Johnson Family Reunion

We're fully recovered from the non-stop excitement that was the Johnson Family Reunion this June, so it's time to look at back and re-live some of the highlights.

photo copyright - racheljonesphotos.com

Only room for 2 on Grandpa's lap for story time?  That won't stop some curious grand-kids.

A lot of people think the best part of the NASCAR Bristol Motor Speedway tour is after you get 'out' of the transport van.  We make a strong case here for the opposite.

Warrior's Path, Watauga Lake, Steele Creek . . . did we hike enough that week?  It depends on who you ask.  These kids can really hit the hills though, by anyone's standard.

Craft time was a big hit.  There's nothing quit so fun as customizing your own fidget spinner.

No reunion is complete without a dose of memory lane embarrassment.  Love that perm, Michelle!

Thanks for coming to Tennessee - see ya'll in 2 years!

Vacation to Utah

We took the family out to Utah for Royce & Harly's wedding and lots of extended-family fun.  I think that there is nothing as thrilling as luggage and kids on public transportation. Here we are having a great time!

We got to visit with my Grandma Johnson in Salt Lake. The kids are clutching their new treasures from their Great-grandmother's collections.

We got to try out a new hike nearly everyday around the Sandy mountainsides with Celeste & Skye. It was so nice to smell the crisp air of the desert mountains and climb over rocks.

Our favorite hike was up the Temple Quarry site. So many rocks to jump on, and so many mountain goats to impersonate!   You might be able to tell we never did really see any mountain goats; we've got a lot of improving to do on our impersonations.

And the real reason we went to Utah --- Congratulations to Royce and Harly! Here are all the cousins together in front of the Provo City Temple.

And here are our kids in the fountain. It was so hot that I thought it wouldn't hurt them to get a little wet and cool off. The great news is that no one fell in, although Carl was unusually wet by the time we headed home.

So much fun in so packed into such a short time.  I don't know when we'll get so many cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents and grandkids in one place again!

Summer Food

The best thing I ever did was teach the kids how to decorate their own cakes. I do have to approach my desserts with half-closed eyes now. That is a serious riot of color.

Another brilliant idea I had was to teach the kids how to make salsa. We only had one minor mishap involving a knife and a finger. Now they cut bell peppers with butter knives (by choice).

We managed to grow some potatoes this year even though our gardening strategy left something to be desired. Maybe we planted them and then totally ignored them. No watering, no weeding and no singing to the plants. I don't know how they survived without the last one.

We were really successful at growing zucchini. This "little" friend was waiting for us when we got back from a vacation to Utah. We tried to disguise it as a doll and give it to Amber. She wasn't fooled.

The grapes did really well and made for a fun harvest and I got to use my juicer.

Happy 4th of July!

Before we begin our demonstration of patriotism manifested in crepe paper and pom-poms, I thought we could take a moment to enjoy our little garden. We wish you all lived close so you could help us eat all the delicious vegetables.

Those little yellow flags waving in the breeze are cucumber beetle traps, covered with the stickiest glue I have ever had the misfortune of brushing up against.

 Here you can see Helen harvesting a Japanese cucumber. As a side note, if you cut up a baby zucchini and put it into a pasta salad innocently among cucumbers, Amber will still sniff it out. I don't know how she does it.  She has been awfully suspicious of my salads as of late.

Now for the chants of "U-S-A" and "Happy Forth of July"! We opted for a bike/trike parade as our main event this year. We once again were reminded that 'some' is good and 'more' is better when it comes to tape and streamers. The goal was to dazzle the eyes and ears.

 

Last weekend we went down to Columbia, SC, for a quick temple trip. It was so nice to drive back up into the mountains afterward where it is so much cooler. Palm trees are very nice in postcards, but in real life they require temperatures too close to 100*F for my liking.

The big green world

We had a great crop of strawberries this year. Perhaps it was the cage we put over the top to keep the birds out of them, or it could have been the safety measures we took while harvesting. It's hard to know.

Carl has fulfilled one of his dreams he didn't know he had. Is there anything as wonderful or loud as driving on Grandpa's tractor? Since this day, every trip to Grandma and Grandpa's house comes with a request for a spin on the lawn mower.

A couple of weeks ago we had a lot of rain for a long time. When that happens, a lake forms in our yard and mallards swim happily above the grass until our kids find out. Then the scene of calm, pristine beauty turns into a loud splashing party.

They spent all day swimming in Willy Wonka's chocolate lake. Much to my chagrin, I think they even sampled it. Thankfully, no one's reported any illness.

A couple of weeks ago we had "5K Friday." It's hard to tell if my kids were more excited to make the numbers to pin on their shirts or run the course. We had to slow Corbin down by putting Carl on his back.

Ah, the thrill of the race, the heart pumping, arms swinging, legs stretching... is that a killer whale on that runner's back?

Since school got out, Ryan's been taking the kids for their morning "Running Club". It's a beautiful thing. The kids just pop out of bed and then do their morning chores so much more cheerfully and quickly after a brisk morning jog.  Maybe we could put giant hamster wheels in the kids' rooms for when it's dark and cold in the mornings.

Happy Birthday Jane and Helen!

 Here are some of the kids at Jane's birthday party. We really have only had two hot, hot weeks this summer, and once again they landed right on Jane's birthday. Jane who loves chili. Jane who talks about eating chili for her birthday for 364 days of the year in anticipation and so I won't forget. Once again, we had chili with the fans blowing high. 

I'm so happy that Hannah lives nearby so she can make purple velvet cakes and decorate them so lovely. 

What do you get a girl for her birthday who loves all things citrus? Sing with me now . . . Lemon tree, very pretty, and the lemon flowers are sweet, but the fruit of the poor lemon Jane's really excited to eat. (Thanks to Peter, Paul and Mary for that one.)

 It's hard to smile when you are squinting into the sun. Here we are in our Indian outfits. It is so nice to wear these to church where they have the AC blowing full blast. I just wrap my scarf around me and stay toasty warm.

 

This year Helen decided that she wanted to decorate her own cake. Who am I to stand in the way of independence and talent development? I did have to take all the other kids out of the room so she could finish it in peace. (Easiest cake I've ever not-decorated, well, since Jane's).

Helen did a great job and the cake turned out beautifully! I think Hunter just likes to be in on the action.