Me A BIG Girl!!

Those were the first words out of Care Bear's mouth this morning. Why was she so excited to say this? Because she finally said goodbye to her binky's!!! A couple of days ago she asked me if we could call Santa so she could ask for some slip slops (Flip Flop sandals). I told her Santa was too busy making toys but we could call the Binky Fairy and ask her to take away Care Bear's binky's and leave flip flops. She was so excited! I talked to her about it for a day or two to make sure she understood what she was about to do. She never wavered and told me she would not get her binky at bedtime anymore so I knew she got it. Last night we called the Binky Fairy (thanks Mom Jemmett!) put the binkys in a baggie with a note and tucked everything under Care Bear's pillow. At this point she wasn't so sure and kept sneaking a binky out to suck on. She actually fell asleep with one so I wasn't sure if I should follow through. But the kid is 3 and it has to happen some time so I did it. She woke up a couple times crying for her binky and I had to lay with her for awhile but it was all worth it to hear how proud she was as she proclaimed "Me a big girl!"

Here she is still excited to say goodbye !One final look! Putting them under her pillow. New light up slip slops! Can I tell you how many stores I had to go to to find flip flops in her size in September? These are a little big but atleast she should be able to wear them next summer because how long will she be able to wear them this year before her toes freeze?!She also requested a princess so this is one of those new mini barbies that she can wear in a necklace around her neck.

I hope we survive the next few days. When Daddy left this morning she was sad and immediately wanted her binky back so I am sure plenty of tears will be shed before this is really behind us. Oh well, like I said, this has to happen sometime and now is as good as anytime!

Care Bear In The Act

Justin saw this picture nailed to a tree while he was in Germany. He suggested that we should alter it to show what Care Bear looks like. I am not great at photo editing so just humor me with this one! I am happy to report that we have not had anymore doglike behavior. I followed my sisters advice and offered Care Bear dog food since she was acting like a dog. She insisted she was a person and should have people food. So far it is working!

HELP!

Don't let this sweet face fool you!

I need some advice. I have a 3 year old who thinks she is a dog who goes potty outside. She has peed several times and pooped three times! Today I walked outside just in time to see her coming out of a squat and pulling her dress back down. The other two times it was close to our house so not very many people could have seen. Today she took care of business at the front of our lawn near the street so anyone could have seen! I was MORTIFIED!! I would blame this on Cody our dog but she started doing it before he came to live with us. I do not know what to do to get her to stop. Today she got a spanking and I made her clean up the mess. The only thing I can think of is not allowing her outside but that would be more of a punishment to me! Any advice? This is yet one more reason why she could be our last! LOL

Off to School!

My sweet La-La is at school. Her year of waiting is over and she stepped on the bus full of confidence and excitement. Her birthday is September 1st and in our previous area you had to be 5 by August 31st. She missed the cut off by 7 hours and 45 minutes. We debated about testing her to allow her to start but the test was expensive and even if she passed she could have been pulled out after 6 weeks if the teacher didn't feel it was working. Finally after months of not knowing what to do, I asked La-La what she wanted and she said she wanted to wait so that is what we did! It worked out perfect because she was able to go to a wonderful preschool and made a friend for life, Lyla.

At the district we live in here, they have the kindergartners start the second week and she will only go 1 & 1/2 days this week. Next week she will be on her full-time schedule of Tues/Thurs all day and half day Friday.
La-La was so excited to start today. It was hard for her to see Jaco get on the bus last week and not go with him. She picked out her new outfit and has been trying to wear her new shoes everyday but I was mean and made her wait. She didn't even look back when she got on the bus. She wanted to sit by her first grade friend (who is only 3 months older) so that is what she did! Jaco was so sweet and wanted to sit by her to because he is her big brother. He was able to sit across from her but I am afraid his feelings were hurt because he wasn't next to her. Care Bear was sad to see La-La leave. She cried because she wanted to go too.
It is so strange to be here with just Care Bear and I. We are going to go to the park this morning and I am looking forward to taking a nap while Care Bear naps! My family is growing and changing and I think it is ok?!

Update on Brian

Everything is clear!!!!! No tumor or recurrence of cancer. They started him on steroids right away because whether it was an infection or tumor, steroids would be the first treatment. After just one dose his hearing was already coming back. YEAH!!!

Prayers for Brian

Please remember my sister's family in your prayers. Her son had a malignant brain tumor several years ago and has been doing well. Tuesday he came home saying he couldn't hear in his right ear and he was experiencing a lot of ringing in his ear. The Dr's think it is either caused by an infection or a tumor. They don't think it is a recurrence of his cancer but I can only imagine how my sister must be feeling to hear the words "possible tumor" used again in regards to her son. He had an MRI done tonight and we are just waiting to hear what the diagnosis is. My heart is aching tonight for my sister and her amazing family.

HOLE IN ONE!!!!!

Justin aced the 17th hole at Dutcher Creek golf course. 154 yards with a 7 iron. He says it slam dunked right in the hole. He is even going to get his name in the paper and a trophy for it. He was playing with a fellow Dr at the group so it was witnessed and he is not lying!

4th grade begins!

Jaco finally started school today! Believe me, he was as excited as I was for this day. Jaco's brain craves learning and he loves that part of school. He was a little disappointed with today because the day was full of rules and no Math! His teacher sent home this poem.
Wow, you've made it
Almost to the top.
Kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd...
3rd graders you are not!
Success after success
You've learned but struggled too.
Your a 4th grader now
With new experiences ahead of you.
To us you have great value;
There's nothing you can't do!

I hope this is Jaco's best year yet. He can do anything he puts his brain to and I know he will be amazing!

The Best Birthday Ever!

Today was La-La's 6th birthday and according to her it was the best birthday ever! She has been counting down to this day for months and was often frustrated that she had to be last in our family for the year. Daddy didn't have to work due to it being Labor Day so we had an awesome family day! It started with La-La waking up to the usual Birthday Fairies decorations. We let her open her gifts first thing and she was so happy about everything but especially her new scooter, stuffed panda, and lip gloss. She didn't get a chance to play with anything because we had to hurry to get ready for a Labor Day parade in a neighboring community. We met up with our friends from across the street at the parade. I don't know if the kids even noticed the floats and marchers in the parade because they were too busy gathering tons of candy. After the parade we went to a small fair/festival and wasted money on silly games but the kids had fun so I guess it was worth it! Then we took a short drive to California and visited the Redwood National Forest. At first the kids were bored with all the driving but as soon as we got out of the van and saw how huge the trees were everyone had a ball! Care Bear loved trying to keep up with La-La who will climb anything possible. Even Jaco did pretty good and seemed to have fun! We found an empty creek bed to explore. When Care Bear heard us say it was a "bed" she wanted to get her pillow, binky, and Na-Nee so she could go to bed. It was so cute! Then we found a creek bed with water in it and of course the girls got wet. They decided it would be better to play in the water naked or almost, so that is what they did. When we got home we had meatloaf and sour cream potatos for La-La's birthday dinner and then we finished the best birthday ever with cake and ice-cream. La-La picked out this princess castle and I am quite proud of how it turned out! I tried using fondant for the first time as the "icing" and I love the way it looks. No more crumb filled icing for me! I actually made my own fondant and was surprised at how inexpensive and easy it was to make. All you use is marshmellows and pwd sugar with a little corn starch and crisco. It was a little messy but worth it. Here is the link to the recipe I used to make the fondant and if I can make it, anyone can! http://whatscookingamerica.net/PegW/Fondant.htm
We love having La-La in our family! She keeps us all sane with her loving, peacemaking personality. Happy Birthday La-La, we love you and loved sharing your best birthday ever with you!

Na-Nee's (additional photos added 9-1-02)

Care Bear has three blankets that she lovingly calls her Na-Nees. She LOVES her Na-Nees and has to sleep with them every night and they sooth all kinds of owies for her. We think she calls them Na-Nee because Jaco had three blankets he loved and he called them Night-Nights. Na-Nee must be her interpretation of Night Night. Originally they were beautiful, soft, cozy chenille blankets. She received the original pink one as a newborn for a gift. I found out quickly not to use it often because it had to be handwashed and air dryed and it literally took all day to dry. I kept it in her crib not thinking anything of it. When Care Bear was nine months she caught a horrible case of hand foot mouth disease that caused her to quit using her binky because it hurt due to all the sores in her mouth. At this time she turned to her chenille blanket for comfort. She would chew on it and suck on it to go to sleep. When I realized how fragile this blanket was and how much Care Bear loved it I knew I had to find a back up one. I bought every baby chenille blanket I could find but if they did not pass Care Bear's bite test she would never touch it again. I finally was able to buy a blue one on E-Bay and bought a yellow one from a friend. Care Bear did not care what color she used as long as it felt right in her mouth she was happy. So now three years later these blankets have taken a beating and they show it! When we were in Idaho everyone thought her Na-Nee's looked gross and a little too loved but Care Bear didn't care. My brother even said when they finally disinigrate I will just need to buy her a hammock because that is what they look like now. So I thought it would be fun to show you the before and now pictures of Care Bear's best friends.

The original beautiful blanket.

The official bite test.

Care Bear at 10 months attacking her Na-Nee with love during nightly nakey time.How Care Bear usually fell asleep.A friend reminded me of how Care Bear drug her Na-Nee through the dirt during a church camp-out. I had to take a picture of the water while I was trying to get it clean. I know, it is DISGUSTING!
Waiting for them to dry on a beautiful sunny day.

The favorite most loved "pink" Na-Nee the way it looks today!

Well loved strings with a little material left!

My Baby is 3!! (on August 24)

I can not believe it but Little Miss Care Bear is 3. I wanted to post on her birthday but our internet has been down. Care Bear is growing up way too fast! When Jaco and La-La were turning 3 we either had a brand new baby or one was coming soon so it feels weird this time to have that NOT be the case. Care Bear had a fun day. At our house the Birthday Fairy comes and decorates the kitchen and the birthday kid's door with balloons and streamers. Care Bear was thrilled to wake up and find it done for her. We let her open her gifts before church which may have been a mistake because she was beyond WIRED at church. Justin and I spoke at church and we didn't get to listen to each other because we had to take turns literally chasing Care Bear around the building. La-La and Care Bear have friends who live across the street so we invited them to have birthday dinner with us. We had pizza according to the birthday girl's wishes and a cake that was supposed to look like a bath tub and kind of did. :) We had fun and Care Bear's favorite present was her very own computer which is all she asked for for 2 weeks straight.

Care Bear learning lots on her "Puter"!

Loving her cake full of Jell-O with pizza sauce giving a rosy cheek look!

What the cake was really supposed to look like.Close up of the cake. Kind of cute but the cake was too crumbly when I frosted it.

Cody

We added another boy to our family today! Cody Wally Johnson was born May 25, 2008 and joined our family Aug 20, 2008. He is a cute, playful, cuddly Cocker Spaniel.La-La has wanted a puppy for so long so today her dreams have come true!

Jaco loves Cody too! He can't wait to teach him all sorts of tricks.
Cody wasn't too sure about his first bath.

So far Cody is a very well behaved puppy. He has only gone potty outside and has yet to bark. He is sleeping comfortably in his kennel. I hope it continues to be this easy!

Photographs

For anyone who looked at my blog last night or early this morning, I don't know what was wrong with the individual slideshows! Technology is so much fun. So here are the slideshows of Jaco, La-La, and Care Bear. Jaco is a typical boy and hates to have his photo taken. We got a couple smiles out of him when we teased him about former girlfriends. La-La was funny to photograph because she took everything Miranda said to the extreme. If La-La was asked to point her chin up a little, she would point that little chin to the sky. Then Care Bear, like usual, had her own agenda and would start rolling in the grass when asked to sit still or anything else she thought she wanted to do. My sister Miranda was able to get some fantastic photos of all three kids even if they didn't want to do it! Thanks Miranda!! In the group shots, my kids are with their cousins Braylee and Jaxon. The three old fashioned pictures were taken at Sam's Club. Here is the link to Miranda's business blog Sweet Pea Photography so you can see more of her work. http://sweetpea-photography.blogspot.com/

Jaco

La-La

Care Bear

Group Shots

Photographs

My sister Miranda has started a photography business so while we were in Idaho she was kind enough to photograph our kids. She did an amazing job even if my kids were not the most cooperative! Enjoy the following slideshows thanks to Sweet Pea Photography. Check out her website to see more fantastic photos! http://sweetpea-photography.blogspot.com/

Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies

Two of my sisters told me about this recipe. It is all in the pudding! YUM!! YUM!!
1 heaping cup brown sugar

2 cubes cold butter

1/2 C sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1 box 5 oz vanilla pudding mix

2 1/2 C flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp soda

milk chocolate chips (as many as you like)


Bake 350 for 11-13 minutes

Follow the recipe exactly for the best results!

Summer Days

We enjoyed a beautiful summer day! This afternoon we took a short drive to the river and splashed around. Not quite as fun as the beach but still pretty cool! Like usual Jaco sat away from the water wanting to go home while the girls and daddy had a ball splashing and looking for the perfect skipping rock. Then after dinner the kids and I went to visit our local petting zoo. Ok, it is not really a petting zoo just a family nearby with a bunch of goats that love to be fed the grass they can't reach through the fence. Tonight we discovered a new baby goat had joined the group. We were having fun watching him run and play when the owner of the goats showed up. He was so nice and let us pet the baby. They milk it's mama and bottle feed the baby so he will be gentle and tolerant of humans. The kids were able to help feed the baby a bottle of milk. The owner also let us see some piglets. The mama pig was a little grumpy. She barked and growled at us warning us not to go near her young. The owner took a pitch fork and gently lifted a piglet out so we could pet him too. It was so nice of this man to cater to us. The kids were thrilled and didn't want to leave. Then if sharing the animals with us wasn't enough, the owner gave us some lemon cucumbers. Little balls that taste like a cucumber! It was a great summer day!

08-08-08...

...The beginning of the olympics and more importantly Justin's birthday! He is now old until February when I have my birthday. He is 6 months older than me so from August until February I tease him about being old then all the teasing stops until the next August.We had a couple of Doctors Justin works with and their families come celebrate with cake and ice cream. Jaco suggested an olympic cake for Daddy so that is what he got! I didn't mind. It was nice and easy!!

Happy Birthday Justin! Thanks for all your love and hard work!

If anyone needs a laugh, check out this blog.

cakewrecks.blogspot.com

Jaco is a wolf!

On Thursday June 26 Jaco was awarded his Wolf Badge in Cub Scouts. The Monday before we had a marathon "fulfill his wolf requirements" day. It was a family effort and his leaders were wonderful to help out too.

Daddy had to work that night but Grandpa Ted was in town so he was able to come watch Jaco earn his award.

Grandpa Ted was showing Jaco some knots and decided to try one out!

La-La was getting bored so she tried on Grandpa's hat and glasses. Talk about a complete makeover!

Hot dog or Cattail?

For the last four nights we have gone for a family bike ride after dinner. We have enjoyed beautiful summer evenings from two wheels. Tonight we came upon a bunch of cattails. I wanted to stop and pick some so the kids could feel how soft they are. From behind me in her bike seat, I heard Care Bear say "Look at all the hot dogs!" Then when we got home she was being super silly and pretended to eat her hot dog. La-La asked me to post about this and wanted me to include a photo of the Sweet Peas we picked. I call her "sweet pea" so she thought it was pretty cool.

We won a Wii!!!!

Have any of you looked at a Coke lid and seen the code written on it then just thrown that lid away? I am here to tell you to save that code until you have entered it on the mycokerewards website! I saved some of those codes and we won a Wii! I entered a sweepstakes using my points saved up from entering the codes and it payed off. Now thanks to Coke we are enjoying our new toy!