Cassie is 8!

8 years ago today Cassie was born!! She is growing so fast and is such a good big sister. We have a fun day planned!! We are doing a little bowling then going to a baptism, then cake and ice cream after dinner. Happy Birthday Cassie Bear!

She can see!

Jessica is seeing better these days. Her school did the vision screening test and suggested we get her eyes checked. So in we went. I was speechless when the my eye dr office told me how much a childs eye examination is... $225.00!! What??!! I checked around and that is the going rate if you don't have vision coverage! I was outraged. We happened to stop by fred meyer for a few things, and there is vista optical right there. I stopped and talked to them and they said if Jessie is able to communicate well that they could do a regular examine for $65. That was music to my ears. Jessie did well and the dr was very kind and patient. The dr says she can see fine up close but things in the distance are a blurry mess. So after a few fun trips to different places to check out out their frames, we finally decided on two pairs from costco. We picked them up on Tuesday and she is so proud of them!!

Treat or treat

Our 50's girlies.




Big Grandma and Grandpa brought Lane and joined us for the trunk or treat/chili cook off for our ward for the 2nd year!
We got 3rd place in the chilicook off!!! The kids got soo much candy there!! They had some game rooms too, with a haunted maze. There was a brother dressed as an ape at the door. Ben and Abby would not go anywhere near him!! Ben would not even open his eyes, he would just say, "scared momma scared".

Jer took the kids out on Monday, they went to a few friends homes for their halloween experience. We have some neighbors who wanted to scare the trick or treaters. So the son, who is 6'5" tall put out a strobe light and he dressed in a red and black costume that didn't have a face... it was creepy. He would stand stone still with the bowl of candy by his feet and wait until kids got right there, and he would move! So many kids were beyond scared! The neighbor came over just after jer left with the kids and said he didn't want to scare our kids, and gave me a bag of treats for them. I didn't tell Jer, so they went over there and they got so scared. Halloween treated us good, it was a lot of fun!... anybody need any candy?!

A few fun picts...

Ben loved the duck races.
We went to the pumpkin patch with some of our primary friends.
Here we are with the cousins.
Jessie showing us how to use the rope swing.

The kids at Other Grandmas and Grandpas.

Daddy's Blue truck

Its time we say good bye to "daddy's blue truck." Jer posted it on craigslist and sold it yesterday. It is sad, Jer put a lot of time and way too much money into that thing. It sure was fun to drive... there is nothing like driving an old, loud, bumpy, truck, but Jer said as a daily driver it was too much! We will miss you blue truck!

Catching up...

We will fill you in on a few highlights of the summer. We had a garden again this year, we planted the usual and somethings did amazingly great while others barely came up. We are grateful for all we were able to eat and can/freeze because of the garden. Garden fresh is the best.
The Kids got a kitten from a friend in the ward.
Jeremy wanted to name him C.S. Lewis (C.S. standing for coyote snack) and just call him Lewis. I thought that would be a little bit of a bad omen for the poor little guy, so they named him after a cat in one of Cassies favorite books, Baxter. He is living at big Grandmas house enjoying the freedoms of a barn cat. He is quite the cat. Ben loves him, especially. Baxter has grown so big that when Ben picks him up Baxters back legs drag on the ground.

We took a trip to Lake Chelan in the motorhome in June. It was a fantastic trip. Chelan is now one of our favorite places. The motorhome was great, it used a lot of gas, but it was fun to use it. Ben fell out of the motorhome the first night and this was his damage!! He has a pretty good scar! We went to a waterslide park, went to the beach, rode go carts, played put put golf, hiked and just hung out and had fun. We really liked the rv park we stayed it.

Jer and I had the opportunity to go on Trek in August. The kids stayed with other grandma and the cousins were there too! They had so much fun they didn't want to come home. We had a great time on trek too. We love the youth we had in our family and just overall had a ton of fun and it was a very spiritual experience.

Tucker E. Johnson passed away on Sept 4, 2011 in a car accidnet. Tucker was always very happy, fun loving and loved everyone he met, especially children. Some said he was an "old soul," having abilities to love and understand things, beyond his years. He also had one of the biggest smiles we have ever seen and he was always wearing it. We will miss him very much, but we know he is beside his mom doing a greater work. We love you Tucker!

Cassie and Jessie started school on Sept 7th. Jessie is in the first grade and Cassie is in second.

Cassie was so excited because she got the teacher she always wanted!! A few weeks into school, they had to shuffle some classes around and Cassie got a different teacher. She was heart broken. But you ask her now and she loves her new teacher!! Abby is still home with mom, no preschool this year. She is doing well. Her and Ben are so cute palin around. She loves to help me cook and take care of Ben. Ben is going like crazy. I always wondered what that phrase "all boy" meant, but I am learning. He loves to run, jump, climb, he does stuff Abby doesn't dare do. He likes tractors and trucks. He just likes to be loud and silly. two things haven't changed... his smile and his love for his dad.


Our last big bang was a hunting/camping trip to Winthrop. If you haven't been it is a fun little town. We stayed for 3 nights/ four days. Jer hunted and we camped. My dad, Jason, Jamie, Matt and Matt and Brandon came as well as Rich and Krista. They got 4 deer total,3 doe and 1 buck, Jers being the biggest doe.
The kids were very interested in seeing the deer when they got back to camp. We played games, went exploring, hiking, went to the museum and checked out the town. We also shivered our teeth out at night and kept a vigilent eye for rattlesnakes and cougar (maybe that was just me)! It was fun and we were glad Jer got his deer!!

Easter Weekend

Well Easter was a week ago, but that doesn't mean I cannot write about it. We started our Easter weekend out with a bang! Sophie and Elisabeth (Krista's nieces) were up visiting her. Well Friday was the last day that we could visit with them so we got up extra early and went to say out good byes.:( I decided to let Cassie stay home and help me get a few things done. Also they were spending the night at my moms and I didn't want to pull her out of school early, again! So we ran to the store to grab a few last minute items and Cass was telling everyone, as in strangers in the store, who she is, how old, and that she got to stay home while her sister had to go to school. Jessie choose to go to school because they were having an easter party. This is her fine easter bonnet that she made!! Anyway we died eggs, made cinnamon rolls and had a great time on Friday. I left the kids and Jer and I attended the temple with a few couples from the ward and we did sealings. That was amazing!!! (Is that okay to post about temple work?!) The next day Jer and I had trek training. We learned to build shelters, tie knots and cook in a dutch oven. We also learned how to prepare physically. It was really fun and interesting. We finished Saturday off with some yard work and baths. Sunday was good. The easter bunny brought some gifts of spring to the kids, some flip flops, sunglasses a book and ben got his first John Deere hat. Joanie took our picts and we had a great dinner at my moms. I really enjoyed Primary this month talking about the Savior and contemplating the atonement. I am grateful for my Heavenly Father and his unconditional love for us. I am grateful for Him sending a Savior for us and for Christs willingness to suffer and die for us. I am grateful for the ability to be resurrected and to have eternal life. I am grateful to all you who are such wonderful influences and teachers of the gospel. Thank you.

Spring Break

Last Week the girls we on spring break. We had hoped for nice weather, but it was pretty rainy. The week went by super fast. On Monday they spent the night at big grandmas while I went and got my hair done. I also watched Anne of Green Gables and sat in a house that was a little too quiet. On Tuesday they went and seen the dentist, probably one of their favorite places to go. They are all cavity free!! Wednesday and Thursday they tagged along with me while I went to my moms to work on the trek clothes. I am happy to report that I have 2 aprons, pantaloons and 3/4 of a dress. I am grateful for the chance that this has given me to work with my mom.
On Friday and Saturday Jer helped some people in our ward put a wall in their back yard. We went over and played and the kids got lots of rides with Jer on the machines. Ben had to go to the dr on Saturday, he was miserable with an ear infection, so he was put on antibiotics. :(. He slept peacefully last night and seems to be back to his happy self today.

Way back in January

So, back in January, it might have been the first week of Febuary, there was a weekend of spring like weather. We met up with Rich, Krista and Bailee and headed to point defiance park. We went to Owens beach to walk and enjoy the lovely day. The girls were looking for shells and rocks while Ben was just standing in one spot at the edge of the water, throwing rocks. Krista and I were walking ahead a little, with the girls shortly behind while Jer and Rich were trying to convince Ben to come on. I turned around just in time to see Ben charge straight into the water!! He was about up to his waist, just standing there looking like he was wondering how he got there. Jer didn't want to step in and get his shoes wet so he stretched and tried to grab ben by the collar of the coat to pull him back, but he accidently bumped him and ben stumbled forward, putting his face in just before Jer grabbed him. Keep in mind all this happened in less than 30 seconds, it was so fast. Poor little guy, he was so cold and wet. We had a change for him in the van, thank goodness. It exhausted him, and he slept for the rest of the afternoon. As for me I have a new found paranoia. This made me realize how fast the little guys can be and how quickly they can get themselves into a danger.

just waiting...

We are anxiously awaiting the nice weather to be here and in the mean time we are trying not to go stir crazy. Ben and Jeremy have been working on their muscles. Jer wants to get into better shape and gain some muscle weight. He is working hard both at work and sometimes on the weekends. He has been released as Elders Quorum Pres and has been subing in Primary (I think he wishes for his calling back!) He has been taking the girls on daddy daughter dates which they all love.
Ben is starting to say a few things, just last night he said "Ben boy" at the dinner table. Ben also likes to vacuum, wipe things down, sweep and scream at the top of his lungs (I am surprised glass does not break when he does this).

Cassie got her bangs cut and is doing well in school. She is starting a little gymnastics class in April. she is excited for her baptism in Dec and likes to tell everyone about it.

Jessie turned 6 in March. Jessie is loosing more teeth and reading everything she can get her hands on. She also would like to start piano lessons. Jessie loves to play house and pretend she's mom. It gets confusing for me because then I become grandma and whenever I hear one of them calling "mom" I answer and they say, "not you, your the grandma!"

Abby is quite independant these days. She never likes to keep her clothes on, but she loves to hug Ben and help whenever she can. We are looking into preschool and musikindergarten for her in the fall.
I am learning to french braid, coupon (thank you Lynnea) and I am going to try my hand at sewing a dress. We have started working in the garden, but also plan to plant some planters here for the kids to care for and enjoy. We have also been having the kids help out more around the house. They all have chores to do everyday after school and on Saturdays. They sure aren't liking it, but it has made cleaning a little easier. Spring break is next week. We dont have any plans other than to have fun and to be outside as much as possible.

This one's for you Janni

Time has slipped by, again. I knew it had been a while since I have updated the blog but since August?!! WOW!! Well we have been staying busy. Ben got his first tooth. He is up to 4 now with more getting ready to pop through any day. He also started to "woof" and say "uh oh" this last week.
Jessie lost her 1st tooth in October. It got loosened up at school during snack and by 4 o'clock that very day, her and big grandma had coaxed it out! Jessie is doing well in kindergarten too. Her teacher says she is a very good helper and stays on task. She also had finished her kindergarten assesment book by nov. Which means she know what the kindergartners should know before they go into first grade. They put her on a reading program and she is loving it.
Abby is talking more and more everyday, she can spell her name, recongnize most colors, count to ten and tattle on her sisters with the best of them. Her and Ben have become little pals too.
Cassie is doing great in first grade. She is learning number scales, she is doing lots of reading, she loves recess, She can go all the way across the monkey bars now, & she does good on her spelling tests. When you ask her how school was she rates it based upon the number of "think times" other kids get for that day. She just doesn't like to see others sad. We don't have them enrolled in any type of sports or lessons at this time. They are always getting flyers sent home and want to do everything. Its hard to find that balance of letting them have their stuff and not feeling overwhelmed with activities to get to.
We had the cousins from the christensen side for a sleepover back in October... the kids loved it.
Jer has been having fun at work. He got his CDL in November. So no more horsin around while driving or it equals big trouble. He did some snow plowing in November when we had snow around thanksgiving. He also spread de-icer one night. He got home from work at 3:00... am. That was a long day. He has his idaho itch again, but I don't think that will ever go away. He has been able to have a few 3 day weekends with us which has been nice. Ben and him are side kicks, so Ben usually isn't too happy come Monday morning with no dad around. He is still Elders Quorum President.
I have been doing what mom's do best. Taking the kids to and from school is time consuming, but in my opinion, way better than the bus. Primary has a lot of "busy" stuff happening. I am over cub scouts now. So I have a meeting once a week. I am excited to become familiar with the program so when its Bens time, I know whats happening. We had a great fall and christmas season we especially enjoyed seeing Janni Caleb and Kyler.
Our hopes this year are to focus on where we would like to be, figure out how to get there and to be happy along the way.