONTH without Internet!!! I could get emails just fine, but Internet Explorer was broken. The latest update messed with a ton of our software. Anyway, because of that, I have felt seriously deprived!!! You would be amazed at what a useful tool the Internet is in my daily life. (probably in your life too) For example, I couldn't pay the bills, I couldn't research my kids' symptoms, I couldn't look online for advice on my new calling and to do the trainings, I couldn't learn about cubscouts (my new calling is in Primary with the children at church), I couldn't shop for all kinds of things I think I need, I couldn't order pizza!!!!! I couldn't BLOG, I couldn't even download another browser to use on my computer!!!! I was without hope.

So, my advice to all of you is to always have two browsers on your computer to use in case one shuts down. I am using Mozilla Firefox right now, love it!!! And beware updates!!!!!

Just one that makes me smile

2010-03-01T10:14:00.000-06:00

Mandi's Birthday Bash

2010-02-22T18:17:00.002-06:00

Our little sweet Mandi turned 12. (in December) And even though I sort of wish it hadn't happenned yet, we still wanted to celebrate in a big fun way. I'll share what we did because it was SO WAY FUN!!!!

We have an outdoor shopping mall near us. So we had all the girls meet us there at 3. Then we split them into groups of 4 or 5. We gave each group $10 and told them to buy as much as they possibly could in 15 mintues. They took off. They were SO excited. One group came back with 15 things and spent just under $10. Then we redivided the groups and gave them a list of things to take pictures of while doing. Very fun!! Here is what we did:

"Riding up an escalator
Wearing a tiara
Wearing one high heel shoe
Washing hands in a bathroom
Looking at an information map of town square
Everyone in the group wearing sunglasses
Sitting on one of the town square cows
Trying to hide behind a tree or bush
Asking someone politely for the time
Wearing hats
Wearing a feather boa
One team member trying on an unmatched outfit
Spelling out YMCA with a store employee
Holding hands with a guy
Singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star together
Standing on the Second Floor waving down to the first
1 team member getting makeup applied
Laying on a bench
Sitting around the fountain in funny poses
Asking for an employment application (give it back) J
Opening the door for 4 people
Doing the wave

Put a check next to each task completed. Take a picture. First one to the Theater wins! If you can’t complete it, all teams must be at the theater by 4:00 PM sharp!! Winner will be the team with the most completed first."

THEN we saw a movie. Tooth Fairy. It was OK. The girls thought it was hilarious. My only criteria was that it was clean. It was a matinee and they all still qualify as children (much to their dismay) and then we went to a nearby pizza place for dinner. It was so much fun. I wish I could do it again this weekend. When I get around to it, I'll flip through the pics and see if there are any memorable ones. :)

What means Most this week?

2010-02-17T09:07:00.002-06:00

Hi! I have been doing a lot these past couple weeks. Busy Busy Busy. But it is interesting. The thing I did that brings me the most satisfaction, that I am most proud of, the one I really wanted to blog about.... I took lots of pictures of me and Audrey close together.

Then she painted a small wood heart frame.

And we picked a picture, put it inside her frame and hung it on her wall. (sorry no picture of the finished product yet) But that is my favorite thing I have done lately. Isn't that interesting. Love that girl!!!

Give to Help Haiti

2010-01-20T22:09:00.002-06:00

https://secure3.convio.net/ldsp/site/Donation2?df_id=1861&1861.donation=form1&s_src=14703

I saw this on my church website http://www.lds.org

Please click on the above link and donate to help the people in Haiti. All funds go directly to help those in need.

Thanks!!!

Our Own White Christmas

2009-12-27T21:46:00.003-06:00

Texas had its first white Christmas since 1927!! Apparently it was in the 70s and beautiful weather and then within a matter of hours the wind was whipping and the snow was falling.

We wouldn't know because we missed the whole thing! :)

We were celebrating our very own white Christmas!

Johnson Family Fable

2009-12-08T12:04:00.002-06:00

Once upon the year 2009, the Johnsons set out to make a difference. We wanted it to be something grand, something glorious, something earth shattering and far reaching. Our sights were high. Kings, presidents, newspapers, all would be touched. Everyone would be blessed and happier because we were alive!! But as the year began, we found we could not yet begin our grand plans. First we had to start preparations for dear Ben’s baptism. He would be turning 8 in October and his lessons commenced in early January. We taught him all about Jesus Christ and the plan to return to Him. Then our house was filled with new sounds: the sounds of a gurgling, cooing, happy baby. Because Noah David never cried. And we each found many hours spent laughing and clapping and holding and feeding and changing and watching and crawling and protecting and teaching this new little baby boy. Pretty soon, as we continued with our normal lessons and sports (basketball, soccer, football, theater, singing, piano, horses) we found that we were spending lots of time studying together in the evening, doing our family home evening lessons, attending church, and our church activities. And then there were some local needs to be met. The girls organized book drives, supported canned food drives and clothing drives. We continued to try and help victims of domestic violence. We were active in the schools. What family of six children is not?!! But these were small things, tiny! As we tried to serve and love, we realized there was no way for our family to make even a wrinkle of change in the vast and broad problems of poverty and substance abuse. We supported the soldiers and thought, “but there is no way to truly thank them or pay them back for their supreme sacrifice!” We sent food in for the homeless and thought, "But what about tomorrow's meal?" But we have to try don't we? We all have to try. And quickly, the year sped onward until November was upon us once more. And, with our glorious plans unrealized, we began the Thanksgiving holiday seeking for those things that merited gratitude. We thought of our dear friends whom we love so much. We thought of our distant families who we wish were SO much closer. We thought of our home and stable environment. And we were filled with love for our dear Savior Jesus Christ who makes all these blessings possible. But we felt a twinge of disappointment and despair as we remembered how little we had done in return for these great blessings! We thought of kings and presidents who don’t know our name. We thought of countries untouched and world problems unsolved. What happened to those grand plans once laid? Where was the difference we had made? Our thoughts were interrupted by a noise at the table as we were gathered around the turkey, and we gazed on each smiling face. Mandi was growing into a beautiful thoughtful and wise Young woman, Sarah was eternally kind and loving, Ben so tenderhearted and driven to succeed, Andrew cheerful as ever and praying to obey, Audralynn healthy strong and happy keeping us all in line, and Noah sweet, so so sweet. Our mark on the world this year begins and ends with each sweet soul in our dear family. And although we have so much more to learn, we love them so much and as we work for this eternal family, we know the truth of the words, “Be not weary in well doing for ye are laying the foundation of a great work and out of small things, proceedeth that which is great.”
We love you and Merry Merry Merry Christmas!!!
Love,
Dustin, Jennifer, Amanda, Sarah, Benjamin, Andrew, Audralynn, and Noah

I can copy

2009-12-02T21:59:00.003-06:00

I started playing around with candy the other day. Because I saw this very very cool add.

I am not finished but this is sure a fun new twist to my holiday.

Ben is Baptized!

2009-11-09T10:38:00.003-06:00

It was a beautiful day. We all felt so joyful. Ben was thrilled. Many great friends came to support. It was a great example to the younger ones. My Mom thought of a great way to cover his bright green cast. It was all good.

Noah is sleeping in his carseat....and I promise I look skinnier than this!! :) I hope.

I couldn't resist this shot of the two of them. Too bad my camera was on a weird setting and it is sort of fuzzy.........

AHHH...the brothers.

Tell me the Secret

2009-09-29T08:44:00.003-05:00

Hello again,
I have a question for all you mom experts out there. So, I will share a little conversation we had over here. Don't think worse of us, just know we are normal. :) Dustin is doing the dishes (love his dish habit!!!) And one of the kids wants to play with him. I tell him, "dishes can wait. at those pearly gates, Peter is not going to ask if your dishes were always clean." I said it with a smile, kind of joking-like. He said, "Well, if your house isn't clean, your kids aren't going to want to be here to be with you."

OK, so both good points. I agree with both. I am sure you are all thinking, "balance." But in those day to day decisions, how do you know what comes first? Mary, Martha. Play with kids, teach kids to clean house by example, etc etc.

I would love to hear your opinions on this when you get a minute.

I'm Baaaack!!

2009-09-10T14:24:00.002-05:00

Sorry I have neglected you good Blog. You have been a good friend all this time; and here you sat, patiently waiting for the time when I would come use you again.

Here are just a few highlights from summer! See those tiny people? We did a hike up to Timpanogos cave. It was incredible, tough and very steep in places!! Here is where we brought the kids to be milked in the cow barn. Grandpa Johnson had many a milkin' cow in his day.

Here are some darling models we found to pose in front of the Utah red rock. This was at Arches National Park. Don't they make that shade of red just jump out at you?

What did we Promise??

2009-08-06T15:13:00.002-05:00

Hello,
Sorry to leave Y'all hanging like that, waiting and wondering and biting your nails about what on earth was the promise.............................

Actually, I know the truth. You are just like me, enjoying your summer, only looking at blogs as a diversion now and then, seeking something to entertain you for a minute while you wait for....any number of things, water to boil, etc.

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I will tell you a little about the picture in the next post. We had a wonderful reunion with our Johnson half. And it was great to see everyone. We did LOTS of hiking which was very beautiful. And in preparation for one of our hikes, we had a meeting where we made a family flag. On it were the words, "We Promise." Each member of the family signed it. We taught them about a great captain of a great army who motivated and inspired his people by ripping his jacket and making a flag. On it he wrote the things they were fighting for: God, family, freedom. And then each person who agreed with him, ripped their clothes and promised not to forsake their God.

Well.....we did not rip any clothes, but we all signed this flag and promised to live clean and worthly lives so that we too would not forsake our God. It was inspiring. And I love to think of Grandpa Johnsons arm held high with the flag flapping in the wind. Very cool.

We Promise

2009-07-09T17:40:00.001-05:00

1,2,3,4,5,6.....

2009-06-09T13:38:00.003-05:00

Wow! Are all these yours???? You are a brave woman! Woa, you are more woman than I. Lots of helpers there I see. And you have a little surprise baby! I don't often see a fifth grader and a baby in the same family.... Do they all have the same mother? (I am sensitive about that one. What would you say if they didn't?? Kind of a long personal story to retell in the grocery store)You are so young. You are done now right? I would have had more but (fill in the blank with any sort of reason I have heard them all) Hey Jr. (to their own son) How would you like to have 5 other siblings?? Mommy, can we have a baby in our family? Oh! You are making me want to have more. What a beautiful family. I love your family. My kids love to play at your house. You make having 6 look so easy.

Andrew "It is great to have lots of kids because you have less work to do."
Ben "I hope we always have a baby in our family"
Mandi "I want you to have at least 10 kids Mom!"
Sarah "Can I hold him? C'mon Audrey. Let's play. I'll help you Andrew."
Audrey "No Mom, I am playing with (fill in with each of her siblings)
Noah "smile, laugh, smile, chuckle, coo...."

Mandi's New Biz

2009-06-01T18:53:00.006-05:00

I am pleased to announce the start of Mandi's new school entrepreneural project. She is selling Friendship bracelets that she makes and designs herself. She also takes custom orders where you design your own.

She calls it Friends4ever Bracelets.

Her Blog address is http://friends4everbracelets.blogspot.com/

She is having tons of fun. The girls at school are already placing orders. :) I am her only employee and have been helping to make the bracelets and helping to put together her blog. She is a good CEO. :)

All modelling done by Sarah Johnson...

Life's a Stage.....

2009-05-24T19:55:00.005-05:00

My girls are little actresses this month. They were both in a theater group called showkids. It was so darling and the girls had all kinds of opportunities for fun. And Sarah had her musical theater class recital. She did great!! Singing and dancing like a girl in the 1920's. Very fun!

The sun is so bright...

Where's Jen??

2009-05-23T14:54:00.003-05:00

Jen was last seen in her garden!!!

She has NOT spent many an hour this year cultivating this amazingly hardy plant.

Not your average ornamental grass! This one will grow anywhere, anytime and it is virtually impossible to kill. It takes over all other vegetables that might be in your way, like tomatoes, as seen in this picture. You don't even need to plant it. One day if you are lucky enough, it will just show up in all the right places!

Noah, 10 Weeks

2009-04-30T13:29:00.002-05:00

April Birthdays 2009

2009-04-22T21:00:00.004-05:00

Andrew starts off our month with his Fifth birthday. I'm not ready for this incredibly sweet boy to go off to Kindergarten this year!

Audrey is next. She turned three and had SUCH a fun time. She has been waiting to see if she ever gets to have a birthday and open presents. I don't think she remembers turning two. It was such a treat to watch her.

I am so proud of our kids. They have been really and truly happy for each other's presents and special day.

Sarah finishes off the month turning the big TEN! We got her trick candles that kept relighting.

This is what I do at the parties, sweet little Noah.

Andrew wanted a Beehive cake really really badly....so what was I to do? Cute isn't it?

Baby Horse

2009-04-14T10:09:00.003-05:00

Just born on Sunday night.

Johnson Exploring

2009-04-05T17:09:00.002-05:00

Check out this bridge built in 1906 or so. We drove on it a couple times....cool. Here we are looking confused because there was supposed to be a letterbox hidden at this location.

And this one too

But most of us were happy to be there anyway! :) I love these kids and their Dad who humors me and all my Johnson family adventures.

Six Weeks...or so

2009-04-04T09:19:00.001-05:00

LOVE this little guy!

While Nursing...

2009-03-28T17:16:00.002-05:00

Here are all the things I have done while nursing (in my life, not necessarily with Noah)

Answer the front door
Make breakfast
change another child's diaper
wipe the table
bring in groceries
play on facebook
write a blog entry (this one to be exact)
tried to sweep (doesn't work)
laundry (hard to get stuff out of washer tho)
read all kinds of books
brush my teeth
put on makeup
watch "The Scarlet Pimpernell" 100 times (at least)
Watched all four seasons of Lois and Clark (90s Superman show)
Watched 11:00 PM Frasier reruns
put 2 year old to bed, (told other kids to get in bed) :)
etc.

They do go through a really cute phase though when they are personally offended if you don't look at them while you nurse, and some of mine would then stop if I talked to anyone else. I think it is so funny!

Noah...

2009-03-15T09:28:00.005-05:00

Here are some more pics of Noah. I keep trying to capture all the things I love about newborns and I keep missing them!! I would love to catch that cute rooting reflex or a big yawn. It is nice to have digital these days. You can take 500 pics. :)

ate o Po

2009-03-14T17:17:00.003-05:00

"I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails. I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp. I want to be there with grass stains on my shoes from mowing Sister Schenk's lawn. I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbor's children. I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone's garden. I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder. I want the Lord to know I was really here and I really lived."

This quote kind of reminds me of how I felt about coming home from my mission. I wanted to work and give everything that was in me so that they would have to carry me home. For some reason this quote also expresses the same feelings about really living my life as a Mother so in the end I have given all I have to give and i can arrive at those gates, worn out in His service.

side note: I don't mind if my toenails are painted when I get there. :)

To Create

2009-02-28T12:58:00.002-06:00

I am so inspired by President Uchtdorf's message!

OK, here is our creation story.
Given our history of large babies.... We scheduled an induction just four days before the due date. Friday February 20, 2009 we went in and they broke my water. I did not want pitocin so I started walkin' the halls! Poor Dustin while still recovering from knee surgery had to sit with ice packs when we were done! It worked though and after a couple hours, the labor started to kick in pretty regularly. Five and a half hours later, Noah came into the world. He is so precious. And his name was so easy this time, once we met him. He just looks like Noah. David is my father's name and we were thrilled to pass that on to one of our sons.

We all just love this baby!! If it were possible to be loved, touched, kissed or held too much, we would be guilty of inflicting this on good little Noah. What a gift to give to our other children, and what a gift for Noah. We brought him into a home with so many people already loving him. Heavenly Father's plan is more beautiful and more clear to me the longer I am a mother. I am so motivated to improve and work towards becoming the mother I know I can be, the mother I am meant to be, the mother I already am....deep down. :) We are so happy over here and filled with the "trailing clouds of glory" that Noah brought with him.

Noah David is Here!

2009-02-24T12:09:00.000-06:00

The Story To Come Later....

13 pounds!!!

2009-02-18T17:13:00.001-06:00

HA HA gotcha!!

No baby yet. We are scheduling it for Friday morning. We will keep you posted.

20 minutes of suction!

2009-02-10T12:52:00.003-06:00

Can you see that wire??
I have decided that no matter how much I spend on a vacuum, it only lasts a couple years and does the job about the same. So my two years were up and our vacuum was about to die. I was so happy to find a TON of posts over there on http://www.ididntsaybanana.blogspot.com and got lots of advice. I did a little research and decided I still hold to my theory and spent around $150 and happily left Costco. My kids love to vacuum so I let them do the second room, answered the phone, and heard the vacuum turn off.

Apparently, he had run over the cord, ripping it in shreds, which caused the live wires to touch and shorted a fuse in the house and shut off the vacuum.....never happenned before!!! But that was a new record around here....a vacuum that lasted a whole 20 minutes!

Dustin was able to cut and splice and wrap with tape and other electrical talents and now it works like a charm again. But I guess I can only have supervised helping.

Quilts for Baby

2009-02-05T09:06:00.003-06:00

Whenever I am expecting, strange things happen to me. :) HA! For example, I get these urges to learn how to knit. I never have actually learned. I can crochet all sorts of things, but never knitting....and so far this pregnancy, I have gone this far without learning again. But another craving I have is for sewing. I whip out a bunch of new receiving blankets (i go through those things, like 5 a day) and I start thinking about piecing together material for quilts. :) Luckily, my Mom was planning a visit and I knew if I could just piece together a top, she would do the rest and quilt them on her machine!! :) So I gave myself one afternoon and searched through the attic for boy material and these two are what I came up with. :) I think it is very funny that I actually put four pieces of material together and called it a quilt! :) But I like it.

The third quilt (obviously in a whole different quilting category) is made by my dear friend Sarah who is a prof at this. Just go see some of her stuff at http://www.ididntsaybanana.blogspot.com. Her latest which is shown here was auctioned off this week to help benefit her sister-in-law. You may have heard of her, most call her Nie from her blogging. http://nieniedialogues.blogspot.com/ Check out this blog to hear what is going on with them. She was in a serious plane crash and was in critical condition for a long time. Anyway, I am showing off Sarah's quilt here just for fun. I can't really show my weak one afternoon attempts without showing you what is possible in the world of quilting. :)

FHE Kit for any lesson

2009-02-02T14:08:00.004-06:00

As families, many have seen the value in getting together once a week for the teaching of gospel principles and to have fun. How wonderful for the church to recommend this. We have seen great results and the wisdom in meeting this way. In fact, we expand the one day to two on a typical week if you count our Sunday afternoon devotionals.

A group of friends got together the other day and we put together kits full of items that can be used in any lesson to help the younger ones stay focused and have fun. While trying to teach the older ones, these items can help the younger ones learn the same ideas at their level, and it helps them stay engaged. It is amazing what they can learn if they will only pay attention!

Bean Bag: My favorite use of this bag is to play hot potato and when the bag stops on you, you say something you learned from the FHE lesson that day. It is a great way to review and for the younger ones to sometimes really hear it.

A happy/sad choice stick puppet: Remember wickedness never was happiness, which often means that righteousness IS happiness and brings peace and joy. So you can use these to hold up whenever anyone in any situation in any story makes a happy or sad choice. I often make up lots of happy or sad choice scenarios including many I have seen happen throughout the week (using generic names of course) in our family and the kids vote on happy or sad choice. It is a great thing to use to help the young ones make happy choices any time because you can remind them.

A testimony glove: The Primary General Presidency one time suggested that we teach the kids about testimonies using the five fingers on their hands. These gloves can help teach that principle. The five points they suggested are:
1. I know God is our Father in Heaven and He loves us.
2. Jesus Christ is His son, our Savior and Redeemer.
3. Joseph Smith is a prophet of God. He translated the Book of Mormon by the gift and power of God.
4. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord’s church on the earth today.
5. The living prophet is President Thomas S. Monson

A magnetic fishing rod: I use this whenever we need to ask questions or read verses or choose songs. The children can fish for the question or song or verse and then anyone can answer it. You can also do this to pick chores, restaurants, you name it.

Stop Sign: This is our favorite singing help. The kids love to stop everyone singing and then start them back up again.

Scripture Games: These are great resources of questions to get everyone thinking.

Family faces cube: You can use this to talk about different family members’ responsibilities. Roll the cube and talk about whomever it lands on. You can also do this to choose how each person will participate in FHE that night or to decide any number of things where a family member must be chosen and it doesn’t matter who; it just needs to be fair.

Don’t Eat Pete: This is the easiest game. All you need is candy, like M&M’s.

PG Movies???

2009-01-23T19:28:00.003-06:00

What is UP with the movie rating system??? I have always thought it was slightly ridiculous and that of course, what is now PG 13, used to be R etc. BUT I am newly dissappointed after my most recent movie viewing.

The following three movies are all rated PG. But one of them has a male stripper scene, highly suggestive dancing, and much too much swearing. Not to mention adult scenes and unmarried people living together. Not at all in the same league with the other two. I left thinking, "how on earth was that rated PG??"

I have already stopped watching all the 13s, do I now need to cut out PGs because I am never sure what I will get? Mandi has been begging and begging to see Marley and Me and Hotel for Dogs.....

Grandparents have better trees

2009-01-08T19:00:00.002-06:00

They really do have better trees...some large live oaks that are perfect for climbing. They look like they have been around for 200 years.

The Reason

2008-12-19T21:37:00.003-06:00

Isn't it amazing what a better place the world is just because so many more people are remembering our Savior? That's what "Christmas Spirit" is all about really don't you think?

We took a little anniversary trip to Salt Lake City Utah. It was fantastic! We had some really meaningful experiences. Notice that SECOND ROW seat there in the Conference Center for the Sunday morning concert??? Thanks to our dear friend Glen who sings in the Tabernacle Choir!!!!

Loving the snow!

Some of my Favs

2008-12-07T19:52:00.001-06:00

Baby Names

2008-11-24T18:29:00.002-06:00

Hi Y'all!
OK, here is a real list of considered names:

Aaron Adam Brooks Carsen Dylan David Garrett Gavin Hunter Isaac Jared Jeremy Nathan Noah Tanner.

What are your favs???
Jen

???

2008-11-23T13:46:00.004-06:00

I did not know what to call this post.... "the unveiling", "me and my belly", "look how big I am"...... Nothing seemed to ring in just the right way. So if you feel inspired about a great title, let me know.

But here I am in my sixth month of pregnancy. Everyone is so kind and tells me how little I look.....most of the time....then there are those comments, "Are you SURE you aren't having twins???" And "wow, you have really popped out!!"

I tell people it is my sixth baby and I can't help it, but the truth of the matter is, I just get a big belly when I am pregnant, don't know why, that's just how I am. :) I'm OK with it. It all goes away eventually, usually; I've never had a sixth pregnancy before so we'll see won't we. If you don't see pics of me for awhile..... :)

One more piece

2008-11-11T13:29:00.002-06:00

Sometimes the week schedule is like a huge complicated puzzle where you are just trying to fit all the pieces together just right and still have happy kids. I am having one of those weeks. For example, our dog needs to go to the groomer desperately. (she and I can't even be in the same room) So I call them and the ONLY time I could get her over there was between 8:30-8:45 AM on the way to Andrew's preschool, after I dropped off Mandi and her friend at their school.

I know everyone understands. We all have weeks like this so you will also understand how one more piece to the puzzle can just upset the whole picture. (this analogy is only half-working) :) So anyway, in the middle of all this, Ben's crown falls out. So I call this morning and they can fit him in at 11:30. "OK, right after my stake meeting and right before my trip to buy cans for Mandi's canned food drive" No problem I think, fits perfectly.

But during weeks like this, I forget to factor in my newly tempermental two year old and dear Andrew who is happy to do whatever but I really try not to abuse his good-naturedness.

So there we are at the dentist, fun place, movies, video games, you name it. And they call Ben back. I go to follow but Audrey won't come. So I leave her in the waiting room, watching Nemo. Not the smartest mom move, but what could I do? Then I check on her every few minutes. Andrew is sort of back by us playing video games. Then just as they come to see Ben in his chair, I hear Audrey screaming at Andrew. She likes to boss him around, but apparently he didn't want to listen. So I go to try and get her but she stiff bodies me and screams about not coming. Anyway, then I try to go back to Ben but she cries that I am leaving her, but she won't come. You've all been here at some point. So I leave her, screaming in the hallway and go back to talk to the dentist. They want to take more x-rays. (ridiculous, they ALWAYS want more x-rays) I would have fought them on this, but I had little willpower left. So we did that and all is well to put the crown back in. Audrey is now running down the hall crying, looking for me. She finds me just when they are trying to get Ben to bite down on the crown and he is screaming in pain with his mouth open, refusing to bite, while the lady is telling him to hurry so the cement doesn't seal without the crown being in place. So we are saying, "you can do it Ben, just bite, one more time, blah blah" while Audrey is officially freaked out by seeing her brother and just at this point, Andrew comes to find us. Not wanting to ruin his good opinion of the dentist, I quickly lead him down the hall back to the games, hearing Ben's cries behind me as I walk away. ETC etc etc.

We finally made it out of there alive.

And the saddest part about all this is, that there are plently of great friends and places where I could have dropped off the kiddos, but I simply did not have time to get them there.

OK, I feel a little bit better sharing. :)

Fall Letterboxing

2008-11-09T20:17:00.004-06:00

I love to go letterboxing in the Fall. It is just crispy enough outside to have some real fun. And the change in the seasons brings out the adventure/explorer in me. Going to find a new box is the perfect excuse to be outside and visit new places.

You can find boxes where you live too. Find the clues online and you will be amazed when you follow them that there is actually a box hidden where they lead you!!
http://www.letterboxing.org
http://www.atlasquest.com

Share the Wealth!

2008-11-02T18:44:00.002-06:00

I have been thinking alot about taxes lately and I am slightly bothered by the cartoon I posted. I LOVE it and think it is hilarious. But if taken seriously, it is not exactly how I feel. For example, I DON'T think that someone who has less than I do is lazy.

But I DO really think it should be my decision how I choose to share any small extra we might save up. I DO really LOVE to share. But how can I if the Government takes every last little bit I had to give to others? And then Congress votes on how to spend my hard earned precious dollars. They are precious because they could be used to help the women I love at our local Battered Women's Foundation or to send packages to our soldiers overseas or to feed the homeless in our shelter downtown or to give gifts at Christmas time to all the different Santa's Helper programs.....etc. I have treasured the little bit of extra we have had to share and felt such joy in giving. It has made all the difference in my life and some of the most valuable memories of my life. If you tax the heck out of a person, you take away all that freedom of choice and therefore the joy of giving and helping redistribute the wealth by personal preference. SO, there you have it, one more reason to vote REPUBLICAN!!

What makes it special?

2008-11-01T21:54:00.003-05:00

For us, October 31st is special when we make time to keep up with our traditions! I had a really great (although exhausting) Halloween this year. Below are some highlights. I even took a picture of my new favorite Halloween beverage!

I also found some new reasons to really like this holiday. I LOVE to touch base with the moms and dads that come knocking on the door with their kiddos. I LOVE the cute kids that come. This one couple was taking around their 4-6 month old dressed like a bunny. SO cute! It is really great to make so many kids so happy all in one night. And I loved all of the things I got to do with my kids to make the day special for them. I won't mention all the reasons this day is not my favorite. I am on such a good warm fuzzy roll. :)

Obama Candy Tax

2008-10-27T21:41:00.000-05:00

Thanks Sarah for sharing this little funny!

My Own Cowboy

2008-10-24T15:15:00.003-05:00

The Ranch

2008-10-24T14:59:00.004-05:00

Grandma and Grandpa moved a short 2 1/2 hours away!!!
What a fun place to visit too!

The lady to our right

2008-10-21T21:16:00.003-05:00

OK, I don't want to take traffic away from the funny video I just posted below, but I had to say something about that super skinny pregnant woman over there on the right, counting down my days. First of all, when she says my days left are over 100, that is kind of depressing. Second of all, have you looked at her legs???? Who really looks like that when they are expecting? puulllleeeese! Even your hip bones expand!!!! So, if I didn't think she was otherwise super cute, she would be off of here and back into the void, where she can't make me think this will take forever and my legs will never look like that even a year after childbirth!!!
OK, I'm done. :) Now go enjoy the video.

Shoes left on the floor?????

2008-10-21T20:38:00.002-05:00

Make them permanent!! :)
A little superglue is all it takes.

I would never really do this, but I thought it was pretty funny!!!

Audrey Update

2008-10-18T12:29:00.003-05:00

October 2nd Audrey had her surgery. Technically what we had done was reimplant both her ureters into her bladder. They made a small incision at the base of her abdomen (think C-Section). It is just a couple days more than two weeks and she is doing just great!! We are so happy with her recovery and with her hospital experience. It was not easy, but much better than we thought. She went home after 24 hours and has really improved so much each day. November 4th we will go in for the Post-op check up to see if there is any swelling around the kidneys. As long as that is all normal, we are free to take her off the anti-biotics (yippeee!!).

We are very grateful for family and friends fasting and praying for us and Audrey. We felt such a strength and love in the hospital. And we know the Lord is with us...a blessing we do not take lightly.

Sarah's Broken Arm

2008-10-08T19:21:00.003-05:00

Sarah fell off the monkey bars again and broke her arm...again. We were really very very blessed to find an incredible doctor for her and we know we avoided surgery only through the Lord's help. But here she is at our first doctor. I told her to look sad and this is the best she could do.Then I told her to really look sad and I got this one....much more appropriate.Here is our new doctor's office which is absolutely GREAT! This is one of the techs in the cast room. Our doctor, Dr. Sackett at the Carrell Memorial Clinic is a wonderful, sensible, good man.Here she is on the day we are going to take off the cast!!!There they are with the saw...apparently it doesn't saw through skin, only casts......

Votes for Women

2008-09-24T21:40:00.004-05:00

This is the story of our Grandmothers and Great-grandmothers;
they lived only 90 years ago. Remember, it was not until 1920 that women were granted the right to go to the polls and vote.The women were innocent and defenseless, but they were jailed nonetheless for picketing the White House, carrying signs asking for the vote.

(Lucy Burns)

(Dora Lewis)

(Alice Paul)

Photographs from the Records of the National Women's Party.......
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/suffrage/nwp/prisoners.pdf

They fought hard and suffered much. When we stand at the polls it is in gratitude for their efforts. Let us not let one opportunity to place our vote pass us by.

Jeremiah, Luke, Mark, Winston....

2008-09-18T14:51:00.003-05:00

It is for real.

I love to get sonograms, because I feel again the joy that there is actually someone in there! My scanner is not working so this is actually a photograph of the image they sent me home with. I put it on a VHS for the kids too.

And this was just fun. They are sitting under my computer desk together and there were playing together SO nicely!

Bean Bag Journeys

2008-09-12T19:56:00.002-05:00

2008-09-09T19:29:00.002-05:00

http://www.save-on-crafts.com Aren't these fun? I really think they are cool. Everyone else seems underwhelmed. They are "lampshades" that you slip on top of your wine stems. Then you put a tea light in the cup and you have a cute little light at the table.

Back in Business

2008-09-07T20:33:00.003-05:00

I need to get used to the school schedule! We are having so much fun so far, but it sure is a change from our relaxing summer! I look at all we do and don't know quite how it all fits in, but somehow it does and magically, all practices and lessons fell on different days and times. We did not double up hardly at all this semester!! whew! And we have less this semester than others. The girls dropped their cheerleading. Football kind of takes up a lot of extra time, but it sure is fun!! We all get out there wearing our Dragon Green! Luckily, Andrew's soccer team is the same green color!

We have

Family night

Football

Soccer

Ballet

Piano

Swimming

Activity Days

Show kids

Theater

Here are the kids heading off on their first day:

Andrew went back to school a week later to his preschool. I will get shots of him in here later. He LOVES his teacher. When we drove away the first day, he said, "goodbye I love you!"

Cheaper by the...Half Dozen???

2008-08-28T15:16:00.003-05:00

We are SO excited about our cute six kids. We will get to meet this new little sixth person in February around the 25th!!! Oh and NO ONE else knows so SHHHHHH. :) But I can't hide the belly any more, unlike my dear beautiful sister who is pregnant with number one and tiny as can be. :) http://www.krisncath.blogspot.com/ But I feel great, look great (I can say whatever I want, I am pregnant!) and feel super blessed.

Pick your Colors

2008-08-15T09:52:00.003-05:00

http://www.benjaminmoore.com

I just thought I would share my favorite place to pick paint colors for the house. I LOVE Benjamin Moore paint and I LOVE their colors. Pottery Barn will usually share which shades of BM paint they are using in their catalogs. My favorite part on this website is that you can paint imaginary rooms with their colors and see how well they look together.

Also, the US colors are good, but the Canadian colours are SO much better. It is difficult to get a US store to be able to get the formula, but I have found they can call the Canadian store and mix it here. You can switch to Canadian at the bottom of the website in small print.

Also there is tons to be done with spray paint that I am just now feeling brave enough to try.....if I actually do it, I will post the pics.
Happy virtual painting!!

Voice of the People

2008-08-06T16:22:00.002-05:00

OK, I am going to get political on you, and I am about to disagree with Hollywood and Television and even three California Supreme Court Judges.

California voters voted into law by 61% that they want marriage in their state to be defined as a union between a man and woman only. This past May the California Supreme Court voted (3-4) that the law is unconstitutional according to the California Constitution. So 4 people just nullified the wishes of 61% of California voters. That is not how our system is supposed to work. We are a rule by the voice of the people. We are all about majority rule; and we assume that the majority of Americans will not likely make poor choices. (that is why America needs a moral society, but that is a soapbox for another day)

Anyway, I know it is a confusing issue. I know we don't like to "deny" anyone anything. But we must protect marriage as a sacred covenant. If we loose that, surely, everything else will soon cave behind it. Opening up a definition of marriage to include anyone who wants to make that union would destroy the institution itself. We would soon have society and government not recognizing unions at all, only dealing with individuals, because anyone could be a union at any time for any purpose. (and dissolve it at any time as well)

Don't think I am making sense, how about this example: Let's say I want a marriage tax break. My roomates and I all decide to get "married" (only legally speaking) until we are done with school. Think of it: Polygamy, bygomy, sodomy, all those omy's. How about health insurance? Another great reason to create a "marriage."

I know you won't read a super long blog so I will stop. Of course there are many great moral reasons to not support a same sex marriage: firstly, children have the right to be raised in the safest environment possible and studies have proven this to be a traditional marriage between a man and a woman.

But let's help those Californians get their voice back!!! Please send in your $$$$ to the organization below. My church is even supporting them and has asked that we give our best efforts to do the same.

http://www.protectmarriage.com/

I love people, even those making different choices than I agree with. I really do. I disagree with their choices, their choices now affect me, and it is time to take a stand.

Christmas in July

2008-07-26T16:42:00.004-05:00

I am one of those people who really starts to think about getting ready for Christmas....in July. I think the worst thing in the entire world for me would be to have to shop in late December for the family. I usually am shopping late December but that would be for the piano teacher or the preschool assistant...people I love but forgot to get a gift for.

I have tried all sorts of ways to organize it and make it manageable and fun for me too. But so far, nothing has totally solved the organizational nightmare that is Christmas prep. And usually it is full of fun craziness that I enjoy. But this year, as I started to get the toy catalogs in the mail (yes, they are already coming) I just felt sick. All that buying, all that getting, all that STUFF cluttering up our house. :) So, I have a new idea. In order for Mom to enjoy her holidays too, and so that we can really truly focus on the sacred nature of the season, I propose that each Johnson child gets ONE present and a stocking and then maybe a group family gift.

What do you think????

By the way, here is a GREAT Christmas blog: http://christmasmaking.blogspot.com/

Happy Birthday to You!

2008-07-15T15:17:00.004-05:00

Dustin really wanted Rice Krispie Treats for his birthday "cake." There is one candle sort of teetering on the top there. :) We got him a few good presents. As always, I would like to have bought him more and he said, "But I have everything I could ever want."
He picked a very casual dinner, one of his favorites: hamburgers and hot dogs.

We all played and swam together and then that weekend we went to see a movie: "Wall-E" Very strange show if you ask us.

It was a good calm birthday after so much travelling. It is always so great to do nice things for Dustin.

Almost Home

2008-07-05T18:08:00.006-05:00

Well, it is with great mixed feelings that we finish out our last weekend here in Oregon. What an awesome trip! What a treat to spend so much time with family! Here are some of the highlights from the last few days.

We climbed to the first branch in a HUGE beautiful old pine tree in Grandma and Grandpa's front yard.
We took family pictures with our cowboy hats and jeans.
Here are the grandkids getting ready for their picture.We pulled the kids on the tubes.

The girls threw some pots on the wheel.What a trip!

Vacation Everyday

2008-06-28T16:10:00.005-05:00

Lots of books and storytelling.

Beauty everywhere we look
Kites!

Lots of Golfing!

Audrey sat down to play and sang along to her own tunes.

The people not in our group are as far down at the other end as they can be.

More Fun in Oregon

2008-06-23T12:38:00.004-05:00

Dustin went home today. He will be back for our last long weekend. We miss him already.

Here's a shot of our hike. It is really really REALLY beautiful here.

Oregon Here we Come!!

2008-06-17T13:17:00.003-05:00

I didn't bring the cable to download pictures so we are working out our technical difficulties. I will get them up as soon as we find some compatible software here.

We have already spent hours playing on the HUGE Pile of sand grandma and grandpa had delivered just for our digging enjoyment.

We went skiing on Klamath Lake (where they produce most of the world's famous blue algae). My body has definitely not used its waterskiing muscles in WAY too long. We have ALL learned how to golf. It is so cute to see all the kids walk to the driving range with their own sets of clubs.

And today we went to a huge air show with the Air Force Thunderbirds.

Whew! Way more fun with pictures.

My parents are taking great care of us.

The Great Big 35 Years!!!

2008-06-14T17:07:00.005-05:00

I was born on Father's Day. That is fun to think I made my Dad a father ON the day. And he is a GREAT Dad. I have really truly been so blessed by his deep unconditional love, his great wisdom, his tender heart, and his fun spirit!! And my kids think he is the BEST!

So every now and then I share a birthday with Father's Day. It was super fun as a kid, but now as tomorrow rolls around, who gets breakfast in bed? Who makes dinner? Who opens presents first? Who gets the most presents? Who do we get the kids all excited about?

Maybe we will both just lay there in bed and wait and see what happens!

Either way, I have some fun plans for Dustin. He is a fabulous father. I can't think of any way he could be better with our sweet kids. They know he loves them, they feel his respect, and they have SO much fun with him.

I feel so blessed.....even though I am now in a whole new age bracket!!!!

Shopping

2008-06-10T18:31:00.004-05:00

OK, I have noticed some shopping phenomena. Sometimes we might all fit into one of these scenarios.

1. We buy things ONLY because they are a good deal. We had never wanted them previously or felt any need until we saw what a good deal we could get.

2. We sometimes also only like things if they are highly priced. We think they MUST have more value if they are more expensive. This holds true for electronics and jewelry especially.

3. We seem to think the grass really is greener over there. We are never satisfied with what we have...at least not for very long.

I almost always fit in category number 1. For example:

I walked into Anthropologie and they were having a SALE. Wow. I've never seen a sale in there. And I stumbled on this shirt for super cheap so I HAD to buy it, only now that it is home....well....it's kind of funny looking and it is 90+ degrees outside!!!!!!! Pajamas?

Then there was that cardinal bird feeder I saw at an end of year sale in a catalogue. So cheap, I thought there has to be a tree I could put it on. It is still in its box somewhere in my house.

That's why I love Costco so much. I even bought my bedroom furniture there. Don't tell my rich neighbors.

I LOVE to drive four hours to the nearest Williams and Sonoma outlet just so I can get stuff at a great deal!!! How much sense does that make?

Summer Sensation Coupons!!

2008-06-10T18:10:00.004-05:00

More than a couple people have asked us about our summer coupon program so I thought maybe someone out there would find it useful. My kids LOVE this. They seriously can't wait to start doing good things to earn coupons.

Here is what I do. I modified it from what they do at school all year:

I buy a box FULL of the things they love, everything they ask for all year and I say no. For us, this included magnet earrings at Claires, webkinz, toy spy equipment, Breyer horses, candy, etc. I throw in some family activity coupons like dates with Dad and trips to Six Flags and a local water park. Then everything in the box gets a pricetag in coupons. Webkinz are 100 (or I would have to buy one every day). Then I come up with a list of things the kids can do to earn coupons. Here is our list this summer with the number of coupons earned:

Saturday Chores 2
Clean 5 Windows 1
Vacuum a Room 1
Sweep Kitchen Floor 1
Pick up Playroom 2
Clean off Stairs 1
Do Dishes unload/load 2

Swimming (10 laps) 1
100 Jumping Jacks 1
50 Curl Ups 1
10 push ups 1
Run to Lake + 1 lap around 2
Bike 20 Lake Laps 3

Memorize 3 line scripture 3
5 pages Scriptures 2
Ben 2 pages 2
Prepare and teach FHE Lesson 2
Learn how to lead music 1
Memorize Article of Faith 1
Memorize current piano piece 2
Learn new piano song 1
Write Name (Andrew) 1
Learn Phone Number 1
Learn Address 1
100 pages in chapter book 1
Ben 20 pages 1
Any Research Report 1 Pg typed, 2 written 5
State or Country Report with visuals 5
Write Creative Story 5 pages 2
Ben Book Report 2
Art Project 2+ hours 3
Ben Journal 10 pages 2
Girls Journal 10 pages 1
Math Facts worksheet 10 pages 1

This works great for us. What are some of your summer plans for the kids? I am ALWAYS looking for new ideas.

Vesicoureteral Reflux

2008-06-08T12:59:00.005-05:00

Vesicoureteral Reflux.

What on Earth is that?
What happenned to the light and fun blogs? First that tear jerker Memorial day one and now, a medical term?

This lovely hard to pronouce couple of words is what the medical professionals call the condition that our dear Audrey has. It is fairly common, just like Ben's club feet but you would never hear anything about it unless it was "happenning" to you or someone in your family. They both run in families. (not my side by the way--I'm all for genetic screening as a requirement for a marriage license.) Totally kidding. Dustin is worth all the genetic "extras." He is a total rock and I will love him forever.

But still, if truth be told, we have an extra toe, club feet and vesicoureteral reflux all genetically inherited from Dad's side. What did they get from me? Beautiful browns. A beautiful smile (once fixed by braces), what else? Not totally sure, but whatever it is, it is NOT a medical condition!

Anyway, back to VUR (vesicoureteral reflux). It is a condition where your urine does not flow out normally. The valves don't work properly and so it can flow back up to the kidneys. The main problem with this reflux is that it puts the kidneys at risk. At a very young infant age, it puts their whole little bodies at risk.

The Doctors prescribed daily (yes, you heard me right) antibiotics as a preventative measure against infection, and we are monitored at least yearly by a sonogram and an awful test called a VCUG, or a nuclear cystogram.

We just had our yearly test and it does not look good. Audrey's one kidney is smaller than the other and not looking true to shape. She has also seemed really fussy lately. And the Dr. now recommends a surgical procedure to fix the ureters and valves going into the bladder. It has a very high success rate but does not come without some signifant risks. And it is an awful recovery....two day minimum hospital stay and we are talking severe pain when you urinate for 7-10 days. I'm not sure I will ever be able to potty train her after that! So here I am stuck between two choices I don't like. Continue to do what I am doing and seriously risk losing a kidney, or have an awful surgery and risk all the dangers that involves, including internal bleeding or a failed repeat surgery.

I feel like my three year old must feel when I tell him he can either go to bed in his own bed or go to bed on the floor, but he has to go to bed. And he tells me he doesn't like those choices. I, like my little Andrew, am wondering if I hang on, will another choice will present itself? Just like when I give up and let Andrew come sleep with Dustin and I.

Summertime!

2008-06-04T16:21:00.004-05:00

We had our Graduation. Way to Go Ben, on to First Grade!We finished all our lessons and classes for the year.
On to bigger and better things. Like Swimming!

And more swimming.
And resting by the pool in between our swimming.
Gotta love summer.

Where Are We?

2008-05-31T09:00:00.004-05:00

Fort Worth Botanic Gardens

Dallas Arboretum

Dallas Fort Worth National Cemetary

School Concerts and Plays

2008-05-31T08:41:00.005-05:00

Sarah at her Third Grade Musical, "The Cat and the Rat." They were incredible. I haven't ever heard a third grade musical quite like it. They even acquired some steel drums and the kids learned to play them.
Sarah had a little part where just three of them played in harmony...very nice very nice.
And a much desired and talked about "speaking part."

Mandi looked adorable in her hat, waving her flag. The Fourth Grade choir concert was all about America. We were singing Yankee Doodle, saying the Pledge and clapping our hands to the early American Folk tunes.

Audrey was excited every time she saw Mandi.

A Memorial

2008-05-25T15:23:00.010-05:00

We were on our way home from Hawaii. We were tanned, rested, overfed, nostalgic about leaving and at the same time excited to see the kids. We were at the end of a great trip! As we were about to board the plane, I noticed a tight little family huddled together, dreading the moment of departure. There was a man dressed in his military khakis with what appeared to be his wife and 4-6 year old daughter. I tried not to invade their privacy, but I did see the soldier and his wife in their clutching final embrace which brought tears to my eyes and then the lump in my throat and smothered sob came when the daughter screamed uncontrollably shouting, "Don't go! Daddy Don't go!" And yet that man walked onboard.

A few weeks later we gathered with friends at our airport to cheer for the soldiers returning home. We got there on time and found to our surprise a hundred or more people lining a walkway, ready to do the same thing. They had flags, music playing, signs and big smiles. We stepped up to the line just in time to see the first soldiers walk out into our group. Shouts and clapping continued for twenty minutes as each of these men and women was welcomed back in safety. At the beginning of the line, on each side of the returning soldiers was a line of World War II veterans with their Army hats on. They shook the hand of each soldier, "Welcome home." As I tried to say thank you with my cheers, I found emotion overflowing. How could I possibly ever thank any one of these soldiers adequately? If you live in the Dallas area, call this number to find out when you too can join in the cheering. 972 574-0392

The first thing I think of on Memorial Day is about the armed forces. If you want to help someone currently deployed. Go to http://www.anysoldier.com/ You can adopt a soldier and send them a letter or a package or combine with a group and send them a bunch of stuff.

The next thing I think about on Memorial Day is about my family that has already gone. I know there are graves that will be visited this day and lovingly flowers laid. Great people have come before me and served faithful lives for which I am truly blessed.

Nothing we have is free. It all comes to us at great cost. Our freedoms were won and Constitution written with Divine help and much sacrifice. We too have great responsibilities. When all is said and done and we see our great forebears again, when we stand before God, what can we possibly have contributed that would compare with the sacrifices made of so many others?