Tyler Turned 5

I can not believe how quickly time is going these days. I can't believe Tyler is really 5 years old. I remember my own 5th birthday. The gifts were a big hit of course. Especially the money! Tyler wanted a chocolate cake. It turned out looking more like a huge chocolate donut. But it was good!

A Beautiful Day

The boys picked our family activity for the last 3 day weekend. We hiked to the top of Mt. Erie. It was a beautiful day! We had a wonderful time. This is looking out towards the San Juan Islands.
Eric would know the exact name of these mountains but all I know is that they are in the Cascades.
My boys all love to climb trees.
Looking for bears, we didn't find any.


I didn't get a picture of it, but Eric made us all hot chocolate when we got to the top. Apparently it was exhausting.

Toothless!

This post is for Jared. He wanted his picture taken with both front teeth gone. He told me I could put it on my "picture thing" I think he meant my blog. So here is Jared toothless.

Have they changed?

I found some pictures of the kids today from 2006. I had just said early today that my kids haven't changed much. So what do you think have they changed at all?
Tyler is 2, Alex 4, Jared 5

George

SO this is George. Faithful old George. He has truly been a wonderful dog and I have had my share of dogs. He has been part of our family for over 10 years. So faithfully today I took him to the vet for his annual check up. Where a clean bill of health was delivered, except.... for his teeth. At which point the vet continues to explain to me all the horrible things that will happen to my dog if I do not take better care of said teeth. Then expands by mentioning ever so slightly that it is a mere $250.00 for his dental exam (more if he needs oral surgery). Somehow I managed to stop my mouth from gaping open. And politely replied "I'll have to get back to you on that". Now really, there is so much I could spend the money on. The list happens to be endless. So I ask, do people really spend that much on dogs teeth? Oh yeah did I mention, this is suppose to happen yearly.

One Flaw in Women

A friend of mine emailed this to me. I had read it before and I think it is very true. We do not, generally, as women give ourselves enough credit. We do not value our self worth and we should.

One Flaw In Women

Women have strengths that amaze men.
They bear hardships and they carry burdens,
but they hold happiness, love and joy.

They smile when they want to scream.
They sing when they want to cry.
They cry when they are happy
and laugh when they are nervous.
They fight for what they believe in.
They stand up to injustice.

They don't take "no" for an answer
when they believe there is a better solution.

They go without so their family can have.
They go to the doctor with a frightened friend.
They love unconditionally.
They cry when their children excel
and cheer when their friends get awards.

They are happy when they hear about
a birth or a wedding.
Their hearts break when a friend dies.
They grieve at the loss of a family member,
yet they are strong when they
think there is no strength left.
They know that a hug and a kiss
can heal a broken heart.

Women come in all shapes, sizes and colors.

They'll drive, fly, walk, run or e-mail you
to show how much they care about you.
My frined emailed this to me. I have read it before and I think it is very true.


The heart of a woman is what
makes the world keep turning.

They bring joy, hope and love.
They have compassion and ideas.
They give moral support to their
family and friends.

Women have vital things to say
and everything to give.

HOWEVER, IF THERE IS ONE FLAW IN WOMEN,
IT IS THAT THEY FORGET THEIR WORTH.

Beautiful!

What a beautiful day! I am so excited. It is the first day in about 2 months that I have been able to get out in my garden and do some work. Gardening is one of my favorite things. I even love weeding. So I just wanted to share my excitement and hope this lasts.

Quote of the Day

I was reading in a magazine and found my new quote of the day, maybe for life. "Chocolate is not a luxury, its a staple. It's satisfactions are fundamental, profound, unquestionable". Now isn't that the truth?

We have a truck again.

This truck has a long history. It is nearly 15 years old and where it is not the truck of Eric's dreams it has served us well. That is until last year when everything stopped working at once. So for the last year the truck has been sitting in the garage waiting to be repaired. This past week with the help of Kyle and of course the boys Eric fixed the truck and we have rejoined the world as a 2 car family (for as long as it lasts). Photography by Tyler A. Johnston

Post script

truth be told I knew exactly what the problem was, how to fix it, where to get the part and I had all the tools. I was just too lazy to actually do it. Besides it was good for me to have to ride my bicycle all over town.

ej

Tooth

Jared is a brave soul. He came downstairs one evening (supose to be in bed of course). "Dad, my tooth is lose." Eric's reply..."So pull it" and for once Jared listened and yanked his front tooth out. Blood everywhere, but what's a little blood when your tooth is worth a whole dollar.

More info

Just to follow up with our last post. No one really knew. We had told our family and few people made a good guess. Eric wanted to get the word out he was busting to tell people so we thought most people we know check our blog. I am 11 weeks along. I am due July 27th. Eric has been excited from the start. It has taken me a little while to get use to this. It was not really expected. But we are both very happy and the boys are thrilled! Thank you for all the well wishes.

Its real.

Linda thought this was inappropriate to post on the blog but I didn't think that any of our "real" friends would be so offended as to not talk to us any more so press play and deal with it.




P.S. you are all our real friends

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!