Gettin' Mechanical

We have been trying to be really frugal lately. Derrick took on another job and is traveling from here to Grand Junction every week (he is teaching the choirs and ear training at Mesa State while Dr. A is on sabatical). I found a lawnmower that was free just down the street and thought I would pick it up and try to get it to work. The guy said that it didn't have a pull cord. I mentioned this to Derrick, and he didn't look that excited about trying to fix it. He doesn't have any extra time for projects since he is still working on the weekends here when he comes home. So I thought I would try and see what I could do. I put in the cord and figured out how to put everything back in the right order and....(drumroll)....IT WORKS. I successfully mowed my lawn yesterday and the most expensive part of the whole project was buying some gas to put into it! LOL!

Help?

So...I was going to take some pictures and post them on the blog but my card (which I have been using fine for some time now) says that it is "write protected" so I can't take pictures or delete any pictures. Any help?

Thanks

Tony's 7th birthday party

We had so much fun at Tony's party! We had some Wii games going and the kids were really getting into it!

Tony and Nolan were really getting into Wii Sports Boxing! Nolan is on the right throwing the right handed punches. It was fun for all! (especially those watching!)
It is amazing that trash talking starts at such a young age...LOL

Tony's 7th Party

Mom's Awesome cake!


Tony's friends at the party: (left to right)Cora, Nolan, Kimball, and Tony


Derrick was in charge of the gift bags (so of course it was a hit). The kids posing w/ their funny teeth!

Tony's Birthday Party

We had SO much fun at Tony's 7th birthday party. I made a Wii remote control cake and Tony invited some friends over and we had some Wii fun!
Here is a little video of Tony "getting down" and grooving to some tunes with DK Bongos! He really starts grooving about halfway through! Enjoy! (Kimball is playing the bongos next to him.)

Oompa Loompa Dance

Hey everyone!

So if you have seen the movie "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" then you will recognize this next clip. The kids practiced the dance moves all the way back from our 8 hour drive from Utah...

Number 3

Yeah...you heard right. We are going to add to the Johnson Family. We are expecting in mid February and are really excited!! Feel free to add some cool name ideas for the new one. We will be finding out if it is a girl or a boy at about 20 weeks. I am feeling okay...pretty tired and a little nauseous, but that is standard. Tony, Turner, and Derrick are being very supportive and letting me get some relax time which I appreciate! Thanks fam! Both boys are excited for having a new baby. I tried to explain girl and boy differences to Turner the other day and it was pretty interesting.

Other than that this summer has been really good. Tony has been reading Beverly Cleary books, Boxcar Children books, and anything else he can get his hands on. He is excited about starting 2nd grade and learning even more this next year. We have been biking a lot and really enjoying that.

Derrick is trying to get ready for his new job opportunity. He is going to be teaching in Grand Junction while Dr. Atkinson is on sabatical (hopefully spelled correctly) next semester. He is taking over both choirs and Ear Training (I believe). It is a really exciting time for us and hopefully we will get some ideas of what the future holds for the Johnson fam.

I have been watching kids and trying to keep my garden afloat. We didn't get the soil ready very well this summer and I think that is part of the problem. So if anyone has any gardening ideas or tips I would sure appreciate them so that we can get more than a few green tomatos and 10 pea pods next year :) Yeah...I know pretty lame. But I guess you don't learn unless you give it a try.

Family Reunion

The food was awesome (as usual) at a Christensen gather. Here we are all enjoying the food that Grandpa and Nana brought. (Even the sucker was from them) Meghan is on the left with Kyra in the middle. Carter is on the right and Grandpa is holding Carter and Kadence!!

(I still haven't figured out how to arrange these pictures so they look good :) ) Oh well!

We played in the water at Highline Lake in Grand Junction where we camped. It was beautiful weather and an awesome gather!

Christensen Family Reunion

We had a blast at the Family Reunion Turner and Kloe loved the corn!

Derrick and Tony posing for the camera!Kara with 2 of their kids, Kade and Kloe.
Shannon with Carter (Ky and Shannon's youngest)

Turner turns 3!!

Turner turned 3 last week and we all got together to celebrate!! Mom made a "treasure chest" cake and we invited some friends over to the park for a water balloon fight. It was a really fun time.

Papa takes one for the team

We had a little scare this past week. Papa (Derrick's Dad) came in town to help us with some house projects. Things were going very well...we got our swamp cooler in and got our railing fixed and then we were working on the downstairs bathroom trying to get it functional. While spraying texture on the walls the fumes ignited and we had a flash fire. Luckily everyone was okay. Papa spent some time in the hospital and got burned on his arms, hands, and face but he still has his good looks! The boys and I were upstairs at the time and we all are fine and the fire didn't do too much damage. We were able to clean up the majority of the damage over a couple of days. Thank goodness the Lord is looking out for us!

Tony's Award

Tony got a medal at school for being the top reader in his 1st grade class. He scored 40.7 points and the top 2nd grader scored 47 points. Way to go Tony!!

Derrick's Opera

Last year Derrick performed the role of Marcello in La Boheme. We love watching him perform!

Best friends

Tony and Turner love doing things together. They are the best of buddies!

Tony and Turner

We planted a garden last summer with the Jones' family and are hoping that this one will be as successful! Our boys LOVE working in the garden! Wish us luck.