It’s been a rough week.

Tuesday morning at 6:00am Megan threw up all over the stairs.  And then again seven more times that day.  She couldn’t even keep water down.  She slept on the couch for hours at a time waking up to find me doing laundry and watching a bit of ‘Pride and Prejudice’ (with Colin Firth), watching for a while and then drifting off again.  Katie came home saying she had a rough day at school feeling yucky all day.

Wednesday morning at 4:00am and 4:15am respectively, Luke and Matthew started throwing up.  I suppose they do everything else together, why not this?  After changing them, bathing them, and starting some laundry they both threw up again.  I was back asleep by 5:45 but Chris stayed up till 6:30.   When I went downstairs I found all the living room couches lined with sheets and towels covering all the carpet.  Nice work, honey.   I was leery to give the boys anything to eat so they got water and suckers… and lots and lots of movies.  Megan spent the day feeling back to her normal self until 5:00pm when she threw up again securing herself another day off school.   By Wednesday night Chris wasn’t feeling so great either.

Thursday I woke up feeling rather weak and shaky… not good since I was presenting a class for the Relief Society Meeting that night.  Megan stayed home again but she and the boys were back to their normal energetic selves.  At 5:00pm Chris gave me a blessing and it helped a lot.  The class went great.

Friday Ryan stayed home from school and laid on the ‘covered’ couch curled up in a ball for most of the day.  Meanwhile, Matthew threw up upstairs on the UNcovered carpet putting him back on the sucker diet.    Friday night my blessing ‘wore off’ and I felt horrible.

Saturday morning at 6:00am Emily threw up but by mid day was eating and jumping around.  Ryan was feeling a lot better, but just to be sure, had a blessing before heading off to Scout Merit Badge University… where he earned his Music Merit badge.

Sunday (today) Matthew and I both stayed home from church feeling not quite ready to venture out… and missed Chris accompanying Ryan, Katie, Emily, Megan and Luke singing ‘Teach me to Walk in the Light’ for the intermediate song in Sacrament meeting.

The problem with a big family is that each new ‘bug’ lasts forever!  But (knock on wood) I think we’re done.  We’ve taken the sheets off the couches and the towels off the floor.   We’ve washed loads and loads and loads (but what’s new there?) and are planning on everyone being back in school tomorrow.  It’s been a rough week but it’s over… and we’re glad.

February Miscellaneous

We had a fun Valentine’s Day… a red dinner with red raspberry jello, red German cherry juice, red grapes, rice dyed bright pink and chicken with red sweet and sour sauce.  I dangled pink “love note” hearts from the ceiling to hover over our festive pink and red table.  Chris came home with a bouquet for me and a single pink rose for each of the girls.

For FHE that night we wrote Valentine notes to each other and stuck them in the Valentine mailbox.  Then we ‘delivered’ them and opened up a few Valentine treats.

Matthew enjoying some Valentine cupcake.

Just love this girl.

One day Luke and I sat down to do some ‘math lessons’ during snack time.  We counted, sorted, arranged patterns, and identified letters (m and then he told me if you turned it it was a capital E like in LUKE.)  …and then we ate!

Passing my bulletin board every day makes me happy.  Amy’s getting married!!!  We leave for Utah soon!

One day when I went downstairs to check on the boys I found this. Luke’s little fingers tapping the melody of the Little Einstein music on Matthew’s back.

Snack time.  These ‘snack packs’ from our German grocery store are only 1 Euro (about $1.30) and they have a lot in them.  The boys love so many choices.

 

Silly Luke.

Looks like he’s throwing a tantrum, or playing hide and seek… but you’re missing the loud snoring sound.  Yep, he’s totally asleep.  Poor guy.

Megan

“I grow by half years, Mom”, said Megan this morning.  “Ya, I’m five and a half right now”.   Actually she’s more like five years and 10 months.  I can’t believe my littlest girl is almost six!!  Earlier this week Megan came to me completely bored asking for ideas on what to do.  I suggested ‘an interview’ and she was thrilled… so here it is…

All about Megan according to Megan

• Favorite food: pears, tacos
• Favorite dessert: brownies and cookies
• Favorite drink: water, and then all the juices
• Favorite flower: a white rose
• Favorite Princess: Arial
• Favorite game: playing Wii with Ryan
• Favorite thing to play in my room: play ‘mommy’ and go to bed at nighttime
• Favorite thing to play in mom’s room: jump on the bed
• Favorite thing to play outside: ride my bike and my scooter
• Favorite thing to play downstairs: play playmobil
• Favorite place you’ve been to: Paris, no no no, actually I don’t know.
• Favorite part of your face: there’s a bunch… my hair, my eyes so I can see, my missing teeth
• I’m happiest when: I see my friends and I play with my sisters and brothers.
• I’m saddest when: nobody likes me or plays with me or makes fun of me.
• Favorite thing about being five: that I am big and that I can do stuff that my little brother’s can’t.
• Favorite thing about Kindergarten: we get to have lunch there and we can play
• What do you want to be when you grow up: a school teacher, a ballerina teacher, a police women (giggle, giggle)
• What do you think the hardest part about being a mom is: when all the kids whine.
• What will you do when your kids whine? teach them to be calm.
• Favorite color: light green, dark red, orange and then yellow.
• Favorite hair-do: one braid just like Jessie (on Toy Story) and then ‘all curled’.
• Best friends: Erika Starbuck, Joshua in my class that’s cute, Ava and Naomi from my kindergarten class and from church… and Kristin and Vanessa.
• What do you like to do with mom: cook.  That’s it.  And watch movies, play games, do crafts, and go on the computer.
• What do you like to do with dad: watch movies and eat popcorn without anybody else, have a tickle fight, hug him.

Little things

 

Emily is usually COMPLETELY annoyed with her pants waistband.  She is so sensitive that if something is the least bit out of place she can feel it.  Yesterday morning her ‘pants situation’ lead her to crumple onto the floor in frustration. (This is frequent.)  Unsure what to do I said, “Emily, what can I do about it?  Do you need new pants?  Do you need new underwear?  Does something need to be tucked, folded, pulled, or loosened?”  “No, she said.  I’ve tried all that.”   “Then,” I said, “I guess all we can do is pray.”   She looked up and said, “Mom, I like that idea.”  A few minutes later we were gathered for morning Family Prayer and Emily prayed that her “underwear would stay in the right place all day.”  After the prayer she looked up a little embarrassed, but no one laughed.   I assured her that there is nothing too small or silly to pray about.  Heavenly Father was definitely NOT giggling right now because you said the word ‘underwear’ in your prayer.  (That made them giggle.)  Whatever is important to you is important to Heavenly Father.

Isn’t that wonderful?  I used to feel badly asking for things because they seem so small compared to the trials of others.   But I know that he cares for our individual wants and needs just as he loves us all individually.  He cares about the tooth fairy coming for Megan and the dryer being fixed for me, and for happy faces to be found for Luke and for underwear staying in place for Emily.   And they did stay in place… the whole day long… which she told me later that night with a smile.  I’m so glad, Emily.  I hope you always remember it.

Visiting Dad’s Office

Dad’s office in the Radiology department has a nice big white board.  Every time we go visit him, Luke climbs up onto the cabinet, uncaps the white board marker and spends his time drawing pictures and writing his name.  He LOVES to write his name.  Sometimes, if the L accidently goes the opposite direction, then his whole name is in reverse, a complete mirror opposite, but these days he usually asks ‘this way?’ with an imaginary L in the sky, before he starts.  We’re working on JOHNSON and he can do it if I write it up top so he can copy.  

Pictures taken in January – Luke (3 years and 2 months) – Matthew (19 months)

A Valentine Birthday

Miss Emily, because of her lovely December 28th birthday, has never had a ‘friend’ birthday party.   Poor planning on our part I suppose, but December is NOT the best time to throw together a birthday bash so this chick always goes without… but doesn’t complain a bit.  This year, however, I told her I’d give her  a ‘friend’ birthday but that it would be at the end of January so I could catch my breath after Christmas.  Well, when mid-January hit I was still enjoying my slow paced ‘new year’ and pushed off party planning till February.  Perfect… a Valentine’s theme with all kinds of pink, brown and red. 

Emily is so easy going.  No demands, just eager excitement for every thing I thought up.  By the day of the party, my three girls were so excited they could hardly stand it. We….

• Filled out “I LOVE…” papers.
• Played BINGO
• Decorated sugar cookies.
• Opened Presents.
• Made heart pots.
• Ate yummy treats.
• Jumped on the trampoline.

{I am figuring out my new camera so these shots are all over the place. Flash, no flash, high ISO… craziness!  I hate it.  I mean I like the camera, just not my incompetence.}

 

 

Valentine candy and  homemade notebooks for the party girls… I make these all the time by covering a legal pad with cute scrapbook paper front and back. 

Of course no Johnson party is complete without ‘do-it-yourself’ Bingo.  As soon as my kids don’t like it anymore, I will stop, I promise, but it’s easy peasy, keeps them entertained for a good chunk of time, and they love it!!  We got to draw all kinds of lovey stuff like lips, a shiny wedding ring, roses and the temple!  {Amy, you want to play this for your bridal shower?  I know you do!}

Decorating sugar cookies.

  

Emily requested ‘brownie cupcakes’ again and picked out the red strawberry soda.

   

Emily got quite a few Hello Kitty things (very popular in the German stores here), lots of art supplies, jewelry and a furry stuffed dog.

  {Top: Lindsay, Katie, Megan.  Bottom: Mackenzie, Brooklyn, Ally, Emily, Ellie and Emma.  Ya, say those last four names five times fast.}

We had the party from 10:00 – 12:00 on a Saturday morning… which I loved.  Megan had Mackenzie stay to play for a few more hours and we had a relaxing afternoon while they played upstairs with her new things.  She was super smiley all day.  Mission accomplished.

Posted on the Fridge

Imagine my surprise when I came downstairs on Sunday morning to find this sheet of paper taped to the fridge.  Hmmm…. it looks like something I would do… that is my favorite font…. but I have no memory of it.     Oh ya, that would be my daughter, Katie.    That girl is constantly making lists, creating charts, and coming up with good ideas for the girls.  When  I showed this paper to Chris later in the day he smiled and said, “Isn’t it nice to have another you around?”    Yes, it is. 

“They’re having a battle!”

Last week Luke ran to me saying “Mom, come on.  You gotta see the animals.  They’re having a battle!”   

Sure enough when I followed him to his room I could see the carefully placed animal ‘teams’ and it made me giggle.  The cow totally defeated the crocodile… obviously since he was just laying there looking as dead as could be.  The cow must be so proud.  

So fun having little boys!