Halloween is Coming Soon. . .

The kids and I were driving through our town today to bring Joel lunch.  There are quite a few residents who go all-out with the Halloween decorations and even already have their yards filled to capacity.  Everett and Ashley love looking at the various halloween characters.

"Hey Mom, I heard of a ghost that can walk through anything.  Walls, chimneys, windows. . ."  Everett remarked.

I laughed.  "Where did you hear about that?"

"I dunno."  He shrugged.  "Maybe on the Pink Panther."

"Do you think those ghosts are real or pretend?"

"Real.  Are they real?"

"Well, they're really just pretend.  The ghosts you see in books and cartoons are just pretend.  They are like witches.  Witches are pretend, too."  (No, I didn't think it was the right time to get into the implications of wiccans or wandering spirits.)

Ashley piped up, "I'm scared of ghosts!" In her dainty little voice.

"You are?"  I said.  "Ghosts are just pretend, sweetheart.  You don't need to be scared of them."  Then I heard a sharp intake of breath behind me.

"Mom!  I just sawed a ghost."  Ashley reported soberly and a little fearfully.

"That wasn't a ghost, that was a person."  I didn't know if I was reassuring or not.

"Oh, (giggles) I knew that!"



And Everett's favorite joke (gruesomely fitted for halloween):

Q:  What do you call a dog with no legs?
A:  It doesn't matter because it can't come anyway!

(Yes, I taught it to him.  I love preschool humor!)

Christmas Jar

I started thinking about Christmas this summer, like I usually do.  What can I say?  Christmas is my favorite holiday.  This year we will be snuggled up inside our very own house with our very own fireplace and a brand new baby.  I am really looking forward to it.  I have had my christmas lights and christmas tree ornaments bought and in storage for months now.  Joel will take the kids to a local Christmas tree farm where they can cut down their very own tree for about twenty bucks.  I will bake as much as I feel like baking with a new baby on my hip, and we might even get some visits from treasured family members!  It will be a perfect Christmas season.  

The kids are starting to get older and in July I started brainstorming ways to make the holiday more meaningful for them.  As a child I never cared too much about any spiritual events that happened.  All I wanted was to get to the presents!  It was fun to watch people open what I'd purchased for them and it was fun to see what surprises I had.

I thought it might be nice to help another family every year, starting this Christmas.  We have been so blessed this year.  The kids really don't need any more toys (though I have my eye on a few good ones, believe me) and Joel and I are just happy to spend some good family time together.  

But how do I get the kids involved?  They don't have jobs.  They don't even have allowance.  The only thing they could make for someone is a semi-legible drawing.  They are too shy to really befriend someone they don't know, and singing Christmas carols is out of the question.

Then, my wonderful Grandma gave me a fantastic idea.  She suggested that the kids save nickels and dimes by doing extra chores.  YES!  This is something my kids can handle!

And so, our Christmas Jar was born.  In August we had a special family home evening where we discussed the jar and the meaning behind it.  The kids do extra chores periodically and earn a quarter or so.  So far they have a few dollars saved up!  They won't have tons of money by the time Christmas rolls around but they will have enough to pick out one toy each for a child who needs it.  Joel and I can fill in for whatever else we need to get.

Ashley and Everett love thinking of things to get for the children they imagine.  Their decisions are always based on whatever toy they personally think is the coolest.

They frequently talk about the jar.

And to my surprise, they express nothing but excitement at spending that money on someone else (of course, this may be a different story once we go to actually buy the presents, but that kind of experience probably counts in the "character building" category, right?).

I am excited, too.  If this works well, we will do this every year with increasing results.  If we start at the beginning of the year rather than mid-summer, maybe it will be something the kids will think about all during the year.

And if it doesn't work, we'll think of something else next year.  But what a happy thing to try!

More Funny Stuff (because I know you haven't gotten enough yet)

A family we know keeps what they call a "laugh book."  It is a collection of funny things the kids do or say.  Once in a while, they get it out and read it together and enjoy reliving the memories.  So I've decided that I need to be better about recording the silly things that go on in our house.  Feel free to skip this post--it's all just so we don't forget it, anyway!


A few days ago when we were having family scripture study, we read about Jacob and Sherem (who wrongly taught the people that there is no Christ).  The people eventually see that Sherem was wrong and ask God to forgive them.  This led us into a discussion about repentance.

"Everyone needs to learn how to repent," I said, "even me."
I paused for effect so Everett and Ashley could realize that even their mother makes mistakes.  I shouldn't have bothered.
"Yeah.  Like a few days ago, when you put cereal in my bowl that I didn't want to eat,"  Everett reminded me.  "That was not the right thing to do, Mom."

Hah.  Well, I guess my kids are already on to me.  But I sure wish that is the worst thing that I've ever done!


Ashley and Everett like to watch Disney's animated Robin Hood.  I asked Ashley if she likes watching Maid Marian, and she shrugged.
"There's only two girls and lots of boys," she said with annoyance.  "I don't get it."


One of William's favorite games is to start at one end of the room, shout "Go!!!!" and run to the other side.  Repeat, repeat, repeat.  He especially likes to do this when the other kids are also involved.

William has also loved being tucked in bed right next to Everett's giant stuffed dog.  I lay the blanket over William, then over the dog and say, "Night-night William.  Night-night dog."  William already has his thumb in his mouth by this point but he bursts out with laughter anyway.  Then I can hear him telling the dog "night-night" for the next few minutes until he settles down.

One time William was playing with our collection of pretend food and found a plastic replica of a cookie mix.  He noticed the picture of the chocolate chip cookie and carried this red package around with him for the next hour or two, begging anyone who would listen to get him a cookie out of it.  We never could convince him that it was empty, but we did distract him and eventually he forgot about the whole thing.

My Linus (the long-winded version)

William is a real hoot.  He just turned 18 months old and his personality is really starting to show.  A few recaps:

At 16 months, William started talking.  He quickly learned "dog" and "cat" and "woof" and "meow" but would only say them if he felt like it.  He also learned that it is hysterically funny to run away from Mama, especially if he is going somewhere off-limits.  William also started pointing at anything of interest.  Because I didn't bring a sippy cup for him on our vacation to Utah, he quickly mastered drinking from an open cup.

At 17 months, William started getting attached to the blanket you see pictured.  He would carry it around the house with him everywhere.  It is supposed to be a quilt for a toddler bed but that didn't stop him.  Often, he would sit down for a little break and suck his thumb while holding the blanket against his cheek.  He also started really getting interested in stuffed animals, like some of our giant stuffed dogs.  He would giggle and laugh every time we put him to bed because he loved cuddling with those dogs so much.   William also fell in love with water at around this time.  I think he loves it even more than milk--in fact, it is a little difficult for me to get him to drink all the milk he is supposed to have because he would just rather have water.  Well, there certainly are worse problems to have and I'm not going to lose any sleep over it!

Besides drinking water, William loves getting wet.  It is the high point of his day if you spray him in the face with water.  He went through a phase where he would purposely ask for more to drink just so he could splash it on himself.  When he hears the bathwater running, he comes dashing in and bounces around until I strip him down.  One time William found a teacup the kids had been playing with in the bathtub and, like a little gentleman at a tea party, he dipped it in the toilet water and drank it down.  I don't know how long he was at it before I found him but it still gives me the heebie-jeebies when I think about it.  It was the first time I was truly tempted to wash a child's mouth out with soap.

One time when William wanted a snack, he took my hand and brought me into the kitchen.  Then he pointed to the pantry and started laughing gleefully.  Of course I couldn't refuse and he got what he was after.

He also learned the word "mine."  In fact,  his favorite game is to snatch something, hold it over his shoulder and yell, "Mahn!" while running away.  

William discovered the joys of being outside and loves the freedom so much, he makes a break for it anytime he hears a door open.  And yes, if he gets out into the front he goes right for the street (thank goodness for a fenced backyard).  My sister-in-law has had to keep her house in constant lock-down because of her toddler and I'm wondering if we'll end up having to do the same thing.

At 18 months, William is my little shadow.  He follows me everywhere in the house except for the times he is chasing after his siblings.  William has also started to get a little possessive over me.  A classic example is what happened last week when I was making dinner.  Everett had fallen asleep on the couch and was really groggy and grumpy.  William had just woken up from his nap and was also grumpy for whatever reason.  Everett came into the kitchen and leaned against me while I was chopping veggies.  As soon as William saw this, he raced in, yelled and yelled, and started trying to shove Everett away.  Fortunately Joel was home and I had him distract those two from their tussle.

We also have to be careful in Church.  Joel ends up holding William most of the time during Sacrament Meeting because if one of the other kids is on my lap, William goes nuts.  This poor little guy's world is about to be turned upside down when the new baby comes!

The transition to Nursery went great.  As much of a Mama's boy as he is, I don't think good-natured William even noticed my absence.

William has always loved roughhousing with Joel and the kids and never seems to notice that he is the smallest one in the pile.  If he knows that others are playing around, he'll run into the room and throw himself over anyone low enough to the ground.

The best thing about William at this age is that he jabbers constantly.  It is pretty funny.  I'll say something to him ("Where did Everett go?") and he'll reply "Ah-da (Everett) jabber jabber jabber jabber."  He loves to talk and he goes on and on as though you can understand everything he's trying to say.  If you keep talking to him, it is like an entire bi-lingual conversation.  I would love to know what he really wants to say.  What does an 18 month-old think about?  This is a mystery to me.

William and Everett are still best buds, but William and Ashley are also starting to develop a really sweet relationship.  Like Joel, Ashley is not big on babies but once they get big enough to interact with, she has a lot of fun.  

The latest naughty trick of William's is to climb up onto our dining room table.  Fortunately there is carpet because if all the chairs are pushed in, he can't use them.  Unfortunately there is always someone who forgets to push the chairs in, and William gets onto the table several times a day and gleefully throws off whatever is on the surface.  Yes, he knows he is not supposed to be up there.  The fact that he grins and laughs mischievously each time I catch him up there gives that away.

I'm so happy we have our little William.  He truly is a delight and he has been such an easy baby!  After two easy babies, I'm pretty sure I am in for it with our new November arrival.

Johnson Funnies

I'll start out with Joel, even though I am sure to hear about this later. . .

Joel asked me to dish him up some ice cream one evening.  I scooped out what I considered to be a large portion.  After I plunked the bowl down in front of him, Joel busted up with laughter.
"Why are you laughing?" I asked.
"I'm laughing because you gave me a mother's serving, not a wife's serving."

And now it's Everett's turn:

Everett and William were up in my room as I was tidying up a little.  William was being fussy because he needed attention and I was focused on making the bed.
Everett decided to go get a book and some stuffed animals to make William smile.
When those things didn't work on our usually jolly toddler, Everett resorted to crazy facial expressions and dramatic falls to the floor.
William grinned, and Everett was exuberant.
"Mom, the Holy Ghost heared me cheer up a baby and I feel happy and warm inside!"


One day Everett was being particularly mouthy and non-compliant.  After a punch to his sister's stomach and a lecture from me, I said with exasperation, "Everett, I am your mother and my job is to teach you to do the right thing."
"Yeah well, you don't need to teach me to do the right thing!"  Everett replied obstinately.
"Why?"
"Because I already know how to do the right thing!"
My exasperation growing, I retorted, "Then why don't you do it!"

(No, I don't think the lesson sunk in.)

(An example of Everett and his many "whys")
Everett:  "Why do I have to listen to you?"
"Because I'm the boss"
"Why are you the boss?"
"Because I am your mother"
"Why are you my mother?"
"Because Heavenly Father sent you to me"
"Why did Heavenly Father send me to you?"
"Do you want Him to have sent you to someone else?"
"That would be terrible!"

(However, in another conversation, Everett and Ashley unanimously agreed that it would be awesome if they had another mom, but only if she gave them each a new toy every day.  Can my children be bought?  Now you know, and more importantly, now you know their price.)


Everett and Ashley like to talk to each other in the car.  No, they are not always nice and a lot of the time Ashley ends up squealing over some unjust thing her brother said or did, but often I overhear these gems:

Everett:  "I really don't like church."
Ashley:  "I don't like church either."
I started laughing, and asked "why not?"
Everett:  "Because it takes a really, really long time!"

Now you know why I often like to keep the radio off.

Little Miss Ashley knows when she is right, and she takes great pleasure of informing you so.  She seems to enjoy correcting Joel the most out of anyone.  With a hand on a sassy hip, Ashley scathes, "you're wrong, Papa," with lowered eyebrows and a withering expression.  Her angry eyes could melt steel, but that doesn't stop us from hiding our laughs behind our hands.

Once on our way to bring Joel a sack lunch, Ashley looked out the car window and noticed a police officer on patrol.
"I'm scared of the Police Officers,"  Ashley said timidly, with her hands clutched around her face and her eyes wide with melodrama.
"Why?"  I tried not to laugh.
"Because they will put me in jail if I take something!"


"Ashley, look at those purple and pink flowers," I remarked one day on the way to the library.
"Where?"
"Over there, hanging from those lamps."
"Oh Mom, they are lovely!" Ashley murmered admiringly.
"I think they are stupid," Everett muttered under his breath.
"Mo-om!  Everett said they are stupid!"  Ashley tattled.
In Ashley's eyes, the ultimate offense is when Everett criticizes bows or flowers.  At one point Ashley had named all of her prized stuffed animals after flowers (we had a rose, a daisy, a dandelion, and a lily).  Ashley has since changed the name of her favorite cat to Bolt--yes, after the movie that came out a couple of years ago.


Ashley has been going through a major dress phase.  She changes her outfit several times a day and usually ends up in one of her two prized dresses (they are the poofiest and twirliest of all).
"Mom, do I look beautiful in this dress?" Ashley asks as she twirls.
"You look very nice," I reply.
"Do you look beautiful, Everett?" Ashley inquires.
"Nope.  I don't like beautiful.  I only like cool.  Your dress is cool," Everett corrects without hesitation.
"Well, I look very beautiful.  I like beautiful."  Ashley is insistent.
"Ashley, your dress is beautiful and cool all at the same time.  Beautiful and cool."  Everett found a middle ground, and yes, it satisfied Ashley.  With all brothers she has to take what praise she can get.


Every day Ashley asks me to do her hair a particular way.  She is very susceptible to suggestion from the styles of cartoon characters, and this means that my meager hair-styling skills often don't cut it.  Fortunately she doesn't seem to mind.  Once she decided she had to have her hair like one of the faries in the movie Tinkerbell.  I don't know the name of this particular fairy but she has a long braid down her back.  This was  a hairstyle I could handle!  After I finished with the hairdo Ashley pranced out of the bathroom like a little diva ballerina.
But Ashley's real dream is to grow her hair out all the way down to the floor.  Want to guess where she got that idea?

So, I'm pregnant

Yep.  It's true, if you've missed the announcement (Baby number four due Nov. 30th).  But that isn't what I really want to post about.

I just saw this ad put out by P&G and it made me teary (though it doesn't necessarily make me more inclined to buy their products).  It is so well-done, and so beautiful!  I immediately thought about sharing it on the blog and then I realized that maybe I only think it is beautiful because I am overwhelmed with pregnancy hormones right now.

But, I'm posting it anyway.  Enjoy!

Everett, Photographer Extraordinaire

When we were playing outside on Labor Day, Everett decided he wanted a turn with the camera.  I explained how to use it (hold it here and here and don't touch anything except for this button) and put the strap around his neck, and he was snapping away.  (All within my paranoid arm's reach, of course.)

The pictures turned out pretty fun, so I thought I would post them before they get lost in my mountainously cluttered photos folder.

If there is one thing I want my kids to know, it is that their parents love and respect each other tremendously.  I can't think of anything that gives a child a more secure feeling than that.

So, I hope they know how much Joel and I adore each other.  It shouldn't be too hard to tell.  We do like to kiss, you know. . .

I laughed to Joel, "Everett is downhill from us.  This is going to be a terrible angle on my pregnant belly and pregnant face!"

Joel laughed too.  "Yep, it is!"

We were right.  But I still think this is a fun picture.

(So is this.)

And then, Ashley had to have a turn.  Not too shabby, I must say!