Father's Day 2009

The highlight of the week was definitely Father's Day. A good friend helped me out and did a last minute photo shoot of the kids. We didn't even need to do a head swap. I got the pictures out to both grandpas, and we were good to go. I added some other shots she got of the kids. None of them are perfect, but I love them.

This is the one we used for the Father's Day presents.

I keep on finding stashes of gum balls and mouthfuls of gum...

Also, we had our first swim meet. The kids all had a fun time. It was a bit long. I can't believe they do this twice a week for the whole summer.

Everyone in the "heating area" before their races. It was a lot of fun. I just love seeing the kids all tired out.

Catch-up

I should be packing 5 kids and myself for two weeks in California with Grandma and Grandpa and aunts, uncles, and cousins galore. So, in other words, it's the perfect time to up-date my blog that I've lapsed on for two weeks.

The biggest two events of last week were: Cub Scout Day Camp for Miles and the piano recital for Lindsay and Miles. Also, we've now started daily practices for swim team.

Cub Scout Day Camp is always so fun for Miles. It's funny because there's another Mom whose son chose not to go this year. He'd done everything the year before and just thought that it didn't sound like that much fun. I just thought to myself that I don't think I could ever fathom any of my kids (or myself for that matter, let's be honest I know where they get it...) passing up a chance to be with a bunch of kids having fun. I was so glad that this year I was able to go for a day and pal around with Miles, too. He always amazes me at his ability to be sooooo distractable in certain situations, but then still be able to concentrate for 15 minutes straight gluing tiny beads onto a dog tag in the exact replica of an American Flag. Seriously, is this the same guy who can't remember that the empty Cool Whip tub in his hands is supposed to be heading for the recycling bin, because two feet from the kitchen he spotted something that made his mind trail off onto another tangent? Funny kid. It really was great to hang out with him.

The piano recital was a bit of a debaucle. I, well, how can I put this? hmmmm. Well, honestly, I had just been in a very bad mood all day Saturday, we hadn't found a babysitter (they had specifically asked that toddlers not come - although of course when I got there, there were several dotting the audience), and I was afraid that my bad mood (which was totally my problem) would get interpreted by the kids as disappointment in their performances. Anyway, long story short. I found a last-minute babysitter, was able to run down to the performance, and sit by my dear husband for the recital. I, unfortunately, missed Miles' song, but I got to hear Lindsay's. Tim vidoe-taped both of them. I was really proud of both of them. Lindsay really put herself on the line. She was extremely nervous to perform in a recital again, and she did an absolutely great job. Miles, on the other hand, wasn't in the least bit nervous and totally nailed his song, too. I even heard a nice little old lady compliment him on a job well-done at the reception afterwards. So cute. He was tickled.

Anyway, here are some pictures.

Wait, these can't be Cub Scouts...

Ahhhh, here the Cub Scouts are!

Here's MY Cub Scout.

The special guests of the day: the local Police Dept's S.W.A.T team. My personal favorite was the guy whose specialty was "Less-Lethal Force". What is that exactly...

Here they are outside their recital. How cute are they?

And then, some from swim practice. I've got to give them some credit. It has not been a very warm summer yet. I keep joking with my sis that we've swapped Colorado weather for Seattle weather. It's been sunny in Seattle and cold and cloudy here. Brrrrrr.....

One more: the first veggies harvested from our garden. Okay, the cucumber and tomato I still had to buy from the store, but the lettuce underneath is from our garden. The cukes and tomatoes are still a-brewin' out there. I don't think there's been enough sun yet.

First Full Week of Summer

MON: We had a birthday party for a friend in the ward, Lupe Moline. She had never had a birthday party before, so we decided to throw one for her. We had a few families over from the ward and cooked hot dogs and hamburgers. It was fun. It's just always good to get together and get to know people better.

Also, made another trip to the orthodontist's office. Apparently, eating "Dots" can be bad for braces. Who woulda thought? I wonder how many extra trips we'll make for Miles. Sigh.

WED: I had JURY DUTY!!! Talk about scrambling, I only found out at about 9pm on Tuesday that I was for sure called in. Eeeks. It was wild trying to find someone to replace me for the day. How wonderful a blessing are good friends. I didn't have to leave here until around 8:20ish to get downtown on time, so I left Lindsay here and in charge (Julia sleeps in until around 9:30 most mornings. I know, I shouldn't brag. She's a thumb-sucker, so I'll pay the price someday.). My friend, Prairie, got here at 9. I dropped Miles and Samuel at another friend's house on my way downtown. Both of these lovely women were willing to watch my people for an entire day, interrupting their busy lives. Also, I had another Mom who picked up Lindsay and took her to her library training class, and then, took her to her French Horn class. After French Horn, Lindsay has violin. She went home after that with a friend.

I got all that coordinating of people and places done. I had two or three books stashed in my purse for boring moments, and I was only needed until 10AM. Phew! A friend had just served for a full week on a jury last month. What would I have done if that happened to me?

I have to admit that the whole process was fascinating, and I felt very patrotic. What a country we live in!!

THURS: Swim Team started this morning. The kids are going to have fun doing swim team this summer. I feel like it's something they are already naturally good at (thanks to Grandpa Call's pool), and I hope it's something that will inspire them to give their best efforts. We'll see.

Also, that day Samuel got invited to go with a friend to his Vacation Bible Camp for the morning. I think it's always a good experience to realize that there are lots of churches that teach about and love Jesus. He had a fun time.

FRI: The weather has been really weird here so far this summer. It's been really rainy and "moody". It's been great for our garden which, by the way, is growing like mad. It's fun to go out there and see the differences every day. It looks like we might be able to "harvest" some lettuce soon. We've already used some parsley, too. Sooo, we just putzed (is that a word? we use it all the time in our family, especially to describe the way most of the kids approach anything they consider work...) around the house getting little things done that need to get done.

SAT: Some more of the same. I hit a really good $1 sale at a consignment shop here in town. It was sort of a mad house, but I think it was worth it. With so many kids, there's always going to be something I can buy.

SUN: We were actually on time and peaceful getting to Church. Now that's a modern-day miracle. We brought Julia home after about 20 minutes of nursery. I thought she felt a little hot, but no one else did. Then, after she just wasn't acting like herself, the nursery leader brought her to us. We took her home for a nap. She seemed better after her nap, but then, by 7pm, she was ready for bed. We also had a family in the ward over for dinner. They just moved here from Kentucky. It was nice getting to know them better.

There was a beautiful double rainbow in the sky tonight between cloudbursts. Lindsay got a picture of it. I guess you can't quite see the second rainbow, but it was beautiful.

Quote for the day:

We had a family over for dinner on Sunday. Their Dad is a periodontist in town. They actually live in south-central Fort Collins and are not only in a different ward than us but also a different stake altogether. It was our first time meeting the whole family, though Tim knows the dad pretty well because of work. They have four kids that are similar ages to ours, so it was a lot of fun.

We did the usual visiting and chatting and getting to know each other. Then, we sat down for dinner. Tim asked Sam to give the prayer on dinner. Sam was so sweet.

Sam: "Thank thee for the food. Please bless the food."

Then he hesitated. I almost added, "Thank thee that the Johnsons could come over." But he remembered.

Sam: "Thank thee that our friends could come over."

Wesley (in a not so quiet whisper): "They are NOT our friends."

Nice. We all couldn't help busting up with laughter. Never a dull moment with that kid around.

A Parenting First...

And with five kids, you know it's got to be something weird, if it's only now happened to me. All right, all you readers out there (I'm pretty sure there might be a grand total of 5 of you...hee, hee), if you are weak stomach-ed or faint heart-ed, DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER. And let me just say now that, NO, I do not have any pictures of this incident. The mental picture is emblazened in my mind forever.

So, I have the boys and Julia in the bath. Yes, that's four kids in the bath. (I can't believe I'm actually writing this down...sigh). Thinking back, I seem to recollect that Julia had some pretty potent gas before the bath, but there was nothing in her diaper. We just went along with the bath as normal. I'm gettin' people sham-poo-ed (a little foreshadowing for you) and all cleaned up when I notice that Julia has assumed a strange position at the shallower end of the tub. I look over and see a little something on her back side, if you know what I mean. Thinking about it now, I'm not sure why I made the next choice. Maybe I thought it would be too hard to get all three boys out of the bath quickly. Maybe it was a positioning thing. Her little fanny was pointing right towards me. Probably I'll never know why I did what I did next. Really, don't keep reading if you want to still respect me in the morning. I reached over and caught the BM with my own two bare hands!!!! SO SICK! The boys couldn't have been more delighted. It was right up their potty humor alley. I was so grossed out. But I'm tellin' ya. That option was way easier than option B with the BM getting into the bath water and having to do an emergency evacuation of the tub in 3 seconds or less while the darned thing floated around and contaminated everyone.

So, now, are you sufficiently grossed out? I certainly was.

June is Bustin' Out All O-o-ver!!

I'll never get over the time when I was living at my Aunt Tami's house in Provo for a spring semester at BYU. I was in the bathroom and just feeling the happiness that is spring, so I sang that phrase out loud. Seriously, someone from their neighbor's house (the Ostergars) sang out the other half of the phrase in reply. It was such a classic moment.

Lindsay had her last day of elementary school. She had a graduation ceremony on Thursday. She looked so beautiful and grown up. I am so amazed at the young woman she is becoming. some of the other girls really dressed inappropriately. I was so glad that she hasn't tried to look and act older than she is.

The kids had their last day of school last Friday. It's always such an exhilarating moment: School's out!!! I've been apprehensive about summer coming. I don't always (let's see how to put this nicely but still honestly...) get the most out of summer. There aren't a lot of kids in our neighborhood, and when left to entertain ourselves, the kids and I sometimes get on each others' nerves. Sad but true. Oh well. Tim is so sweet. He's been constantly saying, "So, who can we have over? Invite someone over for lunch tomorrow. Who are you going to see?" I guess it's easier for him to plan something in advance than to come home after a long day's work and have to pick up the pieces of a failed day at home. Love that man.

Anyway, so to celebrate the beginning of summer, we had a few families over for s'mores and festivities. We have a huge backyard, and it really can absorb a lot of people. We had fun.

Here are some pictures from the week:


Lindsay with her diploma

the kids after the bell rang for summer: Miles, Samuel, Lindsay, Evie (a neighbor), and Wesley


Our neighbor, Noah, had a bouncy house for his birthday party. The party was only in the morning, but they had the bouncy house the whole day. We all got a chance to play in it.

Tim, Miles, Noah

Wesley, Luke, Mom, Julia

Julia and Mom