MightyJohnsons

Basketball Season

We had four of our six kids playing basketball this year. Jake, Claire and Katelyn all played on rec teams and Megan played in a more competitive league. It kept us very busy this winter season to say the least. Plus, Seth generally volunteers to be a coach for one of the kids each season. Claire was the lucky one and was so excited when she heard he was going to be her coach!

Although I didn’t get very many photos of them playing, I wanted to be sure I got the few I do have posted to the blog! Drew is already talking about playing so it looks like we will have 5 of the 6 playing next year!

Easter Season

Another Easter has come and gone. We love all the fun and festivities associated with Easter. In our family we have made it a tradition to celebrate on Saturday with the eggs, bunnies and baskets and hold Sunday with more reverence to celebrate the resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ, while attending our church meetings. I love this holiday.

First Weekend of Spring Camping Trip

This last weekend Manina was out-of-town at yet another girls trip. Jacob, Megan, and Katelyn had a church “mini-mission” activity that would keep them busy (and supervised) all Friday night and most of the day on Saturday. I was home with just Claire, Drew, and Ellie.

So, instead of sitting around and playing on iPods all weekend, we decided to borrow grandma Jan’s trailer (nicknamed Cousin Eddy) and head west and find a camping spot.

We went out to Manning canyon, out by Five Mile Pass. It’s a pretty easy place to get to, and we found a pretty good place to set up camp.

It was pretty chilly, so we got mostly stayed inside the trailer that night. We popped some popcorn over the stove in one of those tin-foil poppers (which was a big hit, and a great snack) and played a game of Candyland (Claire won by large margin).

I woke up at 6am and looked up at the thermometer – it was 20°F inside the trailer. So I cracked a couple vents open and turned on the heater. It was soon up to a manageable 40°F temperature. No one died of carbon monoxide poisoning, which was a bonus.

We ate powdered doughnuts, blueberries, and oatmeal for breakfast as we waited for the sun to keep warming up. Then we went outside and decided to go for a hike.

We made it to the top of the mountain and looked back down on our camp. The kids had fun looking for rocks, chasing crows, and looking for animals.

After our hike I cooked one of those take-n-bake pizzas in the trailer’s oven. It was a much more difficult process than it sounds because the oven is so “vintage” that it didn’t have any cooking racks. I managed to rig up a contraption to cook the pizza without burning it on either the top or the bottom, which may go down as one of the greatest engineering hacks in history destined for obscurity.

The kids ate the miracle pizza for lunch while I started cleaning and packing up. As I watched them play together I remembered why it’s important to be outside without the modern gadgets. It was fun to see their imagination and creativity come alive in a new setting. We had a great time on our first camping trip of 2016. Hopefully we will have many more to report.

Vroom, vroom

I have been lobbying for a motorcycle for a while. There have always been good reasons not to make the purchase. But, now the reasons are starting to swing in the direction of me getting one:

My life insurance situation is good
Jake will be driving in a few months
My work is moving closer to our home, meaning a much shorter commute
My car is getting older; the old Kia now has about 110,000 miles on her
We don’t have ton of extra garage space for another car
A third vehicle would be very convenient

Friday night, we went out to dinner with the Rowberrys. On our way I got an alert that I had set on KSL classifieds for a used Honda Shadow. This one met all the requirements. It was in good condition, low mileage, bargain priced, and nearby. I was interested.

At dinner we talked more about my reasons to get a motorcycle. Greg mentioned that he would be willing to come test drive it with me, since he grew up riding bikes. His brother also had owned a Honda Shadow. Plus, he had a big trailer we could use. Even more reasons stacking up on my side.

So, I texted the guy and made an appointment to come see the bike on Saturday morning.

Greg and I hooked up his trailer and left to see the bike. I had called the seller to get more of the background on the bike, and I was reasonably sure I was going to buy it, unless I just didn’t fit on it or something.

I don’t think Manina really thought it was going to happen, but I was home with the motorcycle before lunchtime. I spent the rest of the day practicing with it. It took me a couple hours, but I was soon comfortable enough to take the kids for a drive.

I’m sure once the weather warms up I will be on it a lot more. Vroom, vroom!

Winter Weekend at Scofield

When Manina planned a weekend getaway with her usual group of friends in Scofield, there may have been some grumbling.

“Scofield? In some dumb cabin with no WiFi? Lame.”

“I’m not going. Just leave me here.”

“It’s going to be so boring. There isn’t going to be anything fun to do.”

“All Mom is going to do is sit around and talk with her friends.”

But we were wrong. Scofield was awesome. We had tons to do and ended up wearing ourselves out having fun.

Special thanks to the Browns for providing all the accommodations. They have a great place right on the shore of Scofield reservoir which comfortable housed all five (Browns, Francises, Bergerons, Forsters, Johnsons) families. And, they’ll even rent it out if you’re ever looking for a deluxe remote getaway with all the comforts of home and none of the distractions.

We drove snowmobiles on the ice. We went ice fishing (catching nothing) and sledding.

Seth brought up some rented cross-country skis and went out for a 4-mile-trek and got blisters as a result.

Indoors we played pool, air hockey, and foosball in the large rec room.

The place even had a small hot tub which provided a good warm soak after running around outside all day.

We drove home Saturday night. Everyone was exhausted. Ellie was asleep before even hitting her pillow and poor Drew didn’t have enough energy to read even one page.

Katelyn’s cute brace face

Katelyn got braces today. She was pretty excited about it, but wanted to keep it a secret from her family and friends so she could share her big reveal. She wouldn’t even tell Drew and Ellie why she wasn’t going to school.

The procedure went well and she came home with all sorts of goodies. A new toothbrush, a voucher for a free smoothie, a new t-shirt, and a face full of metal.

She enjoyed the attention from everyone for the first little bit, but that quickly wore off and the discomfort set in. Her mouth was pretty painful by late afternoon.

Still, she was positive when making her obligatory Instagram post which announced that she was “Officially a BRACE FACE”. It was flooded with likes and supportive comments from all of Katelyn’s many friends, many of whom are also sporting braces.

See, cute as ever, even with braces.

Megan’s basketball season

Megan has played the last few years with the Lone Peak bantam team. Her team requires more commitment than Jr. Jazz teams because of the practices and traveling involved.

Megan is a solid player. She usually plays at either the point or shooting guard positions. Her footwork and quickness is excellent, so she is a beast defensively. But, she’s not very confident with her ball-handling and shooting yet, so she tends to be a little less aggressive when it comes to playing offense.

She also plays in a girls team at church. Her church coach came up to me the other day and said, “I know you already know this, but Megan is like, really, really good at basketball. She’s our superstar.”

Basketball season is also a great activity in the winter, and a good break from soccer. I’m not sure if Megan really loves the game, but she’s a talented athlete and it’s good for her to try her hand at other sports. Nice job, Megan!

Drew’s Baptism

Drew was baptized on February 6, 2016 at 10:30 am. He made the decision to be baptized a few months before and had been reading all about this ordinance and purpose behind it. He was excited and ready for his special day. (Thanks to my friend Hannah Stayner for snapping these photos for me.)

Unfortunately we got a text early in the morning tell us his Grandpa Mike wasn’t feeling well and was unable to make it. We missed him. Stuart Wright conducted the meeting. The service began with an opening prayer by Grandma Jan Johnson. Emily Rowberry gave a sweet talk on baptism. Then Seth, Drew’s dad, performed the baptism and Jesse Johnson and Greg Rowberry served as witnesses. After the baptism, Beau Hunter, our home teacher, gave a great talk on receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, after which Drew was confirmed and received it by his dad, Seth. Grandpa Walt, Uncle Jesse, Uncle Greg, Beau Hunter and Stuart Wright were all in the circle. Grandpa Walter Cryer gave the closing prayer.

Drew & Seth in front of the baptismal font.

Most of that paragraph was for memories sake and so we have it documented. I asked Drew what his thoughts were about his special day. He said he loved the way he felt all day. He could just tell he was a better person.

As the parent watching from the outside, I can agree. This day could only make a great boy greater. It was tender and spiritual. I didn’t quite make it without shedding a few tears along the way. My heart just melted as I watched Seth perform these ordinances for Drew. It was one of the days I will not soon forget. I am so proud of Drew for wanting to be baptized and grow closer to his Father in Heaven and his Son, Jesus Christ.

San Diego Birthday Trip

For my birthday, my sweet husband bought me a ticket to go visit one of my besties, Kristy, in San Diego. When they moved from Utah a while back we promised to visit each other often, but that proves to be difficult at times with the craziness of both of our lives. Thankfully Seth bought the ticket forcing me to make time and go.

I flew out on a Wednesday afternoon and returned back on Saturday afternoon. We spent a lot of time just visiting and catching up. My favorite part was our morning workouts. The first day she whooped my butt at the gym. Although I work out nearly daily, I obviously wasn’t doing the same things she does because by the end of the workout I was spent! It was fun though. I remember why I love having her as a workout partner. The next morning we dropped her kids off at a friend’s home and went to the beach by Carlsbad and ran along the coast. It was beautiful and so refreshing. Running by the coast isn’t something I get to do very often, if ever, so I cherished every minute of it. On my final day we ran a five-mile loop around a lake together. It was crazy to go from wearing my lined fleece pants here in Utah to wearing shorts and a tank in San Diego, but I loved it!

Other than working out we found time to get our toes and nails done, eat, visit, eat some more, watch chick flicks and we even did a little shopping. We even got a little naughty and snuck off to one of the best donut shops in her area – yum? Although the trip was short and sweet, I am grateful I was able to find time to sneak away and spend a few days with Kristy and her darling family.

Our Cute Cub Scout

With every 8th birthday for boys in our house, comes the excitement of joining Cub Scouts. Drew was no different. He couldn’t wait for this 8th birthday and to attend his first den meeting. He got a nice new scout shirt, neckerchief, slide and Wolf book. He started reading his book before he even got to his first den meeting. During one of Drew’s late night readings, he memorized the cub scout motto, oath, law and handshake. He was so excited to show me in the morning.

He had earned his Bobcat within a week of his eighth birthday. His first pack meeting was adorable. He was so excited to go up and get his award. When you earn your Bobcat, your dad has to turn you upside to remind you to “do a good turn daily.” Drew was boasting. You could just see his excitement as he got to participate with all the older boys and join the pack.

As a mom of an Eagle Scout, I know what this journey entails. It is long and rigorous one, but I have loved all the lessons it taught our oldest son and wouldn’t want it any different for Drew. Next up, Wolf rank. I am sure it won’t be long before he gets it!