Kyle turns 11!

Kyle turned 11 years old on November 19th.  He had a great day.  I brought donuts for his class at school and he was so excited!  He got a new game this year called, "Skylanders,"  He got it early (before his birthday), so by the time his actual day came around, he had already almost beat it.  Crazy kid!  :)

 

 

Yes, I made this beautiful cake...it's what he wanted.  (Of course, this is the extent of my expertise in this area, so there isn't much choice, really). 

 



We didn't have enough candles, so we took 2 candles, put them on opposite ends, to make it look like 11.  I'm telling you, there really is no end to the creativity level I have...the sky is the limit!  :)

 



 

 

We had the family over (grandparents) and had a great evening.  Happy Birthday to Kyle!  I can't stand it that he's growing up so fast!  Please slooowwww down!  We love you Kyle!

Halloween 2012

 

Halloween was so nice this year!  The weather was like 70 degrees...no coats needed. 

 

Kyle, Spencer (Bigelow), and Jacob all dressed up as characters in a video game.  Nobody else really knew who they were, but they didn't care.  They even each got their own designed "Key Blade" (not a sword).  They were all so excited!

 

And here is Zach Park, Megan Bigelow, and Brandon.  I'm not sure what Zach was...some random vampire, without scary teeth?  Something like that.  And Megan was a nerd, and I've gotta say, she pulled it off quite well.  Way to go Megan!  And Brandon?  He was Sherlock Holmes, of course.

 



And Dallin was his very own Enterpreneur (sp?).  He had all kinds of "goods" to sell...watches, jewelry, and even a TV.  So cute!

 



And there's even a lamp, just incase you really need one...

 



Dallin went trick-or-treating with Jason Forbush, who was Batman! 

 



 

 

I don't know why I don't have any pictures of the candy, but trust me, there was plenty to go around!  Todd was out of town during this time (in Europe, actually, for work), so his Dad came and took the kids trick-or-treating.  They had so much fun and he was a great sport!  Thanks Grandpa!

 

Happy Halloween!

Johnson Halloween Party 2012

As in several years past, we celebrated our annual Johnson Halloween Party.  And just like always, we had a blast! 

Brad was in charge of the game this year and he decided to do "Fear Factor."  Yeah, just the title made me want to run, but some of the family were very interested in playing. 

The rules of the game:  If you "dared" to play a round, you could, but if you didn't want to do it, you didn't have to.  Of course, if you decided to bail out, you were no longer in the running for the prize...

There were seriously some creative and gross things to eat (all edible).  Here's Josiah in the beginning.  What a trooper.  Oh yeah, and you had to be blindfolded, so you didn't know WHAT you were eating!  And Brad spoon-fed you himself....

 

 

Joshua was by far the best participant.  He was so cute and did so well.  He was always willing to try/taste the next round...I love his expression in this picture...yuck!



Here are some of the foods that Brad had prepared.  This is baby food peas, mixed with raisins, I believe.  UGH!

 



 

 

 

And this is cottage cheese mixed in sweet potato baby food....or something like that.  I don't really remember, and honestly, I didn't play the game.  ICK!

 



 

Even Jacob took a crack at it.  Way to go, buddy!

 



 

 

 

In the end, whoever was still in the game, got a bowl full of whipped cream, and they had to find the piece of bubble gum somewhere in the bowl....no hands allowed! 

 



 

 

Here is a picture of a few of the combinations that Brad used....mustard, raisins, cottage cheese, sour warheads, plantains (not pictured) and bottled cactus (not pictured), and of course whipped cream and bubble gum.  And incidentally, my dad loved the cactus stuff, so he got to take it home.  It was so disgusting...slimy and stretchy...oh my gosh, I might throw up just remembering it.  Let's move on...

 



 

 

Way to go Brad!  Awesome party!  And as in years past, we all watched "It's a Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown."  Fun times!

 



 

 

My mom made these graham cracker ghost treats, with chocolate chip eyes.  No one can say we're not creative!  :)

 



 

 

I made pumpkin cupcakes...I know, admit it, you want one!

 



 

 

And my mom also made these deviled egg things with spider olives on top.  Creepy!

 



 

 

All in all, the party was a success!  This is a fun party and I look forward to it every year.  Now we're ready for Halloween!  :)

Grandpa Johnson turns 72! Happy Birthday!

 

Happy Birthday Grandpa Johnson!  

What a great picture of Grandma and Grandpa!

 

 

And here's a close-up....totally awesome!

 



 

And here's a picture of a couple of their offspring!  What good-looking children!  :) 
This is Gina and Melissa...

 



 

This is going to have to go down in history!  Even though it's not our entire family, it's a rare occasion to get a shot with even some of us...

 

 

(and by the way, if you think I look weird, you're right...I do!  But Brandon wouldn't snap the picture and I lifted my eyebrows as a gesture to "hurry up and take the picture" and this is the result.  Oh well, this is still for posterity, so we're keeping it in!)

 



Happy Birthday Dad!  We love you!



Crazy Hair Day!

 

Seriously, wouldn't school be soooo boring if you didn't have events like "Crazy Hair Day?"  Kyle and Jacob couldn't wait to display their support!

 

Jacob, with his spikey-do (is that a real word?)

 

 

And Kyle couldn't wait to wear this wig.  Todd's mom gave us this wig (and another one) when Eric was little, and even though these wigs have had TONS of regular play throughout the years, they have held up pretty good....

 

Funny kids!  (and do you notice Kyle smiling?  Maybe I just need to put a wig on him more often)...



Pinewood Derby

 

Well, we survived another pinewood derby!  I was trying to figure out what number this was for our family, but alas, I do not know....too many to count, I think. 

 

Here are Jacob's and Kyle's cars....Jacob's is the tank and Kyle's is the police car.  Pretty cool!

 

I love this picture, because look how high Jacob is jumping!  This isn't his first race, but it IS one he won!  So funny!

 



Proud Jacob and his tank-car...

 



 

Proud, (non-smiling) Kyle and his police car...

 



 

 

And what would the derby be without cake?  It just wouldn't be the same, no way!

 



 

 

And Grandpa Jones came too, which was awesome! 

 



There were no trophies awarded to either Kyle or Jacob, but they were both winners in my eyes!  Way to go guys! 

 



Remembering Grandma Jones--1 year anniversary

 

On September 23rd, all of the Jones family got together at Ann's gravesite.  It was an amazing experience.  Steve wanted everyone to come prepared with a memory to share.  It was a beautiful day!

 

 

 

Steve asked Aaron to be in charge of the "program."  So Aaron welcomed everyone and then Steve took a little bit of time talking about his own memories of Ann.  Steve gave us all a copy of what he talked about, and I'm going to type it here, so we can always remember what he said that day.

GRANDMA'S TREASURES

 

Grandma is a very rich person.  She has seventeen treasures.  I remember how she loved to talk with each of them and snuggle them, especially when they were first born.  One day she told me this story.

 

She was talking to one of the grandchildren.  It could have been anyone of you.  She said, "Oh __________, (put your own name in the blank), do you know how much Grandma loves you?"  And the grandchild answered, "Oh yes Grandma, we know.  We're your treasures."  Grandma loved that idea.



So Grandma got an idea one day:  why not get pictures of all the "treasures" and put them up on a wall.  If you have noticed in our house, most of the pictures on the wall at our house are pictures of those Grandma loved best:  pictures of Jesus and pictures of family.

 



 



 

About once a week Grandma would ask a question:  "How did we get to be so lucky?  What have we ever done to deserve such wonderful children and their spouses and the grandchildren?"  And then she would almost cry and say, "Every one of them is a treasure. (actually that means that Grandma and I have 27 treasures.  Very few pirates or even kings and queens ever had so many riches).

Grandma sometimes said that when she got to the Spirit World she had lots of questions she was going to ask.  Maybe now that she is there Grandma has an answer to her question:  "How did we get to be so lucky?"  (and that's what Grandpa said...)

 

Most of us were in tears by this time.  Aaron then invited the family to share their own memories of Ann/Grandma.  It was very sweet.and tender, something she would have absolutely loved and enjoyed.  But I think she was there that day, listening.  We could definitely feel her close to us. 

 



After the visit to the cemetery, we all drove to Grandma and Grandpa's house to have dinner together.  I think it was the first time we were all together in that house again since Grandma passed away.  We've had family socials, but not at Grandpa's.  It was the perfect place to gather.  We did see all of our pictures on the walls, and the pictures of Jesus, and we felt her love for us and for Him.

 



 

It really was such a nice day and it was awesome to all be together.  (I had a headache later that night from all the crying I did....but it was worth it).  :)

 

 



We miss you Grandma!  We miss your hugs, your laughter, your smile, and even your advice!  :)  We think of you everyday and even though we know you are ok and in a better place, we still miss you tons!  We love you!

 



Our New Pet

We got a new pet recently....can you guess what it is?  Here's a hint...(it's not the dog).

 

 

But, Ziggy can't stand it that we have a new pet.  He really wants to "meet" this new little guy!  And by "meet," I mean, "destroy."  :)

 



 

"Please, Mom, I'll be good, I promise."

Uh, huh.....I see how it is (and how it would be if I let the pet out).  Ziggy is not to be trusted!

 



Introducing Jenny, our new hamster.  Yes, it's a girl!  Imagine that!  And she's a fiesty little animal.  I think she could take Ziggy down quite well and show him who's boss....if we let her (which we won't)....

 

 

Jenny is a cute little thing, but she is NOISY at night.  She runs in that wheel like she's being chased by something fierce!  She wakes me up most nights and I have to go into Kyle's room and take her wheel out.  Why can't she be like that during the day?  It's because she's "nocturnal, Mom."  Oh, gotcha!

 

One night when I took the wheel out, she chewed through one of the plastic plugs at the top of her cage.....and ESCAPED!  She was not in her cage the following morning.  We finally found her tucked between the wall and the dresser in the back corner of the room.  She looked quite comfy there.  Todd duct taped over the hole, so she couldn't push it up.  Still, if I take the wheel out, now I always put a book on top of the hole she chewed through, just to be extra safe.

 



Welcome to our home, Jenny!  You are a lucky little hamster!  :)

Brandon's flute recital

Brandon started taking private flute lessons this last summer.  This was his first recital.  He did totally AWESOME!!

 

 

His first song was about 7 minutes....very impressive!

 



His second song was only about 40 seconds....still, very impressive!

 





We are so proud of you son!

 



Grandma and Grandpa Johnson came to support him too.  It meant a lot ot him.

 



 

Way to go Brandon!  You are one talented, fine young man and we love you!!

Keep up the good work!