Well I didn't tell anyone but a bird flew by so what I done is set up a nest outside....

I don't know that I have ever let myself go that long without blogging. I'm feeling so bad about not keeping up it. We have kept plenty busy and I have had tons of "I gotta blog this" moments, but I have honestly not had a minute to spare since before school got out. It's in the a.m. now and I shouldn't be up, but if I don't blog now, I may never.

This Spring was crazy town around our yard. The birds moved in and they tried to take over. We had a nest in the front yard in the tree. This nest was very neatly built and we were entertained for weeks as the birds came in and took over. Every time one of us would go out to move the water we would be dive bombed by the ma or pa. We were so so careful, but one day after school, the kids found the nest on the ground and no birdies to be found. So sad. I'm not sure if a cat got to them or what, but we found three dead birds and an empty nest. The nest became a great show n tell at school, but had a sad story attached to it.

A couple of weeks later, my dryer was giving me grief. I seriously was having to run it 3x to get the towels dry. Jer got up on the ladder and cleaned out the dryer vent. Sure enough, there was a nest. Unfortunately, that did not fix the dryer. So, a few days later, Josh and Emma got brave and went out to look at what was blocking the airflow. Josh reached in and quickly pulled his hand out after feeling more than just a nest.

 They took turns getting up on the ladder (notice the incredibly inconvenient location of the vent) and taking pictures of the little buggers. I called Animal Control but they were no help. So I called a Bird Rescue lady in Logan. She said they were Starlings and needed to be moved. She said the heat from the dryer would kill them. She told us to carefully move them to a box with their crappy "nest" and then hope that mommy bird finds them.

 Emma was amazing! She got up on the ladder and with a glove on her hand, she carefully lifted the baby birds and set them in their new home. Unfortunately, we did exactly what Bird Rescue Lady said to do, but mom abandoned them anyway. So sad. Emma was so so sad. The babies didn't survive the night and we had to bury them.

This was as close as Erin really got. She did get on the top of the ladder to see the birds and was super helpful once they were in the box, but the whole thing was kind of sad. My dryer works now.

 On June 1, we had to say goodbye to some of or favorite people. It was the last day of school and the girls were not ready to part with their amazing teachers.

 

 Mrs. Selman with Emma.

 Mrs. Pleuger with Emma.

 Erin with Miss Nielsen.

We cried. We loved our teachers this year!

 That night, we had to celebrate the end of the school year so we went to the Drive-In to see the Avengers (and all the crazy people that put their kids in the back of their truck on an air mattress... not just for the movie, but to drive to and from as well). It was fun. We will definitely be doing more of that this summer.

 Erin started swimming lessons the very next week. She did so great and keeps asking when the next session starts! We also got to have a little cousin time since Jamie had rhino plasty on June 5.

 On June 6 and June 8, Josh had soccer tryouts. Long story short - there was some serious drama and crazy nerve racking talk, but at the end of it all, Josh made the team. Whew!

 My Birthday was the next day and Jer woke me up and took me on an early date. We went to the Farmers Market and to lunch. It was so fun to have time with the two of us. I took the girls to the mall later to go shopping and then that night I went out with the crazy ladies in the picture below. I love spending time with these women! We saw Snow White and the Huntsman (so so good) and then over to Yogurtland for some "dinner."It was a great birthday!

 We haven't wasted any time with getting to our Summer projects this year. The girl's tie dyed t-shirts...

 We went to the Copper Mines to show the kids how amazing the whole thing is. We didn't stay long. It was raining and cold. :(

 We got our Pass of All Passes and went to have some fun in the sun at Seven Peaks....

 We had a cake decorating contest...

 We went to lunch with all the B's for my Birthday....

 And I got to see one of my best friends (Nicole) while she was here for her brothers wedding. Her hubby is a doctor so it's not often that I get to spend time with her! These are our "babies" on our laps. I love that she is always the same Nicole she has always been and even if five years goes by, it feels like it was only two days. The only difference is now she has a money tree in her yard. Ha Ha.

 So that almost gets me caught up on my blog. That was lots of pics and not much detail - but that will come in the next post I suppose.

We Are THE CHAMPIONS, Ma Friends!

USA White Division 2 U-13 Team

What a season! The boys did it! This team has been a Division 2 team for four years with the goal to move up to Division 1. Every season they work so hard and it has finally paid off! Monday night was the last game of the Spring season. The boys had already played well enough to be moved up to Division 1, but in order to take First Place in the League, they needed to win this game. It was against Sparta. They played well, but our boys played the way they have been and pulled off a win 4-2. It was SO exciting!! As soon as the whistle blew, the boys were celebrating - cake, "champagne," silly string, and even a dance they had been practicing for that moment. It was so rewarding to see the smiles on their faces. I stole the picture above from the USA Facebook page, but they have been featured on the USA website as well!

So what have they done to "work hard" for this? These kids are committed. They played in the Fall and Spring outdoor seasons, 8 tournaments, two indoor futsal seasons, trained 3 times a week as a team and did 1-2 hours of PPR (Personal Practice Regimen) at home every day. They also helped run a USA Rec camp and traveled from Logan, Utah to Mesquite, Nevada and everywhere between. They had personal and team goals that were tracked on a spreadsheet for an entire year. While Josh missed the second season of Indoor Futsal, he added his physical therapy to his schedule, played FIFA on the PlayStation and studied the footwork of the pro's on the Fox Soccer Channel. His latest personal achievement is juggling the ball to 412. But, more importantly, playing soccer for a season without an injury!

This accomplishment is HUGE! Well done, boys!

A Lesson In.... what?

Winter is always too long, if you ask me. But, this Winter was SOOOO long! Josh's hip injury (that happened at a tournament over the holidays) kept him off the soccer field and in the physical therapy room for way too many weeks (sixteen)! He was a trooper and survived the torture, but Jer and I worried. For a thirteen year old boy that has been on the soccer field since age four, it was just as mental as it was physical for him to stay away. We tried to attend as much of his team events as we could, but to go to a game and sit on the bench was worse for him.  There were two different times when the therapist gave him the okay to go back but only at 50%. Both times he came away hurting and it set him back. His hip continued to heal with all the therapy and stretching, but at the same time he was growing like a weed. His back started hurting and locked up on him on two different occasions causing him to be in a lot of pain. His poor muscles couldn't keep up with his bone growth and were pulled so tight that he kept getting hurt. The therapists have done some serious magic on his fragile little giant body. He's had heat, ice, massages, bone popping, stretching, ultra sound and shock treatment. At one point the therapists put a "fragile" label on his chest. Each time we went, Josh went with the hopes of good news. Any good news. Even just an okay to participate in gym at school was a step toward healthy.

We honestly have spent as many hours in this room than we would have on the soccer field. I've decided that to be a physical therapist, you have to have a great sense of humor and a positive attitude seven days a week. The whole crew is hilarious and Josh and I always walk away laughing.

About two weeks ago, we were told to go ahead and let Josh go to training - but again at 50% and eventually at 75%. He did okay. Each move is stressful for me to watch. He made the first couple of training sessions but lasted only about an hour before feeling pain. He continued going to therapy, participating in everything with his team and being faithful to all his stretches. Finally, he was okay to play in a game. He played Monday, April 23 for the first time in months. He only got about 15 minutes each half in order to not push our luck. His coach has enough experience to know where to play him and for how long considering the injury and the time off. The best part of that game was on the way home when Josh said he had no pain.

On Tuesday, April 24 he went to training. This was some crazy training and there were several drills that made me anxious (leap frog, piggy back relay, cartwheels...). But, he did it. And he wasn't in pain the next day. Sore muscles, but no injury.

On Wednesday, April 25, he went to physical therapy. We were told we can go two weeks before he has to go back! Yay!

On Thursday, April 26, we had a game in Herriman against the Gladiators. The weather was perfect soccer weather. Josh was feeling good and the team was ready to play. Okay, not really. He was feeling good, but the team had a slow start. They looked terrible. So, Josh got out there and tried his best. But, he wasn't really having a great game either. It was like there was a full moon or something. Everyone was off their game. Josh's boot came off in the middle of a play and he had possession of the ball... he left his cleat in the middle of the field and continued the play. So stinking funny! At the beginning of the second half we were down 2-1. Josh tried dribbling through a couple of players that were on him. One of the players went down on the ground but Josh didn't slow down. There was no foul committed, but the ref apparently didn't like his aggressiveness and gave him a yellow card. I am a spaz of a mom and a spectator so I couldn't help but cheer at the card. Next thing I know, the ref is carding our coach. And then - he gives him a red and throws him out! We found out later that the coach was defending Josh and said to the ref that it was "unintentional." That got the first card. When coach questioned the card, he pulled the red one.

So now our coach is gone and Josh is on a yellow card. The boys start getting a little fired up. This is good. It takes a lot for our boys to get fired up. We tie the game. Then we score again. And again. Can you believe it? We are up 4-2.

Gladiators pass the ball long and their fastest forward gets it and has a breakaway. Josh is right behind him and all he can think it to stop the play - don't let him score. And without realizing how much he has grown and that he is two steps behind the player, he reaches out to pull on his jersey. This, by the way, happens a lot and is rarely called a foul if your hands are down. Josh's hands weren't down. He meant for them to be. ;) He totally clocked the kid and took him down from behind (horse collar). Straight red worthy. We all knew it was coming. He was already on a yellow. Josh went to the player to make sure he was okay, but the ref wouldn't have it. He lifted the yellow and then the red and told Josh to get off the field.

 So, let's back up a little. Josh has been out of the game for .. how long? A long time. Too long. So I was a little excited to have him playing again. And then to go from losing to winning. And then he got a yellow. I was happy to see him be aggressive. So when the red card came - I cheered. Proud of my boy. Not proud of the play or that the other player may have been hurt. Proud that Josh got his first red card and that he sacrificed himself to stop the play. Apparently, the other coach thought I was cheering about the injured player. Really? C'mon. Is any soccer mom really going to cheer when someone gets hurt?  I named him "Coach of the Year" for being such a dumb shi* and in the end teaching his team poor sportsmanship by not having them shake hands with our team.

 

Unfortunately, they scored on the free kick. But, we still won 4-3. Down a player and a coach. Take that Gladiators. So Josh was asked to leave the field immediately and was suspended for today's game in Park City. That part was tough. We couldn't even attend the game today to support our team. So, they played today without him and without their head coach. They went. They played. They conquered - 6-0! Rock on USA! We play Brigham City on Monday and I'm thinking the fire has been lit in our boys.

From therapy to red card. I love soccer. 

Eastertime

 About eight years ago, all four Johnson wives were pregnant at the same time (that sounds a little polygamy-ish - ha ha). It was an exciting year for us! Now these four kiddos are getting baptized! Aiden is the first of the four and he was such a trooper - there was no hot water! What a kid! He is very loved little boy - the room was packed and everyone was there for him. Love that boy. Actually getting a picture of all the Johnson kids was quite the task. This was the best of the million I took

 Aiden (March), Hanah (June), Erin (December), Noah (January)

 Our next adventure was hunting Easter eggs with the neighborhood. I felt horrible because I wasn't really myself (because of surgery) so I didn't do much other than the flyer this year in the way of helping. Fortunately, Jer got up early to go help hide the eggs and April and Lisa were on the ball as usual. The kids love this hunt! We have yet to find a golden or silver egg... maybe next year.  Poor Emma didn't hear the second whistle so she came away with her twelve eggs and that was it. Gotta love that girl. She lives in her own little world.

 And, yes, it was cold. Saturday morning was fuhreeezing! And by Sunday it was beautiful.

 We went to Fazio Eggs to get our mini eggs to color. I dunno why this is fun, but we love the baby eggs. We colored for hours on end and did everything from glitter, glamour, tie dye and traditional colors. This was our one Spring Break activity as a family (a little pathetic, but what can I say?)

Our next egg hunt was with all the B's. Thankfully, it warmed up a little for this one. It's so fun to watch all the little one's try to find the eggs... but even more fun to eat all their candy when it's over. I didn't have much room for candy after all the rib ends and potato salad I ate, though. So yummy!

Erin, Bryson, Cambree, Gauge, Brynlee, Atley

The kids sat on the trampoline and emptied out their eggs... Brynlee cracked hers on her knee to open them. So funny.

On Easter Sunday, baby Chloee was blessed (and I didn't take any pictures of her - duh). It was fun to go back to Spencer 1st Ward and see all our friends! And lucky for us, there were other visitors there for a missionary farewell so I got to see some friends from high school. I love that ward!

After church we went to Trev and Jenn's for a little luncheon and another egg hunt for the kiddos. More yummy food and fun with cousins! This little bunch is so hard to get a picture of! They're all so little and when there is candy in their laps, there's no reason to look up at the camera! Trey was making us all laugh with his melted chocolate from head to toe.

 

 The sun was in their eyes so they were all a little anxious to be done with picture taking. I so was not complaining about the sun in my eyes. It felt soooo good to be outside in the warm Spring weather. It was a great weekend - full of fun, family, food, sunshine and smiles!

What people say to you when they hear you are going to have (or just had) Sinus Surgery....

10. "Oh that's terrible! I hear that's the worst surgery to have!"
      my thoughts: Is there a best surgery to have? I'm not much of a fan of any surgery, but I'm pretty sure having a cornea transplant is worse.

9. "I didn't know you were having surgery this week - can we bring in meals?"
       my thoughts: Initially, my response to this question is always 'no, thank you' because I have an amazing hubby that cooks for our family every night anyway. And, I was once told that if there is someone in the house that can use a can opener, there's no reason to have meals brought in. But, because we have amazing friends and family that know me well (and insisted), we received several nights of meals this week and I'm so thankful. I remember a lesson in Sunday School not that long ago when a sister in our ward reminded us that it's help for your hubby and your kids - not just you. Jer had his hands plenty full of other things to worry about and not having to stress about dinner every night was so appreciated. Not to mention - we have some seriously amazing talent around here...homemade chicken pot pie, Parmesan chicken, chicken and rice, Cafe Rio, cookies, cookies and more cookies. Okay, so having meals brought in was nice. Thank you!

8. "The worst part is when you wake up in post-op and you can't breath through your nose!"
       my thoughts: Really? Well, I might panic - especially since I haven't been able to breath out of my nose for like 20 years now. And, maybe it wasn't as bad as everyone had warned me because I was prepared for that - but it really wasn't bad. My mouth was about as dry as it ever has been and when I tried to let the nurse know that I was awake and could use some ice, nothing came out and it was painful. Then I panicked a little.

7. "You have to sleep sitting up for like a week afterwards."
       my thoughts:  I mean, yeah, sleeping in an upright position doesn't sound fun, but I've been 9 months pregnant before and had to sleep in worse positions than upright. Truthfully, this is how it goes for the first five days anyway: get comfy enough on the couch to doze for an hour... wake up with a kinked neck, a pounding headache, a dry mouth and a bloody gauze... no big deal... change the gauze, drink a gallon of water,  reposition, pretend like it's been four hours and it's time for more Percocet.. and back to sleep I go.

6. "You just had sinus surgery? You don't even look that bad!"
       my thoughts: Whew. 'Cause for some reason, I thought I looked like this:

It doesn't look that bad, huh? Yeah - now if you've been needing to have this done, you're going to feel so relieved and run right out and schedule it?? Ha ha. This was actually just after we got home from the hospital and Jer had run to get my meds and some apple juice. Poor guy. He is so good to me. I have zero pain tolerance and he has learned to deal with it. I so hope this procedure helps with all the days I've spent in bed with a sinus infection and left him to take care of the kids for days on end. Never mind the ugly that he has had to wake up to every morning.

5. "What about your kids? Can I help get them to school in the mornings?"
       my thoughts: I'm a mom? When did that happen? Okay, so when I was pounding the Percocet during the worst of it, I did kind of zone out and forget about my parenting responsibilities. But, again, thankfully, I have a loving husband and amazing friends and family that took turns sharing the fun. And, that is why I was able to zone out and "recover." Yay for Spring break this week!

4. "Oh that's an easy out-patient surgery. You'll be back to work in two days."
       my thoughts: Really? The Doctor suggested 7-10 days off work. I think that everyone is different. Kudos to those of you that really do recover in two days. I will be taking the 7-10 days, thank you very much (remember? zero pain tolerance)

3. "I've had that done and it doesn't work."
       my thoughts: Ugh. This, my friends, is why I have put it off for so long! I kept blaming everything else for the pain - allergies, the weather, the elevation, hormones... you name it. I found a reason to not have it done. But, last night, I woke up at 5am and realized my mouth was closed and I was breathing through my nose... and sleeping! Granted, it's only been 5 days and I still have the packing stuffed up there, but it felt so good to breath through my nose! I've also been on an antibiotic since November because as soon as I finish one, the sinus infection comes right back and I start another one. While I do like having clear skin, it was getting a bit ridiculous.

2. "Hey, saw you driving with gauze under your nose, you Okay?" via text
       my thoughts: Oh that's so embarrassing! Yesterday I felt pretty good. Like pretty good enough to maybe go to the store for a minute. I knew I didn't want to overdo it so I was good and did everything in slow motion (except open a box of gauze right there in the isle and hold it to my dripping nose because I was too proud to wear my nose bra in public). But, to find out that a friend actually saw me driving like that. Oh gosh. So glad you are a friend, friend that texted this to me.

1. "Why do you have to have that done?"
       my thoughts: Usually, when you hear of someone having sinus surgery, it's because they have a deviated septum. While my septum is slightly deviated, I did not need to have that aligned. I actually had three other procedures done. I don't remember all the fancy names for them (this is where Gibbs would remind Abby to speak in English anyway so that us regular folk can understand) so I will "speak in English." Endoscopic Sinus Surgery is where the doctor removes blockages in the sinuses that cause chronic sinusitis. In my case, the blockage was caused by polyps, mucous membrane swelling and very small turbinates (turbinates are the tissues that control the openings to the sinuses). I have tried everything - Flonase, prescription allergy meds, Musinex, the Neti Pot (daily saline rinse), antibiotics, Afrin sleeping with cold packs on my head. You name it, I've tried it. And when all that fails, you give in to surgery and hope the hell it works. 
 
(This is a text convo. I have to include the whole thing for you to appreciate it.)
concerned friend: "Hey, how was day 2? Better or worse?"
me: "Way worse. :("
concerned friend: "What?? How does that happen?"
me: "I don't know. I thought I was over the worst of it but today my teeth and my jaw hurt... my ears, my head, my throat... sucks. I am hoping tmrw is better."
concerned friend: "So you are playing in our (futsal) game tonight, right?"

Sweet Sour

It's eleven o'clock in the p.m. I had surgery just over 12 hours ago. I'm all hopped up on meds. You would think I would be sleeping. I had Endoscopic Sinus Surgery this morning and I will be honest - I feel like crap and look worse. So I'm not going to share any pictures or go into any details. You're welcome. I  guess since I slept for 10 of those 12 hours today, I will blog now and try to get caught up. This should be fun.

Emma's week of Birthday celebrating was lots of fun! We had fun with all the Bee's on the 11th. Bryn wanted a Panda cake - her mama did an awesome job and everyone had black mouths by the end of the party. Emma and Brynlee are the only Birthday's in March on that side of the family. The J's have lot's of March Birthday's (6, I think).

 Atley, Erin and Emma

Emma got some fun things from everyone - garden stuff, feather earrings, and art stuff and a bike. Grandma B. took her shopping on her bday and got flip flops (a tradition).

On Friday, March 16, we took Emma and 3 of her friends to Planet Play in Draper. Josh was a good sport and entertained Erin all night. Emma and her friends had so much fun (and so did Jer and I). The kids all got the pizza buffet and a card with points to do the games and attractions. Every half hour or so, they would announce a "dance off" at the front of the play area. The girls LOVED this! They did YMCA,  Ho Down Throw Down, and even the Electric Slide! The songs just kept going and they were all dances the girls knew.

Grandma J. came over to see Emms and gave her the cutest Madame Alexander ever (another tradition). I actually let the girls get out all the dolls and look at them again. There are seventeen between the two of them - so fun to see them all!

 

Emma has been working really hard at school. She got way ahead with her AR points and, as a reward, gets to be on the Safety Patrol. I think being to school a half hour early and staying a half hour late is a funny reward - but she is thrilled! I'm so proud of her! She has grown up so much in this last year. She is an amazing sister, a fantastic babysitter, an i-pod addict, a dancing fool, a daddy's girl (big time) and my best friend. She is such a sweet girl (when she's not being the other Emma - mmm hmmm). So glad she had a happy Birthday and so grateful for all the wonderful people in her life!

 

Erin has had so much fun this month! At school, her class had a leprechaun (Shawn) that surprised them almost every day for a week or more! The kids made little ladders to hang on their desks for him to climb up... he loved that because he kept leaving messes and treats for them. Erin found the pot o' gold in her classroom and her cute teacher sent me this picture of her with it. Erin has been excited for school every morning because of Shawn the Leprechaun.

Whenever we get together with family (either side), we can always find Erin with the baby. She is such a sweet girl and LOVES babies. She is so good with them and talks about them all the time. (left) Erin with Chloee (right) Erin with Mason.

Josh has played soccer since he was three. Emma has danced since she was six. Erin has tried soccer and dance. She just hasn't found her thing yet... until now. She has been wanting to take piano lessons forever but I have had her wait until she can read well. She is an AMAZING reader. So, we decided it was time to give it a go. She called Grandma B. and asked her to teach her to play the piano. Grandma was happy to do it! Erin has had one lesson and plays almost as well as I do (and I took lessons for a million years). She loves it. She has not missed a day of practicing. And look at her posture. So awesome!

 Since my boys love it when I aim my camera at them, I have to take what I can get whenever I can. This is at Aiden's baptism (which I will post pictures from latuh). They are both so handsome and I am so afraid I'm not going to get a picture of Josh in his suit before he grows out of it. We have had it altered three times and I'm not sure there's much left to let out. The boy just keeps growing.

He finished (hopefully) about eleven weeks of Physical Therapy and is finally back to soccer! Between taking time off due to injury after injury and growing like a weed, it has been a little harder to come back than I think he realized it would be. He has been doing about 90 minutes of drills and stretches from physical therapy every day and working up to full training sessions with his team. He played in a scrimmage tonight and came home feeling great! He says his touch is terrible (he's not hard on himself at all), but I was so happy with the fact that he played the whole game and didn't have any pain! The season starts Monday (April 2) and he might actually get to play. What a long winter it was for him. Poor guy. And yet he keeps on smilin' every day... and making me laugh!

Either I had a lot to get caught up on or percacet makes me talk a lot. Or both.