Art

I've said this before, but I don't save any of my kids' art. I uploaded a bunch of drawings to the computer before we moved so I wouldn't feel bad about throwing our drawing notebooks away. What is my excuse now? Well, habit. But I did take a few pictures of some drawings recently and I thought I would post them now before I forget all about them.

Everett drew this picture of robots the day of his birthday. He used his new birthday markers and was excited about the fact that he had just turned four. Can you tell?

This is the backside. What you see here is a purple-ish alien, a red alien, two orange aliens, some water, and that llama looking thing you see? That is a T-Rex. Ferocious, no?

Ashley usually scribbles, as you can see at the bottom of this page, but here she drew a little person. I asked her who it was and she said "William!"

Then I asked her about this picture, imagining she would explain some sort of elaborate scenario. Instead, she just looked at me and said matter-of-factly, "I drew a circle and some lines."

Well. How in the world did I skip over that?

So far, my kids do not get offended when I say "what is that?" instead of "tell me about this picture. . ." Maybe they will in the near future. Usually when they draw something and I express interest in what they are doing, they hold the picture out to me and say, "Mommy, it's for you. . ." in an extra-sweet, dripping-with-honey voice.

I'll take it. Every single time, I'll take it.

Everett at age 4 (more than you ever wanted to know)

I love taking pictures of Everett while he is talking because I really capture some of his characteristic faces. Today I did just that, which coincides perfectly with the fact that I have been meaning to post some things that are typical of Everett right now (since we just celebrated his birthday and all). This way I won't forget them later and hopefully we'll all be able to look back and have a good laugh.

Translation: skip if you don't want to be bored or if you are not related to Everett. If you are related, you will be quizzed on this later (graphing calculators not permitted).

Catch Phrases:

"I can't know!" (in place of "I don't know")

"It will be/is so totally crazy!"

"I not like that"

"Let's not talk about it right now!"

"Not I do!" (If you ask him something like: Who wants to go to bed early?)

1. Everett loves to tell stories. When he tells about something that happened to him, he always joins his sentences with an "and next. . .", and he always uses plenty of actions and sound effects. Never have I seen him tell a story with only his mouth; he always involved his entire body and the floor in a five foot radius.

2. Everett loves games. He gets frustrated very easily when he is losing, but he is easily excitable and seems to really enjoy the thrill of not knowing what will happen. So far his favorites have been: Guess Who, Yahtzee jr., and of course Memory. Yes, he usually beats me.

3. Everett is a dreamer. He loves imagining what will happen. If you ask him a question that prompts him to figure out an answer, you will find him looking like he does in this picture as he enjoys thinking about his answer.

4. Everett has a great sense of humor and loves to be silly. He went through a phase during Primary where he would dash over and turn the lights off. The first time he did it, all the kids laughed. That was enough for him and it took him quite a while to get over the thrill of that particular joke. Often Everett will feed me specific made-up lines so he can set me up to have some sort of humorous dialogue with him. "Now you say this, Mom, and I say that" he says.

5. Everett loves rules. It sounds funny to say, but he really does. He is always careful to abide by the rules when he understands what is expected of him, and he makes sure that the people around him do, too. We had a talk a few weeks ago about littering and how it can harm the animals and the environment. Not once has he put trash anywhere but the trash can since that talk. If he sees garbage where it isn't supposed to be, like the parking lot or the grass, he will shake his head and usually run to put it in the nearest trash can. He reminds the neighborhood kids to take care of their trash as well.

Last week we went to McDonald's with some friends. I was mean and did not get my kids a happy meal, but when Everett saw the toy (a robot bug) he was very sad. I explained to him that he could not have one, especially not one that belonged to the kids we were with. Unbeknownst to me, one of the moms offered an extra robot bug to Everett. I'm sure it was hard for him but he refused the toy. "It's not my toy," he explained. I told him later that it was okay and he was thrilled.

6. Everett still gets very shy in new situations. I took the kids to the Library's bilingual story time this week, and Everett almost had a complete melt-down before we went in the room. He laid on the carpet and refused to go in. What triggered his intense emotions? Seeing all the new people in a new environment. I could tell that he was very scared, but he came in with me and ended up enjoying it even though he didn't talk to (or make eye contact with) anyone for a while.

7. Everett has a great thirst for knowledge. He requested that I check out a book on sharks from the library this week. After reading it to him one time, he could tell me an interesting fact about almost every shark. (His favorite fact is that a small car can fit inside the mouth of a whale shark. Who knew? Definitely not me.)

8. Everett is a great help to me with William. I have explained that William cannot have items of a certain size, and that he definitely cannot have anything he can bite apart. I have assigned Everett to help me watch what William is putting in his mouth. All day long, Everett reports to me the instant William puts something contraband in his mouth. I think it makes Everett feel special and important to be helping me out.

9. Everett loves to draw. He spends time drawing every single day. I think he would miss his markers the most out of all his toys if we took them away. He is getting to be very good and has started requesting that I help him spell words. He loves making thank-you cards for people and feels very proud when he gets to put them in the mailbox.

10. Everett is starting to really understand the value of trying hard and practicing skills. I was terrible at practicing and studying when I was younger and I think deep down I worry that my kids are going to be the same. If you ask Everett how he got so good at drawing (or anything else), he will tell you matter-of-factly, "It's because I practiced very hard." I want him to feel the satisfaction of putting in a lot of work for something. I think he is beginning to get it.

11. Everett loves praise. He tells me often of the good things he does, and when I praise him, he gives me a giant hug. If Ashley misbehaves, Everett is quick to point out that he did not. Every time I pick him up from preschool, he tells me proudly that he did not have an accident in his pants.

12. Everett has a great capacity to love. He accepts everyone without question, no matter their differences. I visit teach a wonderful woman who I have had the opportunity to help a few times, and the most recent time she called, Everett was very disappointed that I told him "no" when he asked to speak with her on the phone. Every night Everett prays for someone else in his personal prayers.

Most often, the beneficiaries of this love are us--the members of his family. I feel loved by him every single day and I am so grateful that Heavenly Father it fit to send him to our family. It was no accident, and I pray that I can live up to the task of raising this wonderful child of God.

Bedtime Conversations with Everett

Sometimes some of the best conversations I have with Everett are when I am tucking him in bed. For as long as he was old enough to talk, our nightly ritual has ended with me asking him what his favorite part of the day was. Sometimes his answers are surprising.

Tonight, as I was walking out the door, Everett sat up and said, "Mom, when I get bigger I want to be married, like you married Papa."

"Why do you want to get married?" I asked

"Because. I want to marry a little girl and grow up and be a mom. And that little girl will be the dad."

I walked back over to Everett's bed and sat next to him.

"Everett," I laughed, "Only girls can be Moms, and boys get to be Dads. When you grow up you can be a Dad. And it will be so fun."

Everett grinned and laughed gleefully at his mistake. "That's true!!!" he exclaimed, as he smacked himself on the forehead and fell back onto his pillow.

Then he sat up again. "I want to be a mom, just like you." For some reason, he sounded disappointed.

"Everett, I'm sorry, but you get to be a Dad. Like Papa. That will be so much fun. If you were a dad, what would you like to do with your kids?"

Everett didn't answer. He looked at me and said stubbornly, "I want to be a mom."

"I'm sorry, Everett, but only girls can grow up to be moms. Boys grow up to be dads."

He just frowned at me.

Suddenly I had a great idea. "Everett, remember your Grandpas? Wouldn't it be fun to be a grandpa? When you are older you can be a dad, and after that when you are much older, you will get to be a Grandpa!"

Everett giggled. "Yeah!" He thought for a minute. "And I will have no hair!"

I AM NOT READY FOR THIS!!! (yes that is me yelling)

William Warren Johnson, age 7.5 months

Heaven help us all.

Why I Just Sounded Like an Advertisement

So I didn't write that last post about Christmas cards just for fun. I like shutterfly and all, but I wouldn't normally blog about the company. Here's the deal:

If you blog about shutterfly's Christmas cards in 150 words or more and include some specific links (if you follow my instructions you will get a list of what items to promote), shutterfly will give you a personalized promo code for 50 FREE Christmas cards. You can get folding or non-folding ones and choose from about 700 designs. It's great. All I have to do is decide what pictures to use.

This will be so easy and I am very excited to get all of this done with practically no money!

If you are interested in participating, go HERE. Good luck!

Holiday Deals

A friend of mine recently posted about a great deal that shutterfly has going on right now. Have you thought about your Chrismas cards yet? If you are my sister-in-law, you probably had them done last month (yes, I'm talking about you Rachel). If you are me, it usually doesn't occur to you until the week before Christmas when you are already involved in a million other things.

But this year, thanks to my friend, I think I am ahead of the game. She described some of shutterfly's products and my interest was piqued, so I took a look. I was blown away! They offer a tremendous assortment of holiday greeting cards you can upload pictures to. Some have room for several photos, and some show off one with style. There are contemporary ones, bright ones, cute ones, subtle ones. . .to the tune of over seven hundred choices. Yep, that's right. Take a look.

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/holiday-cards

Right now you can even save 20% on your order! How easy. What a great way to get this done and out of the way, because let's face it--getting Christmas cards in the mail is one of the delights of the season. But you only get cards if you also give them, and why not give something easy, fast, and good-looking?

But it doesn't stop with cards. There are more ideas and lots more products. How about a mug? http://www.shutterfly.com/photo-gifts/photo-mugs/custom-mug

Or, let's say you miss the Christmas card boat altogether. You're not out of luck; just wait a month or two and send out a valentine's card instead. I've seen these done and they are really quite fun. Shutterfly makes it easy to send out a good product with their great designs:

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/valentines-day-cards-and-stationery

This is a wonderful way to simplify your holiday planning. This year, I am definitely going to take advantage of this website.

Happy Happy Birthday (brought to you with too many pictures)

Today was Everett's fourth birthday. It is strange to say I have a four-year-old. He's almost in kindergarten, and practically tomorrow he will be moving out!

Everett got a package from one set of Grandparents a few days ago, and I informed him that he could not open it until after church on Sunday. Everett woke up the next morning and told me that he thought that day would be a great day to go to church. He repeated this every morning until the big day finally came.

He got plenty of attention at church, thanks to the ward bulletin, which lists children's birthdays along with the adults. This was compounded by the fact that in Primary he smashed his fingers in a metal folding chair (which had collapsed after he stuck his fingers down the sides and rocked from front to back). I'm just glad he didn't break any of those little bones. Once Everett discovered that he was getting lots of attention for his fingers, he began to find a little enjoyment in his injury. Every time someone came up to him and wished him happy birthday, he wordlessly stuck his bottom lip out and lowered his teary eyes as he raised his injured hand.

Injury notwithstanding, Everett had a great day. He picked tacos in a crunchy shell for his dinner. Fine by me! It's an easy meal when I do shredded chicken in the crock pot.

Both kids enjoyed their tacos, although Ashley delicately picked out every last piece of lettuce.

After dinner, we skyped one set of Grandparents so Everett could move on to the most exciting part of the day--presents!!! He has been anxiously waiting for this day ever since Ashley had her birthday in June.

First up, Toy Story 3 Yahtzee Jr. We played this tonight and I think it was a hit. (FYI, it's only a few dollars right now at Wal-mart in case you need to get Christmas shopping done.)

Next, a football! There are some boys that live by us who are always out playing football. Everett was more excited about this gift than I anticipated, so after we were done he and Joel spent a while chasing each other down and tackling each other.

It was at about this point that Ashley decided it wasn't fair that Everett got to open all the presents.

Next, the subject of many late, late nights and much stress on my part, a rocket ship quilt! I have been meaning to do a bedspread for Everett for a while, and I decided this would be as good a time as any. I sat down with him one day and had him help me design a rocket ship, and that was that.

Finally, the gift Everett might be the most excited about, a marshmallow bow shooter. I don't know who came up with it, but it is a great idea. You load 20 mini marshmallows into the clear tube, pull the string back, and watch them go! I didn't think it would have much power, but those things sure speed out of there, enough so that I think you could shoot them across a backyard with no trouble at all. The best part is that I don't have to worry about the kids losing the ammo. I think Everett will enjoy this gift for a long, long time.

I knew this gift was coming so I prepped Everett by having him watch Robin Hood a few times this week. "That guy is the best fighter!" Everett would tell me. Well, now he gets to try it himself.

Joel didn't have much fun with it either. . .

Everett wanted pumpkin pie for dessert. Actually, I don't know what he wanted (neither did he). All I know is that Joel and I were both craving it and we planted the idea in his head. He was sure excited, though!

Ashley was a big fan of the pie as well. Joel actually helped me make it. The last time he helped me make pie was when we were dating. There was a lot more smooching involved this time, I can tell you that much.

I usually use real whipped cream because that is what I was raised on, but I decided to introduce the kids to reddi-whip. They loved that we could just spray it in their mouths.

At the end of the night, Everett wanted to put the blanket on his bed. I hope it outlasts a boy growing up, because it is probably the only one I will ever make him. I used a super soft 28 wale navy blue corduroy, but I was a little disappointed with it because it looks almost black and it is a little more like velvet than I wanted.

Everett doesn't seem to mind though. I sure love this loving, energetic child. I hope he has dreams of rocketing to the moon tonight.

I Sleep, You Sleep, We All Sleep

Sometimes, we like to sleep like this.

Sleep on a monkey while watching a movie.

In random places, like the space between couch cushions.

Or with feet in the air and thumb in the mouth. Try it sometime; maybe you'll like it.

How do you sleep?

How to eat a Pea

Little William is sick today, which makes my heart hurt. I took a bunch of pictures of him eating yesterday and I thought I would post them today because it makes me feel good to see him happy.

Here is your lesson on how to eat a pea. Feel free to disregard the instructions if you are not seven months old. Otherwise, this might be a very useful tutorial. (Although if you are seven months old and reading this on your own, I am guessing you already have eating under your belt.)

How to Eat a Pea

by William Warren Johnson

1. Be excited! Excitement is key to enjoying your dinner.

2. Isolate one pea from the rest of the herd.

3. Place it steadily in your hand.

4. Watch it roll around your palms for a little while.

5. Put that rolly pea in your mouth before you lose it for good.

6. Don't look like you are enjoying this--that is a surefire way to be given more vegetables.

7. Wave your arms around. Waving helps you chew (after all, you only have two teeth).

8. You may smile now as long as you have already given a good scowl. Go ahead. Smiling makes the peas taste better.

9. Try to swallow.

10. Wave your arms some more (see step 7).

11. Give it one final mash with your tongue, then swallow.

12. That was actually pretty good!

13. It's okay--rub your eyes. You're probably a little tired by now. It takes a long time to eat one pea, let alone a handful. If you're anything like me, it takes a lot of practice to fine-tune those motor skills. It's not like I'm easily distracted.

14. Wow! A window to outside!

Wait. What was I saying?