We Are The Johnsons

Smooch

2012-01-21T05:21:00.000-08:00

SIX

YEARS

LATER

AND

STILL

IN LOVE!

Happy Anniversary, Clark!

You. Complete. Me.

(sniff)

Six

2012-01-19T07:00:00.000-08:00

6 months later and we've got this little cutie:

Some info:
16 pounds, 26 inches

-Professional sitter, with only occasional tips--more often than not caused in one way or another by her big bro.

-Smiles very easily--especially for Mom, Dad and Luke but is also very friendly with strangers.

-Loves her big brother and is very patient with him. She likes to watch him play with toys and will laugh at him when he is being silly.

-Surprising us with unchangingly blue eyes...not really in the family gene pool!

-Not crawling yet but starting to think about it.

-Grabs everything in sight.

-Sleeps pretty well...most of the time.

-Not too interested in solid food yet but loves her some milk! (:

-Has two teeth--Luke makes sure of it often:

We continue to be so grateful for such a beautiful, healthy, and happy baby girl!

We love our Claire!

'CLAIRE' de lune

2012-01-03T07:06:00.000-08:00

Usually Claire is content to just sit and observe. I have been commenting to Clark lately how she is such a quiet baby--she is very social and will smile all day but doesn't babble or 'talk' a whole lot.

However, we've discovered one thing that will usually get her talking: the piano.

It's pretty much the only thing so far that gets a response like this from her.

It's almost like she tries to sing along.

I. love. it.

Even better, the girl has taste!

Apparently, she prefers Debussy.

(apologies for the out-of-tuneness/loudness/and general sloppiness of the song. It kind of just sounds like mush.)
Just ignore it and listen to Claire!)

Luke, on the other hand--not so enthusiastic:

"Don't play the song!"

His priorities are a bit different!

Christmas recap in pictures...

2011-12-31T12:58:00.000-08:00

I wasn't amazing at taking a lot of pictures while we were in Utah for Christmas (which for me usually means I am having too much fun to bother with it).

I did manage to get a few though.

Aaaaand here they are!

Hope you had a Merry Christmas!

(and !!Happy New Year!! while I'm at it.)

FIVE

2011-12-19T06:40:00.000-08:00

This big-eyed beauty is 5 months old today!

Everyone says she looks like me, but I like to say that she looks like a pretty version of me! (:

(as you can see the drool is flowing freely--no teeth yet though)

Claire is a wonderful baby and is almost too cute for her own good.
A few milestones of note:

-She is starting to sit up on her own for long periods of time.

Proof:

-She has been rolling over both ways for a while, but will sometimes surprise me by rolling (I can only assume!) across the whole room while I am out of sight. I will come back and she is 10 feet from where I left her! She has always been pretty solid and also loves to stand up.

-Not a big babbler, but she is our little observer. With eyes WIDE open she takes in everything around her and always comes out the winner in a staring contest!

-Sleeps through the night like a champ but is not a great napper--very sporadic and quite unpredictable, despite my best efforts at establishing a schedule.

-We are discovering that she seems to really enjoy music. She loves to lay on the floor and listen to me play the piano, and in church she will rock her little body back and forth excitedly during the hymns. She will also sometimes try to 'sing' along. At least we like to think that is what she is doing. (:

-Thanks to my procrastination, she is still on an all-milk diet, and seems to be growing just fine so far--the nurse was nice enough to call her 'thunder thighs' at her last well check (a trait no doubt inherited from her mom! sorry!).

-Starting to grab anything and everything in sight. The next stop for whatever she's gotten her hands on is always her mouth.

-Smiles a lot, and easily; lately she has been getting so excited and smiling so hard that it's almost like her cheeks can't take any more!

When she gets REALLY excited, she gives us the 'crazy smile'.

We love this little darling and are really enjoying watching her personality emerge!

A new tradition...

2011-12-16T07:00:00.000-08:00

It's been a really long time since I've made a gingerbread house.

So, I decided we'd do it for FHE this week.

Luke had a great time (mostly eating the candy),

but I think I might have gotten the most into it.

After only one collapse, I managed to get my house to stay up.

I was especially excited about the Necco shingles....I've always wanted to build a gingerbread house with Necco shingles.

Unfortunately, I ran out (of Neccos and frosting), so the other half of my house looked like this:

(The Jekyll & Hyde of gingerbread houses!)

I think this might become a tradition.

Next time I will buy more Neccos though!

32!!

2011-12-14T14:34:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time since I have posted one of those proverbial "updates" for Luke. I think it happened when I stopped counting his age in months. But today, I realized, Luke is 32 months old!!

And he certainly does deserve some special recognition.

My little guy is growing up, and he reminds me every day just how much.

-He is talking more and more. He uses complete sentences, although he takes his time and is sure to enunciate each and every word. If you've heard him talk lately, you know what I mean.

It's pretty cute.

-Continues to love trains, tractors, trucks, airplanes, helicopters. He has quite the collection of cars and usually knows if one is missing.

-He is our picky eater. Not a huge fan of meat or anything that looks unusual. When he says the prayer at dinner time he will thank and bless anything and everything but the food! Things he will eat happily though include fruit, peanut butter sandwiches, and of course, candy.

-Loves his little sister and, for the most part, is very gentle and kind to her. Every once in a while he likes to test the waters and see what her reactions are to, say, throwing a toy in her general direction or trying to roll her over while she lays on the ground.

-He is very much in the "I do it myself" phase. This can be frustrating for Mom & Dad but it is fun to watch his independence grow.

-The "I do it myself" attitude has NOT extended into the realm of potty training. That business he is happy to let Mom & Dad take care of.

-With a little reminder here and there, Luke has pretty good manners. He says 'please' and 'thank you' and 'bless you' and 'excuse me, please' at the appropriate times. He will even sometimes put his dish in the sink after a meal without being told. This makes me proud!

-Much to my dismay, and despite my greatest efforts, the afternoon nap is no more. ): This kid has so much energy that a nap (which was usually taken quite unwillingly) was starting to consistently result in a much later bedtime. We decided it wasn't worth the trade-off.

-This year, Luke has been very excited about all things Christmas. He very enthusiastically helped decorate the tree, and regularly rearranges the ornaments to his liking! We are doing the angel tree thing for a little boy this year, and whenever Luke sees one of the presents we bought, he says "This is for little boy? Make him happy?" Melts. my. heart.

To sum up, every day I feel blessed to have Luke in our family.

He is my little buddy, and makes me happy every day.

All Aboard!!

2011-12-13T17:55:00.000-08:00

Well, we had a special treat this past weekend...we got to go to the North Pole, and on the Polar Express!

This was an especially fun little trip for Luke because he is slightly (or WAY) in love with trains, and he has also been pretty enamored with the Polar Express movie. I am not sure he understood that he was actually going to ride on a REAL train until we got there and he saw it.

They did a pretty good job of staying true to the book: we got hot chocolate and cookies, the conductor punched our tickets, and The Polar Express story was read over the intercom. We went through a 'magic tunnel' and then straight to the North Pole, where we saw Santa's sleigh, the elf's workshop, and a great display of Christmas lights. Then, as we were singing Christmas songs on the way back, Santa himself came through our car and handed out bells to each of the children. It was so fun to see all of the kids' reactions when he came onto the train.

Love this picture....does the bell still ring for you??

We stayed at the Grand Canyon that night and spent the next day strolling around and admiring the view!

This is a pretty sorry picture but it is pretty much the best one we could get of all of us at once. Apparently I am the only one who knows how to look at the camera!

And all the while this little cutie just chilled out in her stroller.

Great weekend!

So, Remember Thanksgiving...?

2011-12-08T11:40:00.001-08:00

This is a little belated, but we had a FANTASTIC Thanksgiving here in Prescott.

We were spoiled and got to have my parents all to ourselves for the week!

We had a great Thanksgiving dinner and stuffed ourselves sufficiently! Well, except for Luke. You might notice that, as usual, there is plenty of food left on his plate. Crazy kid!

Clark had to work on Friday, so my parents and the kids and I took a day trip to Sedona.

It was so nice--warm, sunny, and beautiful!

(Is it just me or is that house borderline RIDICULOUS?! Take over the whole landscape why dontcha!)

(Claire was there too, but she spent a lot of time napping in her stroller.)

We did a little window shopping, and got a kick out of this sign:

I'm pretty sure that the request to print

"Imported Rug Sale" got lost in translation somewhere along the way. (:

Luke especially loved having his Grandma & Grandpa Krogh come to our house, and talks about their visit often.

Thanks for making the drive Mom & Dad. We love you guys!

First Snow

2011-11-07T08:45:00.000-08:00

Can't forget the hot chocolate!

This Year's Pumpkins

2011-10-31T11:24:00.000-07:00

Good times!

2011-10-23T16:05:00.000-07:00

I was spoiled this past week with a visit from two of my sisters, Katie and Ruthie.

Although Weston and Luke didn't always get along...

...Luke was thrilled to have someone to play with!

We had a busy week, which included a trip to the zoo...

(there's a tiger right behind us...fyi)

...movies, shopping, pedicures for us moms, picnics, lots of treats, and just hanging out and enjoying each other's company!

Basically we wore these kids right out!

It was also fun to get these girlies together. They are just 3 weeks apart and will hopefully be great friends...for now they get along really well!

Tummy time practice...

Chillin' in the bumbos...

Of course Luke and Wes couldn't miss out!

I am so lucky to have such wonderful sisters!

It meant the world to me that they came to visit...I miss them already!

Camping in October...I don't think we're in Utah anymore Todo...

2011-10-16T19:43:00.000-07:00

We went camping in Sedona this past weekend with a couple of friends from the ward.

What a pretty place!

(not my pic--I wish!)

It was Claire's first time camping.

I might be biased but is she not the cutest camper you ever saw?

She did really well...when she was awake, that is!

(oops...maybe the hat is a bit big..?)

This guy, of course, had a blast.

Daddy helped Luke catch his first fish...

...which Luke thought was pretty awesome.

One of the main attractions in the canyon where we camped is Slide Rock. Allow Clark to demonstrate how it got that name...

Very cold, but very fun!

2 months and GROWING strong!

2011-09-25T14:16:00.000-07:00

We sure do love our little Claire!

She is 2 months old already and getting nice and big!

2 month stats:

Weight: 12 lbs - 73%

Height: 23 1/4 inches - 87%

Head: 39.4 cm - 89%

2-month-old Claire...

-is starting to give more smiles and funny faces.

-is quite strong, and has surprised us a few times by randomly rolling over!

-is sleeping pretty much through the night, every night...yay (and knock on wood, too)!

-likes to eat, and when she is hungry she is NOT shy about letting us all know.

-isn't too fond of any toys or objects but really loves to look at faces and smiles easily at Mom or Dad.

-tolerates well her big brother and his sometimes over-zealous displays of affection. (:

Overall, she is a happy, healthy, beautiful girl that we feel blessed every day to have in our family!

Garage sale rejects

2011-09-20T09:03:00.000-07:00

A few months ago we finally brought all of our stuff from Vegas that has been in storage for the past couple of years, much of which was given to us or purchased when we first got married and hasn't really been used since. With the prospect of another move coming up soon, we decided to have a garage sale to see if we couldn't pare down our load and make room for BOTH cars to fit in the garage (imagine that!).

We made some money and got rid of most of the big, bulky items.

So, for the most part, the garage sale was a success.

With a few exceptions, of course.

For example, no one seemed interested in our diaper genie, which we discovered after the sale had been sitting in storage for over a year WITH poopy diapers in it! Gross!! It's probably a good thing no one decided to take a closer look at it. That might have been awkward.

I'm going to go ahead and place the blame for that fragrant oversight on Clark. Someone forgot to take out the trash...

And can you believe no one wanted to purchase these babies??

(I think he was secretly glad that no one bought them)

A little-known fact: Clark actually wore these roller blades (or 'fruit boots' to which they have since been lovingly referred) on our first date, the success of which was fortunately based on more than just how awesome he looked in them--otherwise, I'm not so sure we would even be having this conversation right now. (:

Love you, honey!

You wear the rollerblades, they don't wear you.

Not too many 30-year-olds could exhibit that kind of balance and grace.

(OR: please don't be mad at me for posting this picture!)

Vicarious..ness

2011-09-19T13:54:00.000-07:00

At least someone is able to play some soccer around here!

Blessed

2011-09-10T07:00:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we were so excited to be able to bless our sweet Claire.

It was a holiday weekend, so my entire family and some of Clark's were able to attend.

Even better, we were able to bless her in LOGAN!

Even BETTER, we were able to share the special day with Katie & Dylan, who also blessed their baby girl, Avery.

The girls wore matching dresses--my Mom is a genius and duplicated the one we already had.

Raise your hands if you are excited to be blessed!

Clark did a great job and gave Claire a beautiful blessing.

Thanks to all who came and shared the day with us!

oops

2011-09-08T17:00:00.000-07:00

We spent Labor Day weekend up in Logan, during which my

beloved basil suffered some serious, uh, lack of care...

But you know what?

TOTALLY worth it.

evidence

2011-09-08T11:04:00.000-07:00

Proof that Luke IS CAPABLE of sharing his cars!

Uno Montho

2011-08-25T18:13:00.000-07:00

(well, technically 5 weeks)

Time flies!

Not much to report, other than that there is a lot of, eating, sleeping, pooping and peeing, wiggling, crying, and growing going on around here. Oh, and a few smiles are popping up here and there: a welcome reward for many sleepless nights!

Can someone please tell me...

2011-08-09T10:40:00.000-07:00

How he went from this...

...to this...

SO QUICKLY!?!?

Photogenic

2011-08-02T10:42:00.000-07:00

It goes without saying that I took full advantage of having my mom here with me last week.

I still haven't quite decided if I am going to be able to

handle having two kids, but I am sure trying!

Anyway, Mom and I spent the better part of a morning doing a little photo shoot.

I like to pretend I sort of know what I am doing behind the camera, but I do realize that there is MUCH to be desired when it comes to my photography skills.

Luckily Claire looks beautiful no matter what!

Here are a few of my favorites...

We even got big brother to jump in for a few shots.

I especially love this one:

Such a cute moment (so far I can count these moments

between Luke and Claire on one hand. Hopefully that changes soon!).

Two great kids....how lucky are we??

Related??

2011-07-31T14:20:00.000-07:00

No hospital mix-ups here.

These two are definitely ours!

Thank. GOODNESS...

2011-07-28T07:55:00.000-07:00

...my Mom is here.

I can't be 100% sure, but I think there is a very probable chance that if she wasn't here this week, I would be curled up in a ball in some remote corner of the house, crying.

THANKS, MOM!!

She's Here!

2011-07-20T22:08:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, this little angel joined our family!

Claire Nancy Johnson

Born July 19th @ 8:42 a.m.

8 pounds 1 ounce

20.75 inches

Since I had Luke via emergency c-section, my only option here in Prescott was to do a repeat c-section. It's a pretty smooth operation; all I have to do is lay there feeling a bit useless while my baby is not-so-gently pulled from my stomach.

It's a pretty slick way to have a baby, but I am now being reminded that the recovery, especially the first couple of days, is not such an easy or pain-free process.

With that said, though, both Claire and I are doing very well. I am up and moving about pretty much on my own (with the help of some lovely pain-killers), and Claire has taken to her role of newborn like a champ--eating, sleeping, pooping and peeing, cooing, and wiggling the day away!

Clark's parents were so great to drive down to take care of Luke while I have been in the hospital and Clark has been at work.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Don't know what we would have done without them!

Although we have been telling Luke about his baby sister in Mom's belly, this picture is pretty indicative of his feelings at their first meeting...

...not so sure about this...

He is warming up to her though, I think. Yesterday when he was here at the hospital he asked if baby Claire could go home with him--"Claire, car, home?"--and was a bit put out when we said no, not yet.

We are so grateful for and proud of our newest addition, and have appreciated all of the phone calls and messages from friends and family! More pictures to come soon, but here are a couple more from the hospital:

(yikes, where is photoshop when you need it!?)

At least Claire looks nice and rested and lovely!

Proud Daddy.

Wait a second...something is missing here...

There we go...our family of FOUR!

One Week...

2011-07-12T21:01:00.000-07:00

It's really strange to think that in just one short week I will be a mother of two.

During the past two years, my whole heart has been

totally devoted to this wonderful little guy.

He is my buddy.

My pride & joy.

I've been trying to make the most of our time

as this stage of just him & me at home together winds down.

I think a part of me will miss it.

I have worried that I won't be able to

love another child so fully and completely.

But something tells me that a Mother's heart

just naturally makes room for more.

New Niece!

2011-06-30T08:09:00.000-07:00

This is a couple days late but CONGRATULATIONS to Katie and Dylan on the arrival of their sweet new baby girl, Avery. She is a cutie!

I have been so close to jumping in the car the last couple of days to drive to Logan to see her, but since I am due in a couple of weeks, I figured I better stick around.

Can't wait to meet her soon, though!

Reunited...sort of

2011-06-22T14:32:00.000-07:00

Recently an old love of mine has come back into my life.

Oh, how I have missed my piano! It has been lovingly babysat by Ray and Lisa in Las Vegas for the past year or so while we have wandered around Utah, Nevada, Oregon, and Arizona. Last weekend we took a trip to Vegas, rented a U-haul, and brought it (and the rest of our things that I have not seen for a LONG time) to Prescott.

There's only one problem: I can't seem to get any time to myself with it. I'll give you one guess as to why that is...

Good guess.

Casa

2011-06-08T12:35:00.000-07:00

I figured that since we have been here in Prescott for 6 weeks already, I should probably post a few pictures of our house. Not a terribly interesting post, but I have had a couple of requests to see it, so I will happily (if not very, very belatedly) oblige!

Here is the outside. Very southwesternesque, yes?

We have a great view of Willow Creek Lake from our back deck. I should've had Clark take this picture, I am not quite tall enough to give the view justice.

Living room: again, it is clear by the decor that we are living in Arizona (to the left of the fireplace I only got about half of the large Indian chief bust hanging on the wall)!

This house we found is really nice, so no complaints, but I do look forward to being about to decorate a house to our own taste someday.

This was the dining room when we moved in, but has since been, shall we say, TAKEN OVER!

This is usually what it looks like after a long day of Luke.

And my favorite room of the house...

the kitchen!

This is by far the largest/nicest kitchen in any home we have lived in so far. I LOVE it!

I am not sure I can be without an island from now on. Spoiled, I know.

So, that is about it! Well, those are the main rooms of the house anyway. There are some bedrooms of course, and a laundry room, garage, bathrooms....the usual. I didn't want to get too long-winded on this post! But you get the idea. (:

Eat your heart out, Sesame Street!

2011-05-24T07:13:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure anyone has been so excited about counting to 20.

company!!

2011-05-22T13:49:00.000-07:00

We had our first visitors since we've been in Arizona: my sister Sandy and my nephew Will came to visit us for most of last week. We were so happy to see and spend some time with them!

Will is such a little stud. He has always been a little shy with me since we don't see each other very often, so it was great to get to know him a bit better.

(Sometimes I think my hair is red--I will just have to refer to this picture in the future to remind myself that this is not so!)

Luke and Will had a great time together and got along pretty well, with the exception of a few territorial disputes--always involving one or more of their toy cars. They are both pretty obsessed with the little matchbox cars and were forced more than once to share or trade them with each other. Luke doesn't have many little friends or cousins that he hangs out with regularly, so I think he is a little behind in the sharing department. (: We are working on it, though.

They invented some fun games to play with one another, including jumping off the couch onto beanbags and running back and forth from room to room. Oh, and Will taught Luke to call me "Suz". Thanks a lot, Will!

Bathtime was the best part of the day for these two.

Blowing bubbles:

I mean, seriously, how cute are these cousins??

Hopefully Sandy gives good reviews of Prescott so we get more visitors in the future.

I have really missed being able to spend a lot of time with my siblings, especially since I am the only one outside of Utah, so it really meant a lot to be able to hang out with my sister for no special reason, and that she took the time to come see us.

It was a great week, thanks for coming Sandy and Will! We miss you!

here comes the sun...

2011-05-09T15:21:00.000-07:00

By the way, we made it to Arizona! More pics of our new place coming soon, but for now, this lovely picture of my arm pretty much sums up our first couple of weeks here:

(I knew it had been a while since I'd seen the sun...but WOW!)

Like I told Clark, farmer's tans don't look good on anyone except farmers.

Mama

2011-05-08T06:44:00.000-07:00

To my Mom, who is the best example of the kind of mother I want to become:

I love you so much!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!

Two!

2011-04-14T06:30:00.000-07:00

I really can't believe that my little superman

is turning...

(not much time for pictures amidst all of the packing going on around here, but we did manage to get a few ok ones.)

At two years old, here are just a few things about Luke.

He...

-continues to be such a happy kid, but is showing a sensitive side as well.
-LOVES LOVES LOVES cars, trucks, and trains.
-is cute beyond compare.
-can't get enough of nursery, and is actually sad when I come to pick him up.
-hasn't quite grasped the concept of sharing yet.
-is talking more and more every day.
-has become quite the picky eater.
-loves being outside, and especially jumping on the trampoline.
-is still fascinated with and likes to throw rocks.
-sleeps like a champ!
-seems to know there is a baby sister in mom's belly, and pats and gives her kisses frequently.
-knows his ABCs, colors, and shapes.

-has a favorite TV show - 'Team UmiZoomi'.

-has no interest in using the potty yet.
-loves to read books with mom or dad, and sometimes just by himself.

-is so glad when Daddy comes home!

-charms everyone he meets.

-has us completely wrapped around his finger--and I think he might know it, too!

I will forever wonder why Clark and I deserve such a great little guy.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LUKE!!

Charmer

2011-03-29T19:18:00.000-07:00

Look out, girls.

Lemonade

2011-03-25T18:17:00.002-07:00

Luke is really looking forward to an actual bath when we move.

But for now, he's making the most of what he has!

Seattle!

2011-03-21T19:27:00.000-07:00

Last Friday Clark only had two patients to see, and after both of them cancelled on him, we decided to take a quick trip up to Seattle for the weekend.

We definitely spoiled ourselves with a dinner Friday night at the top of the Space Needle. The restaurant revolves 360 degrees in a little under an hour. The food was delicious...expensive...but delicious! Luke spent much of the evening pointing out the window at the city and saying 'whoa!'

Luke and I checking out the city below:

"Whoa!"

Saturday morning we woke up to something totally unexpected this time of year in Seattle...clear skies! We really lucked out because it turned out to be a beautiful day. I didn't even check the weather before we left; I just assumed it would be raining!

We walked from our hotel to Sweet Iron Waffles for breakfast. I am not a huge breakfast person, but oh. my. goodness. These were delicious!

I am a lousy food photographer I guess, because these pictures don't do the waffles justice.

Mine had proscuto, green onions, and some kind of cheese whose name I can't remember. YUM!

Clark took a more sweet route--his waffle had syrup, bananas, and whipped cream.

(I think he got the one with bananas on it so he wouldn't have to share with me!)

Next, we walked to Pike's Place Market, a 103-year-old marketplace selling fresh fruits, veggies, flowers, crafts, seafood--you name it!

We sampled and then bought some chocolate pasta...hmmm...not sure what I am going to do with it yet, but it looked yummy!

Finally, we took a ferry ride to Bainsbridge Island.

Luke had no trouble finding a little girlfriend on the way...

We spent the rest of the day strolling around the island (of which I apparently didn't take any great pictures). We had some Thai food for lunch, did a little shopping, played at the park, and just enjoyed the sights.

By that afternoon, we were beat and ready to head home. It was a short trip, but packed with fun! I will miss this part of the country when we leave...there is so much to see and do (a.k.a.- guilt trip for those who didn't come visit us..you missed out!!). (:

Luke's sister and other news...

2011-03-18T07:10:00.000-07:00

First of all, IT'S A GIRL!

I realize that many of you will already know this, but it felt wrong not to mention it on the blog.

I am still due on July 20th. We took some 3d pictures of her as well, but she refused to move her hands out from in front of her face...just during the 3d pictures, of course. Could she be showing signs of stubbornness (from her Dad, of course) already??

I am constantly trying to come up with fun things for Luke and I to do, and one thing we have found that we really like is to go to the Wildlife Safari and check out all the animals (on the rare chance that it is not raining, that is).

Luke especially enjoyed this huge python last time we were there!

Things have been pretty quiet around here lately, but we did take another trip to the coast a couple of weekends ago.

Here I am pulling up some poor, unlucky crabs.

I'm sorry, but crabs are not attractive!

We literally had too much fun for Luke--he ended up getting a fever by the end of that day and looked like this all the way home. So sad!

In OTHER NEWS, we are supposed to be moving to Prescott, AZ this weekend, but due to some PT licensing issues that were very frustratingly out of our control, that has been postponed for another month. Instead, Clark will begin working there on April 28th. Luckily, we have awesome landlords who are more than happy to put up with us for one more month. We feel so blessed to have lived here and to have met such wonderful people.

On the docket for this weekend...a possible mini-trip to Seattle! Should be fun!

Why I can't keep the house clean

2011-02-18T06:47:00.000-08:00

Next stop...

2011-02-17T07:38:00.000-08:00

Prescott, Arizona

We leave in a month!

I'm telling you...

2011-02-15T18:22:00.000-08:00

I am getting really concerned about this global warming thing...

Keepin' it real

2011-02-09T18:25:00.000-08:00

Well I have been a stinker of a blogger lately.

Not much is going on around here, but we are still alive and well.

Next Thursday we will sign for our next location, and while we don't know exactly where that will be, we DO know that it will not be here. We are ready for some new sights!

Right now we are looking at a couple of places: Portland, ME (loooong drive!), Prescott, AZ (shorter drive, maybe not as cool as back east??).

Any opinions on either of those places?

Clark is still working hard and the office is begging him to stay for three more months. Sorry, not happening...I am 98% sure!

As for Luke and me, we spend our days just keeping each other company. It is still pretty cool here, but the sun does come out for a bit each day and we try to get outside as often as we can.

He is getting so big!

I sure do love my little buddy.

I am getting bigger by the day (I have thought that I should post a picture of my pregnant self, since I don't get to really see anyone that reads this blog, but that may only happen if I decide to don something other than my sweats in the next 5 months...Not likely!) We find out on March 7th if our little peanut is a girl or a boy.

Any guesses?

I have been married...

2011-01-21T07:30:00.000-08:00

...longer than I attended high school.

...longer than I attended college.

...longer than it takes some people (including myself) to read the unabridged version of 'Les Miserables'.

...longer than 99.275% of celebrity couples.

...longer than it took Michelangelo to paint the Sistine Chapel.

I have been married...for half of a DECADE!

Lucky for me I picked the right guy. I love you Clark! Thank you for five fabulous years!

Domesticity attempts 1 & 2

2011-01-11T16:45:00.000-08:00

So, if you recall, Clark really pulled through this Christmas and got me an awesome sewing machine.

Well, I made some things.

First up, my apron. I've made similar aprons for others on different sewing machines, so I thought it would be a good project to learn the ins and outs of my machine.

Cute, no? Except I kinda sorta cut the pattern out upside down.

Good start.

But I went ahead and made it anyway. Fabric ain't cheap, people!

Next up, the infamous rag quilt. I actually made this blanket on my mom's machine months ago while I was visiting my family in Logan. Unfortunately, when I washed it the red bled like a severed limb onto the white, which resulted in lovely bright pink squares!

I'll admit it, I cried a little.

A lot.

I was devastated.

My supermom was able to get most of the pink out, and the only thing left was to fix the numerous, um, imperfections that also presented themselves after the first wash.

Holes. Many, many holes.

So, with my new machine, I fixed them as best I could. Needless to say there will be no close-up pictures of this project.

Not the greatest start to my domestic adventures.

But I guess it could have been worse!

It's a peanut!

2011-01-06T08:00:00.000-08:00

I am pretty certain just about everyone who reads this blog already knows this, but just in case, here is a picture of the newest addition to our family! I am due July 20th.

I am getting definite girl vibes. (:

vs.

2011-01-05T07:34:00.000-08:00

Guess who won??

Our Christmas in a nutshell

2011-01-03T18:21:00.000-08:00

This year we took a two-week vacation to visit our families in Utah. It was a great trip! I love the Holidays, but they just wouldn't be the same if we weren't home.

We got right to work and went sledding in Logan.

Luke loved it!

Next up, our annual family basketball game.

This year, to avoid a repeat of last year's injuries, we just played lightning. Still fun!

Clark's got mad skills.

I wish I could say this was me, but it's my much more talented sister Sandy.

The Krogh sisters, back together again!

Christmas Eve at my parents' house is always a lot of fun. We have a big dinner, break a couple of pinatas, open some presents, and re-enact the Christmas story.

This year Luke was a Wise Man.

One of these years he will be excited about it.

Clark, the epitome of excitement, was a shepherd.

(About the costume...don't ask....because I don't know!)

Christmas morning I was pleasantly surprised with this little beauty:

woohoo!

Every present I give from now on will be handmade.

Just giving fair warning. (:

Luke got some gifts as well, but he of course was more interested in the packages and paper they came in.

(Luke and cousin Will in their matching PJs)

...if only we could get inside there somehow...

there...NOW it's Christmas!!

Christmas Day we headed down to Delta, where we spent time playing with cousins and having a blast! Luke is definitely not wanting for attention whenever we visit Delta.

His cousins sure love him!

A little over half of Clark's family made it for the big family party.

Here are as many as I could fit in the picture...

We stayed in Delta until New Year's Day, saw a movie, went swimming, did some more sledding, and I even made it until midnight on New Year's Eve, which is more than I can say for last year.

What a great trip!

It was definitely worth the 25+ hours of traveling!

(Luckily, we had a great driver.)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Oh Christmas Tree...

2010-12-01T16:23:00.000-08:00

We spent Thanksgiving weekend in Medford with Clark's brother's family, and on Friday we were able to head up into the mountains to git us a Christmas tree!

I love hunting for trees, and of course, like most activities, being able to bring Luke along makes it extra fun.

Unfortunately, I neglected to bring Luke's snow pants, so he and I stayed back on the packed snow to play while Clark went traipsing through the woods in search of the perfect tree.

Really, Clark?

That's the best you could do??

I see that next time I will have to be in charge of tree selection.

Actually, a tiny tree was just what we wanted...we don't have a whole lot of room in our apartment, plus all of our Christmas decorations, ornaments, etc. are packed away in Las Vegas.

Also, we are taking two weeks off for Christmas and coming to Utah, and won't be around for Christmas at all, so this little guy was perfect for us!

Sorry I threw you under the bus for a second there, Clark.

Anyway, we mustered enough strength to haul it into the back of the truck and took it home, where we adorned it with clumsily-crafted ornaments such as these beauties:

(They are supposed to be icicles. I hope that is obvious, though I am not so sure...and we discovered that paper clips make great hooks!)

(I love that the tree is small enough to fit in a vase!) (:

One string of lights, some mini candy canes, and a tin-foil star later, and we had ourselves a perfectly good Christmas tree!

Beauty, eh?

fall

2010-11-16T18:08:00.000-08:00

One thing I am finding that I like about Oregon is the weather.

I enjoy rain, so it doesn't bother me that the past few weeks have been pretty wet.

What's great, though, is that the temperature stays pretty consistent around here, rarely getting below 55 degrees or so during the day.

I am told that it stays this way for most of the winter, and that it only gets down to freezing temperatures maybe a few times a year. Yeah!

For now...

The grass is still green.

The leaves are still vibrant.

And when the sun shines, we just have to get out and soak up some rays!

Living in Vegas, I missed the snow and the change of seasons.

But we are loving this extended fall weather!

(I can see the snow when I go home for Christmas.)

Luke, I am your father...

2010-11-05T17:15:00.000-07:00

A post on my friend Chelsea's blog reminded me

that I wanted to post this picture from Halloween.

Appropriate, no?

The Great Pumpkin...Search

2010-10-25T17:50:00.000-07:00

Clark's boss's family owns Kruse Farms, a farmer's market (that gets a lot of business from me) not too far from our house. They invited us on a hayride/pumpkin-picking outing last Saturday.

Getting ready to head out to the pumpkin patch...

I have yet to get Luke to smile on purpose for the camera.

Stomping through the pumpkin patch...so many to choose from!

Got one!

18 months!

2010-10-24T15:55:00.001-07:00

I can't believe Luke is already 18 months. I keep having to check his birth certificate to be sure that that much time has gone by. Ok, not really, but still...18 months???

Let's see if I can come up with 18 things to tell you about our little (big) guy!

At 18 months, Luke...

*is nearly always happy and smiling. Wherever we go,

Luke is sure to win over a new friend with his smile.

*is generally very easygoing and content.

*has 12 teeth (and 4 on the way!).

*loves trucks, cars...anything with wheels.

*would much rather be outside than in....rain or shine.

*is looking more and more like his Daddy every day.

*isn't talking much, but can say 'mama', 'dada', 'uh-oh',

'more', 'choo-choo', 'ball', 'truck', and 'yee-haw'.

*LOVES nursery (yes!!!).

*knows many animal sounds, including dog,

kitty, bear, fish, lion, monkey, pig, tiger, bee, and duck.

*enjoys a good book--well, a good picture book anyway.

*has more energy than mom and dad combined!

*must have his blankie to go to sleep.

*sucks his thumb, but only when he is tired.

*is a flirt! Watch out, girls!

*enjoys music, and loves to help mom do the actions to 'Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes', 'Popcorn Popping', 'I'm All Made of Hinges', and 'Itsy Bitsy Spider'.

*likes to imitate (or try to imitate) actions and sounds.

*loves to wear hats, probably because it usually means he is going outside.

*is very independent, but is also very loving and friendly to everyone he is around.

In a word...Luke is LOVEABLE!

Not your mother's zoo

2010-09-27T18:59:00.000-07:00

Well, how's this for a fun day? Last Saturday we spent the morning at Wildlife Safari, an animal park about 20 minutes from our house.

Wildlife Safari is really pretty neat because it is designed like an actual safari--you stay in your car and drive through the park; the animals roam free! Kind of like Jurrasic Park...there were a couple of eerie moments where we couldn't see any animals that is really did feel like Jurrasic Park!

We rolled our windows down and played music from the Lion King...Simbaaaa!

This lovely (not) ostrich had deemed itself the welcoming committee, and dutifully harassed all the cars entering the park.

It came right up to us and started pecking at our window (which was rolled UP at this point, thank goodness). Kind of creepy!

Here are some...um...of these animals. Not sure what they are called. They were just walking around, enjoying the grass.

Can you hear the music?

...in the ciiiiircle of liiife...

There is also a walk-through section of the park, where you can look at smaller animals--more like a regular zoo.

Luke admiring the flamingos:

And, there is a section where you can pet and feed the animals. Luke was all over that idea. He even taste-tested the pellets to make sure they were good! Yum!

The best part of the visit, though, was this:

An elephant car wash!

While we waited our turn, we got to admire this guy that was walking around right outside our car.

I have never seen a giraffe in person...they really are pretty sweet animals.

Anyway, on to the car wash!

Pretty simple: you pull in, and a 9,000 pound elephant walks right up to your car.

Crazy!

HELLO Louise!! Isn't she pretty??

She would put her trunk right up against the window and blow water everywhere. It was awesome!

We had to stay inside the car but one of the zoo workers took some photos from the outside.

Isn't that thing HUGE???

By far the best car wash I have experienced. Although, our car didn't really get washed (I think it may have actually been dirtier afterwards than when we got there). But I wasn't about to be complaining to Louise!

See?? Oregon is FUN. Come visit!

okay, okay, I'll BLOG!!

2010-09-25T07:02:00.000-07:00

So, I guess I should blog more often. I have this nagging sense of guilt when I know that it's been a while since I have posted something.

So, what follows is a completely random, thrown together hodgepodge of recent happenings.

This was quite a while back, but once upon a time this summer we went down to Ashland for a day of wakeboarding.

It's been quite a while since we've done this, and it's always a blast, especially for Clark who absolutely loves the sport.

Studly.

Here I am in a much blurrier picture getting much less air.

It's probably a good thing it's blurry because I am pretty sure my facial expression is screaming 'please don't crash...please don't crash'.

This was the least blurry of the pictures that were taken while I was boarding. No amount of 'unsharp mask' in photoshop was of any help. It could be anyone really.

But it's me...I'm 99% sure.

We've had some really great sunrises lately...see?

Speaking of really great, I recommend the Pioneer Woman's blackberry cheesecake next time you need an indulgent treat.

It. Was. Delicious.

(I told you this post was going to be random.)

Finally, lately I've decided that the one thing Luke did get from me is fat feet.

I think these boots will actually fit him in just a few years!

He sure likes to wear Mom & Dad's shoes lately. (:

The end.

Labor Day Weekend: Days 3 & 4

2010-09-09T19:47:00.000-07:00

Ok, time to wrap this up!

Days 3 & 4 were spent in Portland...

Sunday, we drove to Portland and visited a couple of waterfalls.

This first one, Multnomah Falls, is over 600 feet high.

Whoa!

These guys were pretty excited about it too.

Next up was Wakheeta Falls. Not quite as high (or crowded), but really nice.

Again with the rocks...

On Monday we went to OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry), where we saw plenty of scaly, slimy animals...

...and even got to touch a few! It was all we could do to keep Luke from squeezing the snakes to death! No fear!

OMSI was HUGE. We could have spent all day there exploring all of the hands-on exhibits.

Here I am trying my hand at meteorology.

Not so good...I don't even know what I am pointing at!

Time to head home!

At the suggestion of my sister Katie, on the way home we decided to make a stop at the famous Voodoo Doughnut shop (well, famous to some people--we had never heard of it). There are only 3 locations: 2 in Portland, 1 in Eugene. We thought we would run in and out of there and be enjoying our doughnuts in just a few minutes. You can imagine our surprise when we discovered that there was well over an hour's wait to even get into the store! People were lined up around the block...for doughnuts!

There was no way we were waiting in that line, so we decided to stop at the store in Eugene, which was right on the way home.

When we got there...it was closed. Why? ?? They had sold out of doughnuts! And there were people that had been waiting there for it to open up again for over an hour!

They were set to re-open in half an hour with a fresh supply, and at this point our curiosity and expectations were so high, that we decided to wait. We were getting some of those doughnuts!

About 45 minutes later, we left with a lovely pink box:

They had some interesting choices of doughnuts...here are the ones we decided on:

I can't say I tried the bacon-maple bar (a little too weird for me), but we were not disappointed. They were by far the best doughnuts I have ever eaten. Still, I don't know if I could justify waiting in a line of over 100 people to get my hands on them.

That concludes the recap of our trip! Thanks for caring! (:

Oregon Coast - Day 2

2010-09-09T19:41:00.000-07:00

Day two began with a visit to the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport.

We were able to measure Clark's ape-arms...he almost has the wingspan of a stork.

There were a few tunnels to walk through that were pretty cool.

As you can see Luke led the tour. I swear, it's all we can do to keep up with him these days.

I dislike sharks about as much as I love lighthouses.

Luke getting up-close and personal with a crocodile...

While he did show interest in some of the animals--as shown above--Luke spent most of his energy on the trip playing with rocks:

Good thing his admission was free or I might have forced him to look at every single animal...we have rocks at home! (:

On the way to our next destination, we stopped at another lighthouse...

Yaquina Head in Newport, OR.

I took a million pictures; I'll spare you and just share one. (:

So pretty!

Finally, we ended the day with a tour of--cue Hallelujah Chorus--the Tillamook Cheese Factory!!

Now, a lot of you probably know that Clark grew up working in his Dad's cheese factory in Delta, so he was pretty excited about this stop.

(I may or may not have forced him to look that excited.)

I thought that Clark was in the minority when it came to his interest in this cheese factory, but boy was I wrong! The place was packed; it was like Disneyland in there!

I have a suspicion that it was mostly due to the free cheese samples and ice cream.

Anyway, we had a good time tasting cheese, learning about the history of the factory, and we left with a big bag of squeaky cheese...mmmmmmm!

Another great day!

Oregon Coast - Day 1

2010-09-09T19:29:00.000-07:00

This is the first of a few posts to come about our road trip over Labor Day weekend. I'll try to keep it to the point...we'll see how it goes.

Clark took work off on Friday and we headed up the coast, stopping along the way to play in some of Oregon's famous sand dunes.

Our next stop was in Florence where we walked along the pier and through the overpriced shops in Old Town Florence, bought salt water taffy, and ate at a Dlicious italian restaurant (where we pretended we were in Florence, Italy). We were busy enough that I didn't take many pictures of that portion of the trip I guess! (:

On the way up to the next town, we stopped at the first of a couple lighthouses we visited.

I LOVE lighthouses.

Even if he isn't as captivated by them as I am, Clark is a good sport and made sure we spent some time there.

I just find lighthouses to be so serene and enchanting; it's like stepping back in time,

and there's nothing like the view from the top!

Below the lighthouse was a really nice beach, where we took some time

to play in the f-r-e-e-z-i-n-g cold water.

Luke was loving running around in the water...until he was knocked over by a deceptively strong wave. After that, he was not so happy.

We love the beach!

Good Morning!

2010-09-01T18:49:00.000-07:00

Overall, I like mornings.

You know, a fresh start, a new day.

But, there are a few things that I love about mornings.

This is one of them:

Every morning before Clark leaves for work,

he and Luke hunch over and share a bowl of cereal.

It melts my heart every time.

Luke waits patiently for his turn while Daddy takes a bite...

Mmmmmm...

It's the simple things...

Weekend at the Coast

2010-08-05T16:21:00.000-07:00

Apparently the Oregon coast is NOT warm. Not even in late July/early August. I brought my swimming suit with me on our little trip last weekend, but I don't even think I took my jacket off the entire time! Maybe I am just used to 105 degree weather. All I know is that I was not getting in that water.

Nevertheless, it is very beautiful and we had a great time!

A few of Clark's coworkers came with us to show us the ropes. First, we learned how to dig for clams. Clark and I were both newbies and did not come prepared as far as footwear was concerned--turns out clams like to hide down in the slimy, muddy part of the beach--so we ended up ditching the shoes and getting our feet all dirty instead.

If you ever are on the beach at low tide and you see little holes in the sand, they were made by clams. Maybe this is common knowledge but it was news to me! Anyway, you stick your finger in the hole, and if you feel something pull back from you, kind of a suction-type feeling (or, if you feel a slimy clam neck--eek!), then you know there is a clam in there. A bit scary at first, but they don't bite!

Then, you dig!

If you follow the tunnel as you dig, eventually you hit a clam. We had to go at least a foot or two down for most of them. Then, carefully, you get down in there with your hand and dig it out. It's all very glamorous--not! Now I can understand why seafood is so expensive--it takes some work to get those suckers out.

We broke a few shells at first, but we eventually got one out intact.

I think we made quite a mess of the beach--good thing it was low tide!

Next, we went crabbing. This was much easier. You just gracefully toss the traps off the pier, like so...

...wait about 20 minutes, and haul them back in. If the crab is big enough (about the length of a dollar bill), then you get to keep it.

We caught a few other things, including a starfish.

We even pulled in an old skateboard!

After a while we had a couple bucketfuls of nice, big crabs.

Then, we threw them all back into the ocean and let them be free!

Not really. We took them back to our campsite and boiled them.

Sorry fellas (and they were all fellas because you are not allowed to keep the female crabs).

Then, we FEASTED! I have to say, I am not a fan of seafood normally, but this fresh-out-of-the-ocean stuff is tasty. We also had clam chowder made with the clams we caught, and it was by far the best I have ever had. Yummy!

Luke stuck with his licorice. I think camping suits him! (:

The next day we drove down the coast and toured a lighthouse (I can't drive by a lighthouse and not stop),

(Clark and Luke are the ones on the rocks)

and just hung out on the beach.

Another successful adventure!

PS - I hope that by now you all see that I am sharing these fun things with you to entice you to come and visit us!

(Bring a jacket!)

Planning for the future

2010-07-29T11:45:00.000-07:00

I am always excited when Luke does something new, or gains a new skill, or demonstrates an affinity for something in particular. After I get over the cuteness of it all, I try to determine if what he is doing could one day be marketable. I figure if I want my kids to be able to take good care of Clark and me when we are old--top of the line Hoverounds, the tiniest, most discreet hearing aides available, state of the art nursing facilities...the works--they need to be successful. I mean, exorbitant amounts of money are going to need to be set aside if they are ever to repay us for the wonderful upbringing I fully expect they will have...letting them do the chores around the house, babysit one another, etc., etc.

Sure, he's only 15 months old, but you really can't be too proactive about these things.

Anyway, so far I have come up with what I feel is a nice variety of possible careers for Luke:

NBA All-Star

Feng Shui Consultant/Expert

(I don't know, he has this thing with moving chairs around)

Boxer

(you should see the other kid)

Mo-Tab Organist

(although, that job may require a shirt. And pants.)

And last but not least, the most promising career possibility so far, I think...

Professional Dancer

(in the most manly sense possible, of course)

What we've been up to...

2010-07-25T16:23:00.000-07:00

Since we've moved to Oregon we have been trying to take advantage of some of the many, many fun things we are finding that there are to do.

Poor Luke gets thrown in the car every weekend while we drag him along on our adventures.

He does a pretty good job of entertaining himself back there, though.

One thing we have really enjoyed is the concert-in-the-park series they have over the summer. Every Tuesday evening there is a two-hour concert in a park that is right next to the river. People lay their blankets out hours and hours before--it's pretty popular. We just come a few minutes before it starts and sit in the back so Luke can run around.

We also took a day and went to the Douglas County Museum (nerd alert!).

Luke found the mating calls fascinating!

Some taxidermist came out a millionaire from this project because there were SO MANY dead, stuffed animals at this museum!

You can imagine my delight when I found this:

(I guess my head becomes the 'O')

You better believe I spent some time at that computer. I LOVE that game! I felt like I was back at Hillcrest Elementary in the computer lab, staring at that tiny green screen...ah memories!

One thing that Oregon is not lacking in (besides hippies) is WATER. There are over 60 waterfalls within an hour of where we live. We have hiked to a couple now. Luke does really well--this time he hiked almost an entire mile before we got tired of going so slowly and picked him up.

I felt like I might run into Edward at any moment.

*swoon* <---not really though.

We made it!

This weekend we are going crabbing at the coast...pics to come (uh...eventually.)!

Hello...is this thing on?? Greetings from Oregon!

2010-07-07T10:26:00.000-07:00

Well, we made it to Oregon!

Here is a nice, long post with all the information you ever wanted to know about our road trip and our new place.

Taking off from Logan...

Good-bye, Utah!

We only got about three or four miles before our first (yes, first) car problem. Our new (well,new used) tire had a hole in it. We got it patched up at discount tire in Logan. We were off to a great start!

Our second tire incident occurred out in the middle of nowhere about ten hours later. I think we had just entered into Oregon from Nevada.

We had decided last minute to weld a spare tire onto the front of the trailer.

Good thing!

We thought the tire had blown out, due to the scary noise and the fact that the trailer was suddenly wobbling badly at 70 mph. Oh, and the shards of tire I saw fly out behind us through my side mirror were an indicator as well!

Turned out that the tire still had air in it, but the tread had had enough.

It was a really high quality tire, as you can see. Only the best!!

The rest of the trip was pretty much without incident.

This is what we saw out of our window most of the time:

It was a loooooong drive.

Luke seemed just fine with the fact that he was in the car all day long.

A little bored at times, perhaps...

...but he made it!

(not sure why he is wearing two different socks. His dad must have dressed him that day.)

We spent a couple of days in Medford with Clark's brother & family, and then we FINALLY made it to Roseburg!

We are renting an upstairs apartment from some very kind and generous people in the ward here (also named Johnson but no relation--that never would have happened back when I was a Krogh!).

Here is a view of the house.

It's really pretty up here...

We've got a creek running through the backyard that is lined with tons of blackberry bushes (anybody have any good blackberry-related recipes??).

The backyard is huge and is surrounded by trees.

There is a ton of space for Luke to explore...

play...

...and, you know, just ponder the important things in life...

Let's head inside!

There are two entrances: one inside the garage, and this one, from the outside:

Our bedroom...

...nothing out of the ordinary (doesn't everyone have a small organ in their bedroom?), aside from our ridiculously huge bed (the photo doesn't do it justice), aka two smaller beds pushed together.

(the biggest selling point about this place was that it was already furnished...we just had to make a few adjustments to make it work!)

The bathroom/laundry room...

Living room....

(if you ever want to come visit it seems we have plenty of couches for you to sleep on)

Here's the kitchen:

(No dishwasher or garbage disposal...sigh...but otherwise I really like this part of the apartment.)

And last but not least....

This is where ~~Harry Potter~~ Luke sleeps.

Please don't turn us in to DCFS....I promise we are good parents!

(be advised, I do open the door for him while he sleeps so he doesn't run out of oxygen)

That's the grand tour! Clark is in his third week of work, and is doing well and liking his job...so far, so good! We really are enjoying our new home, and we are finding Roseburg to be a nice, relaxed, beautiful town. We are anxious for some visitors! Just be sure to have a spare with you if you decide to drive. (:

Back online & Cruise recap

2010-06-30T13:10:00.000-07:00

Well, we did make it to Oregon, and I have lots of pictures to share about our trip and our new home. We have been here a few weeks and just got an internet connection YESTERDAY, so I have a bit of catching up to do!

First, I wanted to post about the amazing cruise we went on in May. Now, this post is way overdue, and you will (and probably already have) see a lot of these and similar pictures on my sisters' blogs. I think I am the last one to blog about it.

Anyway, Clark and I were able to celebrate his graduation and test success with a 4 day cruise to Catalina Island, CA and Ensenada, Mexico!

I have never been on a cruise before.

I now HIGHLY recommend them!

We took a ton of pictures and it was really hard to narrow it down, but here is a recap of the trip...I will try to keep it short and sweet...

Almost all of us made it. Sandy & Richie, Mark & Andrea, and Mom & Dad, you were sorely missed!

Our first stop was Catalina Island, where we rented tandem bikes and rode around the island.

Our cruise ship is in the background.

We saw some neat sites there...

Here I am being left out of all the fun as usual! (:

Katie & Dylan being contemplative...or dorky. However you want to look at it.

We also went snorkeling, which was quite frightening at first but turned out to be a lot of fun.

There was a formal night on the ship. We got to get all dressed up.

Ruthie & Kyle looking fabulous...

The dinners were really fancy, but Clark was a little miffed about some of the portion sizes.

Next stop: Ensenada, Mexico!

Here are the lovely Val & Jared...lookin' good!

Clark was brave and ate a fish taco made by the nice Mexican lady in a little stand on the side of the street. No gracias for me!!

The guys had to strike a pose in front of this guy, who seemed to be around every corner.

The rest of the trip was spent on board, just hanging out.

We got our tan on...

...played some hacky-sack,

some shuffleboard...

...and ate our weight in food every day.

After the cruise, we still hadn't had enough fun, so we spent the day at Six Flags!

It was pretty fun until we got absolutely s o a k e d on this dumb water ride.

It was not a warm day!

Dylan was SUPER excited about the bumper cars!

Here is Clark in his natural habitat:

It was a great time and I hope that we can all do it again soon!

Here is the only group shot that we managed to get. Luckily we were in our attractive snorkeling gear!

Tomorrow....

2010-06-11T16:10:00.000-07:00

We're off!

Big news!

2010-05-20T10:04:00.000-07:00

No, not that kind of news. (:

Clark took the National PT Board Exam on Tuesday, and we found out yesterday that HE PASSED!

It's official, he is now a licensed Physical Therapist!

It looks like our first job will be in Roseburg, Oregon.

Anyone know anything about Roseburg?

Me neither.

Let the research begin!

Someone pinch me...

2010-05-09T19:21:00.000-07:00

Well, three years later, I am proud to say that I am married to a DOCTOR of Physical Therapy!

(Don't worry, I will keep him humble about it!)

Yesterday was Clark's graduation from UNLV. He has worked so hard, spending countless hours in class, studying, working on projects, and learning as much as he can. One thing that I have always admired about Clark is that he has such a curious mind (a trait that I am certain he has passed on to Luke!) and gets really excited about learning new things. I am sure that this played a big part in his success while working his way through this tough program.

After presenting his capstone research project to the class and community on Friday, it was nice to just enjoy the festivities on Saturday.

Clark's parents made the trip down to Vegas for graduation.

Our wonderful friends Ray and Lisa were also there to show their support!

His BIGGEST FANS:

Here are most of Clark's graduating class of Physical Therapists. It was kind of neat that they were able to walk in first and were seated in the first few rows, behind the university's faculty. I think it made them feel pretty special!

Clark, looking very distinguished:

Fortunately for the university--and unfortunately for, well, everyone in attendance--this year's graduating class was UNLV's largest ever.

Naturally, then, the commencement ceremony was the LONGEST ever...

Two hours and way too many speeches/awards/recognitions later, it was finally time!

(They dimmed the lights, so these next few pictures are not so great.)

"Clark G. Johnson: Doctor of Physical Therapy"

Congratualations, Clark! You did it!

(I couldn't agree more!)

MOM

2010-05-09T10:13:00.001-07:00

I have the greatest mom in the world.

Being so far away from home is sometimes pretty difficult, especially on days like today, when I would love to be there to give my mom a real hug and kiss, instead of just a phone call and "cyber hug", as I like to call them.

In the past few years, however, I have come to appreciate more than ever what a wonderful mom I have.

Mom, thank you, thank you, for your unwavering example of faith, service, kindness, hard work, and love. I am who I am because of you!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

It happened.

2010-04-15T15:30:00.000-07:00

Well, I was in denial for a while, but I am finally ready to admit that

this guy

turned ONE.

We didn't do anything too huge for his birthday on Wednesday-just spent a nice evening at home with our dear friends Ray and Lisa (with whom we are staying for a month or so while we are in Vegas). We had a nice dinner, cake, presents, the works. I am sure Luke will remember it always and treasure it for years to come...ha!

Luke and Daddy blowing up balloons for the party:

Luke's cake.

I was pretty pessimistic as to how it was going to turn out, but it ended up being kinda cute!

Luke really enjoyed it.

Before cake:

After cake:

After cake and presents, we took Luke out to swim in the hot tub. The kid is a fish and always has a great time in the water.

I thought this was a priceless shot of Luke and Clark--my two smiley guys!

This past year, Luke has brought so much love and joy into our lives; it is hard to think what we ever did without him!

Nomads in training.

2010-04-13T10:09:00.000-07:00

Well, we are about to embark on an exciting little adventure. Since we have been moving from place to place for the past few months, we figured we might as well keep going! Clark has signed a year-long contract with a Traveling Therapy company, and beginning sometime in June we will head to Oregon for our first assignment. Every three months we will be moving to a new state of our choice. We are tentitively planning on Massachusetts in the Fall/Winter, and Alaska next summer. Where we go in the spring is still up for debate. Any suggestions?

Anyway, we recently sold our truck and bought a little trailer to pull behind our four-banger (aka it will be a Loooooooong trip) Corolla. It wasn't the prettiest thing you ever saw, so we did a little paint job on it.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Better. But still, it looked a little bit...blah. We didn't want to draw too much attention to ourselves, but it needed something.

So we added a few things.

It needed a personal touch...

...and some patriotic spirit...

Clark spent a good amount of time painting a map of the U.S. on the back. Our plan is to check off the states we go through and/or visit...

...like so:

(P.T. Cruiser="Physical Therapist" Cruiser...probably no one driving by us will get that. Oh well!)

Just to put the size of the trailer in perspective, here it is behind the car.

How we are going to fit everything we want to take in it...I have no idea!

proud of this guy...

2010-04-02T12:37:00.001-07:00

Today was Clark's LAST day of his LAST affiliation of his LAST year of Graduate school! For a long time I didn't think this day would ever come, but here we are. Clark has done so well in all of his classes and especially in his affiliations. Each hospital/clinic where he has worked has offered him a position after he graduates, which is a great compliment to him and his abilities. He is going to be one great Physical Therapist!

Next up, GRADUATION....WOOT!

if you build it, they will come...

2010-03-18T08:32:00.000-07:00

It's the strangest thing. When we were living in Vegas, all of my friends and family were really excited about coming to visit us. And in fact, we had many visitors while we were there. We'd go see the strip, take a trip or two to In 'n Out, go swimming, etc. Good times!

Since we've moved to Delta, however, the steady flow of eager visitors has come to an abrupt halt!

I'm beginning to think that the appeal for coming to visit us in Vegas had less to do with us than we once thought! (:

So, I was thinking about what I could use to entice my family and friends to take a trip down to Delta. The list of fun things to do is, as you can imagine, endless, but I was finally able to narrow it down to one exciting activity:

I can offer you all a ride on our tire swing!

But wait! Before you laugh and move on to read another blog, let me tell you more about it. Give me a chance to sell you on the idea.

This ain't your Grandmother's tire swing.

It's tall...

Very, very TALL.

This is how it works.

You settle into the swing, get nice and comfortable, and look around nervously, asking questions like "Is this really safe?", "Shouldn't I be wearing a helmet or something?", and "How old did you say this thing is?".

Then, your trusty friends all grab hold of the 'slightly frayed, but probably just fine' rope...

...and pull with all their might.

No turning back now!

Up you go....

Higher...

Higher....

Once you are face-down parallel to the ground and your arms are shaking from trying to hold yourself inside the swing, you know you are high enough:

3...2...1...

WEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Who needs Vegas to have fun, anyway!?

Well, please let me know when you are coming so I can make the appropriate accommodations.

I fully expect the road leading into Delta to look like this tonight...

one month shy of a year...

2010-03-15T14:04:00.000-07:00

Ok, so not the greatest picture in the world, but it just is such a real representation of Luke right now. The kid is CURIOUS, about everything. He doesn't sit still for long and really can't be bothered to look at the camera!

Proud moment(s)...

2010-03-03T13:01:00.000-08:00

I think he might be a natural! (:

Or maybe I am just an over-excited mom.

Either way, it's fun to watch.

Bear Lake...does it ever get old???

2010-03-02T10:05:00.000-08:00

NOPE.

Bear Lake is fun any time of the year.

And it is pretty any time of the year.

Even in the winter when everything is blue and cold-looking.

(thanks KT for providing the pics!)

It's a great place to take pictures...

Here we are trying to recreate/make fun of those pictures you see with people in the fields facing all different directions. Did we get it about right?

(um...no offense I hope to anyone who actually has one of these pictures.

Just know, they are nothing compared to the ones you will find at this website--great time-waster, by the way.)

We were able to go snowboarding/skiing at Beaver. Here I am taking a 'rest' (aka I fell) on my knees. One of many.

Nate the Great (my nephew), on the other hand, is a rock star and didn't fall once!

For the rest of the weekend we just chilled at the cabin by the lake.

Katie and I being extra cool in our snowshoes...

Nate and Grandma.

And here's Luke, being Luke!

We also went sledding/boarding at the Golf Course, which was a lot of fun.

Sick.

(i think that is the lingo...)

"You got like 3 inches of air that time..."

Maybe four.

We had a great time, although Clark and the other members of The Fam who were unable to come were missed! Thanks for a great weekend!

(if you are wondering where Luke is in this picture, he is in the car seat.

Way in the back. Sleeping through all the fun!

And Dad is behind the camera, as he always seems to be. Love you , Papá!!)

Today I feel...

2010-03-01T15:58:00.000-08:00

Grateful for my health. For Clark. For Luke. For good parents. For amazing friends. For freedom. For chocolate. For truth. Grateful to have what I need. To have more than I need. Grateful that my biggest worry is figuring out what to cook for dinner tonight. That my greatest fear is being alone, and that it will never be realized. That my greatest dreams are entirely possible. Grateful for work. For play. For second chances. For third chances.

For a blog on which to write the cheesiest of all my cheesy thoughts.

For countless other things.

10 months old!!

2010-02-17T13:37:00.000-08:00

A few things about our little guy:

- He is SO happy. He wakes up happy, goes to bed happy (usually), and is smiling all day long. Even when he's been sick, he's usually in a better mood than I am! (:

- He rarely crawls anymore, and is perfectly content walking around the house in circles all day long.

-Lately, Luke is fascinated with wheels. If he has a toy car in his hand, instead of playing with it, he flips it on its side and spins the wheels round and round.

-He loves mom & dad's ipod. I'll turn on some music and let him hold it and he will walk around with it in his hand as long as I will let him. He stops every now and then to dance (bounce up and down) for a few seconds.

-Even though he is only 10 months old, he thinks he is such a big kid. Any time we are around kids that are older than him (years older), he chases them around and tries to play with them and do whatever they are doing. He can pretty much keep up with them, unless they break into a sudden run. (:

-Not much of a vocabulary yet, although he babbles "dada" all day long, and occasionally he will throw me a bone and say "mama". Other words (or sounds, rather) include "baba", "yeah-yeah", and...well, that's about it!

-He is a charmer, and we've noticed he especially seems to like waitresses. Whenever we go to a restaurant, he gives the waitress a big grin and literally strains his neck to watch her wherever she goes. Should I be worried???

I could go on and on. Luke is such a good kid, and we are so blessed to have him!

you know you're in a small town when...

2010-02-15T12:52:00.000-08:00

Last night my father-in-law was helping a young kid earn a badge for scouting. The boy was probably around 12 years old, maybe even a year or two younger. Anyway, he came in and sat down to get to work on the badge requirements. I didn't hear their whole conversation, but the first part of it went something like this:

Father-in-law: C'mon in and take a seat.

Kid: Thanks.

Father-in-law: So how much time do we have to do this? Is your dad out waiting in the car for you?

Kid: Oh, no. I just drove over by myself.

Sometimes, I quite enjoy small-town life!

I'm so glad when daddy comes home...

2010-02-01T13:28:00.000-08:00

This is the kind of reception Clark gets when he comes home from work every day.

I'll admit, I am a little jealous!

On the move...

2010-01-30T13:01:00.000-08:00

I have been meaning to post a video of Luke walking. He's pretty much a pro!

9 months & other happenings (aka a really long post)

2010-01-14T15:14:00.000-08:00

Holy smokes, I have been a rotten blogger lately. Oh, and I have been slacking with the picture-taking as well. I am really on top of things...if only I had a valid excuse. I did manage to catch Luke in between rolls on the love-sac yesterday to snap the above photo--that kid is a mover!

I can't believe nine months have already passed. Luke is the absolute best!

He has been crawling for a few months now, standing for several weeks, and has just about mastered walking. Needless to say I wasn't expecting all of this movement so soon, but he can't be stopped! Whether I like it or not (and I DO like it), my baby is a walking,

talking (well, babbling anyway),

SMILING machine!

I've got a lot to catch up on, and I can imagine how the suspense is just killing you, so sit back, relax, and try to stay awake!

Ok, here goes.

Despite my unpreparedness for it, Christmas happened.

We spent Christmas Eve partying it up with the Krogh family. Every year, for some unknown or long-forgotten reason, we do a pinata. Each year the pinata seems to get bigger and/or stranger. This is what it looked like this year:

yikes.

That is, until I got a hold of it...

(bwah-ha-ha!)

Then it looked like this:

After all of our frustration has been taken out on the pinata, we calm down and act out the Christmas story.

Luke made his debut this year as a shephard with William and Uncle Mark...

...and Clark and Dylan were Wise Men.

(We always have fun putting the costumes together.)

(I was apparently not cool enough to be in the

pageant this year, so I provided moral support instead.)

After Christmas we headed down south to spend some time with Clark's fam. Their Christmas party was a blast, as usual; so much fun in fact that I forgot to take any pictures! So many people to talk to, so much food to eat...who has time for a camera? We spent the next few days in Delta just hanging out, and Luke got to see and play with his cousins.

Clark's family has a New Year's Eve tradition of having a fondue dinner:

I was a party animal this year. I went to bed at about 9:45 and got up just in time (as in 11:59) to ring in the new year, grab a kiss from my honey, and head straight back to bed!

Clark had a couple more weeks off, so we just went ahead and had as much fun as possible. A couple of my favorite activities:

We went snowboarding--always a blast...

...and I FINALLY (after 20 years of living in Utah) went to a Jazz game!

(sidenote: we had some serious seats...this picture was taken with hardly any zoom! Thanks to Clark's parents for that!)

(another sidenote: I miss John Stockton.)

Probably the most exciting thing that happened over the break was that we welcomed yet another baby boy into the family. Congrats to my sister Ruthie & her hubby Kyle on their new addition!

Baby Weston meeting his favorite auntie for the first time.

He is just perfect.

You still with me? Bless you. There's only one other minor detail of our lives I think is worth sharing. We're back in Utah! Clark started his last internship in Delta on Monday. His parents have been gracious enough to let us stay with them while we are here. If you've never been to Delta (or if you blinked when you drove by it and missed it), it's slightly smaller than Vegas. You'd hardly notice the difference though:

VEGAS

DELTA

VEGAS

DELTA

So, we will be here in Delta for the next three months, and then, back to Vegas for a couple of weeks to GRADUATE!!! I'm a little excited about it.

Well, that about does it. I've really got to keep this blog updated, because I am sure that people don't love reading these ridiculously long posts, and frankly, it took way too long to write it!

From our family to yours...

2009-12-25T07:38:00.000-08:00

Change is in the air..

2009-12-10T11:20:00.001-08:00

Well, the blogging has taken a backseat (well, an even further backseat) while we get ready to move next week. I can't believe it's almost time!

We are enjoying all of the fun things that come with moving, like our house looking like this:

And finding surprises like this as we move things around:

(yuck-this black widow was huge; the picture doesn't do it justice. I could only zoom in so far and I was NOT getting any closer to that thing!)

This guy, on the other hand, I have no problem getting close to! The latest: 4 teeth--two of which are visible in this pic.

7 months = messy!

2009-11-16T12:10:00.000-08:00

Worst. Day. Ever.

2009-11-04T11:52:00.000-08:00

4 shots. sad day.

Halloween w/the fam

2009-11-02T09:34:00.000-08:00

First of all, judging by my choice of design in the new blog layout, I think it is safe to say that I am having some winter/snow withdrawls. I have missed white winters for the last couple of years.

Luckily, I can always count on Utah to pull through with some snow and sub-freezing temps, even if it isn't even November yet! For Halloween weekend we drove up Big Cottonwood Canyon to Brighton for a big family party.

It was fun to dust off the old winter gear that's been boxed up in the garage.

(hail to Logan High!)

I usually get pretty excited about dressing up for halloween, so it was really fun to show off the--ahem--award winning costumes we put together.

My sister Val is awesome and made these sweet trophies with various awards for everyone to take home.

I'm going to put this one next to my Dundies (I wish!).

This year we went as pirates.

Of course the real star of the show was our parrot:

My crazy fam in their halloween gear!

Good times.

6 months...

2009-10-20T17:00:00.000-07:00

(thanks to katie for taking this picture...i think it turned out cute!)

Mobsters and Mormons

2009-10-19T23:00:00.000-07:00

Did you catch the office the other night?

You know how Las Vegas was settled by Mormons and the Mafia? Well, they say that while many mormons have remained here (10% of the population is LDS), the Mafia by and large is no longer a part of the city.

I beg to differ.

I am pretty sure I met someone in the Mafia today.

I was headed back from the grocery store, and when I pulled through the gate to our neighborhood there was a big, black, shiny SUV sitting in the middle of the road in front of our house. It looked kind of like this:

I figured that the driver was just waiting for me to pull through the gate so that he could get out, but when I started to pull up next to him, he stuck his hand out of the window and flagged me down. I'm generally a pretty trusting person, but you never know, so I kept my car a decent distance away from his and just cracked my window a tiny bit. He looked kind of like this:

Actually, he looked A LOT like this. Only with more jewelry. And dark sunglasses. And he was bigger.

And if you're thinking he had a thick italian accent, you're right.

He told me that he had sent flowers to his sister (or sister's kid, or someone he knew, I was too nervous to catch all the details) who lived down the street, but the delivery guy couldn't find her house, and he wanted to know what our street was called so that in the future there would be no mistake. Our street name is confusing, so it seemed like an innocent enough question (although now that i think about it, why didn't he just ask his sister...?). So, at this point I am thinking that our conversation is over. But I was wrong....

Mafia guy: "Hey, what do you do?"

Me: "What do I do? Well, I'm a stay-at-home mom."

Mafia guy: "You wanna make a little extra money?"

Me: "Uh....no...not really..."

Mafia guy: "I need a private investigator."

Me: "Oh. Uh...no thanks."

Mafia guy: "Ok then. Have a nice day."

Me: "You too."

Or maybe he didn't hear me, because I am pretty sure at this point my window was up and my foot was pushing the gas pedal to the floor. Like I mentioned before, this all happened right in front of my house, so I went ahead and drove right past it, and kept driving, until the big black SUV was out of the gate!

Crazy, huh??