Johansen Family

Latest On the Johansen Family

2010-06-22T15:34:00.000-07:00

Just a little update.......the Ga move has been placed on hold. As of right now we are looking for further employment opportunities.

Tony has landed a great job in Grand Prairie, Tx for a company there and Has an interview with Garmin in Olathe, Kansas a week from Friday. With all this new news came an email from Lockheed in Ga about the hiring possibly happening there again. So bring on the fighting people....All I have to say is let the highest bid win.

So with all the uncertainty still left in the air at the moment....the house will remain for sale with a possibility of a move to somewhere we just don't know where is yet.

The Johansen Times Reports!

2010-05-14T08:19:00.000-07:00

New Changes for the Johansen Family are unfolding.....Many of our family and friends know already but for you distant readers that I lack to make phone calls to here's the report.

Tony finally after many months of searching and panicking found a job outside of the Marine Corp.. Although we are anxiously awaiting this move we are sad to leave the great state of Texas behind once again. This new job is relocating our family to Georgia.

Georgia, what can I say about Georgia, I know nothing, but others have had nothing but good things to say about this state. Now I was slightly excited about New York too and that was a huge shocker, so I am holding my excitement till I get there.

We are thrilled to be on another adventure together as a family and with a few hesitations we are on our way, the house is staged and on the market.

Georgia here we come.

Snow Days

2010-02-19T12:10:00.001-08:00

Texas broke a record for the most snow fall in one day measuring in at 12.5 inches. It was crazy but one of the best snow falls I have ever seen in Texas. It was perfect for making snowmen, I even went back to my childhood and got out there and made a snow fort like we use to with Dad. It was great, Brenden is climbing out of the snow fort that we made but the lighting is horrible, the snow was so bright you can't see it really. It was awesome, and we played hard.

So Brenden broke the zipper on his jacket and the zipper was stuck together at his neck. We tried really hard to pull it off but ended up breaking the zipper to get him out of his coat.

Brenden climbing out of the snow fort that we made.

Riley threw the snow mans nose in the trash can.

We were suppose to be watching a movie.....

2010-02-19T11:41:00.000-08:00

Funny right! I came out of my room where I was folding laundry, obviously not watching my two year old very closely, and this is what I found. At first I looked at his hands and thought cheetos untill I saw the sofa. Good news though, washable markers really do come out with a lot of elbow grease and a few choice words. Why do they choose to eat the Markers?

My Mind is Blown

2010-02-02T14:31:00.000-08:00

I really didn't think that I could trump the week that I had last week....That was until I woke up this morning....My day included lots of running around with two sick kids Because I had to pick Brenden up from school again. Lots of screaming from a toddler who wanted his way.....No naps, yeah....Set up at the church which was dismantled by Bryce after it was put together.....A messy pants clean up because Brenden is still sick, while out and about, who carries extra underwear for there potty trained 7 year old...yuck....A long trip to the Asthma specialist...A lot of screaming from Bryce because he didn't want to be couped in the doctors room....And just a whole lot of frustration.....

What did I learn from all this.....I can get mad at the situation all I want but the outcome is always the same.....I am left exhausted but I survived it...All the your crazy lady looks and all.....I never ever ever want to be a single mother...and those that are more power to you....I admire you.

Motherhood is wonderful

No More Sick Kids Laying In My Bed

2010-01-31T21:08:00.000-08:00

This week has been everything short of a miracle. It has been dramatic around here for sure.
We started out OK on Monday, Tuesday Brenden landed himself in the hospital at Midnight for a breathing treatment, due to a cold gone wild. This is a common problem for him, but we needed the right medicine which we unfortunately didn't have. Only two hours later and he was semi repaired and home sleeping the night away.
Stayed home Wednesday was better Thursday morning or so I thought. Sent him to school and I got a call from the his teacher 20 minutes into school saying that she was worried about him because she read my note and noticed he was having difficulty breathing. She sends him down to the nurse who has the meds he needs and the nurse calls me. She can't give him any more medicine because the box says every 4 hours and he had a treatment at 6:00 this morning. I can come give it to him myself but she cannot give it to him...Understandable no lawsuits, I get it. So at 9:20am I pack Bryce up who has a fever and is coughing out his lungs, to pick Brenden up from school because the nurse can't give him his inhaler.
Friday he is feeling great and makes it all the way through school. Saturday everyone is doing better and Sunday we wake up early and head to church at 10:30am. We get to church and already my children are asking me if we are staying for the entire thing. They like to skip out and leave after sacrament, which I was cornered on Tuesday about from Riley's Sunday school teacher.......I know try to explain that one...uuuummmm!!! So I was determined to stay for all of church today. To make a point to myself and my kids that we can do it.
Well 30 minutes into sacrament and Brenden starts in My stomach hurts. Now it gets good. I am tired, I don't feel good, now he is notorious for wanting to go home. He gets up to go to the bathroom comes back and tells me that he threw up....OK I want to believe you, but really I don't.
My attention turns to Bryce because he has been throwing a fit for about an hour now and we can't figure out what is wrong with him. Well I took a look at him and he is covered from head to toe with spots. They are everywhere. He had a fever two days ago and I am pretty sure he has Rosiola. Great now what do I do, I really don't think that he is contagious anymore he doesn't have a fever, we are staying. After all I am 100% sure it came from the nursery in the first place.
Brenden doesn't go to Primary he stays with me through Sunday school class and Relief Society. He gets up in the middle of the last hour and never comes back. I looked out the window into the hallway and saw Tony standing there waving at me. Brenden was in the Bathroom throwing up someone went to get Tony and that's not all, apparently it was coming out the other end all at the same time. What is going on here, way gross. All because I was determined to prove a point, we almost made it to the end of church this Sunday but for what, to humiliate my son who was really sick.
So I tried to go asleep and ended up thinking about my day, listening to my stomach grumble, and thought I needed to blog about this. Tomorrow I might be trying to hold my head out of the toilet while dealing with three sick kids at home. Lucky me.

2010-01-16T12:28:00.000-08:00

Every Picture Has A Story!

This picture was taken forever ago it seems. My mom came to visit us in New York in 2005 for my Birthday. She had decided that we were going to plant a little vegetable garden in the backyard. So we went off to the nursery and come home with Cubanella's, Jalapenos, cilantro, tomatoes, cucumbers, and green bell peppers. Riley was all about the garden and watering it. I think that the patio and patch of dirt that we had to work with wasn't any bigger than 10 ft X 10 ft. It kept us busy and the boys really enjoyed it. Not too much grew there between the deer and the ground hog that had babies. They ate just about everything except the jalapenos go figure. It was great though.

Tag your it:

Here's what you do:

Go to your picture file and open the first folder and pick out the tenth photo. If your folder doesn't have ten pictures in it, because the first one I opened did not, then open the second one.

Write about that photo and tag some friends.

Lets see maybe April and Jess, Dee, and Robyn, maybe LaSha.

Have Fun!

Thanks Tess!

Tony's Bday

2010-01-09T19:09:00.000-08:00

HAPPY 30!

Ok so we have to back track a little because the Holidays just ate up all my time and we never seemed to stop moving.

Lets Recap Tony's Birthday. He decided that this year we should take a little trip for his birthday and when I say little we mean little. We drove to Houston for one night and hit the town to try out some hot food spots. Now this was entirely his idea...He had been burried in Man vs. Food wich is a food show that he likes to watch. On this show he travled to Houston and he spent the day eating at what he thought were the best of Houston. So we decided to give it a try.

Our First stop was the Salt Lick....A Delicious BBQ joint that was literally out in the middle of nowhere. It was packed for it being a weeknight.

In the Morning we got up and checked out of the hotel and headed for Juan in a Millions. It was this little hole in the wall in a scary part of town but he loved his chorizo and egg breakfast burrito.
So we splurged a little on the hotel and it was a funky modern place with glowing lights in the elevator and it had a pretty groovy lobby. I felt like we stepped into the 60's or 70's.....but it was fun. We headed down to the lobby and there was a lot of mingling going on down there with some loud music. Fun stuff. There is this modern piece of art over the bed and it took me all day to figure out what it was, It drove me crazy but I figured it out. Can you guess what it might be?

We had a good time and it was nice to have spent some time alone. We had some good conversation in the car and it was quiet which is hard to come by in our home. A little awkward at times but we had a wonderful time together.

Who Busted A Grumpy?

2009-11-05T14:16:00.000-08:00

Does anyone know what Who Busted A Grumpy is beside my Riley?

We were out getting my nephew a B-Gift....Happy Birthday Devin.....and we drove past a dead skunk and of course they illuminate this wonderful aroma. Riley Blurts out "Who Busted A Grumpy". I just about died I thought that it was the best thing I heard since the Wienus. It is now a favorite word of Mine. Go Riley!

For those of you who don't know what a wienus is.....It was my attempt to spit out "Don't play with your.......( penis- wiener)..I have this wonderful ability to mix all my words together and make no sense at all to anyone.

Who knew it would stick...There are a few of my friends and family that use that word despite it's inappropriateness.

Trunk Or Treat

2009-11-01T07:34:00.000-08:00

Love Love Love Halloween....I feel sorry for those that don't....It is the one day that you can dress up like whom ever or what ever you please and not one person can judge you. We had a blast last night at the Trunk or Treat. Nana J came out with us and we were glad to have her help.

I had this fun idea for Riley's costume, he was a boy caught in a spider web half eaten by the spider and he looked cool. After a huge fight to get him to wear the spider we ended up taking it off midway through treating.

Brenden was the Grim Reaper and his face paint took about 20 minutes and he won the scariest costume at the party. He was really proud.

Bryce was a snake costume that has been around for a couple of years, I love this costume.

The Boys looked great and they collected lots of Candy for me...HHHHMMMMMM!!! YUM...YUM....Did I mention that I love Halloween.

Nothing But Trouble

2009-10-21T08:45:00.000-07:00

So for some time now we have been chasing Bryce around the house because you never know what he is sneaking into. Recently I got so fed up that I tied the chairs for the Table to the table legs in an attempt to prevent this from happening three even four times a day. He is a monster!

These were the easy days, the bad days are when you catch your one year old sprawled across the stove trying to turn it on. Yikes! The chair was his personal accomplice. We had to get rid of him....(the chair)

Backyard fun!

2009-10-21T07:47:00.000-07:00

Riley got this baseball game from Nana and Papa Needs and the boys had a great time playing with it the other day. I had to post Brenden because he cracked me up. Watch where he throws the balls and how he throws them....

I Love this Kid!

Mean Mom

2009-08-28T10:24:00.000-07:00

Brenden our soon to be seven years old was my first child to say something to me directly to hurt my feelings. I can't believe this is happening all ready, but let me tell you what lead us up to this.
I told the boys that I am tired of being a short order cook when it comes to dinner time and in an effort to get them to eat more healthily they would be eating or not eating what we ate for dinner.
The other night I made spaghetti, what kid doesn't love spaghetti.....Brenden likes to say he hates it ever time we make it, yet devourers it after putting in a good 30 min debate about why he thinks he doesn't like it. So he took a few bites and started with the I lost my appetite bit...I said fine don't eat it but you lost your appetite so no snacks no dessert. We pouted while everyone else finished dinner and went about there business. I decided to sit on the couch and keep an eye on him. Then he comes and sits next to me, looks right at me and tells me that I am mean and yell at them all the time but am nice to Bryce.....This was an effort to make me feel bad so he could get what he wanted, but he starts crying because he now feels bad. What a goober, if your gonna do it, do it right at least. So I gave him a hug and told him I loved him but he had to eat his spaghetti anyways. Everything is better with cheese so we melted some cheese in his spaghetti and we were good to go.
I explained that in all fairness this eating problem is directly my fault for letting it get so out of hand. He looked at me like I was crazy. After all he likes what he eats.

SHOUT OUT TO RILEY

2009-07-27T14:11:00.000-07:00

We just want Riley to know that we are very proud of him and his accomplishments with baseball. Of course everyone thinks that there child is amazing, so why should we think any differently. He had a wonderful season this year and is an awesome hitter. He got two game balls for VIP, and if they had a trophy for looking good in a uniform he would definitely get it. We had fun watching him so I just wanted to post some pics.

GOOD JOB RILEY!

Tribute To My Wife

2009-07-03T10:33:00.000-07:00

I just wanted everyone to know that I think that I am lucky to have Krisit as my wife. She is the only person that still thinks my goofiness is funny, laughs at my ignorance, forgives my mistakes, supports my decisions, and loves me completely. We are all truely blessed to have you in our lives. I lovey you, Honey, and just wanted everyone to know that.

Symbols of Love

2009-06-27T14:20:00.000-07:00

It starts out with a routine visit to see my sister in Flower Mound. As I was driving down a road near home on my way out to Flower Mound a small flag caught my eye. This flag was laying in the middle of the road getting ran over by cars and school buses. I watched in my mirror as I passed it by to see if anyone was stopping to pick it up. My first instinct was to stop and get it out of the road. This was the least that I could do considering I am a wife to a United States Marine, one who I know loves his flag enough to walk to the model home next store and take down there tattered flag and give it to them. I thought to myself that if the flag was still there on my way home then I will go and get it out of the road. What was I thinking. I dismissed it because I was upset with Tony and I thought that at the time it was more important to be mad at him. Well time went on and about a week later I felt the urge to tell him about the flag. That it was just in the road and no one was stopping to pick it up. Then he said "What did you do?" I wanted so badly to be able to tell him that I slammed on my brakes and stopped traffic to pick up this symbol of our freedom that was getting trampled on. I know that this would have made him extremely proud. Instead I looked out the window and said "If it was still there I was going to get it on my way back, but it was gone." I thought about it for a moment and thought about the things that I am doing in my life. I want to be able to return to my heavenly father and be able to tell him that I gave that neighbor that book of Mormon, and not I meant to, but I was afraid that they would never talk to me again. Or When he asks what happened to the Sister that needed a friend, why didn't you see her, Oh I meant to there just was never a good time. I want to be able to say Yes I did those things, and even though they may not have made this big impression at the time, he will show me how that seed was planted and the testimony that grew. I have decided that I will do instead of think about it. I thought about rescuing that flag and how cool it would have been to stop traffic, but all I can say is that I thought about it. As I thought more about what had happened the prompting to get up and bare my testimony was extremely strong. Who knows it is possible that I might act upon that and DO IT.

Aloha

2009-06-03T13:07:00.000-07:00

!Wow!

All that I can really say is WOW, Hawaii is amazing, breathtaking, and beautiful. I had an opportunity to run away to Oahu at the last minute this weekend to spend a week with my husband. One of the wonderful perks of the military is the travel, and all the amazing places you get to go for FREE.. It couldn't get any better than this. My only complaint is that we left the kids at home. Although it was blissful without them, I caught myself finding things that they would have really enjoyed. There is so much to do on the island as a family, it made me think of them often. We wondered out to the Dole Pineapple farms and ran around the World's largest maze. It was a blast. It just didn't get any better than this. Paradise Cove is said to have the best Luau in Hawaii, and it was amazing. I will remember this vacation for a long time, who knows maybe we will come back with the kids one day.

Fire dancer from the Luau

Picture of us at the Luau right at Sunset. You can't see the Sunset, because we are taking pictures with a disposable camera because someone forgot to grab our camera before we left.

We had time to stop by the Laie Temple next to BYU Hawaii. It was beautiful, they are remodeling the inside and outside, the grounds were amazing.

I had no idea that pineapples grew this way. The pineapple maze was so much fun. It took us 30 minutes to get through it.

This is a beach on the BYU side of the island. Probably the favorite of us both, it was calm and relaxing out there...Not so much touristy. And the beaches were pretty, we stopped here to have lunch and swim.

On my first day I Arrived in Hawaii by myself I had some time to kill so I made my way down to the beach. There was a little cove for boats and in the shallow water I found this. It made me laugh for a while. So of course I had to take a picture.

Spring Chores

2009-05-15T21:04:00.000-07:00

The weather has been descent between the thunder storms over the last month. So we decided to do some work in the yard. For those of you that have small children you know what a challenge this can be. You don't want them to get muddy and you definitely don't want them to get bit by bugs, and really don't want them to run away. Well we decide to just let loose and instead of chasing Bryce we stripped him down and let him dig right into the wonder and curiosity of the one year old he is. And this was the result.

Give a boy some rocks a hole and some water and ohhh what fun he can have.....

Babies

2009-05-15T20:10:00.000-07:00

Over the last month we have watched two sparrows set up a nest right outside our kitchen window. It took these poor birds about two weeks to make there nest. And then they sat in it for about a week and out of this came five little baby birds.

These birds are so much fun to watch. I most definitely wouldn't want to be a bird, after watching them all day I have decided that my children are easy and not too demanding. The baby birds will leave the nest in a couple of weeks,it makes me sad to think that these birds will never meet again. That there families are only together for such a short time. We are all excited to see our baby birds grow up and fly away. But hey we have to nurture our children for 18 years and for some longer......So maybe....No just kidding...I could keep my kids FOREVER.....

Thanks

2009-04-10T09:56:00.000-07:00

I wanted to thank all those who came out for Riley's Baptism.... Even those that almost missed the begining due to poor navigation by the GPS sytem. Go figure. We love you all and are greatly appreciative for your support. And of course who doesn't love a big hoe down...stuff your face... Red Robin outing.

Thanks to Jonsey, Grandma and Granpa Needs for coming out, You missed a great lunch.

Riley's Baptism

2009-04-10T09:09:00.000-07:00

What a great day! I don't think that as a parent you can ask for a more beautiful Saturday. We awoke early to get ready to head the Stake Center and despite all the early morning rising it was very calm and peaceful. We gathered our selves and headed out to the church. It was a stake child record of baptism day and there were about 8 other families there. We got Riley and Tony situated and changed over into there white clothing, and waited for the talks to begin. We had to meet in the Chapel because there were so many of us. Riley looked to be a little nervous, he stood up at the front of the pulpit with his tongue in his cheek, and I would have thought that Tony would have been a mess since this is his first baptism, But he was calm and oh so cool about it. We waited for our wards turn to head to the font. I couldn't help but to be emotional. This is my first born taking on such a great responsibility, even though Riley may not see it that way just yet. Riley was willing in every way. It was so sweet to see a father baptizing his son. The spirit was felt so greatly that day, I know that this is where I want my family to be forever. If there were any other reason to have a testimony of this gospel it would be for this. The gospel has strengthen my family in so many ways. Some are obvious such as Riley being baptised and there are others that come in some of the smallest packages. That only when you take a moment to reflect on the happiness that you have, do you see that it is the church working and growing with your family. I love the church and the strength that it has given me when I was out on the limb, and the simple fact that no matter how far you push it away, it is always there for you, It is a constant. I know in my heart that my family is stronger because of it.

Crazy Texas

2009-01-28T08:34:00.000-08:00

Ice rained down in Texas last night. Of course everything here shuts down minus the idiots that think they can do anything. Then we awoke this morning to about an inch of ice all over the ground. Tony comes running down the stairs with ice skates in hand and a huge grin on his face. I chuckled at the idea of him skating on the pavement and of course didn't think that it was possible. He put on his skates and crawled across the tile floor and out he went. Now its not everyday that you see a person ice skating down a street, But it sure doesn't ever happen in Texas. He took off down the busy road in front of our house and he came home laughing because people were waving at him and pointing. Go figure, watch it will pop up on Leno.

My Baby is One

2009-01-23T09:53:00.000-08:00

Bryce has turned one, I have so many mixed emotions. I'm happy he is growing and sad that he is growing. And glad that he is walking and sad that he is walking. I am excited that he is making all these milestones and growing into a delightful boy, but it is just that. My little baby is growing and that makes me sad. I was good with two children and blessed with three and sad that he is the last. He makes our day wonderful and bright and we love him so much. We can't wait for the many more happy years that we get with him. Happy Birthday My Little Boy!!!

Happy Anniversary

2008-12-31T10:55:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow marks our Ten Year Anniversary. What can I say to TEN YEARS!!!! We made it, we beat the odds, or how about a simple I love you babe. This last ten years has been wonderful and trying but we have made some crazy great things out of it.

1. Riley Scott Johansen
2. Renowned faith in each other
3. Brenden Connor Johansen
4. Renowned faith in the church
5. Courage to try something new
6. Countless moves
7. Two beautiful homes.
8. Bryce James Johansen
9. Renewed love for each other
10. Respect
11. Compromise
12. Knowledge of each other
13. Growth
14. Understanding
15. Countless numbers of pets
16. Two wonderful families
17. Strength
18. Love

Most of these things are works in progress but what is a great marriage without a goal in mind. I love you and all that you are. I am grateful to have gotten this far in our life and to have accomplished so much together. I will take the bad with the good and the good with bad and follow you anywhere. Except back to New York. Just kidding. Happy ten year anniversary. I love you.

Santa

2008-12-18T19:11:00.000-08:00

Why do siblings Fight? I remember not being so nice to my brothers and sister when I was growing up but I do remember loving them. So Why do Siblings fight?

We went to a Christmas party at the Base this weekend which was fun, there were bounce houses every where. Free food and goodies, face painting, free toys, and good company. Of Course the entertainment were the Johansen boys. Every time we turned around some one was screaming at the other. Or some how a folded arm would hit the other in the head. All of Tony's friends get a kick out of them of course but at times it can be really embarrassing. Santa flew in on a KC-130 and you would think that while standing in line to meet Santa Clause of all people that they would be on there best behavior.

Needless to say we left before they could sit on Santa's lap. We told them there was plenty of time to see Santa but today was not the best day because they were on there worst behavior. Unreal Santa can't even set them straight.

We LOVE Our Aunt April

2008-12-18T19:06:00.000-08:00

Love LOVE Love the Shirt. Thanks April!!!!

Bethlehem

2008-12-08T10:43:00.000-08:00

Riley and I had a wonderful time this weekend. I always feel guilty taking one child out and not all of them but I think that Riley and I really needed that time together. We got to go to Waxahachie Tx with his Nana J and Aunt Amanda. They have this amazing reenactment of Bethlehem. Of course it was packed there but this little church built the little town of Bethlehem in there backyard. If you can get out to see this it is really well worth the drive.

These guys were sitting outside the city walls just chatting to everyone. I took his picture and he kept asking were the lightning came from if there was not a cloud in the sky. (Flash on the camera)

Then Mary and Joseph rode in on the Donkey they entered the city and paid there taxes. They went to the Inn who had no room for them and proceeded to the manger.

The visitors came in with the camels and the Wise Men made there entrance.

Roman soldiers were everywhere. They ushered in people, caught thieves, tormented the blacksmith because his sword broke. It was really neat you actually felt like you were there in Bethlehem in the market as if it were so long ago.

The city had shops for selling bread and they asked you if you wanted to buy bread and chickens. One man asked me if I would like some bread and I told him I had no money. He asked me if my man doth not care for me. I said I guess not. He told me to go get him and he would protest him to care for me. I laughed.

It was a really neat experience and we are glad that we could do that with Nana J and Aunt Amanda. We might just have to go back with the whole family.

Happy Birthday Tony

2008-11-25T07:52:00.001-08:00

I would like to extend out a belated Happy Birthday to my wonderful Husband. WooHoo he is forever 29 this year. His Birthday was November 19Th and we celebrated it all week long. It was a blast.

We had dinner with his family and then Ice Cream with mine two days later. Then the Big day was November 20Th and 21st. We managed to sneak away to Houston to see the Metallica concert. Yeah Metallica ! It was amazing.

Getting away from the kiddos is a treat with in itself, but the added bonus of a night full of screaming and jumping up and down to great music was blissful. We ventured right back to our youth, minus some of the crazy things that we use to do. We still had a great time.

Major Mile Stones This Month

2008-11-13T06:26:00.000-08:00

We made it we survived!

We have finally moved into our new home. It is wonderful to be back to our normal routine of life. As fun as it was to be at home with the Needs clan we are happy to be back on our own. Our wonderful new box is just that, a box with a roof, but it is our box and fits our needs to a T.

Ten Months Old and Walking! Bryce decided yesterday that he was going to start walking. He has been ready just a little chicken and yesterday he gave it up and started cruising around from furniture to furniture. No more baby for us, he has graduated to complete terror. How fun!!!! We love every minute of it.

TOOTHLESS

2008-10-14T18:54:00.000-07:00

Brenden had a rough day today, But took it like a champ. He had three of his bottom teeth pulled to make way for his huge adult teeth on the bottom. It would have been four but one fell out two weeks ago. Our Pediatric Dentist was awesome and Brenden was well taken care of. Now all he wants for Christmas is his four front teeth.

Dallas Stars Time

2008-10-09T18:50:00.000-07:00

It is that time again, the time to see my husband vanish into the TV for the next 6 months. We are excited to be able to watch the games again. Hopefully they will do us proud this year! Season starts tomorrow.

!Go Stars!

Halloween Fun

2008-10-05T14:36:00.000-07:00

It's that time of the year again. One of my favorite holidays, I have to admit that I miss the falls in New York and all of the Orchards. We have a great alternative here, its the Flower Mound Pumpkin Patch. As usual all I have to post about are my kids so enjoy some more pictures of them. Hope that everyone has a festive October.

Testing our Patients

2008-10-02T08:19:00.000-07:00

Bedtime has been a challenge this last week. The boys think that Nana's house is a play house and I know that the same rules at Home do not apply at Nana's. So they take full advantage of it as would any kid. Yesterday was a test of patients, Brenden and Riley were having a hard time getting to sleep and after telling them 3 times to go to bed Brenden snuck down the stairs and told me that he can't sleep because a bug crawled across his head and erased his memory and his brain. Where that came from I have no idea but that was his excuse for not being in bed. Riley on the other hand kept telling me that his coughing was keeping him up and proceeded to exaggerate his cough almost to the point of vomiting. He was caught by his Aunt April leaning over the banister rail coughing as hard as he could so we could hear him. I mean honestly who would blame them there are all these fun people at the house that they want to be around. It really is hard being a kid sometimes.

Moving Again

2008-09-25T15:43:00.000-07:00

Well in the last two weeks we have sold our humble home and are homeless for now. Thank goodness we have parents who love to see their children come back again and again and again. We will be with them until our new home is ready for us. We are super excited to to be temporarily homeless.

Nine Months

2008-09-23T11:29:00.000-07:00

September 11, 2001

2008-09-11T19:16:00.000-07:00

As we woke up this morning the thought never crossed our minds that today marked the 7Th anniversary of the most horrific day that I can remember. It seems to be some what forgotten now and life has gone on as it should. But today I wanted to take the time out to post a blog in HONOR of my husband. He may not have been one of those who tried to rescue many from the burning buildings, but he has played a part in supporting his country to defend what had happened. He spent almost a year in Iraq in 2002 preparing and fixing planes that had jobs to drop off supplies and troops that were out in the muck of war fare. He had to deal with the extreme dessert conditions and constant threat of bombs. I remember getting an email from him and him telling me that they had to put on their gas masks today because there was a threat of deadly gas, or that they missed out on food because it was being poisoned. It seems to be so trivial in comparison to those who lost there lives on this day, but I will forever be proud to tell those that my husband was and is a MARINE and has nobly served his country. We love you!

What were they thinking?

2008-08-26T12:23:00.000-07:00

I have to share what happened to me yesterday. It was about 5:30 pm and I was making Bryce some cereal, and I was about to set him down on the carpet in the living room and the front door opened a little. So I looked over at it and it shut by itself. Now I am a pretty paranoid person normally and this would have really freaked me out but I was relatively calm. I walked over to the door and peaked out the peep hole. I saw some people standing in the street and I thought that maybe they were just delivering things on the door knob. Sometimes the door doesn't latch all the way and I thought that maybe they pushed on the door and it opened slightly. So I went to get the rest of Bryce's food and thought I need to look out the peep whole one last time. As I did there was this woman with her daughter walking to the front door. I stepped back for a minute because I thought that maybe she was going to knock and I didn't want it to startle me. As I did that the door opened. I was kind of startled at first and then I grabbed the door and opened it. My initial thought was that maybe they just forgot and walked into the wrong house. And then she started to talk. She said "I saw that the house was for sale and we noticed that it was unlocked, we were going to come in and look around" I am sure that I had that your stupid look on my face and said, "this is my house and I live here, if you want to come in and look at it you are going to have to call the number on the sign and make an appointment." she said "oh". I was stunned. Who thinks that they can just go into unlocked homes like that and not think that there is some one living in there. Are people really that stupid? This is TEXAS, we could have guns, they could get shot for doing something like that. What were they thinking?

WHAT DOES HE HAVE IN HIS MOUTH NOW?

2008-08-25T21:06:00.000-07:00

Now Bryce has been able to get around by himself for about a month and a half now. I know that at this age everything goes straight into their mouths, but we are always surprised to see what he comes crawling around the corner with.

He seems to find good substitutes for his pacifier. My favorite has to be the superman doll hanging out of his mouth. It doesn't look like superman is going to survive this one.

First Day Of School

2008-08-25T20:38:00.001-07:00

Look at these Handsome boys, why are they so good looking today? Today is the First day of school, wahoooooooo!!!!! School was great! The boys had a blast and got sent off this morning on a great start. They were excited to go and excited to come home.

Brenden is in Kindergarten Riley is in Third Grade.

Pictures

2008-08-20T20:37:00.000-07:00

School is Back

2008-08-20T19:29:00.000-07:00

Hurray for school. Although I have to say that I did enjoy those mornings of some what a sleep in, I am so ready for my adorable, well mannered, anything but noisy children, to go back to school. Mom is the most excited about school starting again, I get my life and routine back to normal. The Boys are kind of excited I think or lack of excitement for the new-ness of it all but for the most part I am ready. Let me ask the rest of you moms out there about school supplies. I know that we pay our taxes for school so why would I need to buy the school copy paper? This years school supply list was a tad bit out of the ordinary. What ever happened to just needing a few note books, binders, and pencil. Maybe throw in some crayons and construction paper. But my goodness we spent over $100.00 for school supplies this year between the two of them. I was talking to my mother in law about it and she said that she read an article in the paper about a family in Allen TX that had already spent over $2000.00 on her two kids in High school. What is that all about? My children are not aloud to go to High School mainly because by the time they get there I won't be able to afford it. Thank goodness that is only around the corner YIKES!
On a good note we are anxious to get back to school! Yeah School, Hello Sanity!!!!!

Date Night

2008-06-24T13:59:00.000-07:00

Date night was so much fun. We went on a treasure hunt, called Geo caching. You use your GPS devise to find Geo boxes that people have hidden. The object is to look for the box with the location given on your GPS and then you take an item and then leave a new item. A lot of these boxes contain logs that you leave name and time found. It was really neat to do and a lot of fun. It is the equivalent to an Easter egg hunt. We found some easy ones but I think that it is something that we are going to continue to do.

This tree was one of the location of a small box. It was left in a whole in the middle of the tree. The clue to the location was It's Alive and when you stand under the tree it has branches that hang down at you and they look like they are going to grab you. Just like the whopping willow tree in Harry Potter.

Tony did an EXCELLENT JOB with date night and it was nice to do something that wasn't just Dinner and a movie. It was GREAT thank you Honey.

Metallica's Youngest Fan

2008-06-19T09:17:00.000-07:00

Fun with Hair

2008-06-11T20:16:00.001-07:00

So we did decide to have a little fun with the summer haircuts. Brenden of course wanted a Mohawk and Riley buzzed his with some convincing. Buzzed is an understatement it got trimmed a little too short because the clip on the buzzer fell off and no one noticed. Bryce of course has no excuses, It's there in some places and not in others. We have some growing to do this summer but it was all done in fun!!!!!

Update On Bryce-eeeee!

2008-06-06T06:48:00.001-07:00

We love this little guy, but of course who wouldn't love him. It is exciting to us to see his him develope and grow. He has decided his feet taste good, he can scream to get what he wants, he can reach his toys by rolling over, and his hands can get all these cool things if he concentrates hard enough. All though we are excited that he is changing We are all sad that it just happens at a blink of an eye. Bryce is our last so for us this is so bitter sweet. We love him dearly.

WE LOVE LOVE LOVE SEA WORLD

2008-06-06T06:30:00.000-07:00

We just wanted to share all the fun that we had at Sea World. Hope everyone enjoys the video.

For All The Moms And Those Who Aren't And Want To Be

2008-05-12T20:11:00.000-07:00

You Know You're a Mom When...

1. Your feet stick to the kitchen floor.....and you don't care.
2. When the kids are fighting, you threaten to lock them in a room together and not let them out until someone's bleeding.
3. You can't find your cordless phone, so you ask a friend to call you, and you run around the house madly, following the sound until you locate the phone downstairs in the laundry basket.
4. You spend an entire week wearing sweats.
5. Your idea of a good day is making it through without a child leaking bodily fluids on you.
6. Popsicles become a food staple.
7. Your favorite television show is a cartoon.
8. Pizza or ramen noodles is eaten at least in one meal a day.
9. You're willing to kiss your child's boo-boo, regardless of where it is.
10. Your baby's pacifier falls on the floor and you give it back to her, after you suck the dirt off of it because you're too busy to wash it off.
11. Your kids make jokes about burping, pooping, etc. and you think it's funny.
12. You're so desperate for adult conversation that you spill your guts to the telemarketer that calls and HE hangs up on YOU!
13. Spit is your number one cleaning agent.
14. You're up each night until 10 PM vacuuming, dusting, wiping, washing, drying, loading, unloading, shopping, cooking, driving, flushing, ironing, sweeping, picking up, changing sheets, changing diapers, bathing, helping with homework, paying bills, budgeting, clipping coupons, folding clothes, putting to bed, dragging out of bed, brushing, chasing, buckling, feeding (them, not you), PLUS swinging, playing baseball, bike riding, pushing trucks, cuddling dolls, roller balding, basketball, football, catch, bubbles, sprinklers, slides, nature walks, coloring, crafts, jumping rope, PLUS raking, trimming, planting, edging, mowing, gardening, painting, and walking the dog. You get up at 5:30 AM and you have no time to eat, sleep, drink or go to the bathroom, and yet...you still managed to gain 10 pounds.

15. In your bathroom there is toothpaste on the light fixtures, water all over the floor, a dog drinking out of the toilet and body hair forming a union to protest unsafe working conditions.
16. You buy cereal with marshmallows in it.
17. The closest you get to gourmet cooking is making rice crispies bars.

I laughed when I read this because all though I am almost all of these things some remind me more of others. Happy Mothers Day to all!!!

Funniest Picture Ever

2008-05-02T20:26:00.001-07:00

Came across this picture in our Picture album and had to share. This is for my mother, she loves this photo and anyone can see why. Riley is a great kid and this is the result of our first attempt at sports pictures. Love it.

Boys Will Be Boys

2008-05-02T19:56:00.001-07:00

MUD! MUD! MUD! MUD! MUD! MUD!

Funny story last week the boys went to play and got stuck in the mud. Called Mom to come get them out.

Stuck shin deep in Nasty clay mud, These were the tools that we used to pull out the four wheeler. Yes that is an orange extension cord. Which worked quiet well.

This was the trip back to the mud hole to find the missing cell phone. Yes the phone that rescued the four wheeler was MIA. Thank goodness we found it.

The after math of the fun in the sun with the big toys. I didn't let them in the house untill they were hosed off and they enjoyed that just about as much as they did loosing there shoes in the sticky mud. Boys will be Boys!!!!!!

Happy Tagging!

2008-04-19T11:47:00.000-07:00

OK well lets see I think that I am suppose to copy April question and answer them but this little game came with no instructions. Go figure. Well here we go!!!!

My Favorite Things Around The House

My favorite thing in the kitchen is...My dishwasher, which usually consists of Tony at the sink rinsing and loading in yesterdays dishes. The dishwasher itself is great but the person who loads it is even better and its usually not me.

My favorite thing in the bathroom is... what bathrooms...we have bathrooms....we supposedly have two of them but you would never know because they are soooooo small.

My favorite thing in the bedroom is...My bed, I don't think that there is any comparison there. Oh wait it might be my fan, you see the Needs kids have this awful addiction to noisy fans. We don't sleep with out them and we tend to spread that addiction to our spouses.

My favorite thing in the living room is...I would say that it's the big over sized chair up against the wall. I would sleep in that thing if I didn't like my bed so much. It is about the only thing that my but fits in these days.

My favorite thing in the bedroom closet is...Maybe all of Tony's cloths. How does a guy accumulate more cloths than a girl. I think that he has this fetish for shirts that he doesn't want to tell me about, because his side of the closet keeps growing....hmmmmm!

My favorite thing in the pantry is...That would be my washer and dryer, as noisy as they are they keep my grubby little boys clothes clean. And they can make a mess.

My favorite thing in the "office" is...My computer of course! And my husband who now pays the bills.....Yeah!

My favorite thing in the baby's room is... Well that would be of course the wonderful Dino Country painted all over the walls, and the noisy air purifier that drowns out all the noise the big boys make when Bryce is sleeping.

Allright now I tag Jodi, Dee, and Tessa

2008-04-17T21:06:00.000-07:00

We really enjoyed Riley's first game of flag football. He did lapse a couple of times and was off in la la land. We caught him doing cart wheels in between plays twice. He did run the ball a couple of times and it was awesome to see him just go for it. The team lost but the kids had a great time.

TID BITS ABOUT BRYCE

2008-04-17T20:13:00.000-07:00

1. I have elf pinned ears the doctor said that they might pop out, might

2. I am very picky about how I sleep

3. I hate it when you take my bottle away to burp me

4. My nick name is squeaky weaky because I don't cry so much as I do squeal

5. I like to be held a lot and when you put me down I'll let you know how I feel about that

6. Pacifier, what pacifier, I like to chew on my blanket until it is soaked

7. If you hold me watch out because I will spit up on you

8. I have the cutest smile ever

9. Mom is happy that I finally sleep through the night 9:00pm to 6:45am

10.Everything is funny,just talk to me and I will smile at you

11. I have a scowl like my cousin Devin and I'm not afraid to use it

12. If you leave me alone too long I will voice my opinion about it

13. I started out really quiet ,not so much anymore.

14. I hate hate hate my car seat

15. For the most part I am a very happy baby

16. I love my family very much

Tornado Weather Has Arrived

2008-04-17T19:03:00.000-07:00

I have never been more freaked out than I was tonight. At about 6:30 my mother called and asked if I had been watching the weather she said it was going to be bad. Tony had just ran Riley home from football practice so I told him that it was coming and asked him to put the car in the garage and move the go carts outside in the back. He kinda rolled his eyes a little but did it any ways. He's a great man. Well from 7:15 to about 8:30 I was in panic mode. The sky was intense and the sirens were going off. So I grabbed the boys a flashlight and my phone and we headed for the bathroom. I realized that I forgot the mattress so I went back into the boys room and grabbed it and it was really hard to fit threw the bathroom door and over the tub. Well tony calls and tells me that there is a tornado out there so take cover. (Tony is at work he has recently switched to night crew.) Well he calls back and tells me that its OK to come out now so we do and it was really calm out side the winds died down and I thought OK I can calm down now and I called mom. Well by the time I got off the phone with her it was getting really nasty out. The sky was black and the sirens were going off again. We hung outside for a couple of minutes and it started to rain really hard so we ran back inside and I grabbed the kids and we hung out in the bathroom again. Now I am a big chicken when it comes to this stuff but I want to see what is going on so I keep sneaking out and it was getting really bad and I thought I really just need to be in there with kids they are crying by this time. Well I was talking to them about what was happening and they were calming down finally and then the hail came. At first it was what is that I think it's hail. Then it was oh my gosh, is that hail what is that? It was coming down so hard and so fast I thought it was going to break the windows. Brenden was crying and yelling its going to get us. I gave the baby to Riley and I went out of the bathroom to see what going on. I called Tony I couldn't believe what was happening, it was so loud inside the house that I could hardly hear him on the phone. It was insane. the noise of it all was by far the worst part of it. It finally settled down and the boys were a little afraid to go to bed but they finally fell asleep. I have to say that if it was just me and I didn't have to worry about the boys I think that I would have been alright and thought what a cool storm. But what got me is that we were so unprepared for this and I just kept thinking that if something were to happen to me the boys would be lost. That is something that I need to work on. But in all like Brenden said It was a crazy night!!!!

This was our safe place! In our tiny little bathroom down the hall. After being in there all night I heard on the new that you shouldn't be in the bath tub because lightning travels through the water pipes and you would be fried in your tub. Nice!

If you could see the tree in this picture, see the line to the left of the picture. The hail come down so hard and fast the this little skinny tree trunk left an untouched patch of grass. Weird.
This is my attempt of getting a picture of size. There was a ton of this stuff it looked like it had snowed. I was floored.

STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS

2008-04-10T14:06:00.000-07:00

The DALLAS STARS are out for the fight!!!! The STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS have begun. I know that everyone is consumed with March Madness and there silly BASKETBALL, but we are super excited about the HOCKEY. GO HOCKEY!! Now granted the STARS have had a rough few 12 games but we are hopeful. SO anyone who wants to get down with STARS make it out to our house for the games. YEAH GO STARS!!!!!

THE PLASTIC GRENADE

2008-04-01T11:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a very interesting day for me. It started off in the morning with a routine trip to school, only my keys were locked inside the car along with my cell phone. Now this is not a big deal because the school is about 6 blocks away so I thought , I'll walk ,I can use the exercise. Then panic set in, The stroller is in the trunk, so now what it is too far to Carry him the entire way, and then I remembered that we had a snuggly. ( for those who don't know what that is its a back pack for your baby) Now by this time we are late to school and I just remembered that I forgot to pack Brendens Lunch. Now we are really late, on the way Riley brought it to my attention that Brenden had taken this little plastic grenade with him and I told him that I was going to take it from him. I was so consumed with the fact that they were walking so slow and climbing on everything and that we were late, that I forgot to take the grenade from Brenden. Now I am on my way home and it dawned on my that I had an extra key to the car in the house, now had I stopped freaking out and slowed down my thinking I might have caught that before we left the house. Still not a big deal because now I don't have to walk to the school two more times to pick them up. So its now 2:15 and time to pick Brenden up and I go to the car to get him and my phone is beeping, I have a message. Well it was Brendens teacher she said that Brenden brought a toy grenade to school with him and that they have a no tolerance policy for weapons. Now keep in mind that she was laughing. But he and his toy were in the office today visiting the Principal about this. I stopped in the office mortified and talked to the ladies at the desk and I told them about my morning and that I had every intention of taking the toy but was distracted. I totally understand why they would be concerned with this and respect that they would address it. But it is a piece of PLASTIC. Now as if this day couldn't get any weirder. We went home and came back to school to get Riley and of course it was one of those days for TX weather and it looked like it was going to open up and poor. So I parked my car instead of waiting in the car line to pick him up because I didn't want him to get soaked and as we rounded the corner and headed for the car, we had 10 feet to go, and the sky opened up and it just poored. I laughed at the irony, at least he didn't stand out there in it for 10 minutes, but we were drenched it turned the umbrella inside out and everything. In all I still had the composer to laugh at the day.

Johnny Napalm

2008-03-31T17:16:00.000-07:00

For those who Love Guitar Hero III, this is for you. While we were out at Thomas we came across a Johnny Napalm look alike taking his son out for the ride. This is Awesome!!!!!!!

Easter Fun

2008-03-31T15:10:00.000-07:00

What a Great Easter!!!! The Easter Bunny came and went at our house and of course he left candy and hid many eggs. One of which was stuffed in sock and accidently got stepped on while the boys were hunting for the eggs. Nana J and Papa J came out to color eggs with us and then we went to great Nana Needs house and hunted for more eggs and got more candy.

Thomas The Train

2008-03-31T09:43:00.000-07:00

Thomas was in Grapevine Tx this week, and we went out to visit him. Brenden has been a big fan of trains since he was itty bitty. So to go see Thomas was a big treat for him. He was so excited to see him and so was everyone else in the metroplex. It was packed out there and there were screaming children every where. It was great. Riley was going to be in the picture too but at the last minute he decided that he was too big for Thomas and didn't want to be pictured with him. Go figure, but the had fun none the less.

Bryce of course slept through the noise and the train ride. It is amazing how they can sleep through all the noise and whistle blowing of the train. Not to mention the wonderful Thomas music that was playing on the train.

Papa Johansen works out at the train station there in grapevine and that is how we knew Thomas was coming. Well of course the tickets to ride the train were full so Papa snuck the boys on the train to ride in the engine with the conductor. It was really neat. There was something surreal about it. We definitely got the special treatment that day and the boys were so happy to get to spend some time with there Nana and Papa.

There were other activities at the big Thomas day out. They got to see a blacksmith and that was cool. He made horse shoes for the boys with there initials on them. It was really neat to see how the horse shoes were made. They used hot coals and pounded out the horse shoe and melted in there initials. They enjoyed it alot.

In all it was a great day out withthe Family and Thomas The Tank Engine.

Tummy Time

2008-03-15T08:43:00.000-07:00

This was our attempt at tummy time. I don't think that it was too successful considering the fact that with in like 5 minutes he was passed out. Now the only problem with this is that his brother Brenden was not too carefully when he came in the room and stepped on him. Now it wasn't as bad as it may sound. Bryce didn't even flinch, We must have worn him out.

2 Month Check-Up

2008-03-15T07:56:00.000-07:00

Little Baby Bryce went in for his 2 month check up and he is not so little anymore. It is crazy how fast they grow. He has doubled in height and weight, weighing in at 14 lbs. and 24 inches. Although he still looks small to me it seems so sad that they grow so fast and I just can't help but think that the next time I turn around he will be crawling.

This last week he started to coo and smile at us and it has been alot of fun getting to know his personality. If only you could slow them down when and then speed them up through the bad times. Some one should make a remote for that, like the movie click.

I would fast forward through the temper tantrums and slow down this stage in his life. We are definitely enjoying this one a little more because we know that he is our last. I just wish that they didn't have to grow so fast.

Children are the most wholesome part

of the race, the sweetest, for they are

the freshest from the hand of God,

Whimsical, ingenious, mischievous, they

fill the world with joy, and good humor.

We adults live a life of apprehension

as to what they will think of us; a life

of defense against their terrifying energy;

a life of hard work to live up to their

great expectations. We put them to bed

with a sense of relief - and greet them in

the morning with delight and anticipation.

We envy them the freshness of adventure

and the discovery of life.

In all these ways, children add to the

wonder of being alive. In all these ways,

they help to keep us young.

- Herbert Hoover

The Boy's New Toys

2008-03-14T19:02:00.000-07:00

Well today we decided to get some new toys for all the boys to play with. I got a brand new 150cc 4-wheeler and the boys got a brand new 90cc go kart. When we got them home we couldn't wait to take them out for a test drive. I began by taking each one of the boys individually on a test ride to get them familiar with the controls. It wasn't long before we were joy riding through the quiet streets of our neighborhood. Now I thought the streets would be better to ride on because the sidewalks were very narrow and Brenden had already driven the kart into a fire hydrant. We were having a good time until in one split moment Riley decided to take his eye of the road so he could wave at some passer-by's. In that one moment he drove our brand new go kart into a park car and managed to bend the steering column and flatten the right front tire. Fortunately there was no damage done to the parked car. The only damage was to our kart and Riley's pride. Oh well, hopefully we will be able to repair the damage (the kart's and Riley's). Maybe go karts wern't such a good idea.

Greetings From Guam

2008-03-09T03:44:00.000-07:00

Hello Everybody,

We are finally on our way home, and I can't wait to get back. Japan wasn't as much fun as thought it was going to be. It was definately the wrong time of year to go there. I am sure it would be a lot more fun to go when there is more free time available to really get out there and experience the culture. Unfortunately on this trip it was cold, rainy, and we had to work a lot. I did get the chance to go out in town and experience a little bit the city had to offer. Here are a few of the pictures I took. Well actually just one of them, the connection here isn't much better then what I had in Japan. At any rate this is a picture of downtown Iwakuni.

Greetings From the Land of the Rising Sun

2008-03-07T01:45:00.000-08:00

Hello everybody, or Mushi Mushi as they say in Japan. I finally figured out how to sign in to our blog from over here. The website is in japanese, but the postings are in english. Weird. Well we are almost done with our mission over here, and we will be leaving here soon. I can't wait to get home and see my family, and that awesome room that Brenden has now. Just thought I would get on here and share a few of the pics that I have taken so far, but the stupid internet connection that I have here won't let me. Oh well. Stay tuned for pictures when I get a connection that is not so retarded.

Crazy Texas Weather

2008-03-06T14:40:00.000-08:00

What is up with this weather? Yesterday it was a wonderful 65 degrees, and today it is snowing. April let me borrow her camera and I taped the boys playing in the snow. I remember when this was fun, but now it's toooooo cold to stay out and play. Getting old!

DINO-RIFFIC

2008-03-06T12:40:00.001-08:00

This amazing thing happened over the last three days. My Sister April and her Husband Jamin, Brother Brandon and his wife Jess, came over to my house to give Brenden the surprise of a lifetime. Dino Country was created and he is the happiest boy on the face of the earth. They did a fantastic job.

I asked Jamin if he would come over to paint some little dinosaurs in the corner of Brenden's room. We had just got done painting Riley's room and I think he was feeling a little left out. Jamin said sure and recruited my brother and they broke out with this masterpiece. Now I would have been more than happy with just a little corner but they went above and beyond.

This little room has many residents. There is one giant T-Rex, one huge Stegosaurus, two Pterodactyls, and many little hiding cavemen. In addition to the wonderful giants we have hills volcanoes, meteors , and trees.

They did such a good job, we are really blessed to have uncles and aunts that love our kids so much that they would come out on the weekdays and paint for them. The boys are grateful and we are too. It looks great guys and WE LOVE YOU all and THANK YOU so much.

Where's The Library Book

2008-03-04T09:36:00.000-08:00

We are searching for a very past due Library book. Today before Riley went to school I had him look under the bed for his book because once again it is library day and we have a past due book. I was wondering what was taking him so long and this is why. After they went off to school I decided to search because lets face it they look but not very well and I thought I would give it a shot. This is what I found all of this mess came from under his bed. And to think that I thought he was really cleaning his room. Right!!!! But haven't we all cleaned this way at some point. You would have thought the book was hiding under there with all that stuff, but NO it is still missing. I think that I am going to have to pay for this one. It made me stop to think about how much of our money the library was really going to see this year. $$ Cha Ching $$

Daddy Lost His Bed

2008-02-28T12:41:00.001-08:00

OK so Bryce and I have come to terms about our sleeping arrangements. I was so excited that I was finally going to get to sleep all sprawled out and in the middle of the bed since Tony was gone. But over the last two nights this little booger won't sleep anywhere else. So Tony good luck at getting your bed back when you get home. We might have to move you to the crib. HA HA! I know that this is a horrible habit to start but when you get up 3 times a night 2 days in a row you start to not care about the mess you might be starting and all you see is the sleep that you could be getting. Right now for me it is the sleep. If this is what calms him down then I'm good with that, for now. I am however bumbed that I have to share my bed again.

Tony's Garden

2008-02-28T11:21:00.001-08:00

This is for Tony he asked me how his garden was growing and I decided to share it with everyone. Tony started a little vegetable garden before he left. He spent a day outside building it a raised flowerbed that he was very proud of and we are going to attempt to grow some food. I am however a little weary about him leaving it up to me while he is away. You see we did the house plant thing when we first got married and spent about $200 on nice plants. Well I killed just about everyone of those plants in about a month. So hopefully he will get home in time to be able to save these. They seem to be doing just fine. They are still alive for now!!!!!!!!!

Tony, Jeb, Anthony, Dad, Johansen

2008-02-24T08:30:00.001-08:00

My husband has many names to many people. Why, I have no idea but for some reason all of them have stuck. Work calls him Jeb or Sgt Johansen, Of course I call him Tony,and the boys call him Dad. Those who don't know him at all end up calling him Anthony. I am OK with it but when I call down at work and ask for Tony they ask "who". Of course I say "oh I mean Jeb", Then they understand. We are grateful to announce that he has gotten a raise and was finally promoted to Staff Sgt Johansen. We are so very proud of him, he has taken on so many new rolls in his job. Just to name a few:

He is a mentor for this struggling family, and has become quiet passionate in helping them to turn things around. This poor individual is on his way to being kicked out simply for making bad decisions, and being put on the back burner because he is a problem. Tony has talked with him and for now has gotten through all the fog that has seemed to have clouded this kids way. It is wonderful to see him helping others out.

He is also on the flight crew now, which means more money and opportunities to see the world. Over last summer he had to go through a vigorous swim qualification that consisted of a simulation of a sinking plane and escaping. All the crazy stuff that in the event a plane crashes you are prepared to escape. Very scary for me!

And of course the big one is Promotion to Staff Sgt. Which tacks on tons of responsibility for people and tools and planes. His family oh so proud of him!!!!

Currently he has taken off for Japan for 30 days or so give or take a few and are hoping that he will post along the way. I am excited to see and hear how things are going over there. I do have to admit that I am a little jealous too.

While Daddy's Away the Boys Will Play

2008-02-23T08:03:00.000-08:00

Tony Left Yesterday to go to Japan for 30 days and Mom is having a little trouble balancing the New baby and keeping an eye on the monsters. Brenden wanted to be an Indian and decided he needed some war paint to go along with his huge imagination.

Riley was the Tornado which is not unusual for him and destroyed his room. I swear that it was spotless before Dad left to go to Japan. I will have this down before he gets home, I think that it was a momentary lapse and I need to find some balance. I am sure that there is more to come, and yes I am terrified. Ha Ha!

Thing 1 and Thing 2

2008-02-22T18:30:00.000-08:00

Then those Things ran about
With big bumps, jumps and kicks
And with hops and big thumps
And all kinds of bad tricks.
And I said,
"I do NOT like the way that they play!
If Mother could see this,
Oh, what would she say!"

I'll tell you what she would say,
"Some body save me on this fun filled day."

This is Brenden and Riley. Brenden is on the left and Riley is on the right. This a little game of quiet mouths gone terribly wrong. It was modified from its original version because the kids just got to smart for the game. The tape maybe sticky but I can tell you that they still were able to make plenty of noise. This picture was taken for a book that I put together for Devin. "Q" was for quiet. It was more like "M" is for muffled.

Bryce James Johansen

2008-02-22T18:18:00.001-08:00

Bryce was born on Jan 3rd and was 8lbs and 6 oz. He is a wonderful baby, and we couldn't imagine our lives without him. He is sporting the wonderful booties that Great Grandma Needs made him. They area little big but we are all confident that he will have no problems filling them out. He likes them!!!!!

Behind the Times

2008-02-22T12:47:00.001-08:00

This is April, Kristi's sister, and I decided it was time for my sister to start a blog. Knowing that would be easier said than done, I started one for her! :) So look forward to some amazing stories, many references to cartoons, a few mispelled words, and a myriad of pictures of her three gorgeous children. Yay! I'm so excited!