January 2009: Disneyland with the Big Boys

The main gift we gave Owen and Eyan this Christmas was a special day for just the "Big Boys" to spend with Mom and Dad. Isn't that great that they want to be with us? I'm holding on to that as long as I can:-) On Christmas they opened up a big box full of packing peanuts hiding clues of what our special day would have in store: 1. Disneyland Gift Card 2. Chopsticks 3. Tall paper chef hats 4. A ticket for each of them "to stay up past their bedtime" 5. A countdown chain until the special day Any guesses?

We spent the day at Disneyland and California Adventure just Dad, Mom, Owen, and Eyan while little Tate stayed with Grandma and Grandpa. We discovered the new Toy Story Ride-Mike's new favorite. Its like a life-size 3-D video game, carnival style: ring toss, darts, egg throwing, etc. You each wear 3-D glasses and shoot your own pull-string shooter. Of course it involves a score, which makes it fun for Mike and I. He just feels good about himself because he's won 2 times, and me 1. I've beat him a million times on the Buzz Lightyear ride, so he's still far behind:-) Our oldest little lefty, Eyan, was awesome at the games. His little arm kept pumping on that string!

This was the first time we met one of the characters. Our kids haven't really cared about seeing Mickey or anyone before. For some reason, Donald Duck has become Eyan's favorite and his little face absolutely lit up when he met him for the first time. It was so cute!

After a fun day of rides, we went on over to Benihana's. Mike's boss gave us a very generous giftcard to take the boys for dinner there. We ate like kings. I tried the banana tempura dessert for the first time-wow! Eyan was hilarious. He could not keep his eyes off the chef and his performing knives the entire time. He didn't eat at all until the chef was done cooking all the food. We had a great time!

We went home with full tummies and exhausted legs! We loved it.

December 2008: Choo-Choo Lips

I love how Tate plays with his trains and how his cute lips purse when he says "choo-choo" for train and the sound they make, "chiga-chiga". I think I mentioned this in my "Catching up with Christmas" post but I had to post some cute photos of him doing it. Tate loves to be with Eyan, or "E" as he calls him. They are really enjoying being together during the day when "O" is at school. Playing choo-choos is definitely a favorite. Eyan does the same thing his Dad and Grandpa Johnson do when they are concentrating - stick their tongue a little out and to the side. It cracks me up:-)

February 2009: Workout Videos?

Well you know who you are, you Exercise Queens! I'm looking for some suggestions for some NEW workout videos or shows.

Mike turns 35 this April and wants to be in the best shape of his life by then. Sounds great to me! I always do so much better on my own eatting and exercise when Mike is on board. So we have 8 weeks to get rockin' bodies because Mike made me wait until April to schedule our family portrait:-) I'm telling you all this so you can encourage me. I love eatting and sleeping too much. But after all, I'm writing a lesson on Believing in Yourself (if you haven't taken the poll yet please do so and read "You are needed"), so its gonna happen:-)

For me, I have found that I am in the best shape when I rotate between cardio, strength training, and yoga each week.

I do have to say that I still love Turbo Jam for a "killer" cardio workout. I've never sweat like that before in a cardio workout (and believe me, I am a complete Sweaty Betty). I never even liked doing cardio before I was introduced to it. My favorite one is Punch, Kick, & Jam with the weighted gloves, the capoeira rocks my legs. I also love the speedbag section of Cardio Party, the music is what I love - punching to "I'm gonna knock you out, Mama says knock you out!". But I'm ready for some NEW workouts, I have to constantly rotate exercise routines or I get bored.

I am definitely looking for some new strength training workouts. I think good ones are hard to find. I LOVED the 24LIFT class (used to be called Body Pump or something else, remember those good old days Kandice?!) and just doing free weights at 24 Hour Fitness, but a gym membership is not in the budget right now. The music in a workout makes all the difference to me and that's tough to find in a strength training video! Anyone got a great recommendation?

Really there is nothing like being in a yoga studio, but as previously mentioned.dot.dot.dot. I have a so many videos (most rather old now) and have fun rotating between them, but my favorites have been TV programs: Inhale on Oxygen (thanks to DVR because its on at like 2 am) and Namaste Yoga on FitTV (great 20 minute program). Love to hear the latest and greatest!

Have any of you tried the Tracy Anderson Method (photos might be a bit much)? Who doesn't want to look like Gwyneth Paltrow? I've heard great things about the Mat workout and horrible things about the Cardio one. Not sure if its worth the $. Anyone?

I have to have fun exercising and music makes such a difference. Can't wait for the suggestions to roll in!!

December 2008: Catching up with Christmas

First off: if you have a second, please take my poll and read "You are needed!". I would really appreciate your feedback! Thank you to all who have participated so far, I would love some more personal experiences:-)

To the post at hand: Hola Amigos y Familia! I'm playing a little catch-up, sorry, be patient with me, I'll get to present tense soon I hope:-)

I love that my kids are still in love with good old fashioned toys, of course they want the flashy, expensive kind too, but they are just as happy with some standards.

Owen wanted a pogo stick. We're still unsure how he even knew what a pogo stick was, but he is pretty good on it. Of course he wanted books too. He loves the Magic Treehouse series (thanks Jared!). He is currently reading Tale of Despereaux. Our goal was to have Owen read it to me before the movie came out, but...#1 the book is 240+ pages and #2 now that he is almost done, neither of us want to see the movie. We have about 20 pages left and I keep telling him that its got to get happy at the end. Its a super sad book, I'm not sure how they could make it into a kid's movie without seriously altering it. Anyone seen it? Owen also discovered his new favorite new building toy, Kinex (thanks Jackson). He constructed a motor bike by looking at a picture-no instructions, crazy!

Eyan wanted roller skates. He is generally the happiest, smiliest (is that a word?) kid. He was so excited to try out those roller skates (thanks Mom) and did a pretty great job. It was fun to try to teach him how to use them. He was so excited to receive Monster Jam ( you have to say it with a low, bellowing voice) trucks (thanks Stockton). I'm not sure if any of your kids or husbands for that matter are into Monster Jam, but it is hilarious to watch my 3 boys and Mike lined up on the couch completely mesmorized by these ginormous trucks catapulting themselves into the air and onto cars. Tate makes these hilarious "whoop whoop" sounds when he watches. Eyan will tell you his favorites are 1, 2, 3 (counting on his fingers): Batman, Grave Digger, and Maximum Destruction. Mike will have to suck it up and wear his sleeveless jean button-down to take the boys to an event.

Tate just loves to do what his brothers do. Both Eyan and Owen have bike helmets and Tate always wears Eyan's "hat". Santa brought Tate his own "hat" for Christmas. Santa couldn't get the elves to make one in Tate's size, but he doesn't seem to matter that it is huge on his head. Tate also loves choo-choos (thanks Savannah and Olivia) and biu-bius (be-yoos), which is Tatese for cars-its obviously the sound they make:-). He lines up his biu-bius and choo-choos and pushes them all along saying with pursed lips "chiga-chiga-chuga". He's pretty darn cute!

I love Christmas p.j.s. Here are all the little cousins. It is so fun to see them all together. Aren't they a cute bunch?

This year I decided to make the boys capes. They were an absolute hit! The blur you see in the last photo (I had to put this in) is my little nephew Jackson. He kept his cape on all day. I wasn't really prepared for the consequences of giving him a cape. One of the first things he did was jump off the stairs in it. It scared me to death but he landed with cat-like agility. We had to try to convince him that it wouldn't make him fly (sorry Nes).

This photo cracks me up. I am guessing this is the first my Mom will hear of this (sorry Mom). What good is a brand new custom made leather ottoman if you can't go sliding off it? Great idea Uncle Lukie! My dad said that that was the reason they picked out this kind of ottoman, so the boys could slide around on it. I think my Mom had a little bit of a different idea.

Isn't my grandma beautiful? Her and my grandpa celebrated Christmas with all of us. I hope they enjoyed all of the noise:-) I just loved this photo of my Grandma trying on her new "peace" earrings from my Mom. "World peace" would truthfully top my Grandma's Christmas list. She is a harmonious soul who is the quintessential "tree hugger" - she'll proudly tell you herself.

My Dad was thrilled that his office was beginning to resemble just that, an office, instead of a storage room. He wanted Tate to be his first interview. Mike is so jealous of his library shelves and the kids all love Grandpa's moving ladder (I have to say it was a little more scary than I thought it would be).

Here's Liz in her new first edition Polka Dot Square Full Apron, she'll be the envy of all her roommates.

Here's Jes looking debonaire in his plush Laker's robe. Watch out ladies!

This has got to be one of my faves! Mike was thrilled to receive these awesome onion goggles. Yes ladies, I am sure you are all jealous, but sorry, none of you would look this good in them:-)

Well we've come to the end of our family Christmas 2008 and after going through all of our photos, I was not in a single one, typical I guess. I'll have to documented another year:-)

January 2009: You are needed!

Hello Friends and Family in the new year!!! Great news, WE GOT OUR COMPUTER FIXED (twice in the last month-long story-but please don't ever open anything called Anti-Virus 2009-love to tell you why if you're interested). I have a lot of blogging to catch up on, but right now- YOU ARE NEEDED!


I was just asked to be a facilitator (fancy word for teacher) at my church's local Women's Conference this coming month. Scary!, but if you read my post entitled "A New Woman!" you know how much I loved and benefitted from going to Women's Conference this past year at BYU. I know the importance of these classes and am taking my "assignment" very seriously.


It is a topic that I think is universal- something that we all need reminders in, and something everyone can input on: "Believing in Yourself".

I am blessed to have a husband who repeatedly reminds me that we are all painfully aware of our weaknesses and we don't need anyone else pointing them out. I am a lucky beneficiary of his belief. Its a good thing too because I definitely fall into the "painfully aware" category. So why does being aware of our weaknesses have to be so painful?

I bet right now there is something pressing on your mind, something that you view yourself falling short in, something you are overwhelmed or afraid by, something you are wondering if you are good enough to do. So what is stopping you from believing in yourself? That is one of the questions I would love help in answering. The other would be of course, what helps you the most to actually believe in yourself? I would love e-mails, comments, or just taking a second to take my poll on the side here.

I know you all collectively are a fountain of wisdom and I would appreciate ideas to help me launch from! Thank you all!

December 2008: Where to Begin?

Merry Christmas to all our friends and family! Thank you to everyone who has reassured me that people actually look at our blog:-) and I apologize that you had to look at Mike and I over and over for so long. Sadly I don't have access to all of the photos that I have taken in the past 4 months but I am going to post from the ones I have and then add more later if I can. We hope the new year will bring us a new computer, or at least a way to fix ours. Being over here at Mom's house, I've done a marathon catch-up. Here are some posts:

August 2008: Family Photos at Balboa Park

October 2008: Cousin Davis' 3rd B-day Party

October 2008: Disneyland with Johnson Cousins

October 2008: Halloween

October 2008: Pumpkin Patch

November 2008: We've Moved Again!

December 2008: Owen Singing at the Temple

December 2008: Owen Singing at the Temple

Owen chose to sing in the Children's Community Choir this Christmas season for our church. I wasn't sure if he would want to stick with it through the practices and performances, but I was pleasantly surprised at how much he loved it. Grandma was in the adult choir, so she and he would go together each time. He loves music and to sing but rarely sings on cue, so I didn't know how the performances would go-not to mention he is 6 and extremely active. Besides the normal distractions like the microphones and hammy kids, Owen performed pretty well. His choir was then invited to perform on the Temple Grounds of the San Diego Temple of our church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was so excited to be able to go. I am so happy that he has such a strong desire to be at the temple at such a young age. Temples are such an important place of worship in our religion and I have tried to create opportunities to be on the grounds with my children. I hope they can feel the peace that resides there. This was a wonderful opportunity, just Owen and I spending time together, a special evening of music honoring our Savior Jesus Christ.

November 2008: We Moved Again!

Yes, I'm sure you are SO surprised to hear that we have moved yet again. This house is actually in the same neighborhood and with Mike transferring to Temecula, squashing his commute from 3 hours to 20 minutes, we are finally feeling a little permanent. I absolutely love this house. The best part about it is the backyard: a covered patio and lots of grass for the boys to run and ride. Owen has recently learned to ride his bike and we have loved the patio and being on a cul-de-sac. Tate loves Owen & Eyan's helmets - "hat" he calls them and wants to wear them just like his brothers. There is an extra room downstairs that looks to the backyard which has become my sewing room. It has been a huge help with my growing little business. See, its getting chilly, we have to wear jackets and gloves:-)

October 2008: Pumpkin Patch

Its Eyan's favorite time of year again, Pumpkin Patch Time!! He asks year round when we can go to the pumpkin patch. The wheelbarrows were a hit! My Layton family cousins -who are about the same age as my kids - came this year, along with the Dix family cousins.

October 2008: Halloween

For Halloween this year Owen wanted to be an indian, and of course Eyan followed. We're not sure if its politically correct, but Tate was a cowboy. They were so adorable. I do have to say that I have the most beautiful boys.