johnsongigglesandsmiles

Another year gone by way too fast !

2009-12-26T21:42:00.000-08:00

My Wonderful Family-I love them so much!

Yes, I know it's been way too long since I've updated this blog. Either I'm slowing down or life is speeding up. We've had a great year in the Johnson family. I've already mentioned in earlier posts about the engagement, graduation, wedding, family vacation. Those have been some great highlights. The past few months have been filled with happiness and some tears as Chad left on his mission to serve the Lord in Tulsa Oklahoma. We got to talk to him on Christmas and he is doing great. He is so busy, already had a baptism and due for 2 more in January. With Chad leaving it meant that Todd and I became "empty nesters" It has definitely been an adjustment to say the least. We've had to adjust to having more time with each other, too much food in the house ( Chad was hungry alot !) and trying to go back to cooking for two. I love Todd so much and I am so grateful for him. He is very understanding when I want to have "me time" and just go scrapbooking or something and I understand when he wants to go fishing or horseback riding--something that I don't really care to do. We agree that we each have things we enjoy separatley and things we do together. Life is Good and we'll see what exciting things 2010 will bring.

Summer Vacation

2009-08-25T18:21:00.000-07:00

Todd and Jayden in front of a "painted bison" in West Yellowstone.

They were all over the town.

The beautful cabin we stayed in. It had tons of room fr all of us.

Ryan says "WOW" as Old Faithful erupts.

The whole family !

We spent the week in Island Park Idaho. It was cool, relaxing, and so much fun. This will be the last time that we could all spend some quality time together before Chad leaves to serve as a missionary in Tulsa Oklahoma. The cabin we rented was amazing, the scenery was spectacular, and the time we spent together was priceless. I love my family so much. Oh-we're not without our flaws, what family doesn't have them. There was some bickering at times and some frustrations, but overall, it was great. Jayden and Kaylie had the best time playing hide and seek in the big house. We loved Yellowstone but the kids were disappointed that we waited for an hour to see Old Faithful blow, only to have it last less than a minute. ( Jayden thought it was cool but he's only 4 ) Vacations are the best when you're able to relax, make new memories, and realize how much you cherish every moment with those you love.

Summer of fun

2009-07-16T19:37:00.000-07:00

I don't keep up with this as often as I should. I can hardly believe the summer is half over. Melissa and Tyler are now happily married. The wedding day was beautiful and everything was perfect. Most of June was so rainy and cold, I worried that the day would have bad weather. In fact 2 days before it was windy and still a bit cold. But June 6th came and the sky was blue with a few white clouds, a slight breeze with temperatures in the 70's. It was the best day. The next week we drove to California for the open house which was wonderful as well only it was cold there ( sweater weather ) . Ryan, TJ, Chad, Tiffany, and her friedn Amy all came and they spent a day in Disneyland. The Open House was at the Garrick's home ( friends of the Jensens) Thank you Curtis and Cynthia for opening your beautiful home to us.

Melissa with Ryan and TJ at the open house.

After getting back to somewhat of a normal life after the wedding we have taken time to visit family and friends, go to the zoo with the grandkids, and Chad has been busy getting his mission papers in. We are now awaiting (anxiously) for the mission call. Other than that I'm just busy with work, home and family. Life is good at the Johnson home. We always have time for live, laughs, giggles and smiles.

2009-05-08T21:12:00.000-07:00

Chad Class of 2009

Today I've been stamping wedding invitations and stuffing graduation announcements. I'm not sure why I didn't think about the fact that Chad would graduate and a week later Melissa would get married. I'm very happy for both of them. I think all the wedding plans are in place-hopefully there will only be minor glitches, what wedding day deosn't go by without one. Chad has been soooooooooo busy, especially these last few months. He has had such an awesome senior year. I'm a little sad it's going to end for him. He's been an SBO as video specialist, in the school play, in chamber choir, he started his own "boy band" called Guys in Ties. The list is endless with that son of mine. Last Sunday as I sat in sacrament meeting I realized he wouldn't be blessing the sacrament in our ward too many more times as he will be going to the singles ward this summer and then off on his mission. I am so proud of him as I am of all my kids. I am so glad that Families are Forever ! Life is Good!

This is Life...and then some.

2009-02-08T20:38:00.000-08:00

I realized I don't always have to have pictures before I post a blog. Life has been pretty busy since the engagement. It took me a few days to help Melissa realize we need to start planning now. She thought we had plenty of time but she doesn't realize that places get booked, invitations need to be sent out 3 weeks early which means they need to be printed before that which means thay need to have pictures taken before that. You literally have to think backwards when planning a wedding. She's had way too many people give their opinions ( including me) but I try to stay neutral I know it will all come together and it will be beautiful.

Right after Melissa's engagement we had another "emotional" thing happen in our family. Todd was realeasd as Bishop of the BYU 98th ward. He had been Bishop for 2 1/2 years and he was the high councilman for that ward for 3 years before that. It was bittersweet to say the least. Part of me was happy to have him back in our home ward and part of me was so sad to see him leave a place that he loves, to see him leave the families that he has grown to love. When you are a BYU bishop it's harder to leave, because once you walk out the door you may never see any of those students again. It's now been over a month and it's been extremely hard on him. He has had so much stress and anxiety over this, mostly because of a certain family in the ward that he had been working hard with. I won't bring up any names or details. Just know that he talked with the new Bishop about the situation and they both felt that it would be good for us to continue talking to them and hopefully help them through a difficult time. It has been hard--on both of us. He even asked our home ward bishop to give him a blessing. I know it's hard on him coming back to the home ward. He feels like he's new in the ward. There have been several new families move in. I know he'll be fine but it's so hard to see him go through this. I'm the one who has always been the one to lean on him-now he needs me to lean on and I don't know if I'm strong enough. I love him so much and I will be here for him. That's what eternal marriage is all about-Right? I am thankful that we have each other through difficult times. I pray that we will learn and grow from this experience. I know we will !

Melissa is engaged!

2009-01-02T18:51:00.000-08:00

It's official! Melissa became engaged to Tyler Jensen on Dec. 31, 2008. I'm not sure who was more nervous, Tyler or me ( probably me) I had known about it for over 2 weeks. Tyler and I had been texting about the tentative details. I even got to go pick up the ring for him because they were traveling home from California the day before. And thank goodness I had the sense to give Tyler my camera.

So here's how it happened. He picked her up about 12:30 pm. They walked to Martin Park which is about halfway between our house and his. He told her he had a surprise for her to thank her for cleaning his house while he was gone to California. As they approached the park there was a path he had made in the snow and every so often there was a rose with a note attached. there were 12 roses and each had a reason why he loves her. The last rose was inside a big heart that he'd made in the snow and the envelope was empty. He then told her how much he loved her, got down on one knee and pulled out the ring. She was so excited and after calming down the first thing she said was, "I need to call Aubrey ( her best friend)". Tyler told her no, she needed to call her mom first ( Thank you Tyler !!) She sounded so happy. The rest of the day she was constantly on the phone or texting friends. They both immediately changed their facebook status to engaged. They are such a cute couple and I am so happy for them . They have set the date for June 6th in the Salt Lake Temple. So let the wedding plans begin!

And Time Marches on...

2008-12-15T20:49:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Todd !

Where does the time go, I'll never know. November seemed to fly by. Todd and I celebrated our 26th anniversary. Todd had his 47th birthday, and we enjoyed Thanksgiving at my sister's house the Sunday before and had a quiet Thanksgiving day with just our immediate family.

Kaylie on Thanksgiving day-She is getting so big and she's so CUTE !

Ryan can't wait to eat that big bird !
Melissa turned 20 on Dec. 6th and we had a fun morning with her. Since everyone has become so busy, we had the whole family over for breakfast. Tyler brought her a dozen red roses which she was thrilled about.

Ryan just got a job at the Mens Wearhouse. Now everyone in the family ( except me) has worked there. Here is a great picture of Todd and Ryan in the tuxes for the Mens Wearhouse holiday party.

Chad has become quite the singer, he and 5 friends have started an accapella singing group at school called " Guys in Ties" Mrs. Warby calls them the newest boy band. They are really good.

"Guys in Ties"

Life is good here at the Johnson's . Here's wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas!

An Eventful October

2008-10-25T16:03:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I know I've been slacking in the blog department but after you read this you'll know why. Alot has happened these past 2 month. First of all, I was involved in a very good cause at For Every Body. Every year we have a Think Pink Breast Cancer Awareness Event. Since I am a 13 year survivor-I knew I had to be involved. The company sponsors one woman who has been going through Breast Cancer and is making a difference to others. This year they chose a woman from Layton Utah and you'll never believe it until I show you the picture, but her name is Ginger Johnson. She is 34 years old and the mother of 3. She is the sweetest woman and her story is so touching.Below is a picture of myself, Ginger ( from Layton-in the middle) and Becky Anderson-founder of For Every Body. Please go to http://www.thinkpinkforlife.blogspot.com/ and read her story. She is amazing.

Becky Anderson and the "two Ginger Johnson's"

After this event was over I thought things would settle down, but not to be. October became a month of many events. First we had a surprise birthday party for Melissa's boyfriend Tyler Jensen. He is a wonderful guy and he and Melissa have truly fallen for each other. ( wedding bells you ask-we'll see in the future) Anyway, His family came to visit from California and Logan. We had so much fun. We went to Desert Star, we played games, we laughed ,ate ALOT of food, and just had a great time. What's interesting is his parents, and Todd and I, all share the same wedding anniversary. ( is that a sign?) Tyler is really a great guy and Melissa is lucky to have found him.

The Jensen's and the Johnson's

Happy Birthday Tyler !

A week after Tyler's birthday we celebrated our son, Ryan's birthday. I made him a birthday pie instead of cake ( he loves banana cream pie) We went to his apartment and just hung out for awhile. He's now 22. I'm so pround of him for serving a mission and now going to college. It brought a tear to my eye when I realized this is the first birthday we have had with him since his mission. Happy Birthday Ryan-I sure love you !!!

Ryan and his Birthday Pie! Jerrica & Jeff 's big day.

In the midst of all this birthday celebrating we had a wedding and a funeral. My niece, Jerrica Olson was married in the Bountiful Temple on Oct. 14th. It was cold that day but very beautiful. She married Jeff Hancock and they looked so happy. I'm so happy for both of them.

My Grandma-Bertha Johnson 1915-2008

( She loved pink ! )

Finally, the bittersweet part of the month came when my sweet 93 year old Grandma passed away on Oct. 9th. Her funeral was Oct. 15th. She was such an example of righteousness in my life. She was humble and prayful. She made me laugh and cry. She was a cancer survivor ( just like me). She loved all of us so much and she worried about us too. I will never forget her funny jokes, homecooked meals, her beautiful garden and love of flowers. She always sent me a birthday card, even in her old age. She had a small,but humble home, but it was all she needed. She had been a widow for 29 years and the day she died I looked to the heavens and I knew she and grandpa and many others were having a wonderful family reunion. I will always love my grandma. Because of her I am who I am today. I will never forget when my sweet grandson Jayden was born, 3 years ago. My grandma was visiting and as she held him in her arms she looked into his little face and said, " I'm the best grandma because I'm the great, great grandma." She will always be the best grandma to me. I love you grandma.

The Continuous Circle We Call Life

2008-09-12T21:09:00.000-07:00

The older I get, the realization hits me that my children are growing older too. I remember once talking to a friend about how close our children were in age. We were discussing the fact that because the are all about 2 years apart in age ( hers as well ) that they would all be teenagers at the same time and then off to college one after another, missions, marriage, and so on and so forth. Now that I've hit that stage of life I'm not quite sure how to handle it some days.
Tiffany is already married with a little family of her own. Ryan has been on his mission and is now living in Provo and going to school. He's dating a little too. Melissa has gone to school, come back home, goes to UVU and thinks she's found the love of her life. ( I think he's a pretty nice guy too) and Chad is having a great time as a senior with full intentions of going on his mission in about a year.
I guess what I'm getting at is how come nobody tells you that the worries don't get any easier as you get older. When your kids are little you worry about them running in the road, falling off their bike, or getting lost. As teens you worry about the friends they have, if they are eating right, the movies, music, or videos they watch. Then they hit the age of seriously dating with the intention of finding an eternal mate and suddenly you realize you can't make decisions for them anymore-they have to learn and grow and make their own choices for their future. And you pray that all the lessons you've tried to teach them in their short life so far, have sunk in somehow.
So here's to my four wonderful children-who are growing into wonderful young adults. May you always make wise choices and get through any trials that come your way. For life isn't life without trials. The circle of life is just that --one continuous circle of ups and downs. It's what we get out of life that counts the most. I love you all !! Life is Good !
PS-I don't even have a picture of the four of them together at the same time on my computer-I guess it's time for family pictures again-ha ha.

The August Rush Birthday Bash

2008-09-06T09:39:00.001-07:00

Some of the August Birthdays

Alan Moody, Chad Johnson, Chad Healey, Austin Woodfield

Syd Landeen, Lindsay Matheson, Kim Huber

( not pictured Garrett Kirschbaum, Ether Tam, and Kaylee Day-they were somewhere on the dancefloor)

I was a bit skeptical when Chad asked if he could have a HUGE 18th birthday party. "What do you mean by HUGE" I asked. He wanted a big dance party with hundreds of friends. Now me being the mom and somewhat on the conservative and overprotective side, tried to talk him into something a little more low key. But a few days later he informed us that several friends, who also have August birthdays, were pooling their money and other resources to pull it off. For several weeks Chad planned , found a place to rent, lined up chaperones, etc. He did it all on his own. It was great to watch him put it all together ( not that some stress wasn't involved). They printed flyers to pass out at school, posted an invited on their facebook pages and more. ( I'm giving the condensed version)

Pay your money and Party On .......Good Times !!!

The big night was last night at the Apollo Dance Hall in A.F. Those having a birthday bought crowns to wear. They charged $2.00 per person to cover the building rental and a few other items. I think more than anything they just wanted to get their money back-or close to it. The chaperons included Todd and I,the Healeys, the Landeens, the Bests, and Ryan and TJ. At 8:30 the teenagers began to arrive. For more than an hour they just kept coming. We took their money, stamped their hands, and showed them onto the dance floor. They only way we could tell how many kids were there was by counting all the money. I think there ended up being about 250 teenagers. It was so fun to watch them just having a blast. They were such an awesome group. We never once had to worry about any of them. They were all very respectful and just enjoyed having good, clean, fun.

A big thank you to Ally's mom ( Sis. Best) for making 15 dozen cookies. Thanks to all the chaperons, to Tyler for providing the sound system and to countless others that I don't even know their names. Way to go Chad. It was an awesome night. Thanks for turning 18! Maybe we can do this for one of my birthdays --( haha) We love you! Happy Birthday !

Chad and Ally having fun!!

Ryan's Moving Day

2008-08-30T22:29:00.001-07:00

Ryan and me at his new place.

Here I am blogging at 11:30pm when I should be sleeping, but alas, I have teenagers ! Now don't get me wrong-I love them dearly, but why they choose to stay up until the craziest of hours is beyond me ( did I do that as a teenager?) I now believe that is why the "older than me" generation goes to bed so early at night. They have lost hours of sleep for many years as they have waited, watched and worried about their teenagers. I will survive-somehow!

Dustin --it's not that heavy is it?

So, the past few days have been spent moving Ryan a whole 18 miles away to Provo. He is very excited for this new adventure in life and to be able to conquer the college jungles with his roommates TJ, Dustin, and Nate. They have a very nice, newly remodeled apartment on the 3rd floor. Climbing 3 flights of stairs everyday will be good exercise-I'm glad it's them and not me ( haha) Good luck Ryan-you'll have a blast-we love you and we'll miss you but you won't be far away. Well-sounds like Chad is home-maybe now I can get some sleep. For those of you with no teenagers yet-just remember this blog --when you are very tired. It's not a whole lot different than have a little baby that wakes you up all night!
Until next time...

TJ and Ryan-best friends and brothers

Adventure with Grandma

2008-08-27T19:49:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love my 2 little grandkids. Jayden will be 3 in just a few days. If you ask him about his birthday he will hold up three fingers and say " my birthday is firty-first August." He says some of the funniest things sometimes. Kaylie is 19 months and a real live wire. We often call her the "human tornado" because she gets into everything faster than you can pick it up behind her.

Tiffany needed to get things ready for preschool that she is teaching, and asked if she could bring the kids over for an hour. While she was gone I told Jayden that we were going on an adventure ( it was just a walk around the block but a way to get some of their energy out.) First we saw a grasshopper on my rod iron sunflower. He didn't want to touch it but he took a good look and got scared when it jumped away.

Next we went walking down the street and Kaylie would only hold Jayden's hand. Anytime I even tried to hold her hand she would start screaming. Boy she has a little mind of her own. We walked and stopped to see flowers, flowers, and more flowers. We saw a big dog, a very big truck, and then we were back home again. When I tried to take a picture on the porch, Jayden was all smiles but not Kaylie( like I said-she will barely sit still for 2 seconds.) That's OK. I'm so thankful for these two little angels. They make life interesting and good for all of us.
Till next time...

I guess I'll try blogging...

2008-08-23T19:04:00.000-07:00

Last night I was visiting with several old friends. They began talking about their blogs, someone elses blog,etc. etc. and I suddenly felt a bit out of it. ( should I give into "peer pressure" was my thought). Well, it wasn't really peer pressure but I soon realized that I love to read blogs so why not share a little of my world with them. So here I am. Today my baby ( Chad) turns 18 years old. He's our last one in public school. Ryan and Melissa are off to UVU and Tiffany is married with a cute little family of her own. I feel like I'm onto another new chapter in my book of life. So what a better way to start that chapter than with a blog. I hope I can figure it all out. I'm not super computer savvy but I try my best. Thanks Lisa, Lindsay, and Christi for encouraging me to try this. I'll give it a whirl. Let's all enjoy the journey together. LIFE IS GOOD! Till next time...