Summer Fun

Happy 4th of July!

Saturday night we were at the Mesa Arts Center in downtown where we attended the closing performance of Actor's Youth Theater's production of Les Miserables School Edition.  Mollie had the experience of her young life spending her summer with this amazing dedicated group of people learning and growing.

Brandon (Javert), Nicholas, Mollie, Brett (Marius), and Dale (Gavroche)

Mollie, Hannah (Mme Thenardier)

These kids were all really and truly amazing.  What an experience to have been a part of this show at such a young age.

We are so PROUD of you Mollie!

The show finished just in time for the downtown Mesa 2nd annual 4th of July celebration fireworks show.  The fireworks were launched right off of the Theater and parking structure where we were so we (the entire theater full) of people were able to walk out and stand right under them for the show.  I don't know if our camera phone photos will be able to give any perspective to how close we were to these fireworks.  Let me just say WOW!!  The mortar casings were landing all around us and on us, it was amazing. 

Tonight we will get together with all of our kids and go out to the desert (if I get my way) to launch our own fireworks.  Jared and the boys did the launching in our backyard on New Year's and I was a downer because no matter how much fun we were having I was frightened about doing it in the neighborhood.  I am most excited to enjoy the sparklers with Isaac.  Sparklers have always been my favorite.

Jared's Birthday

For his birthday I took him away.

Away from the pressures of everyday life.

We didn't go very far

or do anything spectacular.

Mostly we hung out in pjs,

ate snacks, watched tennis,

and drank Perrier water {lemon and lime flavored}.

I love you Jared

I am so very blessed to have had 24 birthdays

of yours to celebrate with you.

Here's to an eternity of birthdays!

Like a baby

Some thoughts...

anyone who knows me at all

knows that pretty much my favorite

person is Isaac.

Little people are just special and when you happen

to be the grandparent well 

that is where it's at.

So, the other day when he was over and took a late afternoon

swim with Aunt Mollie he came in shivering, 

teeth chattering, and wanting to be wrapped up in a blanket.

I had him all wrapped up and we were sitting together

cuddling {my favorite},

when he says "hold me like a baby."

Well how sweet is that, 

for as long as I can remember he has said,

"don't hold me like a baby."

I guess that is the secret,

get him shivering cold and then...

he will let me hold him

~like a baby~

Sunday Devotional

When life is hard

Things seem very difficult

I struggle to find the positive...

 Well, there are stories of courage I turn to

Stories that remind me that 

One step at a time is good enough

and 

I AM Enough.

I heard this last Sunday and I absolutely believe it,

"You are loved because you are Precious,

not for anything you have done."

Here is Stephanie Nielson's courageous story

which Always reminds me to keep on keeping on.

This week when I was flat in bed I listened to a conversation 

with Stephanie which was on the radio.  It is more in depth and lets you get to know her better.  Here is the link to this.

http://radio.lds.org/programs/conversations-episode-26?lang=eng 

Have a wonderful Sabbath day my friends.

You are loved because you are Precious. 

Spring picnic fun.

This is Happiness.

The great out doors here in April

and

BLUE cotton candy.  {made by Aunt Tricia}

We miss you like crazy xoxo.

Christmas Day in Pictures

I am in LOVE with the Retro Camera App.

I didn't have to do anything to these pictures and here they are just as fun as can be, like I took them 40 years ago.

Merry Christmas late.

I sure hope yours was as wonderful and full of LOVE 

as ours was.

We are truly blessed.

“We cannot see the future with precision, but we can know what the Lord intends and what it will take [for] each of us to qualify personally to participate.”

Henry B. Eyring

 

Today I intend to ponder this beautiful hope filled promise from President Eyring all day long.  I want to take it in, I want it to become part of the fiber of my being.  I want to believe with all of my

heart that this is true.  I want a testimony of this promise.

 

I went to bed last night with such anticipation of how many things I could accomplish with a day all to myself with no distractions in the house today.  I woke up with such excruciating jaw pain that it had to take priority this morning.  I spent time with heat on it.  I did not even begin on my list of what I wanted to be important.  I prayed for relief.  I thought about how nice it would be to have my sister work her magic hands on my jaw and get it to loosen up.  Heavenly Father knows me and is aware of my struggles He cares for my needs.  Before noon there was a ring at my door and there she was, my sister, I had not called her but she had come by to get something she needed that I had and she had time to help me.  I am so very grateful.

 

 

A Small Sunday Visitor

Tonight our favorite grandson came over in his precious winter pj's for a sweet visit.

We finished clearing off the DVR of children's Christmas shows.  I think it is a very good thing that Johny has a bed big enough for two!

Happy Sunday.

Welcome to the first Full WEEK of 2011.

I can't wait..

teenagers go back to school tomorrow, YA HOO!

Happy New Year

Today we were so blessed to have Carlin's family come back over and we watched The Return of the King through. It was just too much last night to watch all of the three movies.
It was such a delight to have them here.  Isaac is just my favorite little person.  I could watch him endlessly and my heart bursts with the love and tenderness I have for him.

Going Home With Honor

Jared and his Five older Brothers as they lay their Father's mortal body to rest.  August 2010

I have so many things to say.

Only one seems important at this time.

I love you Dad Johnson,

I am so grateful that Heavenly Father let me be your daughter 

for almost 24 years of my mortal life.

That is over half of the time I have been alive.

I know that I will always be your Daughter.

This is a very tender thing for me.

Have fun there in Heaven.

I am soooo glad you finally got what you asked for

To Go Home.

Today, I made a wish with a little help from this very insightful human Amy Krouse Rosentehal.


I wished... to follow through.


She said my wish was granted, she is very powerful that way.


I am off to figure out what "follow Through" looks like to me.

Time in the kitchen with Mollie

Time and time again I am reminded that it is the simple things in life which bring me the most joy.

I showed this amazing peach + blackberry crisp to Mollie from a beautiful blogger, Everyday Musings.  

Then we were determined to make it ourselves.

So we set out to do just that.  Mollie is becoming a wonderful cook and I am so very happy that she enjoys learning to cook and bake.

 The creating, smelling, stirring, and mixing were almost as enjoyable as the eating... almost!

Here is the delicious warm fruits of our labors which we scooped luscious vanilla ice cream on and ate it when still hot.

This is a perfect recipe.

We loved the pretzels in the topping.

Thank you Olivia Rae!

Because some days you just have to eat cheerios right now at Goga's and her kitchen table may or may not be clean enough.

 

Isaac and the Couch

This week when Isaac was over for the day there was energy pulsing in the hot AZ air.

I was working on a project and Isaac was playing sweetly somewhere near.  Has it really been that long since I had a three year old "sweetly playing near"? 

I Found THIS...

 Yep, you would be right that is my leather couch and it has silver sharpie all over it, at least on that one cushion and arm.
I didn't scream, yell, or anything like it.  I remembered to breath, I remembered that I have never taught him that we don't draw on the couch.   We wiped it clean together, (as clean as you can get silver sharpie off a leather couch).  Did you know Goof-Off can get sharpie out of leather?  (mostly).  

Yes, we had a big long talk about how we don't ever color on the couch and we never ever use sharpies without permission.

Our Fourth of July

On Saturday we went downtown to Main Street for our festivities.

We played games, enjoyed each other, ate treats, and of course

watched fireworks!

Here are Isaac and Naomi. They are pretty much the only ones who have the patience for all of my picture taking. I commit to ignoring more Mom picture taking protests!

I commit to taking more shots without intruding, so that I can get some pictures without purposely goofy looks.

I commit to ignoring all the testosterone loaded protests,

I could just kick myself 16 times for not taking several of these.

Blurry is not good.

Old cars are the bomb!

Isaac and Christian don't mind posing for me.

My soldiers, (Naomi took this picture.)

Bonus shot:

I

I really liked this rental power sign. These generators were everywhere.

Yeah for MESA!

That was a Party.

♥

No Excuses

This post is not about excuses for such a long absence. This post is about me living my life, being in the moment, taking one thing at a time and enjoying as much of spring as I can here where I live in the desert. I have missed reading my blog friends and knowing what is going on in all of your lives, or at least the parts you write about ;).

I have done some decluttering, but mostly I have been remembering to appreciate the beauty that surrounds me right now, not just longing for a day in the future when I have accomplished future goals.

My family has kept me busy lately, I think it is good this way as long as I remember that I have needs too and take time for them. Temperatures are climbing and threatening to soar into the 100's soon here in sunny AZ, but last week we had two glorious days of lovely cooler weather and I spent as much of my time as I could when the teenagers were at school outside on my swing reading and just simply soaking up the last of our springish weather.

Have a glorious day and I will be by to comment and let you know I am thinking of you all, dear blog buddies!

"This strong, silent place interrupts confusion, rage, and depression, and just now I feel more at home with the landscape than with people."

~ Joan Anderson

A Year by the Sea