GandSJohnsonFamily

We Had a Baby Girl!!!

2011-03-09T19:40:00.001-08:00

Yes! We had a baby girl! We named her Kathryn Elizabeth Johnson. (Kathryn after my sweet sister, whom I love and adore, and Elizabeth after me...my middle name.) She was born on January 23rd, weighing 7 pounds 4 ounces. Her siblings have absolutely adored her since day 1. Here she is...so tiny and beautiful!!!

And then I blinked and this is what our beautiful girl looks like now. (Like Steve Martin says on "Cheaper by the Dozen," "Enough with the blinking!!" I failed to say we had her January 23, 2010. Yes, it has been that long since I last blogged. But I mean really...4 kids and way too many different schedules and here we are. But we really are still here in AZ, loving life as a family. Hopefully I will pick up blogging again; mainly because I love recording the craziness that is our wonderful life!!!

The Ultimate Insult!

2009-12-09T12:21:00.000-08:00

My father-in-law always says the reason that kids fight is because they love to. I am totally convinced this is true with Chase & McKenna. They can fight about absolutely anything in their loudest voices. Yesterday while we were having lunch at home, they started at it. They began hurling whatever insults they could at one another. Finally, McKenna gave the ultimate, "Chase I not going to invite you to my birthday party." (Keep in mind the girl doesn't have a party coming up again until October 2010.) Chase responded with the same insult and then asked me if I could make sure McKenna was not invited to his birthday party. I could only laugh. Newsflash: Both McKenna and Chase will be attending each others' birthday parties in 2010. It's good to be the Mom!

My Precious Girl is 3! October 10, 2009

2009-10-19T12:55:00.000-07:00

Well I am a little late in posting, but McKenna turned 3 on October 10, 2009. (The pictures show her each year of her life on her birthday) We had a great time celebrating her. It was the 1st time she was actually excited about her birthday. She for sure knew what was going on...kept asking for her presents. Her favorites were a princess bike and princess dress up clothes...she definitely gets that she is a girl. We celebrated her birthday the night before and then headed to Colorado the day of for a wonderful week at the cabin.

Dear McKenna,
Happy Birthday baby girl! I can not believe you are already 3. You are so delightful to have in our family. You love to play dress up and carry around baby dolls, but you also love to rough house and wrestle with the boys. You and Chase fight incessantly, but I suppose that is just the way it goes. You have decided that you are excited to have your baby sister come in January, but you are insistent that her name should be McKenna too. Your favorite new toy is your dog Coco (That is "Toto" to you.) You carry him around the house whenever possible, and you seem to actually believe he likes it! I love to watch you talk to your baby dolls and mimic me. It is precious. I feel so blessed to have you as my daughter. You constantly tell me, "we be best friends Mom." It is true. We be best friends McKenna and I hope you know that you can always count on me. I love you sweetie! Mom

It's a Girl!

2009-09-15T12:25:00.000-07:00

So it is official! We will be having another little girl join our family in January. We are just thrilled. (Mostly) When we first got home and told McKenna, she said,"I don't want a baby sister. I want a baby brother." Fortunately, 5 minutes later she said, "Mom thank you so much getting me a baby sister." So she may be fickle but she seems to be more excited about the idea of a playmate. I wanted so much for her to have a sister to be friends with forever so I am very excited! The boys also are thrilled. They both felt like it should be a girl because then our family would be even. (You can't argue with that logic!) We even took Brinton with us for the ultrasound which was fun. He got his own picture (which he thought looked very little like a baby), and enjoyed asking the technician tons of questions. When the tech said she was 90% sure it would be a girl he said, "So tell us what is it for sure!) I guess he was looking for 100%. Anyway, Graham and I couldn't be more excited to have another precious baby join our family. We feel very blessed!!

My SuperGirl!

2009-09-04T14:25:00.001-07:00

I love this picture. This pretty much sums up what it is like to have 2 older brothers. Don't get me wrong, McKenna enjoys dressing up in girl stuff too, but when it comes to playing with the boys she opts for the "muscley" spider man costume. Very feminine wouldn't you agree?! (And as a sidenote, the picture with Kenna & Brinton they are throwing webs at the camera.) But I am sure you already knew that.
So the reason McKenna is my supergirl is because she decided last week she was ready to grow up and be a big girl. I have been dreading potty training her, but she made it so easy. She loved having a sticker chart and talking about how big she really is. We started potty training on Sunday and by Tuesday she was telling me "I'm going potty now Mom." Honestly she has made it such a breeze! So after conquering that, she decided she was ready to sleep in a big girl bed. (Another thing I was avoiding...pure laziness on my part.) She started asking if she could sleep in the big girl bed in our guest room and voila now she sleeps in there like a champ. Recently Graham was out of town so my friend Lisa kindly stayed over (I'm a SuperWimp!) I went to get McKenna from the guest room bed to have her sleep the night with me (so Lisa would have the guest room) and she threw the biggest fit. "Mommy your bed is not a big girl bed!" So after trying to persuade her that my big girl bed is quite lovely, she asked me to take her to her crib instead.
Anyway, I just love this girl! She makes our home so much more fun. She talks all the time (She gets that from Graham I'm sure!) and loves playing with her brothers. So McKenna, thanks for becoming a big girl and dragging me along for the ride!

Meet Coco!

2009-08-31T12:47:00.001-07:00

Well we finally have added a puppy to our family. Our children could not be more thrilled. I know some of you that know me are thinking how...but it just happened. I was talking to my mom about 6 weeks ago and mentioned to her that at some point in the future we would get a dog for our kids. She was surprised and mentioned that her good friend Patty just had a litter of schnoodles (schnauzer/poodle mix) So I talked to Graham and we decided to go for it. Grandmommy told the kids about the puppy when we were vacationing in Florida together in early August. She said that she would keep the dog until Graham flew out to Texas at the end of August. Graham went out for a guys trip with my family this past weekend and had a great time deep sea fishing. (He caught some big ones too!) But I digressed, as far as my children were concerned his mission was to return with their new puppy Coco. (Chase came up with the name himself.) Graham got home yesterday evening with the puppy. Needless to say, it was difficult to get the boys to go to school today. I told them both we would meet them at their bus stops after school with Coco. (This helped some.) So we are enjoying having this little guy around. He is so sweet and precious as you can see. Lucky for me, my mom did a great job "potty training" him for the weeks she had him. (We are working on continuing her efforts.) Unlucky for my mom, she completely fell in love with Coco. She actually thought about getting the kids a different dog, but felt like they were already bonded to Coco through pictures and videos. It was a loving sacrifice on her part (Believe Me!) and we are so happy to have him. Thanks Mom!!! And a special thanks to Kristin for being willing to keep Coco at her house all the days mom had to work. Sorry about your carpet, but you really are an awesome Aunt!! To let you know how excited the kids are, yesterday morning Brinton came up to Chase and said, "Chase we are getting our puppy today. This day is going to change the rest of our lives!" So with that, our lives have been forever changed.:)

Our family is Growing!

2009-08-25T16:03:00.000-07:00

It's about time for me to make the announcement that we are expecting! (Many of you know, but I need to make it official.) We are super excited to welcome another baby at the end of January. We should find out pink or blue in the next few weeks so stay tuned for the news. This has actually been a harder pregnancy for me than usual. I don't normally get sick, and the first trimester was filled with nausea this time. Our children (who found out at 6 weeks, but managed to keep the secret for almost 2 months) are thrilled. Brinton loves the idea of having another baby in our home. He coined our favorite phrase early on in the pregnancy when he said, "It's all for the cause Mom." He walked into the family room one day to give me some crackers and asked if I was feeling sick from the baby. When I told him I was, he thought about it for a moment and said, "Well Mom, it is all for the cause. I mean let's face it: you feel sick for a little while, but we end up getting a baby out of it. That seems like a pretty good deal to me." He has reminded me a few times since that this is all for the cause. I fortunately told Graham before we even got pregnant that I planned on being a Diva this pregnancy. I usually don't complain, or ask him to get me food I am craving, but this time things have changed. I mean, I am getting older, and it is kind of fun to have him make me grilled cheese sandwiches late at night. Thanks for being a good sport Honey!! Afterall, it is all for the cause!

Back to School!

2009-08-12T17:02:00.000-07:00

Well it is that time again. The end of a wonderful summer, and the time to go back to school. Today was the day. I must say, I have been looking forward to it over the past week, but once it got here my excitement wore off. Brinton started 1st grade at Franklin West, and my little Chase is now in kindergarten there as well. It is always very emotional for me to leave my kids the first day of school...probably because when they actually start kindergarten it feels like the end of the "Mom & Me Era."
Anyway, the boys were relatively excited to begin school. Chase admitted when we got to his classroom that he was feeling a bit nervous. I am sure I compounded that by crying, but what is a mom supposed to do?! We got cute pics of them (as you can see) and then McKenna and I were on our own. (I am looking forward to having special alone time with just her.)
Chase is in half-day kindergarten so we picked him up from the bus stop before lunch time. I must say the 1st day of school excitement had worn off by then. I asked him about his day, and his reply was, "It was boring Mom. We didn't even have recess." When we got home and were eating lunch I tried to pry more. He said, "Mom we didn't do computers, we didn't do PE, we didn't do recess, we sang a little, but I didn't get to play instruments. It was boring. I already said that." So that was Chase's 1st day of public school in a nutshell. Later this afternoon, he did admit he had PE, but didn't recognize it as PE. He just was balancing a bean bag on his head and finger.
Brinton enjoyed his first day back. He seemed to enjoy his teacher and had fun seeing old friends. He did ask if I cried when I left them. I admitted I had and he smiled. I think he really enjoys knowing he is missed! I love you boys and am super proud of the wonderful guys you are becoming!!

My Mom : According to Chase Johnson

2009-05-13T15:48:00.001-07:00

Chase recently finished preschool. I can hardly believe he will be starting kindergarten next year! So for his last day of school, he brought home a lovely picture of me with some very interesting facts according to Chase:

Mom is 20 years old (Thank you Chase, but that makes for very scary math. Brinton is 6 years old!) Actual: 30
Mom is 100 inches tall. Like a T-Rex standing up. (That's a tiny T-Rex) Actual: 64 inches
Mom weighs 3 million pounds. (No thanks for that one Chase. His teacher says all the other kids were guessing 10 pounds, and he knew they were wrong!) Actual: None of your business...except I will say it is even less than 1 million pounds.
Mom's favorite food is meatloaf. (I do make the occasional meatloaf. Chase hates it!) Actual: Chicken fried steak...Yum!
Mom's favorite color is black. (I do wear black often. It is slimming and I am after all trying to disguise my 3 million pound waste line.) Actual: Maybe red??
Mom's favorite thing to do is: Do stuff with me. (Well he was absolutely correct about this last one.) I love doing stuff with my kids!
I love you Chase, and enjoy so much seeing you grow! Thanks for the good laugh!

Pure Deliciousness!

2009-05-07T16:54:00.001-07:00

Be honest! This picture just makes you smile. I love this girl!!!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

2009-05-05T10:12:00.000-07:00

Ole! As you can tell we really get into this holiday. Okay not really, but Graham's brother Dave likes to throw a party he refers to as Cinco de Moustache. Last night it was deemed Cuatro de Moustache because it fell on Monday night and is used as a social event in his single's ward. So Graham & Brinton went to the fiesta while I stayed home at the infirmary. (McKenna & Chase have been sick.) They were sad not to go, but Brinton was quite excited. He left shouting "Adios amigos!" Since coming home, Brinton too has joined the infirmary (late last night) so I am having quite the fiesta myself at home today. Happy Cinco de Mayo...I hope yours is less yucky than mine.

Spring Break in Colorado

2009-04-29T12:21:00.000-07:00

We took the kids to Colorado for Spring Break...I know I'm behind but better late than never! We had a great time being there as a family. Dad was able to get some work done, but we were still able to have lots of fun. We rode the quads, swam at the Durango Rec Center, painted rocks, and made daily trips to the ice cream shop. (Of course this is always the kids' favorite part of the trip!) It was so fun to be able to play in the snow! Unfortunately it was not fresh snow...so a little hard to work with, but snow is snow. The kids had a blast! We are so glad to be able to getaway to the cabin for some special family time. Thanks Grandpa J!!

Chaseisms

2009-04-20T14:06:00.000-07:00

2 quick "Chaseisms" I wanted to record.

I have a gal who comes over every other week and helps me clean. Chase came upstairs to relay this to me. "Mom, I was just downstairs and I told Elizabeth, you are a good cleaner Elizabeth." She didn't understand me so I said, "Muy bien Elizabeth, that means good job cleaning Elizabeth." He is precious!

Also, Chase has always been my style dog; the one most concerned with what he is wearing for the day. Last week he came and climbed into bed with me to cuddle, (his morning ritual...and I love it!) fully dressed for the day. He said, "Mom, do you like my outfit? Do you think the ladies will like it?" The fact that my four year old is already trying to impress the ladies is a little frightening. But I have heard a story or two about his dad at that age. He was quite the ladies man in preschool/kindergarten as well. So he gets that from Graham. Thanks a lot babe!

A Poem from the Past

2009-04-18T12:11:00.000-07:00

Graham and I were cleaning out a file today when we came across an old poem he had written in elementary school. Graham has 8 children in his family; the first 6 were boys (how did his mom do it?!) So without further adieu my husband the poet:

Little Brothers

nice,cute
jump, skip, run
They are so cute
little brothers

Big Brothers
mean,ugly
hit,punch,kick
i will fite back
Big Brothers

I don't know if you thought that was as funny as I did?! Graham often says they fought a lot growing up...and I am guessing these were real feelings he wrote about. This poem was mounted on cardstock and given to his mom & dad. I am sure it produced all sorts of warm fuzzy feelings. I am sure the teacher had quite a laugh as well!

We Love our Diamondbacks!

2009-04-15T16:03:00.001-07:00

Graham recently got tickets to go see the Diamondbacks. He got tickets to the Friday night and Saturday day game, so he took both of his boys out for some one-on-one time with Dad. They had a great time! Before the games, Dad came home with shirts for both of his buckaroos. (Chase...my little style dog was beyond thrilled!) I made sure to get pics before the game, and Graham remembered to take the camera to the game on Saturday. So... sorry Chase that your pics weren't quite as exciting. Chase did at least come home with a gigantic bag of cotton candy. Fortunately for me he quickly forgot about it. (I do love cotton candy!) The boys both had a great time having Dad's undivided attention. They are already asking when they will be going to their next baseball game. Thanks Dad, for being such a super dad! We are so glad you enjoy time with your kiddos so much!

Happy Easter!

2009-04-13T13:11:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful time celebrating Easter in the Johnson household. The kids had a great time hunting for eggs & baskets, and we enjoyed going to church to celebrate our Savior Jesus Christ. Right before church, I made Graham a little crazy when I informed him I wanted a "quick" family picture. We were trying to get out the door for church, and he was less than thrilled to be late, but I think all and all it was worth being 3 minutes late to church to have such a sweet picture of our precious family!

Our day at the Zoo

2009-04-13T12:53:00.000-07:00

I actually enjoy when my kiddos have a day off from school. (Granted the entire summer break is a little bit wearing...I am referring to a fun vacation day now and then.) Friday the kids had off so we headed to the zoo. I love having a zoo membership! We rarely spend more than 2 hours at the zoo...which is the perfect amount of time for me. Today we only looked at the reptiles & amphibians before heading to the water park to cool off. The kids had a blast, and I really enjoyed watching them (& snapping cute pictures.) This age is so fun to me!

I'm a really Lucky Mom!

2009-03-26T13:12:00.001-07:00

I know I haven't posted in forever! I have been off having too much fun in Texas with my Knies family and in Colorado with our Johnson family. So I need to do some back posting, but I couldn't let Chase's preciousness pass without recording it. (Since I count this as journaling as well:)
Yesterday when I picked Chase up from preschool he told me he likes to sing about me in the bathroom. He said he sings about how much he loves me. So I asked him to sing me one of his songs. And he does."Mommy how much I love you. Does my Spirit know you're here? Mommy How much I love you. You're 100% to me." It has a precious tune he made up too. Really, talk about the luckiest Mom! He sang it all day for me. Then today as I dropped off for school, I kissed him and told him I loved him. He turned around and said "I'll see you in the bathroom Mom." So even though I am not there with him in body, he feels that special connection to me. Well Chase, you made my day, (twice in a row actually.) I love you so much, and am so thankful for your tender heart!

I love this Kid!

2009-03-06T15:08:00.000-08:00

Today Chase was playing outside with his friend and he fell on his ear. (while climbing on top of the air conditioning fan I might add!) He came inside screaming(in total Chase fashion.) So I comforted him, didn't see blood and we moved on. Well about an hour later I noticed that it looked a little scary on the back of his ear (I'll spare you the details) so I decided to go visit the doctor. I love our doctor!!! He is always so calming to me and he loves my kids. (How could he not?!) Anyway, so we visit with him, he reassures me Chase's ear is fine, and he converses with Chase. (He thinks Chase is so funny!)
Chase: Dr. Aaron why are you wearing your church shirt today? Dr. A: "Well I woke up thinking it was church today and then realized it wasn't really Sunday. And look, I spilled coffee on my nice church shirt." Chase: (very concerned) Who spilled coffee on you Dr. Aaron?" Dr. A: I did when I was drinking it. Do you drink coffee Chase?" Chase:"No!" Dr. A:"why not, because you are a kid?" Chase: "No because I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints." Dr. A: "Oh what do they teach you at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints Chase?" Chase: "Well not to drink coffee that's for sure." (I'm slightly proud, slightly mortified at this point.) Dr. A: Tell me 2 other things you learn at church." Chase:"They teach me to be kind to others" (Happy that is what he came up with.) And they teach me to play games. So that ladies and gentlemen is our church in a nutshell according to Chase Thomas. I love this kid. He is hilarious!

B's 1st Field Trip

2009-03-05T17:56:00.000-08:00

Today Brinton's kindergarten class visited the Phoenix Zoo. He has been asking me for weeks to come on the field trip. I of course was excited to go, that is defintely a perk to being a stay at home mom! So, Brinton, Chase & 3 boys from his class explored the zoo for a few hours with me and another mom. We had a great time! They loved touching the stingrays at Stingray Bay. (All except Chase. He is scared of those kinds of things...I admit I touched one, but it isn't really my cup of tea either.) So we had a lovely time on Brinton's 1st field trip. He said it was the best day of his life. I am sure glad I was there to experience that monumental moment with him.

Choose Your Battles Carefully!

2009-03-05T07:26:00.000-08:00

Well at least that is what I am trying to do. Normally I would not allow my son to leave the house looking like this. I mean really the boots with shorts are one thing, but the red soccer socks look just like tights. But...Chase really likes the way he looks today. He usually has such a good sense of style so maybe I am just having an off day. (Well I don't really think it's me:) But what does it really matter if he goes to preschool looking like this? He is happy with his choice of style and I am happy that he is so proud of himself. And who knows...he might just start a style rave of his own. I have seen stranger fads than this one. I love you Chase!

I need to realize Less is More!

2009-02-19T20:10:00.000-08:00

This morning I decided to fore go the Betty Crocker bagged blueberry mix that I usually make for breakfast and make homemade blueberry muffins instead. Yum! BIG MISTAKE! It took me about 10 times as long and the end result: children complaining that these don't taste like my usual blueberry muffins. Chase was not about to taste them. Brinton ate one, but gagged every time he came across an actual fresh blueberry. ("Yuck what are these gross things Mom? Please just go back to your usual muffins.) And McKenna only ate 1/2 of one. So I was left with a dozen blueberry muffins, my pride a little hurt, and the realization that less is more.

10 Years & Counting! February 12, 2009

2009-02-18T12:06:00.000-08:00

Can you believe it? Graham & I celebrated our 10th year wedding anniversary last Thursday. I know what most of you are thinking. Sarah, you can not possibly be old enough to have been married 10 years. You look way too young for that. (Wasn't anyone thinking that??) Well alas, it is true we both are old enough to be celebrating this exciting milestone together. We had the most wonderful getaway to celebrate a decade together. Graham planned the entire thing himself (as a surprise) All I was responsible for was making plans for the kids while we were away. (A very special thank you to Marni & Lisa for being willing to help with my kids. I appreciate you both so much! The kids had a blast!)
So we stayed at the JW Marriot in Tucson from Thursday to Saturday. It was beautiful! The hotel was very nice, and the views were breathtaking. We had a nice leisurely morning on Friday. We even went on an awesome scenic hike. I was pretty surprised just how beautiful natural desert landscaping is when it is surrounded by so many beautiful mountains. After returning from our hike, Graham rushed me along to a fabulous spa experience. That's right! He had scheduled a massage & facial for me to enjoy all by myself. (for a mom who is constantly surrounded by 3 precious but loud & crazy children peaceful alone time is just what I needed. I even read a book and took advantage of the whirlpool in between treatments.) It was so nice. (Thanks for thinking of that Graham. You are amazing!) Then when I returned to my room Graham had laid out the most beautiful fancy dress ensemble for me to wear to dinner. It was beautiful!(Thanks to my awesome sister Alden for helping Graham out with this surprise.) We then enjoyed a quiet dinner together at a beautiful restaruant in the hotel. So those were the main highlights from our weekend getaway. I confess, it is true, I love my husband. It was so fun to celebrate our love in such a fun & relaxing way. Graham is very charming and quite good at surprises! I am grateful for this wonderful 10 years together, and feel so blessed to be on this journey through life with my best friend.

Happy 33rd Birthday Graham! February 10, 2009

2009-02-16T14:51:00.000-08:00

In honor of Graham's birthday, I have to blog about how wonderful my husband is to me & for me. I am very grateful to have him in my life.

33 Things I love about my husband:

1.The way he loves me.
2.He is generous.
3.He takes me on a date every week.
4.He puts up with my craziness and acts like it is no big deal
5.He tells me I’m beautiful all the time. Really, all the time. It is so sweet.
6.He is a wonderful Dad. He enjoys playing with our kids.
7.He spoils me
8.He is a wonderful provider
9.He has always made sure we make Christmas with my family. We’ve been married 10 years, and have traveled to Texas 9 of them. This last one we all gathered for a family reunion in Colorado over Christmas break. It was so fun!
10.He listens to me when I want to talk. And I like to talk a lot!
11.He cleans the house, and cooks the majority of Sunday dinners.
12.He likes order. He is not a pack rat and I am grateful!
13.He takes me on getaways where it is just the two of us.
14.Honesty is very important to him.
15.He tries to follow the example of Jesus Christ.
16.He is sensitive to my needs.
17.He is savvy. He makes wonderful well-thought out decisions.
18.He lets me think I’m in charge.
19.He gave me my most treasured gifts: Brinton, Chase, & McKenna
20.He cuddles me a lot!
21.He encourages me to cry when he knows I need it, and listens until I get it all out…sometimes it takes a while.
22.He is so loyal!
23.He loves spending time as a family.
24.He sets a wonderful example for me and our children.
25.He leads our family righteously.
26.He is my best friend. We have so much fun being together.
27.He does not stress…or at least not much. Unfortunately, he can’t because if I knew he stressed I would come undone. I take care of the stressing in our family.
28.He compliments me on the way I mother often.
29.He has amazing self-discipline
30.He believes in doing what is right…Always
31.He loves my family. How could he not?, but I’m still grateful he does.
32.He accepts me for who I am.
33.He believes he is lucky to be married to me. I am glad he feels that way, because I genuinely feel lucky to be married to him as well!

He Gets that from Me!

2009-02-06T17:08:00.000-08:00

This week, Brinton's teacher sent home a note for me. It read, "Mrs. Johnson--Today, when we were coming back into class to work on the sheep, Brinton sighed and said,"Oh Boy, this is going to be a long and stressful process!" I mean really what 6 year old says that? Apparently he is aware of stress from someone. Now who could that be??? He definitely gets that from me!

Putty in Her Hands!

2009-02-05T16:03:00.000-08:00

I confess. This girl melts me. But can you blame me with a face like this one? I consider myself to not be an easily manipulated mom. However...when this girl looks at me with her precious smile and says, "Just two mo minutes Mom," I am nothing but putty in her hands. Trust me, she gets a lot of extra 2 minutes throughout the day. McKenna is such a joy to have in our family!

Too Much Thinking??

2009-02-03T12:00:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I feel very sensitive and aware of the fact that our children are growing up. Graham & I will celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary next week. That got me thinking. These 10 years have flown by. (I am very grateful for my wonderful husband.) That started me thinking about how quickly 10 more years will pass, and we will have a 16,14,&12 year old. That made me emotional of course because I love having my little children. So I know some of you are thinking...Sarah stop thinking. You're only upsetting yourself. But really, I am not. I just wanted to take a moment and record that I love my children! They are amazing gifts in my life...and I am trying to treasure them. These days are passing all too quickly, and I am trying my darndest to enjoy them. I hope all of you are doing the same!!

Well, Yes you are correct.

2009-01-26T13:02:00.000-08:00

So I go and help out in Brinton's classroom every other week. Once I am there the teacher divides the kids into groups and they rotate to different activities/assignments. This week I was helping the kids in my groups work on their phonograms. So I ask them to write down the letter that makes the "huh" sound. (That letter is "h" if any of you are wondering:) So then I proceed to ask them if they can think of any words that begin with the "huh" sound. They are mostly looking puzzled/deep in thought, when one little girl shouts out "hell starts with 'huh' So I quickly tell her she is correct, and we continued onto the next phonogram. AWKWARD!!

Sibling Rivalry: Alive & Well

2009-01-19T09:37:00.000-08:00

I have long heard talk about sibling rivalry, particulary in-line sibling rivalry. (You rival with the sibling above or below you in age) I didn't used to believe too much in the term, but as a mother, I am now a believer. The other day the boys and I picked McKenna up from our friend's house. She got in the car and started chattering. McK: "Lisa friend me Mom." Me: "Is Lisa your friend McKenna?" McK: "Yeah." "Brinton friend me." Me: "Yeah, Brinton is McKenna's friend." McK: "Mommy friend me. Daddy friend me." Me: "Is Chase McKenna's friend?" (I held my breath. I knew I just shouldn't ask.) Mck: "No Chasey no me friend." Me: "McKenna, Chase loves you very much. He is your friend." Mck: "Chasey, you friend me?" Chase: "No I'm not your friend." Me: "Chase that isn't very nice." Chase: "Well she said I wasn't her friend 1st." And that is how it goes! It's hard to argue with that one.

Soccer Season has finally ended!

2009-01-16T14:25:00.000-08:00

Well the title sounds like it just ended, but really it ended in December. The boys had an awesome time playing this year. I was so glad they had the chance to be on the same team. They had fun cheering each other on, and both developed their skills a lot over the long season. We ended the season with a party at Chuck E. Cheese Pizza where all the kids enjoyed being celebrated. They received trophies for their fine efforts, which was especially awesome for Chase. This is his 1st trophy ever, and as you can see he relished the moment. The boys are anxious to start our next sporting activity, but I told them we would be taking a break for a bit before starting baseball. (It starts in March, but this Mom needs a little time to breathe.)

Is it too late for pictures with Santa?

2009-01-16T14:16:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately, I have used the excuse, "It's the holidays" for my reasoning for not posting regular blogs. Lame I know, especially since it is now January 15th. (I guess Martin Luther King Day is coming. Isn't that considered a holiday?) Anyway, I need to post pictures from Colorado, but I don't have them currently. I decided to go on a family vacation and forget my means to capture timeless family moments. Cool I know! Anyway, so here are a few pictures of us seeing Santa this year. Brinton was pretty sure he wasn't the "real Santa Claus," but decided he would share his wish list just in case. Chase very much thought this was the real Santa Claus,and McKenna didn't care who this man was she wanted nothing to do with him.

So he's color blind. What's the big deal?!

2009-01-06T20:00:00.000-08:00

I was pretty sure that Brinton was color blind a couple of years ago...but I keep holding out hope that I am wrong. Denial...I know it well. But after these beautiful pictures I deny no more. I asked Brinton why he chose to color the Christmas wreath brown. He let me know that he colored it green not brown. (Graham and I then showed him some coloring done with a green marker.) He said, "Yeah, I guess that's green too Mom." Then we moved on to discussing his Christmas tree. Me: "Well, I noticed that you colored this beautiful Christmas tree brown too Brinton." B: "Yeah, but I meant to color that brown Mom. I colored it to look like our Christmas tree in the living room." Me: This Christmas tree? (I point to our lovely GREEN tree.) "This tree is brown buddy." B: "You mean that tree is green not brown Mom. OH?!" So sad to say, I can deny no more. My cute little guy is definitely color blind. I decorated our home with lots of brown Christmas trees this year. I even had my friend Lisa ask me what was with all the dead looking Christmas tree art around the house. We laughed pretty hard!

Even with lack of postings, we still have funny conversations!

2008-12-14T15:25:00.001-08:00

Driving home as a family recently, the topic of marriage came up. Brinton said that he already knows how to be a good husband. Graham & I were nervous/anxious to hear about his knowledge on the subject.
Me: "What kind of things will you do when you are a husband?"
Brinton: "I'll cuddle my wife in bed." "And I'll let her pick the tv shows we watch. (That sounds pretty good to me. My good husband gets a check for both of these things mentioned.) I will also help do the cooking, the cleaning, and change stinky diapers. (Check, check and check again...sometimes Graham pretends he doesn't like to change stinky diapers, but who really likes that stuff?!) "I'll even get up with the babies in the middle of the night so that my wife can sleep." (Well I would say 5 out of 6 is pretty darn good.) So fortunately, my sweet little guy has some pretty good ideas on to how to be a good husband. I have no doubt he gets his wisdom from watching his daddy. Graham is so wonderful to me, and I am lucky to have him!

Look out Wadies!

2008-11-19T14:46:00.000-08:00

Today I picked Chase up from preschool, and he was dressed like this. He looked so delicious. They have been studying Indians at school, but he quickly let me know they like to be called "mative americans." His teachers do such a great job! He loves coming home and decorating our house with the many crafts that he makes. I also had a recent Chaseism moment in the car where he told me, "Mom I am a wover of wadies." (That's Lover of Ladies for those of you who don't speak "Chase." I laughed so hard. I asked him, "What does it mean to be a lover of ladies Chase." His response, "It means I wike (like) the ladies a whole lot." Look out world here Chase comes! I love this kid!

Hairy Man

2008-11-17T13:21:00.000-08:00

Any of you who know my Dad, know he is a Hairy specimen of a Man! (No really, he was once compared to an orangutan in terms of hairiness) We joke about it frequently as a family. Well, tonight when Brinton was getting a haircut, he observed, "I look just like Granddaddy with all this hair on my back." Graham & I laughed, took a picture, and decided this was blog worthy. I'm not sure he meant it as a compliment, but it made him think of his Granddaddy and smile. That's good enough for me!

Oh the things they will Say!

2008-11-10T13:39:00.000-08:00

As we were leaving the gym today, one of the personal trainers told us goodbye. He remarked that I was looking kind of...pause...and then gave an exasperated sound. Chase took it upon himself to fill in the pause with the word Foxy. I busted out laughing. I mean my son is good for my self esteem, but it is a little weird to have your 4 year old say his mom is looking foxy in front of other people. I just can't imagine where he learns that kind of stuff. (You know as well as I do that the credit for that goes to my hubby.) Thanks for that one Honey!

It's Hard to be Humble!

2008-11-09T18:40:00.000-08:00

Today in the car, while driving home from church, we had one of our fun family conversations. The word humble came up in the conversation. So Brinton asked, "What does humble mean? Graham tried explaining it so that B could understand. "It is when you don't act like you are the greatest, or think you are better than other people. When you are humble, you don't think or talk about how you are the greatest at something/everything." Just then Graham whispered to me, "Uh oh suddenly I'm not sounding so humble myself." My response: "You said it, not me." Right then, Brinton pipes back in, "Humble...I don't really think that word describes me." Graham and I busted up laughing. My sweet hubbie even added, " yeah, we probably wouldn't use that word to describe you either." He and his Daddy are so much alike sometimes it is scary. I absolutely love it! And don't worry Brinton & Graham. You guys can take the humble route. I will tell everyone how wonderful and amazing you both are. It's my Job!!:)

I'm not a Fan of Sad Fun either!

2008-11-05T18:18:00.000-08:00

Chase always keeps us laughing. Today, on our way to preschool we had a fun little conversation.
Me: Chase, are you excited about preschool today?
Chase: No, I don't want to go to school.
Me: Why, it is so fun there.
Chase: I'm not really a fan of preschool Mom. (What 4 year old says that?)
Me: Well, Bud you have to get used to going to school. Next year you will be in kindergarten, and have to go to school everyday.
Chase: Well, I'm not really planning on going to kindergarten everyday.
Me: You have to go to school Chase. It's the Law! (I mean really...I decided to go there?!)
Don't you have fun when you go to preschool?
Chase: I just have sad fun Mom.
Me: What is sad fun?
Chase: It's when you are sad, but you still play.
Me: Okay. Well I still hope you have Happy Fun today.
Chase: Alright Mom, if you want me to have fun when I play I will.

I love the thoughts/words that come from my children. But sometimes I just wish I knew what to say so that we could bypass the part where fighting with me appears to be their only motive!
I do however feel thankful that they love to please us. I imagine when they are teenagers the conversations we have will end much differently than Chase saying, "Okay Mom, if you really want me to do it, I will!"

Halloween: Fun Pics; Creepy Pretend Holiday

2008-11-03T18:21:00.000-08:00

So I had to add a few more cute pictures that we got from Halloween. I feel so silly calling Halloween a holiday, because it really isn't. It is just a day for people to be kind of creepy. As we trick or treated our neighborhood I was reminded of this fact. This year the boys really enjoyed it when grown men, dressed up in freaky costumes, tried to scare the life out of them. McKenna...not so much. I mean really, I wanted to say, "Enough already! Kuddos to you, you were able to scare my 2 year old little girl to tears." Unfortunately, she got really squeemish about walking up to doors after a couple of close encounters with some crazies. I know, I know supposedly it is all in good fun, but come on... at least they should stop once the tears start a'flowin'!"
As a quick side note, please pay special attention to the picture of me with what appears to be a trophy of some sort. I know...who actually brags about winning an award for a soup cooking contest at their church?? Me that's who! I mean it isn't everyday I win a cooking contest. It is my first win to date. So thanks to my great friend, Michelle, who I got the receipe from. (Her blog actually) The chicken queso soup was delicious...and very rewarding!

Pumpkin Carving

2008-10-31T13:12:00.001-07:00

We carved pumpkins for FHE on Monday night. That of course means by today our pumpkins are looking a little pitiful, but it was really fun! We invited our good friend, Lisa over to help us carve. I got 3 pumpkins so that Graham, Lisa, and I could each work on a pumpkin with one of the kids. Fortunately for me, Uncle Dave showed up, and wanted to show his creative style. We had a fun time, and the pumpkins turned out great! In case you can't tell, Graham's pumpkin was a Mickey Mouse head, Lisa's was a monster from Where the Wild Things Are, and Dave's was a crazy faced free hand pumpkin. Kuddos to Lisa, since it did take about 1 1/2-2 hours to complete that pumpkin. There was a lot of detail! Happy Halloween!

Halloween Work Party

2008-10-30T13:38:00.000-07:00

Well Graham had his annual work Halloween party this past Saturday while I was out of town. I missed being there with the kids, but Graham got some cute pictures. Chase won Best Costume. (That UPS kid is pretty cute!) So fun for him...so frustrating for Brinton. When Chase decided he wanted to be a UPS man, he begged me to buy him a UPS truck. Seriously! That kid thinks his parents are doing way too well. Needless to say, he gets a UPS box to carry, no truck to drive. Sorry Chase!

My Little Man can Hold a Grudge!

2008-10-30T12:44:00.000-07:00

I love the little conversations that happen when we are driving in the car. Yesterday, McKenna & I picked Chase up from preschool. Usually he is in a super good mood, but yesterday this was not the case. I was thanking a friend for some help she had given me, and Chase begins so kindly screaming at me from the car.
Chase: "Mom, mom, can I have the rest of the granola bar?
Me: "Yes buddy, but please do not speak to me that way. Make sure you share some with your sister"
When I finally ended my all of 3 minute conversation, I climb back into the car to Chase's griping about how he can not break off any of the bar. (Nature valley bar...they are hard to break and quite messy) So I break off a small piece and handed it to McKenna. Chase begins a nice 4 year old tantrum about how he wanted to give it to McKenna. My response, "Well maybe next time if you talk kindly to me I will let you give it to McKenna. (Yeah I know, what a reward!) Throughout the drive home, McKenna is begging for more of the treat. Chase is obviously not going to share anymore. I look in my side door and find a small piece of the bar remaining, because lets face it, it was my breakfast and I never quite got around to eating it. (So typical) So I hand the appetizing looking snack to my daughter and Chase starts tantruming once again.
Chase: McKenna, I am very angry with you.
Me: Chase don't be unkind to your sister.
Chase: McKenna, I am not happy that you got more than me. I am never sharing my treats with you again!
Me: Chase, stop being so angry with your sister. I am the one who gave it to her. So if you want to be upset with someone it should be me.
Chase: Oh don't worry Mom. I am even madder at you than McKenna. Thats a promise.
Me: Well okay then.

He may hold a grudge, but at least he is honest about it. Hopefully those 2 qualities will nicely balance each other out.

Super Girls' Weekend; Super Dad!

2008-10-29T12:37:00.001-07:00

Well, we had our annual girls' weekend in Texas this past weekend. It is so much fun. My mom centers it around Time Out For Women (put on by Desert Book)She brings us all into town and then helps to make the weekend so much fun. Mom, you are the Best! So this weekend, on Thursday, we were also able to celebrate the sealing of Ansley & Elizabeth Knies. It was so wonderful to be present for the joining of these precious girls to Chandler and Heather. It is amazing to finally see them in their role as parents. It is definitely meant to be! No one could love and adore those girls as much as their parents do! Time Out for Women was on Saturday in San Antonio. It was an amazing experience, and we were each "spiritually fed." I have so often been reminded of my need to enjoy the present moment of my life as a Mom. I had that reiterated to me at this conference.
So I did lots of other fun things while in Texas IE. makeovers with Mom & sisters, lunches with "just the ladies", movies/charades as a family, a run (yes I ran) with my sisters Alden & Kristin, and lots of time just sitting with no responsibilities. (No really, multiple times I was aware of the fact that I had absolutely nothing I had to do or be in charge of...pretty nice feeling!) It was so fun, and I am so grateful my Mom feels like this is a worthwhile event. It definitely recharges me for life.
Well, while I was away, my husband was being Super Dad! I am so lucky to have him! He was so wonderful about sending me away to play, and he enjoyed the children as a Single dad for the weekend. I am also very fortunate to have wonderful friends who were willing to pitch in and watch my children when Graham had to work. Daddy still had to make the Bacon! It was fun to talk with Graham throughout the weekend because they were always running somewhere. They had lots of fun activities, and McKenna bonded even more with her Daddy. (now she prefers to have him sing & tuck her in at night) I am grateful that I was able to enjoy the weekend knowing that everything was taken care of. And don't be too jealous, but I even came home to a clean house! So Graham, you are not only a Super Dad, you are a Super Husband as well. Thank you!

Can you Believe our Little Guy is 6??

2008-10-27T11:02:00.000-07:00

Well, I may be a few days late in posting, but Brinton turned 6 on October 19th. It was such a fun day to celebrate him. He looked forward for 2 weeks to his birthday and soaked in all the fun he could on his special day. Brinton, we love you so much! You are such a special spirit sent from our Heavenly Father. Daddy & I are amazed at the goodness within you, and your constant desire to follow Jesus Christ. You inspire me to live my life better because I know you are watching me. You are the kindest big brother to McKenna and you are Chase's very best buddy. I feel so blessed that you set the example for Chase & McKenna. I know that you are trying everyday to be like Jesus, and as a Mom this brings me such joy. We love you with all our hearts, and our so proud of the big boy you have become.

I love being a Mom!

2008-10-17T14:29:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I forget to say it, but I love being a Mom! I feel so blessed to have our 3 precious children. I never knew I could have so much fun working so hard. Life is busy, time is short, children are crazy, too often my house is messy, but inspite of all that: I love being a Mom! These children inspire me to be a better mother; more worthy of their unconditional love. They are so pure and so thoughtful. I am truly blessed to know them. So the next time I call my dad or mom crying about how crazy my children are making me, they will remind me of this blog entry. And that is fine by me because I Love Being a Mom!

Those Gym Towels are Really Small!

2008-10-14T14:28:00.000-07:00

So I have been working out at the gym now since May, (that is incredible for me!)and I am really enjoying it. I thought once the kids went back to school it would be much easier for me to get into a normal workout routine. Obviously I was so wrong about that! Anyway, so I go to the gym whenever I can work it into my schedule. Sometimes it is just me & McKenna (she graciously waits for me in the childcare part of the gym) and sometimes I take all of my cute Banches. Well yesterday, I took Chase & McKenna right after lunch, but before naps, and told Chase I would be fast. So I did my workout, and hustled in to take a shower and get somewhat presentable for the rest of my day. Before hopping in the shower I went on and locked my car keys (with my locker key attached) in my locker. Not realizing this; I shower away. It hit me as I am dripping wet, buck naked, with a teeny-tiny gym towel covering part of my body that I have no way to get into my locker. So what to do?? Well I wait. I mean I can't walk out dressed like this. So I wait. Women are always coming into the locker room to use the restroom, shower etc. So I wait.strong> Apparently very few women work out at 1:15 in the afternoon, and surprisingly few of them feel the need to use the "Little Girl's Room" at that time either. So I wait. Finally after about 10 minutes I realize I could be waiting for quite a while. Just then I hear someone using the vending machine right outside of the men's dressing room. So I tip toe just barely out of the dressing room, realize it is a woman and say, "Pssst could you come in here really quick." Then I hustle back into the dressing room trying to reposition my Tiny Towel so that my Tiny Hiney is covered. All of a sudden that Hiney didn't seem so Tiny! So she comes in, I explain the situation, she has pity on me and grabs some wire cutters. Well poor girl, it took her about 10 minutes to cut my lock off my locker, but in the end I did walk out of the gym fully clothed. Graham recommended I get a combination lock next time. Definitely something to look into!

Happy Birthday Beautiful Girl! 10/10/08

2008-10-12T19:04:00.001-07:00

McKenna Baby Girl Knies Johnson, you turned 2 today. You bring such incredible joy to our family. Your brothers adore you, you melt your Daddy's heart, and you are your Mommy's Little Best Friend! You have brought a sense of peace to our entire family. Brinton & Chase love taking care of you and do so much to make you happy. Our family is truly blessed by you! Happy Birthday...And Many, Many More!

Wednesday, October 8th

2008-10-12T09:58:00.000-07:00

We got to celebrate our friend, Hannah Kartchner on her birthday. We made some cookies and went to play at the park. The kids had such a fun time, and I couldn't resist the cute pictures of Brinton and Hannah. He pretends like Hannah liking him is strictly one-sided, but judging by these pictures I would have to disagree.

Chase's 1st Soccer Goal: Sort Of!

2008-10-06T15:19:00.000-07:00

So the boys had another soccer game on Saturday. They both had a great time as you can see. Brinton got 5 more goals bringing his total to probably 16 goals for the season (3 games played). He is awesome! But the really exciting news is that Chase sort of got his 1st goal. So he finally makes it all the way down the field and is kicking the ball into the goal, when the wind blows and knocks the goal down. The referee quickly picked the goal up allowing Chase another turn to get the ball in when another gust of wind takes the goal down. By the time the Ref picks the goal up, the Coach says, "Hey that counts as a goal for Chase." Poor Guy. So he didn't actually get the glory of seeing/feeling himself kick his 1st goal, but we talked it up all the same. So Hooray for Chase! We are proud of both of our cute soccer players!

Do I really have to potty train her??

2008-10-02T19:42:00.001-07:00

So when is it really time to potty train? McKenna is about to turn 2 (on the 10th of October), which is way earlier than I potty trained the boys. But as I am taking pictures (smelling something) she says "Mommy I poop" As much as I would like to pretend it isn't time...when they can say the words in a sentence it is difficult to deny!

Soccer Buddies

2008-09-25T07:17:00.000-07:00

So Brinton & Chase had their 1st soccer game on Saturday. It is so fun because this year they are able to be on the same team. (Under 6 yrs category) That does not however mean they are at the same playing level. Chase started the game first, and it was quickly evident that he needed some extra coaching. That is where Graham comes in. He has to tell Chase that it is okay to go up and take the ball when others are dribbling it. He also needed prompting to defend his goal rather than watching his opponents score on them. By the end of the game however, he made a great goalie. When the other team would head down to their goal he would jump right in front of it. He kept from having a goal scored on the Red Storm. (Team name) Brinton on the other hand is all business. (He did play last year.) He scored 5 goals in the first game, and kept wondering if Grandmommy would be paying him $1 for every goal this year. I am guessing not since he has mastered the concept of goal scoring. Let's see: 13 games x 5 goals a piece he may start wondering if school is really necessary. Brinton also gets very annoyed when teammates don't know/follow the rules. He was quick to let a teammate know "You can't touch the ball in soccer. It's the rule." He also cheers very loudly when the other team "mistakenly" scores a goal for our team. "Awesome, they just gave us a point!" In the car ride home, Brinton repeatedly wanted to compare his game with Chase's game. "How many goals did Chase score today?" Rascally big brother! All and all it was a fun 1st game, and I am thrilled to have the boys playing together!

The Crazies!

2008-09-21T10:58:00.000-07:00

Graham & I were hanging out in the family room when he happened to get a glimpse of our children looking OH So Crazy! We had to capture the picture (see below) because afterall they were all superheroes with super powers. What was McKenna's super power you ask? She was just being super cute tagging along with her brothers. They obviously dressed themselves (except for Kenna girl) and I wondered would I let them go out dressed like this? The answer: Maybe...I've seen worse at Walmart!

2008-09-16T21:01:00.000-07:00

So pretty much my favorite thing in the world is spending time with family. So I was thrilled when my sisters, Alden & Kathryn both flew in to AZ for a weekend visit. It was so fun to have them here with me. We had lots of fun together, and my children adored having their Aunts in our home. As much fun as we had, you stil need a highlight. The highlight of the weekend: me laughing until I cried. I don't know if I have ever done that before. But how could I not when I saw my sweet 25 year old sister pedaling around my subdivison on Chase's bike. (See picture Below:) Why would your sister be riding your 4 year old's bike you ask. Because she is pretty much the sweetest person in the whole world. I was late picking up Brinton at the bus stop outside of our neighborhood one of the days that my sisters were visitng, and so I drove out of here like a mad woman to pick up Brinton and Blake (one of our neighbor buddies.) Kathryn was afraid that I might have missed the boys and knew that I would be in a panic to have to tell Blake's mom I lost her son...so she took off on Chase's bike pedaling the whole neighborhood trying to locate the boys. She eventually stopped at Blake's house to check if the boys were there. I had already dropped Blake off so my friend Kellie offered her a ride home, but Kathryn was too uncomfortable to accept. Imagine her embarrassment when she turned around as she was pedaling away to see Kellie & Blake laughing hysterically at the image in front of them. Unfortunately, I was not as good of a sister to her as she was to me. I was standing outside taking great pictures as she returned...and laughing so hard I cried. (Don't worry it wasn't only me laughing. Alden was taking pictures on her phone and sending them as text messages at the same time.) Good times!! I hope you still love me Kathryn even after you read this posting. Anyway, we had a wonderful time being together as sisters. I am so lucky & thankful to have them! draft 8:46:00 PM by sarah Delete

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You know what is worse than the child who tattles on everyone else?

2008-08-31T10:46:00.000-07:00

Some of you may be saying nothing. Well my kid doesn't tattle on everyone else. He strictly tattles on himself. That's right! Over the last 3 weeks Brinton has taken to confessing every negative thing that he has done to me his mother. Some of you may think that sounds cute...well it might be if it happened once or twice. Brinton probably tattles on himself 10 times a day. (And that is not accounting for weekends...when it happens ALL DAY LONG!) So the conversations go something like this:

Brinton: "Mom I was climbing on the counter in the kitchen, and you tell me I'm not allowed to do that. But I was and I won't do that anymore."

Mom: "Okay thank you Brinton" (well what else do I say to that?)

Friday night-

Brinton: "Mom I just pushed cousin Kenny into the pool and I'm not supposed to push people into the pool."

Mom: "That's right you're not supposed to push people into the pool. So go have a time out for that."

Brinton: "I don't want a time out. I guess I should just start lying to you."

Mom: (in my mind) Well it isn't actually considered a lie since I didn't ask for any of this information. Instead I say: "Well you do what you think is right. Now head on into time out."

Now perhaps that seemed funny, but while I am typing this blog and talking to my sister Kathryn on the phone, Brinton interrupted me.

Brinton:" Mom we are upstairs and we are all jumping on each other. We aren't supposed to jump on people."

Mom: What do I say to that?! "That's right son we aren't supposed to jump on people. So since you know that how about you take care of it." In my mind: Do you know what you are doing to me son?! He is singlely trying to drive me into the crazy house. But don't worry, I'm not gonna let him!!!

I survived the 1st week of Kindergarten!

2008-08-25T14:45:00.001-07:00

Well, the title might seem silly, but with the first few days of Brinton in kindergarten, I wasn't sure that I was going to make it. Crazy I know! My children have an ability to make me insane when they are with me, but it is almost unbearable for me to allow them to grow up. Brinton began all day kindergarten 2 weeks ago, and I was watching the clock from lunchtime until I could pick him up from school. Don't worry, that has now stopped. Chase, McKenna & I are adjusting to having our big boy in school all day. He is loving it and actually talked me into letting him ride the bus home in the afternoon. He wanted to ride from day 1, but I explained that Mommy was taking baby steps in this new adventure of life. Our little Chase began preschool last week and is enjoying being big just like Brinton. He even brings home homework every time he attends and is ecstatic to do it! (Wonder how long that will last?) He is becoming my big guy now that Brinton is gone during the day. He loves helping me, and does his best to take care of McKenna most of the time. (He does however love teasing her!) So we are doing well in the Johnson household. I love being a Mom...almost all of the time. I was sitting with them yesterday in church marveling at how quickly they are growing (McKenna was outside in the foyer with Graham so I could marvel), and thinking how very special this time with them is. I am blinking and they are growing. That is difficult, but we make the most of each day. And lets face it, there are many days that I am grateful they are growing!

Computers Aren't Going anywhere, so I am joining the ranks as a Blogger

2008-08-18T12:36:00.000-07:00

I have been fighting against being a blogger for a while now, but I am so hooked on seeing my adorable nieces & nephews on blogs that I finally decided I can no longer deprive all of you of my cute & rascally children. My brother Chandler recently became a father X 2 (we are so thrilled), and began blogging. Thanks to him and his efforts today I have now set up the Graham & Sarah Johnson Family Blog! Well don't get too excited, I still have to learn how to add pictures; otherwise this blog will be pitifully boring! So to catch everyone up to speed: We are enjoying living in Mesa, Arizona with our 3 precious children. Brinton is 5 and just began kindergarten ("sniff sniff"). Chase is 4 and will be beginning preschool this week, and McKenna is 22 months and my best little girlfriend. Obviously we keep quite busy, but my husband thought I needed more to do, so he ruptured his Achilles tendon 4 weeks ago. It has been an adjustment to say the least! Graham had surgery to repair it 3 weeks ago, and will still be on crutches for 5 more weeks...but who is counting? Well me that's who! I have only now been able to fully appreciate how helpful my husband used to be around the house. It is amazing how quickly this house goes to pot when I am the only one caring for it. I definitely look forward to Graham's full recovery as soon as possible. So life is good in the Johnson household and plenty crazy, and we are enjoying almost every bit of it!