Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Bish Fish, Box Fun, Computer Baby, Horse Back Riding, and Cousins!!

Here are some random December pictures that I wanted to share. Life has been really busy this month with my trip to Georgia, Christmas, and family coming into town. We've had a lot of fun, and hope that the new year will bring more fun and family/friend interactions.
Here's a picture of my nieces that have a wonderful time playing together. They are all so great to play with Logan and tote him around the house. He loves each of them, and really enjoys the individual attention they all give him.
Dustin has the idea to play horsey with my dad's saddle. Unfortunately Logan wouldn't participate, so I only got pictures of Joseph and Rebecca riding.
Logan loves to play on my computer, so this is how I catch him daily. He's even fallen off the chair a few times, so now I have to turn the chair upside down to prevent serious injury.
I was baking one day and Logan was playing this box for like a hour. He would put his balls in and then he'd crawl in with them and then throw them all out. He did this over and over again. He was in such a great mood.
Here's another picture of Dustin's big catch. Yes this is a different fish. As you can see Dustin spends most of his down time fishing at the pond with my dad.

Anyways I'll try to get Christmas stuff done next, but hopefully this brings you out of the dark to what we've been doing this month.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

My Present

Well since my last post the reindeer have deflated and one even popped, the angel is missing from the tree and cleverly replaced with a Dallas Cowboy helmet, and Logan and I took a fun trip to Georgia. My sweet, selfless husband bought me a plane ticket for Christmas to go see Claire. Aside from the over charge for luggage at the airport, the 3 mile walk to the terminal, and the lady who threw up all over herself one the airplane, it was the best trip ever. It had been 2 years since I saw her last, and we had fun just like it was yesterday. Here are a few pictures from the trip. We stayed up every night talking, and spent all day just hanging out. We made Christmas candy, attempted to work out (Logan wouldn't cooperate), and watched a few movies. I have to tell a little Ella story. I asked her to play with Logan at the gym so I could work out, to which she replied, "OK, I will be his mommy for awhile". Too cute! Anyways, Jason was such a trooper, and never complained that he didn't get enough time with Claire. Logan was in heaven with all the kids, and even participated in 1 hour of nursery for the first time. Claire and her sister have 2 kids and of the 4 kids 3 are boys. He just followed them around everywhere. Anyways I just have to give kudos to my wonderful husband Dustin for giving me the best present ever. It seems every year that he just gives the best thoughtful presents ever, and he has no idea how much this present meant to me. I think we took like 20 pictures before we got 1 that we both approved of! Do you think we look like sisters?? Every time we go somewhere everyone ask if we are!
Logan and Lincoln had a wonderful time in the bath, but Ella just hung out in the corner because Logan likes to splash. She didn't think it was a fun bath at all!!
We took the kids for a walk at Claire's parents' house and they had a blast playing in the leaves. I didn't get a very cute one of all the kids, but I thought this picture of Ella was just too cute. She had this permi-grin on her face the whole time.
Logan wouldn't sit in the leaves, but he sure had fun throwing them around and running through them like a sprinkler.
What a trooper!!! We had family home evening with the Allreds, and Jason let Claire decorate his face after they did the gingerbread house. Then she licked it off!! I didn't post that picture because it was X rated....LOL

Anyways so this is what's been going on, and now I'm off to work on my new furniture project!! Merry Christmas, because I'm confident this will be my last post until then!

Saturday, November 29, 2008

Arnold Schwarzenegger Reindeer

Dustin decided this year he wanted the biggest stocking he could find. Wishful thinking right?? Well we found a fairly big one and hung it by the fireplace. Everyone in my family got a kick out of it, so here is the picture of the stockings hung by the fire!! We tried to take a picture of Logan in it for the Christmas card, but he threw the biggest fit and kicked his legs frantically when we tried to put him in it. So that picture was a no go!!


I was so worried this year that if we put the tree up we would be fighting Logan the whole month to keep the ornaments on the tree and his little hands away. Well not so much because this year we put up two guard reindeer and Logan is terrified of them. My dad said they look like Arnold Schwarzenegger because they have really buff thighs. Anyways Logan doesn't even get near the tree because he thinks they are real. There has been a few times his balls have gone by the tree, and he doesn't even dare get close, so he pulls our fingers until we get up to get them for him. Dustin was holding Logan, and he put him down right beside one of the reindeer and Logan screeched out and then ran away. So I guess I can say problem solved...or I guess problem prevented thanks to the blow up reindeer!

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Freedom Weekend

For the first time ever I left Logan this past weekend. The hardest part was he was sick, so I left dad to deal with the stuffy nose and teething. Dustin was invited to come, but after much deliberation and worrying I decided to let him baby sit at home since thats what he felt would be easiest for Logan. My Mom, Dad, and I left on Friday and went to Dallas to stay with my cousin OJ for the weekend. We went to see Twilight on Friday and went to a dinner theater on Saturday. I was slightly disappointed with Twilight because it wasn't sweet like the book, but oh well we were still entertained. The dinner theater was a lot of fun. They have everyone be detectives and interview all the guest. My cousin pulled a fast one and I suddenly became a suspect. The cop was interrogating me in front of everyone and accused Dustin of having an affair with a lady at the table. She asked me what I thought and i told her I didn't think he would be interested in an older woman. Everyone in the room started cracking up. The lady was obviously 15-20 years older than me. I had a wonderful time on our girls out weekend, but obviously I missed my little guy and couldn't wait to be home again. It's crazy how much we get attached to our children!

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Goodbye to Snoop Frog!!

This is a picture of Snoop Frog's distance relative, but this give you an idea of what he looks like!
Well the day has finally come to say goodbye to my Snoop Frog! Dustin bought him on Valentines Day 5 years ago, and he has lived a good long life. They usually live only 2-3 years, so he is really old. He started acting funny yesterday, so I knew the days were numbered. He's still hanging on, but I think he''ll be dead just in time for Dustin to flush him this afternoon. He is so old that his fingers look like the have arthritis, and he has a cataract in his left eye. I know not so pretty. He has moved with us from Utah to Texas 2 times, so he's been a cross country traveler. He also has survived a near death experience where he plummeted from his tank and hopped down the stairs at Brad and Tiffany's house only to be submerged back in water just in the nick of time. I guess he was missing us over Christmas or something. He used to croaked all night, so it sounded like we were in the woods even though we lived in the city. Well we are down to just Friday and the one fish tank. Our pets are numbered now!

Monday, November 17, 2008

Rebecca's Baptism






On Wednesday the 12th Rebecca got baptized. I wanted to post some pictures so that the family who were not there could see how beautiful she looked on her special day.

Houston Trip

We finally made it to Houston to meet Baby Kate! She is such a pretty baby, and her mom was so generous to let me hold her a lot. We had so much fun hanging out with Ian and Julia, but of course we always do. It stinks we live so far away, but I think there is always hope we'll live next to each other someday. Gracie and Logan played together, and it was so cute because she was like the big sister to him. We took the kids to the Houston Zoo to enjoy a day out. Baby Kate slept most of the time, but Logan and Gracie sure enjoyed the animals. It was a short trip, so I didn't get a lot of pictures.




Halloween Treat

Granna bought Logan this little pumpkin stick with gummy and marshmallow pieces for Halloween. He thought it was awesome, so he carried it around the house eating it as fast as possible. I had to post these pictures because his mouth turned so black from the icing.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Spring Lake Park






I ran into one of my high school friends at Wal-Mart a week or so ago, and we decided to take the kids to the park and go to lunch. Her little girl is almost exactly 1 month older than Logan so it was perfect. Spring Lake Park is in Texarkana and is a great park for kids to play. We fed the ducks bread, played on the jungle gym, put the kids in swings, and let them play in the rocks. My friend's little girl is so sweet, she was giving Logan hugs and kisses. Of course he was the typical boy and was pushing her away, but it was so sweet. The kids had the best time, and it was great to catch up with high school friends. It's crazy how fast time passes and how quickly we grow apart.

Lately.....

Logan has been cracking me up lately. Here's why....

To wash Logan's hair we have to rinse with a cup because we don't have a sprayer. He really doesn't like this part of the bath, but it has to be done. The other day when I was washing his hair he started batting the cup away and looked up at me with a furrowed brow and said "STOP". I couldn't help but start cracking up.

Today Logan was eating, and like always Friday is at his feet whining. It's not a small whine, it's constant and very annoying. Most days I say "Friday, stop whining, or go to bed. I've been trying really hard to not show frustration with the dog, because I don't want Logan to mimic that behavior. Today showed me I was too late. When he started whining Logan looked up and said "Day(that's what he calls Friday), Stop, NoNo". He get the most serious look on his face, but of course it's funny because he's covered in food.

At the beginning of the week Logan decided it was time to feed himself yogurt. He did a great job, none on the floor or his chair. He did however have huge clumps on his bib and face. It was soo cute though because he concentrated so hard and ate the whole container without any help. He dips his spoon and then wipes it across his mouth. He's not learned how to shovel it in straight. Also I'm proud to say that he's finally weaned from a bottle. He's been bottle sober for 3 days. I worry that he's going to get dehydrated because he's only drinking half the fluid he did when he was on the bottle, but I'm sure it's normal to start drinking less at his age. I figure he'll ask for a drink when he's ready.

Logan doesn't know sign language per say, but he does have his own sign language. When he's thirsty he smacks his lips and tongue. When he wants something he points and goes "uhuh", and when he wants to be picked up he raises both arms and does the grabby hands thing. Most of the days are spent running to me going "mama" and grabbing my finger pulling me to a place he wants to show me something. He's also learned to say shoes "shu", which means he wants to put his shoes on because that means he gets to go somewhere.

Logan has become so affectionate, and needless to say I LOVE IT! He gives me kisses and hugs randomly throughout the day. When he's tired or just woke up he will lay on my shoulder and wrap his arms around my neck and you can feel his little arms as tense as possible just holding on. Also when I'm holding him and he doesn't want to get down he will wrap his legs and arms around me and hold on like a little money and laugh as I'm trying to put him down and he's trying desperately to just be held.

One of the newest and funniest things he does is sit on the couch or in a chair. He doesn't want to be in a lap or be touched. He will just sit on the couch fold his arms look around the room and just be calm and behaved like a big kid.

Last, but not least he's learned to feed mom. Yesterday I fixed this steamed veggie dinner and took it to the couch to sit down. Of course he was sitting on the other side of the bowl next to me. He reached down and forked a carrot and was contemplating taking a bite, but he just doesn't like any veggie that isn't baby food yet. So he decided that I should eat it and gave me the bite. That was all she wrote, and he wouldn't let me feed myself the rest of my lunch. He fed me every single bite until I was full.

Anyways I know this behavior is probably common for most kids, but I just wanted to write it down so I didn't forget. I just love my little man and all the hard minutes of frustration and anxiety are made up for with his sweet little personality.

Dallas Trip

We went to visit my brother and his family a few weeks ago, and well I'm just now posting the pictures. We went to this restaurant that they found called Life's A Beach and played in the sand beach for a long time. Logan was quite apprehensive at first because he doesn't like to get dirty, but after Dad showed him how much fun it could be, he played.
Thanks to Decota and Cambria Logan was mom free for awhile. They took him to the sand and they entertained him. They are wonderful baby sitters, and I think Logan and I are so blessed to have such wonderful cousins/nieces.

The boys (Rodney, Daddy, and Dustin) went to a Cowboy's game on Sunday and all wore jerseys which was totally picture worthy. Thanks Rodney. I love that my dad, husband, and brother have something in common that they can enjoy together. They are a handsome group if I say so myself!

Monday, November 10, 2008

Dustin's Big Catch



On Saturday morning a few weeks ago Dustin woke up and went to buy a lot of minnows. He said he was going to catch the big fish that got away a few weeks before. I went fishing with him while my parents watched Logan. We were there for like 10 minutes and he did catch the big fish, and all I caught was a shoe full of mud. When he said it was big I ran and got the net and waited for him to get it close enough for me to scoop up. The outside of the pond is surrounded by brush so I was reaching as far as I could when I slipped and stepped right into the mud. Dustin was struggling because as he was reeling in the fish his reel broke, and so both of us were pulling the fish in with the fishing line. He was so excited that I wasn't even annoyed that I got all muddy. All in all it was a great trip although the only bites I got were from misquotes. Dustin caught like 6 fish, but I think even if he just caught this one he would have still been completely happy.

Halloween way late

Here is Logan with Papaw and a cute little boy in our ward. Him and Logan are about 6 months apart, so hopefully they will play well together in nursery. We had a great trunk-or-treat despite my negative attitude. I tend to think our ward is lame, but they pulled it together and the kids had a great time.
I talked my sister into dressing as a cowgirl with me! Logan looks memorized in this picture. He was a little tired because we woke him up from his nap early.
Dustin wouldn't dress up, but here is a picture of Logan and dad together at the trunk-or-treat!
Ok this picture is a classic. Logan is suck a cowardly lion. He was terrified of Joseph when he was the hulk, so Joseph decided to dress on Halloween as a cowboy and the bandanna freaked Logan out. Hopefully he will grow out of it soon.
Here's a cute picture before the waterworks started. Rebecca had a cute little friend come with her. She was quite the chatterbox in a cute way!

6 Things About Me!

Sorry Chanel I've not blogged in forever, but here is the answer to "6 things you don't, or maybe you do, know about me"

1: I have to have lotion on my feet when I go to bed. I like to rub my feet together for warmth and I can't stand the feeling of two sandpaper feet rubbing together.

2: I can't spell, but I guess that's no secret. Dustin makes fun of me every time I post on my blog because there are always grammatical errors. I pretty much get the spelling right because of the wonderful invention of spell check, but too bad they can't create a program that checks to make sure you have the right word in the sentence. So sorry if it pains some of you to read my blog, but hey that's me so sorry!

3: I dislike hairy things, that's why I shave my whole body! I know I'm not the only one, but I like my arms to be as slick as my legs! I'm lucky I married a hairless man too!

4: I hate to travel! I guess we are opposites Chanel! Don't get me wrong I love to see new things and be in great places, but I hate the ride there. I really hate being in the car for more than an hour, and airplanes just suck the whole way. I'm not scared, but they just give me massive headaches. I get car sick really easily.

5:I don't like spicy! If the food is so hot that you can't taste any flavor outside of the burning sensation in your tongue, I just rather not eat it. On the other hand, I do love foods with lots of spices! The more flavor the better!

6:I really like to read/watch sappy love stories. It's great when they are so sweet that I feel butterflies in my tummy. I know it's silly!

Well there ya go, and now I tag Becca, Claire, Teryn, and Kim.

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Stinky Skunk

Well the rabid skunk is gone!!! Woohoo I guess! Yesterday we were at the Cullen Baker Fair in Bloomburg all day and when we got home I decided to lay down and take a nap while Logan was asleep because I stayed up extra late on Friday night to finish my book. Anyways while I was laying down I just started to drift to sleep when I hear a loud pop, pop, pop right outside my window. Dustin comes running in bringing the putrid smell with him and says "your dad got the skunk" I was very happy because I thought it had rabbis, but boy did it stink. My dad said he thought it had the mange for sure. The smell brought back all to vivid memories. When we moved to Texas in 04 we lived just down the road from my parents and one night we let Friday out to the bathroom and then back in. All the sudden we smelt this horrific smell and I started going around the house trying to figure out what it was. I was sniffing pot plants, shoes, you name it I sniffed it before we realized it was the dog. He got sprayed by a dang skunk. By the time we realized it was too late, the house was infested with the putrid smell. I don't know if anyone has smelt a skunk right after it sprays, but it's not the smell you get when you pass it on the road. It's much more awful and very potent. The smell literally makes you gag and takes your breath away. What a serious defense mechanism. Anyways the house smelt for days and the dog smelt for months every time he got wet for a bath! Dustin and I were both going to college and the next day at school all our classmates were telling us how badly we smelt. How embarrassing!! Anyways this time was no different. The house smelt so bad because the smell just infested the house and the yard. We really considered staying home from church because of the smell. It still smells 24 hours later outside. Definitely not as bad as it smelt the time the dog brought in the smell, but still awful. I've just about got the smell gone and the skunk is buried, so hopefully none of his nasty friends decide to come visit. We WILL be prepared! So there you have it our wonderful skunk story!

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Craziness on the Johnson Farm

So I told you about the wild hog hanging out with the horses, well now we have another wild animal pest. A Skunk has been hanging out in the front yard. I think it's been digging up the nuts that the squirrels have been hiding because it looks like it is digging it's head in the ground all around the yard. Scary I know. The reason why it freaks me out so much is because he's missing a lot of hair on his rear end. I think it might have rabies because it's coming out during the day. My dad said it may have been hit by a car, but either way it's weird for a skunk to come into the yard during the day. Also the wild hog is back, but this time it's hanging out with my sister's horses just a little way down the road. My brother-in-law shot at it, but because it was close to a house he had to shoot at it's feet, so he didn't kill it. Also this is the craziest story of all. The other day we were getting ready to head to my brother's house and I was doing binky round up! Logan loves to jump in his crib and chunk binkies all around the room. You never know where you are going to find them, and because of this we have lost quite a few. Well anyways I found as many as I could, but not enough so my mom went into his room to find more under the bed. Well instead of finding a binky, you will never guess what she found. Part of a SNAKE skin! YUCK and SCARY!! My dad said since it was such a small piece that it probably came in on someone's shoe, but geez who likes the idea of a snake being in their babies bedroom. My mom hunted high and low,and didn't find a snake, so I guess we are in the clear. So as you can see we've had a lot of run ins with crazy scary animals on the Johnson Farm!!

~Best of Friends~




"Friends are the most important ingredient in this recipe of life."

Today I was baking cupcakes and I immediately thought of Claire. So many times in college she baked me cupcakes because she knew how much I love them. For my 21st birthday she welcomed me at the door of our dorm with a sign telling me all the ways she loved me and of course with a pan full of cupcakes! Thanks to Claire college was fun, exciting, and unforgettable! When we became friends, I really learned what it was like to have a best friend. Even though we live forever apart, I will never forget the many ways she influenced my life!! Here are a few things I love about Claire!
Her eye for fashion
How she laughs and smiles at herself while she cry
She finds the best in everyone, or at least looks for it
She's creative at planning fun activities
She's a good listener and great advise giver
She's very spiritual, and I've never seen her waiver in her testimony
Always head strong in the gospel and following the rules
Quick to give compliments
Compassionate to those in need
Forgiving
Always upbeat and happy

I love you Claire, and think about you often! Thanks for always being there for me!

Our Hobby






Dustin and I have a shared interest in woodworking. He likes to build things and I like to restore old wood furniture. My family had some old furniture that was just sitting in a shed, so Dustin and I asked my cousin if we could restore it and she said yes. We've done 3 pieces so far, and we love it! It's a great way for us to spend time together working on a project, but most of all it's great to see how beautiful old furniture can be with a little TLC. This piece right here had a lot of water damage, but look how beautiful it turned out. They are never perfect, but will make great decorations when we get a house someday.We still have to get the drawer pulls and lock covers, so the picture isn't quite complete. Those things are very tricky to find at a reasonable price.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Home Again Jig Jig Jig......

Logan loves to run free, and the open deck area at the hotel was a great place for him to run his little legs off! As you can see he was very excited to be free of his stroller.

This is the phrase my mom always uses when we are back home from a long trip. Home again, home again...Jig, Jig, Jig. Don't ask me what it means because I have no idea, but I thought it would be a good title for this post because our trip was great, but of course home is great too. Beware all the long post as you read, but it's impossible to fit a 7 day trip into one post. We are grateful for all the support, and I just hope that Dustin's hard work will finally pay off!