Oh, I forgot to post this funny. When dropping Bug off at Boomerang Express tonight - Red made me laugh. (What's New???)

They have one of those cutouts where you can stick your head in it and take a picture. It is a Kangaroo with a baby and a Koala in a tree next too it. Bug said he wanted us to take a picture so I told him I would bring in the camera and we would this evening. While walking out I was carrying Red and asked him which do you wanna be. He said the baby kangaroo. I made the comment, "How appropriate, cause you're always hanging on you're Momma". He said yeah (while giving me a bear hug) and said "And I don't like Daddy", why not I asked. Cause he's always trying to hang on you. LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL. I about dropped him from laughing so hard as we trekked across the parking lot. It was hilarious.

That's my Red!!!

Well I figured it was about time I got on here and posted an update. It has been a busy summer and I am just not into the school work this evening, so blogger it is...enjoy! :)

Our summer has been fun and busy and all out of routine. LOL But we are sooooo enjoying ourselves.

The family went on vacation in June to Arkansas. That was a blast. We stopped in Texarkana and had a bagel and stood in 2 states at once! Cool! We saw a house with 22 sides and a weird triangle building. We went to Washington State Park which is actually a town that has been deemed a state park. It is really cool. We got to see the blacksmith shop where the first bowie knife was made (Little Red thought that was way cool). Then we traveled up to the diamond mine in Murfreesboro. We stayed at a cute little place in Nashville and drove up to the mine. Daddy had an absolute blast at the mine and just knows that in one of our buckets of volcanic dirt we trucked home there is a diamond. He had such a great time out there, digging, scooping. Bug, Red and I enjoyed the water park out in front of the mine...it was nice to play in the water when it was so hot out. We ventured on to Hot Springs while we were up there and that was just awesome. We enjoyed strolling bath house row - checking out all the sights to see. We also found some great Mexican food while we were there. Bug really enjoyed the pool at our hotel and even little Red got into the action jumping off the side to Daddy! Fun!!! On our return we decided to take the highway instead of the "little roads". We stopped for lunch and spied a sign that pointed the way to the Diamond Mine...hmmm. As we began our journey down 30 toward home along comes yet another sign that points the way to Nashville, AR and the Diamond Mine....who can resist. We did a quick review of our budget and date of intended return and decided okay we are going back! LOL. How funny it was, we swooped over and got a room at the same little hotel. After a quick trip to the local wal-mart for some wash soap and a few other supplies. Off to the mines we went. Whoopie! Daddy was ecstatic. The boys and I had big plans to return to the water park, but just as we drove up and were lathering everyone in sunscreen we heard there was a little "tummy trouble" and the water park was closed until the next day. Awww... No biggie, off to the mine we head. Shovels, buckets, hats and water in tow... We had a great time, digging and sluicing and exploring the vent of a real volcano. Bug decided it was probably dormant and might explode at any moment. It was hot and dirty, but we had so much fun...even saw a real "miner" while we were there. We headed back to Texas and reality the next morning. We very much enjoyed our trip but were glad to be back home again.

The rest of the summer has been filled with VBS, summer camp and tball.

Bug goes to this program on Mondays where they get to do "missions". They earn stars for each mission they complete. They have made busy bags for the local health clinic, cleaned up the local park and handed out water bottles, made cards for soldiers, bake brownies for a ministry group and collected school supplies for an orphanage in Mexico. And the summer is not over yet. it is a great program and Bug is having a blast. Little Red and I have been going to the library during this time...this is always interesting. I usually work on schoolwork and he pesters me with 2000 questions. LOL. Crazy nut...he has the ladies there wrapped around his fingers, they bring him coloring books and paper and set him up on computers to watch videos. :)

We have also attended several VBS programs this summer and the kids have so enjoyed the time to play and learn about Jesus. Oh how their little minds have absorbed soooo much. I hear all kinds of questions these days. It's not just "Jesus love me anymore"...

Our home church did Flight School which the kids liked. They did all kinds of "flying crafts"...airplanes, windsocks, t-shirts...it was great. I actually helped out with the 3rd and 4th grade bible study with Ms. Judy. We had a blast!

Both kiddos were able to attend Camp Edge this summer too...that was awesome. They are still singing the songs and asking a ton of questions about this one. It was great.

Bug went to Crocodile Dock at the same church he does the Mission program at on Mondays. He really liked this one, they did special activities with colors each day and collected items for the orphanage in Mexico. He even decided to participate in the singing program at the end of the week. I was so very proud of him!!! Red and I went to the library to work while Bug was up there, it was an interesting week.

This week Bug is going to Boomerang Express - he has really enjoyed it. He learned his memory verse right away and brought socks in for the mission they are doing. He said they are gonna beat the other class cause they brought more socks. LOL. Tonight is actually the last night. I think he was a little sad that it is over. Red and I have been going to the local library. I log in to a computer and work on school work and he watches movies on the laptop and plays army. You should see it - tons of Alamo men setting all over the laptop, table, chair...it is hilarious. He has headphones so he can hear his movie. It is great...crazy kid.

We just finished tball last week as well. That was fun and a little stressful. Some of the coaches and parents can just take it a little too far. I mean come on they are 5 and 6 years old. It is crazy. But Bug had a blast. He is doing very well with his hitting and catching. Red says he wants to play next year. Oh, that is gonna be busy!!! LOL

Bug also graduated from Kindergarten this summer. We finished up the year in late June. It is exciting to see him progressing and moving on. We had a graduation party and the grandparents, cousin and Uncle Phillip came up have dinner and watch a tball game. That was a blast. We took the month of July off so I could plan for next year and the boys could have a little break. Whew...lol

I am moving forward with my schooling. My projected graduation date in next March. I can see the light! :) Although I still have a lot to accomplish between now and then...

Well I suppose that is all for now... Until next time...love you kids and your neighbors...

Well, it is late and here I am blogging. LOL

It has been uproarous...is that a word? haha around our house lately.

We all took off on a trek to Arkansas last week which was a blast and this week has literally flown by.

Next week is more t-ball, vbs, and completing the last few days of Kindergarten.

Wow - I am feeling a little blue...my boy is growing up.

I have been researching 1st grade curriculum for the fall. I am looking for something that will be easy to teach and fun. Since the 2nd semester I will be student teaching, I need something that will not be overwhelming. Any suggestions send them my way. :)

Anyway - I have passed 6 more tasks, 4 to go to meet my next audit. Woo-Hoo!

Well, I better go, short I know...but better than nothing. :)

My little Red, he is a nut let me tell you...takes after his daddy...today is yard day for the men...I am avoiding the yard like the plague.  Inside mine...outside his...right?  :)

Anyway....Little Red hates loud noises like the weed eater and mower.  I mean he loathes them...

So he doesn't want to go outside...but Bubba is outside....you get the picture...

After t-ball yesterday I told the boys I would take the out to eat as a treat.  Being their treat I told them they could pick.  Taco Bell it is!!!!  LOL.  We get there an Bug spies the Volcano taco on the picture menu.  We have lovingly nick-named little red the volcano.  Because he is just that at times.  When he explodes he really explodes...and it usually builds and you can see it coming.  LOL.  So anyway back to Taco Bell.  Bug sees this Taco and decides we should get one for little red because, of course, he is Volcano...we then decided it would probably be a little to spicy for us...lol.  Then they come up with the "red taco" name.  Little red is a "red taco" when he is mad and a "cool taco" when he is "cool" - as he terms it.  LOL.

What a nut!

He was a red taco a few moments ago which reminded me that I needed to record these precious boy moments.  

We are full swing in t-ball now - Bug is loving the game...hating the shoes.  LOL.  They are supposed to wear cleats...so I buy him cleats.  But being Bug he hates shoes and doesn't like the way they feel on his feet - they aren't tight enough...they slip...they poke him...you get the picture.  But once he got out there he had a ball.  He was hitting great and playing first baseman.  He did awesome.  The team is learning to stop the ball, throw to first, throw to the pitcher and then home.  

Little Red is currently in Charlie's old doghouse.  LOL.  Thank goodness Dad cleaned it out today.  :)

Bug is sword fighting in the backyard.  I wonder if they give fencing classes at five?  LOL.  Sign 'em up!

Well all for now...It's our crazy life!

Great Memorial Day around here. We had a "normal" day overall. We made a trip to town this morning with BJ to get a bat for ball practice and milk. Stopped for a treat of popcorn and coke at the Target snack bar, then got gas and headed home for lunch. We completed school late this afternoon, but got it done! Woo-Hoo! The kids did a foot soak in Epson salt water...Little Red had a thorn in his foot that we have been working on for three days! I have tried everything I could think of. I picked up a drawing salve at Target today and some pointy tweezers. When he fell asleep tonight - I picked again and wah-lah! I got it out! Yeah!!!!

Bug will be finishing Kindergarten in late June. I hope to have a graduation party in July. Milestones... :(

We have a kitty hanging around. I am super excited. I don't have a picture of her yet, but I will soon! :) She is black, white and orange calico. I think she is one of the many that our neighbors across the road have hanging out at their house. (They have a million or so cats.) But she has been hanging around because we feed the birds in our backyard and we have a lot! So I figured out she was hunting. Uh-Oh. NO HUNTING MY BIRDS CALLI!!!! :) So we picked up a bag of kitty cat food at Target. LOL. BJ keeps telling me not to get attached. But I just can't help it. She is so pretty and I just love kitty's! She has let me pet her a few times although she is very skiddish of fast movement and kids. LOL. BJ is afraid the coyotes will get her, but I am less convinced. She was born out here and knows the area and has made it thus far, so I hope she will keep her eyes peeled for coyotes! I would be sad if she disappeared. I can do the "cat talk" to her and she just rubs around and meows at me. My girl kitty Taffy Nicole used to do the same thing. :)

Mom and Dad have three kittens under their barn. Two solid white and one gray. I told mom the gray one is mine. I hope they will go out and mess with them so they won't be wild. I want gray kitty to grow a little so I can convince BJ to let me bring it home.

First Steps is coming to an end tomorrow. BJ has training so I had to take off work tomorrow to keep the kids. Thursday is our last day. I will miss the kiddos!

This summer will be crazy for sure! We are starting baseball this week which will be fun. I am signing Bug up for a kids mission project for the summer - I think he will like that! We also have VBS lined up, swim lessons and a family reunion in Arkansas. It will be crazy at best. LOL.

Well I better get back to homework... :) My life these days...

I'm a toon! LOL

Okay so it  has been waaaaayyyy crazy around our house lately...what is new right?

I am plowing forward with three new classes:  one is simply a test to follow up the last class I completed - I am scheduled to take it Friday May 29th; another is reading and language arts; and the other is instructional planning.  For the reading and language arts class I am working with a 2nd grade class at Wedgeworth Elementary - I have been going in and observing the class as well as presenting various lessons.  It has been a lot of fun but hectic.  The teacher in the room is spectacular and I just love working with her and her kiddos.  I am due to present two more times in the next two weeks and then I will be through until fall.  Well maybe....I am trying to set up with a third grade class so that I can complete one more presentation before school is out for this year. In the fall I will be back at it again...observing and presenting for other classes.  This summer will be filled with video observations, essays, lesson plans and various other stuff that must be done! UGH!

Yesterday BJ and I got a wild hair and decided to finally get the garden completed.  Oh my!  We had started various seeds and plants in pots on the back porch and knew it was either put them in the ground or give up...lol.  So he and the boys dropped me off at Wedgeworth for a presentation and they went to Home Depot to rent a tiller.  We got back to the house and spent 6 hours working in the garden...tilling...weeding....filling beds...planting...  I began to wonder if it would ever end.  LOL...But it is done and it is beautiful.  We planted corn, Lima beans, onions, potatoes, carrots, bell peppers, jalapenos and 56 tomato plants.  LOL...can you believe that.  The broccoli from last year actually seeded and began to grow on it's own...so we have about a dozen broccoli out there as well.  We haven't put the bricks around them yet...to come.  LOL.  We are also planning to put a bed at the end with cantelope, squash and cucumbers.  BJ learned this way that you grow them up a fishing line...we are going to try it!  :)   We are looking forward to gardening.  LOL.

Here are some pics...  the tomatos are at the top, the box inthe very back of that pic has the carrots, potatoes and corn...below on the left is the pepper bed and on the right is the broccoli and the bed behind it has the onions and limas.

Although last night we were exhausted when we got in.  We all showered and cleaned up...ate...and fell out.  LOL.  I got a sunburn on my arms and neck.  Not too bad, but enough to know it is there.

The boys had fun...and we took some great pictures of them in the garden and in the backyard.  It was an awesome day for the sprinkler...I will email them out soon.  I may need a reminder.  LOL.

Anyway...Papa J and Uncle Phillip came to visit today - so we are enjoying time with them.  They boys all just loaded up to run to Maypearl for gas.  BJ is mowing the neighbors lawn and ran out of gas.  LOL.  First he broke a belt on the mower...had to get a new one when he returned the tiller...then ran out of gas.  LOL.  What a day!

Well, all for now...

Today we had a big event of sorts. LOL. I glanced out the front window on my way by to see a man with a bucket standing in my front yard. Well people in the yard always freaks me out so I immediately checked to see that the door was locked and grab the phone to call BJ. He didn't answer. :( I was peering out the window trying to see what in the world he was doing. I could see his wife but nothing else...they were walking toward the creek with their bucket. Hmmm...so I went to the boys room to see if I could see better and surprise surprise I see 2 little longhorns trekking across my yard. LOL!!!! The boys loved it! So we walked out on the front porch to say hello and get a better look. Turns out they live at the end of our road and just got out of the fence. They were trying to help BJ mow I think. :) Their names are Black Diamond and Shadow - they aren't big longhorns, probably a couple of years old. The man got them to sniff the bucket and then they simply followed him down the road like dogs. It was funny to watch. Little Red loved it!

A few laughs to share and some good news...

BJ's dad is recovery well from surgery. It has been a slow go process but he is certainly headed in the right direction and progressing each day. He is still in ICU, but the took out the ventilator last night so he is now awake and a little grumpy!!! :) Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts!

"Funny's" - the boys and I went out to the stock show this week with our friends. What fun we had! We got to see sheep, goats, steers and pigs. The boys loved it! We went back on Friday to see the pig show and the kids had a ball!

Friday morning during school Red was giving me a hard time and I made the comment "You are going to be the death of me". His answer was a simple "Yes"! LOL

Bug was very excited we picked up a little pool at wal-mart this week. One of those little plastic ones. He had a time playing in the water yesterday. They both had their life jackets on!

Bug has decided he would like to be a part of 4-H, so I am trying to find out more info. He wants to build something for the creative arts show, so he has been practicing with the scrap lumber and a hammer and nails. Woo-Hoo!

Today after church we took the kids for a pizza lunch - on the way to the car I was out last (due to checking the table for stray cups and toys) and the boys and dad made it to the car before me. Little Red was convinced they were leaving without me and he was not very happy! LOL. When I got in the car I made the comment - well I know my Red would save me. He spouted off this whole story about how if Daddy left me at the store he would turn into Batman with a cape and fly out of the car and come save me. I would hold onto his back and he would fly me home. Oh to be loved...

On the way home from church we stopped a yard sale and the boys found a box of super hero's (as if we don't have plenty)!!! LOL. But Red found a Ninja Turtle dressed like...you guessed it...Davy Crockett! I am telling you there is a raccoon face and tale on the hat and everything. It is great! He is ecstatic! They have spent most of the afternoon playing with their "finds".

Our Zoo unit is going well - we are really enjoying it. We did a timeline about the creation story on Friday and that was very interesting. We also learned that the African Lion is known as the king of the jungle because no other animal hunts it for food. Wow! I thought that was very interesting!

Oh, one more thing if you are interested in learning more about Juice Plus (a whole food supplement that contains 17 fruits, vegetables and grains) go to this website www.dwestsharesjuiceplus.com. It gives you all the servings of fruits and veggies you need. Their is awesome science behind it proving it all true. Check out the studies of pregnant women, asthmatics, cancer patients and more. They are doing a child study right now - if you sign up you can sign up a child (yours, your neighbors, grandchild, niece, nephew) for the child study. They will get theirs for free for 3 years. Ages 4-18 - they have gummies as well as chewables and capsules. It is worth checking out. I know it works for us!

Well all for now...back to homework. The boys are finishing a movie before books and bed. Then back to homework (and Dr. House) for me! :)

The Zoo Unit Study is underway!!!

The boys and I began our zoo unit study today and we had a ball. I am really excited and they are as well. We are tying all the subjects: math, reading, writing, science, phonics, art, music, social studies, bible, etc. into zoo animals. It is awesome! They worked hard this morning and did all their work with no complaints! W00-Hoo! Little Bubba is super excited about our upcoming Zoo field trip! I think he is about to bust over getting to see the giraffes! :)

Oh, I forgot to mention...Kaden has finally got the potty thing completely! The poop wasn't all that difficult really - he is a prize lover and just put a few cowboys and Indians on the shelf he will poop 400 times a day to get them! LOL! Whatever works, right?

Well once again it has been such a long while since I last posted.

Life is as crazy as ever...when is it not!

The Johnson's have entered the 20th century again. After almost 3 years of dial-up we have DSL again...oh my goodness what a difference!!!!! LOL. BJ will be beside himself when he gets on the computer. We even went wireless with our router, so I can roam the casa and even the backyard with my laptop...no more being tied to the couch doing homework!!!! Woo-Hoo!

Well to update on the family...

Bug is doing so well in school. He had a "test" this morning. I wanted to assess his progress this month! He did awesome of course. Smart kid! :)

Little Bubba is our little volcano these days...our latest nickname! The head starts a steaming and you know its gonna blow! LOL He is a mess. Still loves the cowboys and Indians and Davy Crockett.

The boys and I went to the Dallas World Aquarium today - how awesome! Bug's favorite part was the sharks. Little Bubba liked the stingray's and mine was the pink flamingo. They have a rain forest exhibit going on right now and it is just awesome - so much to see!

BJ was in Houston some this week working a gig for one of the properties down there. They served BBQ, had a DJ and a longhorn to take pictures with for client appreciation. He said it went really well. He thinks he broke his toe when he dropped a table. Ouch!

My schooling is coming along well. I am in the "Pre-clinical experiences" phase - working on my first class right now. I have passed 5 so far - 9 to go. I go Monday to observe a 2nd grade class doing math work. I am so excited!

Oh one note! Mom is a distributor for Juice Plus now - those whole food supplements that are proven to help so well. I was taking them when I was pregnant and I am telling you from experience it made a difference in how I felt. I know I don't eat right and I know I don't get all the fruits and veggies I need, so anything I can do to help myself - well that is just awesome! I signed up Brian and I and we are looking into getting the boys started. If you have children 6-18 (I think it's 18) you can get their for free if you sign up for the child study. There are rules and such, I am sure you can find them on the website or just email mom and she can explain. She can even set up wellness clinics to give information to lots of people and such. Her website is: dwestsharesjuiceplus.com. Check it out!

Well all for now...back to school work for me!

Big News tonight. My bug read his first book to me. I am telling you I am so proud!!! My baby is growing up. I was beginning to wonder if he would ever just give in and read it. He has been decoding words for almost 2 years now, but wouldn't just read them. Well finally!!!! LOL! I have been using the Bob books since they are so repetitive, I hoped that would help and I think it finally did. He read one to Kaden and me tonight at bedtime. Can you believe that?!?!?!? What a kid.

Well, I have to get back to homework...just wanted to record our moment.

Pray for all of us as we are crazier than usual these days.

Kaden is as red as ever and working on "pooping in the potty" so he can earn a foot ninja from the Ninja turtles. LOL. Patience, Wendy, Patience....

Love to all...we-