Things NOT to do on a Saturday afternoon with the family...

HIKE MNT TIMP!!

I was told this was an "easy" hike.

I was told that kids do well on these hikes.

I was told it was paved the whole way and you can bring strollers.

NONE of this was true!!

Neil and I thought that since the summer was quickly coming to an end and the weather was starting to cool down, that it would be fun to take the kids on a nice Saturday hike up in the mountain. We could hike up Mnt. Timp and go see the caves, something I have been wanting to do for years now. Paige and Jacob could walk and we could push Kallie on the stroller. It would be a fun thing to do.... wrong. It was not until we got there that we learned we could not bring the stroller. The path was too steep at parts and it was too easy for something like that to fall off the side... nice thought. So, we decided that since we were already there, we would just carry Kallie and do it anyway. For some reason I never was told or I never listened when it was mentioned that it was 2 miles each way. 2 miles up and down STEEP hills.

For the most part the kids did great! I had to carry Kallie the whole time. We did not have a carrier for her, so it was all in the arms. By the end, our backs hurt, our knees hurt and we wanted to be home!!

Here are a few pictures from our adventure.

This is Paige no more then 20 yards from the start of the path. She started jumping up and down, crying and whining to be held, that her feet hurt and she was tired.... all we could do was laugh!

*** Now it is a real fun joke to tell Paige that we are going hiking that day. She immediately starts to whine. ***

First day & Last year of Preschool

Another year is here and this one will be her last. Paige is back with Mrs. Heather this year. We loved her last year and Paige learned so much that we are excited to have another year again. She HAD to have her picture taken just like Jacob did for his first day of school.

Happy 4th Birthday Paigie!!

Paige is one child that can make me laugh and make me mad at the same time! She is a whitty child who knows how to get her way, but she also has the smile that can melt and capture any heart.

This year has been one of such learning and growth for you. It has been fun to see you learn new things about life and about yourself. Happy Birthday my sweet girl Paige! 4 years old!! You continue to be a joy to your whole family.

FIRST GRADE!!

I find myself constantly asking... "am I really this old?" Please do not answer that.

Jacob started first grade today. Wow! FIRST GRADE! Now, he has all day school. Eating lunch in the cafeteria. The "big kids" playground. His own desk. My mom would always look forward to school starting. She would tell me that she was going to take herself to a movie and lunch to celebrate! I would think... "man that is sooo rude!" Now, I understand! We are back to a regular routine. Although I am going to miss him so so much, that routine sure is nice!!

Good luck this year Jacob! I know you will be great! We love you ~ mom

SCRUNCHY FACE !

So Kallie has always had this "thing." Whenever she is mad or frustrated, she squishes her nose up and breaths real fast through her nose.... yes, I am doing it now as I type this.

It is the funniest thing! So, I had to take a picture of it...

$2 for Tuesday.... Thanksgiving Point Museum

Ok, so I thought that if I waited until the day before school started then the lines and crazy mobs would not be as bad.... and... I was wrong!!

Every Tuesday in the month of August, Thanksgiving Point has $2.00 admission to all of their venues. Since the Dinasour museum is usally $8/child to get in, I was going to take advantage of this. We had already went the first Tuesday of August and the line was soo bad, we went to the petting zoo instead. So this time, we waited until school was about to start and we went earlier....

Still we got this.....
The line was out the door, around the side and down the back of the building. Fortunetly, we were towards the front of the line and it only too 30 minutes to get in. The line was still like this when we were finished and walking to the car.

Although it was crowded, the kids had fun and it was a good finale to the end of summer.

SHE LOVES ME!!!

I was sitting outside with the kids the other night as they played. This is what I caught Jacob doing..... and he was mouthing...... "She loves me. She loves me not. She loves me......."

Hold on! WHO IS SHE?

My baby is ONE!!!

It is really true... what they say... in the blink of an eye, your children are going to be grown and out on their own to face the world. I want my babies to stay little as long as possible and they are growing too fast.

My sweet baby Kallie is one today. ONE!! Really, where did time go? Life was so different a year ago. The future looked so different. It is hard for me to understand that Kallie will not know her Nama, but I promise that she will know of the love she had for her. Kallie, your nama loved you so much! It was so hard for her to know she was leaving you behind here on Earth. I remember a time shortly before she passed, when she just held you and kissed you. The tears were in her eyes and she rocked you back and forth. She whispered softly to you, "my sweet Kallie, my sweet baby Kallie." She did love you honey. You will not know her while here on Earth, you will not remember her, but know that she loved you. I know that she watches over you and protects you.

I am so greatful for this sweet baby in our lives. What a joy she has been. I truely believe that the Lord blessed me with her and her sweet gentle ways to help in my times of trial. Kallie has a sweet spitit. She has a mellow temperment and is the most easy going child I have had... by FAR!! We are so glad she came to our family. Kallie- I love you! Your family loves you. Thank you for choosing our family! Happy Birthday baby girl.

Nama's Funeral... we will miss you

The thought never entered my mind that I would be attending my mothers funeral at this point in my life. It is so hard to describe the feelings and emotions you go through when you experience a loss like loosing someone so close to you. The emptiness you feel is indescribable. We thought we prepared ourselves as much as possible for my mom to return home, but when it happened, you realize how unprepared you really were. I think when someone close to you leaves this earth to return home, they take a piece of you with them. A piece that will never be filled. I miss my mom terribly. I know my Heavenly Father needed her home. I know she has a greater work to do there. I have faith and a knowledge that I will see her again.

The funeral service was beautiful. My mom planned the entire thing. She planned the program, the speakers, the musical number and she even wrote her own final talk, which she had her sister read. I know my mom was there. She always told me she would be.... right there sitting on the end of her casket smiling down on all of us. I was so so touched by the number of people that came in love and support of my mom. We had people from all different points in her life. Childhood friends, college roommates, neighbors, former ward members, friends from the different areas we lived, missionaries they served with and family. It was really touching for me to know that they loved my mom so much that they would come and pay their respects.

I want to thank all those people that have helped and supported my family at this time. You all brought such strength to us. Thank you for your kind words and deeds.

To my mom: I love you and will miss you! Work hard and I will see you soon.

I am so glad to have a recent family photo.... this was taken the morning before my mother funeral, but it is the first picture we have taken of all of us together in a long long time....

Nama Obituary - July 8, 2009

Kristine "Nama" Anderson Johnston 1951~2009 Our cherished wife, mother, sister, and grandmother passed away peacefully at her home in Elk Ridge, UT on July 8, 2009 at the age of 58 after battling cancer. Kris was born April 2, 1951 in Springville, UT and was the third of seven children born to Mays and Orpha Anderson. She is remembered by her siblings as being a spunky and humorous child. Kris graduated from Springville High School in 1969 and soon thereafter attended BYU where she received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Secondary Education. While pursuing her education, she met Steven C. Johnston and after a quick courtship they were married in the SLC Temple on November 16, 1973. They enjoyed nearly 36 years of marriage together. During this time she was able to serve in many church capacities living in various locations, including twice overseas, and serve an LDS humanitarian mission, along with her husband, to the Romania Bucharest mission. All of these, plus many other experiences, blessed her with an increased amount of faith and understanding of Heavenly Father's plan for His children. Kris will always be remembered for her compassion, acts of service, love for her family and those around her, and faith in her Savior Jesus Christ. Kris was survived by her husband Steve, her five children: Matt (Monica) Johnston, Amy (Neil) Andersen, Laurie (Kevin) Wilson, Dana (Mark) Purcell, and Katie (Jeremy) Bailey, several grandchildren, along with her brothers and sisters. She is preceded in death by her parents Mays and Orpha Anderson, and her granddaughter Lindsey Kate Johnston.

Tribute video

This video was done by a sister missionary that served with my parents in Romania. She made it as a tribute to my mom and I wanted to share it. She loved the people in Romania and loved the missionaries she served with and they loved her.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4S8IxmTKcjA

Saying Goodbye is hard

This is going to be the hardest post I have ever had to write... so far.... It has been over two months since I have gotten some news that has changed my life forever. I have hesitated to make this information public because I still have not been able to wrap my mind around it. It is something that is very personal to me and very emotional. I guess I have struggled because I do not even know how to say it... or what to say... About two months ago my parents received a wonderful mission call to serve the Lord on a 18 month mission to Finland. A week after receiving the call, my mother was diagnosed with cancer. At first this did not scare me. People beat cancer all the time... right? Life was going to change, but we would work through it. I had the faith that the Lord was going to heal her. She wanted to serve him here on Earth as a missionary so why would he take her now? Very quickly my mom started tests and within a few days they came back that she was already in stage 4 with melanoma cancer. The cancer was so aggressive that it was quickly overtaking her and she only had a few short months left. My mom, my best friend.... I was going to loose her. I am too young to loose my mom. I am a young mom myself and the thought of loosing her has been too hard to take. My mom has been a wonderful strength to me. She has always remained faithful and strong. Even now, as she faces leaving this earth to return home, her faith has never wavered. I am so grateful for the Gospel and for the knowledge that families are forever. Without that knowledge I do not know if I could go through this trial. It as been just over two months since we received the news and we do not have as much time left as I would like. I want to cherish every word she says and every moment we have. I am grateful the Lord has given me and my family some time to say the goodbyes and ask all the the questions. Despite this trial, I am grateful for the growth I have experienced. My love and appreciation for the Gospel has grown.

time to catch up... this might take a while

Life has been crazy and it is not letting up, so my blog has been put to the side for a while. I am going to try to catch up!! promise! it may take a while, but here i go...

my sweet sweet kallie

What a joy this little girl has been! she is such a precious and beautiful baby and by FAR my easiest child! I just hope that we have not been sent such a wonderful child so that Heavenly Father makes us want another... good luck convincing Neil.
She is almost 10 months old. She had her 9 month check up today... I told you life has been crazy. Here are her stats:

18 pounds & 24"

Placing her in the 10% for height and 25% for weight.
She may look chunky, but the poor girl is simply short! Takes after her mom. She scooting around, yep not crawling, just scooting. Although she is really getting fast. She just has not figured out how to get onto all fours. She is getting her second tooth in, although I only knew it because she bit down hard on my finger! She never complains, perfect sweet baby of mine!
We love you baby Kallie!

Kindergarden Graduation

What fun it is to see your children grow! To see them move through the stages of life. To see them experience the same struggles you remember facing when you were a child. With these struggles also comes the satisfaction and confidence that they CAN DO IT!!

Jacob has finished his first year of school and is now moving on the the FIRST GRADE!! Man I feel old!! It has been a good year for him. He has loved his class and his teacher, Mrs. Hales. He loves to learn and this is something I hope he always enjoys doing.

We went to his Kindergarden graduation where he, along with his class, showed us some of the things they have learned this last year. They sang some songs and they each had a line to say in the program.

Here are a few pictures from the event....

Summer Anderson Party

Yes, I spelt Anderson right. Some may know that my mom's maiden name is Anderson. It always causes problems when I am asked the security question on an account of my mothers maiden name. They say, "no, YOUR mothers maiden name"
anyway, we had a traditional family party at my Aunt Kay's house recently. The kids had a BLAST! It is always fun to get together. With recent changes in our family, it was nice to get together and spend time. Paige fell in love with a baby kitten that was there and she was NOT happy with me when I told her we could not bring it home. She has a great love for animals.
I just wanted to post a few pictures.