HELP

OK, what with this box that's showing up in my blogs? The Look who's popular thing... and the sides and decorative parts are gone, apparently the place I got it from is gone out of business but I have NO IDEA how to fix it and get a new one. Any helpers out there willing to give me some insight on how to deal with this technology stuff??? :)

Time for Jingle Bells and Gingerbread Smells

Take a deep breath, mmmmmm, can you smell it? That wonderful Christmas aroma of pine tree and gingerbread! Yup, you're in the Johnson home at Christmas time! You gotta love it! Our Christmas Eve was our typical tradition, including a yummy meal and our special family program. This year our Christmas Story play was blessed to have the addition of our 5 new elders who just arrived two days before. They were real troopers...I mean...wise men and shepherds!

Also new to the line up this year was an Irish Christmas tune I was asked to play on my new Celtic tin whistle. I got it for my birthday and learned an Irish tune for the program. (It's so fun to have and learn to play!)

We had the fun Christmas singing around the piano, the dancing and singing by the girls,

and ended the evening reading the Christmas story from Luke and then delivered HUGE stockings to the Elders. We just wanted to be sure that even though they thought nobody knew them yet, they were not forgotten.


Christmas morning we had a lovely tri-ward Sacrament Meeting and all agreed it was the best way to start a Christmas morning. Then home to gather around the tree where Santa/Larry handed out the gifts one at a time.

The girls love to watch as people open the gifts from them. Now, giving new Pez dispensers to Allen and Rachel is a big deal b/c they always bring them to church and all the girls need to go is give Allen that little puppy dog face and out comes the Pez!!

My Christmas present this year was the super duper package of Wedgits!! The greatest toy ever made. Matthew, Sienna and I took a good bit of time to build the giant 4-Wing X Fighter. It was quite the challenge but why not start with the tough one...and we did it!!

(they don't interlock by the way, it's all done in wedging the right piece in the right place with the right pressure and angle... pretty tricky and tons o fun!)

Sienna has fun landing her remote controlled helicopter onto Pop Pops hand, pretty tricky I'd say!

And then...after all the gifts are opened and the fist time...I have to play with this right now...was over, the gingerbread house came down and the digging began...

YUM....

YUM...

YUM!!!!!

We had a lovely Christmas day and a wonderful holiday season. It was a fun filled month and a half from early Thanksgiving visits from Alisa and Maggie and Kinsey, through to the end of Christmas day.

And now, in a way that only he can.... Larry aka Santa aka Rapunzell aka Tiny Tim wishes you a very HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!

What I'm Thankful For Is...

When it's time to count my blessings I am thankful for...

A housefull of my whole family coming together to laugh and share and love and enjoy being together.

Storytime with Pop Pop in the teepee

Little Lila being so proud of herself holding her new cousin Maggie (who looks terrified!)

Ballet lessons taught by Miya, to a very attentive class

An indina teepee filled with the cutest little indian girls and their homemade dresses and necklaces

I'm thankful for a fun trip to EdVenture where everyone had fun!

For Miya's joy in doing the grocery shopping...

For little girls having so much fun taking care of their "pets" in the Pet Clinic...

And for my big boy Scott having fun building with blocks...

I'm thankful for fun filled trips to the zoo where you never know who may poop on you...

or amaze you...

or find out that you CAN ride a REAL pony after all for the very first time!!

I'm thankful for children and their spouses who travel to come back every now and then, and allow us to enjoy being together. For a happy home and family fun...all possible through striving to live gospel principles and put the gospel into action in our lives.

We had a wonderful time together. There's a good spirit in our home when we're all here. All the adults were able to go to the temple and do family file sealings together. And that is just about as close to heaven as you can get.

Birthdays, Baptisms and Reunions

Happy 8th birthday to Sienna!! She totally enjoyed her hour long horseback riding session with Sister Kubik. She was in heaven and loved the experience. Meanwhile, Miya stayed behind to be the official pooper scooper...and what a cute one she was!

One of the proudest moments for any family is the day their sweet child is baptized. This was a sweet day for Sienna and all her family who were able to attend.

Sweet sisters!!

Larry and I headed out west for the Adams family reunion. I wish all my kids and their families could have attended to get to know our great Adams family and appreciate more fully their strong pioneer ancestry. Money and distance makes this hard, but we were grateful to have been able to go.

The first day, in Parowan, the family had the blessing of having Grandpas' old sheepwagon there. All I had to do was get out of the car and see it there and I was blubbering like a baby. So many memories and a deep love and appreciation for Grandpa Ray came flooding over me.

The Adams sibblings who were in attendance:

And me and my sibblings: (we should have had mom and dad in this!!)

Amy Lou gives us all a good laugh and she enjoys her Daddy's saddle and chaps and remembers the days of riding with her dad

The next day we were off to the cabin for more tears and memories and an almost reverent, sacred feeling of respect and love and connectiveness to our incredible Grandpa Ray and Granny Nevada...oh how we miss them!

Larry and I were asked to sing two songs that seemed written just for Granny Adams. It went well until I saw folks crying and then I lost it a bit, but it was a sweet experience. Thanks to Eric for his awesome guitar playing!

Bob has learned the art of fine sourdough biscuit making from the master...Ray...and shared those skills in a sourdough demonstration. Oh those biscuits were divine and brought back so many wonderful memories!! Thanks Bob...you are awesome!

116 Adams peoples were in attendance at the reunion and it could have easily been double that and more if all were able to attend. What a wonderful day. This beautiful place holds many memories of this great family.

Story rock...how many exciting stories had Grandpa Don told his kids and grandkids on this story rock? Seems a fitting place to say, "thanks for the memories~~it was grand!"

Following the reunion I was able to stay on and go on a river trip with Craig and his family. I am go grateful for that invite. It was a wonderful trip and so fun to spend that time with Craig and fam and Carol Ann. The river was amazing, yes...I did the cliff jumping, but from the Granny level and not the top, the rapids were exciting, the company was the best and the beauties of nature can not be seen any other way. What a beautiful world there is out there among the rivers of this great land. Sleeping under the stars, the Milky Way, the huge cliffs, the sound of the water. What a wonderful trip. Can't wait to go back!

Thanks Knights, Adams' for a beautiful and rich vacation...it will not be forgotten. :)

Flower Garden

We now have bushes in bloom! (for those of you who mocked me about my puny bushes, you can now apologise!) After months of digging, hauling soil, planting, mulching, etc. We finally have some color to enjoy. The variety of plants bloom at different times of the year so it will look different in the fall than in the spring/summer. Anyway, it's pretty now and we are enjoying the beauty and splashes of color. The lily just bloomed yesterday, so there will be several more in the weeks to come to fill in that back space

Larry wants you to particularly appreciate the fine edging around the rock boarder. That's his part. Thanks to the girls and Allen for their help in laying this ton of rock and for Alisha for her artistic input as to where each rock needed to be placed and what direction it should go.

What Did I Do in June??

What did I do in June??? I had lots of fun with crazy, cute girls!

Enjoyed the kiddie pool out back with tons of kids!

Chilled out with Lila

Celebrated Larry's 57th birthday

Played at the zoo with three big girls

Watched as Miya and Lila were brave on the carrosel

And Sienna as she was brave on the rock wall

Watched Sienna get her yellow belt and take her partner down

Flew to Dallas, met up with Larry there to spend time with Scott and his sweet family. We went to the Dallas Aroboretum just so I could see Larry share some "cheesecake"!!

Enjoyed hugs and kisses from Kinsey

And enjoyed fun times with Scott and Alisa as well

I laughed as Kinsey tried to smell the flowers, (I think she was snuffing out instead of breathing in!)

And loved the trip to the Dallas World Aquarium

Complete with an up close and personal chat with the biggest manatee ever!

I got to go to the Dallas Zoo where I had to chuckle as Kinsey acted so cool near her cheeta friend

And smiled as she found herself tangled in the giant spider web

Back at the homefront Kinsey and I chilled out on the deck

And then it was time for her surgery

I watched as Priesthood blessings helped a sweet little girl heal quickly and sport her new necklace that she made

And then, with keys and purse in hand, this girl was ready do the town!

What did I do in June? I had remarkable experiences being with some of the people I love most. I laughed, I cried, I flew, I played, I got squirted with the water soaker, I got hugged and kissed and hugged and kissed again by the most precious children in the world. What a great month!! I can't wait for the exciting adventures that lay ahead in July...it will not be a dull month, stay tuned!!