Whew!

Well, I sent Jason off on an airplane last weekend. I cried...of course, but it isn't as bad as it was the first time. He left Saturday afternoon and was scheduled to arrive in Grenada on Sunday around 4:00pm Utah time (6:00pm Grenada time) but due to....something his flight was delayed and delayed and delayed. The airport he was in is under construction and had not yet connected the payphones, and their internet connection was out, so he was stuck all day in Jamaica with no way to call me. Needless to say I was a bit worried about him. I finally heard from him at nearly 10:00pm Utah time when he called to say he was in Grenada...FINALLY. He stayed at a friends house (thank you so much Renny) because his apartment was locked, and only got a few hours of sleep before the start of a very hectic day.

I am so glad that he made it there safely, even if it was 6 hours later than he was supposed to be. He made it there with all of his luggage, which is always a miracle when traveling to Grenada. The only thing that seems to have gone astray is his year supply of Synthroid (his meds for his thyroid) So now I get to ship him some more..oh goodie.
The boys and I spent the weekend at my moms house doing as little as possible. It was kind of nice to have some time to just veg. Thanks mom for everything.

The last week

Today is the first day of a very hard week. I have lots of fun activities planned with my kids and hubby, but it will all end very badly. On Saturday at 4:50 Jas has to get on a plane that will take him far away for a very long 3 months.

When I left Grenada in March I was really sick and knew I needed to get back to the states where I could get proper medical attention, but this time I am not sick and could easily make the trip. The only problem being that I would get down there and have to turn around and come home in order to be here for the delivery. (I am not having my child in Grenada. Can we say no pain meds of any kind? No thank you)
I'm trying to stay positive but all I can think of is missing him. We have several fun things planned for this summer and he will miss them. My birthday is in July, we have family reunions, and even just the day to day stuff. I dread having comfort the boys when they realize that their dad is gone, and not just for a few minutes. I'm scared that he won't make it back for the delivery. I'm going to miss having him next to me at night, and the way he helps me put the boys to bed.
I feel very displaced when Jas isn't here. Being a "single mom" separates you from almost everyone. I have friends that are single, friends that are married without children, and friends who are married and have children. It's awkward to be around the single ones because I always have the kids, and I feel like the third wheel with anyone who is married.
Jason completes me. He is the best husband in the whole world. He is selfless, hardworking, kind, gentle, loving... I could go on and on. I will truly miss him.
I'm not sure how I will get through the next 3 months I can only pray that the Lord will help me because I don't know that anything else will.

This has been kind of a jumbled post because I have just been typing my thoughts and not really paying attention to what I have been writing, so sorry if it doesn't make much sense.

Proud Mom

I know I'm going to sound like a bragging mom, but I really can't help it today. I am so proud of Dyson. He is learning so many new things that I can hardly stand it.
We have spent the last few days at the swimming pool in our neighborhood and at my sister's house and Dyson has learned how to SWIM!!! On Monday he wouldn't put his face in the water to blow bubbles but on Tuesday he was holding his breath and we were able to get him to swim underwater in a 2 foot pool! We were so excited! He was so proud of himself, and I can't blame him. After spending time at the neighborhood pool we went to my sister's house and he continued to astound me with his determination and ability to swim. We got some photos and a video of him swimming ( don't mind my high pitched scream. I really hate hearing my voice on camera, so I am apologizing now) These are from his first day of swimming by himself. It was awesome. Of course after a while of swimming to people and the ladder he thought he could swim into open water without anyone there to catch him, this of course was not good. We remedied that situation as soon as possible and he is now aware of some very strict rules.


The other thing that my wonderful and intelligent son has done is learn to read. We have been working on learning the alphabet and learn his letter sounds and he learned those really well. Unfortunately reading was proving to be a rather difficult thing to learn. But thanks to one of the amazing people in our lives called "grandma" we were able to get some books called Bob Books. And he has really taken to reading and is doing really good. He was able to read the first 2 books in the series really quickly but the 3rd was a little harder. We read it together and he would try but he would get frustrated and stop. Then on Tuesday we decided to give it another try at book number 3 and he read the whole thing by himself without any help or promptings!! We were both so excited that we jumped up and down, shouted for joy and read the book nearly 10 times.
So hats off to my amazing son Dyson. Who brings me joy every day, and is growing up so fast.

What a Weekend!

This past weekend was a bit crazy for us. It felt like we were go, go go. It started off with Ridgedon's birthday on Friday. We had already had a joint party for him and Dyson a few weeks ago so we didn't do a big party for him, but we did give him some gifts and sing Happy Birthday to him. That afternoon we went over to my mom's house for a pseudo camp out.

One of the things that we wanted to do while Jas was in town was go camping, but the road to the lake that we like to go camping isn't even open. So we packed up our tents, sleeping bags, camp chairs and coolers and headed to the great backyard. All my brothers and sisters came, with their children and dogs. It was a little crazy with 7 small children running around, but a good time was still had by all. My parents have a fire pit in their back yard so we roasted hot dogs and made dutch oven potatoes for dinner and followed that up with smores and dutch oven cobblers and home made ice cream for dessert. YUM! The dessert was my favorite!!
When it was time to head off to bed we had a queen size air mattress for us to sleep on since I have been having some hip pains, and Jason, Ridge and I all slept on it, and D slept in his own sleeping bag. It would have been a wonderful night except that Ridge snuggled up so close to Jas during the night that he pushed him up against the tent and almost out of bed. Dyson, Ridge and I slept fine, but Jason's night wasn't so good. Poor dad.
The next morning was a little chaotic with breakfast being french toast with homemade strawberry rhubarb syrup, of course the children didn't want to eat this fancy breakfast they just wanted cereal. So the adults had french toast and the kids had Capt'n Crunch.
We stayed and visited with family for a little bit and around noon headed off. I was supposed to go to a baby shower that afternoon but the boys were worn out from a late night, and I got a wicked case of allergies. So we decided it would be best to head home for some good naps.
That night we went off to Great Grandpa Johnson's birthday party. It was held at the Bountiful Park and we were lucky enough to be there on the the day of the car show. Having 2 young boys who are fascinated cars, trucks, motorcycles, airplanes and boats...this was a good thing. We walked around a looked at all the cool cars and the boys absolutely LOVED it. After looking at all the cars and playing on the playground a little we sat down and ate. It wasn't the best meal I'd ever had considering that there was no main dish, but I did enjoy funeral potatoes and rolls. (I ate when I got home too)
We then headed home and I anticipated that things would wind down a little, but I was wrong. Jason headed off to the store with his mom and Ridge and Dys wanted to go swimming in the pool that just opened across the street. So we put on his swim suit and walked to the pool. He had a great time and was throughly exhausted when we got home. Luckily getting the boys to sleep last night was not hard.
This morning I woke up with the worst allergies ever. I had heartburn all night and couldn't breathe out of half my nose. That was one of the things that Grenada had going for it, I didn't get allergies there. So after a busy weekend I am staying in bed hoping the drugs will kick in soon.

AMAZINGLY SIMPLE HOME REMEDIES

• Avoid cutting yourself when slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold them while you chop.

• Avoid arguments with the Mrs. about lifting the toilet seat by using the sink.
  

• For high blood pressure sufferers: simply cut yourself and bleed for a few minutes, thus reducing the pressure in your veins. Remember to use a timer.
  

• A mouse trap, placed on top of your alarm clock, will prevent you from rolling over and going back to sleep after you hit the snooze button.
  

• If you have a bad cough, take a large dose of laxatives; then you'll be afraid to cough.
  

• You only need two tools in life - WD-40 and Duct Tape. If it doesn't move and should, use the WD-40. If it shouldn't move and does, use the duct tape.
  

• Remember: Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.

• If you can't fix it with a hammer, you've got an electrical problem.

Daily Thought:
SOME PEOPLE ARE LIKE SLINKIES… THEY’RE REALLY GOOD FOR NOTHING,

BUT THEY STILL BRING A SMILE TO YOUR FACE WHEN YOU PUSH THEM DOWN A FLIGHT OF STAIRS

New Bikes!

The boys got new bikes for their birthdays this year and they got to take them for a test drive when the weather was warm enough. The boys were so excited to get on their new wheels that they were driving me crazy! When the weather was finally warm enough to go out we had to take the kids to the doctor for their annual well child visits and Ridge had to get his shots (not fun!) But the horror of the doctor visit was short lived when they found out that when they woke up from their naps that day they would actually get to go for a bike ride. So we went to the doctor, came home and had lunch and sent them off to bed. I was sure they would set a record for the shortest nap ever, but to my surprise they each took a rather lengthy nap. But as soon as they opened their eyes they jumped out of bed and ran to find me and tell me they were ready to go out. So we put on our helmets and got all geared up to brave the unknown. I never realized how much explaining goes into teaching a child to ride a bike (or maybe it was just mine that needed a little extra detail) but Dyson didn't seem to have a clue as to how to operate the bike. He did eventually get it and we had a wonderful walk. Ridge on the other hand wasn't quite tall enough to reach the pedals on his bike so he quickly lost interest and began running down the side walk, which left Jason to carry his bike back to the house

Dyson's Primary Talk

Here is the video of Dyson's first primary talk....


This is just to precious to not share. Dyson and I sat down and wrote his talk together. He told me the words and I wrote them down. The original version of the talk has something about each of the members of his family starting with his dad, then mom, then himself and ending with his brother. Everything started off pretty good but as you can see, by the end of talking about his mom he was doing the "potty dance" so we ended it quickly. Of course I wisked him away to the bathroom and when I got him to the bathroom he sighed and said "Whoa mom, I almost didn't make it." I laughed so hard during church that day.

He gave the talk on Mother's Day and it was one of the highlights of my day. I have never enjoyed a primary talk more.

Mommy Tag

1. Typically, what time do you wake up? I swear I get up with the sun, but it's when ever the boys get up.
2. On a good night, what time are your kids in bed? 8:00 pm.
3. How long have you been a mommy? My oldest just turned 4, and it has been the best 4 years of my life!
4. How old were you when you became a mom? 21
5. What is your favorite kids T.V show? Backyardagains. We all fell in love with this show while in Grenada
6. What is your least favorite kids T.V. show? There are so many, but off the top of my head I would have to Teletubbies
7. What is your favorite chore? I don't mind laundry since i can put it in the washer and leave! but I also don't mind vacuming. I love clean clothes and a clean floor.
8. What is your favorite meal to cook? I enjoy cooking almost anything but I HATE baking
9. What meal do you cook most often? Right now I haven't had to cook a whole lot since I've been staying at my in-laws house until the baby is born, but before that we made a lot of tacos and spaghetti.
10. What is your favorite thing your husband does with your kids? He does all the "boy" stuff with them. They play "junge gym" and all sorts of out door things. Jason also sings to them in Italian.
11. What is your kids favorite meal? Dyson loves peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and Ridge could eat string cheese all day.
12. What are 5 things that make you smile when you’re being a mom? When Dyson tells me I'm the best mom in the world, when both of the boys tell me they love me the mostest, infinity and beyond, the way Ridgedon say's ribbit (it comes out yahbutt), the way Ridge tries really hard to tickle me and his dad, the way Dyson greets his brother after he wakes up from his nap or in the morning with "good morning sugar" and the way Ridge calls me babes just like his dad does. That might be more than 5...oh well
13. If you could take your kids anywhere, where would it be? Italy, that's where Jas served his mission.
14. When was the last time you went out without your kids? Just after Jason got in to Utah. We went to the Roof for a combination anniversary, birthday, completed the first year of med school, I'm glad we're together again dinner.
15. What is your favorite pastime/activity to do with your kids? I love cooking with the boys and they love it too.
16. Name one thing you said you would never say as a mother? loose my temper...yeah, that didn't work.
17. Name one thing you do, that your own mom did? If i make a mistake I say sorry to my kids
18. What is your favorite quality your mom has? My mom is a good listener
19. What is your favorite kids book? I Can Read With My Eyes Shut.
20. What is your favorite advice for new moms? Love them everyday, and don't worry about what others think is best for your kids.
21. What is your most heartbreaking moment as a mom? When we got on the plane and had to leave their dad in Grenada. Ridge called for his daddy the whole flight home.
22. What is your most joyful moment being a mom? Every time they master something new.
23. When was the last time you told one of your kids, “I Love You”? When the woke up from their naps
24. When was the last time you were told, “I love you” by one of your kids? They say it all the time!

Back by popular demand

I was going to discontinue publishing the blog, but due to overwhelming public demand the decision to keep the blog up and running was made. On behalf of us all, we hope you continue to enjoy the stories and pictures posted here.

The Management