Johnson Family

to infinity and beyond...

2012-01-23T09:29:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning we met up with our Johnson cousins to see Toy Story 3 on ice! The kids have been playing this game on the X-Box a lot lately so they were really excited. It was a great show with lots of fun songs, tricks and all our favorite characters. Thanks Grandma!!

fun on the lake.

2012-01-15T15:19:00.000-07:00

bike ride

2012-01-04T17:01:00.000-07:00

Monday we went to lunch with Kevin's family (the kids had a great time at Peter Piper Pizza) and then stayed to hang out for a while. Before heading home we went for a bike ride to a nearby park. Karter just learned how to pedal his bike, so this was a thrilling ride for him. On the way to the park, Kevin's mom taught Koltyn how to pedal too!

Christmas 2011

2011-12-28T11:32:00.000-07:00

These three pictures pretty much sum up our Christmas this year. The kids woke up a little after seven in the morning to this wonderful sight, Santa had come! They got right to it, opening their stockings and gifts. I would say they all got the most excited when they opened the Kinect for the X-Box. Karter's face was especially priceless.

We were so happy to have Christmas on Sunday and get to attend a great sacrament service with beautiful music and touching testimonies. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Christmas Eve 2011

2011-12-28T11:20:00.000-07:00

It has become tradition to spend Christmas Eve with my family. This year was no exception. Last year, my sister started a new tradition of matching pjs for all the grandkids. She spends lots of time finding enough fabric and making a pair of pants for each of the kiddos. Thanks, Steph!

After a prime rib dinner we had lots of fun with a variety of activities. From lego building, ornament making and, most importantly, the nativity to playing carols with chimes and bells, we had a packed night of fun.

It is a Hallsted tradition to do a flame with Christmas dessert. My mom was even able to find apple shaped bowls just like the ones my grandma (her mother) always served it in.

Ahhh, tradition!

temple lights

2011-12-24T10:41:00.000-07:00

Friday we had dinner with the Hallsted family. My uncle had this old car out front, covered in lights, with Santa hanging out in the front seat. Karter and Koltyn were loving it.

Afterwards we headed to the temple to see the lights. It was beautiful as usual and the kids couldn't get enough. I especially enjoy seeing all the nativity sets in the visitor's center. As we walked out the lights were shut off and the kids were pretty sad. We have never closed out the temple lights before.

rustler's rooste

2011-12-23T08:45:00.000-07:00

Wednesday night we met up with the Johnson family at Rustler's Rooste for dinner and gift exchange. During dinner, a balloon artist came by to make anything the kids wanted. He was very talented to say the least. Kimble got a Rudolph, Karter got a Spiderman and Koltyn got a monster truck. There was also a slide inside the restaurant that the kids could not get enough of. Fun, fun, fun.

After dinner, they let us use the patio for our gift exchange. It was an awesome view of the valley. The kids absolutely loved the gifts that they were given. We are so lucky to have such a generous family!

sedona: day three

2011-12-22T17:36:00.003-07:00

Wednesday morning we woke up and starting packing up when Kimble spotted this balloon out the window. Love it!

On our way back home, we stopped in a the Anthem Outlets to see this amazing tree. It is hard to tell just how tall it really is in this picture.

sedona: day two

2011-12-22T17:29:00.001-07:00

Tuesday, we decided to take a drive through Oak Creek Canyon to spend the day in Flagstaff. On our way we found snow! It was amazing just how excited the kids were to play in the wet stuff. A quick family picture and snow ball fight later, and we were off the movies (and some Christmas shopping).

sedona: day one

2011-12-22T16:53:00.000-07:00

Monday we made our way north to beautiful Sedona! Kevin is now half way through his masters program and definitely needed to de-stress. It was the perfect get away. The kids were thrilled to walk through the door and find this guy waiting for them, too.

After dinner, we went to see thousands of lights at the Red Rock Fantasy light display. It was worth the small entrance fee. While it was a little nippy, the kids loved it. Here are just a couple of our favorite displays (plus, Mr. and Mrs. Claus).

december 17

2011-12-19T08:04:00.001-07:00

Saturday night we got together with the Johnson family in Surprise for a night of Christmas fun. We had a yummy dinner, nativity, lots of crafts, games and even an appearance by the big guy himself. Julie did a great job putting it all together!

Koltyn spent most of the night in Landon's room. Can you see why he loves it so much?

Julie found this game for the adults to play. We had to roll a special number on a die, put on a pair of oven mitts and attempt to unwrap a gift, which continually got smaller and smaller. It was hilarious, lots of fun!

Santa finally found the house! The kids were super excited to see what Santa brought them, hence the willingness to sit on his lap for a picture.

karter's last game.

2011-12-17T11:41:00.001-07:00

Karter has learned and improved so much since he started soccer six weeks ago. Today he made 5 goals! We are so proud of him and hope that he will continue to do his best. Way to go Karter!

graham cracker "houses"

2011-12-15T09:19:00.000-07:00

Karter's preschool had a fatherhood activity last night. Uunfortunately, by the time Kevin and Karter got there they did not have any graham cracker houses left. Karter really wanted to make one and had been talking about it all week. So Kevin took him out to dinner and then to get supplies to make his own at home. All the kids benefited and Karter got over his disappointment qquickly. Kimble and Karter made sandwiches, while Koltyn had help making a miniature house. Yum!

soccer party

2011-12-15T09:10:00.002-07:00

boat parade 2011

2011-12-11T15:00:00.001-07:00

-Kimble, Lara, Karter, Evelyn, Ryan, Amy, Heather, Karl, Kristi, Koltyn, Kevin-

silver bells

2011-12-09T08:24:00.001-07:00

Thursday night we got to see Kimble perform in the first grade Christmas concert at her school.

a no parade kind of night

2011-12-04T13:24:00.001-07:00

Saturday night we were going to watch the Light Parade in Phoenix like we usually do with the Johnson family. The rain and cold were enough to keep us away, which meant that we needed to have some family fun somewhere else. Instead, we kept it simple with window shopping and dinner at Del Taco. Surprisingly the kids loved it!

decking the halls.

2011-11-29T13:25:00.001-07:00

Saturday morning the kids "helped" me put up and decorate the Christmas tree. They colored some wooden ornaments left over from last year while I did all the work. Koltyn didn't color so much as play.

We also hung our stockings, ready to be filled by the big man himself. One day we may actually get names embroidered on them!

We also have a small tree in the family room for the kids. They get to decorate (and re-decorate several times over) it with the wooden ornaments we make each year on Christmas Eve.

Sheldon is back!

2011-11-29T11:50:00.001-07:00

we love our kiddos.

2011-11-25T15:43:00.001-07:00

gobble, gobble!

2011-11-25T15:35:00.001-07:00

This year we spent our Thanksgiving with the Johnson family in Peoria. Our day consisted of a little eating and lots of playing. Kimble talked all week about eating a turkey leg, so we let her try. After dinner, we walked down to a little park to play kickball. Some of the kids found the hill more entertaining.

...just because

2011-11-23T09:47:00.001-07:00

Shun the Sun 5K

2011-11-13T12:54:00.001-07:00

Kristi - Heather - Aaron - Stephanie

boutique!

2011-11-09T16:56:00.003-07:00

Here is a little sneak peek of what I will be selling at the Pecan Creek Boutique this Saturday!

(not shown: cabinet door chalkboards courtesy of Heather)

our first soccer game

2011-11-06T13:46:00.000-07:00

Karter had his first soccer game of the season on Saturday morning. He did his best and even scored two goals (and one was in the right net). He was so proud of himself and we were pretty proud of him too.

Family {2011}

2011-11-05T23:14:00.000-07:00

Thanks again Heather (and Stephanie)!

karter's first practice

2011-11-02T18:53:00.002-07:00

Karter had his first soccer practice tonight. He did great! When it came to playing a practice game, well, that was just funny. A couple of the boys were the only ones kicking the ball and they couldn't seem to keep it in bounds. Karter simply danced until the last minute when he actually scored a goal. Can't wait to see what happens at the first game on Saturday. Way to go buddy!

we made it through halloween.

2011-10-31T21:05:00.000-07:00

Our Halloween really started after school. We finally carved our little pumpkins from Mother Nature's Farm. They were actually hard to cut through, bummer. I ended up cleaning them all out for the kids while they looked on. We were able to get all three pumpkins done in about forty-five minutes.

Ready for some tricks and treats! Out of the four times that the kids dressed up this year I would say this was the best night. We finally got their costumes right, adding a light stick helped keep Koltyn a happy cowboy.

Usually, we have to go to the door with the kids and say trick or treat for them and prompt them to say thank you. This year, they did great on their own. Koltyn was actually the best at saying trick or treat (sometimes yelling it before the door was even open).

There were more dark houses this year than ever before, so we were a little worried and even thought about taking the kids to the trunk or treat in town. By the time we got back to our house, their buckets were nearly filled!

Kevin just had to show the kids Garfield's Halloween Special. Apparently, he grew up watching it every year. I had never seen it, but was able to find it online. Thanks You Tube!

a stewart halloween

2011-10-31T09:18:00.000-07:00

We missed Evelyn for our picture. Some one forgot to tell her mommy to come early. Oops!

Just a little arm wrestling between cowboys.

Cowboys shoot birds sitting in trees, right?

a johnson halloween

2011-10-30T10:12:00.000-07:00

Saturday night was the annual Johnson family Halloween party. It is always a great time full of fun and laughter. First up was the traditional grandkids on the couch picture. They used to all fit on a bench, now they barely fit on the longest couch!

After dinner the kids grabbed their buckets, ready to go trick or treating around the house. Each of the adults took a room, dressed up just a little bit and handed out the candy. The kids have really loved this new tradition. Kevin even helped this year (so that I could take pictures for everyone), dressing up as Bert and Ernie.

Another great Johnson family party!

costume trial run

2011-10-25T09:32:00.000-07:00

Monday night we had a FHE Halloween party with my dad's family. The kids got to try on their costumes for the first time. We have a little work to do, to say the least.

Koltyn wore his cotume for about one minute, the candy was more important.

adventures at schnepf farms

2011-10-24T07:49:00.000-07:00

We met up with the Johnson gang on Saturday afternoon at Schnepf Farms, not far from us here in Queen Creek. It has become a tradition of sorts and it is always a great time. There are so many things to do down on the farm- face painting, miniature golf, carousel rides, bike races, a petting zoo, tall slides, bumble bees and airplanes, and of course the pumpkin patch. We were determined to do as many things as possible and boy did we sure have fun doing it!

Kevin's mom rented a private bon fire and ordered chili and hot dogs for us all. YUM!! We also turned it into a birthday celebration for his Grandma (number 85!). The kids loved being able to roast their dogs for dinner and marshmallows for smores. They kept saying thet it felt like we were camping.

It was lots of fun, until, after returning from a bathroom trip with Karter, I realized that Koltyn was no where to be seen. A few of us adults headed off in different directions, no one saw him walk away or knew how long he had been gone for. Luckily, a few nice people noticed him wondering and crying at the far end of the pumpkin patch and sat with him until we found him. Worst five minutes EVER!

After dinner and smores (and Koltyn had been found), we headed back out to enjoy a few more rides before the fireworks started. Kimble loved riding the 'swinging ladybugs' and was determined to get on the roller coaster. Karter ended up getting dragged along for the ride and was totally freaked out by it. But Kimble was happy, she loves those kind of rides (unfortunately, my camera battery died, so we didn't get any pictures of that).

Once we made our way out to the parking lot Kevin's car was not wanting to start. So we hooked it up to the trail blazer and waited... and waited... and waited for the battery in the galant to charge. After nearly an hour we finally gave up, left a note (so it wouldn't get towed) and headed home. It was a long day and the kids were zonked out, but it was definitely worth all the drama.

we love our nursery leaders

2011-10-23T13:32:00.001-07:00

All About Me!

2011-10-16T11:02:00.001-07:00

Before fall break, Kimble and Karter both brought home the exact same "All About Me" posters. Really, what are the chances?!

Mother Nature's Farm {2011}

2011-10-14T08:16:00.000-07:00

snuggle bug

2011-10-13T08:15:00.000-07:00

Wednesday afternoon the Pratt family came over to play, which meant that I got to snuggle this little cuttie.

park day

2011-10-12T08:35:00.001-07:00

the best mom ever.

2011-10-11T09:00:00.000-07:00

I just want to give a HUGE shout out to my amazing Mom! She spent all day Monday helping me put together burp clothes and taggies for a boutique I am a vendor in next month. It was a long day of cutting, pinning, sewing and pressing. But we finished it all. Thank you, thank you Mom!!

Bonus, she found a unicorn costume at Goodwill for Kimble. Now I don't have to work my magic to turn a donkey into a unicorn. She is super excited. (Double bonus, she is even making a cowboy costume for Koltyn to wear that matches one Karter is borrowing from Kevin's mom. Isn't my Mom the greatest?!)

haircut!

2011-10-11T08:44:00.002-07:00

Saturday morning we got to hang out at my sister's house in Chandler and my cousin, Amey, came over for a hair cutting session (a few of the girls in my family get together so that she can cut all of our hair in one shot). This time Kimble got a turn to sit in the chair. She has not had her hair cut since her "corrective hair cut" about a year and a half ago. It had gotten pretty long and was always tangled. We didn't have her cut much, mostly because Kimble was terrified of looking like a boy, but it still has made such a difference.

Sadie {came to play}

2011-10-01T12:05:00.002-07:00

"night school" by Kimble Grace

2011-09-30T07:56:00.001-07:00

(a picture of her school, at night, with a campfire - love the innocence)

go Kevin!

2011-09-27T16:36:00.001-07:00

Kevin recently returned from a trip to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He helped the town of Queen Creek become one of 7 in the nation to be recognized for "superior performance management" practices. Kevin is the one holding the plaque, John Kross, on the left, is the Town Manager and in the center is Bob Oneal, the Executive Director of ICMA (International City/Town Management Association). We are so proud of his hard work and happy that he was recognized for it!

boys just being boys

2011-09-27T09:48:00.000-07:00

Note to self.

2011-09-25T22:15:00.000-07:00

Do not let cookies cool unattended on the stove in reach of the children (and yes, that includes Kevin).

the boy loves his tags.

2011-09-19T09:06:00.000-07:00

craft time with daddy

2011-09-12T08:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Kevin had a little craft session with the kids while I was at a meeting for scouts. I came home to this little guy, a dragon (Kimble made sure that I knew it was not a dinosaur). They were, needless to say, very excited about it.

spikey

2011-09-07T14:42:00.002-07:00

Karter wanted his hair "sticking up" for school today, of course Koltyn had to have his hair done too. Love it!

what fun

2011-09-06T14:39:00.000-07:00

Our Labor Day started off with free breakfast at IKEA. Yep, free! We each got a plate of eggs, potatoes and bacon at no cost. There was even a balloon "artist" making free balloon creations for the kids. This was by far our best trip to IKEA ever.

We met some of the Johnsons at a fun sandwich shop called Firehouse Subs. The kids all got these fun hats, plus the food was yummy too.

Time to swim! The kids were so excited and the water felt fantastic.

Yes, that is Koltyn jumping off the diving board. He saw little cousin Spencer stepping off the board and decided to show him up by leaping. Kimble and Karter both refused to even get on the board.

arrr matey!

2011-09-06T11:48:00.000-07:00

another first day

2011-08-29T12:42:00.000-07:00

Karter started preschool today! He was so exicted to go and even happier when we got there. I think that this will be great for him. He gets to have lunch and a snack, meet new friends and learn all kinds of things. Good luck budddy.

baptism, blessing and birthdays (oh my)

2011-08-29T10:06:00.000-07:00

We had a fun filled family weekend. We started with a baptism on Saturday for my nephew, Dallin. He was so excited and it showed. After the baptism he was asked how he felt, his response, "WET." It was great to be able to see him receive such a wonderful blessing. Plus, Kimble is the next one to be baptized and now that she knows what it means to be baptized she just can't wait.

Sunday morning we were able to attend the blessing of baby Jenna. Her father gave a wonderful blessing, she is a lucky little girl.

Sunday evening, we had dinner at my parents' house to celebrate the birthdays of two of my sisters. It was fun, as always, and also a relief to know that we made it through all the August birthdays (5 from my family and another 1 from Kevin's). The red velvet cupcakes and mini cheesecakes were a yummy way to top off our weekend!

quick update

2011-08-26T16:20:00.000-07:00

{This is especially for you, Steph. wink, wink}

Kimble has been doing great at school (with the exception of a few yellow cards for talking when she wasn't supposed to be). Here is to a fantastic first grade year!

A couple Sundays ago I thought Karter was looking so studly in his church clothes, so of course we pulled out the camera. Koltyn could not be left out and had to have his picture taken too. After taking Karter's picture he said, "It looks like I am sleeping!"

I helped the boys build a fort one morning (which turned into several other mornings). They absolutely loved it! I even let them pick a movie to watch while they hung out.

camping: from heather's pov

2011-08-16T08:39:00.002-07:00

My sister Heather, a great photographer by the way, had so many great pictures from our recent camping trip. While we were only there for about 24 hours, she was able to snap 500 pictures around camp and at the lake. I stole just a few...

Just a couple more lake memories, you can never have too many great pictures!

Enjoying Sunday morning with a story from Uncle Aaron, chilling in the chairs and Kimble not participating in the lesson (sad to say, not surprised).

Thanks for being our photographer, Heather. You are amazing!

camping. twenty-eleven.

2011-08-08T13:40:00.001-07:00

Saturday morning, the kids and I headed up to the rim for the annual Stewart family camping trip just for the night. We arrived about lunch time, but everybody was at the lake. So the kids entertained themselves by throwing rocks into mud puddles and looking for birds in the trees. After a short while everyone was back and the fun began. Evelyn was taking a nap though, so sweet. We spent some time around camp, snacking of course, until Amy and Steph (along with Evelyn and baby Jenna) headed home before making our way to the lake.

Off to Willow Springs lake for a little fishing, rock skipping (or just throwing for the boys) and mushroom hunting. Kimble really wanted to go fishing, but was disappointed when she didn't get any bites. After a little exploring, we found a BB gun still loaded and broken fishing pole. Both discoveries kept the kids happy for a long time, giving us the opportunity to see the sun setting.

Sunday morning was a time to relax around camp. After breakfast my Mom taught us a short lesson about the Kirkland temple. She even brought an activity, making a model of the temple that she found on their recent trip there. Kimble spent her time in the hammock mostly, Karter played with this dried flower (more like a stick really) and Koltyn took a short nap before hopping from chair to chair. We were sad to leave after lunch but happy that we could at least spend some time in the mountains.

first grade, yipee!

2011-08-08T09:19:00.000-07:00

Kimble was so excited to be a first grader! She was happy and full of energy when we drove her to school, even hopping out of the car ready to go. We can't wait to hear how her first full day of first grade went (and hope that she remembers to bring home her lunch box).

august 1

2011-08-04T22:17:00.000-07:00

Monday morning we headed out early with an all day drive in front of us. Luckily, we made it to Albuquerque, New Mexico for a late lunch. We even made time to let the kids get some wiggles out before getting back on the road. Unfortunately, just like last year, we hit a major rain storm just after leaving. It seems like we have only seen Gallup in the rain. It did make for an interesting drive to see the temperature drop nearly forty degrees quite quickly.

So close and yet so far! We still had another four hours until we made it back to Peoria. Then we got to drive another hour plus to make it to our own home in San Tan Valley. What a day, what an adventure!

july 31

2011-08-04T21:57:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning we made a quick stop at the Crazy Horse Memorial. It is still being carved and has been in the process for about one hundred years, crazy!

Another state visited. We didn't get to see much of Denver Colorado, but that is okay. We were just happy not to be in the car anymore (the next day would be at least fourteen hours in the car).

july 30

2011-08-04T21:47:00.001-07:00

Saturday morning we went for a drive along the Needles highway, stopping at a small lake in Custer State Park. We went for what we thought was going to be a walk around the lake, but turned into more like a hike in flip-flops. None the less, the kids enjoyed picking flowers, looking for fish and getting their feet wet in the water.

We had a relaxing afternoon back at the cabins. Kimble and Karter went swimming with the Halliburtons while Koltyn and I had a nap. It was so nice not to be rushing somewhere to see something.
After dinner, we all gathered for a game of Minute to Win It (thank you Julie). It turned out to be a barrel of fun! The kids were so proud to take their turn holding up the sign for the next event. After all the fun we had ice cream sandwiches and watched a slide show of family pictures. Great way to end the reunion.

july 29

2011-08-04T20:59:00.000-07:00

We made it! We arrived at eleven Thursday night, so we had to snap pictures of signs on our way out, but we made it to the Cluff Family Reunion at the Rafter J Bar Ranch in Hill City, South Dakota.

Since we got into camp so late the night before, we had a lazy morning on Friday. We let the kids sleep in and have a little fun around the cabins before heading out for the day.

On our way to Rapid City, we stopped at this wood shop in Keystone. It was amazing! The kids especially enjoyed the huge chair and bears on the swings.

We made our way to the Dinosaur Park in Rapid City. It was so old and yet the kids loved it. We just parked and hiked our way up the stairs to the dinosaurs. Kimble even named each of them. My favorite was Chewy, named this because apparently that one chewed a lot of leaves. What a great, FREE, activity that was!

The time had come to visit Mount Rushmore! We were all asked to wear shirts with our current state name on them. We all put on our matching shirts and made our way the ten miles or so down the road. We were able to get a large group shot and individual family pictures in front of the monument. It was a little sad to see how many members of our family were not able to attend the reunion. Our visit included being part of the night lighting, so we hung around for a couple hours until the sun went down (what a feat that was to keep the kids entertained).

It was a beautiful sight to see the monument lit up. What a great reminder of the freedoms we enjoy being citizens of these United States.

july 28

2011-08-04T20:18:00.000-07:00

Thursday was going to be a long day full of driving, so we made sure to get on the road as soon as the tires were fixed on the suburban. We drove through Yellowstone National Park to get to our destination, South Dakota. One of our few stops in the park was this small collection of hot springs and geysers. They were bubbly and smelly, but very interesting.

Unfortunately, we just missed seeing Old Faithful go off. But we stopped anyway, after all, isn't that what visiting Yellowstone if all about. Just wish that we had time in our day to wait for the next show. At the very least it gives us a reason to come back.

Quick (kind of) stop at the gift shop before making our way through the rest of the park. We were able to see some wildlife on our way out, including a moose and a buffalo. The landscape was so amazing, I have lots more pictures than there are posted here, but really how many lake pictures does one person need.

We finally made it to Cody, Wyoming. It ended up being just a quick stop for lunch and back on the road. The kids did great during such a long day in the car.

july 27

2011-08-04T17:34:00.000-07:00

Wednesday morning we packed up and began our journey to Cody, Wyoming which included driving through Yellowstone National Park. We took a back road so that we could see the location of the Cluff's summer house (no longer there) and some more breath taking scenery.

Then, all of the sudden, our enjoyable drive came to a halt. We got a flat tire and it took a good long time just to get the spare down and on. After getting it all fixed, we only made it another two miles before getting another flat and discovering that the spare was not holding the air. Darwin and Sharon headed off the West Yellowstone (the closest place to get a new tire) and left us on the side of the road. It turned into a three hour picnic with a snack lunch, playing with all the electronics (thank goodness for technology), making tails out of weeds, collecting rocks to make pretend fire pits and lots of flower picking.

We finally arrived in West Yellowstone (not our original destination, but good enough considering what happened)! Luckily, we were able to find a hotel for the night, unload the cars, find something for dinner and spend a little time at the local park. It was a great release for the kids, they didn't want to leave. We would have a long drive the next day so an early bedtime for everyone was important.

july 26

2011-08-04T16:48:00.002-07:00

Tuesday morning we packed up, again, and started the drive to Montana. Of course, in order to get there we had to go through Idaho Falls, Idaho. Kevin's parents were married in this temple 35 years ago so we definitely made time to stop. Plus the temple grounds are always such a great place to take pictures. The Idaho Falls were not as big as I thought they would be, but still impressive. Karter was having a great time riding in grandma and grandpa's car so we snapped a picture before leaving Idaho.

We made a quick stop in Rexburg, where Darwin and Sharon met (plus a picture of another temple, they are just so beautiful)...

After lunch we finished our drive to Lima, Montana. Kevin's mom grew up here, a tiny town just north of the state line. She told us that it was small, but I had no idea that it would be that little. There was basically only one place to stay and just happened to be owned by one of Sharon's high school classmates. We unloaded the car and took off for a drive around the town. We got to see the old house (including a gate that Grandpa Cluff made) and some of her hang out spots. It was so great to learn more about Sharon's childhood and where our family comes from.

july 25

2011-08-04T15:51:00.000-07:00

Monday morning we made our way to Orem, Utah. We were able to spend the night at Aunt Marilyn's house and enjoy a family dinner with almost all of the Biggs clan. Their yard was full of amazing picture opportunities, I had to restrain myself. The kids loved spending the evening exploring, from the horses to the playground next door at Courtney's house. What a great night, we even got to see fireworks from the front yard!

july 24

2011-08-04T15:36:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning we packed up two cars and headed to Las Vegas, Nevada. The drive actually went by pretty quickly, we were there before we knew it. After settling into the hotel we took a walk down the strip and boy was it hot! I think that we were all glad that this was just a one night stay, ready to move on the Utah in the morning.

Bad day? Uh, ya.

2011-07-21T20:48:00.001-07:00

Today was not a great day for the Johnson kids. It seemed like every time I left them alone for more than two minutes they would get into something. After they decided to go through my dresser, I sent them to their rooms and told them not to come out until I came back. Well, I came back to the boys' rooms looking like this. Beds completely torn apart, a book shelf pushed in front of the door and toys everywhere! Bed time could not come fast enough. (Luckily, Kimble played quietly on her bed playing with toys. One less mess for Mom to clean up.)

nap time... i guess

2011-07-19T07:53:00.004-07:00

Yesterday we got to spend the entire day at my parents' house. After lunch I found Koltyn like this, fast asleep, totally out! Since I took the side off his crib he has taken naps in some pretty random places, but this ranks as one of the craziest. Silly kid!

stitches are out...yippee

2011-07-15T15:35:00.001-07:00

karter's first stitches

2011-07-10T12:34:00.000-07:00

This morning Karter had an unfortunate meeting with the wheat grinder. Kevin took him to urgent care, not knowing for sure that he actually needed stitches. He came home with two! Knowing Karter, these will not be his last.

{welcome} Jenna Lyn Pratt

2011-07-07T09:20:00.000-07:00

Jambo!

2011-07-07T09:16:00.000-07:00

Wednesday afternoon we met up with my sister's work group at Jambo!Park in Mesa. It was basically a small indoor kiddie amusement park. Kimble absolutely loved the roller coaster, Karter enjoyed the bumper cars and Koltyn had fun simply running away from Mommy.

our july fourth {in pictures}

2011-07-05T14:42:00.000-07:00

It has become tradition to spend the July 4th in Peoria with the Johnson family. They live near enough to the Peoria Sports Complex to see the fireworks. The pool to keep cool doesn't hurt either. This year, they even rented a giant water slide to add to the fun. It was a great, and very late, night!

treasures from grandma & grandpa

2011-07-01T19:12:00.000-07:00

They loved them ALL... thank you!!!

drum roll please...

2011-06-25T14:58:00.000-07:00

Yep, Kimble just lost her first tooth! She is over the moon and cannot wait for the tooth fairy to visit. She told us that she hopes the tooth fairy leaves a puppy under her pillow. I think we need to have a chat. Congratulations Kimble!

free birthday doughnuts, yum

2011-06-25T14:51:00.000-07:00

thirty-four

2011-06-24T08:54:00.001-07:00

I know, it's hard to believe that this fine looking man is already thirty four! Today is his day, tonight is dinner out with family and Krispy Kreme doughnuts. One year older and wiser, Happy Birthday Kevin!

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-19T19:18:00.001-07:00

someone loves ranch

2011-06-17T06:59:00.000-07:00

first "swim" of the season

2011-06-17T06:55:00.002-07:00

cali {day five}

2011-06-13T14:51:00.000-07:00

One more stop at the beach before heading home. The water was freezing, of course. The kids were still loving it. Koltyn didn't like getting wet at first, but then he saw how much Karter was loving the water and warmed up to wet clothes. Kimble enjoyed finding shells and chasing the birds. They kept busy for more than an hour!

cali {day four}

2011-06-13T14:25:00.001-07:00

Los Angeles Zoo

Griffith Observatory

Pony Rides at Griffith Park

Santa Monica Pier

cali {day three}

2011-06-13T13:14:00.001-07:00

We spent the day at Universal Studios Hollywood. First stop was the back lot tours, which included a 3-D King Kong clip. We saw some sets from major movies, including the clock tower from Back to the Future (I love those movies).

The Simpson's Ride, a simulated roller coaster.

This was the kids favorite place in the park and would have stayed in there all day if they could. There were simply tons of balls and a thousand different ways to play. Poor Kimble was freezing, so she was wrapped in a towel for this picture.

Kimble loves Scooby-Doo. But, she was on the Jurassic Park ride when they drove by, so a picture would have to do.

The end of a very long, but fun day...

cali {day two}

2011-06-13T12:32:00.000-07:00

Our car was not going to be ready until late in the day, so the shuttle driver from the dealership offered to drop us off at the local mall and pick us up when our car was finally finished. We got the kids clean shirts, since we didn't have our bags we were still in our clothes from the day before. Then let them explore the indoor playground for a while.

We finally got the call that our car was done about four hours later. Can you tell that we were all excited to get back on the road? 'Cause we were.

Eventually, we made our way to our original hotel, got cleaned up and met some of Kevin's family at El Torito for a late dinner. It was yummy to say the least and helped get us back in vacation mode.

cali {day one}

2011-06-13T12:17:00.000-07:00

Our trip started off great! The kids were super excited, thus were okay with the fact that they would be stuck in the car for a long while. Kevin helped keep them happy by taking pictures of them and seeing who could make the silliest face.

After making a stop at the outlets (Kevin found a watch he has been eying for half price, yay!), our car started to sound, well, weird. Soon, we ended up on the side of the road. Our fan belt snapped, breaking our water pump. We were able to get a tow to a local Chevy dealership in Moreno Valley and were given the best costumer service ever. They helped us find a hotel and even gave us a free ride there.

We were not able to take any of our bags, but the hotel room had cartoons and free wi-fi, so it wasn't so bad.

fun, fun, fun

2011-06-05T13:40:00.000-07:00

Last week we spent a day with the Pratt family. The kids absolutely love to go to their house, it doesn't happen as often as they would like. Kimble really enjoyed the chickens (she even got to feed them some bread) and dressing up in multiple costumes.

The boys spent their day playing with Legos, among other "new to them" toys. As you can see, there were definitely enough to go around. Thanks for letting us come over and play!

worth the three dollars? definitely.

2011-05-29T12:39:00.002-07:00

He literally just sat there, looking at everything around him, enjoying his little thumb and hanging on to the tag in his hat. It was totally worth a few yard sale dollars to get the few minutes of silence and several minutes of fun all the kids have had so far.

Kindergarten Graduation

2011-05-26T13:13:00.000-07:00

Kimble Grace is officially a kindergarten graduate! (Although, the last day of school is not actually until Wednesday.) She was super excited and is now looking forward to eating lunch at school in first grade. Way to go Kimble!!

Kimble had a great year with her teacher, Mrs. Armendariez.

birthday party {under construction}

2011-05-23T09:14:00.000-07:00

Saturday evening we celebrated Koltyn's second birthday with our family and a few friends. Here are some pictures from the event, in no particular order...

Another taggie from Grandma Stewart. The first one he got for Christmas was such a huge hit she made him another one. He loves this one just as much!

Time for dessert. On the menu was ice cream cones and chocolate cake (courtesy of my sister, Heather).

Thank you to everyone who came over to help us celebrate our little guy. He got such great gifts and loved all the attention. We are truly blessed.

Koltyn Celebrates In Style

2011-05-19T06:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was all about Koltyn. That means, of course, spending a lot of time outside. The kids love playing in the backyard and the weather was so amazing.

We took the family out to dinner and, as a special birthday treat, Koltyn got a kids meal (usually the kids order from the value menu). The kids always love getting a crown, so that was a must.

He had no interest in blowing out the candles. So we all just sat there for a couple minutes, encouraging him to make a wish and move on. We wanted a brownie more than he did apparently.

One present, loaded with new construction trucks (yep, they will be used to help decorate for his party this weekend) and a couple new books. What more could a two year old boy ask for?

We are having a family party on Saturday, so we get to do it all again in a couple days. Happy Birthday Koltyn!!

growing up...

2011-05-18T08:08:00.002-07:00

Happy Birthday to our sweet little Koltyn Jay!! Hard to believe that it has been two whole years since you joined our family. It has been quite an adventure since day one. Love you!

my mother's day

2011-05-09T08:20:00.001-07:00

I got to spend time with my mom and sisters both Saturday and Sunday night. It helped to make my mother's day great. I am so grateful for such a kind and caring mother who never raised her voice to any of her children. She has always been there for me, lending a listening ear. She is an amazing example of the kind of mother that I want to be for my own kids. Love you Mom!

E-I-E-I-OOPS

2011-05-06T08:44:00.000-07:00

Last night Kimble had her Kindergarten Spring Concert. It was called E-I-E-I-OOPS, all about a cow who didn't moo anymore and how he learned to moo again. All the kids were asked to dress as one of five different farm animals. Kimble chose pig, not that her costume was fantastic but it worked. She was a little hard to see during the concert, but she did a great job singing and keeping us entertained. (Her lip still hurts, so she had a hard time smiling.)

lesson learned {hopefully}

2011-05-04T14:56:00.000-07:00

Today, the kids took playing on the couch a little too far and Kimble got hurt. She hit her face and cut the inside of her lip. It bled for a while and Kimble spent a couple hours laying on the couch (eating up all the attention). But, she is recovering quickly and has hopefully learned that the couch is NOT a jungle gym.

easter...

2011-04-26T08:50:00.000-07:00

Saturday evening we were able to meet up with the Johnson family at Freestone Park for the annual Easter picnic. Steven and Keeley were able to drive in from Cali to join us. It is always a treat to see them (especially before they move all the way across the country this summer). His grandma was also able to make it, yay!

There ended up being a lot of time between when we arrived at the park and when we were ready to eat dinner. So that meant keeping the kiddos occupied. Luckily, there was lots to do: scooter rides, building houses in the sand, playing ball, water fights, long walks and shadow dancing.

After dinner (yum, by the way) the kids lined up, ready to fill their baskets with eggs. Excitement filled the air!

Going through their treasure was like Christmas morning. They found candy, bubbles and bouncy balls in the eggs. Then, they got to hunt eggs again, this time with money inside! It's amazing how excited kids get over pennies.

Ready for the Easter Bunny to come...

...easter...

2011-04-26T08:45:00.000-07:00

The Easter Bunny came to the Johnson house and left treats! Kimble is sure that it is because we put out carrots that he came. Regardless, he left the kids some pretty great prizes. Kimble and Karter had smiles from ear to ear.

Koltyn slept in a little longer than the older kids. They were getting impatient and wanted to hunt for eggs. So Kevin nudged Koltyn awake and sent him downstairs to go through his basket. Needless to say, the cars were a big hit!

Time to hunt for eggs! Koltyn emptied his eggs as he found them, so Kimble and Karter were able to grab more eggs for themselves.

As tradition goes, we snapped a family picture in our Easter best before heading off to church.

...and more easter

2011-04-26T08:40:00.002-07:00

We had Easter dinner at my parents' house and the kids got to, once again, hunt for eggs...twice! I am pretty sure that they could hunt eggs all week. Too bad I already put the Easter decorations away, that means no eggs left to hunt or baskets to hold them in. This was a great Easter for the kids with multiple egg hunts, family parties and the Easter pageant. I am so happy that we are able to teach the kids about the Savior's sacrifice for us all. Maybe next year they will understand even more how special this holiday really is.

I had to throw in a picture of Sophie, she is just so cute!

happy easter

2011-04-24T13:14:00.002-07:00

in full bloom.

2011-04-21T08:47:00.000-07:00

Spring has sprung in our backyard! Kevin is so proud of the yard. He spends much of his free time tending to all the plants, trees and lawn. We are grateful for the beauty he has created for us.

ALOHA

2011-04-19T09:04:00.001-07:00

Saturday night we headed over to Surprise for a birthday luau. Kylie and Jacie chose a Hawaiian theme for their family party, great idea. Happy Birthday girls!
Leis and Grass Skirts...

Hula Dancing...

Limbo...

Hula Hoops were a big hit...

waiting...

2011-04-19T08:29:00.001-07:00

The boys are always so happy to pick-up Kimble from school. The waiting, however, is not always as pleasant. This was one of those times that waiting was not so bad. They were having a great time making each other laugh.

High Flyin' Fun

2011-04-12T08:40:00.000-07:00

Kevin has been wanting to fly kites with the kids since they got them back in February. Due to his busy school schedule, he just hasn't had time until this week (a free week between classes). So, even though there was not much of a breeze, he made good on his promise to the kids last night. The kids LOVED IT! They had to run constantly in order to keep the kites up.

If that wasn't enough fun for the kids, he also took them for a walk, gave them a bath and made a craft. He got out Kimble's huge craft box and helped them make caterpillars.