Saturday Fun!

 Mike loaded up the snowmobiles and got us out in the truck for an adventure.  I brought my camera (as usual) and it entertained Jason as we got to where we were going...

When we got to Hardware Ranch, Mike hooked on some sleds and our adventure began.  We have two snowmobiles and 6 people who needed to get from point A to point B.

Mike had the littles on the sled, but they kept falling off.  So, he ended up with Allie and the two littles for a little while.

 I rode with Jake.

Allie rode on the sled for a while, but the destination (that was always "just around this corner") proved to be a little further away than expected.

So, we traded around again and Nate took a turn by himself.

When we got to a hill that they could sled down, Jason needed a break to re-fuel.

We all got to take turns riding around in the fresh powder.  Even Nate took off like he was hot stuff.  He usually rides around in the field up in Star Valley, so he took off with confidence.

Jake's getting to be a good little rider.

So is Allie.

We had a really nice time.  Mike's life sure has changed.  He used to go for all day rides with the big ol' boys.  He'd compete for the highest hill climb or the fastest sled.  Today was a comedy show.  There were too many people on too few sleds.  There were cold hands and hungry bellies.  He had to split his time with kids who wanted to ride, but he made it so fun for all of us.
He loaded us all up and made sure we were all comfortable and as warm as possible. He got the snowmobiles in and out of the trailer and did all the heavy lifting.  I know he could have gone with the guys and had a whole lot more time to roar his engine, but he did this for us instead.  I hope he knows we were all grateful.  It was a day of memories for sure.
   

Plus, we saw a whole lot of elk, so...

Charlotte's Web

I look forward to this time of year because the school gives each family a book and challenges them to read it together.  This  year's book was Charlotte's Web.  It was one of the first books that was my very own, and I loved it as a kid.  My kids loved it too.

Every night, we'd pile into my bed and read.  Jake would sometimes slink around and pretend he wasn't listening, but I knew he was sucked in just as much as the littles.  :)

The boys didn't see the ending coming and they were both pretty sad that Charlotte died.  Nathan came home from school the next day and told me all the kids were sad about Charlotte.  I think it's so neat that so many kids read the book with their families.

 When we were done with the book, we went to the school for literacy night.  They had some cut outs that the kids could pose by.

 And, they each got to pick out a book.
Both Nate and Allie picked out I Survived books.  Nathan is really into those these days.
Jason's pick of Night of the Ninjas was somewhat predictable.  :)

We came home and started a new book right away.  We're reading the first Harry Potter.  I have the big illustrated one, so that's been fun for all of us.

I love reading to my kids and I often stress out that there are too many books and not enough nights to read them all before these stinkers grow up.
I'm sure Allie and Jake will find their way into the room as I read Harry Potter too, so not all is lost when they grow up.
Yay for good books!

Sunshine!

I came home from a meeting on Sunday to this...

 It feels so good to have the sun shining on our faces again!

In fact, the weather seemed so nice that the boys asked me to hang the hammock up again.

It didn't matter that they had to walk through snow to get to it...it was warm in the sun above ground!

Hudsons

My dad loved old cars.  He loved them all and owned more than you can even imagine over the course of his life.  He loved them all, but he really loved Hudsons.  He was a member of the Hudson Essex Terraplane Club.  He traveled all over the states to Hudson meets and to find "treasures of trash" (as my mom called them), to drag home.

One of his best friends, and fellow member of the club, was Glen Johnson.  I grew up thinking he and his wife Maisie were my actual aunt and uncle because we had the same last name.  

They live in Brigham City and we visited them any chance we could get as kids.  We would sometimes groan with dread as we pulled off the freeway on the way home from McCall.  Dad would say he'd just stop a minute, but as my kids have learned, "minutes" can turn into hours when you're a Johnson.  I inherited that gift, of making time fly when chatting with friends, from my dad.

Maisie calls me Susie and every time I see her, she reminds me that as a toddler, I used to beg to stay with "Auntie Maisie" and I'd wave "bye, bye" to my family when it was time to go.

I always wondered what the heck she was talking about because honestly, we were always glad to be driving away.  There's only so much you can do as you wait for your dad to chat about old cars.  

I can see the room, just off the car port, vividly in my mind because it was the room we were consigned to as kids.  The walls were filled with comic book pages.  The other end of the house was filled with all sorts of Japanese trinkets and there was a room with white carpet.  We were not allowed to cross into that room.  When I was in college and I'd stop in to visit, I'd sit in Maisie's kitchen and chat with her as she'd make me a sandwich.  She invited me in to the white room once and I barely knew what to do with myself.  

Anyway, Glen died last week.  When people I know die, I always think of the last time I saw them and wonder if I left any regrets.  I last saw Glen at the Peach Days car show in Brigham City last summer.  I sought him out because I knew he'd be there.  I took a picture with him and I chatted with him as long as the kids would allow.  I'm really glad I saw him then.  I'm glad that I made him take a picture with me.  

Maisie called to tell me the news and we talked about Glen.  She wondered if he was in heaven with my dad.  I told her that I was sure my dad was one of the first to welcome him there.  

My mom came up to go to the graveside with  me.

I love Maisie.

Glen's gold car was there, so I took a bunch of pictures of it.  I have a lot of memories of that car.

My dad had a similar one, only in navy blue.

I wonder if there are cars in heaven.  If so, Glen's probably up there chatting about them with my dad.

Catch

Nate is always begging us to play catch.  It's usually at a time when I've just started making dinner, or Mike has just sat down after a long day of work.  It's hard to refuse the boy.  He's so persistent with his begging.  On this particular day, I had pawned him off on Mike.  

Mike was nice and went out to throw the ball around for a bit.  He'd catch them and then let Jason throw it back.

Hopefully some day soon, Jason will be good enough (for Nate's standards) to be able to play catch with him.  Then, I can send them both out the door for some quality brother time.  I keep telling him that's why I had more than one kid...so they could play with each other and not me.  :)

Charlie's coming back to himself a bit.  He found his old toothbrush and chewed it for a while.  That's a good sign.

 He also showed interest in the battle going on in the back yard.

All good things Charlie.

Basketball

Nate played basketball this season.  He really enjoyed playing.  He was on the same team as his two little pre-school friends, so that's always fun.

 Nate can hustle.  He can run up and down the court without getting tired (no surprise).  He can make baskets too.  Mike and I have taken him to the rec center to practice a few times and he can make his shots.  The biggest trouble is that when you are on a team, you don't always get the ball.  Especially when there are ball hogs on your team.

He broke away a few times and got to make a few shots, but they were few and far between.  He didn't always focus and sometimes he'd forget that he was in a game, but overall, he did great.  He had a good time. 

Nate is the tallest one in the back row,

Yay for basketball!

Conversation with Nathan

I know that it's impossible to remember all the things the kids say and do.  I want to though.  I know the only way is to write things down.  Since I've become a cell phone owner, I've started to text myself.  I'll quickly write down cute things the kids say and I try to remember later to write about the incident.  I got a new phone, so I'm trying to go through the old phone and save all the things I have in that one.  I came across the reminder to write about a conversation I had with Nathan.  I might have already written about it before, and if I have, I'm sorry.  It's one that is still pretty funny to me, even if I have to read about it twice.

Since we have gotten Charlie, Nathan has developed an interest in other people's pets.  He keeps asking me what dog was my favorite when I was a kid.  I answer the same every time (Lacy...we had her for years and years, how could she not be a favorite?)  But we've also talked about Daisy.  She  was a dog that I got when my friend moved and couldn't take her with them.  She was hit by a car near our house.  It was traumatic for me. 
We also talk a lot about my sister Jenny's dogs.  She had two mini dachshunds like Lacy and she also had a dog named Penny.  When they moved to Florida in their motorhome, they still had two dogs.  They lived in their very tiny motorhome with 2 adults, 3 kids and 2 dogs.  Penny wasn't a small dog either.  It's really quite crazy.  :)

So, there's the long wind up to the conversation...

Nathan:  Why did the Nicholson's name their dog Penny?

Me:  I don't know...I guess they liked it.

Nathan:  So like, all together they're six cents?

It took me a minute to get it, but when I did, I laughed and laughed.  He has asked me before how much a nickle was worth.  They are the "Nickle"son's.  You add a Penny (dog) and all together they're 6 cents. 

Poor Little Guy

We never intended for Charlie to become a father.  So, he had surgery.  How's that for saying something without saying anything?  

Poor Charlie has had no privacy when it comes to his male parts lately.  I'll leave you with the short story and say that he had to have a little more invasive surgery than normal because he was cryptorchid.  Look it up if you want more details :)

 I felt so bad for him when I brought him home.  He was drugged up, but he was still in a lot of pain and couldn't get comfortable.

He barely even wiggled when the kids came home from school.

 I finally took the cone of shame off so he could lay his head down more comfortably.  He really just slept all day.  Poor thing.  As I left the vet's office, he said "thanks for being a responsible pet owner!" cheerily.  I was feeling so bad for Charlie that I couldn't imagine what in the world was responsible about that misery.  I'm sure Charlie feels the same way.

I sure hope he perks up soon.  It's sad to see him so sad.

Mystery Solved

I got another random box of Legos and have been sorting through them this week.  I've assembled them and have been trying to make sure we have all the pieces.  

 As I finished each set, I set them on the shelves.  Jason came to me wondering why Rapunzel was falling from her tower and why the dragon was eating the girl with blue hair.  He'd fix things, but then shortly after that, it would happen again.

Then one night, I came into the living room to find Jake over by the Legos.  I only had to wonder for a second what he was doing.  He's the culprit.  Oh, Jakey...