Donny & Mollie

Happy Valentines

2012-02-13T12:59:00.000-08:00

Here's Holland giving a valentine to her best friend Jack:

HEALTHY EATING

2012-01-14T15:37:00.000-08:00

I have been studying about nutrition lately,

so of course, I turn into teacher mode

and my kids have gotten one continuous lesson.

I really feel passionate about fulfilling my role as a mother

to 'nurture' my children and good food is one area I can do that.

I love to compare everything I read to the Word of Wisdom

and other scriptural references.

With so many fads out there,

that is the one way I can discern what is ''truth."

This is Benson eating his morning green smoothie!

He loves it and adding more vegetables to his diet

has really helped his digestion.

I keep telling him he is going to be Popeye

because of all the spinach he eats.

(our typical smoothie is 1 1/2 c. water, 1 1/2 c. spinach &/or cabbage

1 banana, 1 other fruit (apple, pear, peach, etc))

Healthy eating can be fun and tasty too!

We made homemade ice cream for FHE with

1 c. skim milk, 1 T. honey, 1 t. vanilla.

This is Hunter after he ground a bucket of wheat for me

yesterday so we could make bread today.

(I have a very old grinder from my grandma

and it makes a mess, so he grinds it outside)

Hunter found this at Sam's Club last week

and was excited it had his nickname on it.

(We bought a Sam's Club membership so we could buy

a bunch of veggies and fruit in bulk)

Here's a summary of the healthy eating principles we are applying:

1- Eat Veggies with everything (fresh is best)

2- Drink a lot of water

3-Limit Sugar. Eat fruit or cook with honey instead.

4-Eat Whole Grains (not processed)

5. Eat Lowfat Dairy (we've converted to Skim Milk)

6. Eat Beans and Lean Meats

7. Use good fats. (olive oil, nuts, avacados... eliminated margarine)

Resources:

1. www.greensmoothiegirl.com and her book
http://holisticwellnesscoaching.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/12-Steps-to-Whole-Foods.pdf

2. W.O.W. diet and website: wordofwisdomliving.com

3. PH Miracle (just to get veggie & water motivated)
4. H.O.P.E. formula

December Birthdays

2011-12-15T09:49:00.000-08:00

Today is Benson's 1st Birthday!

What a full year of motherhood it has been!

Though it hasn't been easy, we love having this cute boy be a part of our family.

December is full of birthdays for us.

Each week we get to celebrate someone special.

Week 1= Myriam

Week 2= Holland

Week 3= Benson

Week 4= Christ

http://lds.org/bible-videos?lang=eng

Here's a picture of all of our December Birthdays:

SNAPSHOT of DAILY LIFE

2011-12-03T13:58:00.000-08:00

We have a family mission statement where we established these family values to develop our “Core:” LOVE (social/emotional), FAITH (spiritual), ORDER (temporal), LEARNING (mental), HEALTH (physical), with WORK and PLAY as the tools to developing these core values. We repeat these together in our mission statement weekly. Since we established these values, the Lord has been able to work through our desires and passions to further develop each one. Here’s how we currently apply these principles in our present circumstances….I’ll tell it in our typical day:

EARLY MORNING

Mom and Dad get up early before the children arise so they can study/read the scriptures and/or classics and exercise. (We like to read at least one classic a month that is the same as each other) Dad wrote a book during these early morning hours while he could really focus without distractions or neglecting family relationships. We have become tennis players, joggers, cross country skiers, etc. during this time as well. We also shower and get ready before the children get up. Sundays we plan and make goals for the week instead of exercising.

MORNING

We read the scriptures with the children before Dad goes to work. We have made this voluntary attendance, but as soon as they can read they’re excited to read the scriptures. (we ask a “look for” question at the beginning of each verse so their minds are searching as they read) As a by-product, they are all great at reading and comprehension and really growing in wisdom- we have had priceless discussions at this time. We read for a set amount of time, not a set amount of verses. (“penetration is better than coverage”)

Then each child gets ready and does their individual and family work/chores to earn their breakfast (“by the sweat of thy brow, thou shalt eat thy bread”). Personal work includes baths and cleaning bedrooms. Mom’s job is to get the baby ready, train the toddler, and be the manager of the rest. (We have cards with pictures the toddler turns over as they accomplish each task) The kids younger than 8 have household cleaning chores. We clean the house in zones that rotate each day of the week. (Mon= Kitchen, Tues= Living Rooms, Wed= Basement, Thur= Upstairs, Fri= Bathrooms, Sat= Cars/Garage) The children older than 8 have areas of responsibility rather than chores (Cook Breakfast, Do Laundry, etc)

Breakfast time is a great time for mom to talk to the kids about things she’s learning and excited about. We all help in cleaning up and we love to listen to music while we work together. We have a meal clean up wheel that we turn each morning. (sweep, clean dishes, load dishwasher, table, baby, etc) Then we gather for a morning devotional. (They get a treat if they are there on time with shoes on) We have a song, prayer, scripture (that we are memorizing for the week), thought, and announce day activities. On Sundays, this turns into a family council and planning time for the week.

LATE MORNING

After the children are off to school, mom and the toddler do a lot more work and play while the baby takes a morning nap. We deep clean and dejunk in that day’s zone. This is a great work training time for the 3-5 years so that when they are school age they can do chores alone. During play, we practice putting things away before we get new things out to keep our house in order. On Saturdays, the boys work with dad on bigger jobs and the girls with mom. (This is when we do canning, repair house/car, yard or garden work, sewing, etc… self reliance, maintenance, and production stuff) This is a great time to practice “heart control” or social and emotional skills while working and playing together.

AFTERNOON

While the baby and toddler nap, this is a major “Sharpening the Saw” time for mom. She studies and reads (or naps if she is pregnant or nursing). A small amount of time is set apart for secretarial work. This is a rejuvenating time that prepares her for the second half of the day. On Saturdays, the school kids read or play in their room or outside so they don’t wake the younger children.

AFTER SCHOOL

Free Play! Rather than being pulled in a million directions from organized sports, we play with our kids and neighbors. We play a lot outside: basketball, football, trampoline, etc. Everyone pulls in before dinner to do some work (cooking with mom or honey-do list with dad) and homework. In the summer the kids do a lot of garden and yard work with dad to earn their dinner.

EVENING

Family dinner is consistent and a great time to eat healthy and practice good manners. We take turns telling about the day (We call it a “Rose and Thorn” conversation). We all clean up together- it’s great to have dad to help in training and contribute to cleaning.

Family reading is a great way to calm everyone down in preparation for bed. We love reading aloud classics to our children. (We have loved reading Narnia, Little House on the Prairie, Wizard of Oz, Pippi Longstocking, Winnie the Poo, Christmas Carol, etc) Mom and dad take turns being the reader according to the preference of book genre. If mom or dad has to be gone for callings at this time of night, the other parent runs the show alone. On Mondays, we have Family Home Evening instead of reading. The children earn their dessert by being prepared with their family night responsibility. (We have a rotating wheel of conduct, song, scripture, lesson, game, and treat). Throughout the evening, they get to stay with us if they are respectful and reverent. On Fridays, we have family movie night. (We have loved watching classic movies that teach great morals- especially musicals.)

Everyone goes to bed after family prayer at 7:30. We set a timer and they have to be ready for bed in the amount of minutes that they are old to earn a story. (The kids older than 8 get to read books in their bed for an hour instead of being told a story) Dad writes in the family journal and mom plays the piano or organ. This sets a neat tone and feeling in the home as the children go to sleep. Mom and dad usually go to bed an hour after the kids. We go on dates on Wednesday nights for a mid-week break. (We alternate going to the temple one week and the next playing a sport or going out for dessert.)

HARVEST

2011-10-19T08:54:00.000-07:00

SPIRITUAL HARVEST=

GENERAL CONFERENCE

This year we got 5 tickets for general conference.

Aunt Sophie and cousin Taylor joined us.

They listened so well and took such great notes.

Myriam found her picture she submitted to the Friend Magazine.

It's the middle one at the bottom of the First Presidency.

It is on display at the children's section of the Church Museum.

TEMPORAL HARVEST

Donny's Onions were huge this year!

We store them in nylons with knots in between each one

and hang them on a nail in our storage room.

Hunter was our green bean canner.

He basically washed, cut, and bottled all of these himself

while the younger ones were napping.

He is definitely diligent. He loves work.

Sadie and Myriam spend their Saturday mornings

canning, baking bread, making yogurt, tending babies, etc.

They actually love it. Who says kids don't like to work?

It's a great investment!

MENTAL HARVEST

Instead of getting after my children to practice the piano,

I've been practicing the piano every day

(right after I put them in bed)

I got asked to substitute for our ward organist last month

and it motivated me to learn the organ.

(something that has been on my "to do sometime in the future list")

Thanks to a generous neighbor who gave me an introductory lesson

and some generous byu professors who have made
12 free downloadable lessons at organ.byu.edu and lds.org.

I am really enjoying it!

I love to see the Temple

2011-09-29T10:56:00.000-07:00

Holland loves to sing "I Love To See The Temple"

when we tuck her in bed at night.

She also begs to go to the temple when Donny and I go.

Yesterday Packer stayed home sick from school,

so we went to the temple and took pictures and sang.

Safe, Kind, Responsible

2011-09-18T09:14:00.000-07:00

We have been haggling over what our family laws will be.

We decided to match our elementary school's laws:

Safe, Kind, and Responsible

(Hunter is in kindergarten, so the more reinforcement, the better)

SAFE

KIND

RESPONSIBLE

Mollie wrote a litte song to the tune to help them learn them-

"The Battle Hymn of the Republic"

SAFE means I'm careful so that nobody gets hurt.

KIND means I treat people with love and not like dirt.

RESPONSIBLE means doing m-y work and duties first.

These are the Cougar laws.

Rewards for obeying laws are marbles in a jar for a date.

Consequences for breaking the laws are:

(Loss of privilege or item- Safe)

(Time out- Kind)

(No food- Responsible)

End of Summer Fun

2011-08-28T09:30:00.000-07:00

3 cute sisters!

3000 books in our garage- Donny is now his own distributer.

He's also producing his own book on audio cd.

We got to see angel Moroni go up on top

of the new Brigham City Temple!

Benson is Myriam's new favorite doll.

Good Old Blanket Huts!

Myriam held the record at Snowbird-

16 backflips in a row on the bungy tramps.

What an awesome dad who gathers

his children around him every night and reads!

Snowbird hot tubbing and modeling!

The Johnson family at snowbird.

What a heritage my parents are receiving as we multiply!

Myriam payed for a month of real gymnastics lessons and loved it.

Grandma spent the week teaching the girls to sew.

She sewed with them again while baby-sitting

at our house a few weeks later.

swinging with sibilings

The Johnson Sisters and Mother

Racing Homemade Zuccini boats in our backyard canal.

Packer modeling his book bag he sewed with grandma

These Are The Days!

2011-06-25T14:22:00.000-07:00

What a fun summer we are having with all the kids at home!

They are getting up early, playing tennis, reading scriptures, working hard,

playing hard, reading, developing talents,

going to bed early, and waking up and doing it all again.

The other day when I went to bed

I thought of the words to a song:

"These are the days... to remember!"

Here's some fun things to remember so far in June:

This is Donny and I in the finals for the Millville Tennis Tournament.

(We were the organizers of the tournament)

We've been practicing at 5:30am all summer and took 2nd place!

(Even with Mollie's injured back and sprained ankle)

Sadie was in a neighborhood acting camp.

She did a great job and was so blessed to be taught by

great neighborhood women who shared their talents.

To see it on youtube here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7I4Hw4J5ttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7I4Hw4J5Mb8&feature=player_embedded
Mb8&feature=player_embedded

Myriam is taking off with Gymnastics and Piano.

She has a list of things to pass off and she pushes herself.

Holland Lives In Her Swimming Suit.

She loves the water and she is one tan girl already!

She is also successfully potty trained!!!

Packer is our builder.

He loves studying how things work and experimenting.

Here's a marble set he created this afternoon

while everyone else was reading or napping.

Hunter is our water boy.

He has been begging to put up the pool in the backyard

and we finally did it this week.

He loves controlling the hose!

Benson is sitting and rolling and eating a ton!

He has the best smiles- his eyes are so bright.

PLAY YOUR POSITION

2011-06-11T16:02:00.000-07:00

After watching Sadie play soccer this year,
I found myself continually reminding her to play her position.

She was getting worn out running the whole field,
trying to play everyone's position.

I realized I needed that lesson in my life as well.

I was getting run down playing too many positions-

Care giver of our 94-year-old grandma and a new born and everyone in-between.

After studying the Proclamation on the Family, my patriarchal blessing,

and Julie Beck's talk- "Mother's Who Know"

I came up with a mission statement with my positions in mind:

MOLLIE’S PERSONAL MISSION STATEMENT

Individual: Temperate & Diligent in all things; Clean & Positive in my thoughts & actions.

Wife: True as we bear all things together; Faithful as we rely on the Lord; Generous as I put his needs first.

Mother (Caregiver): Nurture by creating & maintaining healthy bodies, clean clothes, an orderly house, regular worship, & wholesome fun.

Mother (teacher): Rear in righteousness by being Calm as I teach them to Love; Patient as I train them to be self-reliant so they can serve.

Daughter/grand-daughter: Humble as I seek & follow their counsel; Grateful for their generosity by being generous back.

Sister/aunt: Generous by sharing abundance; Humble by refraining from judgment; Wise by living and sharing light & truth.

Neighbor: Respectful & Kind by being aware of their needs & providing service.

Charity Never Faileth

2011-06-11T15:50:00.000-07:00

Teach them TO LOVE. This has to be TRAINED!
Most of the problems in family life are heart problems- a lack of love for each other.

I have studied the definition of charity and posted it
in my kitchen with a "Be" value attached to each part.

Below each value is a picture from the scriptures that demonstrates that value.

I also put them to a song- to the tune of "In our Lovely Deseret"
to help them memorize it.

This has really helped us have more love in our home.

CHARITY SONG

(tune= “In our lovely Deseret)

Be ye patient, be ye kind

Be ye temperate all the time

Be respectful, grateful, generous and clean.

Be ye humble, wise and true-

Diligent in all you do,

So that Faith and Hope and Charity are seen.

Chorus:

Do ye the right thing in the right way.

Be ye perfect- just like God.

Fill your heart and fill your mind-

Full of love and truth combined,

So that if you look it’s charity you’ll find.

By the Sweat of Thy Brow

2011-06-11T15:26:00.000-07:00

Teach them TO SERVE. In order to Serve, they have to know how to work.
Training Self-Reliance and Service is an INVESTMENT.

"BY THE SWEAT OF THY BROW THOU SHALT EAT THY BREAD,

ALL THE DAYS OF THY LIFE."

Instead of earning money for their work,

I've divided up their chores throughout the day to earn each meal.

Food is a great motivator.

For example, to earn breakfast= get ready, housework, help cook

lunch= clean up toys, make lunch

dinner= homework/yardwork, laundry/bath, help cook

dessert= help clean up kitchen after dinner

(They still have a chance to earn money by passing off talents or doing extra chores)

Here is Hunter after he ground 25 pounds of wheat into flour to earn his watch

(which was very well used)

Benson's Baby Blessing

2011-06-11T13:53:00.000-07:00

BENSON STEVEN ANDERSON was blessed by his father in Feb 2011.

He was named after his maternal grandfather, Steven Rolfe Johnson.

He is a smilie and sweet spirit. We all love and adore him.

Here he is with some of his grandmas.
Grandma Anderson came from Portland for the blessing.

She then stayed the week and cooked dinners for us
and helped the girls with piano lessons.

Family Nights

2011-06-11T13:43:00.000-07:00

"Minute to Win-it" was our game and treat one night at family night.

The challenge was getting the girl scout cookie from for-head to mouth.

Sadie, Myriam, and Packer are awesome teachers as they give lessons at family nights.

Learning

2011-01-29T15:50:00.000-08:00

In our house have tendencies towards obsessions

(mom gets them too and can't turn her brain off)

We noticed that they are usually linked to

excitement about new things we are learning

Packer got a telescope for Christmas and it has sparked a fire in Donny.

They are loving looking at the heavens and reading books on the topic.

Hunter and Packer love numbers and calculators.

He and Packer love to quiz mom on her multiplication facts.

Benson is learning to sleep. Mom is obsessed with training this boy.

He's put up a bigger fight than the rest getting into her "baby wise" program.
We are perfecting the "Donny Dance."

Holland is learning to go potty in the toilet.

She had a terrible diaper rash -seemed to really motivate her.

Myriam is her best trainer-

she takes her every two hours and gives her candy if she goes.

Sadie and Myriam have learned the duet- "Heart and Soul"
from their aunt Haley at uncle Levi's birthday party.
They can't stop playing it- nor get to practicing their real piano lessons!

NEW BABY BENSON

2010-12-18T16:13:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday-December 15, 2010-

Baby Benson was born into our family.

7 lbs 6 oz, and 20 inches long.

We have 3 boys and 3 girls- what a perfect order!

Mollie and Donny really enjoyed how much the hospital involved them immediately afterwards.

Mollie crocheted a baby bunting for him last week.

It snuggled him great and got a lot of attention from the nurses.

Great grandma was so excited for him to come home.

She loves holding him and it is a neat sight to see.

Queens and Snow Bunny

2010-12-18T16:06:00.000-08:00

Donny calls Holland the Queen of our home.

She is modeling the no shirt style above,

Sadie and Myriam are modeling Myriam's new birthday shirts.

Hunter is obsessed with shoveling snow.
He shoveled our driveway 3 times today.

He also loves making snowmen with mom and snow forts with dad.

Myriam's Baptism and Double Birthday Party

2010-12-06T11:23:00.000-08:00

MYRIAM WAS BAPTIZED on SATURDAY DEC 4, 2010

A member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints.

Her mom gave a talk on baptism, Myriam sang a solo-"Baptism,"

and her dad baptized and confirmed her.

Mollie braided all the girls' hair matching-

They are 3 princesses!

Grandma Jolene, Aunt Sophie, and Aunt Robyn

made her a beautiful cake for her 8th birthday party

that we had afterwards- WOW!

Myriam and Grandma are knitting together-

grandma bought her more knitting supplies to keep her developing her talents.

Holland had a double birthday party with Myriam

(Since her birthday is only one week later)

Grandma got her a baby- since mom is having a new baby soon.

While all the cousins were here, we took them to see Santa

(at the park across the street)

and we took them on 4 wheeler sledding rides

(in the field next to our house)

On Holland's actual birthday, we were sick of sweets,

so we had oranges. (Mom was sick of sweets anyways)

Warming Up

2010-11-27T10:25:00.000-08:00

The weather in Logan may not be warming up,

but Holland is finally warming up to grandma!

This is Holland helping her great grandmother

walk to her chair after helping lotion her up after her bath.

Sadie visits with grandma after school each day.

Temple Week

2010-10-22T08:38:00.000-07:00

Our Stake President has been really emphasizing temple worship.

He designated this week to be the stake temple week.

We started it off by going on a hike that ended at the Logan temple

on Monday night for family night,

then Saturday we are going to spend a day in the temple doing all the work for

Grandma Milligan's (who lives with us) brother and his wife.

Thanks to grandma Jolene who will be baby-sitting!

Home Improvement

2010-10-22T08:31:00.000-07:00

Mouse Traps!

Packer has been obsessed with mouse traps lately.

Sadie saw a mouse run into our vent and the boys finally caught it.

Tennis Balls!

Our kitchen floor is constantly scratched by our angled chairs.

Hunter and I noticed grandma's tennis balls on her walker the other day.

Since we have plenty of second hand tennis balls from grandpa Steve,

we painted them black and cut slices in them to fit on our chair legs.

What Makes The Man?

2010-10-16T13:24:00.000-07:00

Bill Anderson, Donny's father, passed away Friday, October 8, 2010.

His son, Gregg, gave a wonderful tribute to him at his funeral titled,

"What Makes The Man?"

He truly was a man of God- kind and loving and true to his faith.

He had diabetes since age 1 and fought a mighty fight for his health all his life.

He found meaning and happiness in life until the moment he died.

"By Their Fruits Ye Shall Know Them-"

As we gathered as a family it was a celebration of what a good life he led.

Even though both his legs were amputated,

he left some big shoes for his children to fill.

Here are the grandchildren eating dinner together

the first night they gathered in Portland.

This is all the grandchildren practicing the song,

"I am a child of God" for the funeral.

This is our children (Plus a cousin) the morning of the funeral,

trying to keep their church clothes clean.

The kids had fun driving around in his wheelchair.

They thought the whole gathering was a party!

This is the whole family at the funeral.
What an awesome gathering!

"When ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God"

2010-10-16T13:13:00.000-07:00

Sadie spent the day with our special needs neighbor.

They walked around the park on a "buddy walk,"

played games, and ate lunch together.

Sadie has been really making an effort to serve grandma.

She delivers meals, hangs up her clothes,

and spends time talking with her and recording her life stories.

Fall Fun

2010-10-16T13:08:00.000-07:00

PLAYING ON HAY PILES

FOOTBALL WITH DAD

HARVESTING WITH MOM

DRESSING UP FOR HALLOWEEN

Back to School Pictures

2010-09-19T09:30:00.000-07:00

No Training Wheels

2010-08-16T17:58:00.000-07:00

Hunter was forced my mom to learn to ride without training wheels.

(Because school starts in a few weeks

and we like to ride with the older kids)

I have the best method for teaching the kids-

I rollerblade while holding onto their handlebars with them.

Johnson Reunion- Andrew's Cabin

2010-08-16T17:51:00.000-07:00

Hunter riding on the 4 wheelers while they were parked.

Grandpa Steve took everyone white water rafting.

They also fished a lot (Donny got into fly fishing),
and we enjoyed a shoot-out at Jackson Hole
and dinner at Bar J Ranglers Chuckwagon.

IT'S A BOY!

2010-08-16T17:29:00.000-07:00

Baby # 6 is a boy.

We are debating which prophet or

general authority to name him after.

McKay, Dallin, Elijah, Benson, Brigham, Heber, Hyrum...

Donny & Mollie were on a CES day trip

to the Salt Lake Cemetery.

We took a picture by McKay's grave just in case.

Holland is great at Cheesers

2010-08-16T17:17:00.000-07:00

Holland getting curlers Saturday night.

(She didn't love laying on them so much)

Holland loves to sit in things and pose.

Anderson Reunion- At Our House

2010-08-16T16:22:00.000-07:00

Uncle Scott took us all on airplane rides in his plane he built.

The kids loved it and only mom and dad got queezy.

Grandpa Bill came out to watch the airplane rides.

Packer had his 6th birthday during the reunion.

He got a bike from grandma and a potters wheel from us.

Sadie's 9th Birthday

2010-07-11T11:14:00.000-07:00

Sadie celebrated Canada Day with our next door neighbors,

since they are Canadians too.

Myriam and Sadie had a sticker on their face that said,

"Made in Canada."

We decided to focus birthday presents on developing talents.

Grandma and Grandpa bought Sadie a tennis racket and balls.

We borrowed a violin for her

so she can be in the 4th grade orchestra next year.

We went to Lagoon on her birthday,

her aunt's stake Lagoon day happened to land on her birthday.

Grandma GG

2010-07-11T11:04:00.000-07:00

Donny's 93 year old grandmother moved in with us in June.

She is a delight to have around.

She loves to sit on our front and back porch-

She loves the Utah air.

Grandma loves the children.

They call her "GG" since she is their great grandma.

She loves to sit by the piano and hear them practice.

Here she is kneeling down to calm Holland while
I am busy cooking dinner.
(It was very difficult for her to get back up)

When we are gone, she misses hearing the children.
She loves to listen to them play.

SPORTS that begin with S...

2010-06-11T10:18:00.000-07:00

SOCCER

Sadie played soccer this spring for the first time.

(We made a family rule to be on team sports,

they have to be 8 or pay for it yourself)

Mollie coached her team for the first few weeks

while the coach was in the middle of a family crisis.

SOFTBALL

Sadie and Myriam are on the same team.

They are both doing well- especially because mom practices with them a lot.

The games are fun to watch when you are cheering for 2 girls.

SWIMMING

Mollie has gotten obsessed with lap swimming since she has

restrictions this pregnancy with running.

Her friend has been going with her and giving her great pointers.

Mollie tries to teach the kids herself since she bought a pass to the pool.

The neighborhood has a ball floating down the canal through our backyards.

BABY, BOOK, BASEMENT

2010-06-11T09:58:00.000-07:00

This spring has been a full one for us.

--Mollie is expecting our 6th child and is slammed by

morning (all day and especially evening) sickness.

--Donny's baby (his first book) was delivered and published.

He had a fantastic opening night/Release party at the Book Table.

--Our basement was finished single handedly by our friend, Chris Merckley.

(Donny did do the bathroom tile and the movie room surround sound)

Hunter's 4!

2010-05-07T11:54:00.000-07:00

Could we possibly be ending the terrible two's and three's with Hunter?

We are trying to be 100% with time outs when he hurts others and he has lots of charts and rewards.

We made a special place for him in the coat closet. He usually isn't this smiley in there!

For his 4th birthday,

the kids bought most of his presents for him with their own money:

a watch, a ball, a puzzle, batteries for his toys, kites, etc.

They also made his birthday cake: Rice Crispy Chicks

General Conference

2010-05-07T11:49:00.001-07:00

Sadie and her aunt Sophie went to Saturday afternoon session
of general conference together.

While walking to the conference center,
our neighbor, who is a niece of President Monson,

grabbed them and took them
in the tunnels and gave them great seats.

They got a picture with Elder Holland afterward.
It was a neat experience for both of them.

Lizzie's Wedding

2010-04-13T09:59:00.000-07:00

TOKEN ECONOMY

2010-03-28T18:24:00.000-07:00

OK, so our kids get points for the work they do each day.

It earns them an immediate reward that night- treat, tv, stay up.

On Saturdays the points are rewarded with money.

Then they are accountable to buy their own clothes and fun.

We are loving it! And the kids are loving it.

Here's an example chart:

Here is a picture of a watch Packer bought with his money.

He also found some $3 clearance pants since

he wore holes in all his knees.

Reading

2010-03-28T18:18:00.000-07:00

Hunter loves to read, but we love it when it puts him to sleep.

Packer is working on his expression as he reads aloud.

Finishing the Basement

2010-03-28T15:49:00.000-07:00

We are finishing our basement and Packer is loving wearing his tool belt and stuffs it full of tools.

He measures and builds things mimicking Chris Merkley, our friend who is working for us.

BUDDING TALENTS

2010-02-28T09:18:00.000-08:00

Donny is developing his talent and

his inlaws' talents.

His mother-in-law created the book cover,

His brother in-law created his website,

and his other brother-in-law created his trailer.

Holland is already playing the piano-

14 months old- a Mozart in the making.

Sadie's excelling in token economy.

She helps mom cook the main dish

for every meal.

HEAD & TEETH INJURIES

2010-02-23T19:10:00.000-08:00

Hunter and Mom had a tragic day last Saturday.
We went sledding and mom sent Hunter down the hill
(but she was turned around backwards)
He crashed into Sadie's snowboard at the bottom
and gashed his forehead open- cutting through all the skin layers.
Mom did great butterfly bandaging him up,
and keeping his head together on the drive to instacare,
but she fainted after holding him down during the numbing
and chunked out big parts of her two front teeth.
Our next door neighbor fixed her teeth that day and
Hunter's ten stitches have healed great!

ICE SKATING

2010-02-23T19:07:00.000-08:00

The last couple of months,
Sadie, Mom, (& sometimes Myriam)
went ice skating once a week
at a park in Cache Valley for free.
It was a fun way to get a lot of practice
and get us excited for the Olympics.

SNOW FORT

2010-01-27T09:39:00.001-08:00

How many kids get to sleep in a snowfort?
Ours did! Last weekend with their dad.
He helped them build it all week in front of our house,
then Friday night they slept in it all night!
(Myriam only lasted until midnight,
when she came in to go potty and stayed in)

Hats, Hats, More Hats

2010-01-21T09:43:00.001-08:00

Crazy Hat Day at school.
Holland wants to join the fun.

Picnic at Home

OK, it's not a hat, but it's Crazy Hair day.

Mollie's first few crocheting projects-
headwrap and hats.
It's an obsession this week.

Grandpas

2010-01-04T20:18:00.000-08:00

I wanted to give Jake a meaningful present for Christmas,

so my mom collected some pictures for me.
I worked on this collage today and I think it turned out
better than the individual pictures I printed out and gave him.

I am a child of God

2010-01-04T19:52:00.000-08:00

Our family night lesson was on how we are part of two families.
Our bodies are born into an earthly family and
Our spirits are part of a heavenly family.
Can you name the baby born into our family?

Family Hobbies

2010-01-04T19:39:00.000-08:00

The kids have joined dad in

Cross Country Skiing!

Myriam and Mom
are obsessed with knitting hats.

CHRISTMAS SPIRIT

2009-12-20T19:50:00.000-08:00

Here's some things that have made this december fun
leading up to Christmas...

FAMILY GATHERING
with Anderson cousins

MOM'S NEW BELLS
for playing Christmas songs
and primary singing time.

PAPER SNOWFLAKES
to decorate our house, tree,
and to give to neighbors & teachers.

SNOW & CROSS COUNTRY SKIIS!
Donny and Mollie have been having a blast
in their fields around the house.
The kids are hoping Santa brings them some to

HOLLAND'S FIRST BIRTHDAY

2009-12-20T19:37:00.001-08:00

HOLLAND is constantly sucking her thumb
while pulling at her ear at the same time.

Holland walks around with this little green frog
her grandma gave her.
She's a cuddle bug.

Aunt Sophie continues to beautify our girls.
She sent up these hats on Holland's birthday.
The girls love them and have sold a few
for Sophie and given a few to friends.

OUR NEW WALKER IS PRACTICALLY RUNNING

Thankful For...

2009-12-20T19:23:00.000-08:00

1. MYRIAM'S SMILE

Myriam finally pulled out both front teeth just in time to sing,
"All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth."
Uncle Mitch pulled out the first one just before thanksgiving.
It was hanging by a thread.
Cam, our neighbor next door, pulled out her second one
the day he got home from Thanksgiving break.
He's a dentist, so she trusts him I guess!
She dropped it on his carpet and couldn't find it.
so she left a note for the toothfairy telling him/her it was next door.
The next day the neighbor kids came running over with a dollar
they found on their floor!

2. MOLLIE'S EYES

This Thanksgiving Mollie gained gratitude for her eyes!
She accidently forgot her contact solution,
so she borrowed Levi's "Clean and Clear" Solution.
In the morning it burned her eye and made for a miserable day.
Luckily it healed after a day or two!

KNITTING

2009-11-18T15:00:00.001-08:00

Myriam got us all into knitting Indian headbands.
These are our beautiful models!
They even made them for cousins and grandmas.

Crazy Hair Day

2009-11-18T14:56:00.001-08:00

Our kids love crazy hair day at our school.
The girls did their own hair and Packer's hair.

Sick for Halloween

2009-11-18T14:50:00.000-08:00

Most of our family was sick with the swine flu for Halloween.
Good thing the neighborhood had a party the week before while we were feeling good!
Hunter was a ghost that says "moo!"

Donny's Exercise Program

2009-11-18T14:46:00.001-08:00

Donny's new exercise program this school year
has been to play with the kids after school
while mom cooks dinner.
They jump on the tramp, jumprope, play football, etc.
The neighborhood kids usually come out to join them.
His plan for the winter is to cross country ski with them.
What a deep feeling of love a wife has for her husband
as she watches him play with their children!

HOLLAND'S GOT A BOYFRIEND

2009-10-19T13:51:00.000-07:00

We love our neighbors, and so do our kids!

HIKING THE "Y"

2009-10-19T13:46:00.000-07:00

Donny is an obsessive BYU fan. We hiked the Y with his brothers and Mollie's sister on labor day. Our kids are always giving their dad sticks that look like Y's or painting him Y's and they love wearing BYU shirts with him on game day.

BACK TO SCHOOL

2009-10-19T13:44:00.000-07:00

The three champion bike riders. These kids love going to school and mom loves having only two at home with her. That's when we grocery shop and nap!

SOPHIE and ANDREW'S BABY KENNEDY

2009-08-23T17:55:00.000-07:00

Sophie and Andrew are the most loving people, we are so excited for them to be parents!

SORENSENS

2009-08-23T17:50:00.001-07:00

Sadie and Shaylee

All the crazy kids

The crazy parents- Opposites attract- Utes vs. BYU fans
We got together with our past next door neighbors last weekend.
Way fun to visit and let the kids run wild again together.

Aunts

2009-08-14T12:58:00.002-07:00

This is at Sophie's baby shower. My girls love their aunt Sophie. I'm sure they will adore and love her baby girl just as she has loved them!

Aunt Sophie and Robyn have great talents for decorating Holland.

Aunt Haley prepared an awesome FHE lesson at snowbird about fighting in God's army. She even had an army lady come paint their faces and Haley played Spirit says - like Simon says. (Andrew played the role of Satan says)

Aunt Kimala and Aunt Lizzie really help me out with Hunter by giving him one-on-one time and love that he really needs.

Packer's 5th Birthday

2009-08-14T12:52:00.000-07:00

Packer loves swimming in Aunt LuAnn's Pool. He and Maz are getting very brave in the water.

He requested homemade rootbeer and a pinata. (We re-used parade candy)

Grandma bought him his own pool for home. This is the cleanest the water will ever be!

Reunion Week 2

2009-08-14T12:43:00.001-07:00

We hiked Timpanogas Caves and carried Hunter and Holland most of the time.

We went to the Oquir Temple Open House, then to Kennicot Coppermine.

Yellow Stone

2009-08-14T12:31:00.001-07:00

Times like these when cousins become friends!

The Waterfalls were awesome!

Hot water spots.

Old Faithful

Anderson Family Reunion

2009-08-14T12:22:00.001-07:00

These girls went nuts over Holland. Someone was always taking care of her for me. The first night, she had 5 girls giving her a bath!

The Andersons had a great reunion this summer. We started at our home, then went to Jackson Hole and Yellowstone. Then we ended up spending a lot of time at Mike's the next week. The only way I know how to feed is bread, so I spent a lot of time baking before I was hosting.

Sadie's 8th Birthday

2009-08-14T12:14:00.000-07:00

Sadie was baptized and confirmed by her dad. She is a very great example since she is the oldest of our children and the Johnson grandchildren. She prepared herself well. She even read the entire book of mormon this year.

We went on a bus ride with some neighbors to McDonald's for breakfast the morning of Sadie's birthday.

Sadie asked grandma to give her a beautiful room for her birthday. She definitely got the benefits of grandma's talents for decorating and generously giving!

Dislocated Elbow

2009-07-02T13:36:00.000-07:00

Last Friday Holland tipped over and her elbow dislocated. She cried for hours and mom tried to move it around, but ended up in insta-care all day with all 5 kids fighting and mad they couldn't go swimming. The doctor tried to twist her arm up and bend it to pop it back in over and over again, but ended up casting it for the weekend. Donny popped it back in Sunday night by twisting it down, then bending it. Yea!! Happy Holland again and Happy Mom that she doesn't have to wrestle all the kids another day at the doctor's.

Homemade Boquette

2009-07-02T13:33:00.001-07:00

A wonderful grandma in our ward invited Myriam over last week to pick flowers from her flower garden for the Relief Society room. She decorates the church each Sunday with her homegrown flowers. Myriam came home with her own boquette and was in heaven!

Summer Reading

2009-07-02T13:29:00.000-07:00

Myriam has taken off this summer reading. She is obsessed with the Children's Book of Mormon. She literally reads hours each day- I keep catching her read it when I think she's playing. Here she is "caught in the act." Sadie is also reading the actual book of mormon. She turns 8 next week and she will have read the entire book this year! She is currently in the Book of Ether. Her aunt Sophie is racing her.

Grandparents

2009-06-24T19:19:00.000-07:00

We spent the week in Portland visiting Donny's parents and grandmother. We really enjoyed our visit and it was their first time meeting Holland. Then we went boating in the rain for Sophie's birthday. Afterwards, we had a Father's day dinner for Grandpa Steve. Holland happens to be the model in all these pictures. I couldn't find a picture of Grandma Jolene with Holland, so I stole one of smugmug of Ben.

Independence

2009-06-11T14:12:00.001-07:00

Hunter insists on getting himself dressed by himself and yesterday he was completely BACKWARDS- shirt, shorts, and shoes!

Holland is 6 months old and sitting up all by herself.

Hands Up Stands Up

2009-06-11T14:03:00.000-07:00

Packer is obsessed with Head Stands. We went over to lunch recess a lot to have "Hands up Stands up" competitions with Sadie and her friends. Mom can beat everyone in handstands and Packer can almost beat mom in headstands. He sure practices a lot!

Kindergarten Graduation

2009-06-11T13:56:00.001-07:00

Myriam Graduated From Kindergarten!

She is one cute and smart girl.

This is Myriam with her teacher.

Hayden and Myriam are best friends.

They loved being in kindergarten together.

Aren't next door neighbors just like family?

Perhaps this will be their wedding announcement picture one day!

May Days

2009-05-31T20:56:00.001-07:00

Sadie's first piano recital was last weekend. She finished the first set of Bastian Primer Level books. Mom is her teacher and there are only two other students- It was the best recital ever. It only lasted 15 minutes.

What goes on at that park? Myriam made a chalk line out of rocks.

Holland thinks milk before meat is overrated!

Memorial Day Weekend

2009-05-31T20:38:00.000-07:00

Levi and the little ones at Rocket Park after the graves.

Donny and Aunt LaVon holding Holland at Tanner's (Mollie's baby brother) grave.

Eric's grave after we decorated it with rocks and natural headstones. We sang "Go my Son" with Eric's mom and sisters. Logan bore his testimony of the resurrection.

This is "3 Sisters" monument at Monument Valley where Logan drummed up a trip in Memory of our Indian Placement Brother, Eric Cly.

On our way to monument valley, we hiked to Delicate Arch at Arches National Park.

SPRING FUN

2009-05-20T13:42:00.001-07:00

Oh What Do You Do in the Spring time?
Do you play in a stream?

And build a tree house?

And swing on your swings?

And plant a garden?

...So Do We!!

RESPONSIBILITY

2009-05-17T19:28:00.000-07:00

With lots of evenings alone, since Donny's in the bishopric now, I have tried to make the kids more responsible- especially getting themselves ready for bed. They get a nickle every night if they have everything done and are in bed by 7:30. The things they will do for a nickle!

Hunter needs a little help getting himself ready. He turns over each of these cards when he has finished them. Sadie also helps him when she's done getting herself ready.

Jumping Holland

2009-05-17T13:53:00.000-07:00

Robyn made this cute shirt for Holland. She is so creative and fun!
Our next door neighbor let us borrow this fun jumping toy for Holland.
Hunter loves the toy the best- he can't leave her alone when she's in it.

ROLL OVER

2009-04-19T18:27:00.001-07:00

Holland is four months old and rolling over.
She looked so cute in this ladybug dress today.
We love having her smile and laugh in our home!

BLOCKS

2009-04-19T18:23:00.001-07:00

Aunt Haley supplied us with our newest craft-
Blocks decorated with scrapbook paper.
Thank you Haley!

EASTER GIRLS

2009-04-19T18:20:00.000-07:00

Grandma outfitted us with new easter dresses. We love that grandma loves to shop!

Hunter's Birthday

2009-04-19T18:17:00.001-07:00

Hunter got a new bike from Grandma for his 3rd birthday.
He has been riding it all over the town.
He's glad to graduate from a pink tricycle to a spiderman bike with training wheels!
We also went to dinosaur park in Ogden which was great.

Freezer Jam

2009-04-01T12:59:00.001-07:00

Sadie made strawberry freezer jam on Saturday with mom. She was so much more excited for her peanut butter and jelly sandwich on Monday.

CURRENT WHEAT BREAD

2009-03-25T13:16:00.000-07:00

I have decided to make my own bread blogg.
I want to post my favorite experiments
If you ever want to check it out, it's
molliesbread.blogspot.com

Family Mission Statement

2009-03-25T05:57:00.001-07:00

After reciting the relief society mission statement
every night last week,
(at our regional basketball tournament-
which we won the championships)
I decided it is really good to recite your goals regularly...
So this week at family night
we thought up and made a poster
for our family mission statement to recite each week.

Myriam's First Loose Tooth

2009-03-25T05:54:00.000-07:00

Myriam is always looking for ways to earn money.
She is ready to hit up the tooth fairy with her first loose tooth.
She won't let anyone pull it out-
she wants to pull her first loose tooth out all by herself.
We are all impatient and excited for her.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-17T11:46:00.000-07:00

My kids found me exercising this morning without green on and pinched me!
They were so excited for St. Patrick's Day, so they woke up early.
We made green belgium waffles for breakfast, and green ramon noodles for lunch.

Yummy Waffle Recipe: 2c. water, 2c. flour, 1/2 T. yeast, 1 T. sugar, 1/4 c. powdered milk, 1/2 t. salt, 1/4 c. oil, 2 eggs (beat egg whites)

SKIING

2009-03-09T16:43:00.000-07:00

Sadie went skiing for her first time on friday. It was ward ski night and Mollie and Sadie went together while dad babisat the babies at home. We had so much fun. Sadie was tough and learned fast and then had fun with her friends. She is the queen snow plower now. We smiled the whole way home- it's fun to have a child enjoy a hobby with!

3 MONTHS OLD

2009-03-09T16:42:00.001-07:00

Holland is 3 months old today! She is our most delightful, happy, beautiful baby! We are so glad to have her in our family. She smiles and laughs so much.

MR. GRUMPY

2009-03-09T16:38:00.001-07:00

Mr. Grumpy used to live at our house, but we found a great consequence-
He smiles at himself for 2 minutes in the mirror when he is grumpy.
Now he is turning into Mr. Happy- it really has helped him take control of his emotions. He ends up laughing. All this looking in the mirror might turn him into a Narcisys.

Projects

2009-03-02T16:17:00.001-08:00

We are on a new program for Saturdays:
Projects with mom and dad before lunch,
then a fun family activity after lunch.
Some of the projects have been-
changing the car brakes,
sewing little kid aprons for friends,
cracking walnuts from Jake's tree.
Some of our fun activities have been-
Swimming up at USU campus,
Sledding/Skiing on our hill,
Playing Basketball at the church

"I am a Builder"

2009-03-02T16:11:00.000-08:00

We are learning a song in primary.
My kids are the star models to teach the words:

"I am a builder working each day to build my family."

And I will do the best I can to serve them lovingly.

I am a builder growing so tall

and learning everyday.

To speak with kindness in my home,

To help at work and play."

GREEN EGGS AND HAM

2009-03-02T16:09:00.000-08:00

Today is Dr. Seuss' birthday.
My kids requested Green Eggs and Ham
on their sandwich for lunch.
Then we read Dr. Seuss books and it put mom to sleep!

DOUGH FORMULAS

2009-02-21T09:33:00.000-08:00

Besides bread, I have been studying other dough recipes.
Here are some formulas for one batch:

Water- 1 c. Flour- 2 1/2c. Yeast- 1/2 T.
Salty: NonSweet: Sweet: Really Sweet:
Salt- 1 t. 1 t. 1 t. 1/2 t.
Sugar- 1 T. 4 t. 4 T. 4 T.
Oil- 1 T. 1 T. 4 T. 4 T.

Salty: French bread or Breadsticks or Pizza
NonSweet: Buns- 6 Hamburger or 8 HotDog or Scones
Sweet: 12 Dinner Rolls
Really Sweet: 12 Cinnamon Rolls or Doughnuts

Bake at 350 for 15 (rolls), 20 (buns), or 25 (french bread) min.

AIRPLANES

2009-02-21T09:29:00.001-08:00

We've been into paper airplanes at our house.
They are all over the place
and we are going through tons of paper.
Mollie has gotten really good at making them.
Our favorite website for ideas is: www.paperairplanes.co.uk/faves.php

EARS PIERCED

2009-02-11T07:59:00.000-08:00

Sadie got her ears pierced on Monday.
She's been begging, so we priced it out.
Walmart was the best price at $10.
She baked bread and delivered it to neighbors to earn the money.

SUPERMAN

2009-02-11T07:57:00.001-08:00

Packer is really trying to stay dry at night.
We found he can only go about 5-6 hours, just like a new baby with eating...
So we take him when we go to bed (10) and when Donny gets up in the morning (4am)
He's a good sport about it, so he got to pick out pajamas to keep dry.

BLESSING

2009-02-11T07:55:00.000-08:00

We Blessed Holland this month. She is a joy to have around! What a little angel!

Bread Formula

2009-01-30T10:53:00.000-08:00

OK, this is the formula for a great dense loaf of bread- wheat or white or 1/2 and 1/2
Just multiply it by how ever many medium size loaves you want.
3 c. flour
1 1/4 c. water
1/2 T. yeast
2 T. sugar
2 T. oil
1 t. salt
Bake at 350 for 35 min or 375 for 30 min.

TEMPLE SQUARE

2009-01-06T12:51:00.001-08:00

We went to temple square and to the Beehive House over the holidays.
We rode the Front-runner and the Trax.
No car-seats and 5 wild kids!