2013 funnies

Jan. 28, 2013--Eden, touting one of the unknown benefits of having a good sense of humor, "If people are funny, when rattlesnakes eat them, they don't die."  

We love Eden's Jersey accent:

OYtmeal=oatmeal

A co-us=of course

Feb. 4, 2013--Ryn, optimistic even during some sibling strife, "I love these kinds of fights!"  

Elle, affirming her independent spirit, "I'm a girl who knows what I want and it doesn't matter what anyone else wants." (We're looking forward to the teenage years :) 

Feb 16, 2013--Eden sticks up for Darren, "It's not his fault!  Babies do not have faults!"

Feb. 19, 2013--coming home from our next-door neighbor's, I tried to get Elle to hurry by challenging her to a race.  "I'm going to beat you!" I called as I started jogging.  Having just finished a pregnancy and delivered Hope a few months before, I hadn't been seen running for a while....Apparently TOO long. Elle was shocked. "I didn't know moms could run!"  

May 1, 2013--Eden, still trailing her clouds of glory, "When little kids die, they go sit on Jesus' lap."

She does have her feet firmly planted on earth, though, always ready to play and trying to find ways to be invited to friends houses.  "If we bring them cookies, maybe they'll say 'That's nice!  Can Eden have a play date?'"

May 7, 2014--a cute boy in our primary complimented my singing by saying, "you have the best voice.  It's a fact."  Ryn overheard and corrected him, "That's actually an opinion." Thanks for the clarification, Ryn :)

May 15,2013--Eden was a bit hesitant to admit to something she had done wrong.  "I can't tell you or it'll make us have a long talk."  

Putting on some cool shoes, "Don't I look like a 16 yr old when I wear these?!"  

June 13, 2013--I remarked on what a great day we were having and one of the kids asked, "is this the best of your life?" Ryn answered, "Every day is that for mom."  

June 19, 2013--Elle's comment to someone who had the hiccups, "You have the hickeys!"

July 10, 2013--I listened in on this discussion about where Las Vegas (Lost Vegas) got its name. Eden:  "cause there's lots of lost things there..."   Elle:  "it used to be a lost land."  

August 1, 2013--It is my constant struggle to get my kids to wear short-sleeves in the summer and long ones in the winter.  On this hot day, I had reminded them to put on something appropriate, but Eden came downstairs with this request, "we found a long-sleeved one.  Can we cut the sleeves off?"  

Darren melted my heart when he told me, "You yook pitty, Mommy.  Yike a pincess."

September 10, 2013--Darren loves to pretend he is the dad and Elle and Hope are his daughters.  It is so sweet to see him love and lead them. Talking to Elle, "I a Dad-dy.  You a see-har (sweetheart).  Hope a tiny see-har."  

September 27, 2013--Eden, after saying something "smart"--"You know how I knowed that?  My head told my brain!...and that told it to my smart part...wherever that is..."

October 24, 2013--Darren has us smiling all the time with the way he says words that start with "sp-". On this day, he was talking about all the animals that expactorate :). "Camals psit, Monkeys psit...."

October 25, 2013--reading in the Book of Mormon about the brother of Jared, I commented that I want to have that kind of faith.  Sweet Ryn piped up, " You already do!  You get us to church on time every Sunday!"  ( 12:30 church time really helps out with that kind of faith :)

November 14, 2013--I love hearing Ryn explain how the world works to the younger kids (especially when she's establishing her role as the big sister in charge). "Even though we have agency, everyone still has a boss!"  

December 12, 2013--we were talking about the Holy Ghost, his role in helping us know what is right, and how he can't stay with us if we aren't choosing the right.  Eden was characteristically on top of it. "If he goes away when we're bad, how can he help us do better?"  I reassured her that when we repent quickly, we get "another chance" to have him with us. Eden's next thinking question:  "How many?"  

So much to be thankful for!

November this year found me feeling more grateful than ever before. Our thankful tree--and hearts--were overflowing!

Children especially have no difficulty finding things to be thankful for..."my mussells, muny, day and night, food, trees, ansesters, the temple, dimples, our Savior, braids...." 

So much time with family...this was a great cousin get-together with the Johnson side. 

Gorgeous weather and children that make my heart sing every day

And a fun-filled Thanksgiving with our own little family, Rachel, Conlon and Baby Jane to wrap up a month of gratitude.  (See that handsome angel who makes my life sweet and wonderful every day?)

Darren, Hope and Jane even took really long naps that day so we could have a quiet, peaceful, warm! dinner!  Another Thanksgiving miracle :). 

Ryn is 8

In December 2005, a wonderful holiday season was made infinitely more special because this angel came to be our first miracle baby.  This December felt a lot like that in so many ways.  Her new birth. Her new life.  Our job for the past 8 years was to prepare her for this and now we entrust her again to the care of that Father who gave her to us.  Of course we still have lots to teach her and great responsibility as her parents, but it is wonderful to see her on the right path!  

Eight is a very important milestone for us as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The "age of accountability".  When we turn 8 we are old enough to understand right from wrong.  We are able to make the decision of weather or not we want to be baptized and commit to following Jesus Christ for the rest of our lives. 

In the months leading up to her birthday, Ryn attended several friends' baptisms, started reading the scriptures more on her own, and read and discussed with me scripture lists on anything and everything that has to do with baptism.  How was Jesus Christ baptized?  Why do we get baptized?  What promises do we make?  What is a covenant?  How do we keep that promise for a whole lifetime? Why do we wait til we are 8?  Why do we receive the 'gift of the Holy Ghost'?  How does the Holy Ghost help us keep our baptismal covenant?  I was in heaven, talking with her about these principles that are so important to me and seeing how important they are to her.    She gave me this bookmark in October:

Of course she was ready. She was born ready!  I honestly have never known someone as pure in heart as this girl.  She has been our teacher from day one. Even as a toddler, she could tell when the spirit was in our home. And if Kevin and I ever had a disagreement, she could sense how immediately wrong that was, too.

She instinctively knew when I, or anyone else, needed her extra love and help. "I help you?" Was one of her first full sentences.  When she was two, we attended the funeral of a sweet lady in our branch in France. She was older and had been sick for several years, but that didn't lessen her husband's grief. He was devestated. We had only been in the branch a few months, and his wife's illness had kept him home most Sundays.  Because of this, and Ryn's young age, she didn't know him.  But as soon as we approached the group at the funeral, she went straight to him and gave him a huge hug.  He told us later how much he had needed that at that very moment. 

Now she is helping and loving us all as a young lady, sensing the moods I'm in, finding ways to involve her little sisters and brother in her projects and play dates so they won't feel left out, excited and optimistic about each new day and every family tradition. 

Michelle took these gorgeous pictures the day before Ryn's actual birthday. She even ordered the amazing flower crown!  I love how she captured Ryn's sweet goodness and joyful heart. 

After the freezing photo shoot, Kevin, Ryn and I headed up to Park City for a special overnight date.  We went bowling, swam at the hotel, were secret service fairies to the hungry hotel receptionist who was going to be on duty til midnight (we went and grabbed her a meal from Wendy's and brought it back), saw Frozen at the theater, ate out, and talked about important parts of Heavenly Father's plan for us. It was a little piece of heaven. (There is bowling up there, right? ;)

The baptism day was one week later, December 28. We were able to have our own family event and so we got to have Rob bless baby Caroline right before the baptism (no pictures!!!  Grrrrr!).  It was so great to have so many friends and family members there!!  Rob and Christa and their 3 beautiful girls, Rae and Conlon (Bonner! ;) and Jane,  Spencer, Mom and Dad, Ryan and Laura, Tom and Carma, Jody and Dan, Josh, Zack and Anna, the Lehnardts, the Horsleys, Andrewsens, Gordon's, and Ryn's wonderful French teacher, Mrs Robinson, as well as some of her school friends. 

Besides the ordinances themselves, the highlights were hearing Ryn, Elle and Eden sing "When I Am Baptized" together and hearing testimonies of all four grandparents.  Ryn asked me to give the talk and I now know why I've never seen the mother do that before. Too many emotions, too crazy of a day when you're responsible for every detail, too much love for this child who is making their first big decision to follow Christ. How I pray she will continue to choose Him in all things, every day of her life.  Every time I look at her face, I have faith that she will.  Happy birthday, angel Ryn!!

PS.  The Narnia birthday party we had the week before her actual birthday was pretty fun, too :). (It was quite a busy month--I haven't even come close to getting Christmas recorded here!).  Here are a few pictures from the party:

The wardrobe invitation...

The lamp post (made by Kev!), the food--chocolate covered gummy bears for Turkish Delight, hot chocolate, individual cheesecakes, powdered donuts, muddy buddies--Ryn dressed as Susan, Eden as Lucy, and Darren as Peter (wielding his sword and crying," for Narnia!  For Aslan!"  

We had a paper snowball fight (even though we had plenty of snow for a real one).

The crafts were Susan horns and icicle ornaments that they made by twisting strips of plastic over a candle flame. 

Good times :)