13 Years and counting...

Today is our anniversary. 13 years ago we began this life together. Four kids, six residences, three states, and numerous other happy times later. Sure we have had our share of troubles, but we have been extremely blessed in this life together. It has gone by really fast, and if the next 13 years go by as fast...we could possibly be grandparents as Gabe will be 22, Ethan will be on a mission at 20, Abram will be 18 getting ready to go on a mission, and Jayne will be 16 and dating and driving! And to we think we are having fun now!

Here are a few pictures of us over the years. I don't have anything recent of just the two of us. The bottom is what is on my desktop.

Can I just say that I LOVE THIS MAN?!!

OH! I forgot to mention that we are going to celebrate by seeing this show:

Tonight for FHE we read about the first Thanksgiving. We discussed things that we are grateful for and decided that for every FHE until Thanksgiving we are going to write down what we are grateful for and then on Thanksgiving day we will read them all. We played a little game to help us along, so some of our answers may seem a little strange.

Here are tonight's answers:

Dad (Loren): I am thankful for my family because they are smart and they make life fun. I am thankful for my job so I can take care of my family.

Mom (Tori): I am thankful for my family because they make me laugh. I am thankful for my legs so that I can walk and so I can drive my kids to school.

Gabe: I am thankful for Christmas so I can get new toys. I am thankful for sports because they are fun.

Ethan: I am thankful for my legs or my feet would be stuck to my bum. I couldn't walk, run, or jump either. I am thankful for my house so that I can have a place to eat and drink.

Abram: I am thankful for my family because I like them. I am thankful for my toy motorcycle.

Jayne: Friends and teeth. (These were the pictures she picked in the game)

These were our guests for the evening:

Here Kitty Kitty

Loren and I are talking about getting a kitten for our family. Our kids so want a pet and would prefer a dog, but we are thinking about a cat for several reasons: Jayne is sooo afraid of animals. Well, let me rephrase that. She loves animals as long as she knows they can't get to her. If she thinks they can get to her, her little body starts shaking and her heart starts racing. I really think she has a little anxiety attack. Anyway, we think a kitten would be an easier way for her to face that fear. Another reason, and I am a little reluctant to admit it, but we have a little "friend" in our house that I am finding remnants of. We have tried to get rid of it with our pest control service to no avail. Maybe a cat would have better luck. I have never wanted a pet in my house and especially a cat, but I would rather have a cat than a mouse ANYDAY!!! Besides, they are really cute when they are tiny (kittens, not mice!).

Oh, and our kids know nothing about this so shhhh. We are going to surprise them. I am hoping for a little black one, just in time for Halloween, and name him Smokey Johnson. I will probably get voted out on the name.

Below is a picture of one we are thinking about getting. He is from a home near us and is only $1. I guess he loves kids, thinks he is a dog, and is litter box trained!

Should we get one?

Gorgeous Food

If you want your kids to say, "How did you make this gorgeous food?" (as my 6-year-old Ethan did) try this recipe...

Breadsticks
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbls. sugar
1 tbls. yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 cube butter or margarine
garlic salt
parmesan cheese

Mix together salt, sugar, yeast, and warm water. Add flour and knead lightly. Cover dough and let it rest for 10 minutes. While dough is resting, melt butter in 9"x13" pan. Divide dough into 18 balls. Shape each ball into cigar shape and lay in pan with melted butter, coating all sides with butter. Sprinkle with garlic salt and parmesan cheese. Bake for 20 minutes in a 375 degree oven.

Serve with spaghetti or your favorite pasta dish and a salad, and you might get the same reaction.

Thanks to my friend Stefani for this amazing breadstick recipe!

Here is what they look like. Yours will probably look prettier than mine, but they still tasted yummy!

12th on the 12th

So, you may be wondering who these fine looking people are. Is this one of those pictures that come with a new frame? Nope, it is just us, Loren & Tori, 12 whole years ago.

We had our 12th anniversary this month on the 12th. Quite significant I thought, 12th on the 12th, just like when I turned 30 on the 30th. I went to go buy him 12 of his favorite donuts from Krispy Kreme only to find that they had closed the previous Wednesday! (What the???) I bought us 12 inch sandwiches from Gandalfos for lunch, his favorite sandwich shop ever. He gave me a beautiful calandar with 12 months and we shared a box of 12 chocolates from Sees Candy. We also had a great dinner out, but those where some of the cheesy things we did to celebrate this happy day. Just wish we still looked like the above...well me anyway...Loren is still hot. ;)

ER, CT, MRI...OK

So here we are the week after the diving finals and Gabe decided to learn a new dive, the back flip. You are supposed to do a back dive and right before you start to drop, you do a flip and then dive in. Easy, right? After working on it for two practices, he was doing great, however, the last five minutes of practice one day, he flipped too soon and hit his head on the diving board.

We were supposed to leave for California right after I picked him up, but instead I picked him up and off to the ER we went. He was bleeding a lot as head wounds tend to do, but we got that under control. I probably wouldn’t have taken him to the ER but he started throwing up as we were leaving and I was afraid of a concussion or worse.

To make a four hour experience in the emergency room short, he had a CT scan which was suspicious for a small bleed so an MRI of his brain was ordered. That turned out to be negative as it was a small vein instead of a bleed. The cut was small enough to be glued shut, so away we went.

Something funny though, the radiologist who read his CT and MRI scans stated to the ER doc that Gabe had the most interesting tangle of veins around his brain and such that he has ever seen…nothing wrong with it, just different. We love to tease him now about his “weird brain,” but he says it is perfect…and he is right.

Stay tuned for the next ER visit …three days later.



Update: I spoke with Gabe's pediatrician today who had just recieved his MRI results from the hospital. This is what the radiologist said:

Impression:
1. Negative acute MRI of the brain.
2.Low density seen in bilateral hemispheric white matter probably reflects dilated perivascular spaces as evidenced by MRI. However, this is of no clinical significance.

She basically said that the radiologist probably didn't know what he was looking at and probably hadn't really seen very many 8-year-old's brains. No worries.

First Place

This week's picture on the right is of Gabe taken on 07/21/06 at the Arizona Kid's Diving Finals (on our side of the valley, that is). He took first place in the 7-8 year old boys! He was so excited! He had just gotten his first ever first place only the week before, and then won the finals! His dives were the front tuck dive, front dive half twist, inward, and front somersault dive. While we were at this meet, it was a record breaking day for temperatures. We reached 120 degrees at our house with 118 degrees at the Phoenix airport. Good thing we were able to jump in and cool off while watching the divers! (Don't you love the speedos and jammers on these little guys?)

Little Jayne

The picture of Jayne below was taken in Eagar, Arizona, at my uncle's log home. I just love how it shows her cute little face.

Kid Quotes

Some things my kids have said that I have to write down or I will forget…some funny, some I just want to remember:

Gabe:
“I left my first message on the phone!”
“I can now do a front half-twist dive and a back half-twist dive.”
“Did he bring the 4-wheeler?” (anytime he hears Grandpa Finch is going to be around.)

Ethan:
“I think Grandma is going to be really lonely. I think she is going to have to come live with us.” (At Grandpa Hearne’s funeral)
“Can’t we just live at Uncle Glen’s house?”
“Can’t dad build us a house by Uncle Glen’s house?”

Abram:
“What the…?”  
“Where does … live?”  (the thitty (city), Target, grandma, the church, etc.)
“Do we have to go on the freeway?”
“Mom, I want to tell you a secret…I love you.”
“Sometimes my bum toots.”
“Oops, my bum burped.”

Jayne:
“Schwimming! Schwimming! Go! Go!”
“Roun Roun” (round round without the “d” sound) When she wants to watch the primary action song DVD and hear the “Wheels On the Bus” song or “Do as I am doing.” She says this while doing the motions.
“Heado.” When she is pretending to talk on the phone.  (saying hello, of course).
  

May/June Happenings

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. I haven't written in a while but I haven't known what to write about if I had had the time. It has been a busy month with the end of school, soccer season, and baseball season, and with my oldest turning 8 and getting baptized. We had a full house this past weekend with family. My parents and niece Kariah came as well as my brother Ted and his cute little family to see Gabe get baptized. Loren's parents also flew in from Reno just for the weekend and family from Mesa came also. They sang, played the piano, and prayed as part of the program. What an awesome family we have and what a wonderful day that was! I am sure it will be a day that Gabe will not soon forget.

So, here comes June and what do we have planned? We are going to the Arizona Science Center, the White Mountains to escape the heat and see Grandparents (Great to my kids), swimming, to the movies, but best of all...we don't HAVE to do anything. We are not in any organized sport right now, which is so nice. Oh wait! We do have piano lessons. Gabe and Ethan just started this last month so we get to go to lessons. However, that is the only planned thing during the week this month, and it feels good. Yep, we plan to just chill out for the month of June.

Johnson Family Insights

Seen on Gabe's chalkboard in his room, "I rock."

After watching "Chicken Little" numerous times, Ethan's new daily motto is "Today is a new day." He now says this to me everyday and before every soccer game.

While in the grocery store, Abram sees a Honeydew melon. "Mom! It's a naked watermelon!"

Jayne says, "Mom! Uh, ah, oh, ee, ah, ei." All with hand movements.

Spring Break, a Birthday, and a Lost Tooth

OK, so we have had some exciting things happen in the past week or so. It was spring break and I decided to take the four kids and drive six hours to my brother Ted’s house in San Marcos, California…alone. The only adult. With four kids. Did I mention I was by myself? For six hours one way. Yep. It actually went okay. We left on Friday morning and came home the next Wednesday morning. I am so thankful for modern technology that gave me a flip down TV screen and DVD player in my van, wireless headphones, an MP3 player, and a cell phone. These things made our trip possible and pleasant. A cool thing about my van, the kids can be watching a movie in the back and listening on their wireless headphones while I, in the front, can listen to the radio, a CD, or a tape. With the help of a tape player adjuster thingy, I was able to listen to my MP3 player through the speakers in my car. Yep, what I wanted to listen to while the monkeys in the back were listening to their movie. When I got sleepy, I talked to my mom on the cell phone and that kept me awake. “I love technology…always and forever.”

Anyway, we made it to Ted and Adrienne’s house and the cousins had a great time getting reacquainted. Here we had thought that Gabe, McKay, and Ethan would pay together, Kayte and Jayne would play together, and Abram and Noah would play together. The first one was right on, but a surprising little relationship formed between Kayte and Abram. They had the best time and only fought when they both wanted to play the mom…Abram was enjoying playing domestic games. It was great fun to watch their little friendship forming. They had to ride in the same car wherever we went so Abram rode with Kayte in Adrienne’s car and McKay and Noah rode with me…mostly because of the TV. We hung out, watched movies, played X-Box, went to the San Diego Wild Animal Park, went to the beach, and jumped on the trampoline.

Ted, however, was the hero of the weekend. Did I mention that I went by myself with my four kids joining his family with three kids? Well, Adrienne had signed her and me up for a scrapbook session Friday night from 6 to midnight, and Ted stayed home with all seven kids! What a husband and brother he is! Here were seven little kids, four of whom he hasn’t had much time around, and they were all so excited to be together that they didn’t want to go to sleep very bad. Picture a room with the three older boys with the giggles for approximately two hours (or maybe more). Remember how it was when you first got to see your cousins or friends in a long time and were so excited that you couldn’t sleep, kept getting the giggles, and kept getting into trouble? Same thing here. Ted said he could remember those times, so he didn’t get after them too much. What a guy!

AND THEN…the next day Adrienne had a card making class to teach at this same little adorable scrapbook store named “The Pink Pineapple” that we were at the night before, so Ted watched the seven for another three hours for us so that I could attend Adrienne’s class. What a great guy! Course, as soon as we walked in the door from this class, he was ready to be done for awhile. He took a break and went to go meet a client for a few hours to have an “adult conversation” and came back feeling better. I love you Ted!!! You’re the best! Thank you, thank you!

We went to the beach one day. It was 55 degrees outside but that didn’t stop the kids from getting wet. As we were driving up to the beach, my kids were very excited and were saying, “Look, there it is, the ocean and the beach!” McKay just shrugged his shoulders and said, “It’s just a bunch of water with some sand.” Cute little blonde California boy! Same old stuff, different day for him. Jayne loved the water! It was a good thing I had her on a “leash” or she would have gone out with the sand. She giggled every time the water went over her toes.

Speaking of Jayne, she turned 2-years-old while on this trip! We had cookies and ice cream instead of a cake and stuck the two candles in her cookies. She just grinned while we sang to her and when we encouraged her to blow out the candles; she kept on grinning not knowing what the heck we were talking about. Gabe helped her by blowing them out for her. She taught the other kids an amazing trick with her spoon…see picture below. Oh…and she figured out how to climb out of the pack-and-play while we were there, but thankfully it was the last night we were there and not the first. She has since been climbing out of her crib. Time to get rid of the crib! (She climbed out of it last night and into my bed at three a.m. this morning. No more “containment” for her. Darn it.)

On Thursday after we returned home, the boys were playing in the backyard when Ethan came running in with a bloody mouth and yet still grinning. He had lost his first tooth! Sad to say, the tooth fairy forgot to come that night. Loren told him the next morning that the tooth fairy was very old and she had probably forgotten (he says this while grinning at me…why is this MY responsibility??). Well, she came the next morning and brought him two dollars! We went to Target today and he bought a small Chicken Little puzzle with his money. He was so excited!

Here are a few pictures of our trip, the birthday, and the lost tooth…hope you haven’t fallen asleep while reading this.

trick

cookies 

Checking out the wild pigs. 

Kayte, Abram, and a deer 

Jayne 

Ethan, a stick, and the Pacific 

Gabe and Ethan 

some scuba divers 

Jayne on a "leash" 

The First Lost Tooth 

Its raining, its pouring!

After 141 days without rain, this desert is getting a well needed drink. It has been raining at least four hours, and I love the sound of it on my roof. Makes me want to curl up on the couch and read a book (actually doesn’t take much for me to want to do that). It would be even better if it was a thunderstorm like what they have in Missouri. Abram says to me this morning, “Mom, we sang that song to the clouds, but the rain won’t go away!” (Rain, rain, go away...)

Update on the gym/weight watchers: I have stopped going to weigh-ins at WW, mostly 'cuz I was tired of paying them money to tell me that I weigh the same as I did the week before. I have lost about five pounds, but I don’t want to pay them anymore money. At least I am not gaining!

On my last trip to the gym, I was working hard on the treadmill and needed a drink of water. As I took a big gulp…I choked on it and sprayed my machine and the lady next to me. (Sound familiar Britt?) It was quite embarrassing. As I was mopping up my mess from her machine, I was apologizing and explaining it was just water. She was very nice, however, her workout ended shortly thereafter. I haven’t been back since, not because of that incident, but because my kids got pink eye and all my doctors decided to dictate overtime which led me to transcribe overtime.

Baseball season has begun in our house. Gabe has started his fifth season of baseball, third of coach-pitch. He played two games this last week and loved it. He made some good plays, hit some good hits, and grinned the whole time. He is #3 on his “Sidewinders” team, yet again “GABE RUTH.” (They have minor league names) Abram and Ethan are to start soccer within the next couple of weeks.

I have read four more books to add to the list, so here is an update:

9. Purity and Passion by Wendy Watson.
10. Anne of Windy Poplars, by L.M. Montgomery
11. Random Acts of Kindness
12. The Secret Journal of Brett Colton by Kay Lyn Mangum

The last is a good LDS fiction story that requires a box of tissue handy. I read it in one afternoon…couldn’t put it down and had tears by page 50. I recommend all of the above four for various reasons.

My two babies are having birthdays this month: Jayne will be 2 on the 18th, and Abram will be 4 on the 28th. At this point in the past I was pregnant when my youngest turned 2, but no more! We are done, and it feels good!

Abram talks NONSTOP these days. Here is my favorite insight of his lately, “The Holy Ghost is in your head, but it doesn’t give you a headache.”

I can relate to the cleaning dilemma talked about by my cousin Brittany (see her blog link to the right). “Cleaning your house while having young children around is like shoveling the walk while it is still snowing.” Or something like that… I have a pile of books by the bookshelf that Jayne insists on having there all the time. One nice thing about having your kids get older, they help a lot! Especially when you can say and enforce “Your room has to be clean and homework has to be done, or no TV, Gameboy, or friends over.” Works wonders…most of the time. I can never keep up and am always frustrated by that fact, too. You are not alone, Britt.

I get e-mails from Flylady.net every day and love her words of wisdom but don’t always follow them. Baby steps, as she says…baby steps. “Housework done incorrectly still blesses your family.” “You are never behind…just jump in where you are.” Some of my favorite quotes from her. Speaking of that…time to put my shoes on and get to work.

Some things for 2006

These are some things that I am going to try and do better in 2006 (that I can think of right now)

• Keep up with my laundry


• Do my bedtime and morning routines and zones (flylady…need I say more)


• Fix better dinners… better yet, fix dinner.


• Read more to my kids


• Finish the six books that I have started…soon.


• Walk more.


• Drink more water.


• Drink less soda pop.


• Spend less time at Target and/or Wal-Mart.


• Save more $. (goes along with the above)


• Do a better job with visiting teaching.


• Spend more time with my husband.


• Reorganize my craft room aka food storage room aka Jayne’s room (poor girl)


• Actually read the Sunday school and Relief Society lessons before they are given.


• Spend more time with my grandparents.


• Keep better in touch with my brothers.


• Write more in my blog.

This is what I have so far. I reserve the right to add to and/or delete from the above list at any time. :)

Christmas Day Review

My cousin Kara posted in her blog about how she felt Christmas day was anticlimactic for her this year. I also felt Christmas was anticlimactic. I know a lot of that has to do with being an adult and not having the "thrill" of Santa coming, but it was also one of very few times that we did not have other family around...this is what I missed. It was nice, I will admit, not to have the stress of company but I would take that stress any day if I could have them here.

I missed them all terribly. I missed wrapping the presents last minute with my mom, Karen, and Adrienne, and then filling all the stockings. I missed the Christmas Eve shopping with my dad and brothers that they are so famous for. I missed all the yummy food like Grandma's carrot cake and sausage, gravy, and biscuit breakfast. I did, however, make her holiday fruit salad, but it just wasn't the same as hers even though I used her recipe. I missed playing games with Trevis, Kariah, and Grandma and hearing my brother's laughter as they try to give us all a hard time. I missed watching the little cousins playing together and not having to worry about entertaining them because they entertained each other. I missed all of this. I know my kids missed this too, but they had the distraction of toys to help.

We did try to do some things with our little family that we try to do every year such as going to the ward’s Christmas party, going to see Santa, reading Christmas stories, singing Christmas songs, watching Christmas movies, making Christmas treats, and going to see the lights at the Mesa Temple. We also had wonderful friends who had us over for Christmas Eve dinner. I did enjoy every minute of all this.

I just missed my family. That is all there is to it.

Happy Christmas

For all those who I did not have an address for or if you live locally...

Happy Christmas!

short comment on expectations

I have learned a lot about expectations in my old age. This is what I have learned...if you don't expect anything, you won't be disappointed. Whether it be chores around the house done by your husband, gifts on special occasions, phone calls from friends or family, I could keep going. It is sad, I know. But it is much easier in this life for me to not expect much and therefore not be disappointed as much. (Although I do expect a lot from my kids...that is a different story)

My two front teeth

Gabe says to me the other day, "When my top teeth come in, I know they are going to be big buck teeth. So... you and dad don't need to hire anyone to trim your trees anymore, I will just use my beaver teeth."

How thoughtful of him...and how funny is that?

Things I have learned lately...

• You could turn into Yoda if you eat green beans.


• You are supposed to say “li-brary” not “li-bary.”


• 8-year old cub scouts can actually be sweet and kind.


• The new “Pride and Prejudice” movie is amazing and so worth watching.


• Making your 7-year-old clean their room is the absolute worst thing you could do to them.
  
• Staying up late watching reruns of “CSI” and “What Not to Wear” can be addicting.


• Participating in decorating the tree and the rest of the house is so very important to 5 and 7-year-olds.


• Being able to wear a jacket or coat in Arizona is so exciting for 3-year-olds, especially if it has a hood.


• Having to give a talk in church, prepare a primary lesson, AND prepare a sharing time for the same Sunday can be exhausting, especially when it is your husband who is doing this who is a perfectionist and takes days to complete.


• Housework doesn’t matter as much as reading to your kids.


• Hearing your kindergartner read his first book by himself is a moment you will never forget.


• Knowing Santa’s phone number is advantageous to a parent this time of year.


• As many times as I put the books back on the bookshelf, Jayne is always right behind me to pull them all back out. BUT...she leaves them alone when they are on the floor.


• Having a baby-sitter all lined up and knowing you get to go out with your husband…need to do this more often.

Parenthood

Parenthood. Who said it was hard? I am here to tell you it is hard!!

Up until now parenthood has consisted of minor dilemmas of diaper blow-outs, minor illnesses, a few major illnesses, a few broken bones, sibling fights, a 4-year-old run-away, etc. Nothing major. Handled most things quite well, I think.

Now here we are on to another dilemma…dealing with being called by the principal! My second grader, Gabe, had his first experience (and hopefully last) of being taken to the principal’s office. I get a call last Friday afternoon from his principal stating that she had just had Gabe in her office and wanted to share what had happened. Apparently another boy had been seen hitting Gabe while at recess. Both boys were taken to the office where they explained what had happened. Gabe had been teasing the other boy about liking another girl which made the boy mad. He then hit Gabe and was seen doing this by a teacher. As a result of this incident, Gabe has two days of detention at lunch recess and afternoon recess. So, for the next two days he gets to play on the playground before school and at morning recess only. Sounds to me like a pretty big punishment. He also got to clean his baby brother’s room this weekend (in addition to his usual cleaning of his own) as a punishment. (The principal told me the other boy has been taken care of as well. How? I do not know.)

My dilemma is this…how do you know when the punishment given at school is enough and how much more do you give at home? I do understand that he needs to know that getting in trouble at school is unacceptable and that he should always be kind to others and not tease. He knows this and has been taught this. Is he being punished enough? I just hate the thought of this being just the beginning of a long school career of phone calls from the principal’s office. How do we nip it in the bud?

Maybe it is second grade. He has had a harder time adjusting this year. He has been more social and talking more in class. He went from being on the principal’s honor roll last year to having low grades on his progress report and being in the principal’s office. What the…? He is only 7 years old and only had a two and a half month break during the summer! What happened? Was it something that we did or didn’t do? Is this normal for a child this age? Somebody help! I didn’t get the parenthood manual when they were passed out to all parents! I was probably stuck in the carpool lane with a bunch of screaming children!