The Johnsons

Far away (again) for far too long.

2012-01-16T14:57:00.001-07:00

     I forgot that I have followers on my blog that don't follow me on Facebook. Aunts and cousins that didn't know I was pregnant, nor that hubby left on another deployment! So I figured that I should probably update all of the things that are happening here in the land of the Johnsons.
     Seems like just yesterday that my wonderful husband deployed to Afghanistan for the first time.It was the end of March 2011 that he left. He got back in August and I figured we wouldn't be dealing with another deployment for at least a year or so. He got home, got me pregnant, and then got called to serve in another secret location for another 4 months. He left a few days after Christmas so he should be back in May sometime. Its heartbreaking to think that its only been a very LONG 3 weeks since he left, and I still have another 4 months to go.
     Despite everything that is going on in my life, I am so blessed and cannot forget to mention those on here. I am 17 weeks pregnant, and even though it has been a very rough pregnancy so far, things are finally looking up! I still am quite sick, but I think I should start feeling better very soon. Barring an early arrival, my husband will be home in time for this wonderful blessing to be born. I am so excited to find out what we are having in just a few weeks time.
     Another blessing that is coming up is me being able to go see my family for a very long extended visit. I am so excited to go hang out with them for a few (or more :D) months, and hopefully that will take the stress off of hubby being deployed and being sick.

The kiddos are doing wonderfully. Grant is growing up far too fast. He is talking like a pro and running around the house like he is being chased by a lion. He is destructo boy, and finds joy in breaking things, throwing things, and hitting things. I guess that is a typical 21 month of boy, though! He goes to Nursery now, and is doing good. He hates when I leave, but has a blast after I do. Grace is in preschool, and doing great! She is starting to read and doing a great job in school. She loves her friends and her teachers. We will be pulling her out for a few months so we can go back home, and she is quite sad about that, but I think she is definitely ready for kindergarten.They have been playing together so well lately, and I know that is just another blessing to add to my long list!
I promise I will try to update more often, as I am not doing school this semester. (Thank heavens!)

The Johnny Nesbitt Story

2011-11-07T09:38:00.002-07:00

I have been thinking about my grandfather a lot lately. He passed away in 1999 from Parkinson's disease. I recently did a report on the disease for school and so my grandfather has been on my mind, and recently I was asked to do a presentation at our church for enrichment night about traditions during Christmastime. The main tradition that we did every year was on Christmas eve, we would listen to the Johnny Nesbitt Story.

In 1991 my grandpa Welker told us a story, that was recorded on tape. We listened to that story every Christmas eve for as long as I could remember. And although I would love to have a copy of that tape, to hear his voice, and the conviction of his story, all I have is a copy of the story.

The Johnny Nesbitt Story

Told by Sherman R. Welker

December 1991

Whenever I hear the first Christmas carols of each Christmas season, my thoughts go back to the year 1933 to a small town in Idaho where I was a student in the second grade. We lived about a mile from the school and had the privilege of walking to and from as there were no buses at that time.

The Nesbitt family lived in the same part of town, and consisted of Mr. and Mrs. Nesbitt and their two children, Delores age five and Johnny age seven, who was my classmate. Johnny and I were good friends and daily walked to school together. His sister Delores was usually there to meet us as we arrived home in the afternoon. I remember her as a very pretty little girl with long blonde hair, which her mother fixed in ringlets, and they bounced on her shoulders as skipped down the walk to greet us. During the early fall of that year Delores became sick and the Nesbitt’s worse fears were realized, when she diagnosed with Infantile Paralysis. Commonly known today as Poliomyelitis. This was a dreaded disease in those days that effected many children. It was usually fatal when it attacked the muscles of the respiratory system as it did in the case of Delores, and she passed away quietly just before Thanksgiving time. The Nesbitt family was devastated at the loss of Delores and Johnny was especially saddened for he loved her very much.

Johnny was an exceptional young boy, very intelligent and gifted in many ways. He was a class leader in school and well liked by all his classmates. He loved to sing and was blessed with a clear tenor voice. During music or singing practice, Miss Gifford, our teacher, allowed us to double up and sit together and I was privileged to sit with Johnny. I enjoyed hearing him sing and when he returned to school following Delores’ funeral we were beginning to sing Christmas carols.

One morning, early in December, Johnny was not at his front gate to meet me as I walked to school. His mother came down the walk and told me Johnny would not be in school that day and as the days of December rolled on, Johnny did not return to school and the rumor spread that he was suffering from the same disease that took Delores. During Christmas vacation, a day or two prior to Christmas, Miss Gifford got a group of Johnny’s classmates together to visit the Newbitt house to sing carols and to cheer Johnny up.

I remember the evening vividly. It was snowing lightly as gathered beneath Johnny’s upstairs bedroom window. We sang several songs before his window was opened, and his father propped him up so he could see us. I remember his pale little face as he smiled and greeted his classmates. The last carol we sang was Silent Night and as we did so I could hear Johnny’s sweet tenor voice as he joined in to sing with us. Late at night on Christmas Eve Johnny Newbitt joined his sister Delores. His last words to his father, in whose arms he died, were these, “Daddy, I can see Delores, she is coming to meet met. Please daddy remember my classmates at Christmastime.” There were about eighteen students in Johnny’s second grade class and each year until we finished high school we were each given a gift or sent a greeting from his parents in remembrance of Johnny Newbitt.

Though fifty eight years have passed since that memorable Christmas I still ponder this in my heart. Here was a boy who had not yet reached the age of accountability, but had found the true spirit of Christmas in his heart.

In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen

I know, I know.

2011-10-31T00:32:00.000-06:00

Its been a long time. Life has been so insane lately that I haven't even had the chance to sit down and think about blogging, let alone do it. It is too overwhelming to try to catch up, so hopefully I can start to blog from here on out. Here is a few things I have not written about thus far.

Blake got back from Afghanistan safe and sound. It was an amazing day filled with way too many tears and so much excitement. It has been wonderful having my husband home!

We took a trip to Idaho and Utah after he got back and we had a blast. We stayed for almost a month and got to visit with families and friends.

Grant and Grace are both doing amazing. They are both hilariously funny and so energetic that both Blake and I struggle to keep up.

School is going alright, I am just really busy lately, and its been hard to keep up with all the homework.

Blake had some very exciting news that he got BTZ at our base. (BTZ is below the zone, where an airman can get ranked up early because of their work ethics and their accomplishments.) I am so dang proud of my husband.

Another very exciting thing that has happened in our lives is that we found out we are expecting Johnson baby number 3 in June. We weren't exactly trying, but we couldn't be more happy about it!

With my past two pregnancies, I have been sicker than anything I have ever felt in my whole life and ready to just cry. But with this one, I haven't been too sick, maybe just a little woozy, and although I have been EXHAUSTED, I really am doing great. I take a few naps a day, and then end up staying up a bit too late because of it. (As I am now.)

Anyway, I figured I will attach a few pictures and so I can document all of the things that have been going on.

Randomness

2011-06-21T21:20:00.000-06:00

Long overdue pictures from our spring/summer 2011!

Week 3 of garden...

Week 5

Week 10

Week 11

Week 15

Finally getting green grass!

Cowboy Party

Last day of school!

Milk giggle

At the Clovis memorial park

Easter Morning!

She is just too cute!

More green grass!

In Clovis, at the memorial park

Grace's last day of school. They went to the fire house!

Bear Crawl

Grace's Easter outfit

Memorial Park

Grant's Easter outfit

Grace and her friend Jonathon

<3 best time of the night for mommy

Our new car :)

Happy Fathers Day, Hon

2011-06-19T08:42:00.002-06:00

Blake,

I just wanted to take a minute to wish you a very happy fathers day. You are my best friend, my hero, and pretty much the coolest husband and daddy ever. I miss you so much, and I am so sad that you aren't here to enjoy this holiday. To make it up, I will make you breakfast in bed when you get home! I love you more than anything in the whole world.

Love,

YEC

Meichelle

Daddy,

I miss you so much. I cannot wait to go to Utah when you get home. Are you teaching the bad guys to be good? I got M&M's from church that I want to share with you when you get home. I will save some for you. I love you sooo much daddy!

Love,

Grace

Dadda,
{insert cute baby babbling here}

{most likely saying that he misses his daddy and that he loves him so much}

Love,

Grant

Photos

2011-06-09T23:43:00.000-06:00

Sorry about the lack of updates. I have been really busy with school and being a mommy, that I really haven't had time for much of anything. Here is a quick update...
Blake is still deployed, and has a few more months left. He is doing great!
Grace is growing up. She is doing gymnastics now, and she loves it!
Grant is going to be a baseball or football player, I just know it. He can throw an object (usually aimed at my head) further than Grace can.
Anyway, we did a photoshoot a few months back, and here are the pics...

Tonight, I am missing my husband...

2011-04-04T23:20:00.000-06:00

I’m here blogging instead of going to bed. I don’t want to face the thought of getting underneath the covers without him there to hold me. I miss everything about him. I miss telling him about every part of every minute of each day. Its been a rough night for me. But I know, as always, tomorrow will be better.

Far away for far too long

2011-03-28T15:11:00.001-06:00

I have been so busy, that even thinking about blogging makes my head hurt. So, here is a quick and to the point update.

Blake is doing great, hasn't reached his final destination yet, but he is slowly working his way there.

Grace was sad for the first day, but now tells everyone that her daddy is teaching bad guys to be good.

Grant isn't taking the separation from his daddy well. He is ornery and whiny. He is teething on top of it, so we are not having a fun week.

I am doing school, mommy stuff and church stuff and staying busy busy busy. As long as I am busy, I am ok, but as soon as I let my mind wander, I become a big ol bawl baby. Luckily I have only let that happen a few times. :)

I have a ton of pictures to post, but I don't have time today, I have a math test and a paper to write :D.

Thanks for the prayers that have been coming our way. We have definitely felt them and have been blessed.

Ned Houk Park

2011-02-20T19:08:00.001-07:00

It was a warm and windy Sunday afternoon, and we decided to head out to Ned Houk Park to feed the ducks.

We had a blast with our little family!

Roswell NM

2011-02-08T17:22:00.001-07:00

Crazy girl

Riding her bike

Grant sporting his "I heart boobies" shirt

We've got a climber!

Roswell NM

Our AWESOME hotel room

UFO Mcdonalds

Spaceman chicken nugget

A mountain!!!

Road full of tumbleweeds

5 min. after the tumbleweed picture

Gracie, telling her doggie basket to "STAY"!

Walking the dog

You cannot really tell, but this was a beautiful sunset

Our new watercooler!!! YAY!

Quick Update

2011-01-29T21:30:00.001-07:00

I have been so busy lately, I forgot to get on here and update. We are still alive and doing well. Here is a little bit of what is going on with each of us.

Grant is teething (I think) so he has been quite a little bugger lately! He is crawling like crazy and is pulling himself up on things to stand up. He will let go and balance for a while before falling down and doing it all over again! Grace had her first ear infection, so she has been pretty sick. She is learning so much and is starting to learn to read and is doing really well on writing! Blake and I both got sinus infections, so we both have been out of it for the past week. I started school and am loving it. I am trying hard to keep up and also keep up my mommy, wife and church duties. Blake's deployment was pushed back till April, so I am lucky to have him home for a few more months. He is helping me out with kids soooo much while I am at school or doing homework. I couldn't ask for a better husband.

All in all, we are doing good. We are happy, getting healthy, and just going about our day to day life!

And, of course for the grandmas... here are some pictures!

Grace and Ryn

2010-12-29T10:43:00.001-07:00

Grace has a cute "bess frien" named Ryn. They go to preschool together, and one day, when I went to pick them up, this is what I saw!

That is Grace, in the black jacket, leaning her head on Ryns shoulder, and Ryn, next to her with her arm around Grace.

Randomness

2010-12-29T10:29:00.000-07:00

I was able to go to the Lubbock LDS temple with the Youth to do baptisms. It was awesome!

Grace reading Men's Health at the bank!

Cute Grant!

Getting ready to go to a Christmas Party for Blake work!

Hi mom!

Pretending to drink Coke!

Grace's Christmas Outfit from Great Grandma Jones!

A moment in the life of the Johnsons

2010-12-29T10:18:00.000-07:00

Grant loves to jabber, Grace loves to watch Little Einsteins, Grant is army crawling around the house, and Grace loves to talk. :) This is our life! {and we love it!}

I love Grace's dance, Grants smile, Grace's poses, and her "Turn the phone back to me!" 

Christmas

2010-12-29T10:05:00.000-07:00

Here at the Johnson home, we had a very happy and full Christmas.

Our Christmas Tree

Christmas morning

A blur of motion

So Excited!

Its too early for him!

The beautiful Idaho Falls Temple my Mom made for us!

Blake got a fishtank for Christmas!

(Sorry about the photo quality. I was using my phone, because I didn't charge my camera battery in time!)

HELP

2010-12-15T04:59:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! I need some help...

http://www.nomorerack.com/?cr=40641

go there... And just sign up. You get 10 bucks to spend, and ifI get 35 friends to sign up, I get an ipod shuffle. Please help me out!! You don't have to buy anything, just sign up!

Free Fries at Wendys

2010-12-08T11:18:00.001-07:00

Go Here to get some free Wendy's Fries!! Yummy!
If that doesn't work, copy and paste this link into your browser!
http://wendysfry4all.com/c/YC2WVPxx

No Promises

2010-12-06T12:23:00.000-07:00

Beginning in January, I make zero promises of updating my blog. I am going to be a very busy lady, and the blog will be the LAST thing on my mind.

I am enrolled in 14 credit hours of college (Desktop Graphics, Intro to Applications Software, English and Math), I am the secretary for the Young Women in our ward, I have 2 very active children, and my hubby may be MIA from our home. Not to mention, preschool, church, mutual every Wednesday, and of course just being a mommy.

I am nervous and excited about starting school again, and cannot wait to see how well I keep up :D.

And, for the Grandmas, here are some pictures of our beautiful children!

Grants Christmas outfit

Grace, writing her name all by herself.

Gracie

Grace and her cute friend Ryn.

What are you thankful for?

2010-11-23T13:08:00.001-07:00

My Beautiful Children
My Wonderful Husband
My Religion
My Savior, Jesus Christ
Our Warm Home
Our Amazing Friends
Our Awesome Family
Our Reliable Car
My Husbands Job
Smiles and giggles, games and fun, the sun and the stars, indoor plumbing, electricity, disposable diapers, carpet, heating, air conditioners, email, facebook, technology, health, school, preschool, makeup, computers, hot water, medicines, clean water, chocolate, milk, mail.... and so many more.

Holiday Cards

2010-11-19T09:00:00.000-07:00

Its that time of year again!! Time to get crackin' to get those holiday cards out the door and into the mailboxes of your friends and family. I used to love making my own holiday cards, personalizing each one, cutting and gluing, taping and writing. But guess what? Since we live a million miles away from our family and friends, I have a ton of holiday cards to send out. And I don't feel like hand making 100 cards for each person! (Sorry guys!)

That is where Shutterfly comes in! It is so easy to make beautiful holiday cards with a click of a button!

I have made several designs this year for our holiday cards, because I couldn't decide which one I like the best!!

(This is one of the designs!)

Anyway, there are a ton of different places out there to order holiday cards, but Shutterfly is my favorite! I make cards each year through them, and will continue to do so!

Remember Grants' announcement?

I made that through Shutterfly as well!
With prices under a buck a card, you really can't beat that!!

Blake Alan Johnson

2010-11-15T06:50:00.002-07:00

Blake,

Happy Birthday Babe. I love you so much! I cannot believe its been over 5 years since we have been together! Since its your 28th Birthday, I am going to write the top 28 things I just love about you!

1. I love how wonderful of a father you are to our 2 kids. They love you so much!

2. I love your willingness to serve our wonderful country.

3. I love your obsession with tractors!

4. I love how great of a friend you are.

5. I love how kind you are to everyone around you!

6. I love how selfless you are.

7. I love how much you help me around the house.

8. I love how cute you look in your blues!

9. I love your obsession with guns!

10. I love your personality.

11.You are so funny. I love that about you.

12. I love how caring you are to me.

13. I love that you are a family man!

14. I love the fact that you are a worthy Priesthood holder.

15. I love your work ethic.

16. I love your obsession with the history and discovery channels!

17. I love your laugh.

18. I love your smile.

19. I love your craziness!

20. I love how supportive you are to me.

21. I love your beautiful blue eyes!

22. I love our late night talks.

23. I love how awesome you are.

24. I love how you stand up for me.

25. I love that you protect our family.

26. I love your athletic side.

27. I love how compassionate you are.

28. I love how much you love me!

I love you, Blake. You are an amazing person.

Happy Birthday!

100 Truths

2010-11-14T18:29:00.000-07:00

100 Truths
1. Last beverage→ Water
2. Last phone call→ My Mom
3. Last text message→ Christina
4. Last song you listened to→ Some Brazilian rock song. (The CD is stuck in our car CD player at the moment!)
5. Last time you cried→ A few weeks ago, maybe? I honestly cannot remember.

HAVE YOU EVER…
6. Dated someone twice → Yes
7. Been cheated on? → Yes
8. Kissed someone & regretted it? → Yes
9. Lost someone special?→ Yes
10. Been depressed?→ Yes
11. Been drunk? – Nope

LIST THREE FAVORITE COLORS
1. Green
2. Blue
3. Silver

THIS YEAR HAVE YOU…
15. Made new friends →.Yes!
16. Fallen out of love →No
17. Laughed until you cried → Yes
18. Met someone who changed you → Yes.
19. Found out who your true friends were→ Yes
20. Found out someone was talking about you→ Yes
21. Kissed anyone on your friend's list→ My husband is my best friend. I guess that means yes! :D

TRUTH
23. How many kids do you want to have→ 5
24. Do you have any pets? → Nope
25. Do you want to change your name→ Never
26. What did you do for your last birthday→It was on Easter. I spent the day with great friends, hunting Easter Eggs, and eating yummy food.
27. What time did you wake up today → 6:45am
28. What were you doing at midnight last night →Sleeping
29. Name something you CANNOT wait for→ Growing old with my husband.
30. Last time you saw your father→2 months ago :(
31. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life → I would change how far away we live from family.
32. What are you listening to right now → listening to Blake speak Portuguese to Grant.
33. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom → yes
38. Zodiac sign→ Aries I think
39. Male or female→I am a female. Duh!
40. Elementary→ Fairview
41. Middle School → Rocky Mountain
42. High school→ Bonneville High School (Freshman to Senior) West Jordan High School (Senior)
44. Long or short → Hair? I have short hair right now (for me) but I like my hair long.
45. Height → 5' 9
46. Do you have a crush on someone? → Yes. Don't tell anyone. I think my husband is HOTT!
47. What do you like about yourself? → I like my eyes.
48. Piercings → Ears, just once.
49. Tattoos → Nope
50. Righty or lefty → Righty

FIRSTS:
51. First surgery → Appendectomy
52. First piercing → Ears
53. First tattoo— None
54. First best friend →Amanda Pauly
55. First sport you joined → T-ball
56. First pet → Dog
57. First vacation→ I think we went to Oregon to see my grandparents when I was very young.
58. First concert -- Rascall Flatts.
59. First crush→ Brock
60. First alcohol drink→ None!

RIGHT NOW
61. Eating → Nothing
62. Drinking→ Water
63. I'm about to → Change my baby boy
64. Listening to → Blake sing some song (I think he made up!)
65. Waiting for → bedtime

YOUR FUTURE
66. Want kids? Yes! I have 2 beautiful kids. I want at least 3 or 4 more!
67. Want to get married? I already am!
68. Careers in mind? Graphic designer

WHICH IS BETTER WITH THE OPPOSITE SEX?
69. Lips or eyes → Eyes.
70. Hugs or kisses-- Hugs
71. Shorter or taller → My height!
72. Older or Younger → Older ;)
73. Romantic or spontaneous → Both!
74. Nice stomach or nice arms → Both!
75. Tattoos or piercings— No!
76. Sensitive or loud →Sensitive
77. Hook-up or relationship → Relationship
78. Trouble maker or hesitant→Hehehe. Both!

HAVE YOU EVER…
79. Kissed a stranger → Nope
80. Drank hard liquor → No
81. Lost glasses/contacts → Nope
82. Ran away from home? Not for real!
83. Broken someone's heart →Yes.
84. Had your own heart broken? → Yes.
85. Been arrested? No!
86. Turned someone down → Yes.
87. Cried when someone died → Yes
88. Had a friend turn into a crush?→ yes

DO YOU BELIEVE IN…
89. Yourself → I try
90. Miracles → YES!
91. Love at first sight → Yes.
92. Heaven → Yes
93. Santa Claus → Nope!
94. Kissing on the first date? → Nope!
95. Angels →Yes.

ANSWER TRUTHFULLY.
96. Is there one person you want to be with right now? → Yes!
97. Had more than one boyfriend/girlfriend at one time? → Sorta, maybe? :)
98. Do you believe it’s possible to remain faithful forever?→ Of course!
99. What's the one thing you cannot live without?→ Chocolate :D.
100. Heaven or Hell? --> Heaven

Portuguese, Criminal Justice, and College

2010-11-04T16:40:00.000-06:00

I have always wanted to learn a language. But I am the type of person who's brain doesn't work like that! I wanted to learn Portuguese so I can speak with my husband in a different language! So I am trying the Rosetta Stone's method, and am curious to see how it is different.

Will it work? I'll let you know in about a month!

Have I ever told you that I wanted to be a detective when I grow up? Or maybe a victimologist?

Well, I have decided to go for this dream and go back to college. I am going to Clovis Community College, starting in January and studying criminal justice. I know its kind of strange, but being a private detective would be so stinking awesome.

"that person"

2010-11-03T23:28:00.000-06:00

have you ever realized that you are 'that' person? 

the person you laughed at and prayed you would never be? the mind all a-jumbled, blubbering, crying mess of a person? or the one that spills their life story to a stranger and realizes how dumb it is, but can't help it? and as they are telling this stranger about their lives, the poor stranger backs away slowly, trying not to make eye contact? 

or the person that people avoid, the person that can't remember anything, the person that needs obvious mental help, or the person that is standing in line in front of you, that you roll your eyes at, because, well, quite frankly, they are just 'that' type of person?

the person that doesn't realize that everyone is making jokes about them? the person that you avoid when they call you? the person that is desperate for human interaction?

that's me {at least for today}. and its depressing. oh, and kinda sad in a funny/pathetic sort of way...

CV-22 Ride

2010-10-31T21:33:00.000-06:00

I was very lucky to get the chance to fly on a military aircraft this week. I was even more lucky to get to fly on an aircraft that doubles as a helicopter! The CV-22 Osprey is a tiltrotor aircraft that  combines the vertical takeoff, hover and vertical landing qualities of a  helicopter with the long-range, fuel efficiency and speed  characteristics of a turboprop aircraft. So basically it can take off and hover like a helicopter, but can fly further and go faster than a helicopter, like a plane. 

And, to top it off, I got to experience it with my best friend, Christina.

The only thing that was missing was our hubbies, but hey! They gets to do cool things without us sometimes!

 {Getting ready to fly!}

{On the Osprey}

(Me, on the edge of the ramp, looking at the city of Portales)

{Having the time of my life!}

This was seriously one of the coolest things I have ever done!

Not Political (very often)

2010-10-21T12:59:00.001-06:00

I have strong political views. 

I am not one to share them unless provoked.

But I found this hilarious, and I HAD to share!

And finally, this awesome video clip:

The comings and the goings of the Johnson home

2010-10-20T10:30:00.000-06:00

I feel bad that I haven't blogged much lately. My life is just so busy! This is what is going on. :)

Grace goes to school on Tuesdays and Thursdays. She loves it so much! She is doing really well, and we are excited to watch her grow up and learn how to read. 

She has a ton of friends at school and at church. She loves her primary class, and loves her teacher.

Grant has been sick, and we aren't sure why. He just isn't happy, and will start screaming for no apparent reason.

We have a doctors appointment for him on Thursday to see what is going on. 

He is growing up fast though, and is already saying mommy and daddy and sitting up. 

He rolls like crazy and is so curious about everything.  

Blake is busy with work, working with two different squadrons with their intelligence stuff. He will be deployed early next year for a few months. He is excited about the possibility of learning more and traveling to different parts of our world. 

I was put in as the Young Women's Secretary in our ward. I love it, but it has been quite a challenge! I am not an organized person, so this has helped me out a ton. I love having a job at church, and mutual nights are so fun.

Since we live in such a small area, we have to drive quite a while to go to dances, activities and stake events. This Saturday we are heading to Hobbs (about 2.5 hours away) for our stakes softball tournament and the Young Women's standard night. Blake and I and our kids are driving, and we are excited to visit a place we have never visited before.  

 Our cars transmission went out last month, and we still don't have our car back. We were super lucky to have a warranty plan that is covering (hopefully) it. We still don't have our car back, so we are praying we will have it back this week. We have a rental car right now, but before that, our friends let us borrow their car (Thank heavens). Its been almost a month without our car and its not been a fun one!

Anyway, just thought I would update what is going on for everyone that still reads this. (If anyone! :D)

We are happy and mostly healthy and just riding this crazy ride of our lives! 

Top Gun

2010-10-18T21:31:00.000-06:00

Did you hear they are making a Top Gun 2 this year?

Well, in about 20 years, they will be making the Top Gun 5.

Starring...

This Guy!

Halloween Costumes

2010-10-18T21:26:00.000-06:00

Little red riding hood and our little sugar baby!

Monsters

2010-09-30T21:35:00.002-06:00

first day of school

2010-09-30T11:44:00.000-06:00

sept. 30, 2010

first day of preschool

blessing

2010-09-30T11:23:00.000-06:00

vacation part 2

2010-09-30T11:16:00.001-06:00

temple square & frozen jesus

vacation part 1

2010-09-30T11:07:00.001-06:00

lagoon

Still alive and well

2010-09-17T17:04:00.000-06:00

We are still in Utah, and all is well! Pictures to come!

The Hunger Games- book review

2010-08-30T13:59:00.002-06:00

REVIEW:
Book: The Hunger Games
Author: Suzanne Collins
Series?: Yes
Genere: Young Adult/Science Fiction
Would I recommend?: Yes!!

I loved this book. I have read it twice, and even the second time, it was an intense and great read.

This series is set in the ruins of North America, in what is known as the nation of Panem. Panem consists of a powerful and shining Capitol surrounded by twelve districts. After an uprising, the Capitol cruelly keeps the districts in line by forcing them each to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen, to participate in the annual Hunger Games. The Games are a fight to the death, broadcasted on live TV. The Capitol forces all citizens to watch and celebrate these children gladiators, including the families and loved ones of the participants.
Only one can survive.

This fast paced book is a must read for everyone!

The Hunger Games is followed by another heart racing book, Catching Fire, and the final book in the series, MockingJay.

Hunger Games

2010-08-30T12:48:00.002-06:00

 a must read. 

as is catching fire and mockingjay 

just so you know.
~~~~
synopsis and review here...

face to face

2010-08-29T23:14:00.002-06:00

skyping daddy.


as close to "face to face" as we can get right now.

we love you dad!

trip

2010-08-17T09:30:00.004-06:00

three flights with two monsters kids, by myself, was hard enough. having to deal with all of our stuff, the before said monsters kids, and my sanity was a challenge in and of itself. 
 but add a blow out poopie diaper, the lady in front of us throwing up, and in turn, monster throwing up, having to say goodbye to our daddy and husband for a month, turbulence and nearly missing our connecting flight... it equals a very long day for me and the monsters.
 grace, grant and daddy

our pack of gum airplane

 grant, spitting, playing and being cute for the camera.

grace, getting her energy out before the first flight.
{that is, until the clerk gave her 2 lollipops}

miss you

2010-08-17T09:15:00.000-06:00

dear mr. johnson.

i love you so much. i miss you more than anything. i cannot wait until you can get here and we can bless our sweet baby boy.   please be safe, and remember how much we love you!

love,

mrs. johnson

us at the airport, saying goodbye.

We're leaving on a jet plane...

2010-08-13T11:37:00.000-06:00

tomorrow morning at 9am. 

we will be changing planes 2 times. the first time, we will have to get our baggage and re-check in at the albuquerque airport...

1 four month old

1 three and a half year old

1 carry on bag

1 double stroller

1 big check in suitcase

1 infant car seat

1 toddler car seat

one very tired and overwhelmed momma.

wish me luck!

dead snake in the middle of the road...

2010-08-11T21:42:00.002-06:00

when we were younger, i remember my uncle singing us a song about a dead skunk in the middle of the road... (yes, we were THAT family). anyway, anytime i see anything dead, whether in the middle of the road or not, i think of those times i was a kid singing about that dead skunk. 

we were driving back from texas the other day and we found a dead snake (can you guess it?)... in the middle of the road. it was huge, so me, being a sicko, took a picture of the snake {then went out and kicked it to see if it had just died, or if it had been dead for a while. yeah, i'm a sicko}. 

so here, for your viewing pleasure is the "dead skunk snake in the middle of the road." 

frozen Jesus and space man suits

2010-08-11T10:03:00.006-06:00

last night, during our family prayer, monster interrupted and let us know that we are now saying the prayer and to be quiet. after the prayer, i let her know that when we are saying a prayer, that she needs to be quiet and listen. 
monster, being ever inquisitive, asked why. i told her it was because we were talking to Jesus.
she asked me if we could go see Jesus soon.
i explained to her that Jesus is in heaven, and we can talk to him through our prayers. she told me we have seen Jesus before. i asked her where, and she said, you know. in space. he is frozen. i figured it was another of her crazy imaginations and brushed it off as i getting ready for bed. 

monster continued talking about frozen Jesus, and how he is white and pretty. i insterted the correct mmm hmms, oh yeahs? and wows during the dialogue.

{let me interject here. monster likes to talk. a lot. she goes off onto tangents, telling stories, making up her own words and singing songs. i wasn't tuning her out, honest. just half listening.}

she told me how we went and saw him by the temple, and he was surrounded by space. 

the realization hit me, and i knew what she was talking about. 

the Christus statue!
it had been years since she had seen it, and she was being so noisy and running around at the time, and she was so young, that i didn't realize that she even remembered it.

i told her that when we go to utah next week, that we would be able to go see him. she got super excited and started planning it out. again, i inserted the right amount of acknowledgment to let her know i was listening while i was preparing for bed.

then i heard this:

"oh no! we need to go get our spaceman suits to go see Jesus! because he is in space, you know. hmm. where are we going to go get them? walmart doesn't have them, though. oh no. what are we going to do? i know! the bx sells spaceman suits! we can get a baby one for grant and a small one for me and two big ones for daddy and you! come on mom. lets run to the bx and get our spaceman suits so we can go see frozen Jesus!"
i love my monster.

when grace gets a hold of the camera...

2010-08-09T22:12:00.001-06:00

this is what happens:

Jean Diapers

2010-08-09T21:55:00.000-06:00

i made fun of these when they first came out. i got them for free at walgreens and thought i would give them a try. 

how stinking adorable is he?!

Top Ten Thursday - Authors

2010-08-05T15:21:00.005-06:00

my top 10 authors (and my favorite books they have written):

10. melissa de la cruz (blue bloods)

9. mary higgins clark (don't really have a favorite)

8. scott westerfeld (the uglies series)

7. j.k rowlings (the harry potter series) 

6. stephanie meyer (the host and of course twilight)

5. chris stewart (the great and the terrible series) 

  
suzanne collins (the hunger games)

 john grisham (the partner is my favorite of his books)

2. dan brown (i love every single one of his books)

1. gerald n. lund (the fire of the covenant and the kingdom and the crown series)

(honorable mention:

i have a soft spot in my heart for pretty much any and all trashy mormon love novels... 

my favorite author in this category would be anita standsfield)

adorable baby boy

2010-08-03T20:59:00.000-06:00

muscle man

2010-08-03T20:57:00.001-06:00

that outfit is a 0-3 month outfit with the feet cut out...

and that is our little muscle man at 3 months.

toad babies

2010-08-03T20:53:00.003-06:00

mr. toad and cockroach must of had babies. we have tons of these little toad babies hopping around our yard.

on a side note:

grace's hands aren't always that dirty. promise!

freeze tag

2010-08-03T20:48:00.000-06:00

for family home evening, we walked to the park and played grace's favorite new game. freeze tag. 

tag! you're it!

we then swung on the swings.

Bad Mamma

2010-08-03T20:40:00.004-06:00

(this is for you andrea)

we went to blake's squadron bbq the other day. i forgot to put sunscreen on grant.

i totally take your spot for worlds worst mother, andrea! 

forgiveness

2010-07-30T17:53:00.004-06:00

i was reading in my journal the other day, and came across an entry that made my heart ache. 

amiss the silly "i love so and so" and the "this sibling did this or that to me" entries was this one: 

dec. 19th, 95

im exsided about christmas.

{a cute drawn Christmas tree with presents underneath}  

i draw bad.

i'm skinny. (a person i don't want to name) makes fun of me. because im skinny i think.  

{two stick figure people, one happy with a little thought bubble saying "haha!" the other, sad crying, with 2 thought bubbles, each with the message "i'm stupid".}

my heart doesn't hurt because of the bad memories, the bad spelling :), or even the fact that i hated myself so much. it hurts because i don't think i have forgiven (a person i don't want to name). that breaks my heart so much. 
especially after watching this:

 as i watch this video, i realize that this man, this amazing and spiritual man, can forgive the teenager that took his family away from him, and turn toward the Savior for comfort and peace. 

i realize that i can forgive a now sweet girl that hurt my feelings in elementary school. i hadn't turned toward my Savior for this pain, but i realize that he can take this hurt away too. even if it pales in comparison to the pain this man, his family, the young man and even his family must feel.

i love my Heavenly Father. i love my big brother, Jesus Christ. i know without a doubt that he is my Savior. i know that he lives, and i know that he died for my sins, for my pain and for my misgivings. 

to learn more about our Savior head over to http://mormon.org/jesus-christ/

denial

2010-07-30T15:38:00.014-06:00

sometimes i think i am in denial about things.

one denial in particular that has wracked my mind as of late is the 'am i out of shape/in shape?' debate. 

am i in shape?

i don't know. 

 
i am not fat.
 

no.

 
in fact, i am skinny! 

 
that must mean i am in shape, right? 

this denial has seemed to come to the fore front of my mind after having my second child. 

 
let me give you a bit of background...

 
i grew up super skinny. 
 
i was made fun of because of how skinny i was. 
 
i could eat anything and everything and i stayed small.

 
i got asked if i was anorexic, i got told i needed help with my bulimia, and told i needed to eat more of this or of that to gain 
weight.

i really struggled with exercise, and got winded easily. but that is normal right? everyone gets winded. its just those super athletic people that like exercise that don't.  

 

i didn't mind that i was skinny.

i danced and kept active, but i was tired and felt icky most of the time.

 i couldn't run a mile and made sure that in gym class i got out of the running. i would do errands for the gym teacher and would get credit for it.

 

i started modeling and was even told by some clients that i was too skinny.

 
(although, i was told by one or two that i needed to loose weight.) 

 

i honestly tried to gain weight.

 

i tipped the 100 scale, and was satisfied with myself.

 

i got married, and i got pregnant. 

 

my pregnancy was horrible. the doctor said it was because i was too skinny.

 

i gained 26 lbs total.

 

i had my daughter, and when i left the hospital, i had dipped below the 100 mark again. 

 

i was proud of myself. i did nothing and i was small again.

 

i got pregnant again, and it was nearly as bad as the first.

it was different though, because i gained over 50 lbs and definitely left the hospital weighing more than i had ever weighed.

 

i felt horrible.

 
it was silly, but i wanted to weigh the 100 lbs again. 
 
i had a pudgy belly and i was sad about it.

 
flash forward to now. 
 
my baby is almost 4 months. 
 
i have lost quite a bit of weight, but was still not happy about myself.

why!?

i *finally* realized that it wasn't enough to weigh that certain weight to be happy with 
myself. 
 
i feel tired all the time and struggle to do anything slightly athletic.

i realize now that i have been in denial my whole life about being in shape.
 

being skinny does not mean that i am in 
shape. 

 

i eat horribly, i don't exercise and you know what? i finally care.

(i say that as i am eating chocolate chips. ugh) 

 

i don't want to just be skinny. i want to have energy.

 

i want to be able to run and play freeze tag with my family without feeling horrible after 5 minutes. 

blake has promised to help me get in shape, and believe me, he is doing his job.

we started a few days ago, and right now, i am not able to do more than 10 sit ups (even with cheating a bit), and i can't do push ups. 
 

 

but, we are starting day 3 of 'getting meichelle in shape', and i have never felt better. 

i am exhausted from it all, but i have energy.

i am sore from head to foot.

but i now realize that i am lazy and out of shape. 

and i am finally doing something about it.

Pictures

2010-07-27T15:39:00.000-06:00

distance for davis

2010-07-22T20:34:00.000-06:00

Davis County Community Hosts Fundraiser for Local Teen with Aplastic Anemia
“Distance for Davis Cox” Fundraiser Includes Utah Blaze and Miller Motor Sports Park
Rare Disease Affects Three in One Million U.S. Residents Each Year

WHAT: “Distance for Davis” Fundraiser for 14-year-old aplastic anemia patient, Davis Cox.
Event includes a Utah Blaze Football Clinic, Nitro Circus Movie Premier, motorcycle stunts by DJ Osborn, a silent auction and raffle, a 5K Fun Run, hot air balloon rides, a blood drive, food, games and entertainment.

WHO: Utah Blaze, DJ Osborn, local companies, friends, family and classmates rally to raise money and support local teen Davis Cox.

WHEN: Aug. 6 from 7 p.m. -11 p.m.
Aug. 7 from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

WHERE: Davis High School - Kaysville, Utah

WHY: In March 2010, Davis, a 14-year-old Kaysville Junior High School Student, contracted a random virus that damaged his bone marrow, which resulted in severe aplastic anemia. Once, a healthy football and baseball player, Davis now experiences life-threatening symptoms ranging from retinal bleeding, two-hour nose and gum bleeds, fevers, severe bacterial infections, and a depleted immune system.

Affecting only three in one million Americans each year, aplastic anemia is a disease of the bone marrow, where the marrow stops making enough red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets for the body. People like Davis, with severe or very severe aplastic anemia, are at risk for life-threatening infections or bleeding. Treatment includes bone marrow or cord blood transplant and immunosuppressive therapy.

To learn more about Davis Cox and the “Distance for Davis” events and fundraiser, log on to www.daviscoxfundraiser.com.

Big kids

2010-07-21T12:25:00.002-06:00

our kids are growing up so dang fast! grant is walking backwards in his walker, eating jar baby food, and is such a smiley boy.

grace is so smart, she has the funniest personality and has the biggest imagination!

here is the proof...

drooling boy

walking in his walker (backwards)

cute siblings

silly boy

handsome baseball player

two cute puppies

(thats bella. she is our friends dog. she has the funniest personality, and grace loves her so much)

beautiful girl

nap time on daddies ugly chair

hanging out on daddies ugly chair

we went and saw toy story 3 in 3d and loved it. we even got to wear the sexy 3d glasses.

if you haven't seen it, do! its such a cute movie!

being an old lady at a restaurant

being a puppy again

i smashed my finger a few months ago with a hammer. half my nail fell off a couple of days ago. it was sad. and it hurt.

cute grant

blake being rambo

daddies ugly chair again

blurry grant

update

2010-07-19T16:05:00.001-06:00

hey everyone. everything is going great here. we have friends staying with us for a few weeks, and things have been hectic, but super fun! 

i also was called to be the young woman secretary, so life has been super busy. I am so excited about my new calling, and i can't wait to meet all the girls. i love the presidency and am so excited to work with them! 

sorry about the short post. i will update with photos soon!

Beehive Sciene and Technology

2010-07-13T18:35:00.003-06:00

my mom works for an awesome school called beehive science and technology academy. my little sister attends this school, and they could use supplies and computers for their science lab. kohls is hosting a contest on facebook, and if you haven't yet, PLEASE go and vote for beehive. it would mean so much for these kids' lives.
http://bit.ly/bY0Ztt
it gives you 20 votes, but you can only vote for a certain school a max of 5 times. 

thanks guys!

Family Pictures

2010-07-11T11:43:00.003-06:00

i am so excited to show you guys our awesome family photos we got taken last week! 

head over to the photographers website and leave us a comment so we can reach 20 comments and get a free photo! 

http://pricelessimagephotography.blogspot.com/ 

mr. froggy and cockroach

2010-07-08T15:27:00.003-06:00

this is a photo of mr. froggy and cockroach.  

 {yes, i know they are toads. gracie named them}

  they come every night and eat the june beetles. 

june beetles are these super crazy bugs that shouldn't have been granted the privilege to have wings. they don't know how to fly and rarely make it a few feet without smashing into something and falling onto the ground upside down. 

once on the ground they flap their wings and kick their little legs in a frantic attempt to turn right side up. 

they come out at night, and like most insects, like light. 

we have a light on our front porch, which attracts hundreds of them. mr. froggy and cockroach realized this and come around and wait for the beetles to fall to the ground. 

there are nights, though, when there are only a few beetles out flying around, and they are the ones that have received their licenses to fly. they are quite adept (at least compared to their comrades) at keeping upright.  

those nights, hubby likes to go outside and swat them down with a broom and sweep them over, legs a-kickin', to the awaiting mr. froggy and cockroach. 

mr. froggy and cockroach aren't afraid of the broom anymore because they know the broom equals food. 

and the best part is that the june bug population seems to be slowly diminishing. 

  so thank you cockroach and mr. froggy for providing a way to control the bug population, and for keeping us entertained at night! 

the piano.

2010-07-05T21:42:00.005-06:00

have i ever told you that i like to take on huge projects, and then regret it immediately afterward? no? well it happens a ton.

last week i saw a post on craigslist. free piano it read. free? who can pass up free?! not i! well, i opened up the ad and saw this...

hmmm. i am going to make blake decide. i call him up and he says sure.. its free, and you have always wanted a piano. lets go get it.

we drive the half hour to portales, and get to the house. we get out and see the piano. its yellow. speckled with brown.

yum.

but, its from 1924 (that make it antique, which of course means its worth something... right?) its a gulbransen piano (that has to mean something... because it just sounds so fancy...)and it actually plays... (only one key sticks and the tone isn't too bad.)

so i decide to take it on.

we load it up (barely) and carefully drive back to clovis. i decided we certainly can't leave it this atrocious yellow with speckles of brown color. we will just paint over it with black. easy, right?

once its in our garage i notice all the dings and dents. the splintered wood and the peeling paint. i'll just sand it down first. just a simple step to make it look good.

i start sanding, and sure enough, the atrocious yellow paint is also strong, super strong, and adheres to the wood amazingly.

hmm. what to do? well, we will just get some of that easy peasy paint remover. it can't be that hard to use. we'll just paint it on and wipe it off. simple.
(notice how i jumped from i to we...)

we get the overpriced paint remover and get to work. and work it is.

we paint on this horrible smelling gel and wait ten minutes. we get the putty knife and try to scrape it off. and yet again, the atrocious yellow paint is immune to the overpriced easy peasy paint remover.

we paint more on and wait for a while longer. this time, the top layer comes off. this won't be too hard, i think, there can only be a few layers. this is going to be fun!

three layers later we reach the clear coat, and then the stain. that's right. it has three layers of paint, one (maybe two) layer of clear coat, and two layers of stain.

we bravely sand and scrape and sand and scrape till we get down to the actually wood.

the wood is beautiful.

...pristine and preserved from the layers of paint and stain.

we have only sanded and scraped the lid and two doors that open to show off the player part of the piano. we have so much more to do. and quite honestly, i don't feel like i took on too big of a project or too much at a time. blake and i have had so much fun scraping away, taking turns to watch grace, or attend to the cries of grant.

~~~~~~~

i couldn't wait to see  the stain we picked out, so i stained one door. 

and with that, i know

its all going to be worth it. 

More Updates!

2010-07-05T21:32:00.004-06:00

our home

our growing grass! finally!!

4th of july bbq

rockstar grace

Sorry

2010-07-03T20:29:00.001-06:00

okay, so i have gotten several concerned emails and a few angry ones about how i need to update my blog :D. sorry guys! moving in is totally not fun, and with 2 kids, one that cries if i sit down or put him down, and one that is a non-stop talkative little teenager,  blogging has been difficult. i downloaded all my pics from my camera of the move onto my computer, and my computer crashed... so needless to say, all the pictures were lost. so... here are a few photos for now!

happy boy!

the life saving swing... {this helped so much during the move!}

our new empty house before the movers came

our living room after we got some of our stuff

(the picture was taken from the opposite direction...)

{see that nice big tv? that was blake's fathers day present!}

our sleeping babies

{if you look, you will see that grace is wearing underwear! she is finally potty trained!}

grace sweeping out the garage with daddy

our entry way

grace's new shirt...

cute girl

yummy pina' colada ice dessert i made

i will post pics of our new house after it is all set...{which could end up being never!} we are getting our pictures taken by a sweet lady in our new ward next friday, so we will have some new family photos soon! she is an awesome photographer and i can't wait to see how our photos are going to turn out!
anyway, thanks for being patient with me and my lack of blogging!

Clovis, New Mexico

2010-06-17T18:07:00.004-06:00

we are here...

photos, updates and more to come.

Who I am

2010-06-10T07:32:00.008-06:00

I am a mother, wife, daughter, aunt, cousin, friend and sister.

I am tall, bony, gangly, and quite awkward. I am a little soft around the middle. I can't stand up straight.

I am not a good housekeeper. In fact, lets face it. I suck. I struggle to keep the basic of things done. Sweeping, laundry, dishes and vacuuming cause great anxiety in me.
I am very messy and unorganized.
I am indecisive and scatterbrained.
I am horrible at finances and can't balance a checkbook.

I don't wear makeup often and my hair is rarely done.

I don't bathe my children daily and sometimes they stay in their pajamas all day.

I wish I was better at so many things. I wish I was a clean freak. I wish I was a good photographer. I wish I could organize.

I wish I was a better mother, wife, daughter, aunt, cousin, friend and sister.

I am not an early riser. I stay up way too late at night.

I am usually running late. I don't exercise and couldn't run a mile.
I spend way too much time on the computer and eat horribly.

I jump to conclusions and try too hard to be liked.

I am sporadic and hard headed. I am emotional and stubborn.

I cannot sing.
I am short tempered and get my feelings hurt often.

I am ME.

I am a crafter, creator and artist. I am creative and friendly.

I am a nice person. I love doing service and being kind.

I always give money and food to strangers on the corner. Whether or not they are really homeless doesn't matter to me.

I am compassionate about people and have empathy for everyone. I can feel what people are feeling and hurt for them too.
I am a coupon-er and save my family lots of money.
I am a good friend.

I am ~~generally~~ a happy person.

I can speak in public and am not shy.I am a leader.

I am ME.

And you know what? I love being me. I love the person in these shoes. (Flip flops to be exact).

Sometimes though, like most people, I forget. I fall into silly jealousy and hurt. Gossip and pettiness.

I have to take a step back and remember that Heavenly Father gave us each gifts. Each of us were given different talents and personalities. Why yearn for someone else's?

Why look at others gifts and talents through the veil of jealousy? It is a vicious tool that Satan uses. It takes away from not only that person's talents, but yours as well.

I love my Heavenly Fathers plan for us. I love that we are all different.

I love me. And I know Heavenly Father loves me.

That is all that matters.

"Noble and great. Courageous and determined. Faithful and fearless. That is who you are, and that is who you have always been. Understanding that truth can change your life, because this knowledge carries a confidence that cannot be duplicated any other way." – Sheri Dew

sneak peek

2010-06-04T00:24:00.000-06:00

... of a project i am working on...

starting out like this: 

working on it...

the finished project will be coming soon. along with a tutorial. 

(you caught me. i am totally not even finished with it. that is why it is only a sneak peek. i am going to try to finish it tomorrow.)

the critter cam

2010-06-04T00:19:00.000-06:00

cockroaches, beetles and spiders, oh my!

note: the last photo is not mine. it is the exact spider i saw, but it ran too fast to take a picture. i freaked, seriously. freaked. don't believe me? ask my mom. she was on the telephone with me at the time. *shudder*... although she probably found it quite entertaining listening to my shrieks of horror.

Star Wars

2010-06-04T00:12:00.000-06:00

grace and daddy love star wars. grace's favorite is "coo-caw" aka. darth vader. (you know, the sound he makes when he is breathing? coo-caw coo-caw... got it?)

anyway, i found them laying on the bed watching star wars the other day, and had to take a picture. 

camera shy!

{again, please ignore the pile of laundry or the messy unmade bed. i really am not that bad of a wife. honest}

Cowboy Grace

2010-06-04T00:03:00.002-06:00

grace is turning into a little farm girl. her and daddy thought this was appropriate to wear to church on sunday:

{ps: she did end up wearing the dress and boots, just not the hat. although me telling her that hats don't belong at church caused quite a commotion}

{pps: daddy said he was going to take a picture and she instantly posed... and like a pro, if i do say so myself}

{ppps: please ignore my  oh-so-very messy house in the background.  thanks}

deals

2010-06-03T23:49:00.000-06:00

i did really well at cvs recently.

4 packs of diapers, 6 packs of wipes and everything else shown for $0.57!

yay!

here is some photos of my 'free' closet:
 the first 2 rows on the right are all body wash. the 3rd and 4th are all shampoo and conditioner. 

wipes (and blake's shop chair, being stored on the bottom shelf...)

soap, laundry soap, lotion, medicines, deodorant, mouthwash, first aid items, makeup, razors, and toothpaste and toothbrushes (behind the purex)

this shelf is completely FULL of diapers. (you can't really tell, but this closet is DEEP)

more diapers... :D, detergent and cleaners.

Adorable

2010-06-01T09:59:00.001-06:00

hog tied

2010-05-31T09:49:00.001-06:00

so blake thinks it is funny to tie grace up and watch her try to walk around... and i have to admit i do too. grace loves it as well and will beg daddy to tie her up.

(we are a strange family, i know)

Sleeping babies

2010-05-31T09:43:00.000-06:00

Graduation

2010-05-30T23:41:00.003-06:00

I am so proud of my husband.

Blake graduated from tech school last Thursday and that in and of itself is quite an accomplishment. 

He is now a Geospatial Analyst for the United States Air Force. 

(Blake getting his diploma from the commander) 

But, he didn't just stop there.. his fellow classmates honored him as the 'Outstanding Contributor'. Which means they thought he was the biggest help and contributor of their class. He tutored students and helped his fellow classmates pass the tests. He was presented with an award for this. 

(getting the Outstanding Contributor award)

He also did very well on his tests and had a great GPA. I figured he would be one of the twenty or so students that were Honor Graduates. But when they didn't call his name to stand and be recognized,  I was pretty disappointed. And I could tell, Blake was too. But it was very short lived because he was instead, called on stage and honored as the 'Distinguished Graduate". That means he was the honor graduate of the honor graduates in his class! He was presented with an award and the commanders coin.  

 (getting his Distinguished Graduate award and coin)

I just love my family. 

(our little family)

We made some awesome friends while we were here. Christina and Phill live above us and Blake and Phill were in the same class together. They are heading to Cannon AFB as well, and even though he and Blake will be in different squadrons, we will be in the same town, and for that, I am super happy. They have been such a blessing to our little family.

(all of us after graduation)

Grant Alan Johnson

2010-05-30T22:36:00.000-06:00

pictures

2010-05-28T08:51:00.000-06:00

grant & grace are growing up too fast for my liking. here are some pictures to prove it.

texas toad

2010-05-28T08:19:00.003-06:00

we have had the privilege to meet a host of new animals, spiders and insects since moving to texas. some are pleasant, like charles, some... not so much.

(like mr. dark fishing spider. i wasn't too excited about meeting that giant. {don't believe me? google it, i dare you} no really click there and you will get to meet mr. dark fishing spider too!)

yesterday we met mr. texas toad. he was quite interesting, and definitely a pleasant animal. i have never met a toad in person before, so it was exciting. grace was amazed and even got up the nerve to pet it. i was proud of my baby girl.

(cause i wasn't about to touch it!)

christina & grace, playing with mr.toad

sneak peek

2010-05-28T08:07:00.002-06:00

here is a sneak peek of a post coming later this week...

blake's graduation

more photos and info coming soon...

charles & diana

2010-05-27T21:06:00.003-06:00

we have had a new visitor on our window for several weeks now. i called her diana. charles and diana worked together flawlessly catching dinner. diana was quite camera shy, running at the site of the camera... i warned her of the dangers of running from the paparazzi and she finally listened and let me take a quick picture.

(don't judge. i really did name her diana before i thought about the implications involved. and she was quite camera shy and i spend days watching and waiting to get a photo of her. honest.)

read more about charles here and here

Grants first smile and laugh

2010-05-23T12:23:00.000-06:00

5/23/10

A to Z...

2010-05-22T16:03:00.003-06:00

you know how sometimes your mind wanders? and you really can't figure out how you got from A to Z?

Case in Point:

A. as i am sitting here, blake is watching some dumb show where people are chucking cake at each other
B. i need to make the eclair cake for tomorrow
C. it is for tomorrow, but if i don't make it today, it won't set up in time..
D. just like last sunday. it wasn't set up completely. but it was still good.
E. wow, we had eclair pie two weeks in a row? thats unhealthy!
F. i really need to start doing sit ups, because of those eclair pies and cheesecake
G. oh, and from having a baby too.
H. i need to feed that baby.
I. eh, i'll just let him sleep for a while.
J. he has been sick with a nasty cold.
K. i need to get the humidifier up and running for him.
L. but before i do that, i need to clean up our room. its so messy.
M. it has to be cleaned before the movers come.
N. i want everything organized and ready for our new house.
O. i wonder what our new house will look like.
P. i hope we get into housing sooner rather than later.
Q. i don't want to live in a hotel for more than 2 weeks with the kids.
R. wow, i have 2 kids. i can say my children. ha!
S. are we done having kids?
T. blake wants more kids. and i do too. there are definitely other children in heaven for us.
U. blake wants to have them all in different states. so far so good there.
V. idaho, texas, and then the next one probably will be in new nexico. after that? who knows!
W. i miss idaho, and I know I am going to miss texas.(our pool for sure)
X. ooo. pool. i want to go get in the pool.
Y. we should probably have dinner first.
Z. uh-oh. whats for dinner tonight?

Do you have thought processes like this? Or is it just me?

Swimming

2010-05-20T07:36:00.000-06:00

We went swimming yesterday afternoon and had a blast!! The water was warm and the temperature outside was 95 degrees!

We had the pool to ourselves, so we decided to take funny pictures of us jumping into the pool.

My favorite one is the first photo. Hilarious!

{BTW. Grant was safely in his carseat, in the shade, asleep .

Grace was in/out of the pool, in her floaty car. So no worries!}

Photos

2010-05-17T21:07:00.000-06:00

Here are a few photos until I have time to actually post about what has been happening in our busy hectic life.

Grant - 1 month old

Grace and Screaming Grant

Silly kids.

By the way... see the bruise on Grace? Chairs with wheels and hard floors don't go well together.

Alive

2010-05-17T20:57:00.002-06:00

{Just FYI}

I am still alive.

(but just barely)

Potty training, graduation, packing, newborns, moving and illnesses are not fun when they come all at once.

promise.

5 Things Friday

2010-05-07T12:59:00.003-06:00

I found this fun idea HERE. Check it out!

1. What is your worst memory of your siblings?
Getting beat by my older sister in the corner of the shower (I was hiding), and then telling her she was going to be an abusive mother when she grew up, and I got in trouble for it! LOL. Love you Heather!
I also have some scary bad memories of my siblings too. Like the time my little brother Nathan was lost. Or when he was sick and we were so worried about what was going on in his little head. Or the time my other little brother, Matthew broke his arm so badly it was majorly deformed, or the time my little sister Megan broke her elbow. Or when my older sister Heather was in a car accident right before her wedding. I worry about my siblings. I love them all so much!

2. What was YOUR naughtiest childhood memory? (Must be something YOU did, no pawning it off on someone else!)
I remember cleaning things half-@$$ed so my mom would just have my sister do it, because "Meichelle dosen't know how..."
I also remember telling my mother once to go to Hell. (Sorry Mom!) Needless to say, that didn't turn out too well. :D Or doing mean jokes on my siblings... I think I could go on forever...

3. Where do you like to go to relax?
Bathtub, or inside a good book. :)

4. What was the last thing you won?
I won a dumb Bump Itz thingy on Facebook. Not going to use it... Blake made fun of me!

5. If you could be on a game show, which would you choose?
Well, an older game show I would love to be on is Supermaket Sweep.
Now? I would like to be on Wheel of Fortune (and if I had to choose who I would want to be on with, I would choose my mom or my little brother Nathan. They would totally win it for us!

Your turn! Make sure to leave a comment if you do it, so I can see your answers too!