Projects, Projects, and more...Projects

It is very possibly that BECAUSE I am not pregnant or nursing-but I have felt like I've been able to accomplish some things the last few weeks. What a good feeling. And, I shouldn't take all the credit-I have somehow been able to enlist some help along the way. (Probably because he walks in on a project and knows he can do it better and faster-he he-I'm not complaining.) It might not seem like much to some, but for me it has-some of is is just a little of what we've been up to.

WARNING: THIS IS A BUNCH OF RANDOM PICTURES.

1. I thought I'd include this, because it is a project to get a little boy this chubby....and everything else that goes along with. He's our cute Tubby Chubby (nickname courtesy of Joe). He's rolling all over now and almost has crawling figured out. Good thing I'm cleaning up projects so he has room to explore.


2. Dishwasher. We've had a portable since I was pregnant with Matt. This house has a hole for one and I was finally able to talk Keith into installing it, with the help of his dad. Thanks!



3. New lawn. I always forget to take before pictures. There was an old flower bed that didn't grow flowers very well and the boys destroyed the railroad tie that used to nicely border the old flower bed. For the last couple years it has been a sizable ditch right off the porch that was slightly dangerous. I hadn't come up with a good plan to fix it until my parents had curbing done at their house and to do so, they had their grass cut up. With a little puzzle work, I was able to lay the sod and am trying to get it to all green up. Its looking better every day. Good bye gaping dirt pit!

4. New home of the main computer.


Old home of the main computer.


I'm always trying to relocate computer "stuff" to one area of the house, instead of ALL areas. I've been a little desperate for some more space, somewhere. I finally cleaned up and rearranged one computer desk and threw out a bunch of things from the old (I'm pretty sure he won't miss the things I chucked). Perks: It opened up an entry way and made it so I could breath a little better, and I don't spend as much time on the computer because it isn't right next to the kitchen anymore.


5. Curtains. The picture is weird because of the sunlight, but I bought a curtain rod and hung some curtains I had. Of course I wasn't drilling the holes just right, so Keith assisted with the project. Now my room looks a little prettier. Now if I could just get it cleaned--project for another day.


6. Blinds. My wonderful boys like to play with the blinds and have broken the strings on one in the front room. I have been at a loss for how to fix it (or too pregnant to do anything about it-I really just can't move well when I'm pregnant). I pulled it down and took it to my dad. I held the blind and looked for screws as he figured out a way to string things back up! Thanks Dad! It looks so much better now.


7. Air Conditioning! The van's a/c started going out last year, but thankfully fall came. This year I put it off and put it off because I don't like the hassle of taking it in or the cost of repairing things. Surprise! It only cost me $150 (instead of the $1000 I was expecting) and only one day without it. Just in time, I couldn't go anywhere with the kids because it was starting to get too hot.


8. Garden. This was started in May, but takes a bit of our time anyway. And its looking so good now! We've talked about a garden for 4 years and finally got one planted. We weren't sure anything would grow, but as you can see.....we've already started enjoying some of the fruits. YAY!

I'm sure there are other things, but I've been feeling good that I've been accomplishing some of the projects that have needed done for quite some time and I'm finally able to do them (pending an unplanned pregnancy, of course).

Josh

First of all, I have to comment on the way Josh is sitting. My Grandpa Gardiner always sat like this. I have a couple brothers who sit like this, and so far, Josh is the only one of my boys that does this. Its always fun to see a bit of your ancestors and those you love come through in younger generations.

So today I finally took my van into the shop to check on the air conditioning. We really thought it would be an issue that would cost us greatly, so I put it of, and put it off. All summer, in fact. But last week was pretty hot with no signs of cooling down. I just couldn't do that to the kids anymore.

My A/C is fixed!!!! And not at the cost I was expecting, thank goodness!

I was commenting on the fixed van at dinner, they didn't quite get it. I told them we don't have to open the windows anymore, the van will blow cold air.

Josh replied very mater-of-fact:

I'm glad we aren't snowmen.

Missing a Friend

We heard tragic news about a good friend this week. Whitlund Cluff lived next door to us until last year. He was 7 years old and Josh and Matt always had a great time playing with him. I never worried when Wit was over. Such a sweet and smiley little boy. He sometimes had a bit of mischief in his eye-but he was never up to anything bad.

Wit had an accident this week and didn't survive. It was a bit hard on the boys. We went to the viewing on Friday night and that seemed to help them get closure. We planned on going to the funeral, but Josh said he really didn't want to because he didn't want to be sad anymore.

We talked about some memories the boys had of Wit, one of the sweetest things Josh said was "Wit was the best friend I ever had. He never fought with me." That was so true. I don't think I ever saw that little boy be mean to anyone. Josh always liked having Wit to play with at recess in Kindergarten, he was one friend Josh could always count on-and that helped Josh get through the social bit of Kindergarten.

Some other memories the boys had:
-They loved to play hide-and-seek with their toys outside and would spend a lot of time doing so.
-They liked to play "Knights of the Roundtable" with their swords.
-Matt remembered that Wit gave him some hiking sticks (which he still uses).
-I remember waiting for the boys at the bus stop and having wit come over to our house when his mom wasn't home yet (she had dialysis).

I was comforted at the viewing, it was one of the happiest viewings I've ever been to. I was a little surprised until I reflected on the experience later. Wit always brought peace and joy to those in life, why wouldn't it be the same at his passing?

We are sad to loose this friend, but grateful for the joy and memories he brought to our lives. Our hearts and prayers go out to his family.
I don't know how to do a link (apparently), but here's the address for his obituary: http://blackburnvernalmortuary.com/Blackburn_Vernal_Mortuary/Whitlund_Cluff.html

Johnson Reunion 2009

We gathered together again for the 9th annual Stan & Billie Johnson Reunion. Chellena was in charge this year and I'm not sure the cousins were ever more excited. They all adore their Aunt Chellena! If she ever went anywhere during the reunion, all the kids were looking for her. They could have cared less if their own mom was missing (the price we pay for being there for them everyday, I guess).



We had picnics, pictures (I don't have many of them yet), playing on the park, games, pinatas, Family Home Evening, RAIN, stories from the kids about ancestors (which was pretty fun), flying kites...lots of fun!



I'm not sure anyone had as much fun flying the kites as Keith did. At one point we found him snitching string from some of the kids who were finished flying their kites and adding it to one of the boys kites. He had at least 3 kite strings tied together to have the highest flying kite of the day. I think he only stopped because I gave him the "look". It was about to rain and there was thunder and lightening--I was sure he was going to get struck if he kept it up--or some other dumb thing would happen.

There were 2 pinatas, I didn't get a picture of the 1st, but here's the 2nd. I heard Dave call it the Madonna pinata. Fitting.

We all had a great time getting together with my family and also really enjoyed being able to stay with Mel and Cable in Tooele. I'm pretty sure Joe has adopted Melanie as his 2nd mom. Works for me!

Ah, More Mr. Potato Head

I think the glasses are the only thing we have left of the Mr. Potato Head we once owned. Matt found them and the results were picture worthy. What is it about kids and these glasses? What fun.

Poor little Keifer recently recovered from what the doctor said was "RSV in the wrong season, or infection from allergies" in addition to having 2 ear infections. The little guy began loosing weight and I was worried about him as he began to get better and he was fussing a lot. Mom was stressed a lot. Not eating very well during being sick didn't help. Result=we now drink formula, Keifer is chubbing up again, and he is a happier baby. Of course, he's only happy if mom is in sight. He has a bit of a fit if I walk away from him for any reason.

Funny story: Keifer kept getting mad at Matt last night (truly getting mad-it was funny). Matt didn't think it was funny. He kept saying that Keifer hated him and was extremely sad about it (tears were involved).

I asked why Keifer was mad at him. Answer: Because I didn't tell him "good night" last night. (Which he was mad that we didn't let him do the night before because it was really late).

Funniest part: I truly believe this story. Knowing the boys' relationship and personalities, I think this is probably what happened.

Preschool Graduation

Oh the fun we had this year with preschool. We had 7 great kids who got along (most of the time) and some of them even fell in love...well, I think Matt was already in love, but the apple of his eye happened to be in his preschool class. The mothers rotated turns teaching, which ended up being tricky at times due to 4 of us having babies during the preschool year. Our Principal Mindy did a great job coordinating everyone and everything.

Matt sure enjoyed preschool at everyone's house. His favorite part, I think, was Ashlyn's pink convertible. He told me on many occasions that he needed a car like that, and it could even be pink. Although, I'm not sure if it was the car, or driving around Ashlyn that was more fun for him. He once told me he loved her, but wasn't going to tell her until they were married. Good luck with that, bud!



Here are some pics of the kids at their graduation. It was a little bitter sweet. I am ready for a break from school, though. In fact, today we are cleaning house like crazy so we can play the rest of the week (with a break for this post, of course). The kids had fun and were sure cute.

Thank Goodness For The Family Camera Man...

If it weren't for Matt, I'm not sure we'd end up with very many pictures of anything. Because of Matt, I get great pictures like these: Priceless!



I can't tell you how many pictures just like these I have!
However, we do also get pictures like these:

I signed Josh and Matt up for T-Ball. They are on the same team (Yay for me) so it will be a busy month of running to games, hopefully I can keep up. I may forget to take the camera, so in case I do, here is some proof that they are going to play.

This is my favorite. Matt loves Keifer SO much. They are, indeed, kindred spirits. He had his camera out taking pictures of Keifer and asked me to take a picture of the two of them (this is also a common picture we have, but this one turned out better than some).

Last, but not least. Our last turn for preschool at our house was a couple weeks ago. I think Mindy saved this project for me-it was SO fun. They were learning about different occupations and we got to make a COMPUTER! Matt and Joe had to take them to bed that night, they liked them so much. They were excited to be "Computer Geeks." My mom asked Joe what a computer geek looked like one day, his response "A Computer Geeks looks like my dad!"
By the time we painted the "computers" everyone had paint everywhere! So we took pictures of their Crazy Hands! What fun we had.

Happy Birthday, Mother's Day & Anniversary..TO ME!

I'm not sure what I was thinking when I decided to get married in May-and that is probably the problem-I wasn't thinking. As a result, May ends up being my month! 1st-birthday, mother's day, 12th-anniversary. The last couple of years I have felt bad for Keith having so many things in one month to keep track of, that I give him an idea of something he can do for me that covers all the occasions.
This year, I wanted my wedding ring fixed. After 9 years, the prongs just weren't holding up anymore, so I haven't worn my ring for some time. I have refused to take 4 little boys into a jewelry store to get it fixed on my own. So I made the suggestion. I forgot how much I missed wearing it. Especially now that it looks brand new again! It takes me back and I almost feel newly married again!


No birthday video for me (not making one for myself). Keith got one (I didn't post his, he doesn't like that kind of thing advertised). It was a nice day full of calls or visits from family. Thanks for making my cake, Heather! I thought it would be fun to tell some of the things about me that the kids do in primary.
Q: How many brothers and sisters?
A: 3 brothers, 2 sisters
Q: Who do you want to be like when you grow up?
A: My mom
Q: Favorite color?
A: Green
Q: Favorite food?
A: Rice (yes, just plain rice, maybe with a little soy sauce) or my mom's homemade chicken noodle soup over mashed potatoes.
Q: Favorite thing to do?
A: Visit with Keith.
Q: What do you want to be when you grow up?
A: A good mom.
Q: Favorite Scripture story?
A: Helaman and the 2000 Stripling Warriors. I always have loved this story and it means more to me now that I have all boys, I just hope I can teach them the way the 2000 warriors' mothers did.
Q: Favorite subject in school?
A: Business classes/Word Processing
Q: Strangest food you ever ate?
A: Spaghetti at a restaurant in Ecuador-its wasn't spaghetti like we know it.
Q: What would you do if you had a million dollars?
A: Put it in the family mission fund.

Hives....Again.

I don't know what kind of mutation Keith's and my genes did, but all our kids are allergic to SOMETHING. Hives don't usually make me panic because they are so common at our house-but when the baby who is only nursing and eating rice cereal breaks out in hives??? I was a little worried. The only thing he'd had was allergy medication the doctor told me I could give him for seasonal allergies (hopefully, they are just seasonal). After the hives showed up, I read the label, it had banana flavoring. Keith happens to be allergic to bananas, GREAT. I thought that was a little weird to be allergic to allergy medication-isn't that suppose to help you NOT be allergic to things? After 2 days of allergy medication and 2 days of hives, I stopped giving him the medicine. (Its hard to see the hives in the pictures)



About a week later and after being very careful about what the baby was around-he got hives AGAIN! Only this time, he hadn't had any allergy medication and it was within minutes of nursing. What did I eat???? So I start researching hives to refresh my memory on causes. What can a baby be allergic to from nursing? Fresh cows milk. AhHA! The timing had been right. My sister-in-law had given me some fresh cows milk and I was really enjoying it (I am a milk lover). I had just eaten some pudding made with the cows milk. I'm sure I knew this tid bit of information once upon a time when I was well versed in what a mom should and should not eat while nursing (when Matt and Josh were babies). But at this point, a lot of its a blur and we just do the best we can.


I just hope this doesn't pose a problem for when he starts on milk at age 1. I'm wishing him luck. If so, we'll just add it to the list of things the family is allergic to: cherries, bananas, pineapples, Spring, Fall, smoke, pets.....YAY! These are all the boys' problems. I guess I'm allergic to being pregnant and stress, since those are the only times I get hives. Gotta love the allergies!

First Time For Everything

Keith had a scout camp a couple weekends ago. I asked the usual questions to find out what time and where they were going. I knew I needed everything ready by about 3 pm the Friday he was leaving. Friday morning I walked into the front room to find this:

Due to schedules, I always pack Keith for camps and any other time he needs to go out of town. It is something that has always worked out for us, and I don't mind doing for him. I didn't know what to do with myself when I found this. I felt lost all day because I had planned to pack him and it was already done. All I could think was that I hoped he'd found everything he needed. I guess it worked out, I never heard that he forgot anything.