Family BBQ

During Labor Day weekend, Ben and Jen (my cousins) were so nice to invite the whole Johnson clan to their house for a BBQ. It's always fun to get together with them, and I love how the kids can all play for hours and get along so well! And it's so fun to see our girls get right in on the soccer action with the boys!

Brain Day

A little over a week ago was "Brain Day" for all of the fourth-graders. Kiera was so excited, and I just thought, "Well, have fun - but be sure to wash your hands before you come home." But then the parents got invited to attend too. We all thought Quentin would enjoy it much more than me, but he couldn't get time off work - so it was me who got to go. I was happy to be with Kiera, even though I wasn't thrilled about seeing brains.

So...first of all the kids had "Brain Food" - apples, veggies, trail mix...and a jello molded to look like a brain. How lovely.

Then we got to spend time doing "Brain Puzzles" before we actually got to see the brains. Yep, real sheep brains. Whoever wanted to touch them could put on gloves and pick them up, rub them, feel them...just not poke their fingers through them. (Doesn't that put a nice image in your head?!) Kiera was brave - and actually excited - to touch it. She said it wasn't as slimy as she thought it would be, and I think it looked quite a bit like Spam. Ugh. But it was fun to hear some of the students point out the pituitary glad or other parts of the brain that they've been learning about. I guess that's what it's all about.

After that, we got to watch a PowerPoint presentation about different optical illusions. It brought me back to my college days when I studied psychology and took a class on perception. So fascinating!!

Swim Party

Last night was the annual neighborhood swim / hot dog / ice cream party at our neighbor's house. It's something we look forward to for celebrating the end of summer. We were there over 2 1/2 hours and our girls were one of the last few kids out of the pool! It's fun to go swimming, especially when you know everyone there and can swim (or sit and chat) with your friends!



EVEN THE BISHOP GOT IN ON THE ACTION - SHIRT AND TIE AND EVERYTHING! WHAT A GOOD SPORT! (I'M NOT SURE IF HE ACTUALLY GOT PUSHED IN OR IF HE PLANNED ON JUMPING IN!)

Funnies

More funnies from my girls (at least I think they're funny!)

* Makenna had an "owie" and when it touched the warm bath water she said, "Ouch! That's spicy!"

* Kasdiee asked me if the milk had "re-spidered" yet.

* Kasidee calls hand sanitizer "hanitizer."

* Makenna said, "I hit my arm on the chair and it fizzed!"

First Day

So here we are, first day of school. Kids, parents and teachers are all excited and nervous about this Big Day. But I think the hardest part for the mom is putting on a happy face and pretending you're excited and that all will be well. I HATE the first day of school. I can't stop crying, it's way too quiet, and I feel lost. Of course, in a couple of days I know I will relish the routines and the structure, and I will remember how fun it is to have the whole day alone with my Kasidee. But today I just feel lost.

I put on my brave face this morning even though Kiera has had doubts all summer about going back to school. She's really excited about her teacher, but none of her closest friends are in her class. But what she has been really nervous about is that the "School Bully" is in her class. She has heard lots of horror stories about this boy and is terrified that he is in her class. So of course - when I take her to class this morning the desks are set up in pairs. And she is sitting right. next. to. The. Boy. Her face crumpled as she turned into me. Her tiny, quivering voice whispered, "Mama, I can't do this."

Oh man - I felt like my heart would break! I mumbled a few words which seemed to help and she pulled it together. She bravely sat down at her desk. I gave her a quick hug and kiss and kept glancing over my shoulder as I left the room. Then the tears started coming. And coming. As I walked outside, I passed a few moms I know - one said, "Are you really crying?! Boy, I am shouting for JOY!"

Kasidee and I quickly walked home where I was able to do my "Ugly Cry" and talk to my own sweet mom on the phone. I just love having my girls home with me, and I don't like having to wonder and worry about how their day is going when they're not with me. I know, I know - soon I'll be able to focus on the projects I've put on hold and I'll enjoy having some quiet(er) time. But I feel like time is just going too fast! When my girls were babies I thought it was so cute how they would reach out and try to grasp the bath water coming out of the faucet. No matter how much they would grasp, over and over, they just couldn't get a hold of that water. That's how I feel with Time - I keep grasping and grasping, but it just keeps going and I can't make it hold still!

I guess that's what life is all about, and I am reminded that I need to be grateful my girls are still young and not off to college or something. But time just goes too fast. But at least I am loving every single minute! :)

This is the Place

As a sort of last hurrah to summer, we went to "This is the Place" last Saturday with Corbin, Nikki and kids. "This is the Place" is one of our favorite places - there's so much to learn about and do and there are different activities every time we go. And it just feels different there! Anyway, check out some of the fun things we did:

Birthday, Birthday, Birthday!

I just haven't taken the time to blog as much as I'd like this summer, but I wanted to make sure I "documented" Makenna and Kasidee's birthdays! Having their birthdays 2 days apart is great for some reasons and hard for other reasons. My main concern is making sure each girl feels special on her day, but it's also fun to have like a 3-day celebration!

Makenna's birthday (#7) was on a Sunday, which is hard for a kid. She was bummed that we couldn't go somewhere fun (besides church!) but she really looked forward to having the grandmas over that evening. It was quiet and nice and really helped to be able to focus on HER!

The next day was the friend party day. Makenna and Kasidee both wanted a backyard pool party with a few friends. My first thought was great - we'll just invite everyone and have a big bash. But no - they each wanted a separate party even though they would be doing the same thing. So instead of dividing it between 2 separate days, we decided to do both parties on the same day but at different times. It was a long day, but it was fun - and nice to have it over with in one day!!

Anyway, the party was fun - sprinklers under the trampoline, slip-n-slide, and inflatable kiddie pool. We had whale crackers and Swedish fish for snacks, and watermelon cupcakes and watermelon popsicles.






The next day was Kasidee's real birthday (#4) and we asked her what she wanted to do. She replied with what she had been asking all summer - Kangaroo Zoo. So we went there, then went to Olive Garden for dinner. Yay!

So Great A Cause

For the last few months, our Stake has been focusing on how we can provide service to others beyond our Stake boundaries. Ward goals, family goals, and individual goals were set, and last Saturday was the "culminating event" of everyone's efforts.



There was a carnival (each "station" symbolized characteristics needed in strengthening our testimonies and building the kingdom of God.) There was food and music, an art exhibit, and a program with songs. All the work that went into this event was pretty impressive.

COTTON CANDY - YUM!

WATERMELON EATING CONTEST - MAKENNA WON, EVEN WITH HER TOOTHLESS SMILE!

PETTING ZOO


Perhaps the coolest thing was the monument that will be placed at the church. The monument houses a time capsule that each ward contributed to - we were even able to submit our family's goal. The time capsule will be opened in 20 years, when our Stake turns 50 years old. It's weird to think that in 20 years I will most likely be a grandma! But what a special experience for us, especially the girls!

THE 4-FOOT MONUMENT AND TIME CAPSULE


The other "coolest" thing was a big map of the world - and there was a list of everyone in the Stake and where they served (or are serving) their missions and/or military duty. Everyone that was there was able to put a pin in the map of where they went - what a neat thing to see that people of our Stake have had an influence all over the world!

Camping

We went camping last weekend with Quentin's brother Corbin and his family, and his brother Dallin. We ended up having lots of fun but there were a few things that really "tested" us. On our way up to Big Cottonwood Canyon, our van overheated. It just totally died and we had to pull over for a few minutes. We realized that our poor old van can't pull a tent trailer and run the a/c at the same time. So to cool things off a bit, we drove the rest of the way up with the heater on and the windows rolled down. At least we made it!

Corbin got to the site about an hour before we did and got the very last spot. Out of about 100 spots. We were able to all share the spot, so that was pretty lucky.

But then as Quentin was cranking up the top of the tent trailer, he got it up maybe a foot and then it just fell. The dumb cable that makes the top go all the way up broke, leaving our tent trailer unusable. Great - now what? I felt so frustrated, and I just wanted to go home and cry. But we emptied out the stuff we had put in the trailer and Quentin and Corbin ran the trailer back home (thank goodness we were only about an hour away from home!) Then he picked up a new tent for 88 bucks at Walmart. We set it up and were good to go. I felt a lot better then. The tent was nice, but man - we realized how much we really love our little tent trailer! We sure missed the comforts and safety of it!

I think after that (besides a few scrapes, mosquito bites, small bike crashes, and some stinging nettle on Makenna's fingers) things were okay. We had a fun time and made some good memories - and we can't wait to go again next year!


RIDING BIKES

GEOCACHING

HIKE BY DONUT FALLS

"FREE WOOD FOR SALE"

Swimming Lessons

The girls took swimming lessons this summer - this was Kasidee's first year! They all loved it and did really well. They hated to see it end!

KIERA



MAKENNA



KASIDEE



THREE BATHING BEAUTIES!

Sprinkle

The girls love to swim and splash, but for some reason I am still trying to figure out, I am not a big fan of going to public pools. However, with 8 swimming lessons, a daddy-daughter date to the Rec Center, a couple days of sprinklers and kiddie pools at our house and a few days of sprinklers at friends' houses, I think the girls got enough water time this summer. At least for the time being!

Makenna's Gymnastics Class

This summer, in addition to swimming classes, the girls each got to pick a summer rec class they wanted to take. Makenna chose gymnastics. It was held at Flip's in Bountiful and she was so happy to have a few of her friends in the class too. It was an hour each week for 5 weeks. She had so much fun and wants to do it again next year - and Kiera wants to join her!

Catch Up

I feel like I either haven't HAD the time or TAKEN the time to blog lately. So here I am playing catchup again. Here's what this last week held for us:

* We bought a trampoline! We never really thought we would get one, since 2 sets of cousins have trampolines. But the girls love jumping on their trampolines so much that we decided it would be worthwhile to get our own. After searching a few places, we noticed that we could either get a really high quality one for like $900 or a cheap one for about $250. It might not be as good of quality, but it seems okay and it works for us. And the best thing? We didn't pay 250 bucks. We paid 15 cents. Yep, 15 cents for a brand-new in-the-box trampoline at Walmart. Quentin got a bonus gift card from his work and we ended up paying 15 cents. Not bad, eh?

HERE ARE OUR CRAZY GIRLS JUMPING IN THE DARK - LOOKS LIKE A CAGE!


* The girls started swimming lessons. Kasidee was a little hesitant at first - till we got there. All 3 girls are LOVING it! (I'll have to post pictures later - we've still got one week left.)

* The girls had their dentist appointment. Poor Makenna had a cavity, and the doc wants to do an expander retainer for Kiera for her crossbite (hardly noticeable.) We're still trying to decide about that.

* Makenna had her second-to-last gymnastics class. She's having so much fun!

* Had several playdates with friends and cousins.

* Quentin, my mom and I went to "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" at the Centerpoint Legacy Theater in Centerville. Have I told you before how much I love live theater? ;)

* Went to Lagoon for the girls' cousins Stake Lagoon Day (we all decided to just do the free entrance - we walked around Pioneer Village, got ice cream, and played in the fountains.)




* The girls had a "Late Night" with friends - movie, popcorn, snacks, lots of giggles.

* Took a ride on a little train at the S&S Railroad in Farmington


* Kiera, Makenna and I went to a baby shower; Kasidee and Quentin had a Daddy-Daughter date while we were gone.

Can I just say I hate that school is only 2 weeks away? Where has summer gone? I am already missing my girls. I love having them home with me and they have generally gotten along pretty well this summer. They are all at ages where they play so well together and

Week in Review

So I guess I've been a little too busy to take the time to blog. But here's what last week looked like. Just trying to squeeze in lots of fun before school starts!

* Met Mom and Grandma for lunch
* Cleaned out our garage (that deserves a separate post - coming soon)
* Lemonade stand - twice

* Played with friends
* Picnic dinner at the park
* Dinner at cousin's house
* Spent the day in Salt Lake with my mom - had lunch at Spaghetti Factory, browsed at Pottery Barn Kids and Whole Foods in Trolley Square, had dessert at City Cakes.

* Fireworks in our driveway
* Final "Summer Reading Program" show at the library
* Learned magic tricks
* Played at the park

* Slept in tent trailer overnight (in our driveway!)
* Bought a trampoline - after using some gift cards we had, we ended up paying 15 cents for it!
* Quentin took the girls swimming at the Rec Center and gave me several hours of peace and quiet, home alone!
* Had cousins over for dinner