Okay....we had a taste of what life would be like in a "mini-emergency" My son's school was closed due to swine flu. I had to wait in line for an hour just to sign him out and get him from class. The news reporters wanted to interview parents....but of course I had just gotten out of the shower and thrown on my slippers!!!! So I declined being famous. Later that day, there was a fire in our neighborhood that melted the transformer. so we were without power from 5pm until the next day. It gave us a realization that we really aren't very prepared. We even went to the church to microwave dinner because we didn't want to eat out in case the workers had the flu too. So at night, we luckily had some emergency candles. I have never realized how quite it is without even the buzzing of the refridgerator. We sat around the livingroom and I told some stories and then the kids went to bed. Kate was still "freaked" out....so we plugged a charger into nathan's truck and watched a movie. I can't imagine a prolonged period of that kind of life. Yikes!!!

Hunter and Grandpa Johnson worked on a project this weekend.

They built a habitat for the red tail boa....

soon to be the newest member of our family.

It turned out great and Hunter was so excited to build it!

Tomorrow we get to pick up the boa in Fresno. By the way, Carsen has a corn snake and is saving up for a ball python. Hunter is getting the red tail boa. So 3 snakes and two mice (breeding their own food for the snakes) I know....i can't believe it either!!!!!

Sweet Amelia is getting healthier! We started noticing that she was craving "greens", so we started giving her blueberry shakes with yogurt and spinach, Odwalla superfood drinks made with all greens and then lots of asparagus and brocoli at dinner time. Her weight has gone from 16 pounds to 18.8 pounds. Her pediatrician tested her stools again and it was negative for trace blood. So we are very excited that she has made great improvements. The doctor said we didn't need to do any more tests and we will check in again in three months. Our many prayers have been answered.

Kate wanted everyone to know she lost her first tooth. She was brave enough to pull it out herself! She couldn't wait to go to sleep tonight so the tooth fairy could come! It was a perfect white tooth, I am sure it will be worth a lot!

The girls loved playing with the bubbles that the Easter Bunny brought them. I felt like a real photographer when I captured this shot in perfect timing of the bubbles floating around them.

All about SNAKES!!! Carsen loves any type of reptile, but especially snakes. This is his current snake "Blazie". Its name used to be Blazer until we found out it was a she not a he.

Carsen decided he wanted to make a "snake cake" for the scout Blue and Gold dinner. We both had high expectations, and after three cake mixes and four tubs of frosting....we ended up with a swirly cake hiding in grass. He was so proud of it!

Carsen is completely happy when I take the time to love the things he loves. The truth is I hate snakes, but I love him!

Happy Birthday! Nathan

Nathan was born 38 years ago in Denver, Colorado. He has great childhood memories of his house in Castlerock. He loved picking berries with his mom and playing outside. He always loved animals. All of his money saving efforts were directed towards buying a horse, which he was able to accomplish! He has such dedication and loyalty to his family. He puts aside all of his needs and wants for their happiness. When Nathan and I met, we stayed up the first night, dreaming and talking about what we wanted out of life. Can you believe 12 kids and living on a farm was something we both wanted at the time? We still dream of owning land and we often ask each other....if you had a million dollars what would you do? Nathan accomplishes everything he puts his mind to. He takes work seriously, lives the gospel to its fullest and loves his family with his whole heart. When Nathan was little, he always had a great sense of God's love for him. He is loved by everyone that knows him also. I hope he knows his great worth still!

Kate: he's my dadda and I want him to be my dadda forever. all the stuff he dooz, i love him in my heart and he helps me all day long, gives me lovey thoughts, lovey dreams, i love him more than any one else....super more

Amelia: takes me outside to look at flowers and jump on the trampoline, takes me on walks and to the park

Carsen: plays basketball "horse" with me, makes me eggs before school, lets me buy pets, trying to work hard to buy a new home for us

Wyett: works hard to support our family, he's really funny, likes to wrestle with me even though he always gets hurt

Hunter: he likes my dog Mazie, takes me to the park, hugs me to death, grows a garden

Sequoia National Forest

Notice the giant ants we found under the rock!

Dad and Amelia taking a rest on the trail.

Carsen had tons of fun leaping!

Big brother Wyett always willing to help out his little sister.

Pinewood Derby: Carsen!

Carsen had a great time at this year's Pinewood Derby. He was the only wolf there and got first place. Since I was a single mom that week....i didn't realize that i put the weights on backwards...so the first few races his car was the slowest. Then Wyett told him to try to race it backwards! He tried it and started winning races!!! The other boys started racing their cars backwards too.

Why we love Grandpa!

Carsen: "he helps me build things"
Kate: "he lets me play with toys and takes me on tractor rides"
Hunter: "he take me fishing, sometimes"
Benjamin: "he plays with me"
Jacob: "he's funny!"
Abby: "i like how grandpa sings in the morning"
Clara: "grandpa likes to sneak up on us and scare us"
Emma: "he makes us homemade presents from wood"

Happy Birthday Dad!

Seventy-two years ago, the world became a happier place! My dad is known by all for his sense of humor. If you know him, you surely know what a 500 pound canary says......if you don't, you haven't been around for his joke telling sessions.

To know him is to love him....this is why I love him:

• hard worker


• loyal to wife and family


• dedicated to the gospel


• easy going


• funny


• adventurous


• ability to ease any burden


• dreamer with ambition


• wood working talents


• supporter financially, physically, spiritually


• loving and kind


• positive outlook


• a protector and a friend

Happy Birthday Dad! I love you.

Grandma's Valentine Party

Brynn, Kate, and Amelia loved making and decorating cookies for Valentine's Day. Only a grandma has that kind of patience.....CLICK pictures to view.

Amelia is now working with a pediatric allergist.

She had blood drawn again and they will check for several food allergies.

For now....all milk products have been removed from her diet.

I never realized all the things this involves....

gogurts, cheese sticks, mac n cheese....all her favorites.

So yesterday we had goat cheese pizza and strawberry smoothies made with goat's milk.

$4 a pint she is our gourmet girl......but it is well worth it.

She has gained 2 pounds in 2 weeks, so is now 18 lbs. Yeah for amelia!

We had a fun family night where we all filled out a questionnaire ahead of time and then we played family trivia! It was fun finding out what we actually knew about each other. Hunter was the overall winner knowing the most about everyone in the family....so he is our blog spotlight! Maybe you will get to know him better TOO!

If you could have an endless supply of any food, what would you get? Mango
If you were an animal, what would you be? Lion
What is one goal you’d like to accomplish during your lifetime? Become a VET
When you were little, who was your favorite super hero? Robin
What’s your favorite thing to do in the summer? Ride horses
If you were an ice cream flavor, which one would you be? Cotton Candy
What’s your favorite cartoon character? Arthur
If you could visit any place in the world, where would you choose to go? North Carolina
What’s the ideal dream job for you? Vet
Are you a morning or night person? BOTH
What are your favorite hobbies? dogs, games, football
What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten? liver
Name one of your favorite things about someone in your family. Playing games
If you had to describe yourself using three words, it would be… cool, cool, cool
If I could be anybody besides myself, I would be…Steve Smith

We all enjoyed sharing Hunter's favorite "holiday" SUPERBOWL! He enjoyed his favorite game foods, baby back ribs and honey BBQ wings. He was of course cheering on the Steelers, even though Dad didn't want him to support any team that President Obama supported. It was an exciting game! Hunter ate and yelled to his heart's content and as soon as the game was over......he threw up in the bathroom! Too much excitement for one afternoon.

Ever since I was little, my mom served others in need. Babysitting, rides to church, preparing meals for others......whenever I need her she is willing and ready. After keeping Kate all day, playing Candyland, doing my laundry, changing sheets, baking cookies, matching up socks, she then brought over a delicious dinner! She never ceases to amaze me. Thanks Mom!

Update on Amelia

I failed to mention why Amelia was going through her exploratory surgery. She has always been tiny and slow to gain weight, but at 9 months (she is 16 months now, she stopped gaining weight all together. After lots of tests to rule out things, the doctor ordered an endoscopy/colonoscopy because of blood in stools. The hardest part for Amelia was not being able to eat for two days, and the hardest part for me was having to give her to the nurse and watch her cry down the hallway. The doctor took several biopsies of different part of esophagus, intestines, etc. So far the anatomical parts all looked normal and we will wait to find out about the other test in about a week. They are narrowing down the possibilities to allergies, parasites or inflamed intestines??? not sure what that means. We are grateful that it is nothing serious at this point.

There is nothin' like hide and seek at the coast.

Amelia isn't quite sure if she wants to touch it.

Skim boards looked great, but didn't work.....santa was a cheap skate on those.

Slushies, popsicles, suckers and jello jigglers. Sweet, brave Amelia...in preperation for her exploratory surgery on Monday, she is only able to have clear liquids for two days. She can't have red or purple liquids either.

She is doing great considering...but it is so hard not providing the basic needs of food and her not being able to understand.

Final Days of Christmas Vacation!!!!

Three days at the coast was the perfect way to end vacation. Four kids, two scooters, one wagon and one dog=one fun day at the park.


New Year's Eve was spent with the family making homemade hats and playing with "punch balls" Then we all stayed up to bring in the year with sparklers and watching the ball drop. It was Dick Clark's last year......of course my kids didn't understand why he was the host. We all got a kick out Kelli Pickler ignorant statements and some other famous girl saying that being in New York for new years eve was a life changing experience....how shallow can you be?

Build A Bear!!! Carsen was convinced he was the only kid in America that hadn't built a bear. When he got home he said, "Now every child in the world has a bear."

Annual Christmas tree pickup for the BSA fundraiser. Hunter loves being able to climb up high and stomp away!!!

Ice Skating!!!!

Nathan, Wyett and Hunter and some friends from church went to the ice skating rink in Fresno. They loved it! They were also able to pass off a merit badge.

Two hours from the snow and three hours from the beach, so maybe it isn't so bad living here! Kids had a great time sledding at Shaver. Next week they get to hit the waves!

I can't believe another year has quickly come and gone! I climbed into bed all toasty and warm last night and was overwhelmed with a feeling of gratitude for my life and my family. Despite the days when I wonder if this is all my life will be....wiping noses, fixing meals, constant laundry....there are those perfect moments that come when I realize life is exactly what i had always wanted!!!!! Here is to a new year right around the corner!

I noticed that Carsen (age 8) was doing really good not to get angry with his brothers, tease his sisters, etc. I said, "You are really being good Carsen" He said, "I know....I made a promise to Santa and God that I would try harder." Oh the magic of the season!!!!!

Amelia was so happy eating her spaghetti and green beans....that i had to take some quick shots. Sorry about the boogers!

Merry Christmas!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Wyett recieved a varsity letter for Water Polo and also Most Improved Player Award. He had the highest percentage of goals made vs. shots tried. Good job Wyett!

Wyett was singing in the shower, so I thought it would be great to video tape his voice because he won't sing in public. Unfortunately, I didn't realize he was almost done and just about to get out! (Don't worry, he said it was okay to put this on our blog. We have been laughing all night about it!)

With parents kind and c l e a r .........

Okay i live in a pretty scary place when the life of chickens are of more value than the life of an unborn baby. Proposition 2 in CA consisted of bettering the life of chickens stuck in farms and ensuring that they had adequate living space in order to spread their wings and turn around properly. When I am eating my KFC in the future, I will be comforted in knowing that my meal enjoyed life in a luxurious chicken condominium first. Unfortunately, CA didn't pass a proposition that would ensure parents were notified first if their minor child was going to have an abortion. When a society places importance on the life of a chicken over the life of an unborn baby and family relationships.....we are headed for some scary times. I guess there are some level-headed people still in existence though because Prop 8....Keep it straight....PASSED! Yeah.

Fall Fun!!!!

Little Amelia was our little ladybug.....

those are carsen's black socks that fit all the way up her leg!

Carsen was a scary skeleton.....

and no that isn't a wig, that is his real hair!

Hunter is a wizard with his magical witchdog...

i never thought i would have to buy a costume for an animal.

Kate loves cupcakes!

Amelia loves the wonders at the corn maze!