Josh and His Jammies

There has been quite a stir about Josh's ducky/footy pajamas. I thought I'd expound a little about them since they're such a topic of interest.

Josh's jammies were custom made for him by his mom. Not only that, but for a costume in one of the plays he was in at Adams State. It's the ideal situation. Who better to make you footy pajamas than your mommy?

The play was The Foreigner and was my favorite play he did. He played Ellard, the dim-witted Southern boy -- very Lenny-esque. We've seen the play since Josh was in it, and no one has played Ellard as well as Josh did. Yes, I may be biased, but I love endearing characters and Josh's Ellard was definitely endearing.

At the end of the show's run, Josh was allowed to keep his footy jammies. The costume shop had a hard time justifying keeping them since there's very little chance that another person Josh's size will need footy pajamas in another play.

That's fine with us!

Christmas in Pictures

Here is a video montage of our Christmas this year.

Enjoy.

The Talented Mrs Johnson

During this Christmas season, I discovered a talent of mine. I knew that I recognized voices fairly well. When I was about ten I'd freak out the missionaries that would call our house asking for my dad (he was the ward mission leader). I'd call them by name just to hear them mumble, "How'd she know it was me?" It's the little things that bring me joy.

This year, however, Josh and I played a little game with the radio. In our car, the radio has the really cool "Info" button that tells you who is singing. It's amazing! No more cursing at the DJ's for neglecting to announce song artists. So as we were listening to the cheery Christmas music, we'd make guesses as to who was singing the familiar carols. 8 times out of 10, I was right. It was amazing! Bing Crosby. Harry Connick, Jr. Vanessa Williams. Carrie Underwood. Andy Williams. I was like a cornucopia of frivolous music trivia! But when Josh got one right it was a big deal too. :)

It got me thinking--which talents are cool and which ones are nerdy? I was beginning to consider this one nerdy. Kind of like someone who can count cards. Really cool at first, but then you wonder what kind of freaky mind powers they must possess. Okay, not really, but it was a bit freaky. More like my obsession with movies and tv. Cool or nerdy?

Never mind. I don't think I really want to know.

Christmas 2009

Merry Christmas, Everyone! I hope your Christmas was a great as ours!

Polar Express

We started our Christmas Eve off with a challenge for the kids. We began watching The Polar Express and were talking about how cool it would be for the Polar Express to show up in our yard. But the problem was that we didn't have any snow at our house. So, we realized we needed snow. Also, the train seemed to go through a canyon of some sort. We put the two clues together and figured out that we could go to the Grand Canyon to look for the Polar Express.

The kids were worried about missing Santa, so I told them that we could for sure be back in time for Santa. To sweeten the deal, I told them they could each bring one present to open. The catch to that was that they had to chose the present labeled "Don't open until Dec 24."

We drove to Flagstaff and then headed west toward the Grand Canyon. In the book, the boy's sister discovers the bell from Santa, so family is also very important to the story. Because of that, we decided to stop in a town called Williams (my maiden name). We had the choice to go either right (toward the Grand Canyon) or left (toward Williams). Abby needed the restroom, so we decided to stop in Williams and take the Historic Route 66 like in the movie Cars.

We got in to town and low-and-behold there was a train station with a giant train labeled Polar Express!!! We saw that the people there were all wearing their pajamas and we wondered if we'd be allowed on the train. We all got really nervous. While the rest of us went to the potty, Josh went to see if the train was expecting us, like they did for the kids in the story.

We found Josh and discovered that we couldn't enter the train without jammies. Then the train left. It left without us! We couldn't believe it! I thought we needed something to help us feel better, so the kids opened their presents. They were shocked to discover that each of them just opened a gift of PAJAMAS!!!

We still needed tickets. Josh asked the kids what the conductor told the boy to do in the movie. The conductor said to check his pocket. Josh looked in his pocket--nothing. Then we remembered the conductor told the boy to look in his other pocket. And there were the tickets! So we had tickets for the next train, pajamas, and a picnic dinner which we ate out in the freezing cold.

Matt was a bit miserable.

Abby remembered how to bundle up.

Emma happily gobbled her homemade sugar cookie as we waited.

Josh and Millie were so cute!!

This picture almost didn't make it on here. Who's that fattie with Emma? Gross. ('Fess Up Friday resumes next week!)

We entered the train, rode to the North Pole, listened to a reading of the Polar Express, got to the North Pole, saw Santa and his elves, got a gift from Santa and a few gifts from the Polar Express people, sang carols, and had a magical time. It was a great trip, but I think our anticipation was the most exciting part of the whole thing. I'll happily go again. But probably not on Christmas Eve. We'll do our exploring earlier in the season next year, I think.

In case you didn't get a good idea of what Josh's jammies looked like, here's a better shot. Isn't he the cutest thing in the whole world? Just ask the people of Black Canyon, AZ. Sorry, inside joke.

Christmas Morning

To avoid the huge montage of pictures we took this morning, here is one of each kid. This year's homemade gift was a pottery piece I painted with my sister, Tara. Tara made piggy banks for her boys and I made collectibles for each of my kids.

Emma has been asking for a turtle, so I got her one.

Abby loves horses, princesses and pink. So she got a pink unicorn.

Matt likes frogs.

I didn't know what Millie would grow up to like, so I chose this really cute lady bug for her. And it was really cool that we found a really cute new onesie with a lady bug on it too. It was on sale.

We had a wonderful time together. Josh shocked me with getting me Rockband Beatles. How the heck he pulled it off is a mystery. He's tricky. I can't wait to rock out with him.

Christmas Kid-isms

According to Matt, if you have white icicles on your house and not the cool blue LEDs that we have, you are a freak and weird. If you have white and blue icicles, then you are half-weird, half-not-weird.

According to Abby, Santa's reindeer include: Prancer, Dancer, Vixen, and Vomit. Vomit hurls a lot.

Merry Christmas, All!!!

The Skinny on Millie

Today is Millie's birthday! Can you believe it? One year ago I was hospitalized with my new baby on one side of me and my big baby on the other side. This has been a long year. So much has happened. Some happy. Some very not. But, this post is to celebrate the greatness of my baby daughter--Millie Marie!!


We had Tara and Jabon and their boys come by for some cake Monday night. I took this opportunity to borrow their camera to take pictures of Millie's party and some of my decorating. Here is our Christmas tree, complete with gate to keep babies of all sizes out of the present. And, man, that Jabon in the middle of the floor took me forever to place just-so!




Some more Christmas pictures, but this one also features my old rocking chair. I loved this chair. Now, it is the first place to look for Millie if she's not directly under my feet. She loves this chair. It doesn't matter that she's stood in it and fallen on her head, she still happily sits in it all the time.


Millie opened her presents. We hoped it would help her prepare for Christmas morning. I don't know that it did, but she still got some great gifts. Aunt Tara and Uncle Jabon gave her a cute outfit that she looked adorable in today. Emma gave her the rattle in the picture above. Millie really loved it. Probably because she's played with this rattle since she originally received it last year.

The kids each gave her a card of some kind. They wrote her poems, drew her pictures, wished her a happy birthday. It was so cute. Especially since Millie is smart enough to read them by herself. That's what it looks like, doesn't it???

We made sure to start the habit of not associating Millie's birthday with Christmas. We wrapped her presents in Hannah Montana wrapping paper instead of snowmen and Santas. And you probably guessed that the Hannah Montana paper was left over from one of her sisters. I said we wanted to keep her birthday and Christmas separate, not her birthday and reality hand-me-downs separate.

Mommy and Daddy gave Millie a Fisher Price Little People set. I need to go search for the picture of me on my first birthday opening my first Little People set. But, for now, just imagine it. As soon as I saw this in the store, I knew Millie was going to have it. Josh saw another set, but it had some weird looking girl in it, not the blond girl with the blue dress or the dog. Hello!! You have to have the retro stuff. Then I turned to Josh and asked him, "When did our stuff go 'retro'?" He told me it was when we got old. If someone would like to smack him for me, I'd be much obliged.

I decorated Millie's cake. I originally made her a 9"x13" cake, but that seemed boring, so I decided to make two smaller cakes. One cake was a picture of Millie. Striking likeness, isn't it?

The other was a more Christmas themed cake with candy cane stripes. Yes, I dotted the I's with hearts. I'm corny, but I the mom. I can do what I want.

I realized that I am a genius as a mother. I made Millie the same Funfetti cake that I love and it proved to be so much less messy than a chocolate cake. Genius, I tell you.

This is the most smile I could get off of her. The girl refuses to smile for the camera. Get her sisters to mess with her in a restaurant or store and she shrieks with laughter. She's a tricker.


Some of Millie's milestones:

• Eating big people food. Her favorite thing is Mandarin oranges.
• Almost walking. I've been convinced for the last two months that any day she'd begin taking steps. I thought for sure she'd be my first child to walk before she was one. Not quite, but she could if she tried. Soon.
• Six teeth. Most babies get four teeth on top, two on bottom or vice versa. Millie has her usual two front teeth on top and two on the bottom, but she also has a tooth on the right bottom and one on the right top. Symmetrical still, just in her own unique way.
• Talking. Okay, not really. More like squealing for two seconds at a time every two seconds for several minutes at a time. Oh my gosh! Wanna watch tv? Sorry! You only get to hear the tube for two seconds at a time. And it's mostly just to hear herself. If she wants to make a point she sits at the base of your feet while you're trying to cook or do dishes. Then she screams.

Some of Millie's favorites:

• Person: Daddy. Oh, how she loves her Daddy! To see her eyes light up when she sees him makes your heart melt!
• Food: Mandarin oranges.
• Place: The rocker.
• Color: I don't know. She's one.

So, that's Millie. My baby is getting so big! Happy birthday, Sweetheart!!

Taking a Break...

...but just for a few days.

I know, I take breaks quite a bit, but this is a scheduled one. We moved in to the rental today. Right now it's just a bunch of boxes and unassembled beds. We're sleeping at Tara and Jabon's for one more night. Tomorrow will be a major unpacking day.

Tomorrow I'm also heading with Tara to a pottery place and we're making cute things for our children as part of their Christmas presents. We've adopted Josh's parents' tradition of the 3 Wisemen gifts. Each kid gets three gifts. Last year I tried to begin the tradition of one of the gifts being homemade (hence, the pottery tomorrow). They also get a big bag of clothes and a third gift. We've been going back and forth on what the third gift will be this year. We'll let ya know later.

So, for now I bid you adieu. Have a great weekend and I'll reconnect on Monday after our internet is installed at our new place.

Gorilla Brazil

The other day, Matt was singing a song I didn't quite recognize. Josh listened to him and was able to do some translation for me. Matt was singing, "Gorilla, Gorilla Brazil!" Now, you may be just as confused as I was. The tune of this song is from a little movie about 101 dalmatians. The tune, therefore, is "Cruella DeVil." Yes, the mean lady in the movie 101 Dalmatians, according to Matt, is actually Gorilla Brazil.

Matt is not the only one to get confused by the lyrics of songs...

We have a cd of the LDS speaker John Bytheway talking about his confusion with the Primary song "In The Leafy Treetops." The second verse goes, "In my pretty garden the flowers are nodding." He didn't get the word nodding. He thought the song was saying the flowers are naughty.

Josh told me about his confusion with the Primary song "I Am a Child of God." The second verse goes, "I am a child of God. And so my needs are great." Josh always thought is was, "I am a child of God. And so my knees are gray." For the longest time he was afraid praying too much would turn his knees gray.

My Primary song confusion came with the song "Pioneer Children Sang as They Walked." The line that got me was, "They washed in streams and worked and played. Sundays they camped and read and prayed." I always sang it as, "They washed in streams and worked and played. Somedays they danced and read and prayed." Made sense to me. They needed a little stress relief sometimes, so why wouldn't they dance? I had forgotten about my childhood faux pas until this summer as I sang loud and proud with my Primary class. Yep, the pioneers I sang about danced.

I also had some issues with the Phil Collins song "Invisible Touch." The chorus goes, "She seems to have an invisible touch, yeah." I swore the song actually said, "She seems to have an invisible Tuff Shed." I didn't know why. Was she a witch? Wonder Woman? She needed something invisible to hide her invisible jet? So didn't get it.

Ernest Goes to the Big Screen

Flipping through the channels today I came across the movie Ernest Saves Christmas. Since this movie came out when I was 11, I loved watching it. I think we even taped it off tv one year. But it got me thinking. Ernest P. Worrell (played by Jim Varney) started out as a character in tv commercials. Then he got his own tv show and then he went on to make about a dozen Ernest movies. It just really struck me that this character started out in commercials, but became a bit of an icon. Who hasn't heard the catch phrase, "Knowhutimean, Vern?"? If you haven't, I'm sorry your life is so sad. Ernest was so funny and just really a memorable character.

Of course, this isn't the only thought I had on the subject.

What other commercial characters would be worth seeing in movies or on tv? The Geico cavemen proved that not all characters transcend all media. Their tv show was horrible. What about Flo the Progressive girl? I try to hate her, but she just doesn't annoy me. As cynical as I am, I rather enjoy her commercials. Don't know how well I'd do watching her for an hour and a half, though.

Then I remembered that I have seen another group of commercial characters in the movies.

Pete and TJ (their real names, I learned tonight) are some of my favorite Sonic drive-in characters. They also appear in the movie Stranger Than Fiction. I like that movie. I think it's so great that they keep that witty banter they do so well in Pete's car as they eat their delicious treats in the Sonic drive in parking area. I can't help but wonder, though, is their appearance in the movie like a product placement? I totally thought of Sonic when I saw them. And I wanted a Diet Cherry Limeade. But, then again, it doesn't take much to make me crave a Diet Cherry Limeade.

Who would you like to see hit the big screen?

With Love, From Me to You

Dear Rockband Beatles,
You are really cool. You are the best video game I have ever played. Usually I can't play video games. Whether it's because I lack the hand/eye coordination or because I lack the ability to care about the game, I just don't play video games well. But you, RBB, are awesome. I love you. In fact, I want you for Christmas. I love you so much that I used a Beatles song as my title tonight. RBB, you rock my world.

Dear Shaun T.,
As the creator of the Insanity workout by Beachbody, I'm sure you realize how much of a butt-whooping your program is. But, did you realize that it is also an ab-whooping? And a rib-whooping? And a calf-whooping? And a thigh-whooping? It also whoops every other part of my body. Places I didn't even know could be whooped. This is my first week of your program and already I know it's going to be a great thing if I can keep up with you and your INSANITY!!! I get why you called it that, Shaun T. You're killing me, Smalls.

Dear Huggy-Bear (our white car),
I miss you. You've been away from the house much more than you've been home. I know you're doing your duty by taking Josh to work, not only for his regularly-scheduled shifts, but also all of the much-needed overtime he's been given. But I also missed you when you were stuck in the parking lot at the hospital with a dead battery. And I missed you this morning while you were stuck on the side of the road devoid of gas. It's nice to have you home tonight. But now I miss the van.

Dear Christmas Decorations,
I can't wait to see you! When I do it will be because we've moved in to our house and you've been salvaged from the storage unit. I can't wait to hang you, display you, and plug you in. Then maybe it will feel a little more like Christmas. Today was a cold day. It was in the 50s. I know, CD, you're totally laughing about it like I was, aren't you? I wore a short sleeved shirt while others around me wore sweatshirts and even parkas. This is fall weather, not Christmas weather. I look forward to you helping me feel the spirit of the season a little better. It will be a good day and then maybe I'll believe that Christmas is only 20 days away. Maybe.

Dan In Real Life

Tonight I watched a bit of the movie Dan in Real Life starring Steve Carell.

I like this movie for a few reasons, but here are the top two:

1. I love the message of needing to live in the moment and enjoy your children. Dan has three daughters and puts them (and the rest of his family) off to pursue his own romantic feelings. As much as I love the romance in a good chick flick, this isn't the focus I like. It's the realization he eventually makes to be involved in his daughters' lives and let them be involved in his. I actually tried to do a bit of this today. When my children got home from school, I had freshly baked cookies, and the movie they've been asking to watch, waiting for them. My focus was on them and I even happily sacrificed the time I usually spend vegging out to make said cookies. I had fun getting everything done for them. I think this is a really good thing since when we move we've decided to homeschool the kids. The girls are two grade levels ahead of their class in reading. Emma is in the 99th percentile in her grade for math. They're both bored in school. Unfortunately, the schools here just aren't at the same level as the schools in Montana. So, I found today's attitude refreshing. And hopeful. Maybe I will be able to do this. I've homeschooled them once before, so I think I've begun the process of learning what works and what doesn't. This will prove interesting.

2. Another thing I love about Dan is the glimpse into the future that I get. Dan has three daughters. So do I. Do I think someday Emma will be begging for more responsibility and freedom to go out and drive? Uh, yeah. Do I think someday Abby is going to yell in my general direction, "You are a murderer of Love!"? Yes. Yes, I do. In fact, I can hear it ringing in my head. It's very loud and shrill. It makes me scared and nervously laugh.

Steve Carell is great. Dane Cook is actually very enjoyable. It's really a very great movie and I suggest it to anyone that hasn't seen it. And to anyone that has seen it, for that matter.

The Haps

The haps around here (or "happenings"), are full of drama, as usual.

Mom and Dad came down from Great Falls to visit for Thanksgiving. It was such a great week and a half. They were very patient with us as we tried to secure a home for ourselves. They were also very patient when they were thrust into the home already established with 11 individuals.

We also had my brother Peter and his wife Genica here with us. We even got to see the pictures of Peter Jr (not really going to be his name, but I'll just call him that until we're told what his name will be).

Some of our highlights include:

Beatles Rockband jams. Dad has discovered his love for the Wii. So much so that Mom bought him one for his birthday. He insisted on jamming with Beatles Rockband a few times while they were here. Of course, none of us protested. We had our final session last night and I had fun watching both Mom and Dad rock out on the drumset. They had a bit of a competition to see which of them could get the higher score. It was pretty dang awesome to watch. One night we had a competition between the boys and girls. Dad, Peter, my BIL Jabon, and his brother Brighton all played against Mom, Genica, Tara, and me. Somehow the girls kept winning. Somehow! It was great fun. The boys did get a higher score than us on one song, I don't want to make it seem like we completely blew them out of the water. Not completely.

Thanksgiving. We had everyone here at Tara's house for Thanksgiving dinner. Mom's mom even made it for some visiting time earlier in the day. It was good food (which I didn't overeat, thank you very much) and good family.

Phoenix Zoo. We got to go to the zoo. It was really fun. I have to remind myself that it's not September. It's almost Christmastime. But the perfect weather at the zoo made it hard to remember how far into winter we actually are. The animals were pretty cool to see, although I was somewhat downhearted to find that they closed the alligator exhibit. That was one of my favorite animals. I think because Josh is terrified of gators and crocs. It probably didn't help his fear when he lived in South Africa and had to ride his bike down a path covered by sunbathing crocodiles. Anyway, it was fun.

Black Friday. I've never been shopping on Black Friday before. When I was working, I worked that day because I was at a bank. No days off for Black Friday when you work in the banking industry. After I quit working, we never had enough money for the shopping. Plus, what would I do with my children? Take them with me? I think not. So, Mom, Tara, Genica, and I headed out at 4:30am. I stood in line for a Ninetendo DS (don't tell Emma). But Josh and I had realized that we couldn't just get one. If you have more than one child, you know what I mean. We needed two--one for Emma and one for Ab. I did not need to hear Abby complaining that her Christmas was ruined because she didn't get cool things like Emma. By the time I'd been in line for an hour or two, it was my turn to claim my prize. I went to get one pink and one red DS. I was told I could only get one. I was freaking out! I needed to get two! I took the last pink one and went to get back in line for the second one, when Tara told me that she walked up to the lady and said she needed a red one. The lady didn't argue with her, and Tara became my hero! Now I'm fully stocked with two Nintendo DS's. I could not imagine trying to brave that madness alone. I'm so glad my mom and sisters were with me!

Just seeing Mom and Dad. I've realized that I miss Great Falls. It's only been just over two months since we left, but I do miss my friends, our ward, our house, seeing Mom and Dad whenever I want, seeing Gramma and Grampa whenever I want, seeing frost on the windows, etc. I'm a bit homesick.

Of course, I have no pictures of any of these things. But it was a great visit and I was sad dropping Mom and Dad off at the airport this morning. I'm so glad they got to fly, though. I'd hate to think of them coming and being so busy this whole time and then having to spend two days in the car.

We did secure a rental, but we won't be able to move in until we can get a truck to move out of the storage unit. We'll do that next week. It's slow, but the Lord finds it necessary to continue to try to teach us patience. I'm sure sick of this lesson and hope I can learn it soon so we can move past it.

Oh No She Didn't

Today I offer a new and prestigious award. I call it the "U Suck" Award.

This award goes to the Bus Stop Mom. I've mentioned her before. She thinks my kids' names are far too common and I'm mean to send Matt to school when he cries. Maybe I am, but today she just took the cake.

Her son came running to the bus stop all sorts of excited that brothers and sisters could come to school today. I told him that I hadn't heard that. His mom asked if we were going to the feast today. I had no clue what she was talking about. Then she mentioned soup and it hit me.

Last Monday (over a week ago) a note was sent home saying the class was making a soup the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. I saw that Matt was one of a few kids assigned to bring a can of potatoes or something (I did not see that families were invited). But, it wasn't grocery day yet and it I had over a week to get it in. Then life continued, the note got shuffled away somewhere and I forgot all about it.

So I realized that I had forgotten and I was feeling pretty bad about it and I wondered out loud if I would have a chance to bring the forgotten can to the school to add to the soup. Bus Stop Mom told me that we had to RSVP beforehand and they probably wouldn't have enough food for me. She began the winning descent to her award.

Finally the bus came and our sons got on the bus. I told Matt to have a good day and I love him and stood there for a second as I watched him settle into the bus. Bus Stop Mom started to say something to me, paused, and then smiled as broadly as she possibly could. She said, "You've made me feel very good about myself. At least I've got myself enough together to not forget about the feast." I stared at her. She continued saying that she's been feeling like her brain's not working right, but she's "not as bad" as me.

I think what upset me the most was feeling the need to explain myself to this woman. I even tried to a little, but she was so busy basking in the glow of her sudden happiness that she didn't acknowledge me.

So, with no further ado.....Bus Stop Mom, you have officially won the "U Suck" Award. I hope your inflated pride is large enough to hold your trophy for you.

Movin' On Up

In an effort to become our own people again, we have decided to go ahead and get a rental for now. We found a place that will do well for us, we just have to get everything in writing and we'll move in this coming Monday.

Here are some things I look forward to:

* Having more than three shirts to wear
* Pulling out my Christmas decorations
* Living in our own house
* Letting the kids have their toys (there's even a great toy room for them)
* Giving Tara and Jabon their sanity back

Here are some things I will miss:

* Being able to see Tara, Jabon and the boys often
* Having my workout buddy

Okay, I'm having difficulty getting past the excitement of having our own place again (no offense, Tara and Jabon). I'll post some pictures after we get in there. But it may take a while because my Christmas decorations are coming out the second I'm able to find them.

'Fessin' and Stuff

'Fess Up Friday

I exercised. I tried to eat right. I had a few days that I didn't. I lost a pound or two. I wish I could drop lots of weight immediately. It won't happen, so I'll just keeping pouting about that and keep trying. *Pout*

Zoolights

Last night we went to the Zoolights at the Phoenix Zoo. It was really cool. No exhibits were open, it was really dark, there were lots of people and we had to wait in some really long lines. But, it was still kind of cool to be there and it was even cooler later in the evening when most of the people were gone. It was almost like we had the whole park to ourselves. I liked that part the best.

Doctor's Office

Matt got his cast off his arm Friday morning. Everything is healing well, he just needs to rebuild the strength in his wrist. But his doctor's office is one of the worst I've ever been to. It's got a very crowded waiting room (with or without people) and wait we do. For a long time. Now, my question is, why is it that we are expected to be on time or even early for an appointment and we sit ignored for 40 minutes, but if we were to have shown up 40 minutes late and bypassed the waiting period we would've been denied our appointment? And I swear, if some medical person tells me some practical reason why this is, I promise you that I will go sockless and literally run around in my shoes all day long and then come to your medical office, take off my shoes, and rub my smelly, sweaty feet on your carpet.

I may need to go to bed.

The Council of Legendary Figures: The Decision

After much inner-turmoil, considering others' advice, and listening to Josh's perspective, we've decided to let the childhood continue. The deciding factor was Josh's response to my previous post: "DON'T DO IT! PLEASE!"



When Josh was growing up, Christmas was a very stressful time of year. To the extent that he didn't like Christmas. I know you're thinking, "What???? That can't be!!!" And I had no idea until a few days before our first Christmas after we were married. We had gotten a tag to go cut down our own Christmas tree. Unfortunately, Josh had been in a sledding accident just prior to our tree search and had a broken tailbone (although we didn't know it was broken at the time) and after a miserable trek through the woods, we returned to our little home with our tree. Josh was tired and we were bickering, so he went to bed. I tried to wake him so we could decorate our tree together, but he didn't want to get up. I was pretty upset because Christmas is definitely my favorite time of the year. I love the smell of the fireplaces, the Christmas goodies, the spirit of giving, the love and laughter of family and friends, the Hershey's Kisses bells commercial, and of course the celebration of the birth of our Savior. Every single bit of Christmas makes me happy. So when Josh wanted to sleep instead of decorate with me, I didn't understand it.



I later learned that Josh was trying to avoid the stress and arguing he usually associated with Christmas. I promptly taught him that he had the wrong attitude and we needed to have a wonderful Christmas together. Slowly, every year Josh came around a little more and then a little more.



Now my husband loves Christmas almost as much as I do. And for him to want our children to believe in Santa longer means something to me. Christmas is the time of miracles. We take the lessons that Jesus taught us and amplify them. We love, we give, we remember the importance of our family, we spend as much together as we possibly can. We won't do our usual bundling up and running through the blizzard outside to get to and from the car, but maybe it'll cool enough for us to drink hot chocolate and not die of a heat stroke. We'll let the Spirit of Christmas live in our home. And I love Pam's advice of "If you don't believe, you don't receive." I remember being told something like that growing up. Because we all need to believe. Believe in the miracles, believe in the goodness of Santa, believe in the happiness that accompanies this time of year.



So, yes, Virginia--I mean Emma, there is a Santa Claus!

The Council of Legendary Figures Expose!

When do you have the talk with your children?

I don't mean the "birds and the bees" or "just say no." I'm talking the "Santa's got a small budget and here is the reason why..." talk.

I was told the ugly truth the end of my second grade year. I was telling my mom that a few weeks ago, over Easter, I had seen the shadow of a six foot tall rabbit walking through our hallway. No, it wasn't Harvey. It was my childhood about to come to a halt. Of course, all through second grade all of my friends were questioning the existence of Santa, the Easter Bunny, and pretty much anyone else on the Council of Legendary Figures (watch The Santa Clause if you need more info about that). So, I wasn't shocked, but definitely disappointed.

Now, Emma is in third grade and Abby is in second. Is this the time for this talk? Do we wait until the girls demand answers? Might this need to be the year since we have an extremely limited Christmas budget and Emma has already written her letter to Santa asking for a pink Nintendo DS with red hearts on it with a carrying case and several specific games? She said she's asking Santa for the gift because she knows it's too expensive for us to buy for her.

I don't want to be the one to bring my baby's childhood to a halt. I also don't want to see her face when not even Santa can help her (Hello, Santa's trying to help us buy a new house!). Although, I am going to look online, Craigslist, Ebay, wherever I can for a deal. I'll try. But I can't promise to deliver.

When and how did you learn the truth of the Council of Legendary Figures?

Homeless

It's official.

The house has sold.

We are homeless.

Good thing Tara and Jabon let us squat at their house.

(Thanks, Tara and Jabon!)

That Same Old Routine

My latest 'Fess Up Friday spoke about stress. The tremendous amount of stress I've been feeling lately. It just seems like a lot of things have been out of control lately. I want a routine. I want MY routine. Everyday I want to get up and do the same ol', same ol'. I've discovered in my old age that routine is paramount in raising kids and overall daily life.

However, several years ago I would've rather died than accept routine in my life. I lived in the moment. Spontaneity was my middle name. At least it would've been if I knew how to spell it.

I was thinking about this while I was in the shower this morning (one of the best places to think). As a senior in high school, why did I hate the thought of keeping a routine? Then I remembered: I had virtually no responsibilities. I worked about 10 hours a week as the Snack Bar Girl at a roller skating rink. Out of my eight classes, only two, maybe three, required me to do homework. The only real responsibility I had was to be to school on time, and that didn't happen all that often. Nearly every morning I ran through the halls to get to the office. If I could convince those in charge of the morning announcements to allow me to give one of the announcements, then I could convince my first period teacher that I was only late because I was busy with my Student Council responsibilities ("You heard me giving the announcements, right?"). I'm pretty sure my teachers knew what I was doing, but luckily none of them actually called my bluff.

So in summary,

No Responsibilities = Me circa 1996

Tons of Responsibilities = Me circa 2009

And for now, that's okay. I'm willing to be boring if it will keep my life balanced and in check. Although I do miss making those morning announcements sometimes.

'Fess Up Friday

This week wasn't so great.

I missed a couple of days of exercise because we were so busy looking for a house. No house and no exercise. Not a happy combination.

I've been eating a little better, though, so I am down a pound or two. So that's good, I guess.

Here's the bad part. My will has begun to waiver because of the stresses around me. A screwed up housing market. Kids throwing up. A sick and fatigued husband. A baby that refuses to fall asleep at 1am. Intruding on family beyond what we should be. Money and the lack thereof. All of these things are hurting my mind, which then tells my body to shut down.

It's no wonder stress makes you fat. Beyond the chemical responses it creates, it just messes with your mind and makes you want to be catatonic for the rest of the day. Stupid stress.

How'd you do?

"There's Only One Reason You Play Cheatin' Songs"

Today's title is courtesy of the Judds, one of my favorite female duos EVER.





Josh and I did something today that we're not totally proud of....

We cheated on our realtor!

*GASP!*

I know! We probably shouldn't have, but we had begun to grow apart. He wanted one thing and Josh and I wanted another. The communication had broken down. I guess you can say, we had irreconcilable differences.

We happened across another realtor who seems to "get" us. She gave us the attention we wanted. She didn't pressure us. She made us feel special.

We are still on the look out for our house. There are some great probabilities. I've decided to gather as much of this info as I can and then I'll be happy to explain the Arizona market to everyone. It is messed up, screwy, and overall a pain to deal with. But, as they say, it's a great time to buy.

I know, I know....

It's not even Thanksgiving and I've already posted my first Christmas item. Directly above you will see the ElfYourself that I've already done this year. It's hilarious. I had to post it on the blog because I knew the kids would want to watch it over and over and over....

Anyway, that's why it's there.

Happy Birthday, Sesame Street!!

Today, November 10, Sesame Street turns 40. (Thank goodness it's older than me!) I love Sesame Street! It's probably one of the best shows to ever hit the airwaves.

Sesame Street taught me how to spell and how to write my name.

When I was four I remember asking for a Cookie Monster birthday cake. I wanted it so bad. Cookie is definitely my favorite character. I love his googly eyes, his long fuzzy fur, how great he looks in blue, and his affinity for cookies. He's my kind of man. (Yes, Josh, it is kind of unsettling how similar you are to my favorite childhood memory.)

If you haven't watched in a while, you've missed a new, fun character called Abby Cadabby. Of course, my Abby loves her. Not only is she a fairy, but she's pink. She's cute.

I saw this episode last season. Neil Patrick Harris was hilarious and made me laugh out loud. Here's a little clip of Neil as the Fairy Shoe Person. You can also see a bit of Abby Cadabby.

I'm writing this at midnight because Millie is having a hard time sleeping, but just like it should, these clips from Sesame Street are calming her down. I love this show. Happy Birthday!!

Some Sesame trivia:

What is the name of Elmo's pet fish?

What's the name of the store on Sesame Street?

What's the name of Big Bird's teddy bear?

When trouble arises, who does Grover turn into?

And here's a toughie:

What color was Oscar the Grouch 40 years ago?

So, who is your favorite character?

'Fess Up Friday

I know, I'm late again. It's not Friday, it's Sunday. But, this weekend we went house shopping, so that's my excuse. We found lots of possibilities, but I think our house is still out there somewhere.

Anyway, on to the weight loss. This week Tara and I decided to take the challenge to losing 15 lbs by Christmas. I admit, I balked when she first suggested that, but we've both been on plateaus for too long. So, for the next two months, we hope to lose an average of 2 lbs a week. Here's what we plan to do:

Exercise 5 to 6 days a week.

We now have child portioned plates to use for dinnertime.

Limit the number of Halloween candies we get a day.

Drink more water.

This is going to be tough, but we've got to do this! Waking up at 5am isn't worth it if the weight doesn't come off. We've got to do this. And we will. Think you might want to try too?

How'd you do?

Family Pictures

Josh and I have rarely taken family pictures. One reason is because I keep wanting to lose weight before I record my body image for all to see. But, it's time to face facts. I'm exercising and trying to eat right, but we don't need to put this off for another several years. So, here are a few of the pictures we took today.

We used the Mesa Temple as our backdrop. It was a beautiful day, despite the fact that it was still hot enough we all got sweaty in the heat. Our photographer was my fabulous BIL Jabon. He even brought my three nephews and they all were patient and we made quite the sight as three adults and seven kids took over one area of temple ground after another.

Awww, we're so cute!

Don't Give Me That Look

Yesterday I got a little riled up when I read an article about a woman and her 2-year-old son getting booted from a Southwest Airline flight. Apparently, he was throwing a tantrum when the flight attendants were trying to give the preflight safety instructions. His screams of "I want Daddy!" and "Go, plane, go!" caused the crew to decide to taxi back to the loading dock so he and his mother would be kicked off the plane and forced to stay an extra night away from home. I couldn't believe it when I read that. Yes, kids and their fits are incredibly annoying. But to kick them off the plane? Really?

I thought about how horrified I'd be if this was me. In March, when we took the kids to Disneyland, I had to comfort our fussy little Millie on the plane. To do this, I had to nurse her as I sat in the middle seat in between two men I'd never seen before. I had to sit with my torso twisted so she'd fit across me and not bump into either stranger. I was covered. But I know I made the people around me uncomfortable. I felt a little bad about that, but my baby comes first. You do what you have to do for your children.

After I read the article I saw the poll that accompanied the article. "Do you support Southwest Airlines and their decision?" 77% of pollsters voted that Southwest Airlines had done the right thing. I sat there flabbergasted. Do any of these people understand the situation this mother was in? Granted, I don't know her. Maybe she was one of the minority of parents that give the rest of us a bad name by not governing her child in public. But I can't help but wonder: Was her son having a hard time coping with not sleeping in his own bed and being off his schedule? Was he missing his daddy and knew he'd see him shortly? Was he tired and fatigued from having to be at the airport at least two hours early and then sitting on the plane for what always feels like an eternity until it finally takes of into the air? I can understand the plight of the other passengers. They were probably suffering from these same inconveniences. But shouldn't that incite compassion rather than anger?

I sat there and read many of the comments left by people who read the article. They were definitely black or white. Either people felt as I did: sorry for the mother, sorry for the toddler, scared of the next time I fly and my kids are cranky. Or, they shouted praises to the airline for finally taking a stand against bratty kids and their bad parents. I felt sickened by so many people who were so quick and willing to judge the picture and not the story. I was so grateful that the two men on either side of me last March were understanding enough to allow me to care for my baby and not make me feel guilty about it.

I kind of put the whole thing out of my head until this afternoon as Matt was supposed to get onto the bus. Since he was 3 (before I ever got pregnant with Millie) Matt has had a hard time leaving me to go anywhere on his own. It started in Primary on Sundays. He cried, he grabbed onto me, he broke my heart by saying things like, "But Mommy, I love you! I want to stay with you!" I've learned a few tricks to help us avoid this horrible scene. Sometimes it helps that Matt is distracted. He doesn't worry about me because he sees the activity he's about to do. Sometimes it helps that someone else takes him for me. Sometimes, no matter what I do, he's going to be upset. I have to firmly, but lovingly, tell him that he needs to go, I love him, and I'll see him later. Then the teacher (either church or school, it's happened at both places) takes a hold of him as I try to pry his hands off me and I leave. Within a few minutes he settles down and is his usual happy self. The teacher always seems to understand. It's the onlookers that seem to get that look. You know, that look that says, "You're not a very good parent, are you?"

Today's judgemental look was courtesy of the other mother who takes her kid to this particular bus stop. This is not the first time she's given me this look--the first time had to do with the names we chose for our children. I'm pretty sure she thought I was horrible for telling Matt that I didn't want him to throw a fit and he needed to go. I told him I loved him, lifted him up into the bus, backed away, and watched him cry as he sat in his seat. My heart was aching, but he had to go to school. I can't give in to him, he'll never grow up if I do. His name is Matthew Ammon, not Peter Pan. This is really, really tough, and I hope this phase passes someday (it's only been a problem for two years). But I don't need the added judgement of a woman that I've met four or five times.

Yes, I know I'm not a perfect parent. I've admitted my faults plenty of times in this very forum. You want some examples? Check here or here or here. But I do the best I can. Just like, I'm sure, the mom on the plane. Just like so many others out there. If my child acts up in public I must be a bad parent? Come on!

Look beyond the surface, People!

Halloween 2009

Despite my personal aversion for Halloween, I thought the kids looked great this year.

This was taken tonight (Halloween) right before the kids left for Trick-or-Treating. The other pictures are from the Trunk-or-Treat a few nights ago.

Emma was a robot. She designed her costume herself. She really wanted to create a slot for her candy so she didn't have to carry a bucket. It was a good thing she did because once her costume was made she couldn't move her arms. Her sign said, "Please insert candy here."

Abby was a bat. She was this a few years ago, but wanted to reprise. Fine with me. She looked great.

Matt was a dragon. Again, it was a redo from a former year. If my children want to wear a costume that we already own, I'm totally fine with that.




Millie dressed up for our ward Trunk or Treat, but she didn't for Halloween night. But she was an especially delicious M&M earlier this week.


Hope you had a fun Halloween night!

Laugh of the Day

'Fess Up Friday, Picture Dump and "What the Heck Happened to Matt?"

'Fess Up Friday

With Halloween coming up tomorrow, I knew this week was going to be tough. Our ward had their Trunk or Treat on Tuesday night, so for several days now I've been wanting chocolate. And, I'm very proud to report that I didn't take any candy out of the kids' stashes. I'm pretty sure that was a first. I did, however, ask Josh to pick up some extra bags of candy at the store. And then I ate them. Okay, not all of them, but it's just a matter of time.

The other reason I expected this week to be a little rough on my weightloss was because we upped our workout routine this week (muscle weighs more than fat, right? Right???). Tara and I are doing my newest video. It's a Biggest Loser workout with Bob. We add to our workout routine every two weeks for a total of six weeks. Because this was Week 3, we added 15 minutes and have discovered that the cliche "Misery loves company" is incredibly true. I think my favorite moment of the entire week was when Tara turned to me and said, "What have you gotten me into?!" If my body wasn't so insanely sore I'd heartily laugh outloud.

I also missed two days of workout this week. I need to workout tomorrow to make up for it a little. It's just really tough to wake up early on the mornings after you've been up with sick kids and/or husbands.

How'd you do?

Picture Dump

Millie

Millie and Ashton at Peter Piper Pizza. If you are on Facebook with me, this is the night of the infamous Millie-pooped-on-my-shirt-and-we-still-went-out-in-public-where-Millie-wore-just-a-diaper-and-bib fiasco.

My nephew Cody.

Emma's cute hair.

Abby's cute hair.

Ashton and Millie playing with the Tupperware.

The kids dressed up this morning for school. They were supposed to be book characters. Emma and Cody took off before I could snap their pictures, but Abby was running a little late. She is Miss Viola Swamp from the Miss Nelson books.

"What the Heck Happened to Matt?"

Saturday night we had dinner with Josh's cousin, Bobbie, and her family. I've never met this side of Josh's family before, so this was kind of a big deal to me. Bobbie is really nice and I really enjoyed spending time with her and her family. I had met her husband Mark once before because he helped us unload our moving truck into the storage unit. Good people.

Matt's splint

Anyway, Matt and the other kids were jumping on the trampoline. I've never been a fan of trampolines. I'm still not. One of the kids jumped onto Matt and his arm got hurt. Thinking he was just being overly dramatic (not uncommon at our house), we told him to calm down and it would be fine. After a few hours, though, he was still complaining so Josh took him to the ER. I expected to hear that his wrist was sprained or something, but no, it's broken. The ER told Josh that Matt had a green stick break, which is like what a green twig looks like when you try to snap it. Luckily, they were wrong.

Matt's glow-in-the-dark cast. Cool, right?

When we went to the orthopedist on Tuesday (one reason I missed exercising that day since we spent nearly four hours in their office) we found out his break is a buckle break instead. He'll need a cast for about three weeks. It heals quickly, but he does have to be very careful because bumping it could aggravate it. So, that is the story of what the heck happened to Matt.

Evolution of a Mother

I recognize that I have changed a lot over the years. I am no longer the happy-go-lucky girl I once was. Now I like schedules and routines. But as much as I have changed as a person, I have also changed as a mother. Over the last 8 1/2 years I have evolved in motherhood.

Baby 1: Mommy says, "Oh, look at all these cute new baby clothes! I'm so lucky!"
Baby 4: Mommy says, "Oh, look at all these hand-me-downs! I'm so lucky!"

Baby 1: Mommy says, "Somebody went poopies! Let's change your bottom!"
Baby 4: Mommy says, "Ugh! Go change your diaper, Baby! You stink so much you're making me gag!"

Baby 1: Mommy sterilizes Baby's high chair and puts her food in a nice little bowl because even babies can learn good table manners.
Baby 4: High chair, schmigh chair. Mommy swept the floor so Baby's Cheerios go in a pile on the floor for much easier access.

Baby 1: Mommy says, "Oh no! Baby is sick! Call the doctor for an appointment in the morning."
Baby 4: Mommy says, "Someone grab me the Tylenol. We're in for a crappy night."

Baby 1: Baby is sleeping and the house is silent. Mommy can catch up on house stuff or maybe even rest.
Baby 4: Mommy yells, "YOU KIDS BETTER BE QUIET AND STOP RUNNING AROUND BEFORE YOU WAKE UP THE....OH! OH, GREAT! NOW SHE'S AWAKE, GOOD GOING, KIDS!"

Baby 1: Mommy says, "Look! Look she's walking!"
Baby 4: Mommy says, "Oh no! I just un-kid-proofed everything!"

Wow. It sounds like I've become quite cynical and negative over the last few years. Maybe someday (in at least 17 years) I'll get to be that happy-go-lucky girl again.

Halloween Diva

My husband loves Halloween. Having an October birthday, he often combined his birthday with Halloween. My children also love Halloween. Halloween is a big deal to all these people. They love the costumes, the candy, the scary movies (Josh does, at least).

Here is where we insert the song, "Every party has a pooper that's why we invited you!" I don't dig Halloween. I'm not excited by costumes. I can have chocolate any day of the year. And I don't do ghost or bloody movies.

I'm going to put myself out there for all of you to judge: I prefer having a costumer and entire costume department to dress me up. I love having my own makeup artist. I get a kick out of someone else doing my hair. As "low maintenance" as I try to be in my everyday life, I don't enjoy Halloween because it's too much a do-it-yourself affair. I am a Halloween Diva. When kids come to our door (because I don't want to take the kids trick-or-treating so Tara will take the big kids while our husbands are at work and I'll stay home with the babies and answer the door) I'll be wearing...wait for it....REGULAR CLOTHES! I know, I am NO FUN! I did get into the spirit a bit today as we prepared the kids' costumes for the Trunk or Treat for church tomorrow night. The kids are going to look great and I enjoyed getting their stuff together this year. I just wish Josh didn't have to work so he could enjoy the night. He had to work last year too. (Last year my brother took the kids trick-or-treating.)

I do wish I got into the spirit more. I hate being the stick in the mud. But I will do everything in my power to make sure the kids have the costumes, hair and make up they want. I'll be their costumer/hair/makeup artist. And I'll be glad that Josh will be there to help me with it all before they leave Saturday night. Maybe next year I'll learn how to make our costumes so we can all be really cool. Maybe that will help me get into it more.

Primary Kids and Their Program

Today was the Primary program. Because of the way the LDS church is set up, all the programs are uniform throughout the world. This month the Primary children (ages 3 - 11) sang songs and gave short talks for the Sacrament Meeting. Because we just joined this new ward, the kids didn't get to have any individual parts. But several kids didn't get their own speaking parts. Evidently, our three Primary aged kids put this Primary group over 170 kids. Can we say Holy Cow? The ward we attended when we first moved to Montana had a total of 15 kids in their entire Primary program. And that included our kids.

The program was very nice. I realized that I actually miss my Primary calling. I thought I'd be happy to return to Relief Society after spending nine months with the 3 and 4 year olds in the Sunbeam class and six months with the 10 year olds. But I miss them. I miss Sharing Time. And I especially miss Singing Time. I love the Primary songs. Of course, one of my favorite songs is I Am A Child of God. But one of my other favorites is I Wonder When He Comes Again. The kids sang that one today.

I loved watching my children sing today. They made me happy and tearful all at the same time. The girls happily sang along to the songs and Matt proudly sported his new splint on his broken arm. That story will be up after I get a few pics. He's fine, but he's milking this for all he can.

What's your favorite Primary song?

'Fess Up Friday

Despite my late night sweet tooth, this week's efforts were successful. This week I lost 3 lbs. If I were on The Biggest Loser, I'd be below the yellow line, but I'm not, so I'm happy about this. Especially since my average weekly weightloss is about a single pound. I've about lost all the weight I packed on this summer. It makes sense that winter would be the time of year to gain weight--your body wants extra insulation for the cold--but I've found it so much easier to lose weight and stay in routine during the school year while the kids are not under foot. MWF Tara and I groggily meet each other in the living room at 5am, but Tues and Thurs I'm on my own. Those days I have the possibility of children underfoot, but the little kids don't want to exercise with me like the big kids do so they pretty much leave me alone. I'm fine by that.

So, to sum up my exercise/diet confession: Exercise = good. Food = good. Yes, I ate cookie dough this week. And yes, I let Jabon talk me into a few late night sweets (you know it's all your fault and I'm just innocent, right, Jabon?). But I tried even harder to keep my calories under control. I couldn't find a kids' plate at Ikea (don't know where one is around here) but I did try to keep my portions in line with that idea and I didn't have seconds. So far, that seems to have made a huge difference. I've also had to restock my gum supply.

In other news, in case you missed it on Facebook, we have a contract on our house. It took some negotiations -- major -- but we got it worked out. It sounds like they are first time home buyers who want the grant because they want to close by Nov 15. Hey, the sooner the better, is my thought. It'll be sad to sell our house that we've loved so much, but it's time to look around here and get ourselves into a much more permanent situation. Tara and Jabon have been very patient with us and we need to make sure we get things taken care of before we wear our welcome too thin.

Anyway, how'd you do this week?

"Goofing Around"?

This picture is what Jabon considers "goofing around." I'm looking forward to when we are all healthy and off work so he can "goof around" taking pics of the entire Johnson clan.

I haven't updated on the kids lately except to complain about them being home for way too many days. That's not very nice of me.

(Another of Jabon's "goofing" photos:)


Millie is getting too big for her britches. Her first top tooth has just popped through and the other one is on its way. With her bottom teeth, she was such a little angel that I didn't even know she was teething until I felt the tooth itself. So not the case this time. This little girl is loud and forceful. Her personality is strong. Very strong. She's pretty much guaranteed that everyone around her knows that she's not so comfortable. And the drool. Oh, the drool! Remember the Tom Hanks movie Turner and Hooch? 'Nough said.

Millie has also begun pulling herself up and cruising along the couch or the loveseat or the tv table or the kitchen table benches or the...well, I think you get it. Josh said yesterday that she spends more time standing up than she does crawling around. I think he's pretty close to accurate.

Millie and Ashton (Tara's youngest boy who turns a year old tomorrow, Oct 22) are quickly becoming good friends. They gravitate towards each other. Ashton even followed Millie and me all the way to my room at the front of the house so he could be with his favorite cousin. The other day Millie was standing at the couch. Ashton came over to her to be by her and put his hands on the couch and knelt up as high as he could. He's still working on the standing part, so he was having difficulty imitating Millie completely. Instead, he fell back onto his bottom, surveyed the situation, grabbed Millie by the bum, and pulled her onto the floor next to him. As long as they don't become Kissing Cousins, we're good.