We were happy when my parents gave us a similar Christmas gift as last year: a roll of $1 bills and a note telling us to spread some Christmas cheer. We absolutely love this tradition because it helps put all of in a “how can we help others?” mindset. So, this is what we did …
Author Archives: mightyjohnsons
Sledding for Manina’s Birthday
Having Manina’s birthday so near Christmas makes it a little difficult for gift-giving. So (and entirely to her credit) we usually take time to do an activity as a family for her birthday. This year, we decided to all go sledding. We all had a great time sledding and more importantly, no one got hurt. …
Anniversary Vegas Trip
Because of its proximity to Christmas and Manina’s birthday, our anniversary usually either: gets rescheduled (we choose to celebrate it on a different date) OR gets minimized (we go out to dinner at a nice restaurant and call it good) This year a few things happened to help make our anniversary plans be a lot …
Creating ParentClue
Since I’m no longer a scoutmaster, I have a bunch of extra time on my hands. I typically just wander aimlessly around the house looking for something to look busy with so Manina doesn’t assign me any chores. I got busted doing nothing one evening so Manina volunteered me to go with her over to …
Ponderize iPhone Lock Screens
Like a lot of other folks, our family really liked Devin Durrant’s talk at the October 2015 LDS General Conference. Even though we liked the idea, we still stumbled a few times trying to put his advice into practice. We tried starting a group chat, and everyone coming up with their own scripture. But that …
Don’t use Drew’s toothbrush
I came into our upstairs bathroom the other day and it looked just like this. The arrangement was so bizarre that I had to inspect it a little closer. Here is the note: I’m still not sure what caused Drew to write this note, it just cracked me up. The note disappeared just as mysteriously …
Scoutmaster Emeritus
On a Saturday morning a few weeks ago, I drove the scouts down to the airport so they could work on their Aviation merit badge. The boys each took a solo flight in a small Cessna 150m, even taking the controls for a few minutes. By all accounts, it was a great experience for each …
Mom is Gone Survival Guide
Manina and Ellie are out being world travelers. Again. Last year in September they went to San Diego and then Alaska. This time they went to Disneyland and had a fun trip. But while Mom and Ellie are out having a great time together, the rest of us in the family don’t exactly wallow in …
Fall colors Silver Lake hike 2015
We’ve done the Silver Lake hike a couple times. It’s fun to go back and look how much the kids have changed in just a few years, but while doing the same activity. The first time we posted about this trip was back in 2008. Then, again in 2010 we had a memorable trip with …
Diagnosis: MRI
SPOILER ALERT: Jacob is just fine. Totally healthy and nothing to worry about. Jacob went in for his annual medical physical exam this week. He came out with some disturbing news. We’ve been going to the same pediatrician for several years, and he’s always been a doctor we could recommend to others. The doctor went …
MightyJohnsons 