Still Catching Up – Summer Events

I know it’s the end of November, but I am seriously incapable of blogging about current events until I have caught up with all of the photos stored in my pictures folder (OCD?). It’s ok, because I’m almost caught up.

So here we are with some summer randomness.

Steve, Jonathon and Thomas decided to hike Timpanogos Mountain this summer. It was the second time for Steve and Jonathon, but the first time for Thomas. They went at the end of August, and it was a perfect day.

They went up to the top and back down in one day. Steve said that he is always amazed at the energy that the boys have. They didn’t even complain throughout the whole hike.

 

 

A view from the top.

Sometime during the summer I decided to make a table. It was fun to play with all of the saws and tools in the garage. It has made a nice addition to all of our other stuff in the garage – just another surface to pile stuff on. We have too much stuff.

I planted a flower garden that had so much potential. However, due to lack of water, the flowers perished and were taken over by noxious weeds. Weeds that grew to great heights with out any water at all.

Also, this is what I woke up to in the mornings during the summer. Jack and Henry loved to watch out the window and count how many they could see.

 
So that’s pretty much our summer. Except for my birthday. I’ll do that next and then I can start on the fall. I’ll be ready to write about Thanksgiving in no time.

# 7 for Libby – June 18th 2010

This year, we decided to take Libby on a shopping spree for her birthday. She got to buy whatever she wanted with her birthday money. It is very hard to shop with Libby, because she is very indecisive.

Libby has such a bright personality. Her sense of style is crazy, and she loves big floral prints. Her favorite outfit is an orange paisley print skirt with a pink and orange floral print shirt and rainbow striped tights.

Libby is pretty much a girly girl who loves to do her nails and put make up on. She is such a happy kid – like the little girls in the movies who sing and and dance and skip around all of the time.

Sometimes Libby says the most absurd things that make absolutely no sense at all.

Quotes from Libby:

“If your whole body was made out of cheese hamburgers, you could eat yourself. Even your stomach.”

One day while riding in the car eating French fries that were slightly cold, Thomas said he needed them warmed up. I told him to just eat them, but he insisted that he would wait until we got home to warm them up. Then in the most serious voice, Libby said - “I have an Invisible microwave in here.”

Libby told her friend that the UPS man was, "The boy who takes away X-boxes, and fixes them.”

We love you Libby!

When Henry Turned Three

This year we had a Toy Story birthday for Henry. He got a brand new shiny Buzz Lightyear and I decided to buy him a store bought cake instead of trying to create my own character cake disaster.

Steve took Henry and the others big kids to see Toy Story 3. It was Henry’s first trip to a movie theater and he was good to sit through the whole movie. He even did better than Libby who always finds some reason to get out of her seat and bother the others.

Henry is constantly pushing the boundaries. He is a pretty determined kid. He loves to play outside and heads out whenever he pleases. He got a Bubble mower for his birthday, because he loves to follow us around as we mow the lawn. The best thing we ever did was put the gate up this spring so that he could not escape out of the backyard.

He is not that great at adapting to new things. We are taking part in a neighborhood Joy School. So every Tuesday and Thursday he has a howling fit as we head off to other people’s houses to play for a couple of hours. He always has a great time and is fine when I pick him up, so I don’t know why he has problems in the first place.

He is now officially potty trained – woo hoo! Except at night – of course. I wonder how long that will take?

He loves to play with cars and always has to have one to carry around with him. He also loves the movie Cars too, but we have not watched it for a while. That’s ok, because we watched it every day for like 6 months, so we needed a break.

I think he’s growing up too fast, but I know I can’t do anything about it.

Evil Trampolines

This summer brought us our first experience with stitches. It think we did pretty good making it all the way to kid #4 before we had to deal with this issue.

Of course it was Libby who needed them. She has the ability to get hurt while playing with cotton balls and bubble wrap. It’s amazing that she can navigate through the obstacle course in her room during the middle of the night to get to the bathroom, but she trips over the air walking down the sidewalk in the middle of the day. She is also the first and only kid to get a broken bone.

Early in June, after being told more than once to stay away from the trampolines, Libby found herself knocked against the bar and got a nasty gash above her eyebrow.

She only had to have 3 stitches, but it was traumatic all the same. Especially for poor Libby who can make all things seem 10 times worse.

It a good thing we have such great neighbors to help us out when we need it. The whole experience was not nearly as bad as it could have been.

P.S. As I was looking through pictures from this summer, I came across this one. Guess how this happened? On a trampoline. This was a knee to the eye socket injury. So she has officially been banned from all trampolines everywhere.

Way back in the Month of May

Poor Thomas! His birthday gets mixed up in the hustle and bustle of the end of the school year and then summer, and I never get around to writing about it until now.

Thomas chose to go to the Kamas Pool for his birthday, so we rounded up a couple of friends and headed up there. The pool is great because there is something for everyone to enjoy.

He saved up all of his birthday money and purchased an iPod Nano. He was sick of always having to listen to Jonathon’s music. It didn’t last very long though, because he left it in his pocket and Jonathon washed it. The good news is that Apple took it back and sent us another one. So that was nice. But right now, he can’t find it, and it’s been lost for a very long time. I’m sure it’s down in the pig sty that they call a bedroom and one day he might find it again.

On a side note, you might think that Jonathon would have learned his lesson, but later in the summer he washed his own iPod, and since it wasn’t under warranty, he didn’t get a new one. So now he is working to save up money for a new one.

By May, Thomas was so ready to be out of school. His 5th grade experience was not the best. He was struggling with his assignments, and his teacher wasn’t the greatest.

He thoroughly enjoyed summer though, and was not looking forward to going back to school. I was not very happy about starting school either, because we did not get the teacher that we requested for the 6th grade. But, things eventually worked out for us and Thomas has a great teacher this year.

Thomas is such a laid back kid. He loves to read adventure/fantasy books. He has finished quite a few books this year, because he was grounded from video games for most of the 5th grade.

He is a great to help out with the little boys, but we don’t leave him home to babysit very often, because he has still not earned back our trust since the broken window incident.

Let’s hope that his new enthusiasm for school lasts until the end of the year, and that he will not feel unloved when he reads this blog in the future and finds out that I never wrote about his birthday until September. He’s not alone, I also have to catch up on Libby’s, Henry’s, Hannah’s and my own birthday. So there!

It’s That Time Again

It seems there is much to catch up on from the last few months. Now that the kids are back in school, I have found time to upload the photos from this summer. Only to find that I didn’t even really take that many. I wish I was better at snapping pics over the summer.

Once again I have failed to post about many things that have passed, but I am not going to try to fit it all in right now. That would be too overwhelming. So I’m just going to take it slowly.

This is one of my most favorite
moments from this summer.

Disney puts on the best firework shows ever!

Today We Found A . . .

Butterfly

This afternoon we found a butterfly in our garage.
It wouldn’t fly away, so we think there might have
been something wrong with it.

It wasn’t just a small butterfly. It was huge!
It had about a six inch wing span.

We found a home for it, and we hope that it recovers soon.

Financial Planning 101

Murphy’s Law

Over the last few weeks, we have been taking a financial class to help us learn how to: Get out of debt, Stay debt free, and invest in the future. We have learned many great concepts that will help us achieve these goals.

The classes started in April, and soon after we attended our first one, Steve’s car broke ($800). This was just another reason why April sucked. We had made a decision to stop charging on our credit card and this happens. Great!

Murphy’s law: 
When you try to save money something expensive will happen.

 

 

This week we had some extra money come our way. We have already put a nice chunk towards debt this month, so we decided to use the extra money to build a fence that will keep Henry in the backyard this summer. This is a necessity.

Steve got online and estimated the cost of two side fences, and guess what? It worked out to be the same amount of the extra money. Nice!

We headed right out to Home Depot with our list of supplies. We decided to take Henry with us so that he wouldn’t cause trouble for Thomas who was in charge because Jonathon was on a Scout Campout.

This is what we came home to.

 

Thomas did this while we were gone – I guess you could call it an accident, but the point is that we had some extra money, then we spent it, and now it’s probably going to cost us the same amount to fix the window.

Luckily we were able to complete the first step in our financial plan, so we do have an emergence savings account. I just didn’t want to dip into so soon.

Things we learned today, Thomas is not responsible enough to be left in charge; there is always going to be something that requires your extra money; and making money answering questions on the internet is not worth your while. But that’s another story.

BTW: Does anyone know a good window guy?

More Vacation Pictures

With a lengthy post to follow

Who would have thought that this . . . . .

Would turn into this . . . . .

Uncle Paul and Dad got creative with the frosting.

I’m not too old to play in the bounce house, and I was even able to show the girls how to do flips and handsprings without getting hurt – unlike Steve who thought he could too, but was wrong.

Jack had fun playing outside, but even crawling on grass and concrete did not motivate him to walk.

Thomas

Jonathon

The boys

Ten out of twelve grandchildren – maybe one day we will get the other two in the picture.

Steve, his brother Paul and his sister Sandra

James and Jack

Long Month = Long Post

Warning: This is what happens when you don’t write anything for a whole month. This post is more for documenting the events than it is entertaining.

I don’t know if I can remember ever having a month seem as long as April. I guess it could be said that the last month of a pregnancy might be close, but usually the end result is joyful.

It’s a good thing that we were able to go to Vegas because that trip was like the calm before the storm.

We had one week from the time we got home from Vegas until we left for Florida. We decided to ship our clothes instead of checking baggage, because now they charge you per bag. If you don’t have to check bags, then you get to go straight to the gate, so that is an added bonus.

It is always a little overwhelming getting all of us through security and onto the plane. The kids were great. They might drive me crazy all of the other days of the year, but I will put up with it as long as they behave at the airport.

I hate to fly. I get sick on take-off and landing and during turbulence. I can usually keep everything down, but it’s such an icky feeling. Plus there’s always the horrible thought in the back of my mind that planes crash. Luckily we only had one bad upchuck moment, and that was on the way home. Hannah lost it when we flew into Atlanta for a plane change. It’s our fault, we forgot the Dramamine.

We flew into Tampa and so we had to drive for a couple of hours to get to Grandma’s house. It sure was nice to finally get out of the car. Everyone was so excited to finally be there.

The weather was perfect. I would like to never have to go back there in the summertime again. We stayed two nights at Grandma’s and then they put us up in a resort for the next week. The kids got to take turns sleeping over at Grandma’s.

On Friday we decided to leave the kids with grandma and go check into the resort. On the way we got into a fender bender in the rental car. I have to say that I think this put a damper on our entire vacation. We are still sorting out the details, because it’s our word against the other guys, but I’m telling you - He switched lanes into us.

 

On Saturday we headed back to Tampa to watch the Yankees play the Rays. We had great seats right behind the Yankee bullpen, it was fun, but it just wasn’t as exciting as going to a Yankee home game. The traffic was awful and we spent more time driving in the car than we did at the game, but at least they won.

 

Sunday was the day of the Bounce House. Steve’s parents rented one to keep the kids busy for the day. Steve’s mom also decided that we should celebrate everyone’s birthday because we were all there together.

Tuesday found us at The Magic Kingdom in Disneyworld. By this time the camera had run out of batteries, and we didn’t feel like digging up the charger so we don’t have any pictures. It doesn’t matter thought, because I think all of our Disney pictures always look the same.

We wrapped up our visit with a trip to Nana’s, where we all got to go for a golf cart ride and see a baby alligator that lives in one of the golf course ponds. Again, no pictures – I always forget the camera.

While we were there, I found out that my Grandpa up in Bear Lake was very sick. My mom didn’t want to worry us, but the doctors had only given him a few days. So as soon as we got home, I headed up to see him. There were many family members there and it was good to see everyone, even if the reason wasn’t the best.

By the time I got home, I felt like I had been away for the whole month. I was not even sure what day it was. Luckily there was nothing scheduled so I didn’t have to worry about remembering anything.

The rest of the month was long because I was always wondering when I would get that unwelcome phone call about grandpa.

Keith Weston Johnson 1922 - 2010

I got the call on Friday, April 30th.

I always remember Grandpa working - up in the barn or digging irrigation ditches or working on tractors. Even when he stopped working the ranch, he always had a project that he was working on.

I don’t remember him ever getting mad at us, but I do remember that he always let his opinion be known. You always knew if you drove too fast down the road when you came to visit, or if he didn’t like the logo on your shirt.

One day when we went to visit, grandpa asked us if we were renting an apartment and how much we paid. Then he went on  and on about how stupid it was to throw money away by renting. So Steve and I decided that we should look into buying a house. I am glad that I was able to see him when we got back from Florida.

This is his Obituary from the Herald Journal.

LAKETOWN, Utah - Keith Weston Johnson, 88, left this life peacefully at his home April 30, 2010. He was born in Laketown, Utah, on April 18, 1922, to Willis Dewitt and Lydia Ann Weston Johnson. He married Thelma Satterthwaite on Sept. 19, 1942, and was later sealed in the Logan LDS Temple on March 30 1959.

He was a man of varied interests and talents and was a civic leader. He gave generously of his time and means to the community and LDS Church. He served as president of the Rich County School Board and Bear Lake TV.

Keith has one passion in life, his love for livestock and the Big Creek Ranch. He devoted his life to good, hard, honest work. He was taught this ethic at an early age while working side by side with his father Dewitt.

Keith spent his life adding upon what his father started. He now passes that legacy of ranching to his sons.

Keith had a way with animals; his love and gentleness of them was always visible. His pets were his pals and always on his mind right to the end.

Keith loved and cared deeply for his family; they were what mattered most. He will be greatly missed and always remembered in our hearts. We are grateful we had the time we had and for the wealth of love and knowledge we all received.

He is survived by his wife Thelma; children: Joan (Mark) Mckinnon of Laketown, Utah; Dee (Gaye) Johnson of Dry Fork, Wyo.; Bonnie (Dewey) Forsberg of Logan, Utah; Philip (Bobbi) Johnson of Parker, Colo.; Nola (Farrell) Eastman of Millville, Utah; Kimberly (Brent) Roberts of Providence, Utah; Yale (Lisa) Johnson of Laketown, Utah.

Keith was preceded in death by his parents; a baby boy, Gilbert; two brothers and two sisters.

The family will have a private funeral at 11 a.m. Monday, May 3, 2010, at the Big Creek Ranch. Interment will be in the Big Creek Cemetery.

The Keith Johnson family will welcome friends to celebrate his life with them from 4 to 6 p.m. May 3, 2010, at their home.

Just One More Day

We got home from our Vegas Getaway today and I just wish that it could have lasted one more day. I know it’s good to leave why you are still enjoying your vacations, but I think I could have had fun for just a little longer.

We headed out on Monday morning after we got the kids off to school. I was thinking it would be a super long drive, but we were to St. George in no time. We stopped in for a visit with my grandparents for a little bit. We spent some time looking at family photos from over the years. My grandma has a hard time remembering who people are, and I was glad that she seemed to have a moment when she knew who I was. We felt bad when it was time to leave.

It has been a while since we have stayed on the strip, and there were tons more people than I remember. After we parked, we had to journey through Italy to get to the front desk of The Venetian, and then had to wait in a line longer than Airport security. I had to take a picture of the floor in the lobby, because it reminded me of a game of Q-Bert and I couldn’t walk on it without jumping from block to block.

 
Both Jersey Boys and Phantom were playing at the hotel, so we were greeted with songs from Frankie Vallie in the elevators and Phantom in the hallways. I am seriously amazed at the amount of money spent on building these hotels. Our room was so nice and comfortable, I wish it could be my little home in Italy.

We met my sister for dinner and then went to see the fountains at The Bellagio. The fountains are something that I would tell you not to miss if you were going to Vegas. I think they are pretty entertaining.

 

The highlight of our trip was our hike to Ice Box Canyon in Red Rock Canyon on Tuesday. I am so not a hiker, but I was sure that the Jillian workouts had made me tough enough to tackle most anything. My sister recommended this hike and even though she told me it might be tough, I said if she could do it then so could I.

It was a 2.5 mile trail – half of it was climbing up a river bed. Yep, I think Jillian needs to work me a little harder, because I was ready to give up before we even got half way in. It was definitely a challenge, but It was also totally worth it. I guess that’s what it’s all about – getting to the end and being able to say that you did it.

The pictures don’t even come close to showing what it was really like, we had to climb up all sorts of rocks and boulders.

That’s my sister with us. She made a good show, but she was just as sore as I was today.

Hey, guess what? I climbed up that – yes, I did!

 
So did Steve!

It was pretty cool.

Then we climbed down, ate some great pizza for lunch and went shopping. I wanted to take a nap, but then I knew that if I did, I wouldn’t be able to get up ever again.

We decided to get tickets to Blue Man Group on Tuesday night.
I have to tell you that it wasn’t the greatest show I’ve ever been to. In fact, I don’t recommend it unless it’s free or at a drastically reduced price. Go see STOMP instead.

We had never seen these guys before, so we didn’t know what to expect. Especially when they asked Steve if he wanted to be part of the show. Steve reluctantly said yes, and they took him away to explain what he needed to do. Then he came back, and he wouldn’t tell me what was going to happen.

Now, because the show was kind of lame, Steve’s part wasn’t that funny, but just that fact that he had to go down on the stage and participate was great. He really hates doing things like that.

Then we had to get up early this morning so we could beat the bad weather and drive home today. I didn’t think we would be able to get up, but we had a nice 7am wake-up call from Hannah who wanted to know where her black turtle neck shirt was. Yeah, even when you get a way you can’t really get away.

Thanks to my mom – who never ever gets online to read this. She was nice enough to watch the kids so that we could go and play. It was great to go and hang out with my sister. It was even nice to spend time driving in the car with Steve for 12 hours. We need to do it again soon.