THE JOHNSON PACK

Annual Newsletter 2011

2012-01-09T20:44:00.001-08:00

This last year has been overflowingwith changes around our house. We have lived in Montana for an entire year nowand we are here to stay! Winter lasted a super long time but the sun finallycame to stay around May. Our summer was filled with outdoor adventures likecanoeing, hiking, camping and biking. We have made a lot of new friends withyoung families like us but we still miss our friends from many places that wehave lived these last 7 years. We moved to our own apartment in Lolo inSeptember that has lots of space and is walking distance to the ElementarySchool. Now that we are starting to make roots here in the banana belt ofMontana we are learning about purchasing a home. So if anyone wants to comevisit us the door is open and food is served!

Jeff started the year working hard as a hospital security guard andgoing to Paramedic classes. He enjoyed skiing on his days off and having thedays to spend with the boys. He had a lot of firefighter interviews all aroundthe western US and was put on a few hiring lists. Jeff did well in the MontanaFire Consortium in June and filled out a lot of applications again. In July theCity of Missoula's Fire Department offered Jeff a job as a Firefighter and hestarted work right away. He has a 1-year probation period, got a CDL license andhe is still working on his Paramedic.

Johanna has been holding down the fort wrangling the boys andgetting accustomed to the area. In August she traveled with the boys alone tothe Oregon coast for a family reunion for her mom's family. She likes to workout and do all kinds of art. Refinishing furniture is also a new creativeoutlet for her and has even sold a couple pieces. She is now an IndependentDistributor for a company called Choffy that sells brewed chocolate that is deliciousand healthy. She hopes that in the next year she can focus on attaining herBachelor’s degree again.

Calder finishedkindergarten and has made a lot of new friends. He did really well in swimminglessons and next year he will be able to swim all by himself. He also didsoccer this year with a company called Soccer Tots and learned a lot of skills.After we moved, we decided that another year of kindergarten (and growing) wasbest so he will be in 1^st grade next year. His teachers report thatCalder is smart, amicable, cooperative, super coordinated and has the besthandwriting and drawing skills they've seen in years!

Phaelen turned 3 in August and is growing up so fast. He talks a lotmore and is understandable to most people, has a goofy sense of humor, likesplaying with other kids and is already good with legos. Since he likes to do asmany things as his older brother, Phaelen also participated in Soccer Tots, isstarting to draw a lot more and is potty trained. He loves to be involved andhelp out with anything in the kitchen or handyman work.

Weknow that this new chapter in our lives is just beginning and we couldn't havedone it without the love and support from our friends and family. We know thatGod has put us here at this time and we will try and make the best of it!

Jeff, Johanna, Calder &Phaelen

The Johnson Pack

Tiramisu Drops

2011-12-22T08:34:00.000-08:00

I am not a HUGE cookie fanatic, but I like to try new things so when Jeff saw this recipe in a local newspaper article we wanted to try it because we had an extra container of marscapone cheese, we like Tiramisu (chocolate style) plus we had Choffy to replace the coffee.

1 c. almonds, chopped
1/2 c. sugar
3/4 c. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. Choffy or coffee grounds
1/4 tsp. salt
1 3/4 c. flour
8 oz. marscapone cheese
2-3 Tbsp. powdered sugar
1 Tbsp. cocoa powder
- Preheat oven to 350 farenheit and line cookie sheet with parchment paper
- In food processor mix almonds and sugar; then butter, vanilla and salt; then Choffy or coffee grounds and flour and pulse until combined
- Roll into 1 inch balls and press in center for indent and place on cookie sheet 1-2 inches apart
- Bake 10-12 minutes and let cool on cookie sheet
- In a bowl mix powdered sugar, cocoa powder and marscapone cheese; put in pastry bag, or plastic bag with corner snipped off, and pipe into indent of cookies
-Makes 2 dozen cookies, but they are small

They are super cute, and you could even NOT add the cocoa and it would make them look cuter with just white in the center of a brown cookie. Also, you have to refrigerate them because of the cheese and don't worry about putting them too close to each other on the cookie sheet because they don't expand very much.

Let me know if anyone tries it!

Halloween Party

2011-11-21T08:14:00.001-08:00

What is up with the lack of posts?

2011-10-30T16:37:00.000-07:00

So, I have been semi-busy with something new and exciting...refinishing & painting furniture! I think it is fun and I have been checking out every blog and book available to learn what to do and how to even turn a profit. So, I can officially say now that I have a small mini-business of redoing furniture. It's called "Preloved Furniture" and you can check out my projects on my personal artsy blog at creativejojohnson.blogspot.com.
So Calder has been enjoying school and soccer this fall. I signed him up for a program called SoccerTots that teaches skills and coordination with soccer, but they don't compete or have to wear soccer gear. It was a really good program for his first "real" sports experience which make me much more confident he will excel next year on a soccer team and not have to learn skills and the rules in one season. Here are some photos of his last practice.

The boys also did a lot of yard/garage sales this summer and two items obtained at these yard/garage sales were finally nice enough to be placed in each of their rooms - with pride from the boys and disdain from me.
(Note: no animals were harmed by my children in the production of these decorations)

Yes, that is exactly what you find at yard/garage sales in Montana. At least my children didn't want any with faces on them - so not allowed in my house.

Sister Swap - and my super lateness

2011-10-01T07:28:00.000-07:00

Okay so our month has been a little crazy with moving and all and I am just getting around to doing this "Sister Swap" recipe thing. The theme for September was BBQ so here is a chicken winger/thigh recipe that we really like and you can freeze them in bags and save them for another time if you don't eat all of them in one sitting - like Jeff does.

Oven BBQ Chicken
2 1/2 lbs. chicken w/ bones (we like to do the mini-thighs)
1 Tbsp. oil
1 medium onion
1 clove garlic
3/4 c. bottled sweet chili sauce (found the in asian section of the grocery store)
2 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. soy sauce (we always buy the reduced sodium)
1 Tbsp. yellow mustard
1/4 tsp. red pepper

- Put the chicken, oil, onion and garlic in a BIG pot/pan and brown the chicken a little just by stirring it up every once in a while
- Then add the rest of the ingredients on top of everything and bring to a simmer then remove from heat
- Take some tongs and place the chicken on a broiler pan or a cookie sheet lined with tin foil
- Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes (serves our family of 4, so if you want to save any for later you should make some more)

There you go Kricket, April & Bethany! I wonder what October's theme will be?

We moved!

2011-09-10T08:27:00.000-07:00

Sorry we have been quite MIA lately but we have been really busy with Jeff's new job, Calder going back to school and moving into our own apartment! Here are some pictures - we'll post new photos of when everything is in its proper place.

Front (we have made it look this nice)

Entry way (left)

Family Room (our room for now)

Back yard

Entry way (right)

Living/Dining/Kitchen area

Laundry room (and our new W/D mismatched set)

Calder's room

Phaelen's room

Living/Dining room again

Master bedroom (under construction)

Master vanity (well it will be)

Master toilet (no worries the pet door in the wall will be gone)

Master tub/shower

The semi-happy boys of the household

So there you have it...apartment C in Lolo. We will give everyone an updated address and phone number probably next month when our landlord gets the mailbox up for us and we get our internet and phone figured out as well. A huge bonus about living here is that the two neighbors upstairs are both in our ward at church and have young kids. It is great to be living on our own - but it's even better to have Jeff working his dream job everyday!

Lincoln City Henry Reunion

2011-07-29T15:53:00.000-07:00

Left to right top:

Connor, Sasha, Susan, Trey, Kricket, Garrett, John, Max, Zach, Bethany, April & Brian

bottom: Brea, Devan, Cooper, Jenna, Ryder, Calder, Johanna, Phaelen & Kris

Not shown: Sean, Collin & Jeff

Catch up photos

2011-07-18T16:43:00.000-07:00

I'm such a slacker with posting pictures. I apologize because we have been doing plenty of fun things so far this summer - that's probably why we don't take the time to make new posts.
We have been going to lots of different parks this summer with the church playgroup every Thursday mid-morning and finding a lot of fun places with trees and splash decks and cool playgrounds. We have the privilege to go up to the Crist family cabin every now and then up near Seeley Lake and the boys love getting rides in the boats, fishing, catching all kinds of critters, sleeping on the bunk bed, and riding the motorcycles. We have had lots of visitors this summer too! Grandma B came for a quick visit on my (Johanna) birthday and she came to church with us and reunited with some friends from growing up in Spokane and college (a whole other story) that were also visiting and we just had to go to the carousel in Missoula. Grandpa Don came over too and spent an entire week with us and we did lots of fun things like go to the cabin, went yard sale-ing, work in the garden and watch Calder in his last swimming lesson. On the fourth of July Jeff's step-brother and his family came over for a couple days the kids had a ton of fun playing all day long.
We also got a very important and long-awaited letter in the mail recently....JEFF GOT A JOB OFFER AS A FIREFIGHTER with the City of Missoula!!! (p.s. I'll dedicate an entire post to that later along with another post for Calder's birthday too)

Happy early Easter

2011-04-17T15:36:00.000-07:00

Yes, Grandma Kathy got a new bunny! (Mostly because the old bunny was trying to make babies with the hens) Calder has named her Pikachu and she is really fun to have. Both boys can comfortably pick her up and hold her.
We got her at a feed store (aka small farm supply store) and there were also ducklings and chicks. I don't know why but I don't feel comfortable around chickens but ducks don't bother me as much. So I picked up a little black duckling and the boys pet it and it was as calm as can be, then some little girl came up and snatched it away from me and was holding it a little to tightly because it started peeping for dear life and I coaxed her into giving it back to me so it could be with it's other little duck friends. She gave in hesitantly but then as soon as I put it back in the big bin/cage thing she tried to pick one up herself. Thank goodness she was only about 3 and her short little arms could reach the running around ducklings. It reminded me that I really like animals. I hope we are able to have a bunch of different animals in our house as the boys get older.
Jeff has always wanted to have a self-sustaining way of living and grew up with the experience and opportunities to do so, but I didn't. I am now realizing first hand how beneficial and fun it could be - especially with our boys.

Happy Easter everyone! Let us enjoy the new life the spring season brings.

More yummers!

2011-03-25T21:37:00.000-07:00

I have never made or even eaten a souffle before, and I saw this recipe that used coconut milk and white chocolate and I had to at least try it. Most souffles have rum in them, so I looked up a substitution and used one that I had the contents of in the pantry/fridge. I followed the recipe ingredients to a "t" but didn't do exactly what it said in the whole process but tried super hard to b/c I really wanted them to turn out edible. Plus I ended up having a ton of extra so I accidentally over-filled my baby ramekins and 90% of them over-flowed, but they didn't collapse! Plus I think it could fill at least 4 more ramekins. These little ramekins are only 4 oz. dishes (which is what the recipe calls for) but they were so rich and divine that I could only eat one! I also figured out that the oven isn't as hot on one side so I had to return three to the oven for a few extra minutes on the warmer side to cook and brown a little more. Jeff isn't a huge coconut fan, unlike myself, and said it could do without the shredded coconut flakes, but I don't know if it would taste the same without it?
It may be a lot of work for these little cups but COMPLETELY WORTH IT!

Coconut White Chocolate Souffle

1 1/2 c. whole milk (we always have this in the fridge)

1/2 c. coconut milk (I used the pure fatty kind, not lite/light)

8 large eggs, separated

1/2 c. + 6 Tbsp. sugar (I used organic)

2/3 c. flour

4 oz. white chocolate (I used chips)

1/2 c. unsweetened coconut flakes (I accidentally used sweetened)

2 Tbsp. butter, melted (I used coconut oil instead)

2 Tbsp. coconut flavored rum

grape/pineapple/apple juice of equal amount + 1/2 tsp. vanilla/almond extract

powdered sugar for dusting

In a medium sauce pot heat: whole milk & coconut milk. Bring to a simmer over med-low stirring occassionally.

In a separate bowl, mix egg yolks with 1/2 cup sugar and flour. Place the egg white in a deep bowl you plan to beat them in later and chill in fridge.

Add 1/3 of warm milk mix to yolk mix in bowl and whisk, again.(I know this step seems silly but you don't want to scramble/cook the yolks by adding too much hot liquid all at once - you will know if you did this if you have chunks of egg yolk)

Pour the yolk/milk mix from bowl to sauce pot with warm milk mix. Stir until thickened over med-low heat (3-4 minutes) and add the white chocolate until melted and smooth. Mix in coconut flakes also and turn off heat.

Pour warm thickened milk/yolk mixture into bowl and cover with plastic wrap/plate to prevent film/layer from forming. Let it cool to room temperature!

Grease (with melted butter) 8 ramekins (4 oz. size) and sugar coat them (4 Tbsp.) then place them on a baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

Bring out the egg whites in chilled bowl and whip until frothy, then add 2 Tbsp. sugar and whip until soft peaks form. (I strongly suggest using a mixer of some kind b/c unless you have mad hand whipping skills this could give you carpel tunnel)

Beat bowl of cooled milk/yolk with rum/substitute until smooth.

Fold 1/3 egg whites into milk/yolk mixture until well incorporated. (I saw a sweet trick on a cooking show the other day where you don't use a spatula to fold in your egg whites, you used a large whisk instead and tap the contents through to keep a lot of the fluffy airiness but mixes well too) Fold in remaining egg whites to the milk/yolk mixture.

Pour into ramekins (I would guess about 3/4 full so they don't over-flow like mine did) on cooking sheet and bake 12-14 minutes (watch closely) & souffle is risen 1 inch above the rim and centers are set (aka not jiggly).

Transfer ramekins from cooking sheet (the best thing I found to do this and not destroy the souffles was a set of rubber canning tongs/grabbers) to plates and dust with powdered sugar. Serve immediately!

Love Day 2011

2011-02-15T20:03:00.000-08:00

Well, we didn't have a super romantic Valentine's day but it was full of yummy food!
I made a red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting and sliced strawberries on top all from scratch. I had never had a red velvet cake before and Jeff said they were "d-vine" so I decided I could do that for Valentines day. I also made a delicious chicken curry that Jeff requested I make again for dinner tonight, because he ate the leftovers for breakfast. Calder and Dann even liked this curry recipe, which is saying a lot. Strange enough, Phaelen didn't like it but I don't really count him this time because he hasn't been eating much of anything lately with his episode of croup and cold this past week and a half. So without further a due...

I was SO good. Moist. Flavorful. Not super dense. Smooth. I actually think the heavy rich cream cheese frosting took away from the cake the recognition it fully deserved. Oh, if you want to make it yourself I got the recipe from bakerella if anyone else wants to give it a go. Oh and I only used half of the red food coloring- and look at it! The strawberries were my own personal touch though and were a wonderful compliment to the tastes.
Calder also had a party at school and passed out his personally made Valentine cards. There were only 15 to make so I figured it would be a fun activity for us to do together. I cut the hearts out and helped him spell names, but that was it. He did everything else! He didn't want them to be too "ewy and lovey" so he put dinosaur stickers on them. I was surprised when he came home and we went through his envelope, only two or three other kids in his class actually made their Valentines. And two of the three were boys. Everyone else had the store bought ones - which aren't bad, I just think the personalized ones are cooler. Oh, the treat we put with Calder's Valentines were red/pink popcorn balls! I hadn't ever made them before but it was good - although SUPER gooey. I think I should have added more popcorn because I couldn't actually make them into balls. It was fun and I felt good about doing it Calder's way instead of mine, but he still let me help. I'm glad that he enjoys school so much, because he is so smart!
I hope everyone else out there who reads our blog had a nice Love Day 2011. And if not, let me know and Calder and I will make you a personalized Valentine to cheer you up!

Holly Jolly Christmas

2011-01-07T13:41:00.000-08:00

Living in Montana has opened my eyes to a lot of different things. One of them being that you can get a tree tag from the Forest Service for a mere $5 to cut down your own tree and they give you a map to show you where you are allowed to cut. I guess I have high expectations when it comes to Christmas trees because this was the most "normal" looking tree I liked and then once we got home and all the pretty voluminous snow had fallen off the branches, I was pretty sad at how measly and wimpy our tree was. We couldn't even use 3/4 of our ornaments because the branches weren't strong enough. It barely even smelled good. I guess next time I'll either fork over $28 at a tree lot or do the pagan thing and have a potted tree from a nursery.

Phaelen got a lot of great gifts this year. He loves his cool cool cars, light saber, magnifying glass and fun books. He also got some pretty cool clothes if I dare say so myself. He is getting used to bundling up before going outside to play and realizing it's more fun with gloves on rather than off.

Calder got a lot of great stuff this year too. It is so easy to shop for him I had to control myself on many occasions to not buy anything else. He is really into Batman stuff right now and so he got 3 really cool shirts that he loves to wear. He really likes science and learning too, thank goodness for cheap school Book Orders! He also got some really nice new snow boots that will keep his feet nice and dry while playing outside at school and on our family adventures.

Thank goodness for these two, Kathy and Dann. Without them we would've spent all of our money on rent and living expenses if they hadn't let us move in on such short notice. We know that it isn't easy having little kids and grown adults live with you when are aren't used to it 24/7, but we are super grateful. We are so grateful for our families this time of year and we always miss those whom we can't be with during the holidays. Moving to Montana was a great opportunity for us but it won't be without it's own uncertainties and struggles.

Jeff is working hard and studying Para medicine homework so he stays awake during his shifts at work (7pm-7am Fri, Sat, Sun). He is #9 on Missoula's hiring list, #2 on Butte's hiring list and Great Falls should be getting back to us next Friday. We are starting to apply for more jobs though as departments get budgets approved and the new year starting. Jeff will be done with his Paramedic class in May so we'll see what happens after that as well.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!

Montana pictures

2010-11-24T14:46:00.000-08:00

Grandma Kathy has some cool toys that are a fun change for the boys.

We all got involved in this one though. Marbles away!

Jeff couldn't wait to take the boys hiking and in the snow. This is a hike they did up to Mary's Peak over by Stevensville (about 15 minutes south). We realized quickly that snow gear gets grown out of more quickly when you don't use it. Calder had to get new everything and Phaelen is wearing stuff Calder got in Utah!

This is one we did as a family and it was short and sweet. We were losing light fast so we didn't go very far up Bass Creek. Jeff and I rode some mountain biking trails near there the first week we were there. Now it's way too cold and snowy to bike anywhere!

Butte was cold and it started to snow while I waited for Jeff during his interview. The town has a long history and used to be the largest city in Montana. There are a lot of old buildings that make for great photos but it wasn't so easy with the snow falling.

Well we are getting into a groove here, but we know it won't be long until it gets changed again. We are making progress though and Jeff has an interview December 8th in Great Falls. They said they have one vacancy now but are hoping (if money gets approved and sent from the Fed's) to hire eight people next year. Yeah! There are only 15 people interviewing so that helps us realize that Jeff is improving on his desirable qualities and being recognized for his skills as a Firefighter. We know that moving here was needed and inspired from the Lord and that timing was important too. Patience and faith are two things that we have, and probably will continue, a lot of experience in. Thank you to all of you who have been so encouraging and supportive in all of the different ways. Well keep you posted!

That last post is now voided

2010-11-10T13:45:00.000-08:00

We have tons going on now! For those of you who aren't in the immediate circle of family or noticed my Facebook postings here is an update for you of what has happened in the last two and a half weeks.
Jeff now has a job as a security/emt officer in St. Patrick's hospital in Missoula, Montana and we moved! Jeff got a call a couple weeks ago about a possible job lead from a family friend that was injured and referred Jeff to be his temporary replacement. I guess they take those suggestions and recommendations seriously b/c they offered him a job ASAP, after a few drug tests and phone chats. The position is temporary until January and we'll see what happens after that, but we've been told that other job opportunities will become available in January at the hospital as well.
No sooner had Jeff gotten here that he found, tested, and signed up for a local Paramedic night course. So, Monday and Thursday evenings he goes to class and Friday, Saturday, Sunday nights he goes to work at the hospital. Not too shabby, eh? The course is finished in May, but then clinical and hours will need to be done along with the State and National tests. We are super excited for this progress in attaining Jeff's goal of being a Firefighter.
Wow! It really was a whirl-wind of moving and packing for about a week and a half, but we are here in Montana and doing fine.

With all of this craziness, the boys and I had a day or two to chill and gather up the last things in Vancouver before heading over to Montana. With the help of Jeff's mom Kathy, we had all of the information we needed and contacts to get Calder in kindergarten with only two days missed! We didn't want to get too out of routine with the kids so the boys and I stayed behind to make the transition easier. Calder likes his new class and is making friend fast, but still pretty shy in large gathering situations. He is #14 in his class and gets to go FULL day instead of half like before. He was excited to be able to eat at school and have recess two times a day. He doesn't ride the bus here b/c he would be on it for an entire hour in the morning before school started, so we just drive him the whole 1 mile it is to school and pick him up in the afternoon. The school here is really small and the HS, MS, and Elementary are all in the same campus.
On another side note, Jeff has another interview for a Firefighter position next week in Butte, MT that we just confirmed this morning. I guess some things are stalled in the address change b/c they called to see if Jeff got his letter. Thank goodness that message was relayed in time!
Well that's all I will post for now. I'll add some pictures of a few other things that have happened lately that I didn't get to b/c of the craziness.

What is up with us?

2010-10-24T20:42:00.000-07:00

Well not much, sadly. So here are some photos of what HAS been going on.

Whatcha gonna do in a little canoe...

2010-09-11T22:33:00.000-07:00

Clark County Fair 2010

2010-09-01T13:09:00.000-07:00

Yeee-haw! It was a great year at the fair this year, short and sweet. We only went once this year and part of that was b/c it was so hot! Yes, it does stop raining and gets above 85 degrees here in Vancouver contrary to what Jeff may say. We were glad to have Bethany, John and Max with us this year to enjoy this tradition. Here are some photos of the different things we did and saw and had a fun time.

This was the really cool reptiles and amphibians exhibit. There were more creepy crawly critters but I didn't want to gross anyone out (my mom) with all the photos. Calder & Phaelen thoroughly enjoyed it. I can tell that some of these creatures will be in the Johnson home someday, and I don't mind a bit.

Dock Dogs are so fun to watch, but even more fun to photograph! The only problem is that it makes me want a dog even more badly and Phaelen kept wanting to pet all of them and go swimming too.

What's a fair without some tractors? The boys (big ones included) always enjoy sitting and pretending with all of the John Deer tractors and vehicles they bring out every year.

Yeah pony rides! Although it cost $6 a kid, they were on there quite a while and had a super fun time. They were both sad when it was over and if we didn't have another fun thing to do after this, I'm sure they would have gone again.

Petting zoo's are always a great attraction at a fair for all ages. Jeff wants one of these llamas if not a few. Although the hair on that llama looks dingy and dirty, it was super soft! Phaelen loves animals and remembers to treat them respectfully, which is usually rewarded with access to petting and wet noses, which he giggles in delight from.

Yes this is a bunny costume contest. I couldn't believe how well behaved these fuzzy little bunnies were! It was hilarious so say the least.

The boys had a lot of fun and we hope that they will always enjoy this annual tradition wherever we may live. Oh, we also went to the Tuff Trucks competition, but I was too preoccupied to take photos. That is one red-neck event that I will never turn down!

Phaelen's 2nd Birthday!

2010-09-01T12:41:00.000-07:00

Happy 2nd Birthday silly boy! We can't believe Phaelen is already two years old. This year hasn't gone by quickly, so we don't expect our baby to be so BIG! It is hard to keep up with him nowadays and he tries his hardest to keep up with Calder, so we are all running around like crazy! Here are a few photos of some of the celebrations.

Summertime

2010-08-09T16:06:00.000-07:00

Wow! I can't believe I haven't posted in so long. We have been pretty busy since our last post, but sadly not as busy as we want to be. Nothing on jobs yet, but still a lot of prospects. I am taking a photography class now and am really enjoying it, although struggle getting back into the groove after two weeks off and then missing the first week because of Girls Camp.
So yeah I went to Girls Camp as the Camp Director for our ward, which is the same ward I was born and raised in. I served with some new people but the YW President is someone who was around when I was a young woman and that was kind of fun to learn from her how camp is run and what we do as leaders before, during, and after camp. (Which is a lot more than I ever thought!) Our week at Girls Camp was crazy and fun. It was packed full of good times, but also of some crisis. I'll explain:
Monday: Most adult leaders, YCL's (16/17 y/o), and 4th years (15 y/o) head up to camp in various trucks, vans, suvs, and two large buses with trailers following suit. 20 minutes to our destination (almost to Yakima on Hwy.12) the main Uhaul with nearly all the girl's stuff, 80% of our food, and lots of other things needed for camp, CATCHES FIRE! No joke. The engine catches fire and the driver (luckily a fit adult man) has to jump out while it is moving along the highway b/c nothing mechanically is responding. There was a ton of damage and a lot of girls lost everything they packed for camp and the blaze was so bad that it melted through the metal into the trailer! Everyone on the buses who had things in the Uhaul turn around and go back to Vancouver to claim and salvage anything they can and replace everything in less than 24 hours. Those of us (including myself), who drove up in separate vehicles and have our thing with us just do what we can up at camp and chill the rest of the day.
Tuesday: Everyone (adult leaders and the rest of the girls 12-17 y/o) comes up a little later than originally scheduled and the weather is nice, people are doing pretty well considering what happened. We set up the rest of camp and go along our merry way.
Wednesday: Everything is back on schedule, we still have some trucks coming up to deliver last minute food replacements, and all is well. People are having fun, swimming in the lake, doing crafts, certifying for their levels, writing in their journals, BB guns, archery, humanitarian aid projects, la-de-daw, sunshine, fun times, etc. Wait what was that? Thunder? Lightening? Dark clouds barreling in above us? Crap! Get everyone out of the lake fast! Get under some shelter! It starts hailing and raining. Actually it was more than rain. It was a flash flood! Everyone get into the main lodge, leave your belongings the lightening and thunder is deathly loud right above our head. (I flash back to when I was about 13 and my whole soccer team got struck by lightening through a field light post) Stay low, grab a jacket, my new camera and my day pack. 5 hours later all my stuff is dripping wet, even though it was in a tent with a rain fly on top of a tarp. Many more people report that everything is wet. We cram as many people from each ward group into the platform tents and disperse out necessary bedding and clothing and everyone else is on the floor in the main lodge for the night.
Thursday: It's still kind of rainy in the morning but by lunch it is warm and humid. We tie rope to as many trees as possible and put wet things out to dry. For those of us who had the worst of the flooding in our campsites we got our super wet things together and two adult leaders (from our ward :p) took things in garbage bags to a laundromat in Yakima and returned just in time for bed. I sleep in the lodge with a few other girls who still don't have a shelter/tent to sleep in down at our campsite, it was fun.
Friday: Everyone is happy again. Activities are back on schedule. Yeah! Ew...what's that huge puddle from? Because of the torrential rain, the septic tank overflows and it starts seeping up from the ground in one of the ward groups campsite. No using the bathrooms or showers for today! A truck load of wood chips and gravel fix the standing sewage water and some time allow the water pressure to resume to normal and things are good again. Phew! That evening the bishops from each ward comes and we have a good time sharing our testimonies about camp, our families, our lives, and mostly about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Our bishop brought us a treat of Cinnabons and milk. Yes milk! We had milk only one other time the entire time at camp and I think I drank about 32 oz. that night. Yummy! Slept in the lodge again b/c of hearing of a chance of rain and not wanting to wake up wet.
Saturday: Everyone wakes up, quick breakfast and more milk! Ahhhhh. Clean up camp, pack our things, load up the trucks, have a farewell ceremony, and go home! Yeah!
Crazy fun! No really, it was a lot of fun besides the craziness. I learned so much about myself, about camp, and about the girls. It's a little nerve wracking to see these young women go through their teenage years. It's a very formative time of who you are and what you want to be. It all depends on your choices.

Well, I need to get crackin' on my homework. Here are some photos of the adventures we've been having.

Preschool graduation

2010-06-13T22:29:00.000-07:00

Yeah for Calder! We were very proud of Calder this year for being such a trooper in all that has happened in his life so far. For those of you who didn't know, Calder started out at a preschool across town (1) that wasn't very long and teachers who were prickle rs about being on-time/late a few minutes 3 days a week, and then went to another one that was really close (2) but that only lasted about two weeks before we suspected lack of teaching going on and costs up the wazoo, before reaching a happy closer but only 2 days a week preschool (3) that he started in January and finished this month. He even did really well on his end of the year assessment his teachers did for each of the kids to see how ready they were for kindergarten.
Calder also had a large crowd to cheer him on during his ceremony. Of course Mom (Jo), Dad (Jeff) and little brother (Phaelen) were there to support. Special thanks to Grandma B, Grandpa Don, Aunt Lisa and cousin Abby for coming as well. I only wish we could have prevented the mix ups and changes during September through December. Part of our prayers for finding a job is to have it happen before Calder starts school in the fall to help him have a consistent school-year/schedule. Never hurts to ask.

It's been a while...

2010-05-05T12:39:00.000-07:00

Hello to all who read our family blog. I know it has been quite some time since we have posted anything new, but life is busy. This is Calder's last month of preschool and he just got his "progress report" from his teacher. There were a few areas in which needed improvement, but considering he only joined this class in January did pretty well. I know that we need to have a little "summer school" so that he will be ready to go to kindergarten in the fall - if he goes. I am a little unsure about that. His birthday is during the summer and so he will be either young in his class, or old. I was one of those young ones for my class, but I didn't mind all that much. Do you have a preference?

On another note, life has been busy. Busy is good but doesn't necessarily mean progressing. Does that make sense? Jeff has been testing and applying for fire fighter jobs a lot lately and has made progress in only one of those. He is on a list, which is our first, but it has been a year since he graduated and we are feeling a bit down. The economy sucks. So that makes things even harder because cities and departments are trying to cut costs and either not hiring (but still required to go through the process of testing, interviewing, and making lists) or letting people go. There are jobs out there, but applying and getting there are hard when you don't have much moola for application fees, transportation, time off work, plus lodging. We have been blessed and lucky at times with some or all of those things and are grateful for all of the people who have helped us out! Don't get me wrong, we won't give up and we know God has helped us out, but it's depressing. We are comforted in knowing that we aren't the only ones struggling and have a good support system. I just hope this enduring to the end won't make us bitter and cynical and we will be happy and grateful when the magic moment comes when Jeff has a badge. *sigh and looking off into the distance*

On a lighter note. We do have some adventures planned for the summer and we will be sure to post as many pictures as possible!

LEGOS

2010-04-03T21:34:00.001-07:00

Wow, I think Calder likes to play with legos. I know it is fun, but I never really got into legos all that much growing up. I thought that it was fun for a while, but had more fun playing with them once completed (or after my brothers completed them). Jeff loved legos. In fact the legos Calder is playing with are Jeff's old ones. We have added maybe two new sets, but they aren't very complicated and stand out from the "crowd". There have been many more lego masterpieces than what is being shown here, but I'm not the most camera happy Mom. Any ways, I hope you all are still taking a little bit of time every now and then to do something you really enjoy that brings you back to your childhood. It is refreshing and reminds you to not freak out and be serious all the time like some old crabby fart adult. Have some fun!

New things with 2010

2010-03-16T11:57:00.001-07:00

Sorry I haven't posted anything in a super long time! We have been a little busy and distracted lately. There have been some new things around our house lately that I will show you in photos.

Phaelen got a new bed that matches Calder's and the changing table/shelf from Ikea. The old crib was on its last leg and was slightly broken but usable with the help of some books underneath it. Remember that massive recall of cribs a while ago? Turns out ours was one of them and it just gave me more than an excuse to get rid of it.

My boys are growing a lot lately! Since living here in Washington, rain is something we deal with on a regular basis. Phaelen was wearing Calder's old rain coat that was 12 month sized and frog rain boots size 5; he grew out of both pretty quick. So we drove all the way to the Troutdale outlet malls to Osh Kosh and got him a new coat (size 24 month) and boots (size 6). I realized that Calder had been wearing his rain coat for a long time too and so I checked the tag. "3 T! Holy cow, we have to get another coat." So back to the Osh Kosh store and of course Calder wanted a matching one. Oh, let's not overlook the fact that both rain coats are "firefighter" themed; which is a regular staple/fashion in our household.

My boys have pretty easy hair. Meaning it lays however it wants but looks fine. I convinced Jeff that the boys should get their hair cut at a store and not by him and our handy buzzers (plus we had some coupons). Calder wanted a certain style and so we found some pictures he liked. The results were pretty nice if you ask me.

Family shots

2010-01-15T22:54:00.001-08:00

All dressed up and ready for church and 2010!

Portland Children's Museum

Christmas Eve before bed

Christmas Eve kabobs

Family visits for Christmas

2010-01-12T11:19:00.000-08:00

This was our Christmas feast with the GKBarnums, Adairs and Johnsons all together at Grandma B's house. We had a lot of yummy food that everyone devoured. As you can tell from the picture above, the tree oldest kids are wearing their Super Shirts. My mom made some of these shirts 3 years ago but felt an update was needed. So they get the super letter of the first letter in their names. Even the 3 younger boys got super shirts. So there's a J, 2 C's, an R, P, and M. We will see how many other letters are going to be used in the years to come. We know there will be at least one more because G&K Barnum family are due to have another baby near the end of June 2010! It is so mind blowing that there are so many little people coming into our family. It is so much fun!

Oh Christmas tree, Oh Christmas tree

2010-01-12T10:58:00.001-08:00

This was our trip to get our first REAL Christmas tree. Growing up we always had a real tree but ever since Jeff & I got married we never got one, until now. It was fun to go the place my mom has gone for nearly the last 10 years. I remember coming here in high school with my lab Bailey and he would go crazy sniffing every thing!
We had a fun time getting a tree and decorating it from about 2 feet up - you'll understand this method of decorating when you have small children. Luckily the tree only got tipped over once and we didn't put too many delicate ornaments on. The boys loved the lights and when we first plugged it in there was a lot of excitement with screaming and jumping and "Oooo"s and "wow"s. They must get that enthusiasm from their Dad.
There weren't any presents under the tree this year until Christmas Eve evening and then it was overflowing. You can't see it in the picture but there are presents nearly all the way around the tree. One of my favorite wrapping paper this year was some my sister bought for our family. It was John Deere Christmas paper. Thank you to all of the relatives who sent presents for the boys as well. They love every single thing they got and we even gave away old toys before Christmas to make room for the new ones. I think this may become a tradition in our house, it helps de-clutter the toy box and shelves.

Handy men working hard!

2009-12-29T22:35:00.000-08:00

Earlier this month, we replaced the faucet in the front bathroom at my mom's house. It was fun to do and it is so much easier for Calder to do all by himself. It looks great and works great too!

Pirate ships

2009-12-29T22:19:00.000-08:00

This is on the Columbia River with a ship from Pirates of the Caribbean movie. This was at the beginning of December and we went with some friends, who so graciously took our picture. It wasn't as cool as we expected because they had just let the last group on board (teenagers and adults) and said they wouldn't have anymore until the next day. Let's just say we let our disappointed kids express their feelings of sadness as loud as they could.

Trick or Treat!

2009-11-08T18:12:00.000-08:00

Here's our brave knight.
A witch must have put a spell on him because all he could say all night was "meow, meow".

Here's our little dragon.
And the enchanted sword off to the bottom that couldn't defeat him.

Well here are the boys dressed up for Halloween! We were going to all dress up as Monster's vs. Aliens but due to sewing machine malfunctions it wasn't possible this year. Jeff did dress up in his HAZMAT suit but somehow we didn't get a picture of that. I am sure I will get some better pictures of Halloween from some friends we went with. We had a "trunk or treat" in our church parking lot and we went to one family friend's house on the way home, and that was plenty for our boys. We had one group of about 5 or 6 kids show up at the house around 8pm but that was it! Needless to say they got HUGE handfuls of candy from our bowl. Phaelen knows what candy is and points and grabs for it when he wants some. Calder asks for candy for all of his snacks, but only gets some after he has something healthy. We also went to a little carnival that our church put on with fun stuff for the kids to do and win prizes and went to a chili cook-off at my dad's church the weekend before Halloween. It was a lot of fun and we are still eating our candy, but I don't think it will last until Thanksgiving.

Update!

2009-10-25T17:11:00.000-07:00

Well the Johnsons are still plugging away at applications, testings and traveling in search of firefighting jobs for Jeff. We got pretty close in Jerome, ID but no luck. We were really disappointed to say the least and hope that we find something that fits just right and soon. So, here is an update on each of us in the pack.
Jeff is an official volunteer for East County Fire & Rescue and works part to full time (depending on holidays) at an events rental supply company. Jeff is also the Sunday School Secretary, which is quite a task because they haven't had one in 3 years. Jo is in school again working hard at getting her degree as a graphic designer plus staying home with the boys. She is also the Primary Secretary and the YW's coach (volleyball & basketball) at church.
Calder is enjoying learning, and was in a preschool last month and did really well. We are in the process of switching schools so he hasn't gone this month which has been sad. Calder likes writing numbers more than letters and loves learning things about animals and science. He also likes music and regularly sings along to songs on the radio. But don't single him out or expect a performance because he gets shy.
Phaelen is enjoying growing up and embracing big boy things like a new car seat, whole milk, sippy cups, lots of food, lots of teeth, shoes, climbing, jumping, running, and all time favorite of screaming.
We are excited for the holidays to come this year but also wish for a job to get us back on our own feet! Thanks for everyone's support and love in this hard process. We know a lot of people are out of jobs and we are blessed to have the option of living with family until we find something better.
Keep checking back to our blog for pictures of Halloween costumes and other fall festivities!

It's here!

2009-09-30T10:32:00.000-07:00

I have started my creative blog people. Thanks to all and hope you all enjoy it. But remember I can't do it all alone, so participants will be needed.

My first assignment is from myself and will be a customized masthead, aka title.

http://creativejojohnson.blogspot.com/

Creative inspiration? YES PLEASE!

2009-09-18T19:06:00.000-07:00

(note: I didn't draw the above picture)

To all of my lovely family & friends who read our family blog...

I think I am going to start my own blog, but only on the conditions of help from all of YOU. Yes, this blog will require participation which in turn will become my inspiration. I need to develop and exercise my artistic abilities. I feel it in my bones and it aches! Not only will this help myself but all of you as well. This is how I think it will work:

1. I make my blog

2. I post a theme or general idea

3. You comment and give specific requests related to that theme or idea

4. I pick one or more and create it

5. I post my completed project for all to see

and then the steps 2-5 cycle through again.

So? What do you think? Let me know and we'll see what unfolds.

Happy 1st Birthday Phaelen!

2009-09-13T20:19:00.000-07:00

Well this is nearly a month late, but oh well. Phaelen's 1st birthday was spread out, but not in the same way Calder's was. We never really had a "sit-down" celebration, it was kind of disbursed throughout a few days. You know how schedules can be with kids...it was too late, not everyone was home, we didn't have any presents yet, we had to make the cake, etc. So we finally just did what we could when we could. Luckily, family was a little more insistant on the whole celebration thing and Phaelen had two "candle ceremonies" and a handful of presents. Thanks to all who contributed and planned better than we did! Seriously we were lucky to catch some photos.

Summer time fun

2009-09-03T13:36:00.000-07:00

Here are some cute pictures from the summer so far. If you haven't experienced the crazy Johnson family in real life - at least you can get a glimpse through the pictures on our blog. Sorry it's been over a month!

Dancing

2009-08-01T14:16:00.000-07:00

This one is from yesterday, or the day before, any ways he likes to "dance" and make noise while doing it. This is really interesting to me because Calder did the same exact thing but did it at the same time he learned to walk. We used to say he was "revving" his engine and peeling out before he could walk forward. I'll have to do a comparison when we get Jeff's computer up and running and I can find the files with Calder's photos and video.

Phaelen walking!

2009-06-25T17:07:00.000-07:00

Here it is...he just keeps getting better! We will post more pictures later of other recent events.

More Boise fun pictures

2009-06-17T13:18:00.001-07:00

Calder loves his "green" aka mint ice cream! No chocolate chips though.

Funny picture of Uncle Brian, Calder and Jo waiting for their ice cream after playing/watching baseball in Boise on Saturday. Those present but not visible: Aunt April, Grandma B, Uncle John, Aunt Bethany, baby Max and Phaelen.

Trip to Boise, ID

2009-06-11T22:25:00.001-07:00

Here is a picture of the "Barnum" family that was able to make it to Boise for Max's blessing at church. The weather was nice and though the trip was long and tiresome, MomB, the boys and I made it there and back. The boys and I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with family and having fun together too, most of the time. If you ever think that Calder doesn't talk, just stick him in a car and he won't stop talking or making noise until you turn the engine off! The previous week had been difficult for all of us with Jeff gone in Montana and Idaho, but hopefully it will get him closer to getting a firefighting job. We are just glad to have been able to make such a trip and show our love and support for Bethany, John and Max!

Jeff graduated!

2009-05-02T11:33:00.000-07:00

Jeff is on the bottom row and second to the right.

Above: Here is the plaque. I didn't even see it put together until the ceremony. Hopefully Kathy & Dann got a few better pictures, but here is what came out on our camera.
Below: Jeff about to shake the hand of his main instructor Professor Milne. He was walking really fast so he is blurry, but I had 2 kids to wrestle. Calder kept asking "where is daddy?" really loudly and standing up on the chair.

CONGRATULATIONS JEFF!

EASTER!

2009-04-20T09:13:00.001-07:00

Don't the boys look nice all matching? Lots of people at church remarked at how nice they all looked. We even got Calder to wear his clip-on tie so he matched Dad and Phaelen. He still doesn't trust me to put it on since I pinched him once or twice like 2 years ago putting one on him. I am going to get those zipper ties ones or real ones before we leave Utah.

The boys enjoyed their Easter goodies. I ran in the house after we got home from church to set it all up and Calder was super excited, like usual. I love how excited he gets (because you know he doesn't get that trait from me). Phaelen didn't get any candy but he got some new tasty baby snacks and a fun chewable book. Calder got some new paint, an egg he picked out a few days before with Car movie stickers inside and jelly beans, plus a crazy fast bunny tricycle jelly bean toy (Thanks Grandma Kathy for sending those). And of course we all got the traditional Reese's carrots we all love but are getting harder and harder to find every year. Maybe we'll just "make" our own next year.
Dessert was our family's assigned contribution to the Barnum-Barnum-Johnson Easter meal. This was my 4 layer masterpiece that quickly slumped over and was put into a deep clear bowl and then served. I was so upset, but another lesson learned with my "masterpiece" cakes attempt. It was two cake mixes, white and chocolate, with vanilla pudding mixed in to make it more sponge-y and then some vanilla pudding/whipped cream filler and lime juice sugared sliced strawberries. I even froze it in intervals but I guess not enough because it "melted" and fell over in the last stages of assembly. It was super good still! We had tons of fun at Garrett & Kricket's and thanks for the extra toys and candy Brian & April. We love spending time with you guys!

Utah Fire & Rescue Academy Class 52

2009-04-11T21:34:00.000-07:00

This is Jeff's Fire Academy class (#52) and I will be designing a plaque to honor their training to become official fire fighters. I can say that before graduation because they took their state Firefighter 1 & 2 tests today and everyone passed! Whoooo! Go team! Now for the rest of the month they train and test on hazardous materials until the end of the month. Jeff's good friend Jake took a bunch of pictures and I think this is one of the best. Wish us luck in the coming months for Jeff to get a job. I am so proud of my wonderful and "hot" husband.

Camping!

2009-03-20T09:05:00.001-07:00

Yes, we went camping. The weather here has been amazing that last few days and so we went out to the "desert" where Jeff used to work with troubled youth. We also had one of Jeff's Academy buddies come with his 3 boys and their four wheelers. It was a lot of fun and Phaelen did really well camping. This photo was right before we left. He escaped the blanket and took a crawl in the dirt. Yummy.

This was before the escape. Jeff set up this photo of Phalen's first "rock climbing" experience.

Me cooking oatmeal on our little stove with Calder playing in the dirt and Phaelen chewing on some water bottles. Who needs toys?

A really cute photo that was the best we could get of the boys smiling and looking up at the same time. Calder has such a fun time playing with the other boys. They thought he was pretty funny too. Oh, that is a teething biscuit in front of Phaelen. I didn't let him chew on rock, sticks or dirt... for the most part.
AND Jeff took the photos, except when he was holding Phaelen.

What Phaelen has been up to....a lot

2009-03-20T08:29:00.000-07:00

Well here are his bottom two teeth, at 6 months. And the slobbery wet shirt that goes along with that lovely event of teething. He now, at 7 months, has his top two front teeth but it is really hard to get them in a photo. He loves brushing (aka chewing on his tooth brush) his teeth too. Oh and along with the teeth he gets to eat lots of food too! He likes: sweet potatoes, peas, butternut squash, regular mashed/baked potatoes, green beans, teething biscuits, and our home made apple sauce. He doesn't do well with carrots, bananas, or pears. Too much acid or vitamin C?

Here he is crawling/scooting for the first time and being successful, at 7 months. I don't think I'll ever get a break from these boys moving around! This was about 3 weeks ago. Note: this was at 6am so we are whispering so Calder doesn't wake up.

Here is one about 1 1/2 weeks ago. He is making progress fast!

So this is a photo of his sitting up, and then going to crawl mode/stance. He doesn't sit still for very long...just my luck.

And here is climbing. He wasn't fully satisfied just crawling, he wants better access and a better view of the world around him.

Now here is some more climbing, but the added new of these cool diapers we found! They are called "g diapers" and it's like a mix between cloth and disposable. It is basically an outer "cloth" diaper with Velcro tabs. Then a water proof snap-in liner with elastic around the edges to make them more leak proof. Then you put an insert in that is... flushable! Yes that is correct. You can flush it, compost it, or just throw it away. They biodegrade in 50-150 days! Not 500 years like regular disposable diapers. And you don't have to wash stinky cloth diapers in your washer or by hand. Google it and you can understand more if you like.

Here is the latest on Phaelen's speed and cute chubby smile!

The 6th photo in the 6th folder in the 6th folder

2009-03-02T15:58:00.000-08:00

Ok, so this photo is of my cute Dad at our wedding reception in Montana with his huge ancient video camera. Doesn't he have an awesome smile! This photo really catches his personality too. Thanks to our wonderful photographer lady for that reception, she really caught a lot of good pictures that day.

Thanks April! I had to do this because we have so many pictures on our computer I had absolutely no idea what was going to come up and thankfully it isn't anything embarrassing. You know something like me ultra pregnant, or a dumb picture of an old apartment, etc. With our family being sick and all I have had a lot of "down/quiet" time in the last few days. Which is nice for both napping and doing things that I don't usually have a lot of time to do that I enjoy, like blogging!

Jam session, take 2

2009-02-15T16:31:00.000-08:00

Phaelen is much more accomplished than any of us thought! Well, it helps that he can sit up for a long time now too. He is almost crawling as well...I am afraid.

Attack of the Phaelen!

2009-02-15T16:24:00.000-08:00

Ahhhh! Run for your lives! It's Phaelen the sea creature devourer! Global warming isn't why the sea creatures are dying...it's a teething monster baby who's eating them all! He especially likes squid! Swim away creature of the sea! Swim away!
Yes that is correct. Phaelen is getting another tooth, on the top this time. Oh and just in case anyone took this seriously, he doesn't really eat sea creatures.

The club

2009-02-01T13:02:00.001-08:00

Ok, I know that I pretty much raced ahead of the pack and got a head start on getting married and having kids, but that is just how it worked out. Nobody knows what the Lord has in store for each one of us, especially ourselves. So, why am I still the only one with a kid, well two kids? I mean I know it is a big step to make and a very personal one at that, but come on! I'm getting lonely!
Join the club.
Jump on the wagon.
Catch the wave.
Mix with the young parent posse.
I am starting to feel a bit left out.
Come on...you know you want to. ;)

Cereal for Phaelen!

2009-01-16T11:14:00.002-08:00

I know, I can't believe it either. He can't even sit up by himself but he has been trying to eat every one's food lately and Jeff gave him some of our home-made canned applesauce and he ate it, so why not? The doctor said we could and he seemed ready so we tried and he likes it! Given he only gets about a tablespoon down but he loves sitting with us at the table in his own seat and eating just like us. Wow, I was told the second child would do things sooner because of the older sibling doing them but this is going so quickly! Hopefully we will get a good shot of his two tiny bottom teeth soon too.
Oh, and just ignore Calder crying in the background. He was being quite mean to all of us because he was jealous of Phaelen getting attention instead of him. Although he was being a pain we still love him just as much as Phaelen!

Slingin' It

2009-01-16T11:14:00.001-08:00

Boys in Blue

2009-01-16T11:12:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning

2009-01-16T10:40:00.000-08:00

Johanna's new hair

2009-01-16T10:31:00.000-08:00

Well, I did it again! I changed my hair at the beginning of the month and haven't posted a picture yet, so I took a video instead because it is built into my computer already and it was a lot easier than getting a good shot with the camera by myself. So, thanks to my awesome hair stylist Celeste Eaton (April's sister) I have another new do to add to my list and inspiration for the future!

Phaelen rolls over

2009-01-04T22:10:00.001-08:00

I should have posted this about 2-3 weeks ago, but the same week that Phaelen popped his first tooth he also rolled over! By now he is a professional and can go both directions and roll multiple times in a row. Thankfully for big brother Calder he usually doesn't go across the room, but just so that he can see what Calder is doing. Calder is such a great help and trades Phaelen toys too. This is usually because Phaelen is trying to eat something of Calder's but none the less Calder gets him his own toys to chew on and play with. Let's hope this replacement method is continued and accepted for a long time to come. We hope everyone had a great 2008 and look forward to 2009 as much as us!

Trip to the Johnsons

2008-12-20T21:34:00.000-08:00

Well our family took a trip this last week up to North Idaho and visited with the Johnson side of the family. It was really fun and the boys did really well flying on the airplane. We had a good time staying with Great Grandma J, especially when she makes Swedish pancakes every morning for breakfast.

Calder really enjoyed playing with Grandpa Gary's new puppy Sam and riding on the tractor. We also had fun helping out around the farm with the horses and buffalo. We even got to be there when a guy came up to shoot one.

Phaelen was really good, considering he also got his first tooth! 4 months old and already teething! Thankfully we had lots of family to help out and hold and distract him to ease the discomfort.We did get hit with the cold winter storm that hit just about everyone on the western US. It got down to 10 degrees one day! We also had the chance to visit our friends from Lewiston and go to church. It was nice to see everyone and had a wonderful time!

Recent pics of the boys

2008-11-19T08:45:00.001-08:00

Phaelen is 4 months old!

Calder loves watching his morning "watoons" aka cartoons

Jo got tagged

2008-11-19T07:39:00.000-08:00

8 Favorite shows:
1. Lipstick Jungle
2. 30 Rock
3. What not to wear
4. ANTM (surprising huh?)
5. Anything on Animal Planet
6. Chuck
7. Saturday Night Live
8. Clifford the Big Red Dog (hey I loved it when I was a kid and now Calder loves it too)

8 things I did yesterday:
1. had one of my visiting teachers come over
2. cleaned up the house
3. went shopping as a family for food, Christmas presents, 72 hour kit supplies, and undies
4. checked gmail account
5. made yummy layered enchiladas for dinner
6. got dressed
7. breastfed Phaelen x5
8. fell asleep listening to Jeff read "The Little Prince" at 8 pm sitting on the couch as a family

8 things I look forward to:
1. Thanksgiving with my family
2. sledding in the snow with family
3. going on vacation
4. Christmas
5. going on dates with Jeff
6. Jeff graduating from the fire academy at UVU
7. being thin and in shape again
8. My first paycheck on the 25th

8 Favorite Restaurants:
1. Little Italy (downtown Vancouver)
2. Tucanos Brazilian Grill
3. Applebee's
4. Outback Steakhouse
5. Old Spaghetti Factory
6. Kneader's Bakery
7. Goodwood BBQ
8. PF Chang's

8 things on my wish list:
1. Our own house (for me to paint and decorate & Jeff to design)
2. A dog, or two
3. For Jeff to get a firefighter job he enjoys
4. a sweet ultimate kitchen
5. a tall upright piano
6. a big yard with trees and a fence
7. finally learn how to snowboard
8. to have a COOL mommy mobile, like a new VW van or Honda Pilot or something

8 people I tag.....
Anyone who wants to be tagged! Especially those who are on my Friend's & Family blog list.

Halloween costumes

2008-10-28T21:11:00.001-07:00

Peter Pan cast (left to right): John, Tigerlily, Wendy, Crocodile, Peter, Captain Hook, Tinkerbell, and a dalmatian puppy (or Nana the nurse dog if you want to imagine).
The Johnson's (from left to right): Tinkerbell, pouty dalmatian puppy, lumberjack/axe murderer, jack in the box (without the box).

Sundance

2008-10-28T21:09:00.000-07:00

Just some pictures I thought you would all enjoy!

Cute boys

2008-10-12T20:13:00.001-07:00

Calder & Phaelen (2-3 weeks)

Calder & Phaelen (2 months)

Calder & Phaelen smiling

Millions of peaches, peaches for me, millions of peaches, peaches for free, LOOK OUT!

2008-10-12T20:05:00.000-07:00

He he he...I still love that song! So as you are going through the photos have this song go through your head too. It makes it more entertaining. So we canned around 70 pints of peaches and if we had gone faster we wouldn't have had to toss around 1/3 of the total peaches we gathered. Next up...APPLESAUCE!

It will come...

2008-10-10T20:43:00.000-07:00

Ok, I have been meaning to put up some new posts but our internet wasn't ever cooperating enough for me to post photos and that is what everyone wants anyways. So after getting a new internet provider (which is already done) and remembering to get the digital camera out of the car, I will post! But just not yet...sorry! I want to include some new photos of Phaelen and Calder so you will have to wait another day. I promise there will be at least two new posts by Sunday at the latest! Until then, I love you all my darlings! Wow I am tired and a bit crazy...

A new cousin!

2008-09-16T13:11:00.000-07:00

Ryder Dean Barnum, son of Garrett & Kricket Barnum, was born yesterday September 15th weighing in at 9 lbs. 8 oz. and 21 inches long! Yeah for the Barnums!
For those of you who aren't in on the "family loop" Garrett & Kricket decided to not find out what their baby's gender was at the 20 something week ultrasound so the news is double exciting because we not only didn't know a name, but the gender as well! So with this news I have realized, "Wow the odds aren't really in favor of girls in this family. What are we going to do?" Well to be honest nothing really can be done but I feel sorry for Jenna now being the only girl AND to have two sets of boys so close together. Calder and Cooper are about 3 months apart and Phaelen and Ryder are 1 month apart! This is quadrouple trouble in the future... somebody needs to move into a house with a big fenced in back yard to have our family gatherings at. I will volunteer our family galdly! But we need some time, a job, and money before that can happen.

Crazy kid

2008-09-08T13:03:00.001-07:00

Well I thought it was needed that I make a new post because the Labor Story is old news and I get tired of seeing so much text. So here is a funny treat that was inspired by my good friend Julia who posted a funny video. Hopefully it works...

The Labor Story

2008-08-26T08:38:00.000-07:00

Ok with multiple requests I am posting this. WARNING: THIS POST IS VERY LONG!
I think it started around August 2nd because I was having contractions like every other day for 3-4 hours straight with as little as 7 minutes apart and then they would just stop and/or I would fall asleep (insert fatigue and frustration here). This had happened a few times before and I had actually gone to the hospital the Saturday before to get monitored because I was worried about decreased fetal movements but everything was good and I was sent home. This was good then because Jeff was at work out in the field. I went in again on the 2nd of August to get monitored at the hospital but was sent home once again (insert stress here).
I will condense the next mass of information to make things go faster. So at my Dr. appointment on the 4th we started going through the options of what we could do to encourage this baby to come out and my body to progress. I was measuring at 40 weeks when I was only 39. I was dilated to almost 3 cm and not effaced but very soft.
Wednesday, the hospital where we were preregistered called us and told us our insurance wasn't accepted there because it was out of state. So that night we went to the other hospital down the street and preregistered there because that is where our insurance was accepted (insert panic and stress here). Lots more contractions throughout the week but none that get past uncomfortable and tight.
Monday the 11th, another Dr. appointment and I am still at 3 cm dilated but 50% effaced and measuring 41 weeks (still a week ahead). I decide to get my membranes stripped (you can look that up so I don't have to tell you) and schedule an inducement for the next day. We start to fill out paper work and I ask, "Now this is at the other hospital right? The hospital next door told us last week that they don't accept our insurance." A look of surprise and panic comes over the midwife's face and she tells us that they aren't allowed to deliver at the other hospital (insert major panic and stress here). So we get my medical records transferred to another midwife clinic that can deliver at the other hospital. We have another appointment with the new midwife clinic later that day to meet them, fill out some paper work, and get my membranes stripped again and scheduled an inducement for Thursday (insert stress and soreness here). My contractions basically stopped coming after that, even with some vigorous walking. Jeff and I were sad and frustrated to say the least at this point. Luckily, we fit in a little anniversary date that afternoon and went to Baskin Robbins while Calder stayed home with a babysitter.
Tuesday the 12th, we went into the Dr. that morning to get my membranes stripped again and thankfully the midwife told me that I was a 4+ cm dilated and 70% effaced and that I should be having this baby very soon, like within the next 48 hours.
Around 6 pm I started having more regular contractions and I didn't want dinner really, this is odd because I had been eating a lot lately. So, we start timing contractions. We called the babysitters, Brian and April. They were out with some friends at the BYU Creamery and we told them to be on "high alert" and to start heading home to get their overnight things to come to our house because we wanted to have this baby.I think we went on another walk but not very long because I had a few strong contractions and was afraid we wouldn't make it back to the house still walking so we headed back.
By about 7:30 pm I knew this was "it" and called the babysitters again telling them this was "it" and to come over. They didn't quite get the sense of urgency so we called again at about 8 pm telling them to hurry up because I was on my knees leaning over the couch through contractions that were only 5 minutes apart and increasing. So they hurried and got here about 8:30 pm and Jeff and I left promptly.
I know that it was like 85 degrees or so but I turned on the back heater on our car seats and oh man that felt good, even if I was sweaty. So we check into the labor/delivery before 9 pm and they start monitoring me and baby for a while we watched the Olympics on TV. I kind of watched, but it was nice to have the background noises of people cheering. I felt like they were cheering for me in my subconscious mind.
After an hour I hadn't made any "progress" so they were considering sending me home with some sleeping/pain pills. My midwife believed me, unlike the hospital staff (grrr), and kept me there and told me to go for a walk. We didn't make it very long before my contractions were really intense and I was really tired. We got back to the room and on the exercise ball I went. I love that thing even more!
The midwife checked me a while later and she was like, "Wow you have made a lot of progress! Thanks goodness we didn't send you home". So it was like 10 pm or so and things were moving quickly. Contractions went on (lots of breathing and focus involved here) while the annoying hospital staff now realized I didn't have much longer to go when they needed a bunch of papers signed and had Jeff sign them between my contractions when he wasn't holding me up. So this is where I really lose the actual timing of things because I had my eyes shut from here on out mostly and in my own little world of having a baby. Maybe Jeff could fill in some blanks but moving on.
Hard contractions started coming and I was told to get on the hospital bed from here on out. The midwife checked me and was surprised yet again to find me dilated to 8 cm and basically no cervix left and a "bulging bag of waters". Sorry to those of you this grosses out. She said that as soon as I needed to I could start pushing and maybe cause my water to break. It didn't.
Time and contractions continue... it is all kind of a blurr in my mind... I start needing to push. They put me in the "labor position", I will spare this description for the sake of innocent readers, and I start pushing. My water still doesn't break and the midwife asks me if I want her to do it so that things can move along. I think, "why is she asking me this, YES!". So she does and I don't really know exactly what happened after this just that it was a little relief having it done because I could tell the contractions were actually moving the baby now with my pushing instead of feeling stuck. So pushing...pushing...pushing and lots of breathing...people saying things to me about how good I am doing...blah blah blah...pushing...breathing...yeah here comes the head...wait that really really hurts...pushing...breathing...the head is out...keep pushing...breathing...and his shoulders are a little wedged...pushing...breathing...and the rest comes out and I feel like I am high on drugs. Which by the way I did this all without any.
The time is 1:13 am on Wednesday August 13, 2008.
Man that was like the biggest relief I have ever felt in my entire life! In fact that is something that I said right after he was out was "oh man I feel so much better", and "don't ask me to do that again for a long time" directed toward Jeff mostly. Yeah he is here! Jeff gets to cut the cord and they place him on my chest/belly and I immediately thought "Phaelen".
So that is it really! There you go. Hopefully none of you are totally traumatized by this. Know that I spared you the intense descriptions and you shouldn't ask unless you REALLY want to know and in which case you can call me on the phone because I don't want to post it.

Phaelen Robert Johnson

2008-08-17T10:54:00.001-07:00

Phaelen Robert Johnson
born August 13, 2008 at 1:13 am (MST)
weighed 7 lbs. 10 oz. and was 19.5 inches long
Phaelen is a wonderful eater, burps loudly, healthy boy, all around peaceful baby who is already observing his new life and surroundings.

Okay everyone that is the gist of things so far. The photo was taken by a company called Memories & Moments and you can go to their website for Phaelen here: http://www.utahportraits.com/hospital/index.php?action=view&BabyID=081308prj

If there are requests I will post "the labor story" but for now I will just post some pictures. Enjoy!

We are ready!

2008-07-23T10:43:00.001-07:00

Crib set up...check!
Bedding on...check!
Changing table up...check! (new spiffy one!)
Changing table stocked up with supplies...check!
Baby clothes out...check! (thanks to everyone who helped out with this one!)
Boy's bedroom re-arranged...check!
Baby swing out...check!
Infant car seat out and installed...check!
Hospital bags packed...check!
Scrabble and exercise ball...check!
Camera and extra batteries...check!
Labor plan and phone numbers ready...check!
Family and other back-up "helpers" notified and kept up to date...check!
Hospital tour...check!
The time is quick approaching for this second little boy to join our family and we are ready! Well at least physically with the necessary "things", we will see what else pops up as we go, because there is always something. Whew! I am ready to have this baby too! Jeff wants to take a belly shot of me and how huge it is. It's like you could just chop off my belly and there is a whole baby right there. The midwives that I go to think I will deliver before the 12th and so do we. We have decided that if it happened on a Wednesday, Saturday, or Sunday that would be good for our main helpers, Brian & April but the baby will come when he needs to come.
So here are the pictures of what we have been up to getting ready for this new baby and Calder's ultra cool new and personalized bookshelf that was his birthday present from me that I just finished.

CALDER IS 3 YEARS OLD!

2008-07-02T21:07:00.001-07:00

Yeah! Calder is officially 3 years old as of Tuesday July 1, 2008. We didn't have a special party for him but he has received birthday presents for quite a while leading up to his actual birthday. From Jeff & I he got a Tonka sticker work book and I am in the process of painting him a cute little bookshelf. Technically he got a new bed with mattress and sheets from Grandma Kathy & Grandpa Dann about a month ago. They also sent him a cute new summer soccer outfit and cool wood puzzle in the mail and couldn't wait a single day to open it, but insisted as soon as he opened it to try it on. Grandma B got him a bed tent for his new bed and new summer pj's that have Batman on them that he thinks is super cool. Grandpa Gary & Grandma Teresa got him a lego set that is Mack and his trailer with Lightening McQueen to go inside from the movie Cars that he has mastered taking apart and putting together basically by himself in one week.I think that is it so far? Sorry if I forgot anyone or anything...it's just been so spread out and so busy lately that everything kind of runs together in my mind. You know and being nearly a month away from having another little boy doesn't help my focus and memory either. Thank you everyone for loving Calder and making sure that he is as spoiled as a temporarily only child can be in our family.
Also we are going to the Barnum family reunion and a trip to good old Lewiston, ID so stay up to date with our blog and check out our adventures. Hopefully we will remember to take lots of photos and bring extra batteries!

Happy Father's Day!

2008-06-13T23:31:00.000-07:00

So this year we had a special celebration for Jeff early for Father's Day because he is working this week and will not be with us for the actual Father's Day on Sunday. I know it is sad, but it's for good reason. Jeff's sister Kellie is getting married on the 21st in Kansas City, Missouri and we didn't want to take work off for Jeff because of the impending arrival of baby#2 and medical bills in August. So, Calder & I made a special and appropriate (no food) package that Jeff will open on Sunday out in the field. It is of course hand made and involved a lot of white paper, black Sharpies and crayons. We also were planning on putting a photo of Calder & I in there too but typical Walmart customer service, their photo machine broke down earlier that day so we couldn't get the ONE photo developed we wanted in time to send off to Jeff. Arg! But since it is such a cute and impromptu photo I will post it here. (And no I didn't chop my hair off any more it is just pulled back)

Johanna's new hair cut

2008-06-01T23:03:00.001-07:00

Well, I knew it was way overdue to get a new haircut and style but I just couldn't make a decision by myself (not surprising I know). So with my consultant April and new favorite hair stylist Celeste (April's sister) I got a new do last Tuesday but have yet to get the correct product to make my styling last. My main motivation for this new and quite adventurous hair cut was in preparation of Kellie & Drew's wedding later this month that we are going to and being 7 months pregnant I wanted to feel and look as cute as possible. I don't think my hair has ever been this styled or short probably since before kindergarten! My pony tail is like an inch long if I really slick it back but it doesn't really get in the way any ways because it is so short. So, I am still learning on how to style it and make it stay that way for more than 2-3 hours but I figured I have enough practice time until before the wedding to get good at it. My mom also requested that I take a picture because she can look at it now because she really does have high speed Internet now. So here you go Mom!Please note that I just took these photos with the web cam and it is past 12:00, so my hair is flat and I am tired.

2008-05-21T07:47:00.000-07:00

Well we had our first camping experience in Moab, Utah about two weeks ago. We actually got to go with some friends sans our wee little children. It was fun even though it was a little delayed because of babysitters and different circumstances, but we got there and had a good time. The weather was really nice, warm but a nice breeze most of the time. We even got some rain to cool things down during the night. We didn't get to go everywhere because everything is just so big and spread out, but that means we will just have to go back another time. We did a lot of hiking in two days, especially for me being 6 months pregnant and difficult to climb some things. Thank goodness my big strong husband was there to help me out when I needed it. We even drove around the town Moab and went to their visitor's center where Jeff bought some nice maps for the next time we go. I was so surprised that everything was huge there. I mean HUGE! I could totally see dinosaurs fitting right in walking around out there. We had a great time and hope to visit as many of the neat spots that Utah has to offer.

2008-05-04T15:23:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Well if you skipped reading this and looked at the ultrasound pictures first hopefully you can tell that the bottom right one tell you that we are having a boy! We were a little disappointed because everyone thought that it was going to be a girl, but we don't mind. Calder and this second boy will have so much fun together growing up! Plus now I don't have to get a ton of more baby clothes and "stuff" that is more girl focused. I am a little relieved because now I don't have to be bombarded by pink at a baby shower. So, we are also expecting closer to August 26th than the 12th. We will see though...
Oh, and any cool unique but not off the wall names are always accepted consideration. We would like to avoid "J"'s though, unless it's really good. Our names we have picked out and both agree on are as follows: Owen, Phaelen, and Pruitt. We are still looking and have plenty of time to decide.

Our trip to southern California

2008-04-23T16:14:00.001-07:00

Our trip to California took quite a chunk out of our Jeff-less 2 weeks! We enjoyed it thoroughly! Thanks to Julia & Chris for their hospitality and friendship for making such a trip so much more fun. We even had a reasonably good time traveling, well it wasn't torture and Calder did very well considering we drove for two days in a row for a little more than 5 hours each day there and back. We had fun staying at Larry & Mary Barnum's house in Logandale, NV and visiting with (Great) Grandpa Barnum on both our way to and from California. We wish we could have had a little more time or at least more organized/planned because we didn't get to see as many people as we wanted to. Sorry to Sasha, Lance and Heidi. Next time we will make sure to plan farther in advance. Most of the pictures are from the San Diego Zoo which we pretty much covered in one long day (I think like 5 hours). Enjoy the photos! There's nothing like a Saturday afternoon at the beach.

There are supposed to be camels behind us, guess they moved.

Calder really liked the warthog as well. Wow, I look pregnant.

The boars were going crazy running around and Calder liked them a lot.

2008-04-19T10:45:00.000-07:00

Hello from California! Sorry everyone to disappoint you but I brought the wrong cable for my digital camera so I can't download photos until we get home next week. We have had lots of fun so far and look forward to continuing doing so until next Tuesday when we leave again. I will tell more later after some more exciting things have happened and I have cool photos to share. Love, Johanna & Calder

Easter

2008-03-31T15:54:00.000-07:00

So my sister in-law April made a post about her jelly bean trail and I forgot I hadn't posted any pictures of our Easter morning and our own jelly bean trail. Although the jelly beans aren't as enticing to our little family it may need to be converted from jelly beans to something else, like M&Ms or something.
We aren't that big on candy in our house either so there were a few things that weren't really a "traditional" basket filler. I got some new nail polish (thanks to Calder for picking out a pink one) and some new white church shoes, Jeff got a sweet topographic/trail map of the surrounding areas of Provo and a new book on summer camping/hiking, and Calder got a bucket, some extra special candy, a cheap wind up chicken and some new water color paints and brushes. We also got something that wasn't introduced to my childhood Easter basket until later but is a must have every year! The Reese's Pieces baggies that are filled to be shaped like carrots! Oh those are so good! I hardly got to eat mine because Jeff kept opening them for Calder and himself! I thought my candy guarding days were over after getting married, but I guess not.

Drawing class

2008-03-12T22:58:00.000-07:00

My most recent assignment was a portrait from a photo so I did my most common and photographed subject, Calder. A little off, but improvement comes with practice.

2008-03-05T07:51:00.001-08:00

Greetings everyone! This photo was taken the day or two before we moved from Lewiston under a blanket fort in our empty living room. I just thought it was a good picture of both Jeff and Calder with big smiles on. All is going fairly well here. A bit crazy but good none the less. We finally have nice couches! I will include more pictures below. We actually bought new couches during the President's Day weekend so things were on sale and we bargained too. So we got a really good deal but it still was a large purchase that freaked us out a little, but are so happy with them and know we couldn't have gotten a better deal.
We made a quick trip last weekend to Vancouver for Grandma Nona's memorial service and it was really nicely done. Good job Mom & Aunt Susan. Jeff even got off work to come! We will miss Grandma Nona but are glad that she can be relieved of her failing and frustrating mortal body and be with our Father in Heaven. We got to see our cousins Sasha & Collin and Sasha's baby girl, Devan, along with Aunt Susan. All of my siblings, their spouses and kids came too. It was a good time to come together. We are planning on an annual get together around February/March so that we see each other more often.
Here are some photos of our new couches and new apartment here in Utah.

2008-02-15T15:46:00.001-08:00

Well, we made it to Utah and have a cute basement apartment but are having telephone difficulties so don't try and call just yet. We left Lewiston on Friday and made it safely to Burley and then left again in the morning to make it down to Lindon around 1:30 pm. So we made pretty good time, and the weather couldn't have been better for the winter. It was mostly bad roads the first few hours out of Lewiston, but after we hit lower elevations it was fine. The wind wasn't even that bad! We were truly blessed and hope that we have enough faith and endurance to work through the uncommon work schedule Jeff has with his new job.
I will post pictures as soon as we get the boxes put away and maybe a couch so you can actually see what it looks like. We are doing well and Jeff is already off in the wilderness as of yesterday morning until next Thursday early evening/late afternoon.
We want to thank everyone who has helped us in the whole process these last few weeks and if we can do anything for you in return, ask! We are excited about living in the area more now then we were before we left and have already had some fun explorations that cost little to nothing.
Oh, and another announcement that kind of got delayed because of all the craziness is that we are going to have another baby in August. Just thought we would let everyone know.

2008-01-31T09:33:00.000-08:00

Hey I decided since it is official I will announce that Jeff accepted the job he interviewed for a few weeks ago which is great, but it also means that we are moving! Yeah like next week so now would be a good time to mention it.
We are excited but nervous because it is really hard to move somewhere you aren't already at. Long distance housing searching is not fun. At least my siblings are down there and have been checking places out for us.
Oh, I will mention that Jeff's new job is based out of Lehi, UT which is about 30 minutes south of Salt Lake City. We aren't excited about being in Utah but the job is great and pays and there are so many things to do down there!
So another update will follow in a few weeks with our new address and stuff.

2008-01-28T12:07:00.001-08:00

Ok anyone who knows that I care about wildlife, nature and especially endangered species. Check out this ad that is going to be put into a national magazine, I think the New York Times.
www.nrdcactionfund.org/wolfadjan08.pdf
And believe me, I have done my research and what they are saying is true and not exaggerated. We are stewards to this earth and everything living on it. I just think, how selfish and self-absorbed can mankind be? Haven't we learned to share yet?

2008-01-18T09:28:00.000-08:00

Don't you wish sometimes that you were smaller to enjoy more things? This is a photo taken in front of Brian and April's new townhouse in Springville, UT. Jeff & Brian made this cool little snow slide for Calder and he loved it. Jeff tried to go down it but nearly demolished it in the process. We had a great time down in Utah this last week and a half. Jeff interviewed for a job from Monday to Monday camping and learning. They did offer him a job at the end of the week interview and so we are debating on if this is right for our family. You will hear again from us soon about that. But back to the fun! We enjoyed the snow a lot and had lots of fun staying with Brian and April, and getting together with Garrett, Kricket, Jenna, Cooper, Bethany and John. It was really nice to have family around while Jeff was out in the wilderness exploring his career options and potentially helping troubled youth. So to list off all the things Calder and I did while Jeff was gone: first and importantly I did my homework, we had a couple gatherings with everyone, we went shopping (thanks to Grandma J, Johanna has a lot of new clothes), we went sledding, we had a field trip to Krispy Cream donuts, we played at Garrett & Kricket's house, I went out with some friends to a movie and dinner, Julia (Calder's 'godmother') came over for dinner, and we played a lot while people were at work or school. I may have missed a few things but the point is we had fun and want to thank everyone who supported us in this time of searching for a new job and getting a little closer to going back to school for Jeff. We love you all and hope to see and or hear from some of you soon!

2008-01-02T08:00:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
We hope everyone had a great and safe holiday break. Sorry this photo is blurry. We didn't realize it at the time. We also did most of our moment capturing with the video camera, which I now regret. Maybe Grandma Kathy and Grandpa Dann will have some that turned out better. We did have stockings but we had to move the tree to somewhere better to get at presents in the morning. So we had a nice long break and enjoyed spending some of it with family. Calder got a ton of good toys and clothes and books. Although it wasn't a "white Christmas" we have had snow here off and on for the last month so we enjoyed some winter wonderland-ness of our own. We miss and love everyone of you and hope that everyone got our family news letter. If not let us know where to send it!

2007-12-20T12:20:00.001-08:00

Yummy sugar cookie tree! Yeah, Jeff got frustrated with the cookie cutters and so we just self shaped this massive sugar cookie tree. It was huge but so good! Too bad Jeff and Calder couldn't and wouldn't wait for the fun decorating or even frosting so it was eaten as is. I was a little disappointed because being the artistic person and precise cook that I am I wanted to make it look like a tree with green frosting and those yummy silver sprinkle ball things and other candies to look like ornaments. Maybe I will try again around Christmas but when the boys aren't around. I don't know though, I have a desire/craving to make my own chocolate jelly roll cake that would look like a yule log. But like the Baskin Robbins kind with ice cream instead of jelly. Oh, and I have finished another quarter and have a nice long break until the next one starts. Hence all of the extra time to do whatever I want, like cooking masterful creations of deliciousness.

2007-12-07T16:54:00.000-08:00

Anyone want a pancake? Calder loves pancakes and I always make extra so that he can have them for snacks later. I guess I underestimated the "end of the batter" because I ended up having a pancake as large as the pan. Let's just say that it was the one Calder wanted first.

2007-12-06T11:21:00.001-08:00

Happy Super-late Halloween!

Yeah if you can't tell Jeff and I are warrior elves and Calder is a little lion. He did have an elf costume but he didn't want to wear it when the time came to dress up.

Falling Leaves

2007-11-13T15:36:00.001-08:00

Well, sorry for the disappointing post with only a loverly photo of us in our monstrous leaf pile. If any of you want proof you must come visit us and see our home video of the huge pile. Hope to post another photo soon of the Halloween pictures, sorry everyone must wait.

2007-10-25T10:57:00.001-07:00

Happy Halloween everyone! We did a little more normal pumpkin this year. Calder didn't want a scary one so we made it a happy face. The thing next to the pumpkin is a cool little craft I (Jo) did with a friend. It is a glass canning jar with orange tissue paper glued on it and then black paper on it to make a face. Easy and mess free! Calder even made one but it isn't in this photo. Check back to see our ultra cool costumes in the next week or so!

2007-10-20T13:01:00.000-07:00

BODY SLAM! This is a new game that Jeff taught Calder and we tried to catch it on film but the lighting in our house isn't great so it didn't show up. So here is a photo instead of Calder standing on Jeff. The body slam would start with a run, then a jump, and end with a full on body slam by Calder onto Jeff laying on the ground. It is fun for them to bond like this but then Calder thinks he can do it to anyone, even the kids in nursery at church. Not so good. So it is getting chilly over here already and the leaves are falling and we don't have to water our lawn religiously anymore! We knew we weren't really prepared for the changing season because we hadn't turned on the heat when it was a mere 50 degrees, Calder didn't have a warm coat to wear outside, and we hadn't covered our air conditioner outside. Well, we took care of all of those things, and even a little extra. We are excited about the holidays coming up and hope to see some of our family and friends for a time. Jeff is busy up at the lake working to winterize everything and I am still plugging away at my classes. Here is another picture of Calder in his new jacket playing in the garden with his dump truck, or how is says it "bump chuck".

2007-10-03T16:40:00.000-07:00

So, how is everyone? Ok? That is good. Just an update, for this will be brief. Jeff didn't get the job in Idaho Falls he interviewed for last week. It's alright, just a little disappointing but obviously that wasn't meant to be. I think at this point we are going to try and go back to school for Jeff's masters. We will see where. Suggestions are always welcome but there has to be an actual Recreation program/degree.
On a happier note. I have started my first real art class online this week and already have used my cool new technology! Well, the picture is actually just a scanned hand drawing but hey I am just getting used to things. Hope to hear from anyone anytime! We miss all of you and hope to see some of you in the near future.

2007-09-29T09:20:00.000-07:00

Well it is chilly and the leaves are falling here already and we are so glad that the heat is gone! Jeff has been busy this month with two long out of town trips for work. First Jeff went to a region meeting for 4 days and I (Jo) couldn't go because it was the last week of my online class and thus super busy with homework and a final paper to write. Jeff also got to go to N.R.P.A. (for 5 days) again this year but work paid for it and he got paid like working a normal week. And of course we took a quick trip down to Boise for a preliminary job interview between the two trips. Although the competition looks tough for the position, Jeff really wants it and had an awesome portfolio to give each of the board members who were interviewing him. They really liked it and hopefully they will see Jeff's diligence, eagerness, and strong work-ethic and want him for the job. If it is supposed to happen it will, but only time will tell. If, although, he does get the position we would be moving again. Not only would we move again, but it would be before Thanksgiving. So, we will see what the Lord has in store for us. Stay here or move?
So, I have one quarter and two classes under my belt and the next two classes I get to take I actually get to do graphic design and drawing stuff! I am excited, but we had to spend a good chunk of change to get my equipment. I now have my software ($$$$), a digital drawing tablet ($$$), a scanner ($$), and of course some books ($). Jeff is really good about taking Calder out or away from me so I can work more efficiently.
I am glad the heat is gone, but we were so used to it that now it feels colder, even if it is in the 60's! We hope that everyone is doing well and invite anyone who wants to come to our house (where ever that may be) for Thanksgiving. But first you must have a fun Halloween and make sure and send us pictures of costumes! And check back here for our family costume photos too!

2007-08-31T19:18:00.000-07:00

So, this is a video of Calder swinging in the hammock
chair under our carport/patio and he calls it "swinging".
So I hope all will enjoy watching as much as he loves swinging.
No worries to those of you who think this looks dangerous!
We always are watching and present when this takes place
and make sure that he is far enough down that he won't flip
out yet not high enough to choke him. I only wish it was
big enough for me...

Clark County Fair in Washington

2007-08-13T16:31:00.001-07:00

TA DAAA! This is Calder's first pony ride and he loved every minute of it! It was well worth the $5.00 fee and he even got to ride the horse he picked out when we were waiting our turn! This is a very momentous event because Calder hasn't really liked horses, but I think now it was only because of their size and he did perfectly with these ponies. The fair was really fun and a little expensive, but thanks to family was well worth it!
We had such a good week in Washington with everyone and can't wait to see everyone else's pictures of the week. For those of you who don't know what we are talking about the Johnson Pack drove over to Johanna's mom's house and did a lot of fun things with some of her siblings, step-family, all of their spouses and of course grand-parents and Great Grandma. We went camping in tents and cooked food on the fire and had tin-din's and s'mores. We went to the ocean and walked around Seaside Oregon. We went to the Clark County Fair and rode ponies, ate good food, and watch the Tough Truck contest (which included vehicles besides trucks, like a Ford tempo and Baja bug). We went to Grandpa Don's retirement community and swam in the pool. We went to our favorite restaurant Little Italy and ate a massive piece of pizza, an Italian soda with cream and of course the chocolate soufflé with sugared pastries to dip in it. We did a lot of different things and it was a great vacation!
Oh, and we celebrated our THREE YEAR ANNIVERSARY!!! Yeah for us!

Ode to Teton

2007-08-05T15:28:00.001-07:00

This entry is for Teton. He has been with us since Easter of 2006 and has been a great dog. He has the chance to live with another family in the beautiful location of NW Oregon on hundreds of acres with experienced "active" dog owners. The reason for Teton's relocation isn't because we disapprove of him in any way, it is just easier to find rentals without a dog. So, this is for Teton and the wonderful friendship he gave us and learning experience he challenged to us.

2007-07-30T09:05:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone! It has been a hot summer here and we are so grateful for our air conditioner that is ancient but works great. This is a photo of Jo and Calder after church. She realized that in our mass of photos there are hardly any of her that are recent. But we can't resist putting Calder in the picture too.

2007-07-27T23:19:00.000-07:00

This is a cute picture of Calder and the dog in the kitchen that Jeff wanted to be posted.

2007-07-27T12:06:00.001-07:00

So, it all began in the little college town of Rexburg, Idaho of 2003. We met in our student ward (at church) and hung out in the same groups of friends/room mates. If it wasn't for our friends/room mates we probably wouldn't have dated and seen the potential relationship that we now have.
We were married August 12, 2004 in the LDS Portland, Oregon temple. Jeff and I graduated from BYU-Idaho in April of 2006 and now are in the "real world" trying to become our own family. Calder was born July 1, 2005 and has been such a good boy that we are scared to have any more because we don't see how any child can be as good as he has been. But of course not every day is sunshine and rainbows in the Johnson home. Calder is 2 years old now and that brings its own constant daily challenges, and we are definitely not settled down quite yet. Jo is getting her Bachelor degree in graphic design through an online art college and Jeff is a park ranger for the state of Idaho. As soon as we can, Jeff will be going to graduate school while Jo does her thing in the creative arts field. We like where we are, but we know it won't last too long and we will be up and off on another life changing adventure soon enough! That is all for now, nap time!

2007-07-27T12:01:00.001-07:00

This was Calder's choice of taking a nap a while ago and thought that it would be cute to post.

The first one

2007-07-27T11:56:00.000-07:00

So, this is what everyone is up to. I, Johanna, liked it so much that I decided to join in on the fun. I have received notices of friends' blogs but never really thought too much to start our own. I must give proper credit to our dear friend Jessica though. She inspired me. I hope people like it!