You Have To Get Creative

That White Stuff

So it finally REALLY snowed in northern Arizona and my kids were very excited.  We have received a few "dustings" and they said "Wow, it snowed so much."  It made me laugh because if you can see the grass peeking through, it's not really snowing, folks.  LOL  G. was almost 2 when we moved to AZ, so he has little memory of snow and K., well he was born here, so this is a completely new experience!  Unfortunately, it wasn't good packing snow, but we had a great time anyway.  :)

Look Behind the Tree

This is an article I wrote for the December issue of our church newsletter. I had to submit a picture as well. A nice staged one! :)  And if you are curious, the "sister" was Jaycie.


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One Christmas when I was a girl, all I wanted was a 10-speed bicycle. When I asked for it, I knew it would probably be one of the only things I would get that year.

Christmas morning, when the lights came on, there stood a vibrant red bicycle. I ecstatically ran to it to discover a tag with someone else's name written on it. I felt deflated. My sister hadn't even asked for a bike. Had there been some mistake? Seconds later, I realized maybe I hadn't looked around enough for MY bike. There it was! A blue bike tucked behind the tree!

This is a story that is retold in my family, and surely somewhere a videotape of my reaction exists. I am sure someone thought he was very clever to hide the bike.

We ask our Heavenly Father for many things. Sometimes we see others receive the blessings we desire, and to some those blessings seem to come so easily. We may feel jealous or confused. We may try hard not to allow ourselves to feel cheated. We may be upset that the desires of our hearts take so long to come to pass. Or we may worry that what we ask for will never be given.

Make no mistake. A loving Heavenly Father will bless us-- is blessing us. It may be in ways not noticed or expected. It may be more slowly than we had hoped, but He loves us and knows us. Sometimes He will deny us what we want, but will bless us with the gifts that truly are the best for us. Sometimes our lives are paths to places we did not expect, but places that will help us become exactly what He has in store for us.

This holiday, when it is easy to covet talents, blessings, and gifts of others, let us look away from theirs and "look behind the tree" to see what gifts are ours.

Things That Make You Go Hmmm...

Disclaimer:  I have been thinking about this post a lot lately.  It won't come across as humble as I would prefer.  But this is my blog, and assuming you Reader, are my friend, I am going to be open and hope you don't judge me...

If you asked me what my talents were, I probably would say they aren't "talent show" talents.  I write.  And actually I read one of my pieces for a talent show.  Kind of weird, but it turned out OK.  I actually dream of writing something for a magazine someday or talking about my new book on the Today Show.  (It's not written, or being written.  Just my dream...)  I know that God blessed me to be really comfortable in front of others.  Public speaking is no biggie.  I've spoken in stake conference twice and I can give a church talk on the fly.  Sometime, I'll have to tell you about the time I found out about a baptism talk I gave with about 5 minutes notice.  And I am a teacher.  It is who I am, through and through.  I love to teach at church.  I love to teach children.  And I am good at it.  A talent from God, I like to say.  But see-- not "talent show" material.

When I was a girl, I dreamed of being Taylor Swift.  Of course, she wasn't born yet, but that was my dream.  Being on stage, singing my heart out.  (OK, no blonde curly hair though.)  Not for the fame or money, just because I love to sing.  Even took a few years of voice lessons (thanks Mom and Dad).  And since we always had a microphone, had a few moments of singing in front of family friends and once for the Moses Lake Yacht Club and a Jr. Miss Pageant.  But I guess at about 17, I accepted that I was probably a small group singer.  Ironically it was probably because of a musical we did at church and having lots of friends that were great singers.  And watching American Idol.  I guess I figured, I was one of those that thought they could sing.  And really needed to find another dream.  And I had accepted it.

I have usually joined church choirs more to support them, rather than because I love to sing in a huge group.  I have moved into new places and been asked at church, "Do you play the piano? (no talent there)  Do you sing?  Small group, large group, solos?"  And I would always mark anything but solos.

But then I moved here.

For some reason, people here think I sing.  Surprise!  Maybe they know something I don't.  People keep asking me to sing stuff.  For various things.  Like Sunday, one of my friends suggested I sing for an upcoming talent show.  And last week, someone asked me to sing at a Christmas church activity.  I've felt a little put on the spot, but I am definitely rethinking my singing ability.  Maybe being in that musical, when the directors taught me some things about my voice, maybe I got a little better.  Maybe I have underestimated myself all these years.

So right now, I've been singing mostly to support other people.  But I have to be honest.  I'm still left a little dumb-founded.  I'm not planning on auditioning for AI.  (Of course, I'm too old anyway.  Why does that age requirement make me feel ancient??)  But I guess I'll keep saying "yes" when people ask, I guess.  And maybe someday, I'll volunteer.  Not sure.  I'll let myself enjoy it in the meantime.  Just in case I have them fooled.  LOL
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P.S.  Our family was asked to sing in church on Halloween.  We practiced and practiced and the boys knew every word of "Nephi's Courage"-- all three verses.  We practiced but not in front of the microphone.  So the day of, as we began, G. really wanted to be heard.  He pressed his face up to that mic.  We were in the middle of the song, so we did the best we could to pull him back.  Then the circus began.  In front of everyone, we moved him around and then K. decided he wanted to lean forward to the mic.  But we couldn't stop the song to get everything under control.  So we finished the song and I think everyone could tell we knew the words.  But it was an entertaining reminder that we adults are NOT in charge; we are at the mercy of our kid.  They remind us often that we shouldn't think we are too cool because they will find new ways to embarrass us.  Andy had been worried that people would be able to tell he wasn't a singer.  I can PROMISE no one was thinking about how great of singers we were.  Afterwards, we couldn't really punish him, because he said, "No one EVER let's me use the microphone.  EVER."  So can you blame the poor boy?

Doesn't he look all innocent here?  ;)

Life's Good When You're 3

K. had a birthday in October.  G. had him planning out the entire party with lots of G.'s input, but little from the people with the wallets.  LOL  K. kept telling us that we were going to Peter Piper Pizza for his birthday.  How do you break it to the brand new 3 year-old that he's not getting the party he's planned?  There was a school fall festival planned for the same night and Andy and I determined that we would actually save money by going to Peter Piper Pizza.  So the little guy got his birthday wish!

He loved this ride, until it started to move.

All the boys

Trying to get that "3" down...

Got it!!!

Oh, how exciting the toys are here...

The Sponge Bob cake requested by the boy that never watches it.

Blowing out the candle

This is the face he makes when he wants to look "cute"

Happy Birthday K.!  

Light in the Darkness

So I have heard that if you need speak to God you pray, and when you want God to speak to you, you open the scriptures.  Totally happened to me this week.

I find myself reading message boards about controversial topics usually that have to do with the principles that I am trying to teach my growing boys.  And a mother that considers herself Christian can feel a little battered and bruised listening to the attacks on Christians these days.  I know that we live in a world where there is a lot of diverse ideology and everyone wants to be left in peace to live as they wish.  But I also believe in a loving Heavenly Father that gives us commandments to help guide us through life.  And I believe in one that would like to destroy us, and bring us down to his world of misery.  He is real and he has nothing but our destruction in mind.  So I believe that commandments aren't restrictions, but fences that keep me in the safe place, the place where I can find peace and comfort.

But I feel like those that criticize Christians don't know me.  They don't know that I love Jesus and I know that he loves ALL of us.  I try to treat people kindly.  But I also believe there are blessings in obedience to Him who knows and understand all.  But I worry for my children, that they will be attacked because they feel this way to.  Because they believe.  And I want them to feel safe, but some in this diverse world want to not only ignore their choice of lifestyle, they want to crush it.  So I have felt a little in turmoil about what the future holds for them.

I was heavy-hearted, but had to get dinner on the table.  My boys were doing homework.  While I was stirring the food, I opened my New Testament.  And I am not kidding, there were answers everywhere.  I started writing them down, as fast as I found them.  It's a wonder my dinner wasn't burned.  So in my hectic, noisy house, in front of a hot stove, holding a spatula, He answered me.  My questions.  And soothed my heart.  I am still nervous.  But not heavy.  And I have a list of verses I can return to when I need to remember...  I love the verse that says "I will not leave you comfortless; I will come to you."  (John 14:18)  He definitely took care of me this week.

"I’m One of the Ninety and Nine"

My friend Verena posted this to her Facebook page.  It's a magazine blog post with a song that is worth a minute to check out.  Thanks Verena.  :)

Michael McLean is the author and songwriter.  Here is a bit of a quote.  Hope it makes you curious to listen to the song.  I've definitely felt this way a few times. 

"Why is it, I wondered, that the lost souls get so much attention in the scriptures.  If you’re a prodigal son and come home your dad throws a party.  If you’re a world-class persecutor on the road to Damascus you get a light and a voice.  Even if you’re a sheep that strays from the fold the good shepherd leaves the ninety and nine good guy sheep in search of the lost one.  

The argument can be made that all of us are lost, and these stories remind us that no matter how far we’ve strayed or how far we’ve fallen, there’s hope and a way back.  These stories are EXACTLY what you need to hear when you’re feeling lost and alone.  

But what about the people who aren’t particularly lost, but may feel unnoticed? What about the ones who are carpooling cub scouts, serving in the soup kitchens, taking clothing to good will, donating blood, singing in the choir, volunteering at the hospital, visiting the nursing home, tutoring students, teaching Sunday School, coaching little league and doing the thousand of other activities the regular good guys do...without any spotlights or fanfare, without seeking any credit, without building up themselves up, but rather, wearing out their lives more or less being the kind of people the good shepherd doesn’t have to worry about. What about them?

I was rather surprised at how intensely I asked this question and how quickly I got a musical answer..."  

http://www.ldsmag.com/component/zine/article/6454?ac=1

Now I Know My ABCs

I have a bunch more videos to add if my computer will cooperate, but enjoy this one.  :)  G. is in kindergarten this year.  One of the things he has to do for homework is study his letter sounds.  His teacher has taught him ways to remember the sounds and I find them completely entertaining.  Hope you enjoy them as well.  :)

The letters for this video are S, R, Y, and P.

His Day

I love this picture because we have one where Grandpa Johnson is the dad and Andy is the kid.

A. turned 8 this year.  In our church, it's the year you get to be baptized.  (Go here for more about baptism in our church.)  Since he turned seven, A. has been telling people (even complete strangers!) that when he turns eight, he gets baptized and he gets to go to cub scouts.  He has been really looking forward to it.  Aunt Charlotte gave the talk and Uncle Stan gave the closing prayer.  Uncle Arnie and Uncle Spence were the witnesses.  And I got to welcome him into the primary.  (You know, since I am the primary president again... The main reason I was sad to be released last time.)

It was an emotional day for Andy and I.  We were remembering how emotional we were the day he was born and the day we blessed him.  And how emotional we were at our wedding.  Andy said something about maybe being less emotional as we baptize each subsequent kid.  I'm not betting on it, because important family moments make us blubber every time.  :)  We were so proud of him-- the boy he's becoming, the choices he's making-- and just in awe at how quickly his life is flying by.  We are blessed that God sent him to us.  He has blessed our family and he is a strong spirit.  I am grateful for his influence on my other boys.  Just the other day, I noticed G. saying his personal nightly prayer.  I hadn't reminded him.  I think it's the combination of seeing A. be so good about it and the teachings of his church teachers.  (I go to bed so much later than him, that I'm sure it's not much of my influence.)

We were so grateful to have such support from so much family.  It was so fun to have them see our new place and spend time with them.  We have missed the Johnson's and living so close to cousins.  We saw them all the time before we moved, so my kids were going through withdrawals.  My sister's family drove five hours and stayed the weekend.  It was the first time we had met their beautiful baby boy and he's such a sweetheart.  We were also excited to have my aunt's family come.  Their son had a cross-country meet here so their trip was extra worth-it.  I really appreciated that they came all the way.  It's funny that she was always my faraway aunt and now she lives close enough to come to A.'s baptism.  :)  Her boys were so sweet to the Johnson cousins.  

The weather was perfect and it was a fantastic reason to get together.  We shared a lasagna dinner before most of them had to leave.  The only bummer of the day was that Anna twisted her ankle, but luckily Spence (the trained EMT in the family) taped her up.  And she says she is healing nicely.

I think A. had a very memorable day.

My Future Missionary

Uncle Spence took all the stylin' pics of A.

Click on this pic to see it BIG.

Our family.  They are all growing up so fast!             
And yes, we bribed G. to get him to smile.  It worked a little too well!          

8 years ago, this guy came into our lives.  :)

The following  are some of my thoughts in preparation for A.'s baptism.  Some background info:  Mormons know how to have a good time and we have activities that are noisy and joyous.  But if you have never been to a service, you should know that we teach our children to show their respect for Heavenly Father by being reverent.  Also, when they are quiet, they will learn the way the Holy Ghost speaks to them- spirit to spirit.  This means that in our meetings, we attempt to get our children to talk in hushed voices and we don't applaud during services.  Needless to say, when I have been in churches with electric guitars and drum sets, I am a little out of my element.  :)

     I attended a baptism once where the family of the child to be baptized were relatively new to the church.  Because of this, no one was surprised when after he emerged from the water, many in the family applauded.  This response was quickly, but politely, hushed. 

     My oldest child will be baptized in a few weeks.  We have looked forward to this day almost his entire life.  I often contemplate how though joyous for us when our children are born, it must be a bittersweet day for our Heavenly Father.  I am sure He misses us and worries about us even though our sojourn on this earth is part of His plan.  On that day of baptism though, we as parents share with Him in the excitement of the moment.  This is the day where that son or daughter chooses to become His. 

     I recognize the appropriateness of reverence at worship meetings, as well as baptisms.  But I also have heard sacred music sung when I longed to have some way to express my appreciation.  At the baptism that day, perhaps the applause of joy was not the norm.  But it did express how we all felt.  When Alma asked the people if they desired to be baptized, to be called His people and come into the fold of God, "they clapped their hands for joy, and exclaimed: This is the desire of our hearts." (Mosiah 18:8,11)

     It has been years since my baptism and I only remember a few things.    Now as I prepare the program for my boy's baptism, I cheer inside that our Heavenly Father lets us be old enough to choose his plan.  On that day, I will have to cheer on the inside that my boy has the desire to come into the fold of God.  I won't clap, but I will want to.

We Fly the Friendly Skies

K. has a basket full of airplanes. One day I noticed he had them all lined up next to the pantry. He told me that it was an airport! Gotta love that this kid still PLAYS with toys. My other two would rather spend time with anything that has a screen. But K. has imagination. :)

Bobcats and Wolves and Bears! Oh, my!

So this is A. the first night he got his cub scout stuff. He has been looking forward to cub scouts for about a year now. His aunt went by the scout store and picked up all the things he needed. She arrived around dinner time and before bed that night, he had completed seven out of the eight requirements to get his Bobcat advancement. This boy is just itching to work on requirements!
This is A. off to his third den meeting, his first one with a uniform. Doesn't he look excited! So we didn't tuck it in because we thought it wouldn't fit, but we did the next week. Good thing, because they chose him for uniform inspection, which he aced!
Tradition is that you pin a Bobcat pin on your mom and this all happens upside down. Then all the boys count to see how long it takes. Whatever number you get is how many good deeds you have to do. A. kept dropping it so he owes 30 good deeds. He is taking this tradition very seriously so he has been extremely helpful the past 4 days. LOL
Notice how red his face is getting!

Tonight at dinner we told A. the joke about Pete and Repeat sitting in a boat and A. cracked up. I love being the one to make him laugh! He is a great kid and we just love all the enthusiasm he has for life. He tries several times a week to pretend it was a bad day when he comes up the road from the bus stop. But I never believe it and after questioning him, he always breaks into a smile. :)

Thank God I'm a Country Boy

Got to love this pic we took with cousin S. right before we moved. You can just tell the boys love him. :)

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The other day, we were watching a PBS special on John Denver. My kids love "Thank God I'm a Country Boy". We used to listen to it in the van on the way to school and whenever someone was grumpy or irritable on car rides. They were really interested as they watched the special. When the kids asked about all the old footage I had to explain that sadly, John wasn't alive anymore. After watching a bit more, G. says "I'm one of his fans, right Mom." I don't know that G. considers himself a fan of anyone else. I don't really know where he learned about "fans", but yes, John, a whole bunch of your fans live at my house. :)

This Joke's on Them

So in Arizona, they start school really early. REALLY early. Beginning of August early. They make up for it by having a full week off for fall break and we usually get out before Memorial Day. My youngest sister who will be teaching her own 2nd graders this year (shout-out to the newest teacher I know!!), told me that my children have been tricked into thinking this is OK.



Today my boys completed their first week of school. No tears, no visits to the principal. And we have done pretty well at bedtime. We have even been reading the New Testament and having family prayer before school. The bus situation is great. I am not going to love picking up G. in the middle of the day this year, but what can you do? It would have cost us $180 extra dollars a month and I can think of LOTS of things I would rather spend that money on...

I sent G. to kindergarten. So far so good...

Growing up!!!

A. is in 3rd grade this year. He loves his teacher. He is kind of bummed that she is only substituting for the month until his real teacher comes back from maternity leave. I am sure he will like her too, but he just doesn't really know her yet.

G. has been posing a lot for photos lately doing "Walk Like an Egyptian". Not sure where he got it, but as you can see, he thinks he is quite clever.

I hung back to snap this of G. doing his self-starter work. Just a snapshot into his new world. He keeps asking me how many more days of school, to which I chuckle inside knowing this is only the BEGINNING of his educational YEARS. Especially if he wants to follow in his daddy's footsteps. LOL

And this guy. Glad that K. is around to keep me company. :o) We are having a lot of fun. He loves to play more than watch TV. I bought him new crayons and he has used them a lot this week. And he is entertaining. Yes, that is a cereal bowl on his head. LOL

Funny Boys

So K. today said two funny things that I had to document. We were walking past a Jeep and he called it a truck. I told him that it was called a Jeep. He asked me why there was a mouse in the Jeep. I laughed and explained to him that that was not a mouse, but a chihuahua. :)

Then later he was looking at a magazine at Andy's office. There was a bunch of well-dressed people posed on a two-page spread. K. asked me if they were vampires. I guess even he has realized the overabundance of vampires in pop culture.

Oh and Sunday, we were driving past a model home/ office to get to a friend's house. The kids were asking what the building was. I told them that it was where you go to buy a house. G. asked how you were supposed to take your house home after you bought it. Good question G. LOL

Five Awesome Years (sung like "Five Golden Rings")

Five years ago today, this little guy came into my life. He is our Washington baby. I can't imagine our family without him. He is completely devoted to his favorite color- orange. He loves Halloween. If there is a library book about it, we have to get it. He loves superheroes especially Spiderman and he has loved them since he was tiny. He comes up to me about 5 times a day to tell me he loves me, but is already anti-kisses. He loves science and always asked his preschool teacher to bring home extra supplies so he could show me how it worked. He is always asking to help me cook, especially if we are assembling pizzas.

He always seems to have a twinkle in his eye. Usually because he has something up his sleeve, like a way to hassle someone, or a button to push. He always likes to ask what is coming up next. Last night, he asked me what was for dinner today. I had to tell him that I didn't know yet. I can't look at a picture of him without breaking into a smile.

He is our roughest, toughest boy. (Of course his little brother is his disciple, so isn't far behind.) He loves to wrestle, even when other people don't really sign up for it...

G. Have a super birthday! We are so glad that you came to our family. You are definitely an original and you bring our family a lot of joy. Enjoy being 5. You are definitely not a little boy anymore. We love you and can't wait to see what the next year will bring.

Some Sappy Public Appreciation

I'm not sure how to start this post... It comes with tender feelings, happy feelings, but "ending" feelings. Not sure I am wild about those "ending" feelings.




You know how sometimes you have things that are your responsibility and you have no clue how you will do it... And how sometimes, you just need the right people in your life to help you... Like God sends you those people...

These ladies were those people.

When I was called to be the primary president, I was more overwhelmed than I had ever been. But God sent Shannan, Kim, and Karin to help me. And truly, there is NO way I could have done it without them. They were so reliable, willing, helpful, creative, and positive. And they always knew when to jump in and take a load from me, sometimes when I was hesitant to give it.

We were responsible for an average of 150 children, ages 3-11 and between 20 and 30 toddlers at church. I told people that it was like being the principal of a small school. I never realized how much goes on behind the scenes. How much there was to do on Sunday and during the week. How much there was to plan and just ponder. There were things to actually do and things to coordinate, and things to be sure someone else was doing.

During the almost 2 years, we had 3 pregnancies, lots of vacations, one deployment, lots of husbands working late nights, several running/swimming races, and 12 hours of college credit. And there were many moments where we were in survival mode. But looking back, I think we not only survived, we really meant something to those kids. We did what we wanted to do. I feel that we pleased Heavenly Father. I think the children and our teachers learned from us and knew we loved them.

We also learned a lot together. And I think until recently, we under-appreciated how well-oiled our "machine" was. How lucky we were to get along so well. How easily we were able to do it all and accomplish so much. There is no way I could ever thank them for all they did and all the support they were. But I hope they know.

It was truly a pleasure. And a chapter in my life that I will cherish. I am truly blessed to call them friends. Hugs, girls...

Home Sweet Home- Sometime Soon...

K. enjoying our new backyard! This one puts our old one to shame. :)

The playhouse.

A. had written on a paper for school that he was an "indoor kid" as opposed to the other choice of "outdoor kid". This made me sad. Was it because we live in Phoenix where it's too hot to go outside in the summer? Was it because we currently have a totally lame backyard? Was it my fault? Or is this just how he sees himself, his personality? I just didn't want him to be an "indoor kid" unless he WANTED to be one. This backyard I think will change all that. We spent the day waiting for the gas man and 80% of the time, this is where you could find A.! Having a ball, enjoying the sun. :) This move is going to be a good change for us.

I'm going to have to get used to the orange-ish paint in the dining room and kitchen. And the yellow-ish paint in the master bedroom. But everything else about this house is great! We will be totally living in it in about a month. Still in denial about the packing/cleaning part. ;)