She Climbed her Everest!

If you know Winnie, then you know that she is the girliest of girls.  She loves dressing up, high heels, make up, and above all else, jewelry.  Sadly, Winnie's ears went without sparkle for almost 8 years due to her debilitating fear of piercings.  Every year, she'd promise, "next year I will get my ears pierced."  Then next year would come, and we'd hear the same promise again.  Until one fine day while visiting Nana Betty and Grampy Bruce.  Both Nanas used their smooth-talking skills and before she knew it, she was at Claire's Boutique, bug-eyed and sweating it out in the chair.  I held both her hands and kept her attention on me while the family stood close with high hopes.  Then, with a double click of the piercing gun, her ears were adorned with lovely blue gems!  She didn't cry a bit and immediately began selecting future pairs of earrings to wear.  Way to be brave Winnie!

Ode to Nana and Papa

 We did so much with Nana and Papa this summer, I had to roll it all into one post.  First, June's been getting pretty good on the ol' fiddle, so Papa decided to take her to the Dam Jam this year and show her off.  She sat in circles with a bunch of old bluegrass folks and picked up some new skills.  But I'm pretty sure she taught them a few songs too.

 Klive was just happy to be in the middle of it all!

June's highlight of the jam was getting to meet this little fellow.

 The kids spent a few weekends in Malad, too.  They did a bit of fishing . . .

 took a few nature walks . . . 

 and let Papa do all of the dirty work when they reeled something in.

 They love the Malad house!

 We visited Nana and Papa in Logan too.  We enjoyed a day at the town pool.

 The girls stayed on for a few extra days on their own.  Nana filled their time with crafts projects . . .

 Sewing projects . . . 

and a bit of light baking.  She also managed to work full-time while everything was going on.

  

They finished up their grandparents' stay with a night of bowling.  Now we're just looking forward to our next summer and the adventures we will have!

Our Very Special Boy turns 4!!!

 Time for an Evil-K update!  This special dude turned 4 in August!  And there is so much to love about him!  Klive's acquired a very special knack for tucking more weapons into his pants than any other kid I know.  I'm sure car rides must be excruciatingly painful with two guns, a light saber, a wrecking ball and a set of handcuffs tucked under your butt, but someones gotta keep the family safe from dark lords, evil henchmen, and deadly wild animals.

 

 "Roughhouse" is a term we used to only vaguely understand when we had but two daughters.  Now, we cringe as our living room and every stick of furniture is routinely turned into the Thunder Dome.  His sisters have endured many beat-downs, but Dad always takes the brunt of the blows.

 

 The last time his dad started up a saber battle, Klive's brave response was, "Hit me again, Genius." And an epic sword fight ensued; all in the name of fun though.  This kid loves his family and closes every battle with a sweet hug and lots of "I love you's."

 Don't be fooled by his toughness, this dude still loves to snuggle in for a snooze from time to time.  And always with his very special blanky, Stinky Corner.  It's super stinky despite frequent washes.  It's in shreds, tied in knots to hold it together and probably a strangling hazard, but there's hell to pay in our house if we can't find it by bedtime.

 He's always good for a laugh.  He recently changed his name to Robert Redwood for a month or two and demanded that we honor his wishes.  Now he goes by either name.

When Klive's not dressed in full battle gear, he's usually sporting a tool belt and hunting for projects to do around the house.  The last time he was packing tools, he told me, "Mom, do you have something for me to fix, cuz I'm one of those guys who doos everything."

We had high hopes for him to follow in his dad's footsteps and go to medical school, but he keeps coming back to his one true love, diggers.  It would appear that he's destined for a career in construction.  He squeals and salivates a little every time we drive by a dump truck, fork lift, steam roller, or crane.  The new park going in down the hill is filled with so many trucks, he almost experiences emotional overload every time we drive by.  I blame Grandpa Babe for giving him the redneck digger-lovin' genes.

 He's still a mama's boy and nothing makes me happier!  What mom wouldn't love a little buddy who helps her pick out her clothes, loves to clean the house as a duo, and tells her she's pretty and that he loves her at least 5 times a day?

 Sometimes it's tough to be the only boy.  Klive's always such a good sport when June and Winnie get an itch to turn him into their little sister.

Klive's a lover of life and excited about every new adventure that awaits him when he wakes up in the morning.

 What better way to celebrate his special day than with a Ninja Turtle morning . . . 

 and a doughnut cake!!!

Happy birthday my sweet, precious baby boy!!!

Reunited and it Feels So Good!

These are the two boys I started dating about 15 years ago.  They came as a package deal for about the first 20 dates or so.  And most of the time I wondered if I was the third wheel.  After many, many, many horrible dates to gas stations, dollar movies, and an armpit of an apartment where we watched Young Guns over 15 times . . . after speedo-grams and fart-filled jeep rides . . . even after I took them home to meet my parents . . . these two were still going strong.  Until Willie finally met sweet, innocent Candace, and these two bromancers had to let each other go.  But I know in my heart, their love will never die.

4th of July

I might have dropped the ball a bit this past Independence Day.  But hopefully this one picture of Klive's sheer excitement and wonder at the sight of fire will make up for it.  It was another successful fireworks display at Grandma Sara's.  Not a single plant or human was set on fire.  That's not always the case with the Johnsons.

SCHOOL'S OUT . . . FOREVER!!!!

 I can't believe I almost forgot to post about this major event!  Drum roll please . . . Kolby Johnson M.D. finished his residency in June!!!

That's right folks, WE'RE FINALLY DONE WITH SCHOOL!!! Just took us 13 years but we did it!  Kolby was also offered a position at the Portneuf Medical Center as one of their Hospitalists so we will now call Pocatello our permenant home. We bought our very own house in Pocatello and are putting down some real roots.  It's been a tough 13 years filled with so many challenges I'm pretty sure I've blocked most of them out of my memory.  But he had a dream ladies and gentlemen, and he made it happen.  The kids and I are so happy to have been his favorite part of the journey!  Now it's time to get to work and pay off those loans!

Stay Cool This Summer

 So, like Pedro, one day I just got real hot.  So I cut all my hair off.  Again.  I have an addiction to cutting.

 I felt super cool, so we went and got frozen yogurt to make all our wildest dreams come true.

 And then we hit the splash pad.

 The kids discovered the joys of a rocketing water fountain going off in their bums.

 Nothing like a cold-water enema on a hot summer's day.

But they all cleaned up real nice for Jettlyn's baptism.