Callaway Gardens

We took a Sunday drive yesterday afternoon heading North in search of fall colored leaves. We wanted to find pictures just like Dan and Sarah of beautiful yellow and orange trees. We did find some red and yellow leaves but nothing to compare. Georgia just doesn't have the colors of Ohio or even Grandma and Grandpa Walton's front yard. What we did find though, was a beautiful park called Callaway Gardens... complete with gorgeous golf courses, lakes, lots of bike trails, future picnic spots and even a vegetable garden. Our favorite new place in Georgia.

Views of the Lake
Callaway Vegetable Gardens

View from the top of Pine Mountain

The Pumpkin Patch

We spent the afternoon at the pumpkin patch just minutes from our house. It wasn't really a 'patch'... more like tables with pumpkins on them -- LOTS and LOTS of pumpkins. It was a nice sunny day... we're not used to picking pumpkins in capris, but we think we could get used to it. We went on the tractor hayride, picked out little pumpkins and took lots of pictures.

Just look at that belly. Once Chris looked over at me and said, "Lisa, are you really going to try and sneak out that pumpkin without paying?" He always makes me laugh.

Megan was picking up pumpkins and putting them in the wagon faster than Chris and I could take them out. Boy, was she determined.


Love this one... Megan and Emily riding in the wagon.

Favorite Scripture Stories

All in a day...

I know I already posted about the little rascal... but here she goes again. She came into the bathroom with just a diaper on, covered in red marker. Oh my goodness, that girl. She grinned at me and then said, "Mom, I just want a bath." and proceeded to turn on my bathtub and then simultaneously pull both tabs on her diaper so that it fell to the floor. Of course I grabbed my camera... she will know what a rascal she was and she will owe me big time. Chris scrubbed her little tummy trying to scowl at her while she happily told him "I don't use Ryan markers. That is bad." Chris and I had a hard time not breaking into laughter. She knows exactly what she's doing and it is darn frustrating. Let it be known that the torch has been officially passed from Emily to Megan.

Chris scrubbed her clean and changed her into the outfit of her choice... a dress of course. When she was all done she ran into the dining room, the official dancing room because it has no furniture, to "twirl like a princess". Dad twirled too but she laughed and said, "Dad, you're not a princess!"

Later I chased her and she giggled forever. When I got close she held her hand out and said "Swiper, No Swiping!" and I replied "Oh, man!" and slowly backed off. She thought it was hysterical. Then Dad joined in and we played Dora, Boots and Swiper for 20 minutes taking turns being each character under her direction. She was so cute and bouncy. Even when she said, "Oh, man!" she was giggling. It was priceless. She's adorable and we love her to pieces... even her red markered tummy.

FHE Ice Cream

We are 'on again-off again' family scripture readers. After conference, once again, we decided to make some family goals. The first... reading the Book of Mormon as a family... everyday at dinnertime. To help us stay motivated and because I am who I am... we made a chart. Oh yes, a chart. And not just any chart, a really short 'I know we can do it' chart, with seven spaces. We decided if we read scriptures for seven days without missing... we would celebrate with ice cream next FHE. Special ice cream... ice cream cones from Marble Creamery with sprinkles, gummy bears and the works and even our very own Gazebo to sit and enjoy them. Now we are on to our next chart... oh yes, another chart... this time with 14 spaces. We will make this a habit... and have fun along the way!

6 weeks or 42 days...

I have exactly 6 weeks till my due date. That's 6 cub nights. 6 Saturday dates with 'just' my husband. 6 Sundays I have to find something to wear to church. 6 weeks to get Christmas presents organized. 6 weeks to stress about the labor. 6 weeks before I need to stop eating everything in sight and face my new sized butt and thighs. It's going to go fast.

OR... it's 42 days of sleeping poorly with two body sized pillows squished on either side of me. (Good thing we bought a King sized bed.) 42 days of backaches, 42 days of waddling around, bending over and squating to pick something up and realizing I can't get back up. 42 days of not being able to lie on my back (I love sleeping on my back) 42 days of agony. It's never going to end.

Katie's Notes

Somehow between the ages of 2 and 7 they go from little rascal to total sweetheart. Katie is our cute little note writer. After she gave me my note, she said, 'Mom, Dad's note is almost the same... you both got three stars, that's the best! ...but he has a skating part and you have a shopping part... but they are both sports." When I gave her a suprised look she said, "Mom, shopping is like a sport. You have to do tons of walking and carrying and lifting..." You're right, Katie. I like the way you think. If that's the case, Dad and I both like sports. Thanks for the notes, sweetie.

Little Rascal

Little Megan thinks she is Big Megan and can get and do whatever she wants. Today she wanted a yogurt for snack. She didn't bother asking me, she just thought she'd get it herself by pushing a barstool over to the frige and climbing on in.



Here she is helping herself to a snack and making faces so that her brother and sisters will laugh. What a little rascal.

A Blog of his Very Own

I gave in. Ryan has been dying for a blog ever since I started one in July. For two months I said no. Then I said 'Well, maybe if you show me that you are better writing in your journal.' ...That was good and bad. Every night he pulled me to the computer wanting me to type in his latest entry... (I'm a faster typer). The kids and I have been typing our journals in the computer for years but he's never had this much enthusiasm. The final kicker was when Uncle Brian made his 'very own blog'. For some reason all my kids stared in awe at Brian's blog and said in unison... 'Brian has his very own blog?' I think because he still lives with Grandma and Grandpa they consider him 'a kid' unworthy of such freedoms. This afternoon when Ryan asked me about his very own blog for the millionth time I thought for a moment and then said, "I think so." It took a brief second for him to realize what I said. Then he began 'the happy dance'... at least that's what Katie called it. When he asked when we could start I looked at him and sighed... "If only my family room were clean, then I would really want to do it tonight."

A Beautiful Evening

It was a beautiful evening. When Chris called on his way home from work we made plans for something outside... We ate dinner on the patio, walked around the block and then let the kids play in the backyard until it was dark, while Chris and I read our books outside.
It was perfect.



The view from our back patio.


Ryan and Katie racing down the street. Ryan lapped us a couple times around the block... and it's a big block.


Megan had a smile on her face the whole night. She loved riding with Emmy.


At the end of the walk we can see our house through all the tall grass and opt for a shortcut.

The Chatahoochee Riverwalk

We live near the Chatahoochee. Is that hilarious? It's the river dividing Georgia and Alabama. There is an 8 mile riverwalk along the water. Walking at 'big pregnant lady speed', we did a quarter of a mile and then called it a day. Maybe when it's cooler we'll try some more... or maybe we'll speed walk it in six weeks when I want this baby out.

Slip Sliding Away

Who would have known that this was the thing to do along the Riverwalk downtown Columbus. Our peaceful walk along the Chatahoochee River turned a little crazy when we saw multiple groups of 'sliders' on cardboard boxes racing down the steep hills. When we came across a pile of extra boxes we decided to give it a try. Ryan went the highest, so was the fastest, resulting in several fantastic tumbling routines when he reached the bottom. They just couldn't get enough.

Grandma and Grandpa's Visit

Grandma and Grandpa Johnson came out for Conference weekend. It was fun to show them a little bit of Georgia. They were here from Thursday night to Monday morning... We tried out some great new restaurants, went shopping while Del and Chris golfed, watched conference and spent lots of time watching the kids enjoy their grandparents. In between sessions we took Grandma and Grandpa to the park to walk around and play at the playground... just enough time to be rosie-cheeked and dying of thirst from our October Georgia humidity!


Emmy was so cute on the swings. Of course she is a natural giggler, so Chris teasing her and making her bump into him made her giggle so hard I was afraid she was going to fall off. There is just something about her laughter... it's contagious.

Why we love October!

1. We love black and orange! It's true, I have a thing about black and orange Halloween shirts and bows. Every year we get new ones and I love 'em!

2. We love decorating the house for Fall -- gourds, I just love baskets full of gourds!

3. We love eating Halloween candy early! My favorites: pumpkin shaped york peppermint patties and Kit kat! Chris' favorite: milky ways!

4. We love shopping for Halloween costume accesories. Costume picking starts way back in August, costume buying is in September, but this month, it's all about the accessories!

5. We love that it is still BYU football season! Go cougars!

6. We love trips to the pumpkin patch. This year it'll be fun to explore some new ones!

7. We love that here in Georgia, we are still wearing shorts and t-shirts and enjoying 85 degree weather!

8. We love watching all the trees turn beautiful colors. The roads to get to our neighborhood are full of trees. Can't wait.

9. This year, we love that we can say, "We're having a baby next month!"

10. And finally, we LOVE pumpkin bars. These are my mom's... and are SOOO yummy. If you've tried 'em, then you know. If not, you're in for a treat. Either way... get baking! It's October!

Pumpkin Bars
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg
1 cup oil
15 oz. can pumpkin
4 eggs

Blend all ingredients on low until moistened.
Beat on medium for 2 minutes.
Spray pan - bake @ 350 for 22-33 minutes.

Frosting:
3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter or marg.
6 oz. cream cheese
1 t milk
1 t vanilla

What's my number?

Yesterday I took all four kids to the craft store. Four kids in a craft store? I know, but I had to so I could use my 40% coupon, be there on 10% off military day AND hit the sale on Bazill paper for 25 cents a sheet. Even if they were all perfectly behaved everyone in the store would still be watching us. What is that lady doing with four kids and so pregnant that she clearly shouldn't even be walking around? Oh well. In the car before we got there I told the kids I would be watching carefully and giving them their 'number'. It's a new parenting tactic I came up with a couple months ago... and it has worked pretty well so far. 10 is really good. 0 is really bad. They are always anxious to find out what their number is and who was the best and worse. Naturally Megan always gets the worst number but is thrilled anyway -- so for her, it doesn't work so well. But is does for my other kids. It's quite the competition. As we got out of the car everyone but Megan was silent with arms folded. Katie got a 9, Ryan got an 8 (just because he kept telling Megan 'shhhhhhh!' and it got a little annoying) and Emily got a 7 (but that was for screaming at the top of her lungs when Megan pulled her hair. Not exactly her fault, but can't she scream out in pain a little quieter!) "Megan you got a 5." "Yeah! a 5!" she squealed back in the car. Maybe she thought I was being generous.

Today after church Emily asked me "What were our numbers for church mom?" I hadn't told them I was going to be giving out numbers but they occasionally ask now. They did really well... all but Megan... another 5... that was for screaming NO to me several times in a row loud enough for everyone to hear... After time out in the RS room, she did better. Anyway... Emily said, "but Mom, what was I in my primary class?" I said, "Emily I don't know. I wasn't in your class. You tell me what your number was." With a surprised face she said, "Mom, you should have looked. I was a 10! I was really a lot of good." It made me laugh. Maybe I should have them start grading themselves from now on. I think Megan might still give herself a 5 and be proud of it!

Sleeping Kids

It's funny how kids can show their personality even when they're sleeping. Chris is gone for a few days so it was my job tonight to check on the kids, lock the doors and turn off the lights. I smiled as I went into each of their rooms...

Ryan's light was still on. He was asleep, shirt off of course because he can't stand to sleep with a shirt on, with his hand marking a place in the new book he fell asleep reading. On the floor his t-shirt, shorts, underwear and socks are all laid out perfectly as if another little boy lay on the floor.

Megan is curled up on her knees on top of her blankets facing the opposite way she was put to sleep. She looks big in her crib. She's only months away from a big girl bed and not being our baby girl, and it kind of makes me sad.

Emily is asleep with her bitty baby snuggled up to her face and with one of her favorite nightgowns on and no blankets. "Nightgowns are better", she says, "because you only have to put one thing on instead of two." At the foot of the bed multiple small stuffed animals are tucked into bed with their own pillows and blankets.

Katie is in my bed tonight. She and Emily will trade off while Dad is gone... just for fun. She is asleep in the very center of a huge king sized bed. She prefers capri pajama pants and tank tops to sleep in. She's growing up.

Thanks for letting me check on the kids, honey. Hope you're having fun!

He's a Reader

Ryan ran into the family room last night at 10:09pm, announced that he was finished and immediately hung his head and said he wished there were seven more. He just finished the Harry Potter series. He started the first one earlier this year... I think sometime in February and read all seven in less than seven months. After talking about it for a minute he said, "What should I read now? I'm not ready to go to bed yet." You're a reader, Ryan, just like your dad.

Flat Rock Park

It looked mild enough when we looked out the windows Saturday morning. The trees were blowing in the wind and clouds covered the sky. It actually looked like Washington -- but we knew better and left our sweatshirts at home. We decided to explore a park only miles from our house... Flat Rock Park. The weather was perfect for Chris and the kids, and just a bit warm for me. 84 degrees and 90 percent humidity. And mostly no sun... until just at the end. Chris pushed Emily and Megan on the swings and Katie and I sat on a picnic table content to watch. With no warning, the sun broke through. Chris started to sweat just exerting enough energy to push the girls on the swings and Katie and I instantly felt the sun and started hyperventilating as we ran for the shade... well, can you picture me running? I guess waddled to the shade.

It was a fun morning though. We enjoyed walking around, crossing bridges, seeing the birds at the lake, swinging on the 'family swing', watching the squirrels chase each other, walking around the flat rocks and making plans for many future visits to the playground with picnic baskets in hand.

How to Scrapbook a New Layout

First, wait till your husband is working an on-call week and won't be home till 8:30 at night.

Second, get something cooking in the crockpot so your dinner responsibilities are done.

Third, turn on Dora shows, get the dress-up clothes down and place snacks ready on the table.

Fourth, step over the laundry piles, and with your eyes closed, make your way to your scrapbook table. Don't stop to empty the dishwasher, straighten the family room or make beds...

Fifth, shut the door, sit down, let a smile creep over your face, open a scrapbook magazine and get ready to receive inspiration.

Sixth, stay focused... Without moving from your desk, open whatever snacks they bring you and tell them to go eat it in the kitchen. Look briefly at their 'new outfits' and give them words of affirmation and send them on their way. Don't answer the phone, don't go to the bathroom, don't check your blog. You are on a mission. Focus only on getting the page done. This afternoon, you are a scrapbooker!