DNA and our Munchkins

Cousins

2012-02-17T08:55:00.000-08:00

We LOVE having cousins close by, they're like instant friends!

Happy Balentines

2012-02-14T17:42:00.000-08:00

D made this Valentines Day memorable for all of us! He made us all a pink and red breakfast, what a good daddy! He even decorated for the occasion, so cute. The kiddos and I LOVED it!

All the kiddos went off to school to celebrate Arizona's 100th birthday, they don't have valentine parties until Friday. Brock took a valentine to a girl this year! He said that they talked about it and they are each other's valentine. He bought a box of chocolates and a pink rose for her with his hard earned money and took it to school. I would have LOVED to have been a fly on the wall to see that happen. I guess I can't be there for everything any more, he's growing up.

Little E had a class party today for preschool. She took valentines to all her friends. She did such a good job writing all the names. I can't believe how much she has learned since starting school.

After everyone was off to school I found a few surprises of my own. Money for dinner, roses, peanut butter cup bouquet, I LOVE you peeps, lip gloss and iTunes $. I LOVE my D, he's so thoughtful and surprises me all the time!

This is what the girls got for lunch, not as creative as D's but I had to try. My brain is too tired these days to be super creative. They LOVED it, that's what matters right?

Of course we had to keep with tradition and do the valentine box at the front door. They LOVED it, another success!

Love FHE

2012-02-13T20:32:00.000-08:00

We started at the frisbee park where Dad made a deal with the kiddos that if we could make all the goals as a team we would go for ice cream.

They had great team work and got their reward.

Then it was home for the lesson on loving your family. We talked about how sad it would be if our family picture was missing one of the members of our family and how each person is in our family for a reason, we're supposed to be together. Then we each got to draw a name from dad's hat and heart attack that person's door with nice things about them. It was a great night, I loved seeing all the nice things that were written about our family. Sometimes we forget to focus only on the good. I hope this lesson will help us to remember.

2 rooms down 2 to go

2012-02-03T14:49:00.000-08:00

While BH was away on a scout campout we decided to FINALLY decorate his room to surprise him. We worked all night Friday and all day Saturday! The fastest room we've ever done. The poor kid had to wait 4 years and be the last one to get his room decorated. It's such a relief to have it done.

Sorry about the fuzzy pics, they were taken with my phone.

Before:

After:

Mr. BD's room has been painted for 2 years but not decorated. We've had the stuff for over 6 months and now that the new baby is coming, I've got the nesting bug in me to get EVERYTHING done before he gets here. So here's Mr. BD's FINALLY decorated/finished room.

Just need to add crown molding and curtains to both rooms and they'll be complete! Yea! Now on to Little E and Miss H's room, they get to share, I'm so excited!

Another first for our famiy

2012-01-31T12:35:00.000-08:00

BH was playing flag football and dove for a pass and landed wrong, after the game he came to us and said his arm hurt really bad. Being the awesome parents we are we said oh it's probably just a sprain or a bruised muscle, you'll be fine.

The next day he came home from school and said mom it still hurts a lot. So off to the urgent care we went, it was Friday and his doc had no openings. First thing they did was take an x-ray. When the doc came in she felt around on his arm and had him do some movements. Then she pushed on a particular spot and said does that hurt? "Yes!" BH said. She looked to us and said, "Guys, It's broken"

WHAT? I was certain it was not broken! He could pretty much move it every direction...except one. He broke his radius, called a buckle fracture. They reffered us to an orthopedic surgeon who confirmed everything and put him in a cast for 4 weeks.

I should have known, I know my buddy is not a whimp, he's always been a tough kiddo even from little bitty.

14 YEARS

2012-01-09T09:10:00.000-08:00

Happy Anniversary Honey!!! These past 14 years have been the best! I look forward to many more. Thank you for being you and making wonderful memories with me. I LOVE YOU!

(to each balloon, there are 14, I attached a memory. it was fun to think back through the years)

Now let's go live it up in Puerto Rico!!!

A Christmas Sunday

2011-12-28T15:44:00.000-08:00

Looks like Santa came to our house

This Christmas was a little different because it fell on a Sunday. Our ward meets at 10am, a little tricky if you wanna open gifts and get all your traditions in. So D and I had a talk with the kiddos about waking up in the morning, seeing what Santa brought, eating breakfast, get ready for church and wait to open the gifts under the tree until after we got home. We were a bit scared of what they might say but...they loved the idea. Seems like they like taking their time.
Waiting on the stairs to see what Santa brought!

I think they were all pleasantly surprised and loved their gifts!

Why is it that those stinky boys never let me get a picture of them? You can kinda see Mr. BD in the picture above.

After Santa gifts we sat down to our poula breakfast to see who got the nut and got to open the first gift.

It was sweet Miss H

She was so excited that we let them open their sibling exchange gifts before church so she could be the first!

Ready for church!

After church we tore into the rest of the loot and played the rest of the day!

I LOVED having Christmas on Sunday, the spirit of Christ was with us the whole day. It was nice to go to church and be with others who felt the same about Christmas as we do. Our family took a vote and we decided that Christmas should be on Sunday every year. Now who do we have to talk to to get that changed?

Merry Christmas 2011

2011-12-25T20:50:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve '11

2011-12-25T13:15:00.000-08:00

We continued with our tradition of lighting the luminaries, the kids love helping, it's the one time they get to handle fire! Then it was over to Eric and Tenay's for the evening. We had a delicious dinner, decorated cookies for Santa (or in Miss H's case ate icing), the kiddos performed the nativity for us (there were about 30 kids total, there were a lot of sheep), we opened our Christmas jammies and sang carols around the piano. It was a nice evening.

When we got home we put on our jammies left cookies for Santa and hopped in bed, excited for a Christmas Sunday!

Ahhhh...the Temple lights

2011-12-23T11:58:00.000-08:00

We LOVE the Temple lights! The kiddos especially love the visitors center, cause they can look around and learn. Their favorite is the statue of Christ. Miss H is getting old enough to understand now and was amazed. I love the spirit I feel in that room explaining to my children Christ's sacrifice for us, even Miss H was attentive and interested. It was a good trip.

Love this picture, except poor Mr. BD is sad. I can't remember what changed so quickly but I think he was being teased by a certain older brother, not unlikely. I tried and tried and couldn't crack a single smile.

The guy who took this picture apparently thought Little E was just some random child who wondered into our family picture, not part of our family. Poor thing. We got her beautiful eyes though!

I'm so grateful to have a Temple close to us and to be getting one even closer. It is such a blessing in our lives.

This years homemade Christmas gifts

2011-12-17T19:20:00.000-08:00

Keeks made duct tape everything for the girls, so creative

We did freezer paper shirts and pom pom poppers for the little boys. I found the ideas on Pinterest, my new addiction.

Pictures coasters, also from Pinterest, for my mom and our Johnson family adult gift.

We had a lot of fun creating this year!

A Preschool Nativity and A Dancing Girl

2011-12-16T17:27:00.000-08:00

Little E's preschool put on a program for Christmas, it was sooooo cute.

Her dance class also performed a cute little Christmas number, Nannie got to come watch. It was fun to see her shine!

Tree Decorating

2011-12-10T19:54:00.000-08:00

We got the tree decorated! We had to cut it up kinda high so the kitty didn't climb up it...

...but he did anyway! Can you see him?

Family Pictures 2011

2011-12-06T13:52:00.000-08:00

Family pictures are always an interesting feat for our family! This year was not any different. I had my sister come over and take them for us. I think they turned out pretty good. My favorite are the candid ones especially the one at the end of this post when the kids discovered that there were ants at their feet.

We love you too Mr. BD

2011-12-05T19:37:00.000-08:00

Ever since I can remember this little buddy has been obsessed with Lego's. He would sit, and still sits for hours building things. He often comes up with his own creations, other than the ones that the instruction books say to make.

Here are two of his latest. The top one says "love you dad and mom, from Brody. it's a heart"

I LOVE IT! Such a creative little buddy.

Setting the table and Crazy/Not so Crazy hair day

2011-12-05T19:27:00.000-08:00

Little E came home with this cute drawing from preschool (just like Mr. BD). She was so excited to set the table. She felt so grown up doing it all by herself.

She also had crazy hair day at school. She said she wanted a bunch of ponytails so this is what I came up with. I guess I'm not very crazy, cause she said "This is not crazy hair mom, it's cute hair". We didn't have time to change it. O'well there's always next year.

A rough and tumble princess

2011-12-04T14:16:00.001-08:00

This girl cracks me up! She loves to be a princess. You can often hear her singing "i'n a princess, i'n a princess" or saying "Mama, I wanna wear a princess". She is the queen of dance, LOVES to shake her booty and is obsessed with shoes, ALL shoes!

But above all, she knows how to get down and dirty with the best of them, while she's wearing a "princess" of course!

He's gonna even up the score

2011-11-29T09:30:00.000-08:00

Baby Boy Johnson is on his way.

These were our Halloween costumes, I made them myself

My sisters are both prego also (well were until Tam had baby L on Wed) so we all had to have a shirt!

We got a kitty

2011-11-28T15:25:00.000-08:00

His name is Gus

We can hardly believe the daddy of the family said it was okay. The main purpose on his agenda was those stinkin' scorpions! It didn't take long for everyone to fall in love!

Big enough

2011-11-23T14:25:00.000-08:00

To go to big school that is. Yep our Little E turned the big 5, that means you can now go to school with the big kids! Kindergarten here she comes, well next fall of course.

She chose to have donuts for her birthday breakfast this year, dad loved that, super easy! It was a date with mom and dad year for Little E so she decided to open all her presents after breakfast cause she knew she would get one more on her date with mom and dad that evening.

She chose to go to Olive Garden for dinner, with a little prompting from her older sister I think. I'm pretty sure she would have chosen panda express, she loves orange chicken with noodles. Then we went to target in search of a puppy on a leash that she just had to have. We found it! When we got home she found two surprises on our front door step from her primary teacher and best friend from preschool.

She told us it was the perfect birthday!

5 things about Little E at age 5:
-she loves to dance and is in a dance class
-she loves preschool and NEVER complains about going
-she loves to play games on the computer, we have to make time limits for her
-she loves going to primary
-she loves playing barbies with her older sister and has asked for everything barbie for Christmas

Happy Birthday Little E, we love you!

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-17T14:06:00.000-08:00

This girl loves preschool! She came home with this fun shirt they made in class! She loves Miss Allison and is so excited to go to school. It's a big change from the little girl who was afraid to go to school, or pretty much do anything. I'm so grateful she has learned to love trying new things!

Mr. BD is a Wolf

2011-11-16T18:39:00.000-08:00

This little buddy was so excited to start going to cub scouts! He had watched his big brother go through the whole program and into boy scouts. He couldn't wait for his turn. Well it finally came and his first pack meeting was no disappointment, he even got to participate in the flag ceremony carrying the American Flag. That smile on his face says it all. He was also given his bobcat award and mom got to paint his face. Our little buddy's growing up.

It's a big one

2011-11-13T13:28:00.000-08:00

November 1st
Mr. BD's birthday this year was a big one! He got baptized! He was so excited to turn 8. He loves his birthday weekend cause he always has Halloween and birthday right after! In these pictures you can see some leftover Halloween paint still on his face. :) We woke him singing Happy Birthday and he chose to open all his presents in the morning before school. Here's loot!

November 5th

Mr. BD was so excited to be baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Latter-day Saints. He has been to both his older brother and sisters' baptisms and was excited for his day. After he was baptized he said, I wanna have this day all over again, it feels good. I'm so grateful for his choice and love that he felt the spirit of it.

He had so many people there to support him that day. He got a lot of nice gifts also!

His daddy baptized him and in the circle to confirm him were:

GJ, GL, TJ, Clay, Jordan, Corry, GGJ, Kurtis, Ty and Travis

He's such a lucky boy to have so many righteous men to look up to!

November 11th

Mr. BD could hardly wait for his party! He got to invite whoever he wanted and take them anywhere. He had it planned for months! Makutu's Island and Bahama Bucks. We had the kids come for pizza and presents and then we were off! I'm pretty sure they had a ton of fun!

Mr. BD is such a caring, kind hearted, thoughtful, obedient, creative boy. I am so grateful for the good choices that he continues to make daily. He is a great example of what a friend should be and is always trying his best to choose the right.

8 things that Mr. BD likes at age 8

-Lego's

-pirates booty

-harry potter

-Makutu's Island

-playing with toy animals

-building anything (especially Lego's)

-riding his bike and scooter

-scouts

We love you Mr. BD

Yep they're mine

2011-11-07T13:50:00.000-08:00

Yikes, I've got some handsome boys on my hands

Halloween '11

2011-11-01T11:13:00.000-07:00

Halloween this year was just how I like it, not super stressful. I had only two of five costumes to make. Little E's was 4.99 at Walmart, BH used his football uniform and Miss H was completely happy wearing princess dress up. Keeks and Mr. BD wanted to be ghosts and wanted their costumes made, lucky mama!

Little E had a cute Halloween party at school with her class. At the beginning of the year Little E met Sammi and they have become fast friends, they are so cute together. They invited the parents and her daddy was able to make it, she was so happy to see him!

We carved pumpkins of course. This time Miss H really understood what was going on and thought the insides of the pumpkin were funny looking. Each kiddo got to pick out, design and carve their own. Miss H got help from her daddio.

Halloween day was like any other day. The big kids don't wear their costumes to school, love that! So when they got home we dressed up and off we went! First G&G J's for the traditional kiddo picture and then to Aunt and Uncle B's for some trick or treating, dinner with family, and L family cousin picture. I had to get one of the oldest and youngest cousins who were both football players! BH loved that little Wy was in football gear too.

Fall Break in Cali

2011-10-27T09:16:00.000-07:00

Ahhh California...I sure do LOVE it! We got to spend an entire week with my family at a condo in San Diego. We got a smokin' deal on one a block away from the bay. It fit us all pretty perfectly, there was some finagling to be done but it worked. We got there on a Saturday evening and went to dinner, got settled in and went to bed.

Sunday was our first official day and since it was Sunday we took it easy, relaxed, checked out the bay and watched the movie 17 Miracles that night.

Monday we visited Mission beach. We ate at a pizza shop and walked the board walk. The kiddos were begging to get in the water and it was freezing. We let them go and they froze their booties but had a blast!

Silly pictures in the kitchen

On Tuesday we headed to Balboa Park and checked out the Science Center. We found a coupon online to get the kids in free, totally worth it! The kids had such a blast. There were so many cool things for them to see and do. The Kid Zone was perfect for my three younger ones. DM and BM and Mr. BD had their own business going with soft blocks that they lowered on pulleys, and rolled through conveyor belts. They loved it. Then we had fun building huge towers in the building room. It was so much fun for everyone, those Keva blocks are the best toy ever, I'm determined to get some for my kiddos. Too bad they cost an arm and a leg. Afterwards we found a place to eat at Balboa Park and threw coins in the water fountain.

We visited the Mormon Battalion on Wednesday. What a fun tour with lots of learning about the Mormon Battalion. It was so entertaining and kid friendly. DM, BM, and Mr. BD got to help out by dressing up in clothes that they would wear. At the end they take a picture of your family for you to take home. Then you can pan for gold, wash clothes with a washer, or build with bricks. Miss H loved all the water and couldn't get enough. We found a Mexican food restaurant to eat at for lunch in Old Town. We also found the "Johnson House" and had to get a picture in front.

Thursday was SEA WORLD day!! Tam was able to get a smokin' deal with Sea World tickets. Reg $69.99 tickets for only $34.35 per person. We started out watching the Otter and Sea Lion show which was very comical because one of the Sea Lions would not cooperate and when the trainers tried to ignore him, he just started fighting with the other Sea Lion, pretty funny. Next, we headed to the Shamu show and sat in the soak zone. We were so hot and wanted to get wet. We ate lunch, then headed to the rapid ride. Pregnant women watched the babies while everyone else rode the ride. Then we were off to the Dolphin show with totally cheesy costumes and acting, but Miss H fell in love with the "Princess". She had to have a picture with her after. We hung out in the kid area for a while so the kids could ride a few rides. Lastly, we checked out sharks and rode Journey to Atlantis log ride just before closing time. D liked to put the girls up next to the fence where the ride came down and then pull them away really fast before they got wet, they LOVED it! We had such a great time!

On a side note, my BIL C wasn't able to come because of work. Nik was so sad and had a dream the night before Sea World that he came and surprised her. I think she was stressed about being prego chasing a 1 year old around Sea World. Anyway, while sitting at the Otter show waiting for it to start she gets a tap on the shoulder and turns around to find him standing there! What a cutie, that has to be one of the best surprises I've seen in my life, good job C!

Little E's face in this picture cracks me up, she doesn't look very happy about being all wet!

Friday was another beach day, a little warmer and the dads even got in the water and played. Miss H was so cute she would fill up her castle bucket and pat it down with the shovel then turn it over to make a castle, after she would take it to the water and rinse it out. She did it over and over! BH loved boogie boarding, I think he's hooked! Keeks and Little E enjoyed being buried in the sand. And Mr. BD built sand castles with his cousins and tried to protect them from the waves, such a fun day. That night we put the babies to bed and left the other kids to be babysat by Keeks and BH. We went and ate seafood at Anthony's with all the adults. It was so delicious!

On Saturday we walked around Sea Port Village. That night we watched the ASU game back at the house. No pictures of that day!

At the house we spent a lot of time being lazy and watching TV and hanging out. What do you expect with so many pregnant women? The house had a really nice porch in the back and a nice back yard. The kids played outside and on the stairs all the time and we all gave each other pedicures. It was such a nice relaxing vacation!

Sunday we had to check out by 10am and head home. So the morning was filled with packing and cleaning!

Our family had so much fun being with family for the week! Until next time guys! I miss your BUNS!

He played BBall

2011-10-26T12:37:00.000-07:00

So, I'm the worst mom in the world. BH played basketball for the last two months for his school and I didn't get a single picture. Got some video, but not one picture!

To start off he made the team, there were tryouts. Each boy was rated according to their skill, determination and attitude. BH got the highest score. When he wants something, he'll go after it!

We loved watching him play, he really is a fun player to watch! I hope he'll continue to work hard and tryout next year also.

As for now, tryouts for flag football start next week. Hopefully I won't drop the ball and get a picture or two!

She's not afraid to be her

2011-10-26T12:14:00.000-07:00

This girl AMAZES me.

She decided she wanted to be a student council representative for her class at school, something I was always to shy to do. She wrote her own speech and got up in front of the class and delivered it. She won! She is so excited and loves all the running around, creative thinking and public speaking that it involves. We are so proud of her!

This month she also entered a poster contest for her school carnival that is coming up. Yep, she won first prize for that!

She is such a strong, independent, happy, creative, willing, understanding, helpful little girl. I am so blessed to have her and to have the chance to learn from her daily.

Keeks you are AMAZING

We did it...

2011-10-03T12:58:00.000-07:00

We all managed to get together in one place at the same time! Amazing!

The siblings

Huntin Elk

2011-09-27T08:33:00.000-07:00

BH and Keeks got drawn for the best hunt in Arizona, from what I'm told. D could hardly wait to go he was so excited that his two hunting age kiddos both got drawn. What a treat!

BH got one, a pretty big one! Unfortunately Keeks got strep throat while on the trip and did not have the best first hunt experience. She just wanted her Mama to take care of her. Despite it all, she was a good sport and did her best to keep up with the guys, sick and all. I love that my kids have the opportunity to be in nature and connect with their dad and grandpa. Those are times when bonds are built that will never be broken nor forgotten.

Great job BH we knew you'd get a big one! As the story goes, D dropped him off to sit and watch for elk. D went down the road a bit with Keeks and Grandpa J to get a look from a different angle. As they got to their spot they heard shots from BH's area. D listened as the shots kept coming. Soon after Keeks spotted BH up on a hill running across the top, then over the back side. Not wanting BH to get lost in the woods chasing an elk, D took off after him. He would listen for a shot then run that direction. After about 6 shots D came up on BH with an elk down in front of him. He had done it, all on his own. When I first heard the story, of course as a mom I couldn't believe D had left him in the woods by himself even if he was only a few yards away. But then my thoughts turned to my son and how I couldn't believe that my 12 year old boy had stalked and killed an elk all on his own. I was a proud Mama! I thought of Nephi in the Book of Mormon and how he provided for his family in the wilderness. I thought that my son could provide for his family if he needed. He is a strong, smart, brave boy. And I am grateful to be his Mama!

It's mounted and ready to hang in his room!

Powder Puff Derby

2011-09-12T09:10:00.000-07:00

This year the activity day girls had a Powder Puff Derby, Pinewood Derby but for girls! Keeks was so excited, she new what the design of her car would be for months. That's my little creative brained girl. D is such a good dad that he said it's not about the winning, it's about what is important to Keeks and that was the design of the car! They spent hours cutting, sanding and painting. It turned out great! They had a blast and it was nice for them to spend a little extra time together.

Just a little trip

2011-09-07T09:12:00.000-07:00

We took a short trip to the cabin this month! D took us to a raspberry patch he found when he was up hunting a few weekends before. The kiddos loved picking all the raspberries and eating them, especially Little Miss H, she couldn't get enough. The boys found a salamander, it was almost dead of course cause it had no water. Brody had a tooth that was hanging by a thread so all weekend we called him Gangley. He didn't mind it, he's just happy to be losing teeth.

We also picked flowers, took walks, painted pictures in the tree house, scouted for BH and Keeks elk hunt, went on ranger rides, practiced our shooting and enjoyed our time in the cool weather with G&G J.

There's a first for everything

2011-08-28T21:41:00.000-07:00

Brock has had a busy week of firsts

First trip to the temple for baptisms for the dead

First Teen Elect activity

First dance at Teen Elect

First time holding the microphone in sacrament meeting for a baby blessing

First time taking a note up the the Bishopric during sacrament

It's so crazy to me how much he has grown just since he got the priesthood.

I can see his testimony grow as he experiences each new thing that comes

with having the priesthood and the responsibility that goes with it.

He is turning into a young man,

a really great young man.

Hadds and I

2011-08-22T21:27:00.000-07:00

The kids have gone back to school and now it's just Hadds and I. It's been so fun having time with just her. We play and play and play.

Hadds has also learned how to cut. She loves it. My favorite is watching that cute little cutting face, the one wear they open their mouth every time they open the scissors. I can't believe how big she's getting. It's happening way too fast! I

This little girl loves to dress up, most days she is found wearing this little number. She is often heard singing "I'n a pretty princess, I'n a pretty princess." or look mom "I'n gonna twirl."

I had to put this last picture in cause it's simply priceless.

Little E's First Day

2011-08-17T12:16:00.000-07:00

The day has finally come, she gets to go to school like the big kids! I think she is most excited about having a backpack and homework. Silly girl.

Of course Miss H had to have a first day of school picture with her sister...and one by herself. She wants to grow up too fast. She cried her heart out when we left E at school and she couldn't stay with her. She kept saying, "I go to school, I go to school".

Little E's classroom is so cute, so many fun things to do and learn. I'm excited for the growth I know I will see in her this year. Miss Allison is the same preschool teacher Mr BD had and we love her! She was a bit nervous when we first walked in but was strong and loved every minute.

You're getting so big my Little E!

First "Meet the Teacher"

2011-08-11T16:17:00.000-07:00

This one's starting preschool and she got to meet her teacher today!

She picked her clothes, doesn't she look cute?

First Day of School

2011-08-10T10:33:00.000-07:00

Have you noticed an increase in my blogging?

The kids going back to school = more time on my hands to blog!

I can't believe how big they are getting!

The pictures below were taken only 3 years ago, the first, first day of school in our home.

Mr BD had just started preschool

BH 7th grade

Mr BD 2nd grade

Keeks 5th grade

These kiddos are growing way too fast, SLOW DOWN!

They are all in the same school this year, such a relief. Everyone including mom and dad are happy with the switch and still the only complaint is having to wear jeans, especially this time of year!

I had mentioned in Kiki's birthday post that we went to their old school to take cousins pics this year. Can't live without these pictures, I LOVE them!

She finally got him

2011-08-08T17:20:00.000-07:00

BH is teaser #2 in our home, just a step down from his good ol' daddio.

His main focus in his teasing brain is sweet little Keeks

She had a sleepover after her party with her cousins

They schemed and plotted and set alarms

and their plan worked

She GOT him!

And I got a picture!

Happy Birthday Keeks

2011-08-08T12:21:00.000-07:00

Our little Keeks had a birthday! She was so excited that this year was a party year and planned for months! She invited friends and cousins from her old and new school.

She planned every bit of the party. She stapled papers together listing addresses and phone numbers of friends, the parties theme, the activities she wanted to do and the food she wanted to have. It was perfectly planned all by her. I just took directions. I love that she is so creative and knows exactly what she wants.

She had a Luau theme, lays, flower clips, beach cake (she found the idea online and we made it), Bahama Bucks, and luau decor. We swam, ate and partied. It was a ton of fun.

Kiki's actual birthday was four days after her party. It was also the first day of school for her cousins.

Every year we do a first day of school picture with Keeks and her girls cousins her age. This year was hard since they all go to different schools and it happened to be Kiki's birthday. She loves her cousins so much and didn't want to miss that picture so she sacrificed and woke up early on her 2nd to last day of summer to make sure the picture was taken. I love that she has those girls!

Of course the boys had to go to, since we would be at their old school and they wanted to see all their friends. When we go home D had made Keeks her birthday breakfast and we opened her gifts!

She had been begging for years to get an iPod touch. Of course we told her how ridiculously expensive they are and there was no way unless she earned the money. Well a few months ago my iPod touch stopped holding a charge and we were told we could exchange it for a new one at a considerably lower price. Perfect for a birthday gift for our little Kiki! So she finally got what she wanted and LOVES it!

I love the boys faces in this picture, can't even believe it, so unfair!

Dear Keeks,

Thank you for all you do to help Dad and I, you are very selfless and always willing to help someone, especially your family. I love that when you see a need you take care of it without being asked. The dogs are such a great example of that, you've made it your project to take care of them. Feeding them everyday without being asked. You're such a good girl Keeks, you deserve it!!

Love,

Mama

Ten Things Kiki likes at age 10

Loves to draw

Loves clothes

Loves fabric head bands

Loves making clips

Loves sewing

Loves watching "her shows"

Loves playing with friends

Loves dancing

Loves designing clothes

Loves taking care of the dogs

Happy Birthday sweet girl!

Stylish

2011-08-04T17:27:00.000-07:00

BH taught Little Miss H to say "Stylish" and strike this pose...

we all love it

Daddy Daughter Campout

2011-08-01T19:25:00.000-07:00

D took the girls on their first Daddy Daughter Campout a few weekends ago. They were so excited to be with their dad! D's brother and his daughter went with them.

D said there were tons of bugs at their campsite, look how huge this moth is. It's as big as Little Miss H's foot! I love Kiki's face in this picture.

Their set up. There were so many huge bugs ramming their tent all night, they hardly got any sleep. Just the way girls like to camp, lots of bugs :/

Smores for breakfast? I guess what Mama don't know don't hurt her...so then don't take a picture of it.

These girls sure do love their daddy!

Fossil Creek and Clints Well

2011-07-27T15:56:00.000-07:00

(I love the boys in this picture)

We were able to go to Fossil Creek this summer with friends. We camped in Clints Well and spent a day at Fossil Creek. D was the only one in our family that had been so it was a new experience for the rest of us. We all LOVED it! Especially Little Miss H, she didn't want to get out of the water. She loved for us to hold her hands and let her body float with the current. Little E froze her little bones. She's so tiny and the water was nice and cool, she didn't last very long but enjoyed the time she spent in the water. Of course those boys of ours never wanted to leave and Keeks froze her little bones also.

The adventurous boys, of course, needed a tree to swing from so they sent daring little D up the tree to tie the rope. He was so high up there my heart was beating fast just watching him. It was a success and they had a blast swinging from it. Little D didn't climb down the tree, oh no, he dropped from the top into the water, crazy boy!

(BH swinging on the tree swing)

We ate our lunch at Fossil Creek and then headed back to Clints Well for the night. We enjoyed spending time with good friends and getting away from it all. We went with a group of friends from our previous ward. Even though three of the five families have moved out of the ward we still continue our friendships, I LOVE that! Although, it doesn't happen too often that we can all get together we have so much fun when we do.

I love this little raga muffin

There was a chance that we wouldn't be able to have a fire, we were pretty excited that the restriction was lifted! Yummy roasted marshmallows!

The rope continued to provide us with tons of fun, tug of war, rope swing and a rope climb. D, BH, and Keeks all made it to the top, Mr. BD made it about 3/4 of the way and I couldn't even get one hand over the other. No upper body strength in this girl.

The little girls brought their PlayDoh to entertain themselves. I love PlayDoh...when it's outside!

The group

The Big Kids

Cabin Summer Vacation

2011-07-25T12:22:00.000-07:00

This year our family vacation was at the cabin. We had so much fun and a lot of relaxing! The kiddos loved being around their cousins and having a sleepover every night. I took so many pictures and had a hard time deciding what to use. So I pretty much used them all...

The kids loved using the neighbors tree swing, BH even took Little Miss H for a ride.

We took a day trip to Show Low/Pinetop for lunch, bowling and ice cream with the EJ family. Miss H had a blast bowling, after every turn she would jump up and down and cheer. It was so fun to watch.

We had so much time to laze around, play games, take walks, paint nails, paint rocks, color, make babies laugh, have a "girls only" tea party, swing, lay in the hammock, design and make our own reunion shirts and shoot bugs with squirt guns.

We worked on the tree house, putting up the walls and installing carpet.

Grandma planned a fun tea party for all the girls. She went all out and the girls LOVED it! Little E helped with preparing the food.

The rowdy preteen boys started a water fight. Too bad for them the women in their lives know how have a water fight. We had them drenched. The rule was no water in the cabin, so at the end of it all they both soaked each other and came in side and gave me a huge bear hug. Pretty cleaver of those little boys!

We spent the 4th at the cabin because our yearly tradition of Heber fireworks was shut down due to the fires in the area. It was fun but not the same, we watched fireworks on T.V., lame. I can't wait till next year, there better not be any fires!

Little Miss H loved every minute of having her finger and toe nails painted by her Auntie!

And Little E and Keeks could sit and paint rocks all day and they pretty much did.

I don't know what it is about this kid but the babies love him! He's got that sparkle in his eye and knows just how to make them laugh. Just like his daddy!

We had so much fun, it was the most relaxing vacation I've been on in a long time. I didn't feel like I needed another vacation after I got home. We love our Johnson family vacations!

It's kinda a big deal...

2011-07-19T16:03:00.000-07:00

Turning 12

I can't believe I have a child that is now going to mutual. My BH is 12. I don't know if it's cause he's the oldest or what, but every birthday he has I say to myself I can't believe I have a child ____ old.

He is sure growing into a wonderful young man. This is a big year, he was ordained a Deacon and received the priesthood. What a blessing to have two men in my home that have the priesthood. There was such a special spirit in the room as his dad ordained him. I will never forget that feeling, it was such a special day.

This year was a party year so he got to choose what he wanted to do, He chose the Lake.

They had so much fun but I think it was more fun for D and I to watch them! They are great boys!

On the 26th of June our first boy got the priesthood. What an amazing experience. We are so proud of the choices he is making and the young man he is becoming. He was able to share the day with his best friend/cousin/practically brother. They were born only 20 days apart, baptized together, ordained together and will probably leave to serve the Lord together. I love that they have each other. I wasn't able to get a picture of them together in their suits but they were the best looking boys!

Three Generations

It FINALLY happened

2011-07-13T22:26:00.000-07:00

My little Mr. BD finally lost his first tooth at age 7 1/2. It was such a long wait! He is beyond excited, he told me tonight that he feels like he's finally a big kid now that he's missing a tooth. It went straight under his pillow, he's pretty excited to see what the Tooth Fairy will bring him. My little buddy is growing up!

June in Review

2011-07-06T23:09:00.000-07:00

So I've been a horrible blogger lately. It makes me sad since this is our family journal. I must be better...

My Papa came into town to visit his mom's grave for what would be her 100th birthday. He asked my mom to bring flowers and join him for breakfast...we all decided to tag along. It was so nice to see my Papa, it doesn't happen often enough.

Little E and Keeks had their dance recitals and did so good! My girls can dance!!! It was Little E's first time and she was so brave. She was a little worried about getting on that big stage, but you would have never known it she got up there and did awesome! Nannie got to come to both and Aunt Nik got to see Kiki's and Aunt Tam got to come to Little E's. We didn't get a picture with Aunt Tam cause she had to leave early.

We celebrated Father's Day with the best Daddy in the world. All the kiddos got to pick out a card for him. It was so cute to see them watch him open them, this is the one Miss H got, I love the look on her face as she watches him read it. Everyone of our kiddos adore the ground their Daddio walks on!

The girls decided they wanted to be puppies so Keeks made them a dog house out of their Disney Princess Hopscotch. Miss H was so cute she wanted to eat her fruit snacks out of a "doggie" bowl. I love seeing my kiddos be creative and play nicely together.

That's June for ya except for one thing but that deserves it's own post! We had a blast and really enjoyed our first month of summer. I love having my kiddos all to myself!

Happy 2nd Hadds

2011-06-03T20:39:00.000-07:00

Lil' Miss and her big day...

She got her favorite breakfast meal...Waffles with LOTS of whip cream!

Opened all her gifts in about 2.2 seconds, this was her favorite

This was all the rest

Had to go outside and take some 2 year old pictures, cause she's so stinkin' cute!

Her all time favorite right now is Cake Cake (Strawberry Shortcake). So this year she got a

Cake Cake Cake

We had a party at the park another one of her favorites, she loves the slide.

All the family came to celebrate with us

Thank you everyone for the gifts

she loves them all, especially the shoes

Hadds at age 2:

She loves Cake Cake (Strawberry Shortcake)

She says "I hold you" when she wants to be picked up (my favorite thing 2 year olds say)

She loves whip cream

She can sit through a whole movie (we had our first summer movie the other day, she did great)

She knows the letter A

She loves her daddy

She only wants juice all the time

She loves her NaNa still

She calls it BlankyNaNa

She is so smart, I've tried to take it away but she sucks her thumb, I think she knows what she's doing

She loves swimming, when in the bath she says, "Watch Mama I swimming"

She says "Oh Gooness" (Oh Goodness) all the time

I can't believe two years have flown by so fast. We love you Lil' Miss!

Happy Birthday to Me...

2011-05-27T18:10:00.000-07:00

So I don't normally post about my birthday but this year I had to record how spoiled I was. D really out did himself this year! Not sure how he's gonna top these gifts...

Both were a major surprise but the second one was not even on my radar! It is, however, one of my all time favorite things in life! The iPad was a shock, I hadn't even asked for one, but it's tons of fun and now I can play angry birds on a big screen.

I got a hammock, my very own, one that's mine to keep and put in my backyard. Not the one I lay in when we are at the cabin or the one at the resort in Costa Rica, no my very own hammock.

I love it!!!!

To me a hammock is the ultimate relaxation chair/swing. Even sitting in it in my family room for a few minutes I was so relaxed I could have fallen asleep. I'm so excited for the cool nights of fall/winter/spring and maybe even summer if we ever get a pool. I will love swaying the night away with my hubs in my very own hammock in my backyard. So romantic!

Piano Recital

2011-05-27T10:58:00.000-07:00

BH and Keeks had their end of the year piano recital last weekend. They both did so well. I can't believe how fast they are growing. We are so proud of the people they are becoming. Great job kiddos!

Sometimes I believe they really love each other, even if we did make them pose like this. Their still smiling!

Dance...Dance...Dance

2011-05-27T09:48:00.000-07:00

The girls had their dance pictures taken last weekend so they got to get all dressed up. They loved every minute. We did our own photo shoot at home also, they sure know how to strike a pose...

This was Little E's first year dancing and she is stinkin' good, that girls knows how to move!

Mr. BD the Composer

2011-05-26T20:00:00.000-07:00

Mr. BD finished his last year of Let's Play Music. He composed his own song titled The Joyful Jingle, sounds just like our BD always joyful. He memorized the whole song and played it for an audience.

Great job Mr. BD, we are so excited to see you move on to piano lessons. You have a real talent and ear for music!

He looks so little on that big stage

Introducing Keeks...

2011-05-26T11:10:00.000-07:00

Student of the Month

Our little Kiki has worked so hard since she switched schools and this month she was awarded for her efforts. It was an adjustment when she first moved, the new school is about a grade level or two above what she was learning at her other school. She struggled for the first month and her grades were not what she had been use to.

Well, Keeks wasn't gonna have any of that. She studied, went to tutoring, asked questions, pretty much did everything she could to bring her grades up. She's done so well that she currently has straight A's. Her teacher recognized her hard work and named her Student of the Month. Here's what her teacher wrote about her:

"K is a great example to her peers. Even though she just started in January, she has

caught on quickly and is excelling. She is a pleasure to have in class. Great job, K."

Mrs. Munsil

Dear Keeks,

We are so proud of you! We are very aware of all your hard work! You are so responsible, you know what to do to help yourself grow and become what you want to be. We are grateful to be your parents and feel blessed to have you in our lives. You have a shining spirit that radiates to those around you. You are such a great example to not only your siblings and friends but to us as your parents. We love you so much!

Love,

Mama and Dad

Women's Conference 2011

2011-05-25T16:27:00.000-07:00

I was able to go to Women's Conference again this year!

I always love every minute of it. Nik and I were roomies! I love hanging out with my mom and sisters, it feels like home.

Our Mama, isn't she so pretty?

Day One, we rushed from class to class, this was us in the morning when we were fresh.

Silly girls

All the flowers were blooming when we were there, they have so many tulips, my FAVORITE!

The end of day one, we were so tired, but wanted to enjoy every minute so we stayed up way to late talking.

Day two, we were so looking forward to this day. We found out that Stephanie Nielson and her sisters were speaking and that we would also be able to hear from Elder Bednar. It was such a special emotional day, one I will never forget. We were able to meet, hug and chat for a minute with Stephanie. She is such a great example of perseverance and strength. I admire her so much and was so grateful to have been able to meet her.

(us at Elder and Sister Bednar's class)

(Elder and Sister Bednar)

(us with Stephanie and her sister Page)

Women's Conference ended on Friday but we weren't ready to go home, we woke up Saturday and traveled to Salt Lake. We went to the Temple, ate, shopped and ate some more.

Sadly this is how we ended our trip, in the ER. My mom's knee really started to bother her and we were afraid it might be a blood clot from all our traveling. Better safe than sorry, so we took her the ER to get it checked out. Thank goodness it only ended up being her arthritis acting up.

I had the best time and can't wait till next year! It has become a yearly tradition that one day I hope to share with my girls. I come home feeling so uplifted and ready to conquer the world. It gives me less fear, more strength, new ideas, new plans, a better look at motherhood, better understanding as a wife, more patience, more willingness to give and more love not just for my family but everyone around me. I learn so much.

This is what I saw on the front door when I got home

I think they missed me cause they spoiled me on Mother's Day!

BH Football 2011

2011-05-17T16:08:00.000-07:00

After 2 years of begging and pleading this was BH's first tackle football season and he loved every minute of it, even the up-downs. He wants to have a life of football. During the season he worked hard on school work, football, chores and piano. He knew if he didn't, there would be no football. :)

He was the coaches right hand man. He played wide receiver, corner back and ran in all the plays to the huddle. He stood next to the coach the entire game (except when he was playing) ready to go in as soon as needed. The kid didn't stop the entire game and never complained.

We love that he has found something that he LOVES. Even if mom is terrified that her little buddy will get hurt. Great job this season BH, hopefully there will be many more to come, your mama and dad LOVE watching you!

If you look really close in the picture below you can see BH catching a first down pass just as he's about to be tackled.

Spring Sing

2011-05-07T13:19:00.000-07:00

At BH and Keeks new school they have the Spring Sing. I loved it, grades 1-6 each performed a song and then they all sung a song together. Some were patriotic, some where silly and some where familiar. We sang the national anthem before they started and felt a sense of unity. I love that we decided to make the switch. As time goes on there are more and more things that help the kiddos and I feel that we really made the right decision.

Mr. BD Plays Baseball

2011-05-06T22:52:00.000-07:00

So Mr. BD decided to play coach pitch baseball for the first time this year. I couldn't be more happy, he's doing such a great job and has really enjoyed playing with his cousin. They are exactly a year and 10 days apart and are the best of friends. They are so goofy when together, so sometimes practices can be a little silly, that's what being a kid is all about, right? My sweet sister took these pictures of the boys and I love how they show that these boys love being together.

Mr. BD is growing into such a responsible boy. I only have to ask him to do something once and it's done. He's always giving me flowers, always concerned with my feelings, so caring to his little sisters, a great friend, an awesome piano player and still always, always singing. We sure love this little buddy!

Best Friends

2011-05-06T16:37:00.000-07:00

These girls love eachother! They have so much fun together when the big kids are at school. I'm so glad they have eachother! I'm so excited to see how all my girls relationships develop as they grow...sisters are the best friends!

Easter Weekend

2011-05-02T15:07:00.000-07:00

Miss H LOVED coloring eggs this year. She would help Mama put it in and patiently wait for it to be done. Then she would say "nother egg mama" She also learned the concept of finding the eggs. It's been fun to watch her this Easter.

Favorite Eggs

My sweet MIL always gives me flowers for Easter, these are this years

The Easter Bunny came

On our way to Church

Heading to G&G Johnson's for an egg hunt and dinner

And they're off...

Easter is one of my favorites, we enjoy our time as a family remembering our Savior and His sacrifice. I'm so grateful to have my family!

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T21:35:00.000-07:00

Our day was filled with church, egg hunts, pictures, family, playing and CHOCOLATE!

Cousins

2011-04-20T12:30:00.000-07:00

The girls love spending time with their cousins!

Last week they were able to have cousins over two DIFFERENT days. They were in heaven!

Miss H loved having babies in the house, she kept saying "Mama, I see baby?" or "Mama baby crying" or "Mama I hold baby". She is definitely in LOVE with babies.

Johnson/Shepherd cousins

Larson/Osborn cousin

I think we wore Little V out, he crashed on the floor while I rubbed his little noggin.

It's such a blessing to have so much family around and that my kiddos have so many cousins that are not only their best friends but will be life time friends.

Things we learned in the month of March...

2011-04-04T15:59:00.000-07:00

A lot has been left unblogged since the stinkin' computer bit the dust. It's been a bit overwhelming for me to think of catching up on all of it, so I thought I'd give the highlights.

The month of March was full of learning new things. I canned chicken and beans for the first time, YIPPEE! It was so easy, why didn't I learn it sooner? I also got a wheat grinder and learned how to use it, easy cheesy also. Of course, it's an electric one so I just have to pour in the wheat. The hardest part was cleaning that darn thing. And lastly I learned a new bread recipe that I love, and will continue to make. I'm feelin' pretty productive these days, now if I could just get my spring cleaning started I'd be doin' good.

Little E learned that she could dump the whole shampoo bottle into the tub and make a huge bubble bath. She was quite pleased with herself.

BH learned a new trick on YOUTUBE. Too bad dad didn't boil the egg long enough, it would have worked.

I learned that a long lost friend of mine and her family were coming into town for the week of spring break, YEA! All of my family and her family got together for dinner at my house. I also learned that it was her birthday so we had a PARTY! We picked up right where we left off, with a lot of catching up to do, it had been at least 15 years (probably more).

We also learned that swimming in March can be fun when you have lots of friends to enjoy the pool with. They spent most their time in the hot tub so it wasn't too cold.

We learned that we can fit a lot of people in the cabin. We took a trip up there with our J side of the family, a neighbor family and a couple extra kiddos. It was a ton of fun celebrating birthdays and playing games all weekend.

(on the way to the cabin 3.17.11)

D and I learned that BH really, really, really, loves football and he's pretty great at it too! He's #14. We also learned that we love watching him play, we might become a football family. Ahhhhh busy, busy, busy!

And this one...well...it was just too cute not to put in. I learned that when playing dress-up anything goes...a beanie, princess wand and shorts, really?

Stinkin' computers

2011-03-25T16:04:00.000-07:00

I need to take a minute to vent my frustration.

It's a love hate relationship I have with computers! Our two year old computer died on us last weekend, two years old, that's definitely not long enough for what we paid for it. We've been through so many computers in our marriage I can't even count how many. I am so frustrated!

I'm seriously considering getting a Mac so that this doesn't happen again. I've heard they last forever, that's what I need. I have a MacBook, that's what I'm using right now, and I love it! But I'm so use to doing all my "business" type stuff on the PC and I'm afraid of change, always have been. Plus they're super spendy! I've been told they can transfer my data to a new computer, so until then the blogging will be sparse.

Stinkin' computers!

I think he's in love...

2011-03-14T08:21:00.000-07:00

...with football that is! He wears his pads around the house, down to Sunday dinner, all over the place. He is SO excited that we finally let him play tackle football. Can't wait to see his first game, we're kinda excited too!

What's been goin' on with Mr. BD?

2011-03-12T14:10:00.000-08:00

My little buddy had a science project in first grade. I didn't know they did them in first grade. He did a great job and got a perfect grade. It was fun to watch him learn a little about science.

I also got to go with him on one of his field trips this month. I loved being with him and his friend C. We had fun playing rock, paper, scissors on the bus. We went to listen to a learning through music program. The kiddos got a little bored but in all we had a great time.

I love this buddy, he cracks me up and I can see why he has a lot of friends. He's so fun to be around, thanks for spending the day with me bubba!

Wenthrow and The Thoughts of a 4-year-old

2011-03-04T08:01:00.000-08:00

So this is Wenthrow. Little E found him at Mumo and Grandpa's house Sunday night at dinner. She checked around and found that he didn't have an owner or a home, so she brought him to ours. She carried him around all evening and if anyone tried to touch him she would get really upset and tell us that his name was Wenthrow, and we needed to be nice to him. We finally ask her why his name was Wenthrow. She said: "He didn't have a name so I called him Wenthrow." So now Wenthrow is part of the family.

Such a big imagination for such a tiny little thing! I LOVE it!

I asked Mr. BD some questions about mom when he was four and it was pretty funny to hear his answers so I thought I'd see what Little E had to say to the same questions at the same age.

1. What is something mom always says to you?
clean up your room
2. What makes mom happy?
when I don't make messes
3. What makes mom sad?
when I make messes
4. How does you mom make you laugh?
you do funny things, like dance around
5. What was your mom like as a child?
singing and playing...you were a kid
6. How old is your mom?
ummm 5...are you really 5?
7. How tall is your mom?
like this tall (she puts her arms out as wide as they go)
8. What is her favorite thing to do?
play
9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
sleep
10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
fashion shows
11. What is your mom good at?
making her bed
12. What is your mom not very good at?
sweeping
13. What does your mom do for her job?
go to a office and sit
14. What is your mom's favorite food?
sandwiches
15. What makes you proud of your mom?
when you clean up my room
16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Cinderella
17. What do you and your mom do together?
clean up my room
18. How are you and your mom the same?
we do the same things
19. How are you and your mom different?
we're not the same age
20. How do you know your mom loves you?
cause daddy tells me and you kiss me
21. What does your mom like most about your dad?
playing with him
22. Where is your moms favorite place?
when we go to eat at an eating place

It's so funny how different boys and girls are. She's all about the cleaning, which probably means I worry a little too much about the cleaning. But lets face it, if the house is not clean I can be a little grumpy. Probably should work on that.

Love you Little E, you really bring so much joy to my life!

President's Day weekend @ the cabin in the SNOW

2011-03-04T07:12:00.000-08:00

The kids could hardly wait to get out the door. They were even more excited that they got to pack their snow gear. The forecast said there would be lots of snow and that's exactly what we hoped for!

It's not very often that we get the whole cabin to ourselves, just our little family. But this time that's what happened, so the kiddos could sleep wherever they wanted. They chose the floor in the family room, who would have guess it, when there are plenty of rooms and plenty of beds. I would have that's what they beg to do on the weekends at home.

The next morning it started to snow and they were ready to go play. Even Miss H begged to go in the snow, in fact, she would scream every time I tried to bring her inside. Her lips were purple and she still was happy playing in the snow.

D and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to teach the kiddos the importance of helping around the house. It's a lot easier when there are not many distractions. They loved helping with the meals and the clean up.

Day two in the snow was even better than day one. More snow = more fun! There were icicles everywhere and BH even found one as tall as Little E. There was hot tubing to do, it's so much more fun when snow's involved. And no matter what the weather Little E has to have a ride on the swing.

And when our noses got to cold outside we came in for puzzles and games.

It was such a fun weekend with the kids, away from it all.

Can't live without the blankie

2011-03-03T11:58:00.000-08:00

It's crazy to me how different my girls are and yet they are very much alike. A few years ago I did a post of Little E and her blankies. I just have to laugh that I am now posting about Miss H and how much she loves her blankies. She doesn't have as many as E had, in fact two of E's are now Miss H's. She has one that is her favorite, however, the one she can't live without, it's the black and white one in the wash.

I got them into the wash without her noticing but as she walked by her favorite happened to make an appearance in the window. OH NO, she could not believe it was in there and she couldn't get it out. And getting it into the dryer was pure torture.

I love my little girls to pieces, but man they sure add a lot of drama to life.

He's advancing some more

2011-03-03T11:00:00.000-08:00

BH is now a First Class Boy Scout. At his last Court of Honor he got his Second and First Class. We are proud of him and so grateful to his scout leaders for providing all the opportunity. Thank you Bro. Clark and Bro. Petersen.

Good job Bubba, We love you!

Happy Birthday to the man I LOVE!

2011-03-01T17:48:00.000-08:00

I LOVE this guy! He is the most amazing husband, and I'm not just sayin' that cause it's his birthday! I could sit and list the countless things he does to make my life easier but I'm sure it would take all day. So, just to name a few: he makes the bed every morning, gets the kiddos up and ready and makes breakfast so I can go to the gym, stops by the grocery store when ever something is needed, works so hard so that we can have a good life, makes me laugh, makes life silly, and the list could go on. The point is...I LOVE this man!

And as far as being a father goes, I think this picture says it all. He loves them, knows them, cares about them and would do anything for them. Even play in the snow in his swim suit! They LOVE this Man!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Honey! We LOVE you! So glad you were born!

A tiny little baby boy

2011-02-26T17:00:00.000-08:00

This blog is a journal for my family. So we can remember, relive, and relish in the life we share together. Someday those little ones will be all grown up and move away from D and I. I want them to have something to take with them when they go, something to help them remember their childhood. Good times and hard times. That's why I am writing this post. It's not the happiest thing that's happened to our family but it's part of our lives. I know a lot of people will read this and a lot will wonder why I would make something so private and personal so public. I am doing it because I don't want to forget and I'm doing it for my kids, so they know what my feelings are. They will grow up and they will be parents themselves, someday this may help them.

It has been a hard few days for our family.

On Tuesday evening I started to get a headache and by 3am it had turned into a full blown migraine. By the next day the migraine was gone but the headache still lingered for the rest of the day. On Thursday morning my head was starting to feel better but I felt like I was in a fog. Dustin made me an appointment to go see my OB. By this time we were both worried about the baby...I hadn't felt any movement since Tuesday evening and the headache was identical to what I felt when I lost my last baby at 14 1/2 weeks.

My OB had me come right in and at about 10am Thursday morning we found out that the baby no longer had a heartbeat. I couldn't believe this was happening again.

The baby was measuring the right size so the doctor said it had just happened in the last couple days. He was in shock, saying that he would have never thought that as a result of a headache he would find that the baby had passed. I think he thought he would just be able to ease our minds and send us on our way. Even though I felt that I knew something was wrong, I couldn't believe that the exact same thing was happening to us all over again.

After spending a good 15 to 20 mins. looking at the baby on ultrasound to see if he could find any answers, which he was not able to, the baby was perfect, he gave us three options.

One, to just wait. We knew we didn't want to do this, I could not function knowing that the baby inside me was not living and with the last miscarriage the baby had been gone for three weeks before we even found out. I knew I could not emotionally handle just waiting.

Two, go in for a D&C. This option would be less emotionally draining, I would be asleep the whole time, but I felt we wouldn't get the answers we needed.

Or three, be admitted to the hospital and deliver. This is what we did last time, we were able to see the baby, they sent him off for testing and we felt it helped us move forward. This is the option we chose again, we needed to have some answers as to why this was happening again.

My doctor told us to go to the hospital at 3pm to start induction. That time was nice for our family. We were able to pick the kids up from school early and explain to them what had happened and what was going to happen.

We got to the hospital at 3 and they started the induction. It was hard walking down the labor and delivery hall and into the room with a warmer for a baby knowing that the end result was not going to be a healthy, crying, warm baby. The induction took all night. The cramping and contractions were uncomfortable and sleep was minimal. By 9am the next day I was ready to deliver. At 9:10 the baby was born. It was such a long day. And such a sad day

At 16 weeks it is a miscarriage, I understand that. But his body was perfect he had 10 fingers 10 little toes, eyes, legs, arms, a mouth, ears and nose, he looked like a baby. A tiny little baby boy. There was one thing wrong, the cord was wrapped around his tiny little neck three times really tight. Finally, we had an answer. People might say why put yourself through all that again when you know you don't have to and you know there will be no baby to take home in the end. I say, we got an answer, a reason why.

I can't help but wonder, was it something I did?

I know that each pregnancy is a fragile miracle, an amazing miracle. I feel so blessed to have the children that I do and that I've been able to have 5 very easy healthy pregnancies. I know that my Heavenly Father loves and trusts D and I enough to bless us with these little spirits to raise and that sometimes they have to be taken away. I don't understand why right now but someday I will and I have faith that he knows what's best for us and our family. I'm sad that I didn't get to continue with the pregnancy and have a sweet little boy to even us out. But I know things will get easier as time goes on and maybe someday we will have another one to love. I'm so grateful to all my family and friends who have shown their love and support to me and my family. I will never be able to say Thank You enough.

Happy "Balentines"!

2011-02-14T09:18:00.000-08:00

The boys wouldn't pose for me so you get the girls, they love to pose for the camera!

The traditional Valentines box or piece of styrofoam, since that's all we could find.

Dustin got me these, I'll take tulips over roses any day!

My little brother got Married!

2011-02-05T13:28:00.000-08:00

It was such a fun time. We had their Gilbert reception in our home. I can't believe we are all married. We love his new bride, she is super creative and fun as you can see from the pictures above. She will be a great addition to our family!

The Last One

2011-02-04T18:53:00.000-08:00

I feel the urgency to document everything during this pregnancy since it will be the last. I have such a mixture of emotions that flood to the surface when I say those words "last one".

I am sad that I won't experience pregnancy again, I truly enjoy it (except for the weight gain, I could live without that).
I'm excited to move on to the next stage of life with more freedom.
I'm excited to meet this little person that has made me the sickest I've ever been in a pregnancy.
I'm sad that this will be my last toddler,
   the last pitter patter of little feet running across the tile,
   last silly words when learning how to talk,
   last excitement at every new discovery,
   the list could go on and on (there will always be grand kids, I guess, still not the same).
I'm excited to hold a newborn again, sad that it will be the last time it's my own.

So many emotions...

Yep it's true...

2011-01-31T16:46:00.000-08:00

Number 6 is on the way

We told my family on Christmas day

This is how we told D's family the day after Christmas.

We are really excited and can't wait to see who this little person will be!

Keeks

2011-01-24T12:39:00.000-08:00

This girl amazes me daily! She is growing into such a responsible, helpful, grateful, wonderful young woman. I really have been blessed to have her in my life. She rarely complains and is a happy, fun, thoughtful child. She goes with the flow and makes the best of every situation. One example, her headgear...

She finally got it and she was happy to get it, knew it would be best for her. Part of me thinks she thinks it's cool! I love that about her, she's not worried about what others think, if she likes it that's all that matters!

Updated!

2011-01-24T10:12:00.000-08:00

I can't even believe I'm typing this right now! The blog is officially updated! It has sure been a busy few months with lots of changes! Glad to be updated, now if I could just get those blog books finished we'd be doin' good!

A New School

2011-01-20T23:38:00.000-08:00

Today is BH and Keeks last day at the only school they've ever been to. After much thought and discussion D and I decided that it would be best to change our kids schools. Unfortunately they only had openings for BH and Keeks, Mr. BD didn't have a spot. So, he's on the list for next year and we hope a spot comes available. Right now we have kids in two schools, which stinks, but we feel strongly that it's the best thing for them.

At the Heritage Festival last night, last school event.

Last walk to the bus stop

Brock's Scout Advancement

2011-01-20T17:04:00.000-08:00

Brock got his first rank in scouting, he's a "Tenderfoot". He has some great leaders and soon he'll be able to get his second and first class. He's moving right along and loves it!

New Years Eve

2010-12-31T23:28:00.000-08:00

This year we spent New Years Eve with our little family! Very low key. We watched a movie, I fell asleep, woke up in time to say Happy New Year, drink sparkling cider and set off some fireworks! Our neighbors had an excellent firework show for us, it was fun to watch from our front porch!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Christmas

2010-12-28T12:03:00.000-08:00

Santa came to our house for sure! My parents, my little brother and the Osborns stayed Christmas Eve Night with us, it was so fun to have more people than just our little family to watch open gifts. I'm pretty sure everyone got exactly what they wanted from Santa.

BH: Airsoft Gun

Keeks: Sewing Machine and Fabric

Mr. BD: General Grievous Light Saber

Little E and Miss H: Barbie Convertible

Daddy: IPod Shuffle

Mama: Settlers of Catan

Needless to say we were all quite spoiled. I'm most grateful for this time to give, this year I was truly way more excited to see those get the gifts I had given them than to know what I got for myself. That's the true meaning of Christmas, giving.

Christmas Eve and the start of a new Tradition

2010-12-28T08:24:00.000-08:00

This year we were lucky enough to have all my family with us! We also started a new tradition in our neighborhood. We lined the streets with luminaries, paper bags filled with a little sand and a candle to light them up. It was fun to have my family there to help us light them. When they were all done the street looked amazing all lit up.

After luminaries it was into the house for the gift exchange and our traditional Christmas PJ's. All the cousins exchange gifts and so do my siblings. I was a fun night, so fun to have so much family around, it's funny how well they know my kiddos, the gifts couldn't have been more perfect!

My favorite, Christmas Jammies. This year D got me some Hoodie Footies, that were red velour, sexy! I tried them on and they were way to small, the length between the Hoodie and the Footie was a bit off. Sad to say I had to return them and didn't get a picture, luckily he bought me back up jammies.

Thanks for such a fun Christmas Eve, Larsons, Booths, Mauzys, Osborns and Johnson Daddy and Kiddos

Gangsta Baby

2010-12-26T18:33:00.000-08:00

Little Miss H put on Mr. BD's hat today and looked like a little Gangsta Baby, so stinkin' cute, and she knew it!

This years homemade Christmas gifts

2010-12-26T18:31:00.000-08:00

Tool belts for Jake and Kyson

"On the Go" Car Tracks for Cash and Wyatt

P-Jamma Pants for Mikki

Scarves for Lily and Kate

We also made duck tape Flip Flops for Dallin and Jerhyn but I didn't get a picture of those. Too bad cause that was D's work of art and they were pretty awesome!

Christmas Sunday

2010-12-19T13:52:00.000-08:00

We are all dressed up for Christmas Sunday, so we had to take pictures. I know it's cheesy to dress all alike but it's so fun! So I do it every year.

Ward Christmas Party

2010-12-18T18:57:00.000-08:00

Our ward Christmas Party was a breakfast this year, I loved it! Santa came and the kids got to write letters and burn them in a fire pit so the ashes could fly to the North Pole, so cute. Kiki and Mr. BD were the only ones who wrote a letter because BH had just done it at the Polar Express and one is enough for him and the little girls only like Santa from a far. Keeks is so independent that she wrote her letter and sat on Santa's lap before I even knew it and could get a picture. We had a ton of fun and the breakfast was yummy!

BEARIZONA

2010-12-15T13:16:00.000-08:00

The day after the Polar Express we took the kiddos to Bearizona, an outdoor drive-thru animal park. It was fun to have the animals walk right up to our car and see them so close. The kids loved it! They also got to see some baby cubs, so stinkin' cute!

Polar Express

2010-12-15T12:15:00.000-08:00

We took the kiddos to the Polar Express this year for the first time! They loved it, and I LOVED seeing their faces. It was fun to get into the spirit of Christmas, the kids loved getting their bells from Santa and riding a train for the first time. The couldn't believe how big it was. We even got to see a little bit of snow! Fun weekend kiddos, should we make it a tradition?

18 have gone by...

2010-12-04T22:17:00.000-08:00

...months that is. Little Miss H has grown so much and is now 25% in both height and weight, that's unheard of for my kiddos. She is 22.4lbs and 30 3/4 inches. We took her in for a well visit and found out she has an ear infection, what does that say? Either I'm a really bad Mama or she has a high tolerance for pain and is just a really good baby. I'd like to think it's that latter.

At 18 months Miss H:
loves Elmo
loves Cake Cake (Strawberry Shortcake, and My Little Pony, they are both called that)
loves babies
loves Mama's Chili
loves her daddy, runs to him screaming when he comes in the door
loves broccoli
loves to dance or shake her bum bum
loves Gold Fish
loves her NaNa (pacifier)
loves her blankie

dislikes meat (unless it's in chili)
dislikes being carried down the stairs, wants to do it herself
well lets be honest...there's not much she dislikes

Funny side note: the other day I was folding laundry and Miss H would tell me who each shirt belonged to, she's so observant. She is learning so much so fast and it's fun to see her grow. She is Little E's shadow and everyday when she wakes up in the morning or from a nap she says, "Em, are you?" She loves her big sister.

We love you Miss H, happy 18 months.

Little E no more three

2010-11-23T20:51:00.000-08:00

Today my little girl turned 4. We did the traditional singing of the Happy Birthday song to wake her up in the morning, she was so cute and so excited when she realized we were singing to her! Daddy made her eggs and sausage for breakfast, her favorite, and she wanted to open all her gifts from the family so she did.

It's an even year for Little E so she got to have an Ariel party in the park. She invited all her cousins and they played pin the crown on Ariel, even BIG brother BH wanted to play. Cupcakes and gifts were her favorite part. And a perfect end to a perfect day...she got to sit in her bed with all her loot and have her BIG sis read her new books to her.

Little E at age 4:

energetic

smiley

funny

ticklish

beautiful

tiny

good big sister

playful

happy

smart

joyful

dancer

sausage eater

Little E,

We love you so much and love seeing you grow up. You are such a blessing to mom and dad. I love spending the days with you while the big kids are at school. I don't know what I'll do when you have to go also. I'm glad you are growing so big and strong but, if you could, please just slow down a little for mama. I love when you sing the Ariel song to us...please don't stop doing that. You truly are a joy in our lives! Happy Birthday sweet girl, we love you!

Love,

Mama