drama queen

And I quote: "Fine!  Since nobody loves me I'm just going to throw myself away in the garbage!"

mother's day 2010

Look at all those sleepy faces...up to make me a FABULOUS little breakfast in bed!

The highlight of Mother's Day!  I told my kids there was nothing they could buy me at a store that would be better than their handmade gifts!  And who knew that Adam was such a great poet? 

Dinner at the Loveridge house...the men did all the food (ok, well...for the most part)

Awesome dinner...bbq chicken, rolls, salad, fruit, jello, desserts.  Nice work, guys!

Marshall slaved away over the grill, seriously.  I think he got a nice nap later on!

Everyone gathered to talk to Elder Christian! 

The men also took care of the cleanup while the women sat and chatted!  Thanks for a great day!

Hello little blog.  I've missed you.  I think I'll stop by again tomorrow, maybe with something interesting to share.   

america's best idea

Above: Mt. Rainier, from "The National Parks: America's Best Idea"
Below: a sampling of some of our park trips

Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado

Treman State Park, New York

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Mt. Rainier National Park, Washington

Acadia National Park, Maine

Lately, we've given over some of our evenings to PBS, watching Ken Burns' documentary series on America's National Parks. There aren't too many things that make my husband emotional, though the man has been known to cry occasionally over a great sports victory, an excellent church talk, or even kids singing Primary songs. With that said, I think these national treasures have quietly been added to the list.

Talk about stunning. Last night's episode ended with both of us sitting on the couch, eyes filled with tears and unable to speak for a few moments about how these films (and our own experiences at state and national parks) have spoken to our souls. This documentary is so much more than the beautiful scenery and imagery, but of the stories, individuals, and vision behind the creation and evolution of these national treasures as well.

It's not difficult to believe that the individuals who helped create these parks were inspired, especially when you consider the United States a choice land, a land preserved by the hand of God. It's fascinating to see the way that different political and financial factors came together to set these lands aside. Even to see the brilliance of an idea like the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 30's is inspiring. Here's a nation, in the grips of the Great Depression, providing respectable jobs to thousands of homeless men seeking work. As they built trails, fought fires, and generally nurtured and made more accessible these infant lands, these men received the self-respect of gainful employment, educational and recreational opportunities, and the additional blessing of sending money to the families they left behind. The legacy of their work remains today, and one of our favorite examples of this is the extensive stonework in the state parks of upstate New York.

I'm grateful for these preserved places. As we've traveled, Tim and I have enjoyed the wonders of many metropolitan cities, architecture, art, and history, but there's just something different about the simple scenic road trips we've taken. When you leave the chaos of a complicated world, and go to quiet places, something peaceful enters in...not unlike being in the temple.

I'm the last person you'd ever call a tree-hugger, and I'm probably still figuring out my relationship to nature. I guess for me it comes down to something basic: nature is a gift; a continual witness that God lives and love us.

a teaser

Jessica & Wendy, these are especially for you. . . until I put a real slideshow together! Thanks for asking me to put up pics from our trip to China. Sometimes I don't know if other people really want to see my trip slideshows or if they're just being good friends!

1: Standing on the Great Wall of China (this was one of those "lifetime" experiences...couldn't believe I was there)

2. A rural rice paddy

3. I absolutely loved the people of China, especially in the more rural villages...more on that later

4. Terraced farming along the Yangtze River

rainy day

It's almost as if the melancholy skies knew that summer was drawing to a close . . .

johnson family bear lake 2009

Fun times with the Johnson family! I married into good people.

all the kids had fun being buried

Sitting around the campfire...can you see how grubby Joshua is? Boy heaven.

Tim and Kate

the most adorable sandy cheeks I've ever seen

the family campsite

what you look like after sleeping in a tent with five kids

we made fairy houses in the trees

All the girls were so excited in the morning when they discovered that fairies had come to visit in the night!

elder christian loveridge

Above is my baby brother Christian, who left a week ago to serve an LDS mission in Edmonton, Canada. He is the happy-go-lucky sweetheart of our family, and, being 8 years younger than the next oldest sister, had to endure having five additional mothers as he grew up. The second picture is of our family at the Draper Temple, when Christian went through for the first time. I've tried a few times to describe how it felt to be there at the temple with all of my siblings (and some spouses), but words fail me. The day is written on my heart forever. Anyway, here is a link to his mission blog (thanks, Amy)!

this is what happens . . .

. . . when your four-year-old thinks the peonies aren't blooming fast enough, and decides to help them open.

rattlesnake adventure

Tim's day off today....so what did we do? You guessed it, a hike. Today we went on a little trail called Ferguson Canyon, close to Little Cottonwood Canyon.The view from the trail. It 1.75 miles to the top, but it was a steep 1.75 miles (with a four year old in tow). To be honest, it was one of those hikes where the trail was actually more interesting than the end destination. A lot of it was up a pretty riverbed, which made it fun for the kids as they scrambled over the rocks. This is the first rattlesnake we encountered as we came down the trail. It was actually about three feet away from Joshua, about shoulder height next to the trail. It was coiled and rattling, which alerted Joshua to its presence. Joshua just flipped out, started crying, and froze in place. We yelled at him to run ahead, and we waited for it to relax and move away. Me? I was shaking like a leaf because it had been so close to my son.

And yet another one. In my paranoia, I had this feeling it wouldn't be the last rattlesnake we'd see on the hike. Still shaking from the first one (I don't do well with snakes) I'm silently praying for all of us to get down the trail safely, and sure enough, about 15 minutes later Adam found the second one. We came to a riverbed crossing, and as Adam came to the other side, he actually hopped right on top of the rattler. No exaggeration.....the way he landed he was straddling it. This was quite fortunate, because if he had stepped on it I think we'd be telling a different story. As calm as he could be, he said "Look, guys! Another rattlesnake!" and kept on walking. No kidding...this kid was cool as a cucumber. The snake wouldn't leave, so Tim dealt with it by throwing rocks. I thought to grab my camera as his tail was disappearing under a boulder.

As we continued on it occurred to me that Adam didn't have enough fear of rattlesnakes. Sheesh, I'd even settle for healthy respect. He's been around other harmless snakes in the places we've lived, but I had to remind him just how dangerous a rattler was. Anyway, all's well that ends well, but I'm just grateful I had taken the time to say my morning prayers.

catch-up

Here ya go...the quarterly highlights of happenings at the Johnson house...I guess that's how things go around here (better late than never, that is). Enjoy!

My birthday luncheon at my sister's house, made perfect by Italian sodas and a Marie Callender's pie. Kate turns one! I was a little sad this day.

Another fun attempt at marzipan...pretty cool stuff!

Happy Easter! And no, we did not roast any defenseless Peeps this year.Kate got her big-girl carseat. I was also sad this day. I think I'm always a bit sad about any of my baby's milestones. And yes, this was yet another purchase Tim wasn't happy about, because of all the baby stuff I threw away between Elizabeth and Kate! Ooooops!

Adam, at his first-ever piano recital. I sat back bursting with pride, even though I'd heard the song a thousand times already!

Joshua did great also! They are loving piano lessons.Thomas, at his kindergarten nursery rhyme program. He was a confident and darling Little Boy Blue, although he cried all morning long because he was so nervous!My little brother, Christian, opening his mission call to the Canada Edmonton Mission! He even predicted he was going to Canada! Last month my darling sister Amy moved from Washington back to Utah! Happy day!

We had a fun graduation party for Amy's husband, Marshall, who just finished law school. We had a fun little roast for him, completed by Amy announcing that she was expecting!

Elizabeth, looking on as Tim fixes her bike. Tis the season....we've been doing this a lot lately.

Sunshine Kate.

Joshua, loving that he finally gets to mow the lawn!

When he finished, he said, "Mom, our house looks rich." He didn't say it in a snotty way, just in an innocent kid way. I think his comment was kind of sweet; that "rich" was the best word he could come up with for our house and yard looking neat and clean.

I think he's right about the "rich" part....look at my little treasures!
Ok, so this milestone didn't make me sad...it was fun to watch Kate eating her first Oreo!

I'm not a huge fan of messy-faced baby pictures, but you've gotta admit this one's pretty cute!