Happy Father's Day! 2014

We got a new printer and I haven't learned how to scan on it yet, but glad that the kids have a few photos of their Dad! I have said this more than one time, but Jeff is absolutely a Better Dad and Poppa than I could have ever dreamed of!  He loves his kids and grand kids so much. What I am grateful for is his example to them. He not only teaches them but shows them by how he lives. He is a Dad that anyone would be proud to have. How blessed we are to have him in our lives!  We love you Jeff, Happy Father's Day!

Jeff never misses an  opportunity to have fun with his kids!

Daddy's first little girl! Ok, big girl Amy Marie!

Happy Father's Day to Brad! Can't believe my boy is now a Dad but he is doing an incredible job. Kai is blessed to have you. Love ya!

Happy Father's Day to John,
John has his job cut out with him with 3 little red heads ( well now 2 red heads and a strawberry blonde ), but he is so patient and good with them. How blessed their lives will be to have such a great Dad! Happy Father's Day John!


To the man who keeps us all together!

Our family is growing fast. Love you Jeff, Dad and Poppa!

Butterfly Kisses

Now you may know the Kenny Rodger's song Butterfly Kisses ( not sure if he wrote it ) about the love of a Dad with his little girl. Well, if you do and love it, then this short video is for you...

Find it here:
 WARNING...get the tissues out and ready!

I loved this reminder of how special a relationship can be with a Dad and his girls, and it won't be too long before Jeff will be dancing with Lauren at her wedding! I never had that type of relationship with my Dad but oh how I wished I would have. Doesn't every little girl and grown up girl, want to be cherished by her Dad?
But as I have said before, how grateful I am that Jeff has become that type of Dad to each of our kids. They are blessed!
It's Date Night and I have this terribly handsome man waiting to take me out...gotta go!
Good night dear friends!

A Father's Lessons!

Father's Lessons!

 
A love for everyone 
My own Dad taught me the ability to love everyone. My Dad seemed to be everyone's friend. He was always checking on them if they were sick, he was always the first one at the hospital or bringing something to eat to their home if needed. My Dad never seemed to meet a stranger, and that was a great legacy that he left me.


Empathize with those less fortunate
"One winter evening when I was about five or six years old, my father took me for a walk downtown. This was during the depression, when jobs were few and many homeless, hungry people were on the streets. My father and I were looking at all the store windows as we walked, and soon we found ourselves standing in front of the window of a sporting goods store. It was full of bright things that would catch every boy’s fancy — things like fishing lures and pocketknives for whittling.
"A shabbily dressed boy was standing near us, looking longingly into the window. I didn’t pay much attention to him, but my father went over and spoke with him briefly, then put his hand on his shoulder and led him inside the store. I watched as he took the boy to a showcase of pocketknives, told him to pick one out, then paid the shopkeeper for the knife.
"I didn’t get a pocketknife that day, but I did get a lesson. At the time, I felt let down, as a little boy would feel when the gift he thinks is his goes to someone else. But as my father and I walked away from the store, he said, 'You have me. He doesn’t have anybody.' Later I realized how generous and how sensitive to the needs of others my father was."
I got the story from here:


Appreciation for the world we live in
I meant to ask each of my kids 4 questions about their Dad and this week just sorta happened and I didn't get it done. But one thing that I know my kids learned from their Dad ( Jeff  ), was to appreciate the world around them. He took them hiking and camping and always reminded them how much our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ must love us,that they would create such a beautiful world for us to live in. They loved being outdoors with their Dad, and I am forever grateful that Jeff taught this to them.

Know that you are loved!
Knowing that you are loved is one of the most secure feelings in the world. Jeff had always shown our kids great love. He loves them individually and as a whole. He made sure to tell them that every day, and I know how much that means to my kids and now our grand kids. He is and was an amazing Father and I am truly grateful for that. 

Safe and Sound!

So grateful that our little grandson Kai, and his family are safe and sound...after a the terrible tragedy that hit Boston this week. It has been a long week, many prayers in everyone's behalf...lots of phone calls and skype to make sure everyone is doing ok. Still many lifes have been changed for ever and they need our prayers continually!
I am grateful that Kai is too little to understand or remember any of this! Look at that sweet face!



Lee and his roommates got to Idaho safe and sound. They left at 5:00 this morning after I fixed them a BIG breakfast! Can't stand the thoughts of them going hungry! :) Always grateful when they get home safe and  sound.
Lauren leaves us in the morning early...will be hard to tell her good bye. I am telling you ...this Motherhood thing... is much harder on your heart than it looks.
Amy had some pains last night but nothing today...seems like Audrey isn't ready to come yet!
We have been looking at old photos of the kids....how did they grow up so fast? Love these guys!
Lauren spent the evening with her Dad tonight, I am so grateful that Jeff is such an incredible Dad to these kids. They are blessed to have him.
They will be home soon, need to go and spend the last few hours with her! Good night dear friends!

My red headed Gingerbreads!

I think it is much easier to work hard on something, when you do it for someone you love. That is probably why I have such a fun time making matching seasonal outfits for the girls. I just finished their Gingerbread outfits ( look below), they really like the skirts they can twirl in. And even though they compete in almost everything, they still like having the matching outfits ( go figure ).

Tonight I am sitting here at home alone. Jeff is gone, Lee is out on a date, Lauren is at work and I have Kenny G Christmas music playing in the background…now doesn’t that just sound like a perfect setting to feel lonely in? I am missing my boy Bradley and his wife Krystal pretty bad, I guess that is normal for Mom’s. They live in California and Krystal is expecting their first baby, and it’s a boy! We can hardly wait till he gets here, still how I wish magically we could all be together for Christmas.  I am missing Lauren and Lee already ( and they aren’t even gone yet ). They keep this house full of laughter and fun, it certainly will be quiet without them here.

This time of year I always think of my Mom and Dad (who have already finished their mission here on earth). Oh how I wish I could just pick up the phone and hear my Mom’s voice, I really miss her. She would have loved meeting these cute little red heads! As for my Dad, we weren’t very close at all, but he taught me to love giving and Christmas, that is one time he was always happy. He gave gifts to everyone, he would start from Thanksgiving on… all the way through Christmas. He and Mom were always making gift baskets for everyone, my Dad had a million friends (guess I inherited that from him ). So the holidays were always special, and living on a farm seemed to make everything even more magical. We had our own sleigh riding hill ( that my Dad had cleared and made just for that ). Actually it was for tubing, it was way to steep for sleds. Still everyone wanted to come tubing at the Johnson’s farm. My Mom would have warm Gingerbread cookies ready with Hot Chocolate for everyone.

As we got older Mom would always call to see how many of her kids could make it home for the Holidays, now I find myself doing the same things. I cry when I hear the song…"I’LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS”. Yes, I get very homesick this time of year for my kids, family and friends. So I guess it’s a real good thing that I am going with Jeff and Lauren and Lee  when they head off for college in a couple of weeks. I will stay in Utah while they head off to Idaho, but at least I won’t be here by myself. When we come home to an empty house, at least we will be together.

Many of you who are already Empty Nesters, have shared tips on  how to survive being Empty Nesters and what some of the feelings we will go through, thanks for that advice…it really did help. The truth is though, like everything else…many things we have to just go through (that is where the lessons are learned ), but still it can be tough and I realize that. So thanks for your good advice.

Well, I have got to quit sitting here and thinking to much and get to work, there are lots more gifts to make! Good night dear friends!

 

“Christmas! The very word brings joy to our hearts. No matter how we may dread the rush, the long Christmas lists for gifts and cards to be bought and given, when Christmas Day comes there is still the same warm feeling we had as children, the same warmth that enfolds our hearts and our homes.”     ~Joan Winmill Brown

“Time was with most of us, when Christmas Day, encircling all our limited world like a magic ring, left nothing out for us to miss or seek; bound together all our home enjoyments, affections, and hopes; grouped everything and everyone round the Christmas fire, and make the little picture shining in our bright young eyes, complete.”     ~  Charles Dickens

“Christmas is a time when you get homesick -- even when you're home.”   ~ Carol Nelson

Prep for test!

   Well, I must be getting old, because it is time for me to have a colonoscopy. I really don’t think that I am that old but then again, I am a grandmother so….I guess I am not young as I used to be . I remember when my grandmothers were alive, back then they really didn’t go to the Doctor that often. One of my grandmothers never went, but always took Tylenol ( or something like that )every night, she said it was  just in case she did have a pain or something wrong with her. It always made me laugh when she said that.
   Both of my grandmothers lived to be in their mid nineties. They both said that they didn’t start getting sick or feeling sick until the Doctors got ahold of them, I guess they did do pretty  good on their own.

   So I decided I should write my post now while I could.  Someone asked me if I am nervous about the test? I actually am a bit, now that I met with the DR. before that I wasn’t it. She told me that two things that concerned her was that my Dad had colon cancer and that I have had Breast cancer twice. She said there can be a big connection between Breast Cancer and Colon Cancer…I did not know that.  Still I have 4 things in my favor she said and those were…I have never smoked or drank. I don’t eat fatty foods and I rarely eat red meat. Those were positive things , but the other two were not in my favor. So I really thought when I went in to meet her that this would be routine, and it still will be… but she will be looking at me a bit closer ( as she should ). I really liked her and the only thing I would have changed is how many times she mentioned the word Cancer. If you are a survivor, you realize that you don’t like when people use that word a lot or so casually. I know many of you have already had a colonoscopy and it is no big deal at all. I can’t wait till after it is tomorrow when I can report the same to you.

Still I am a bit anxious, but don’t have any gut feelings that anything is going to be wrong. Like I have said before, that anxiousness is just a side effect of cancer. No test is just routine any more, once you have cancer…it just isn’t !   I am trying to stay positive and pray that everything will happen as it should.

I will write again tomorrow when all this is behind me ( quite literally ) 

 

“A healthy attitude is contagious but don't wait to catch it from others. Be a carrier.”  ~ Tom Stoppard

“Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”  ~World Health Organization, 1948

The best six doctors anywhere
And no one can deny it
Are sunshine, water, rest, and air
Exercise and diet.
These six will gladly you attend
If only you are willing
Your mind they'll ease
Your will they'll mend
And charge you not a shilling.
~Nursery rhyme quoted by Wayne Fields