October 2006: Pumpkin Patch

Owen and Eyan had so much fun when Grandpa and Grandma came to stay at our house. They played, played, played. I think Grandpa and Grandma had just as much fun. On one day we went to a pumpkin patch where Owen got to pick his own pumpkins right off the vine and they both climbed up into the tractors. Eyan tested out his walking with Grandpa. Woo-woo! It was a cold, windy fall day. Perfect pre-Halloween weather. We had to hurry to beat the rain.

September 2006: Soccer Begins!!

Owen is on his first little soccer team, the Silverwolves. He absolutely loves it, but hasn't quite grasped the game yet. He loves to run, just not necessarily at the right time or for the right reason. He loves it when were watching him run and he gives us quite the show. He really pumps those arms and looks down at the ground then over at us with a huge grin. He loved it when Grandma and Grandpa came up from California to watch him play. He is sure cute in his uniform. Go #5!

September 2006: First Fork Eating

Here is Eyan's first attempt at using a fork by himself. He is eatting spaghetti squash, Yummy! It was fun to watch. It ended just as I expected, food all over the place.

September 2006: Temple Day

The temple is a very important place in our faith. It is the House of the Lord, a place where we can find peace in this fast-paced world, a place where families are sealed together for eternity, and a place where we make sacred promises with God that enrich our lives and the lives of others. Mike has been attending the temple each Wednesday morning and Owen decided he would like to go too. So this day, we got dressed up in our best clothes, Mommy in a dress and the boys in white shirts and ties, and we went to the temple. We laid a blanket out on the front lawn and read books about Jesus and ate snacks. Eyan tried out his new walking skills on unlevel grass. We then took those things back to the car and walked through the entrance of the beautiful River Jordan Temple. The boys were very reverant and loved looking around at all the people coming in and out. We sat inside the entrance and a sweet woman volunteering there brought the boys each a picture of the temple. We all had a wonderful time. Owen can not wait until he can enter when he turns 12. I am grateful for my sweet boys.

September 2006: Ice Cream Sandwiches

This photo is too cute not to put it on. Eyan is thoroughly enjoying his first ice cream sandwich. I love his face. It reminds me of a photo I have of myself around the same age, only its a spaghetti face. Isn't he cute, you just want to squeeze him.

September 2006: Swimming Lessons

We joined the most amazing gym, Lifetime Fitness. I'm not sure you could call it just a gym because it has everything: a spa, 2 pools-indoor/outdoor with waterslides, kiddie pool, rock climbing, yoga/pilates studio, etc. Its incredible. I will never be able to go back to 24 Hour Fitness. Owen, Eyan, and I spent lots of time at the pool and signed up Owen for swimming lessons with the Foss Swim School there at the gym. It was perfect for him- one on one time with his very patient instructor Miss Ashley. Owen really progressed and is finally feeling more comfortable with water on his head. He'll require lots of lessons I think. He sure looks cute in his goggles.

August 2006: Newport Beach House

Our annual beach trip with my family was wonderful, once we got used to all living in the same house again:-) Vacations are different when you have your own children, they are lots of fun, but not quite as relaxing. The weather was perfect and it really was great to "all" be together-we miss you Bub. Owen loved testing his new bike-riding skills up and down the boardwalk-one morning to the doughnut shop. We had lots of fun building all sorts of things in the sand: castles, pyramid, Sphinx w/ Tashie's help, Buddha, a gi-normous hole-big enough to bury Luke & Josh standing, etc. It was fun to see the cousins together. Eyan loved playing in the sand, a probably ate a pound of it. Ness and I hit the boogie boards and Luke and Josh battled the waves in Josh's 2-man kayak. Mom and Dad had fun watching us all be goofy and "normal". Liz had fun with Tash and had visits from some best buds-Roxanne, Leanne, & Cody whom I'm sure we all scared away with our Newsies song and dance. We missed you Bub.

July 2006: Bear Lake

Hi everyone, trying to play catch up, so these will be brief. The Johnson clan went to Bear Lake for a great family vacation despite sketchy weather. I was happy to see that I still remembered how to water ski after all these years. Steve has a phenomenal boat and I had a great time on it. Mike introduced Owen to SeaDoos and it was a love/hate relationship. It was so much fun to ride one with Mike (a lot safer than with Luke-that's for sure), he really loves them. Owen really overcame his fear of water though when we was pulled on a "rocket ship" on the back of Kristin's boat. He cried when he had to get off. Eyan loved the water too and looked so cute in his lifejacket.

What would life be like without a little drama?!

Well, I have been getting lots of "I haven't seen anything new on your post" lately, so I decided to write a little explanation. I was in a horrible car accident about a month ago, that may seem like awhile ago, but for me it hasn't been. Things have been rough and I'm sorry if I have dropped off the earth for awhile. I'm trying to slowing climb back up. Thanks for your love, support, and prayers. I hope to have something fun to show soon.

July 2006: The Splash Pad

What an ingenious idea someone has had in creating the Splash Pad! Its a little water park for the kids with fountains, showers, geysers, tunnels of water, buckets full of water that spill over on you, etc. all on a spongy surface that kids can run on. They added this right next to an existing playground park in our neighborhood, and its a hit. Owen and Eyan just love it. We haven't gone yet where we didn't see someone we knew; its very popular. Jen and Jalen Johnson came with us one time and had a great time with boys. On the Fourth of July, no beach, so off to the Splash Pad with "Dad". Owen loved it, despite the fact that his Dad got his face wet. He's very funny about water on his face. The Splash Pad has been great for us this summer.

June 2006: Boating on Utah Lake

Steve, Katie, & Kylie invited us out onto their beautiful, new boat on Utah Lake. Yeah!!!We had a great time despite the rather windy weather. I just loved being on the water. Ricky, Steve's good friend, joined us and helped encourage Owen to get closer and closer to the water. I was happily surprised to see Owen sitting off the back of the boat with his legs dangling in the lake. He had so much fun with his cousin Kylie. Eyan loved the water too. He would have jumped right in if he could have. We sat on the swim deck and enjoyed the warm water. Owen's favorite part was probably driving the boat with his Uncle Steve. He got us really racing:-). Trying to take pictures on a speeding boat was rather challenging. I can't imagine what Katie was feeling being 9 months pregnant. Steve was the only one who tried to do a little surfing because of the choppy water. That just means we'll all have to go another time. I haven't skiied since high school and can't wait for the chance. We'll see how I do. We headed for Parkers for food and shakes afterwards, a Johnson Family tradition.

June 2006: World Cup Mania

Well if you know Mike very well or at all, you should know that he loves soccer. In fact that's the greatest understatement. Owen was born during the 2002 World Cup and luckily for me, the games were on at 3 AM, so Mike & Owen would watch the games together. This year, you might be aware that the World Cup is every 4 years, Mike could not wait for the tournament to begin. He would call me up in the middle of the day and say "guess what?" or "I have something very important to tell you", "the World Cup starts in 'such a such' of days (or hours)". Almost everytime I really thought he would have something new to say. So we got the picture that it was pretty important to "Daddy". We made poster-size charts of all the groups with all the flags and Owen drew a soccer field of players. He did great. It was the first time I could actually tell that Owen was trying hard to draw something and one of the first times I had seen him write his name. We bought USA flags and hats, soccer decorations, and got Mike's own soccer stuff down to decorate the TV/exercise room. We surprised him and he loved it. We are down to the "Round of 16" and are trying to be patient with the amount of soccer viewed as yes, it only comes around every 4 years, Mike keeps reminding us. Don't I have the cutest boys? Poor Eyan, the hat was too big. I was laughing so hard trying to take these pictures.

June 2006: T-ball, Treats, and Trophies

Owen has completed his first season of sports. I know there will be countless to come. I still couldn't believe that for 3 & 4 yr old t-ball they had games twice a week. I've been told it gets worse. Owen loved it, mostly. Attention spans ran short for Owen and for Mom & Dad. Overall I was pleasantly surprised at Owen's participation and interest. We had to keep reminded ourselves that he is 4. I think he needs something a little more fast paced to keep his attention. He is signed up for soccer in the fall. Owen and his cousin Brayden lived for the after game treats and were ever so delighted to get trophies. "Is that me?" Owen asked about the man on the trophy. He thinks it the greatest thing. He misses T-ball and keeps asking about soccer. Isn't he cute?

June 2006: Eyan's growing up

Eyan is the cutest baby in the world! Who can resist the toothy grin, dimples, perfect cheeks, happy eyes, and cuddly body? He is such a sweet baby and is just loving being able to move around more. He is definitely becoming more daring. His favorite thing is to push the furniture, his bike, well pretty much anything around the rooms. He will hold one of my hands and walk. He likes to stand up while leaning up against something. He does this cute little thing with one of his legs where he'll lift it back, kind of like an attitude in ballet. Our favorite thing that he is doing right now is giving kisses. He loves to drink his bottle and then stop, take it out of his mouth and wait. He wants us to give him a kiss. As soon as we give him a "kissie", he'll drink his bottle until he wants another one. Yeah, he's a cutie.

May 2006: Memorial Day: Pinatas-Owen's 4th Birthday

If you were at our Cinco de Mayo party, the title "pinatas" might drive fear in your heart as we sort of had a few life-threatening mishaps, but for Owen's Birthday it was just fun and games. Mike "let Owen choose" the pinata and somehow we ended up with a Darth Vader one. When I find who was taking pictures while I was videoing I'll add some to the blog. On to cake time: Owen choose a chocolate cake with Mickey sprinkles, yes I know you are all so surprised that I didn't create a homemade masterpiece. He loved his "birthday party" with all of his Johnson cousins. Grammy gave him a special present with "O...W...E...N..." on it, as Owen says, "for me to be a missionary". Trying to leave is the worst part of any excursion. Owen hates leaving anywhere except our house. Home to try out Owen's birthday present, a new big boy bike!!!