the johnsons

What happened?

2010-05-19T13:12:00.001-07:00

Well, I sure did fall off the bandwagon for a while. I forgot my password and it took me 6 months to get it changed! Hope you all are doing well. Kendall is turning 1 this Friday. I will post the festivities after they happen. Here are a few pictures to catch you up on what has been happening in our lives.

Santa took the kids to the Great Woolf Lodge for Christmas. We had a blast. Hopefully he will send us there again next time!

Paul's parents left in Feb. to serve a mission for our church in Feb. They are in Mexico city and we get to Skype them every week. It's almost like they are not gone. They love it out there!

Sarah was crawling around on her bedroom floor and managed to break her right Tibia (load bearing bone in her schinn). She had a bright pink cast (all the way up her leg!) for almost 5 weeks and now she is sporting a knee high black boot. She is doing great and I am loving that she has been forced to slow down a little!

Lindsay, Lauren and Andrew got to play soccer this Spring and loved it. Paul has coached the girls team for 3 seasons now and we all are looking forward to the fall season. Soccer has become a family sport. Hopefully we can get Sarah aboard. She seems to not like it all that much!

Happy Birthday Little Man!!!!!

2009-11-10T21:00:00.001-08:00

Andrew had a great day today. He started the day bright and early at 6:15 (we have a tradition of waking up eachother on their birthday's and singing to them but he beat us to the punch) and woke us up. The girls were so excited to give him his present. He got a spiderman bike and helmet with a little bell on it. He was loving it!! Paul couldn't wait to put it together so we could see him ride it. Later on in the morning, Andrew had two of his buddies come over to play. They had a great time playing red light, green light and racing their matchbox cars on his race track. For lunch, he got to go to McDonalds and then came home and watched the movie Up while Paul and I got some stuff done around the house getting ready for his birthday party. After dinner, all of our family on Paul's side came over. We played lots of games, ate cake and ice cream, and opened presents. After everyone left, and we were reading scriptures and saying prayers before bed, he quickly began to loose it. He crashed in bed within minutes and is hopefully dreaming of riding a bike without the training wheels on :) We love you Andrew, what a joy it is to have you in our family!!!!!

He is just radiating joy in this picture. He really had a great day!!!!!

He got the Helmet first in our bedroom and then came out to the living room to find the bike.

Oh joy, oh joy, oh joy, oh joy!!!

Here he is pumping up his tires ready to get on his bike!!!!

Above is a photo of a relay race we did where you have to put on a series of clothes and run around. They had so much fun and the adults were cracking up watching them put their gloves on first and then trying to get the jacket on. We also played hot potato, button button, and one other game we had never played before. The kids had a great time.

Man how they grow up fast!!!!!

2009-10-12T14:34:00.000-07:00

Here are some photo's of the rest of the Kiddo's. I look at these and think, are they really that grown up? Man how time flys. By the way, for those of you who can't tell, Lauren is on the left and Lindsay is on the right. lol

Lauren (9 1/2)

Lindsay (9 1/2)

Sarah (6 1/2)

Andrew (3 1/2)

What a cutie!!!

Kendall Paul - 4 months

2009-10-09T18:09:00.000-07:00

I have a good friend who has a real gift of photography. She wanted to come and shoot some photo's of Kendall as a baby gift. Thank you so much Jolin! I will treasure these photo's forever. Thank you for capturing these wonderful images of our little angel.

Back to School!

2009-10-09T17:50:00.000-07:00

The girls were so excited for their first day back to school. I was too! Even though we didn't do a vacation this year, we still had a lot of fun. Between swimming, playing with friends and family, reading and playing games, we always went to bed tired at the end of the day. Summers are great, but Paul and I were ready for some structure back in our lives. Lauren and Lindsay are now in 4th grade at Paxton Elementary and Sarah is now in 1st grade at Siegrist.

Kendall's Blessing

2009-10-09T17:26:00.000-07:00

On August 16th, we blessed Kendall. He was almost 3 months old, about time don't you think. We would have done it sooner but this was the first weekend that both sets of grandparents were in town since the beginning of June. Kendall we so big, he no longer fit into his blessing outfit, but he wore it anyways!!! (hence the short pants :p ) We had a great day, thanks grandparent's, Heather , Adam and Marie and Kevin and Amanda and all of Kendall's cousins who attended. We had a great time!

Look at the cheeks on that kid! Thanks Grandpa Martin for swinging with Andrew. You're the best!

"Hanging" out with cousins

2009-08-03T20:29:00.000-07:00

We got together this past Saturday with some of our family and weather was absolutely GORGEOUS, so the kids played a ton outside. They had a blast on our playset and loved making a train down the slide. Sarah and Evelyn had a blast hanging upside down on the swings also. It was a great time for all. Our kids can't wait for them to come over again.

Kendall is 2 Months!

2009-08-03T20:24:00.001-07:00

Our little boy is growing up to be quite the big boy. We just took him to his two month appointment and he now weighs a whoppin' 13 lbs. 4 oz. and is 24 in. long. This boy likes his milk! He has been such a blessing to have in our home. He is our little ray of sunshine, you can always get a sweet smile from him that melts your heart! (keep scrolling down, I have added a few more posts)

Some 4th of July Pics

2009-08-03T20:13:00.000-07:00

Every 4th of July, Platte City opens it's pool to everyone. They serve hot dogs and snow cones and the fire truck comes and sprays all the kids. The kids absolutely loved it. We will try and do this again next year.You can see the water coming down.
Lauren and Paul soaking it up.
Sarah and Andrew with Daddy
Lindsay was around with friends and Kendall and I were chillin where it was nice and dry. We went and watched the city fireworks that night. They were great. What a great day!

My Boys!

2009-08-03T20:08:00.000-07:00

On a typical Sunday afternoon, you will find Paul on the couch trying to take a nap, but many times, our children have other ideas. This was one of those days. He doesn't mind so much. He loves hanging out with "his boys".

Say a little prayer for us!

2009-06-15T06:19:00.000-07:00

We got some bad news on Thursday when Paul was told that he was being laid off from his job of nearly 3 years at JE Dunn Construction. These last few days for us have been a whirlwind of emotions. With having a baby 3 weeks ago, I was already a basket case, so you can imagine how I was when he broke the news to me. Paul has been remarkably optomistic about the whole thing which has helped me get a grip of this situation.
I was really nervous to go to church yesterday, because I still can't talk about it without getting emotional and I knew word would spread fast. Paul and I were so overwhelmed at the outpouring of love and support we received. We just want to thank everyone for their prayers (and cookies, you know who you are!). We KNOW that will help get us through this trial. Paul and I have great faith that this will only make us stronger and help us remember to rely more on the Lord and His plan.
With the economy being as it is, we are a little nervous that finding a new job may take a while, but we realize we are not alone in this struggle. You are a blessing in our lives and we are gratelful to have such a big support system. We love you all, please keep us in your prayers!

Our "not so little" Family

2009-06-13T20:56:00.000-07:00

We have been so blessed to have Kendall join our family. The kids just ADORE him and want to hold him constantly. I finally got some cute pictures of the kids together since we have been home. This was remarkably not a torturous event and I got a really good one of them all for Kendall's baby annoucement. YEAH! Getting them all to look at me at the same time is next to impossible. Here are some cute ones I wanted to share with you. Emily (my sister), I am doing this just for you my dear! Enjoy.

p.s. you notice Kendall sleeping with his mouth open, he gets that from me, just ask my husband!
Kendall (2 weeks)

You should have seen what the kids and I had to do to get this little kid to open his eyes.

It was quite funny.

Andrew and Kendall

Sarah and Kendall

Lauren and Kendall

Lindsay and Kendall

The day we brought Kendall home from the hospital, Heather came over to visit. I just had to share this lovely photo of her holding our cute little bundle of joy. This is why we love her so much, never a dull moment with her around!

Paul with Kendall. I just love sleeping photo's! They are heavenly.

OUR ANGEL!!!!!

2009-06-02T08:21:00.000-07:00

WELCOME baby Kendall Paul Johnson. We have been blessed with a beautiful baby boy! He is the sweetest mild mannered little one, and we are completely in love with this little bundle of joy. He was born May 21st at 3:58 p.m. after a very easy labor and delivery (mom was very happy about that). He weighed 7 lbs. 13 oz. and is 21 in. long. So Paul and I went into the hospital to be induced at 7:30 a.m. I was hooked up and ready to go at 8:00. At that time, I was at a 2 and 70% effaced. It took me till 3:00 to get to a 3 and get fully effaced. At noon, the anesthesieologist (sp?) was next door, and the nurse noted that he was the only one that day, so if I wanted an epidural, now was a good time. I remember thinking, man I am only at a 3, what a wimp you are Christy. But what the heck, I am going to have this baby, pain or no pain. So I opted for no pain. So from noon to 3, I slept and Paul paced the floor being bored out of his mind. So when they checked me at 3:00 and I was still just at a 3, Paul asked if he could go to Lowes and check out some closet stuff for the basement, I didn't have a problem with that. He was dying to do something other than sit on their uncomfortable couch. Well, the problem was that while he was gone, I went from a 3 to a 10 in 45 minutes. My mom tried to get a hold of him from 3:40 to 3:50 and he wasn't answering his cell phone (it was dead and he was charging it in his car!!!!!!) I could have strangled him. Finally he answered his phone and mom told him to get back to the hospital. So meanwhile, the doctor was there and we were just waiting for him to show up so we could get this show on the road. Good thing I had an epidural or there was no way I would have waited. Needless to say, he felt a little sheepish for leaving, but we had no idea I would go that fast.

So here is our family. I still can't believe we have 5 kids!!!!! It doesn't seem real. Paul and I are feeling really blessed right now! How great it is to have 5 healthy children as sweet as they are. Heavenly Father has truly blessed my life with such a great family! The hardest thing about having Kendall is making sure each kid gets a chance to hold him. "That's not fair" is said WAY too much in our house. It is driving me crazy! Oh well, I will just have to deal with it. I really have no room for complaints. Oh, the nursing thing is tough, the only thing I have to say is "OUCH". It is getting better every day, but I have forgotten the pain since I last nursed Andrew. Speaking of nursing, it's about that time.

Thanks to those who have visited, brought flowers and yummy meals. It has helped out tons ad I am very grateful! Thanks again. And I owe a very special thank you to my mother in law who watched the kids ALL day on the 21st. She was truly worn out when Paul came to relieve her that night. And a very special thank you to my mom. She took my kids for a whole week and showed them a great time at her house so I could recover in peace with Kendall. You are a lifesaver. I love you so much!

Update on the Basement

2009-02-13T13:16:00.001-08:00

I was talking to my sis-in -law this morning and they are renovating their home in New Mexico. They are needing color choices and asked me what colors we put on our basement. These pictures are close to the colors when you see it in person, but not quite. Anyways, for those of you who are interested to see how our basement is coming along, here are some pictures to kind of give you an idea. You really have to see it in person though. Paul is doing such a good job, it is really coming along. He is almost done with the trim. We hope to be done in March before Paul's brother Aaron and his new wife come over from Germany for their wedding reception. Paul left for Germany yesterday with a lot of his brothers for the wedding. They will be sealed in the Frankfort Temple tomorrow (Valentines Day). How romantic!!!!! Then he is off to Spain with his parents to visit his mission. He is very excited. He better bring back some good pictures. This is at the base of our stairs. Paul put this cool "picture window" in that we can display some sort of art or flowers. He has it lit to highlight whatever we have in there.

This will be our "Den". We plan on hanging a tv on the wall above where the tv you see is now. We have built-in cabinets (they are covered up in plastic to protect them) going all the way across the back wall. (They look the same as the bathroom caninets pictured below) There is a huge closet there for games and toys. Yes the kids have to practice the piano in this mess.

Paul is building a "beam" in this picture above. He bought some rustic pine to put up there. It will look AWESOME when he has all the trim up to make it look real.

This is Lauren and Lindsay's room. Paul built a shelf below the window that goes all the way across for the girls to put whatever they want on it. That light shining at the top of the picture is a light shelf Paul built to get more light in the room. He did that also in the hallway and in the other bedroom. It really makes a difference. Melanie, if you can see the blue and the green (far right wall), that is the blue I was telling you about. This is the best picture I have of that color.

These are the cabinets we had built for this bathroom. I LOVE them. They are maple, which we have discovered we love more than our oak cabinets upstairs. I have so much cabinet space in this bathroom, I could live in there. It's awesome.

Melanie, here is a picture of the slate for our backsplash in the the kitchen. I hope the picture makes it more clear to you.

Here is a picture with our black stove and microwave with our stainless refrigerator off to the left. Just a visual to see the two colors together. It does help that our fridge has some black trim on it.

I would like to introduce you to........

2009-01-14T09:43:00.000-08:00

We were able to do our sonogram yesterday and I would like to introduce you to Kendall Paul Johnson, due May 25. I am sorry I haven't blogged about my being pregnant sooner, but I thought it would be more fun to break the news with a picture. We were very excited when we found out we were having another boy. Andrew needs a buddy (not another mother) really bad. The kids were so excited to find out, they all really wanted another boy too. I was a little nervous about how they were going to react if it was a girl, but thank goodness, I don't have to worry about that anymore. Mother an baby are doing great. I am just glad to finally be over the morning sickness. What a blessing! Just wanted to say "Hello" to everyone!
IT"S A BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Celine Dion Concert!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-01-05T19:32:00.000-08:00

My mom, my sisters and I are huge Celine Dion fans. I have been listening to her music since she debuted her first album in the US. I think I have all of her albums downloaded on my ipod. So needless to say, when she announced her "Taking Chances" world tour last year, we wanted to go. We bought the tickets the first day tickets went on sale (last thankgiving 2007), and waited patiently until the big day (November 13). Well, she got sick and had to cancel that date and it got moved to Jan. 3rd. But it was worth the wait. We paid $60 a ticket and that got us four rows from the very top, but it didn't matter. She was amazing. She opened up the concert singing "I drove all night" and I was hooked. She performed for almost 2 hours and it just flew by. She sang a lot of her great hits ( The Prayer (with Andrea Bochelli recorded), my heart will go on) and a lot of her new songs which I love. She is such a good performer and is to fun to watch. My kids were all gealous that they didn't get to go since they love her music just as much as I do. They were anxious to hear how it went the next day. I wish I had video to show you but it is on my mom's camara. My kids haven't even seen it yet and they are dying. I had a great time with my mom and sisters. We have decided we would like to try to do something like this every year. We will see if anyone can top Celine though. Have any of you been to a really good concert lately? Let me know. If you can make it to her concert before she is done, DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!
You won't be disappointed.

Lindsay and Lauren's Piano Recital

2008-12-19T07:36:00.000-08:00

Lindsay and Lauren started taking piano lessons from a lady in our ward in the fall. They are doing so well. Their teacher planned a recital with another teacher. We planned for it to be on their birthday so family would be in town to watch. They did such a good job and practiced a lot to learn their three songs. There were about 9 kids in all and a very crouded house with proud parents. Thanks to the Elmores and Sister Cashin (their teacher) for putting this together. It was great

Here is Lauren.Woah, bad picture! Lindsay would you look at the camara next time.

The Nutcracker

2008-12-19T07:04:00.001-08:00

With Lindsay and Lauren's birthday so close to Christmas, we asked them if they wanted to go to the Nutcracker instead of birthday presents. They were very excited about this since they get presents in 10 days anyways for christmas. So in October, we booked the tickets for Dec. 13 (2 days before their birthday) and waited with anticipation. Lindsay and Lauren wanted to go to Applebees for dinner. They were so excited to just go by themselves. They are getting so big.

Because prices are so expensive, we got the nose bleed section, but it was still ok. This is a picture with the stage and curtain in the background.

Here the girls and Paul are as we anticipate the show starting.

This was the only picture of the Nutcracker advertisement we could find. It was outside the building up high. The girls had to be hoisted to this platform blow the advertisement. But the cool thing was that we were right be the door all the ballerina's were exiting the building from. So in the end, we got to see them up close, just not in costume. I thought that was cool. I even got to congratulate the snow queen. They were very nice. Overall, I think I liked it more than any of us, but the girls had a great evening. It was so fun to take them on an outing like this.

Andrew Turned 3!!!

2008-12-09T14:58:00.000-08:00

I know it has been a month since he turned 3, but my camara has been out of comission because one of my kids took the battery out and lost it. It took me about 3 weeks to realize that that was the problem, so my mom graceously gave me a cd with his birthday pictures on it. They were so cute, I had to put them up.
He is growing up to be such a big boy. I just can't believe he is already 3. We are alone together in the mornings while his sisters are at school, and we have the best time together. He is the best grocery shopper, and is great for dr. visits, but most of all, he is great with hugs and kisses. If Paul doesn't let Andrew know when he is leaving for work in the morning, there are major tears out of that boy. He needs at least one kiss and two hugs. Paul loves it!!!!!

Of course, he loves his grandpa!
And his Grandma!!!

And his daddy and sister Sarah!!!!

And Lindsay and Lauren, Brycen and Andrea!!!!

But most of all, he loves his Mommy, don't you bud!!!

Me and My Hubby

2008-11-14T08:01:00.000-08:00

I was tagged by my cousin Amy, so here goes.....

1.His full name: Paul Lindsay Johnson (that's where we get Lindsay's name from)
2.How long have you been married: 10 1/2 years (May 15th )
3.How long did we date: Since I turned 16. (he is 7 months older so he had to wait for me)
4.Who eats sweets: I do.
5.Who said I love you first: Is this pathetic, but I honestly can't remember. I called my husband says he did first. I will just have to take him at his word.
6.Who's taller: Him
7.Who sings better: This is actually a sore subject between us. I hurt his feelings once, making fun of his singing, so now he is always trying to prove to me that he can sing. Poor thing, he really does try. Why is it that none of the Johnson boys were blessed with their dad's voice. What a tragedy!
8.Who is smarter: Hello, all of my brain cells are gone from having kids, of course he is smarter.
9.Who does the laundry: Me, and it's a good thing, he doesn't even know how to turn it on.
10.Who pays the bills: HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
11.Who sleeps on the right side of the bed: Paul does
12.Who mows the lawn: My hardworking hubby, and man am I thankful. I hate mowing the lawn! But I swear, he enjoys every minute he is outside working on the yard. It's his baby!
13.Who cooks dinner: Me.
14.Who drives: If we are all together, he drives. That's fine, I can sleep.
15.Who admits when they're wrong first: Paul definately does. I can hold a grudge a lot longer than he can.
16.Who kissed who first: Paul kissed me at my homecoming dance a month after I turned 16. He was a junior, I was a sophmore.
17.Who asked who out first: Paul asked me to go on a double date with two friends of his from his school that were dating. It was so funny because they fought the whole time. I think Paul was really embarassed, but we just laughed about it. That's when I asked Paul to my homecoming dance. It has been love ever since.
18.Who wears the pants: I definately voice my opinion, but Paul wears the pants in the family.
I'm supposed to tag 4 other people. Ok I am going to tag some of my family: Jenny, Kass, Marie, and Laurie Elmore (she is not family, but i would love to here what she has to say).

I hope you feel enlightened.

Yes, I am still alive

2008-10-20T06:19:00.000-07:00

Sorry it has taken so long to get out some posts. So here are three posts of things that have happened in our lives. Enjoy!
Christy

We went Camping!

2008-10-20T06:08:00.000-07:00

Paul was dying to take the kids camping, so a few weeks ago (Sept 19), we went out to Smithville lake and gave it a try. We had a great time. The kids had luchables for dinner (and were more excited about that than anything) and Paul and I made foil dinners. We had a big bon fire and cooked smores.
Here is our view of the lake from our campground. It was beautiful.
In the morning, we cooked pancakes and bacon and then we took a walk on the trail and the kids found all kinds of things to look at. Lindsay found a caterpillar and couldn't part from it. So we took it home for a few days and then set it free. I was afraid it was starving to death. We will definately do this again. We all had a great time!

I love my Grandpa Martin

2008-10-20T06:02:00.000-07:00

"I just want you to know that my Grandpa Martin is the coolest. I worship the ground he walks on, and in return he plays with me all the time. I love it when he jumps on the trampoline with me." - Andrew
" I also love it when he plays lego's with me, oh by the way, he also reads me books and plays games and lets me pour Nerd candy in his ear when he is sleeping (haa haa)! I love you Grandpa" - Andrew

Back to School

2008-10-20T05:51:00.000-07:00

Wow, sorry this post is so late getting on my site, but life here is nuts and I just have been plain lazy about getting my photo's downloaded onto my computer. Sarah started school this year and loves kindergarten, even though she gets in trouble a lot. But that doesn't slow her down a bit. That girls is a smart one and has had no problems learning her sounds. We love you Sarah.

The girls had plain black backpacks that I got for free from a friend, so they wanted to decorate them. I used some fabric paint and they had a great time making them more "pretty". They had me write Hannah Montana on their back packs also. There was no convincing them otherwise. Oh well, they are happy, after all it is their backpack.
Of course, Andrew had his own opinion about his sister going to school.
This was a picture I took outside Sarah's classroom of her and Paul on her first day of school. She was so excited and had no problem saying good-bye. You are a big girl Sarah.

Poor, Poor Andrew!

2008-07-24T13:41:00.000-07:00

Andrew took an unfortunate spill today when we were leaving the pool. He tripped over his flip flops and dove head first into the cement. Paul still hasn't seen it. I tried to describe to him what he looks like, but I don't think there are any words for how bad he looks. Poor guy, we have a wedding in two weeks, lets hope this clears up fast, or this fall will live on in infamy forever. Poor guy!

More Johnson's moving back to Missouri

2008-07-24T13:17:00.000-07:00

Paul's brother Kevin got a job teaching (and coaching cross country and track)at Central and so he and his family are moving back to St. Joseph next month. We are so excited, especially since Paul's brother Mark and his family are moving away to New Mexico. Kaiden and Julianna got to come stay with us for a day while their parents were in St. Joseph looking for a house to live in. The kids had a ton of fun together and can't wait till they come back for good. What a blessing it is to have so much family close by.
Kaiden wasn't too excited to play Hannah Montana, but he was a good sport!

The Joy of Fireflies!

2008-07-24T13:03:00.000-07:00

Heather is such a good aunt, and is always playing with the kids. She took the kids outside one night and went on a firefly hunt with them. They caught a lot of them and had such a good time finding them. I attempted to try to take a picture of a firefly(for those of you who don't know what they look like), but it was too blurry. Sorry! There aren't a lot a great things associated with hot muggy weather, but this is a good one. What fun they had!

Sarah attempting to try to catch one with her bare hands.

We love you Heather!

The lazy days of summer

2008-06-24T15:27:00.000-07:00

I love summer, and the lack of scheduling that goes on. I have started reading Anne of Green Gables with the girls and they are loving it (although I don't think they understand half of what I read to them, the author is annoyingly detailed). So, we fill our days with reading, movies, Barbie.com, games, arts and crafts, swing sets, parks, and friends. Does anyone have any fun ideas that they do with their kids during the summer that I could try out? Please share.
Hope you are having a happy summer.
Christy

WE ARE GOING TO CALIFORNIA!

2008-06-11T22:39:00.000-07:00

I know what you are thinking, and NO we did not drive there, we all flew, and the kids were so excited. If I can figure out how to download movies onto my blog, I will put a little clip I took when we were taking off. It was HILARIOUS! We were in CA for two weeks. The photos in this blog are extra's that I wanted to include.This is what the kids looked like after a long day at Sequoia National Park. They did so great!

The kids loved all the rides at disneyland! We spun this thing till I even wanted it to stop. Paul wouldn't even ride it. He has his limits!

Paul having fun at the beach!

All the kids had backpacks. Andrew was so cute with his, he would carry it around and act so big with it on.
We got to visit with Granny. The kids love the dogs and her pool. We had a great time there. Our trip was so wonderful, we had a great time and I didn't want it to end.

The Beach House!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-06-11T22:14:00.001-07:00

This is where we were the first week we were in CA. Thank you mom and dad for renting this house for us to stay in and enjoy! We had such a fun time at the beach. The kids loved all the walks grandma and grandpa took them on, the beach, the shopping, the food, games, and all the fun.
This was their first day at the beach. It was a Sunday evening and we didn't intend to get wet and we were not dressed to get wet, but what in the heck were we thinking. Of course we would get wet. How do you keep 4 kids out of the water. Well, they all ended up drenched in the end and Lindsay got knocked over by a wave and lost her new glasses in the water. Woops. She was so upset. Note to self: glasses and ocean don't mix!
Oceans and diapers dont mix!
Photo of all the cousins there. Pictured with our kids are Brian and Kass' two little ones: Dayne and Bridget.
Here is the picture of the Fam! We will miss this place. The weather was heaven!

Disneyland and Sea World

2008-06-11T21:46:00.000-07:00

Paul and I were a little concerned about the amount of money we were spending to go to sea world and disneyland, but once we were there, and were having such a great time, all of it seemed worthwhile. To see the look on their faces with all of the exciting things to do and see, it was all worth it.
They LOVED petting the dolphins, that was so exciting.
When we got to disneyland the first day, the first thing we did was meet Minnie. They were so excited. We saw lots of different characters, including the princesses. They were in heaven!
Of course we had to get a photo in front of the castle. Hello!!!!
Andrew was in heaven riding in the cars. We had to do it twice because he wanted to. Uncle Brent came the second time and spent the day with us. We had a great time both days. We were so exhausted on the way home, but we did everything we wanted to do. Such good memories!!

Visiting with Family!

2008-06-11T21:32:00.000-07:00

The kids loved playing on Aunt Carolyn and Uncle Kent's play set.
Lindsay and Lauren were so excited to meet their cousin Emma. They are the same age and had a great time together.
This is Ben, Emma's little brother, and Andrew had a ball with him. They were buddies.
Left to right: Uncle Kent, Julie (my cousin), Mom, and Aunt Carolyn. They fed us very well! We stayed with them for one day and two nights and had a great time. Thanks!!!
The kids swimming together. I want more California weather. It spoils you!

Yosemite National Park

2008-06-11T21:06:00.000-07:00

This was the first place we went for the second week of our trip. We were only here one day. We intended to stay here longer, but Lindsay and Lauren were sick so we cut it short. This is bridalvale falls, and we were getting soaked. It was spectacular and so easy go walk to. Grandma and Grandpa Johnson stayed behind with Lindsay and Lauren at the car.
Here is grandma and grandpa with us at a lookout at Bridalvale Falls. Georgeous! Sarah loved climbing the rocks and insisted on trying to climb almost everyone she saw. But she did conquer this one! You go girl.
Here we are at the end of our journey through Yellowstone with Great Grandma and Grandpa Johnson. They were a lot of fun to be with and were very patient with us. Lindsay and Lauren were sick the whole time we were with them and they were very concerned about that, but they recovered a few days later. We loved being with them. We were able to sit and visit AFTER the kids were in bed and had a great time doing that.

Sequoia National Park

2008-06-11T20:50:00.001-07:00

This was the best part of the drive through the park, driving through these giant sequoias. This place was unbelievable! We were here for two days and could have stayed for more.
We are inside the trunk of a fallen sequoia tree. HUGE!!!!!!!!!
Standing next to a medium size tree!
This is the grand daddy of them all. The biggest tree in the World. This tree has branches that are eight feet thick, and it is 2300 years old! Go visit this place, it was amazing. Well, this pretty much concludes our trip. We crammed a lot of things in but had a great time!!!!!!!!!!!

Welcome Andrea Belle Bollwitt!

2008-06-11T20:38:00.000-07:00

The kids are so excited to meet their newest cousin, Andrea. They couldn't wait to get to the hospital and take turns holding her. Even Andrew wanted to love on her a little. Yeah, more girls!!!!

We will miss you Emily!

2008-06-11T20:32:00.000-07:00

Emily graduated from high school last month and she is already off to BYU-I for the summer term. I was looking at these photos and realized how much I am going to miss her. Things will sure be different with her not around. Man, time sure does fly.

For the love of Soccer!

2008-06-11T20:25:00.000-07:00

Lindsay and Lauren finished up with their soccer team the end of May. They loved it so much and are looking forward to the next season. It was a lot of fun and they learned a lot.

Lindsay and Lauren with their coach, Tiger.

Basement update

2008-05-06T21:19:00.000-07:00

So did I mention that we are finishing our basement. We started framing the basement last spring and two weeks ago, the sheetrock was was hung. It is so exciting. Paul tried his had at electric work and mastered it (thanks to Bud for all of the help). All of the mudding and taping is finished up and we will start painting next week. I can not tell you how much I am dreading this stage. I painted the whole upstairs (with some help from Adam and Taylor) when we built this home, and I still have not forgotten how much work it was. So, I will keep you updated on the progress.

Don't you think it is about time!

2008-05-06T21:12:00.000-07:00

Well we have finally jumped the gun and are building a swing set (WAY over due!) The kids are eagerly anticipating the finished product, but sadly, as all things go with us, it is taking us much longer than we anticipated. This is what it will look like when it is done, we are at about 50%. At this rate we might get finished before the summer is over. Just kidding, thank you Paul for working every evening on this. You are a great papa!

Any one want some candy?

2008-03-30T20:32:00.000-07:00

All the Johnson grandkids after an easter egg hunt at grandma and grandpa's house. Thanks Adam for hiding the eggs. The kids loved it.
I bet twenty years ago, Bud never thought he would be taking a photo like this. It's amazing how the girl/boy ratio has evened itself out in the Johnson family!

The kids with their cousin Brycen at Grandma and Grandpa Martin's house right before the annual easter egg hunt. Oh, the anticipation!!!!!!!!

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Mom and I were facinated with the squids. They were huge.
I loved this picture with paul next to the gellyfish. There were tons of them. He must have been contimplating something deep at that moment?
Thanks mom (Grandma) for going with us. We had a great time!

At the Omaha Zoo

2008-03-30T20:14:00.000-07:00

We recently visited the omaha zoo right before Easter. My mom went with us and we had such a great time (becides the fact that it was stinkin' cold outside). Thank goodness the zoo has most of it's exibits inside.

Lindsay next to a bird.

Andrew loved the gorilla's and the chimps.

This is as close as Sarah got to the gorilla's. She personally found them disgusting, the one next to Andrew was picking at a sore. She didn't like that at all. I don't know why since her personal hygeine is questionable at best :)
Here is grandma with the girls. They are standing in a giant "O!" They all had a great time.

The next Bob the Builder!

2008-03-12T12:37:00.000-07:00

Andrew has totally enjoyed every second "helping" Paul finish the basement. You can find him downstairs drilling, hammering, sawing (well, pretending), sweeping, vacuuming with the shop vac (he is quite good at this one), or just hanging out with dad. We just wanted to share some photos we have taken of him in the basement. If he doesn't go into construction when he grows up, I will be suprised!

Left:
No the saw is not plugged in, just in case you were wondering.

Right: Taking a break from a hard days work with his "siffy cup".

We are in Heaven!

2008-03-11T13:31:00.000-07:00

YAAAAHOOO! That is all I can say after getting built-in's put in last week. Paul designed these to go in when we built the house, but monitary issues pushed them to the backburner. So here we are 3 1/2 years later and we couldn't be happier. Here is a picture of the guys installing them (which was no small feat in itself). It took them a full day to shimmy them in, but it looks great. So now is my undaunting challenge of decorating this beast. I went to Target and purchased everything I could get my hands on and ended up taking everything back. My dear husband has planned every space out and my job is to find things that match. I am going to my old faithful store Nell Hill's next Saturday hoping to have more luck. Here is a photo of what is looks like completely installed but not quite decorated. I will keep you updated.

A Day in Life of The Johnsons

2008-03-11T13:15:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our blog. Kass, my sister in law, introduced me to this and has motivated me to get this going. I hope I can get the hang of this and make it work.

Our lives are very active right now with our Church callings, finishing the basement and 4 wonderful children.

Lindsay and Lauren are now 8 and are the biggest helpers one could ask for.

Sarah is 5 and is the action in our family.

Andrew is 2 and our little angel. What a cute boy. Whenever Paul or I come home from being gone, he always comes over and hugs our legs and says "It's so good to see you!"