Johnson Family

FAMILY VACATION 2010

2010-09-29T15:03:00.002-05:00

We took a little family vacation to Salt Lake in May. We all had a great time. We went to the farm at Thanksgiving Point, the aquariam in Sandy, and of course the Zoo. The girls loved the pony rides, swimming in the pool, and all the animals at the zoo. Touching the stingrays at the aquariam was super fun too!

SPRING 2010

2010-09-29T11:51:00.005-05:00

In April, Nate and I got to go to Washington to visit Nate's brother and his family. Our nephew Jarren was baptized. It was a very quick trip (only a weekend), but we did get to see a few things while we were there. One of our favorite stops was the Columbia River Temple. It was beautiful! We weren't able to attend a session there beacause we stopped on a Sunday.

In April Nate and I celebrated our 6th anniversary. We dropped the kids off at my sister's house, and got a night to ourselves. We went to dinner at P.F. Chang's and stayed in Salt Lake. The next day we went to the tulip festival at Thanksgiving Point and Nate took me shopping. It was a great weekend! It has been a fabulous 6 years!

ASHLEE'S PRESCHOOL GRADUATION

2010-09-29T10:37:00.006-05:00

In April Ashlee graduated from preshcool. She was so excited. It was fun to watch her grow and learn so much this year. She now can't wait for kindergarten! We are so proud of her!

Singing songs

Getting her diploma

Some of her girlfriends

Ashlee and her teachers, Miss Emily and Miss Dianne

ASHLEE IS 5!!!

2010-03-02T14:05:00.012-06:00

I can't believe our little girl turned 5 last week!! She is getting so big I can hardly believe it! She had such a fun birthday. The weekend of her birthday all of my family came down to visit. They got to come see me dance in the ballet "Cindrella" and celebrate Ashlee's birthday. We went to Melissa and Kelly's condo in St. George. It was great. We were wishing for a little warmer weather, but we still had a blast.

Ashlee happens to share a birthday with her cousin Genavieve, they were able to celebrate together as well.

A few days later we had Ashlee's first real birthday party. She was so excited! We had the girls dress up like princesses and took them to Evan hair college here in Cedar. They were treated just like princesses! They got to get their nails and hair done. All the girls LOVED it! Then we came home and had rainbow cupcakes and ice cream, played twister, and opened presents. Each girl got to leave with a little treat bag and a sugar cookie wand. It was a great party!

The girls looking at hairstyle books

Playing Twister

Yummy Cupcakes and Ice cream!

Awesome rainbow cupcakes!

Winter Fun!

2010-03-02T13:37:00.004-06:00

Ready for some fun in the snow!

Our awesome snowman. (Dad only made a muffin!)

No better entertainment on a cold day! A box and a movie!

Playing a little rock band with the family during the Christmas break.

Even Taylor wanted to get in on the fun!

ASHLEE'S DANCE RECITAL

2010-01-29T15:51:00.006-06:00

In December Ashlee had her first dance recital. She did so great!! I was very proud of her. I acutally have the opportunity to be her dance teacher. I was a little nervous at first, because I didn't know how well she would listen to me as her teacher instead of mom. However, she has done very well at separating the two. She even calls me teacher in class instead of mom. We have had a lot of fun together. Ashlee is actually quite the performer. I was afraid that she was going to be nervous and just stand there. But she loved it. Ashlee's entire class did such a great job. They did a tap dance to the song Jingle Bell Rock.

CHRISTMAS 2009

2010-01-11T12:47:00.007-06:00

Well, I am a little slow in getting this posted, but here it is finally.

We had a wonderful holiday season. We were able to spend most of our time with all our family and friends. For Thanksgiving we went to Mesquite and spent the weekend with Nate's parents and Ben and Jessica's family. We had the most wonderful food! It was delicious. We were also able to get together with Nate's family the week before Christmas to celebrate Christmas with them. Alec was even able to fly in and spend some time with us.

For Christmas we were able to be with my family in Ephraim. We all had a great time. All my siblings were able to be there. The girls had a great time playing with all their cousins. We spent Christmas eve at my Grandma Andersen's house along with all my aunts, uncles, and cousins and their families. We don't get to see each other very often so it was fun to chat with them and see their growing families. As you can tell it was quite a house full!

Christmas day Santa had come, we opened presents, had a wonderful breakfast, and played with our new toys all day. We didn't get to go sledding like we had hoped, because it was SO COLD the entire weekend.

Family Photos November 2009

2009-12-17T11:15:00.007-06:00

Ashlee 4 1/2 years old

Taylor 2 years old

HALLOWEEN

2009-11-06T23:03:00.008-06:00

Halloween sure was a lot of fun this year. Our two little princesses had a great time. Ashlee, our beautiful Cinderella, had a whole week of dressing up between preschool parties, gymnastic parties, and family parties.

Taylor was our adorable Snow White. We tried the hair color a couple of days before Halloween just to see how it would go, and it was MESSY!!! Everything she touched turned black, but it was super cute. We decided it wasn't worth it to do it on Halloween though. (Too much clean up.)

Halloween day we went to Ephraim to celebrate and trick-or-treat with family.

The weekend before Halloween Ashlee and Taylor got to go stay at their Aunt Melissa and Uncle Kelly's house. They had way too much fun and got spoiled rotten! Friday Melissa and Kelly took the girls to Cornbelly's.

Saturday Melissa and Kelly hosted a huge Halloween party for their neices and nephews and some neighborhood children. I definitely missed them while they were gone, but I think the girls were so busy and had so much fun that they didn't have time to miss me!

THE FIRST SNOW OF THE SEASON!

2009-11-06T22:33:00.005-06:00

This came a little too early for me but the girls sure had a blast playing in all of it. All of this snow came the week before Halloween. Luckly it melted in a few days!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TAYLOR!

2009-10-12T13:54:00.004-05:00

On friday the 9th our little girl turned 2!! I cannot believe how fast time flies! She is such a blessing in our lives. She is always doing things or saying things that make us smile and laugh. She is definitely the silly one in the family. She is also very sweet and cuddly too. We love you Taylor!!

For her birthday was just had a little family party. Grandma and Grandpa Johnson came up as well as Ben and Jessica and their girls. We had a dinner, opened presents, and had cake and ice cream. It was great. Thanks for all the presents and birthday wishes!

ASHLEE OR TAYLOR?

2009-09-06T22:37:00.007-05:00

I never really realized how much our girls look alike until I ran across these pictures today. I better label them before I forget which one is which! Can you guess which is which?

Ashlee is the first of each set of pictures and Taylor is the second.

PRESCHOOL!!

2009-09-06T21:59:00.004-05:00

I can't believe that Ashlee is old enough to go to school. She is really growing up so fast. She was so excited to start school. Randomly throughout the summer she would ask me when school was starting.

She is actually going to school four days a week and we both LOVE it!! She loves the school and the teachers. On the first day she was a little nervous but excited. She must have had a wonderful time because when I came to pick her up she didn't want to leave. The facility is great. They have a wide variety of materials and toys. The program is very well structured and the teachers are great. They also use some students teachers from the university to help.

On the first day of class she was supposed to bring a poster that was all about her and things she loved. Of course she had to include the Disney Princesses, unicorns, Oreo's and flowers. There are also pictures of dressing up, painting fingernails, coloring, swimming, ice cream, riding her bike and her sister. Here is what it ended up like.

LAKE POWELL

2009-08-10T21:49:00.009-05:00

Ashlee and Karen

Last week we got to go with my side of the family to one of my favorite places, Lake Powell. We had such a great time. The girls and I went by ourselves because Nate had to work, and boy did he miss out!! We drove down Sunday morning and spent the afternoon setting up camp.

Camp

The next morning we got on the lake. We all had so much fun!!

Jenessa, Joshua and Ashlee

Ashlee was a little fish and loved swimming around. She was quite the adventurer. She LOVED the water weenie and she even knee boarded!! She also rode the wave runners back to the dock with me. It was quite a bumpy ride, but she held on tight and we made it!

Ashlee knee boarding

Ashlee and Zach on the water weenie

Taylor like swimming around and relaxing. She is not a big fan of being dirty, so she didn't really play in the sand much. She did like to ride on the wave runners though.

Taylor trying to decide if she wants to get dirty or not

Taylor enjoying the water

Taylor and Karen

Each night we would go back to the camp grounds and have dinner. We always go into Page at least one night and have ice cream at the Big Dipper. This part of the trip is always a highlight.

I was even pretty brave and did a little skiing and wakeborading!

We spent three long but great days on the lake. Thursday we packed up and headed home. (I think I am still trying to recover!) It was a great trip and we can't wait to go back next year!

OUR BRAVE GIRL!

2009-07-17T18:00:00.007-05:00

On Thursday we took Ashlee in to get her tonsils and adenoids removed. She was amazing!!

Waiting for the surgery!

We got to the hospital at 6:45am. Poor Ashlee was so nervous. She quitely cried all the way to the hospital telling us that she wasn't brave enough. After we got checked in we were taken to her room. She sat on my lap and wouldn't look at or talk to any of the nurses or doctors. We watched TV until they were ready for us. At about 8:00 they came to get Ashlee. She got on the bed and they wheeled her away. She was trying so hard to be brave. She looked super nervous though. She just kept saying that she didn't want any shots.

Nate and I just waited for her in her room. About 8:20 the doctor poked his head in the room and said that the surgery was complete and she did great! It was a fast surgery. The doctor said that everything went well. He said that her tonsils were big but her adenoids were HUGE! He also said that they had a hard time getting her to fall asleep with the gas because her adenoids were so big she couldn't get enough gas into her system. She did fall asleep with the gas eventually it just took a little longer. He said that even with the swelling we would be able to see a huge improvement with her.

We are so proud of our little girl! She was so brave!

When they brought Ashlee back to us she was still very sleepy. She tried to sit up as they brought her into the room and asked, "Did I get my tonsils out?" She slept for a little longer and then tried to eat a popsicle. The nurse then came and took her for a little walk to see if she would get nauseous. We then got her IV out and we got to go home. We were home by 10:30am. I was surprised at how quick the whole process was.

Trying to wake up

After we got home and she was a little more awake, I asked her what she remembered about the whole experience. She told me that she remembered going for a ride on the bed and that the hospital has magic doors that open all by themselves. I then asked her what else happened and she had no idea!

After the surgery!

She can breath so much better now. She sleeps more soundly. She even slept through the night last night!!!

Recovering at home.

I would also like to give a HUGE thank you to my parents who came for the surgery. They have helped out a lot. they stayed home with Taylor while we went to the hospital, and have been very helpful in entertaining Ashlee since she has been home. Thank You mom and dad!

SWIMMING LESSONS

2009-07-14T14:16:00.002-05:00

The past couple of weeks Ashlee has been taking swimming lessons at SUU. She has LOVED it. She is so sad that they are over. I think she did a great job and really imporved her swimming skills. Good job Ashlee we are proud of you!

Ashlee swimming with her teacher Becca.

I am sad that our schedule doesn't work out that we can put her in another session this summer. I guess she will just have to wait till next summer.

Random summer pictures

2009-07-07T14:22:00.004-05:00

The girls always have such a great time playing together. Taylor absolutely loves doing everything Ashlee does. They have such active imaginations.

We finally got Ashlee a bike this summer. She LOVES it! She is pretty careful on it. She definitely does not have the need for speed!

Ashlee also LOVES to dress up. Wearing my heels around the house is a daily occurance. She also changes her clothes at least twice a day. I think the shoe fettish is starting a bit young for both her and Taylor. I wonder where they get it from?

People used to tell me that they thought Taylor was going to be a tom-boy. Well she is definitely all girl. Sometimes she is more girly than Ashlee. . . . I know hard to believe.

Playing in the rain

Taylor was not feeling too good and just couldn't stay awake for one more minute. I found her sleeping in the doorway to my room.

All tuckered out after a long day of playing.

INDEPENDENCE DAY

2009-07-07T13:33:00.005-05:00

This year for the 4th we went up to Ephraim to celebrate with my family. We had a lot of fun. On the evening of the 3rd we went to Manti and watched their parade. The girls got a ton of candy!! They thought it was the greatest thing ever! After the parade we went up to Mark and Cass' and played games.

Watching the parade

On the 4th we went to Gunnison and enjoyed the festivities there. Taylor was not feeling well, but she was quite the trooper and did really pretty good considering. Their parade was really fun and yet again the girls got quite the loot. (I have no idea what I am going to do with all of the salt water taffy!) We then enjoyed the festivities at the park. Taylor came in second or third (depending on who you ask) in the diaper derby, and Ashlee had a great time riding on the train, going down the huge blow-up slide, and eating snow cones.

Riding the tractor train

We had lunch there with Grandma "Gertie" Andersen and extended family. We then headed back home to Ephraim.

Grandma "Gertie" Andersen

Mark, Cass, Nate, and I took their boys and Ashlee out to the lake afterwards. We all had fun in the sun and playing in the water. I even took a little ski! I was amazed, I could still get up!

That evening we had a bbq at my parents house (Uncle Kelly cooks some delicious ribs!) and lit some fireworks. Ashlee and Taylor were scared of the sparklers and wouldn't touch them. We then headed back to Cedar and saw quite a few of the town's fireworks along the way.

We are so greatful for this country and for the men and women who fight to keep and protect our freedom. We love this country and are proud to be American!!

Taylor. . . poor girl was not feeling well

Ashlee. . . lovin' life!

CAMPING

2009-06-22T15:39:00.006-05:00

At the beginning of June we actually had a free weekend, so we packed everything up and headed up the mountains in central Utah and went camping. This is something both Nate and I enjoy and we haven't been able to do much of the last few years. I was suprised at how well the girls did. We were going to put them in their own beds, but it was so cold at night that we all had to sleep together just to stay warm. The girls had so much fun running around, picking flowers, hiking, and sleeping in the camper.

My parents came up on Saturday and just spent the day with us. We ate a yummy dutch oven dinner and made smores. That was definitely the girls favorite part.

Hopefully there will be many more camping weekends before the summer is over!

OUR GIRLS

2009-06-13T22:57:00.008-05:00

June 2009. Ashlee 4 years old. Taylor 20 months. Big thanks to Becky for taking their pictures!!

PORTLAND

2009-06-01T15:24:00.006-05:00

Last weekend we had the opportunity to travel to Portland to celebrate Nate's brother's (Ben) graduation from physical therapy school. We took the LONG drive to Portland with Nate's parents on Thursday. Friday we got to go to the beach. It was BEAUTIFUL but very COLD. When we left Ben and Jessica's house to go to the beach it was 80 degrees, but 45 minutes later when we got to the beach it was in the 40's. I was amazed at how cold the coast was. We had a picnic there and did a little shopping.

We then met with Jessica's family and Nate's other brother Josh and his family for dinner at this AMAZING restaurant. I can't remember what it was called and my pictures didn't turn out but it was great!! There was a man that would go around the restaurant playing an acordian. He was awesome. He probably played 10 or more songs for us and know everything from disney princess songs, to Pink Panther, to Phantom of the Opera. We were throwing out requests like crazy and he knew them all. Besides the entertainment, the food was amazing!

I know this isn't the best picture but I had to put it in to prove that Nate danced with me once!

Saturday was the graduation and while Nate's parents were at the graduation we went to Multnomah Falls. (There weren't enough tickets for the graduation . . . . dang!) It was beautiful! We hiked to the top and just enjoyed the beautiful scenery. Pictures just don't do it justice.

That night we had a BBQ with all Ben's relatives and friends. It was so fun to just relax and visit with them. We don't get to see Nate's brothers often so it was great to catch up.

Jessica, Ben, Genavieve

The next day we flew home. Let me tell you I completely perfer a 2 hour flight to a 18 hour car ride! I wish we could have had a few more days to sightsee. It is beautiful there. I guess we will just have to go back and see the rest sometime!

YELLOWSTONE

2009-05-29T15:37:00.006-05:00

The falls at Yellowstone

Old Faithful

The week after Nate got out of school and a couple of days after we started moving, Melissa and Kelly invited us to go to Yellowstone with them. Nate and I hadn't been since we were very young, so we thought it would be great. We had an awesome time.

The worst part was the drive. It was about a 10 hour drive for us. This for many wouldn't be a big deal, but our children do not travel well. They are getting better, but after about two hours they are done and want to get out!! The other bad thing about the drive is that we couldn't leave until Nate got off work so we started the drive at about 5:00 pm.

Well about 2:30 in the morning, we were about 30 miles from our destination, Nate got pulled over. The policeman had been following us for a few miles and, I guess, thought that Nate was swerving a bit too much. I am sure the policeman thought that Nate was either drunk or really tired. He decided on the really tired when he got to the car and shined his light on our sleeping kids in the back. All I know was that if he woke up my kids, he would have to put them back to sleep! He told us he just wanted to make sure we were awake and okay, and that we were close to our destination. He was really nice and just let us go. It did wake us up a bit though.

We were lucky to have a great condo to stay in, thanks to Melissa and Kelly. We had quite a big group which made it really fun. My parents were there, Bryan, Jenessa and Joshua too. We also were there with Kelly's parents and Mackey, and some friends of Melissa and Kelly.

Ashlee sight seeing

We wore out Joshua and Taylor

We spent the next two days driving through Yellowstone seeing some amazing scenery. Melissa and Kelly were there last year so they knew where all the good things to see were. They were great tour guides. We were lucky to see so many animals. We saw a grizzly bear, two black bears, elk, a fox, cyotes, lots of bison, and some different birds. Kelly and Melissa took their really nice camera, I will have to get some of their pictures.

One of the black bears

Taylor and Ashlee

The fox

One of the many bison

Ashlee and Jenessa had a great time riding with Melissa and Kelly. They might decide to rethink having kids after these two chatterboxes!

We also went to a place outside the park that had bears and Wolves. It was really cool to see them so close up. The wolves were beautiful.

We want to thank Melissa and Kelly for such a fun family trip! We had a great time.

MOVING. . . . . . AGAIN!

2009-05-29T15:09:00.004-05:00

Our New Home!!

Well it has been a while and I am a bit behind once again on my blogging. It has been such a busy month I don't even know which way is up anymore. This month we moved across town to a nice townhome with a great neighborhood. It was a bit of a surprise move. They called us on a Wednesday and they wanted us to move that weekend. It is pretty hard to get into these townhomes, so we jumped at the chance. I can't even count the number of times we have moved since Nate and I have been married (I am guessing at least a dozen.) I hate moving and hope that we will be here for a while.

Ashlee helping dad

So you understand how often we move Ashlee keeps asking me when we have to move from our new house. I keep telling her that hopefully we will not be moving any time soon. She said, "So like maybe Christmas time?"

Taylor

Ashlee's Gymnastics

2009-04-30T13:37:00.002-05:00

When we moved to Cedar City in January, we put Ashlee in a gymnastics program here. She has absoulutely loved it! The facility is really nice. They actually have class in the same gym that the SUU gymnastics team trains in.

When Ashlee started she was really shy and pretty uncoordinated. But in just a few months she has really caught on and done well. Wednesday was her last day of class for the summer so I got to take a couple of pictures. We were pretty sad though because her teacher wasn't there on the last day. So I didn't get a picture with Ashlee and her teacher.

Happy 5th Anniversary!

2009-04-21T17:03:00.004-05:00

Five Years Ago

On the 16th Nate and I celebrated our 5th anniversary. It was great to actually be together this year. We have had very interesting anniversaries. Our first anniversary, we had to bring Ashlee along because she was just a few weeks old. Our second anniversary, Nate was really sick and we did nothing. Our third anniversary, I was in Ephraim and Nate was in Ohio. Our fourth anniversary Nate was in Miami and I was in Ephraim. So, needless to say it was great to be together. We sent the girls to Ephraim with Grandma and Grandpa and got to really enjoy the weekend kid free.

Today
We went to Zions for the weekend. It was beautiful. The weather was perfect and the scenery was amazing! We got to go hiking and just relax. It was great. I loved being able to spend time together with no distractions.
It is so fun to look back at our wedding pictures and remember that day and all that we have been through over the years. I love seeing how much our realationship and our love has grown and become stronger as our family had grown.

Us in Zion

At the emerald pools

Beautiful Zion

Easter Sunday

2009-04-21T16:58:00.003-05:00

The Family

The Girls in their Easter Dresses

Ashlee 4 Years Old

Taylor 18 Months

EASTER!

2009-04-15T14:06:00.010-05:00

Say Cheese!

Easter was so much fun this year. We had a great time in Ephraim with my family. We dyed easter eggs, went bowling, had an easter egg hunt, and the Easter Bunny even paid us a visit! The girls had a great time playing with all their cousins and grandma and grandpa.

We had an easter egg hunt at my mom's house for all the grandkids. We did the three toddlers (18 months) first by themselves then the older kids had their hunt.

On the hunt for easter eggs!

Taylor didn't really get the idea of the easter egg hunt. She kept putting eggs in the other kids baskets. Joshua kept taking the eggs out of the other's baskets, and Kiana just wanted to open them and eat the candy inside instead of picking up more eggs.

Ashlee found one!

The older kids had a great time. We hid the eggs so well that at the end there were a couple of eggs that we adults couldn't find.

Taylor eating the candy (wrapper and all) from the hunt.

Ashlee got a necklace and rings in her eggs at the hunt.

While we were bowling Saturday night, the Easter Bunny stopped by grandma's house and hid our Easter baskets. The kids loved looking for them. Ashlee's was in the dryer and Taylor's was behind the end table. As the kids were looking for their baskets, we were trying to help Taylor find hers. We were trying to get her to look under the table, so I tossed a candy wrapper under the table. She immediately went and picked up the candy wrapper that was right next to the basket and brought it back to me. She didn't even notice or pay attention to the basket. I guess she isn't quite old enough to get the idea.

TAYLOR

2009-03-25T23:51:00.005-05:00

Well, yesterday was quite a day. Needless to say I think all of our running around town just wore her right out. . . . . .but nothing was going to stop her from eating her sucker!

SPRING BREAK!

2009-03-25T22:59:00.004-05:00

Spring break was great!! We were able to enjoy the nice weather and have fun as a family. The first weekend we went to Meaquite to visit Grandma and Grandpa Johnson and Nate played in a softball tournament while we were there. It was great to spend time together, and Nate's team even won the tournament!

During the week we pretty much just hung out in Cedar because Nate was working. The next weekend we went to Ephraim to visit family and friends. We stopped in Mayfield on our way to Ephraim and visited with the Madsen's. We got to see their new little baby and Ashlee even got to go horse back riding. She thought it was great!! She told me that she wants to go again, but next time she wants to ride on a pink horse.

Luke, Ashlee, Matt, and Nate

On Saturday we went to the park and had a picnic and flew kites. The kids thought it was so much fun. Then we went for a ride in the "little car without a roof" as Ashlee calls it.

Dad and Ashlee Taylor

It was so fun to be able to just relax over the week and spend time as a family.

The kids love the little car!

8 FAVORITES

2009-03-11T14:53:00.007-05:00

I've been tagged: Here are the rules
1. Post rules on your blog
2. Answer the six '8' items
3. Let each person know by leaving them a comment

8 Favorite TV show.....(These are not in order)
1. Biggest Loser
2. CSI
3. Ellen
4. 11th Hour
5. NCIS
6. The food network challenges
7. Good Things Utah
8. Numbers

8 Things I did yesterday...
1. Made breakfast
2. Ran errands
3. Paid bills
4. Cleaned up after the kids
5. Had a tea party with Ashlee
6. Watched the Biggest Loser
7. Made dinner
8. Went to bed

8 Things I am looking forward to...
1. Warm weather!
2. A vacation
3. Lake Powell
4. Ashlee starting school next fall
5. No more snow
6. Nate's spring break
7. Working out
8. Going shopping

8 Favorite Restaurants...
1. Red Robin
2. Olive Garden
3. Chili's
4. Panera Bread
5. Applebee's
6. Texas Roadhouse
7.
8.

8 Things on my wish list...
1. Nate to be done with School!!!
2. Move into a house
3. Expand our family (not any time too soon)
4. Have lots of money
5. Shop everyday
6. Live by a beach
7. Go to the beach every day
8. Own my own dance studio

8 People I Tag!!!
1. Cass
2. Karalee
3. Bobette
4. Becky
5. Rebecca
6. Angela
7. Teresa
8. Mishawn

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ASHLEE!

2009-02-23T23:03:00.007-06:00

On Saturday Ashlee turned 4!! I can't believe it. She is growing up so fast! Ashlee woke up early on Saturday and the first thing she said was "Can I open my presents now!" This was at 7:30 in the morning. She was pretty bummed that she had to wait until later that evening to open the presents.

Ashlee's barbie cake.

Opening presents.

We went to Mesquite for the weekend because Nate's Uncle Francis passed away and his funeral was on Saturday. Well after the funeral we went to St. George with Grandma and Grandpa Johnson to celebrate Ashlee's birthday. Melissa and Kelly were at their condo in St. George so we celebrated together at the condo. We had dinner, opened presents, went swimming, had cake and ice cream, and all that fun birthday stuff.

Taylor swimming.

Ashlee, Karen, Taylor, Melissa

Mom and the Birthday Girl!

Ashlee we love you and think you are an amazing girl. You are such a great big sister and you are so smart and sweet and talented. We love you!

Happy Valentines Day!

2009-02-23T22:45:00.002-06:00

Valentines this year was great. We actually celebrated it in Centerville with my family this year. The day before valentines we all went to the Draper temple open house. It was beautiful just as you would expect. Then on valentines we all pitched in and got a couple of babysitters to watch the kids so all the adults could enjoy a nice dinner out with no children. It was GREAT! We don't get babysitters very often so it was quite a treat for Nate and I to have a little time together. Nate is such a good husband and is always thinking of what he can do for his family. I love him more every day. He is such a wonderful father and the girls just love him so much!
Later that night the kids got some valentines from grandma and grandpa and we had cake and ice cream to celebrate all the February birthdays (Zachary, Teresa, Ashlee, and Me.)

I've Been Tagged!

2009-02-11T16:47:00.005-06:00

The Rules:
1. Go to your documents/pictures.
2. Go to your 6th file.
3. Go to your 6th picture.
4. Blog about it.
5. Tag 6 people to do the same.
6. So here we go...

This picture is one of my favorites! We had just had Taylor and Ashlee came to see her for the first time. It was very memorable. Nate is so good with the girls. I love to watch him interact with Ashlee and Taylor.

I tag:

1. Cass

2. Bobette

3. Karalee

4. Mishawn

5. Becky C.

6. Rebecca

Just a few cute pictures of the girls

2009-02-07T00:07:00.007-06:00

Ashlee really wanted curly hair one day.

Taylor loves to listen and dance to music

Notice she is STILL scowling!

She is going to make us some big bucks one day playing golf!

Taylor

2009-02-06T23:44:00.003-06:00

So, the other day, I had just gotten out of the shower and in my bedroom I hear Taylor slurping. I run in to see what she had now found to put in her mouth and this is what I found.

Nerds for breakfast YUMMY!! So when she saw me she totally know she was in trouble, so she began to grab hadfulls of the nerds and shove them in her mouth as fast as she could. She is always doing something to make me laugh!

The Joys of the Holidays

2009-01-12T23:10:00.007-06:00

I know I am a little behind on this whole blogging thing, so let me do a brief update. Christmas was great!! We all got spoiled rotten. We had a great time hanging out with family and enjoying all of the wonderful traditions that come with the season.

We spent Christmas in Mesquite with Nate's side of the family. All of his brothers and their families were there. It had been a long time since we has seen some of them, so it was great to be all together. Here are just a few of the many highlights from Christmas. (As you will notice, Taylor somewhere along the way discovered she could scowl, and we can't get her to stop. Seriously, in every picture she has that same scowl!)

Ashlee, and her cousins Genavieve and Talya being silly in their Christmas pajamas

Taylor and Uncle Alec (notice the scowl)

Along with a Wii bowling tournament we had some time to go shoot some clays. I did pretty good! Usually I don't hit any, but this time I was on fire!

Me with a gun. Doesn't it look so natural!

Nate waisted us all. He is a good shot!

While we were out shooting, the girls found plenty of ways to entertain themselves.

Painting fingernails and toenails

Coloring

And of course scowling!

After a great Chirstmas vacation we ventured up to Ephraim to visit with my family and bring in the new year. All of my family got together for the occasion. We had a great time exchanging Christmas gifts, playing games, attending a new year's party, and sledding.

Cousin Jenessa and Ashlee being sweet in their matching twirlies

Taylor having a blast at the New Year's Eve party. About the only picture without the scowl.

Nate and Ashlee

Aunt Melissa, Ashlee, Uncle Kelly

Even Talor got in on the action!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

2008-12-22T14:19:00.005-06:00

Wow! It has been a long time since I posted an update. You know how it gets around the holidays. Everyone is just so darn busy! We have been keeping busy too. We had a GREAT Thanksgiving with my family. We ate till we could eat no more.

We have also packed everything up and moved yet once again. Hopefully, we won't be moving again for quite some time. We are now in Cedar City. Nate is going back to school. He is very excited. . . or something. The girls and I have been busy unpacking boxes and trying to get everything ready for the holidays.

Well, Ashlee and Taylor love to dump everything out of the boxes so they can play in them.

Decorating the tree

We are very exctied for Christmas and the chance to spend time with family. I hope we can all take some time to remember and reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. We wish you all a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

MINI GOLF

2008-11-11T18:03:00.008-06:00

This last weekend we went mini golfing. Ashlee was hilarious!!! She kept hitting the ball back and forth past the hole. She thought it was great to have her own club and ball. By the end she was actually getting the idea of it. Taylor just liked to eat her ball. Nate managed to hit his ball in the water and I got a hole-in-one! We all had a blast. It was a great family activity.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

2008-11-11T17:27:00.006-06:00

Well before it got too late I wanted to add some pictures of my girls on Halloween. We had such a ball. We carved pumpkins the day before.

Ashlee was a princess (of course) and Taylor was our little lion. On Halloween we trick-or-treated the night away. We got so much candy it is rediculous! But Ashlee and Taylor had a ball. The next day we went to Ephraim to visit family. We put on our costumes once again and went to the school carnival. We all had a great time.

TAYLOR'S FIRST BIRTHDAY!

2008-10-22T23:41:00.008-05:00

I can't believe that my baby is 1! On the 9th of October we celebrated Taylor's first birthday. We kept things pretty low key, but we had a great day. Ashlee helped me bake and decorate the cupcakes.

We celebrated with cake and ice cream.

At the end of the day Taylor was worn out. What a great day though. I love you Taylor!!

October Birthdays Celebration

2008-10-22T22:49:00.005-05:00

Since our family has so many birthdays in October we decided that the best way to celebrate was to get together and celebrate them all at once. We decided to meet at Cornbelly's at Thanksgiving point. It was so much fun. There was so much to do for all ages. There were corn mazes, huge jumping pillows, pedal go-carts, a princess village (with an actual pumpkin carridge,) hay rides and huge slides. . . just to mention a few. We all had so much fun celebrating together.

all the grandkids

Taylor LOVED the cow tractor ride and the hay ride

DAD liked the slide

Ashlee, Jenessa, and Zach

What a princess!!

The pumpkin princess

Taylor

A BIG happy birthday to Bryan, KJ, Taylor, Joshua, and Kiana!!!

The three one year olds! Taylor, Kiana, Joshua

She didn't want to get her hands dirty at first

Yummy!!!

Bartholomew Family Feast

2008-10-22T22:12:00.007-05:00

The end of September we held the first annual Bartholomew Family Feast. It was a lot of fun to have all the family together. Not to mention the food we had was DELICIOUS.
A big thanks to Kelly and Melissa for having it at their house, and for cooking the main course (lobster and prime rib). The kids weren't too sure about eating that lobster. Kasen called it a "monster" and he did NOT want to eat the monster. It was great fun and we are looking forward having the family feast again next year! Thanks for the great idea grandpa!

Utah State Fair

2008-10-07T00:51:00.004-05:00

This year we got to go to the Utah State Fair. It was my first time. We went with my sister-in-law Teresa, her kids, and also my sister-in-law Jessica, and her daughter. There was so much to see. There was a tiger show and a huge sculpture made of butter. It was fun. My kids thought that the best part was the animals. Ashlee even wanted to bring a bunny home. (Luckly I convinced her that that was a bad idea.) They also had a tent set up with all you could eat ice cream. (That was my favorite part of the fair.) Well here are some fun pictures of us enjoying the fair.

The kids went to town on the ice cream!

This really comes from chickens?

Ashlee driving the tractor

Taylor had such a great time! She loved the animals.

The tigers were amazing!! They are huge!! As you can tell from this picture.

Another Update

2008-10-07T00:18:00.002-05:00

Well yet once again I am getting behind on my blogging. So, I will give you a brief update of what has been going on this past month and a half or so. At the end of August we got to go to my nephew's 8th birthday party. It was so much fun. There were tons of bounce toys, a place for the kids to climb and play and a roller skating rink. All the kids had a blast!

Ashlee had her first experience with roller skating at the party. She was a little nervous, but did pretty good. They were also allowed to ride scooters on the rink too.

August Update

2008-09-17T14:32:00.004-05:00

Well a lot has been happening since our last update. At the end of August the girls and I flew home to Utah to visit family, while Nate went to work in Georgia for a while. I am glad that we have missed all the nasty weather in Houston.
We have been having such a fun time visiting family and they sure have been keeping us busy. I was able to atend the sealing of my little niece to her family. It was an amazing day.

My brother and his family at the Manti Temple
We even got to go to the lake and enjoy boating and riding on the wave runners. Taylor liked riding in the boat but wasn't too sure about the life jacket. Ashlee loved it all! She even rode the water weenie with me. I think that I was more nervous than she was.

Riding the wave runners

Kiana, Josh, and Taylor

Ashlee and Karen on the water weenie

Ashlee and Karen riding the waves

The Big Five

2008-09-16T16:30:00.004-05:00

10 Years ago I:
1* Just graduated from High School
2* Was going to college at S.U.U.
3* Moved into an apartment with three complete strangers. Some of whom were very strange.
4* Was Miss Ephraim and 1st attendant to Miss Sanpete
5* Was very young and naieve

5 Things on today's "To Do" List:
1* Update my blog
2* Tend my niece and nephews
3* Pay the bills
4* Laundry
5* Make dinner

5 Snacks I enjoy:
1* Anything chocolate
2* Oreo cookies
3* Fruit
4* Pretzles
5* Chips

5 Things I would do if I were a Millionaire
1* Build my dream home and pay it off.
2* Pamper myself by getting massages and my nails done once a month.
3* Get all my debt paid off and travel the world
4* Invest my money to make more money
5* Share the wealth

5 Places I have lived:
1* Cleveland, Ohio
2* Las Vegas, Nevada
3* Fort Worth, Texas
4* Miami, Florida
5* Houston, Texas

5 Job's I've had:
1* Babysitter
2* Subway sandwich artist
3* Server
4* Dance instructor
5* Mom

I Tag:
* Cass
* Kate
* Bobette
* Karalee
* Angie

Rules: Each player answers the question themselves. At the end of the post the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blog and leaves them a comment letting them know that they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person that tagged you know when you've answered the questions on your blog.

i've bEeN TaGgEd!!

2008-08-14T21:24:00.002-05:00

AbOUT mE aNd My LoVE.....

What is his name? Nathan Michael Johnson

How long have we been married? 4 of the best years of his life!

How long did we date? We dated for a year and were engaged for another year.

How old is he? 29

Who eats more? Definitely me.

Who said "I love you" first? I can't really remember.

Who is taller? He is

Who sings better? He does

Who is smarter? I am more intelectually inclined than Nate, but he knows a lot of weird facts that nobody else would ever know.

Whose temper is worse? Mine for sure!

Who pays the bills? I do.

Who does the laundry? I do.

Who cooks dinner? I do.

Who drives when together? He does. I DON'T drive when we are together.

Who is more stubborn? He is.

Who is the first to admit when wrong? Probably me.

Who wears the pants in the family? I let Nate think that he does, but we both know it is really me.

Who mows the lawn? He does.

Who kissed who first? I think it was a pretty mutual thing.

Who asked out who first? He asked me out first. Actually, he did it in front of a guy that I was dating. . . and I said yes!

Who proposed? He did

What is my favorite thing about him? There are so many of my favorite things I don't know where to start. Nate is the most amazing dad in the whole world and his daughters love him so much. One of my other favorite things about Nate is that he is the hardest working man that I know. He is always working so hard to make sure that we have everything that we could ever need. All I can say is that I am very blessed to have such a caring, generous, wonderful husband.

I tag Rebecca, Cass, Teresa..... Good luck and have fun Ladies!!

Life in Texas

2008-08-11T12:04:00.004-05:00

So I thought that most of you probably wonder what we do out here in Houston all day. Well let me tell you we have it pretty rough! There are quite a few families out here so that has been really fun. Our husbands are ususally gone pretty much all day so all of the wives and kids get together and hang out. We go shopping, or out to lunch, or to the pool, or whatever else we can find. Here are a few pictures of some of us out to lunch.

Most weekends we all end up swimming at the pool and having a bbq. Here are my adorable kids swimming with their dad.

This is a picture of Brock and Taylor they are only a day apart. But he is like twice the size of her.

2008-08-11T11:58:00.004-05:00

2008-08-11T11:58:00.003-05:00

2008-08-10T16:38:00.004-05:00

For our summer vacation we got to fly back to Utah and Nevada to see our families. First we spent a few days in Mesquite with Grandma and Grandpa Johnson. We had fun relaxing, playing the Wii and just hanging out. Nate had a good time helping his dad put together some new patio furniture too. It also rained while we were in Mesquite. We had to go out and play in it since it hardly ever rains there. Just to give you an idea, they got 1/3 of their annual rainfall that day in about an hour.

Then we went to Fish Lake to spend a few days with my family. It was really fun to have the entire family together. Ashlee had so much fun playing with her cousins that she had been missing. We had fun fishing, eating, enjoying the beautiful cool weather, and just being together.

A Trip down Memory Lane!

2008-07-27T14:29:00.000-05:00

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see what memories people leave about you. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.

GRANDMA'S VISIT AND THE ROCKET SHIPS

2008-07-20T15:29:00.008-05:00

Well, last week we were lucky enough to have Grandma Johnson come and visit us on her way to her Mary Kay convention in Dallas. We didn't tell Ashlee that she was coming so she was SURPRISED when she got here. We had a blast hanging out with Grandma. We went shopping, sight seeing, shopping, swimming, and did I mention shopping?

We also went to the NASA Space Center here in Houston. We all had a good time and it was really cool. I was totally AMAZED at the size of the space shuttles. They always look so tiny on television.

Here we are standing in front of one of the rocket boosters. This is just one of 5 on this section. I am telling you they are huge!

Don't worry Nate, we will hold up the moon. You just stand there and look pretty!

At the Space Center they had this bungie jumping trampline and the line to do it was pretty long. Ashlee was determined that she wanted to do it. So, Ashlee and I waited in line for an hour (the longest hour of her life! And mine too!) but she finally got a turn. They put the harness on her and it was so big that they had to keep cinching it tighter. Finally she got her four minutes to jump she had a ball!! When she was done she wanted to do it again, even if she had to wait in line for another hour. Needless to say I was not going to wait for another hour for her to jump again!

Here we are waiting in line. We are finally at the front!

Cinch it tighter!

Who wants some cookies!

2008-07-20T14:57:00.004-05:00

Ashlee has been bugging me for weeks to make some cookies so the other night we finally got around to doing it. Ashlee and I had so much fun. I thought these pictures turned out so cute.

Mix, mix, mix

Notice the chocolate all over Ashlee's face

Who would have guessed that my daughter was such a good baker!

The Hula Hoop Contest

2008-07-06T16:06:00.002-05:00

At the festival on the 4th there was a hula hoop contest. We had a great time watching people compete. Then I got the crazy idea that I should be in the contest. I used to be a pretty good hula hooper back in the day. Well, I got up there and needless to say, I can no longer hula hoop. I did horrible, but I had a good time. Well after some of the other wives had tried too (they weren't very good either) Ashlee decided that she wanted a turn so we got her up there. Well the hula hoop was so big that she couldn't actually do it, so she just held it up around her as the contest began. Well since her hula hoop never touched the ground, she WON!!! She was so EXCITED. They gave her a little prize and everything!

Happy Independence Day!!

2008-07-06T16:04:00.004-05:00

Well we sure had a great time on the 4th here in Texas. After the guys all got home from work we had a bbq out at the pool. Then we went to an area just north of where we live called the Woodlands. They had a big festival going on with live entertainment and then a great fireworks show. Here are a few pictures of us enjoying AMERICA'S BIRTHDAY!

Houston Texas

2008-07-02T17:58:00.003-05:00

Well we are now in the lovely city of Houston. As you probably know we were supposed to spend the summer in Las Vegas but after being there for two weeks we ended up getting transferred to Houston. We are back in the humidity again.

There are a lot of families out here working with us so we all get together a lot. It is so fun having a good group of friends. There are 5 girls out here Ashlee's age and they all love playing together. All the little girls love going from apartment to apartment playing with each other's toys.

We all got tickets to go to an Astros vs. Redsox game last week. Our seats were really high, but we all had a great time. Here are a couple pictures from the game.

2008-05-17T14:11:00.007-05:00

Well life sure has been busy lately. I feel like we just got unpacked from Miami just in time to pack it all back up to come to Las Vegas. We have been here just over a week. After a few difficulties with the apartment, we are finally getting all settled. A couple of weeks ago we got Ashlee's first hair cut. Her hair was getting so long and hard to take care of. We cut off about 6 or 7 inches! I love her new do!

2008-04-27T00:19:00.002-05:00

Well, we sure had a great time in Miami. It is great to be home and see all our family and friends again though. I sure do miss the weather in Florida! I wish I could have packed that up in my suitcase!

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-04-27T00:18:00.001-05:00

MIAMI HAS BEEN FUN

2008-04-09T09:36:00.002-05:00

Hey everyone! I can't believe that it is almost time for us to leave the beautiful weather here in Miami. We have had so much fun going to the pool and the beach and just hanging out in the sun. When we get home next week I will post some more picutres of all the fun things we have been able to enjoy. We will see you all soon!

It's about time!

2008-04-02T12:46:00.000-05:00

Hi, this is Cass (Karen's favorite sister-in-law!) So, I was going to set this up for Karen's birthday, but of course life has taken over at my house and I'm finally getting to it! So, I hope you guys are having a wonderful time in the sun down there in Miami! (Wish we were there, too!) Please post blogs and pictures on here so the rest of us can know about all the fun times you are having and see how the girls are growing! Can't wait to see you (just a couple more weeks!)

Having fun in Miami!

2008-04-02T12:06:00.000-05:00

Johnson Family

FAMILY VACATION 2010

SPRING 2010

ASHLEE'S PRESCHOOL GRADUATION

ASHLEE IS 5!!!

Winter Fun!

ASHLEE'S DANCE RECITAL

CHRISTMAS 2009

Family Photos November 2009

HALLOWEEN

THE FIRST SNOW OF THE SEASON!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TAYLOR!

ASHLEE OR TAYLOR?

PRESCHOOL!!

LAKE POWELL

OUR BRAVE GIRL!

SWIMMING LESSONS

Random summer pictures

INDEPENDENCE DAY

CAMPING

OUR GIRLS

PORTLAND

YELLOWSTONE

MOVING. . . . . . AGAIN!

Ashlee's Gymnastics

Happy 5th Anniversary!

Easter Sunday

EASTER!

TAYLOR

SPRING BREAK!

******8 FAVORITES******

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ASHLEE!

Happy Valentines Day!

I've Been Tagged!

Just a few cute pictures of the girls

Taylor

The Joys of the Holidays

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

MINI GOLF

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

TAYLOR'S FIRST BIRTHDAY!

October Birthdays Celebration

Bartholomew Family Feast

Utah State Fair

Another Update

August Update

The Big Five

i've bEeN TaGgEd!!

Life in Texas

A Trip down Memory Lane!

GRANDMA'S VISIT AND THE ROCKET SHIPS

Who wants some cookies!

The Hula Hoop Contest

Happy Independence Day!!

Houston Texas

Check out my Slide Show!

MIAMI HAS BEEN FUN

It's about time!

Having fun in Miami!

8 FAVORITES