Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Our search for a home sweet home is over!!!

In a nutshell, this is a list of what his been going on in our lives lately...

Because this has been a really stressful couple of weeks, I decided to sum up our life in checklist form...

  • we get within two days of having a house and then lose the house because it was deemed "structurally unstable"
  • started looking for another house
  • found a couple perspective houses, made some offers, but still really liked the original house
  • A contractor went out to the house and quoted 30k plus worth of repairs
  • Will the sellers pay this horrendous amount???? hummm
  • Do we walk away from it??? hummmm
  • after much searching and praying...... we decide to go with original house
  • Sellers decide to pay the full amount and fix it before we move in
  • Move in date moves back to first of August
  • Get ready for another month in temporary housing
  • Switch apartment complexes to be closer to my radition and everything else

Friday, June 25, 2010

Science and the Metro

For Lund's birthday this year we had a wonderful time... We had tickets to get into the Science Museum in Phoenix from Morgan's work. And, instead of driving there like normal people, we decided to try out the new light rail system here in the valley, otherwise known as "The Metro". Will thought it was amazing and commented that he was "flying". The other kids liked it as well, but didn't enjoy all the walking in the hot weather (110 degrees). On the way back to our car stop in the evening, there was a car accident on the rail and so we had to get off the Metro and wait for a city bus. It was a very interesting experience and now I can officially say that I have ridden the Metro and the city bus. (but, I probably won't ever do it again. It was definitely a "once in a lifetime" experience)
We had a chance to go to the museum with Morgan's parents who are here visiting and his sister Alicia and her son Guilio. We really had a great time, even though we got there an hour before the museum closed and had to rush through everything.
After the museum, we walked over to Morgan's office and got to see the view from his office on the 22nd floor!
The view from Morgan's office window
yes, this view made me scarred due to the fear I have for heights.

hanging out in his office..

"Fear Factor" was the theme at the museum and this is Lund on the "fear of falling" ride. I did it too and screamed very soundly! It was quite a startling experience, even though you knew you would be perfectly safe.
.....................and there he goes, falling backwards!

...And here we are with tickets in hand, riding the Metro
Don't ask me why, but the kids insisted on taking a picture of this sign! (We were in the drive-thru getting shakes before we embarked out in the heat)
Here we all are riding along...
Will loved it and held his airplanes in his hands the whole way insisting that he was "flying along" the road
the happy birthday boy!

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Lund turns double digits!!! Really, truly, my kids are getting old!

Here is the earliest picture that I can find of Lund on my laptop. The others are all in storage until we move into a house. He was two at the time and we were in graduate school in Flagstaff, Arizona. Isn't he such a cutie!!!

Lund is turning 10 on Thursday and I am stumped as to where these ten years have gone!! I can still remember giving birth to him 10 years ago...... he came a month early and the doctor told me he wasn't ready, but Lund had other plans! He has been a joy in our life everyday since then!
Qualities I love about Lund....
* He is AMAZING at building things, Legos, K'nex,..... anything. He can build ANYTHING and he never even uses the instruction manuals.
* He is super sensitive and always can tell what others are feeling. he is very, very caring!
* He loves to play sports and is really good at them
* He is great at taking out the trash (don't laugh, this is an AMAZING quality)
* He is super spiritual and always seems to understand and retain spiritual concepts.
* He is an amazing student!! Every teacher he has ever had can verify this! He is very attentive to his teachers and sits quietly in his chair. (the "sit quietly" trait is my favorite)
* He can do math proplems that I can't even solve, (this isn't exaclty hard since my math skills are mediocre at best.)
* He LOVES doing projects with his dad. Whether it is yard work or building something, he is always game.
* He loves his name and loves that he and his grandpa have that in common!!!

There is so much more I love about Lund, but I just wanted to let him know that I love him and wish him a happy 10th birthday. Tomorrow we are going to celebrate his special day by going to the Arizona Science Museum and he is super excited! I will report about that later... (I will also report about Father's Day eventually too...)

Tonight we let him open his presents from Morgan and I. The theme this year was Lego mania. So he got lots of Lego sets and a rubbermaid tote to keep them all in.

And as a special present, we let him stay up as late as he wanted creating with his new Lego sets. He made it until 11:05pm, and then crashed, leaving his creations on the table for his dad to see in the morning.

Holding up all his Lego treasures. Will was really excited because he has been really into Lego's lately and considers the new sets mutual property.


He was pretty excited about his presents!

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Why we pay orthodontists the big bucks!!

This week Cassidy got rid of her metal imprisonment. She has had appliances or braces or both since she was eight. This week she met with her new orthodontist here in the Valley and he decided to take out all her metal workings. She was beyond thrilled and when they finally finished taking out everything she said, "Wait there is something in the top of my mouth, oh wait, that is the top of my mouth. Wow, crazy!"
She is only free for six months and then she will be re-evaluated and possibly get braces on, but for now, she is FREE!!!! She ate gum on the way out of the office and then popcorn at the movie theater. She was in unrestricted food heaven!
And now you will see why we pay the orthodontist the big bucks......
...Because they have video games...............

.............to keep the other kids busy...............
.....................they have Rock Band..............................
...................................and a great movie room for Will.............
..................here he is watching The Princess and the Frog............
So, maybe the big bucks are worth it!

And the winner is.....

Wow, you guys are all very good at guessing our eyes. Our kids did a lot worse than you did. But lo, and behold, the big mistake made by some was mixing up Sarah and Cassidy. Although they both have brown eyes, only Sarah can open her eyes that wide... that is where she gets the doe-eyed look!
Anyways, three people got it right but, Ruth Crozier got it right first. That's right, Crazy Ruth is the winner!!! I might actually be nice enough to send cookies to the other two winners as well once we get into our house and I get my pans back. The other two were Annie Morris and Krista McDowell. Way to go ladies!! That was tons of fun. And you should have all known my eyes by the fact that I have very few eyelashes left after chemo, ahhhh the joys!! Maybe I will get eyelash extensions! Just Kiddin' (That is a real thing though, I saw a sign for it the other day... crazy!!!)

Friday, June 18, 2010

The Eyes have it!!

Today we are going to play a fun game. I took a close up picture of everyone's eye in the family. Let's see if you can guess any of them..... Let's see if the eye's have it!!!!


Eyeball #1
Eyeball #2
Eyeball #3
Eyeball #4
Eyeball #5
And last but not least, eyeball #6
hummmmmmm, even my own family who owns these eyes couldn't figure it out. I think I need to offer a prize.....hummmmmmm A dozen or so of Morgan's famous chocolate chip cookies for the winner!

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Table talk

Tonight at dinner we were all discussing the oil spill going on and I mentioned that they are cleaning the animals off with dish soap just like we have over there by our sink. Sarah immediately jumped up and shouted, "Can I go mom? Please??" I told her that i would pack her a back pack full of Dawn dish soap and send her on her way. She wanted food in her backpack as well. She remarked, "I won't just clean them, I will clean them AND feed them!!!" How sweet she is....
We went on to mention which kind of animals they were finding and cleaning and then Sarah yelled out again, "What about the caterpillars? who is cleaning them?".... "Oh mom, I have to go there and clean all the caterpillars!!!"
.............So if you see my daughter heading down your street with a full back pack, you now know where she is headed!

Monday, June 14, 2010

A day in the life of ...... me!

I stole this idea from a friend's blog, but I really liked the idea... so, thanks Heidi!

6:00am (ish)--Morgan kisses me good-bye and heads out the door for work. I roll back over and go back to sleep.
9:00am--- I finally drag myself out of bed. I can hear the TV on in all three rooms that have TV's and kids are talking/arguing. I have such a hard time getting out of bed because the radiation makes me feel soooo tired and groggy.
9:20am-- after throwing down some instant oatmeal and strapping on my ipod, I run out the door for a morning jog. Since we are in an appartment complex until the end off the week, I just run around the perimeter of the complex. Cassidy is in charge while I am gone. I try really hard to not sleep while I am jogging. How can I be tired, I just woke up??? My jog is more of a slow turtle shuffle (someday I will run again)
10:00am--- shower and then the kids remind me that we are out of milk. Sorry kids, we are having frozen waffles and eggs instead. Cassidy says that she will make eggs if she doesn't have to eat them. Hummmm. She ends up making a mean omlet, which all the kids love. She has to end up making another one. Maybe being a chef is in her future. She tells me that she could just make omlets and take them to my bed. Gosh, I didn't think I was in bed THAT much!! he he
11:15am-- I try to finish putting on their clothes with the kids still glued to the TV. I brush their hair as they run out the door. I call them back to help carry some of the stuff... a few of them shuffle back.
11:25am-- Go to Hobby Lobby to pick up an item that we need for making Father's Day gifts. (I would tell you what they are, but my hubby might find out and my father's as well.) I tell the kids before we go in that we are only going to get one item. They still pull things off of shelves and beg and cry for things. I run into another mom having the same problem. I ask her if she wants to trade. She tells me that sometimes she tries to sell hers on Craig's List....hummmmm. It just so happens that we went to the Hobby Lobby that just opened TODAY so it was insanely busy!
11:45am-- put gas in the van and tell the kids if they don't fight while I put gas in the car I will let them have the rootbeer barrels I have purchased for them to suck on. I pay for the gas and throw down a muffin because I am pretty sure lunch isn't in the stars today.
12:25pm-- Bring them to the Brock's house. They have a play date/ babysitting appointment there while I run over to my radiation appointment. Thank you Sister Brock, your a lifesaver.
12:45pm--- Arrive early at Radiation appointment. I can't believe I am running early! I double knot the ribbons on my flip flops I made this morning while I wait. The guy next to me has a lighter so I use it to fray check the ends of the ribbons. I try not to start any fires. I am successful! And now I have some sweet homemade flip flops to boot!
1:10pm-- the ceiling says, "Ms. Johnson, you can come on back"....oooooo goody!! I do a front tuck double layout because I am so excited. (O.K. I made that last part up, gymnastics doesn't suit me.)
1:15pm-- I lay with my chest bare looking at the radiation machine. I am not allowed to move a muscle while I get my treatments, so of course, my nose always itches. I tell the radiation tech that I had a hard time staying awake while running this morning. He says, "It's gonna get worse, but you won't listen to your body, I know." I ask him how he knows so much, "Because your a mom" he responds. Good answer!
1:25pm-- I go to change back into my clothes and when I open the door, an elderly lady squaks. She forgot to lock the door and I walked in on her changing. I feel like a horrible person and apolygize profusely. She just grabs her clothes and runs away from me.
1:40pm--I stop by a school I want to get my kids in and talk to the only lady in the office. It turns out she was my teacher in grade school for my ELP class. (I used to think they just left off the H when they spelled ELP, but alas, it is actually a gifted program....) She actually remembers me, or at least claims to.
1:50pm--- I make it back to the Brock's house and the kids are in the pool with Sis. Brock on guard duty. I am not allowed to get in the sunshine for very long at all, so I put my swimsuit on and take a one minute dip in the pool and then jump under the umbrella. At least this way I won't sweat so much.
2:45pm--- we bring the kids in from swimming and make Father's Day gifts........ fun times. Sarah and her friend Jenna are trying to nurse a baby bird back to health. He ends up "taking the eternal nap" by the time we leave. There is also a horny toad in a box on the counter. Sarah feels right at home there. So many things to love!
5pm--- I finally pull the kids away from their friends and make them drag all the stuff to the van. They fight the whole drive back to the apartment. They have been doing this a lot lately. Too much "new" in their life I suppose.
5:30pm-- we arrive home and daddy is already there. We rehead leftovers for dinner.
6pm-- I lay down for a second.......but then it is time to go to FHE
6:30pm-- we stop by Walmart on the way to my sister's house. I grab the stuff I need to bring for FHE.
7:00pm--We have FHE at my younger sisters house. It is her family, our family and my parents and brother. He is leaving for BYU on Wednesday so it was a last hoorah! I put together the games from "Minute to Win It" tweaked by my own brain and a few ideas I found on the internet and we have tons of fun. (I will include pictures of this event later since my dad was the photographer)
9:00pm---We finally get the kids in the van and drive home. The kids fight the whole way again.
9:30pm-- We have family prayer, Will wets his pants and Sarah needs her medicine before bed. I always bribe her with a gummy worm; Cassidy and Lund wanted some medicine tonight and when I asked them if they were crazy, they said they actually just wanted a gummy worm.
9:45pm-- I throw a load of laundry in. All the kids are supposed to be sleeping. Will is playing with Legos in his bed. Lund is wrapped up in his special blanket telling me how bad his day was. Sarah is drawing pictures in her journal while sitting on her bed. And Cassidy is writing in her journal while sitting on her bed. She tells me, " I just wrote that Justin Beiber is going to be coming to Phoenix.....EEK!!" I laugh and reply, "Maybe your dad will slick back his hair and put ear plugs in and take you to that concert!"
11:00pm--I am still on the computer writing this blog... why am I not sleeping yet, I am exhausted!
Good Night!!

p.s. Tonight I found a note that Lund left on the outside screen in chalk. It reads, "I hate the Valley!" Where am I going wrong???? I promise I am trying really hard.....

Friday, June 11, 2010

Our Dbacks suite was....well....SWEET!!!

Tonight we went to the Dbacks game, my first Dbacks game ever!!!!! It was also a first for Cassidy and Lund. (Not for Morgan. He has been in the Freeport suite twice..lucky ducky!)
So... once we opened the door to the Freeport Suite, the first thing that I noticed was......
This chocolate cake!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh, and then I noticed there was also a baseball game going on.....
Here is a veiw of our suite from the door... I was in awe!
Oh, and it was All-You-Can-Eat!
And if you got bored of the food, the game was pretty awesome as well!!! I forgot how much I LOVE baseball, and miss it in my life!
Here is the view from my seat!!!!
Lund and I both really got into the game! And of course, I had to wear my Dback hat hair. Fun times! I got a lot of comments on that hat!!
And then back to the food.... nachos, hot dogs, chinese chicken salad, popcorn, sodas, chicken strips......and of course, cake!
Cassidy's favorite was the chicken strips!
And if you got bored watching the game in real time, you could sit on a comfy chair and watch it on the big screen TV..... but why????
And right after the game was over.... the fireworks began! We lost by the way, but we almost came back in the last inning. Oh well, win or lose, it was an AMAZING experience!!!!! Thank you Phoenix for having a team we can all get behind! Oh, and thanks to Morgan's office for having a "Sweet Suite"!!!

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Oh what do you do in the summertime, when all the world is HOT!!

Here are some things the Johnson's do in the summertime....
First of all, we found this amazing momma bird, quite by accident really. We were headed to lunch one day and Will started closing in on a squacking bird on the ground. I wondered why the bird just didn't fly away like they usually do when Sarah shrieked...."There are eggs underneath her!!!!"

And she was right!! I still can't quite figure out why this momma bird decided that the hot gravel was a good place to raise her kids, but then again, I guess this momma decided to raise her four kids in the heat too.
Here are the beautiful eggs. And don't worry, we didn't touch them and we are really, really excited to watch the progress of this little family over time.
Here is one of our stops on a hot afternoon. The Gilbert Public Schools are offering free breakfasts and lunches for kids ages 1-18 all summer long. It is a great help to our food budget and the kids eat more when it is on a cafeteria tray, I am not sure why! (Maybe I should serve my food on cafeteria trays....hummm)
And my kids try to find "misters" wherever they go. They take the edge off the heat....but alas, you can still feel the 115 degree rays burning down on you. Will called this one outside the Harkin's Theater a "Tree that rains".
Here is one of our other "hot" spots. On Thursdays we go to the Harkin's Movie Theater. We have tickets for every Thursday until the end of summer, and it only cost 35.00 for the whole summer, for all five of us! Thanks Grandma Wiemer for figuring out this wonderful deal. The movie theater plays kid movies that aren't new on the big screen and the kids love it.
And sometimes, in the evening, we watch Daddy play softball at our church.
But, probaby our favorite place to go on a very hot day is the Water N' Ice!! We have to try ALL of their Hawaiin Ice flavors... only about 70 to go!

And Canyon went with us the other day while he was visiting..... tons of fun!

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

The past two days....under water

It seems that since we moved to the Valley o' the heat, most of our lives have been spent under water. At least for the kids, that is. I am banned from the mean rays of the sun. Radiation treatments and sunshine just don't mix!
Here is a rousing game of "chicken"! You know what is crazy? Lund's 7-year-old buddy, Canyon, has Lund on his shoulders.....hummmm. Of course, Canyon is a very strong kiddo!
Thank you Canyon for coming to visit us today. We really enjoyed having you. All the kids love Canyon, and since his momma is here for some weddings this week, we got to spent some quality time hanging out with him.
Nice face Lund!
This is funny::: Cassidy is pretending to be injured and Sarah is supposed to be the "nurse". But she wasn't quite sure if she wanted to fix her since her sister was being such a tease to her. Sarah's expression cracks me up! (hummmm, do I make her better, or just shove her into the pool?!)
A head pops up, and there is Canyon!
Oh, and every once in a while the kids will come over to see how I am doing under my umbrella.
Here they all are getting ready for some more water fun
I am not quite sure why one gun wasn't enough, but he insisted on two. Doesn't he look soooo tough with his inflatable zebra around his waist!! he he
This was a cute moment as well: Lund was swimming around when he saw a moth struggling to breathe underwater. He "rescued it" and in this picture he was performing an interesting variation of CPR. Sarah was very worried about the poor thing as you can see by her expression. And yes ladies and gentlemen, the moth did survive. I was then ordered to babysit it for the duration of pool time.
And this is where I spend all of my time.... Watching the kids from the shady safety of the umbrella.
And here is my view of the sun....

And this is Lund with his new buddy, Mathew, swimming at his house. Lund was sooo excited when they went upstairs to Mathew's room and he had a ton of Lego projects on display. Lund went over to them and almost reverently whispered..."wow, and their not broken at all!" (Will breaks EVERYTHING that Lund makes out of Lego's and nothing could make Lund more frustrated)
Sarah and Cassidy hanging out on the turtle at the Brock's pool. They are making friends left and right now thanks to church.
p.s. Here is the "quote of the day". While we were swimming, the kids would find "injured toys" and try to heal them on the side of the pool. At one point Lund came up with a Hotwheel in his hand and said..... "Don't worry guys.... I will perform CPcar!!! he he he he he (that's my boy!!!)