This is the place

Saturday we spent the entire day at This is the Place State Park. It is such a fun place. We ended up getting a season pass because we love it so much. We were there for about 8 hours and didn't get to see and do everything. We were kind of slow cause the kids wanted to hear and see everything, but it was a great day!

Me and Makenna did our best at mocking the statues, she of course is much funnier than me and kicked my butt!

Makenna and Steve found that they were really good at stilts. The rest of us pretty much sucked. Kenna liked it so much that Steve is making her some of these things. Too funny!
The kids found some caskets and had to pose in them. They are so funny.


The kids wanted to pull the handcarts but they weren't able to this time. I let them move them forwards and back time so that they could get a feel for them when no one was looking. Next time they should be able to take them for a spin!!
We played a pioneer game where you roll a medal wheel with a stick. The first one down the hill wins. I raced Steve...
I think we can all see who won!
Look at that speed!!!
The kids loved it too. They were so funny to watch.


They got to make puppets. They turned out really cute. Kenna named hers BOB and wrote a note on his back that said, "Bob, don't mess with him!"

It was baby animal days so the kids got to pet all the babies and ride on the ponies. They loved it. Kenna wanted to kiss a baby pig, but I wouldn't let her! Sick-o!



They also got to make necklaces out of real Indian arrows and then at the end take the money they earned doing yard work and buy some souvenirs. It was a great day!

Long weekend!

We had the best four day weekend ever! It was so nice to have all of us together and just cram as much into the weekend as we could. First though, we had to get something important done. The neighbors grass was making a home of our flower beds and it was making me crazy. I went out the other day and worked on it, but the shovel just wasn't going into the ground good and it was taking forever. So, Steve said he would do it and then we could get some mulch down. So we went to the stinky dump for our mulch and got to work. Steve offered to pay the kids for their time knowing that they would want some spending money for the weekend. They worked hard. It turned out looking really good and so I was a happy woman. We celebrated with Mexican Food for dinner!

Late night!

The kids all wanted to have a late night so bad. So, they each got to invite a friend. They invited Josh, Will, and Emily. We made pizzas and then they played and had a great time. Our late night ended at 8:30 because Coren had school the next day, but I told them that they could do a really late night once school was out. I am sure they will be taking me up on it as soon as they can.

Biography

Carson wrote his Biography at school and brought it home. It read:

Carson

Who is nice fast and handsom

Brother/Sister of Makenna Coren

Who loves famly uonkils and anuts and Blue

Who feels happe exided and angrey

Who needs food famly home maney clows me botey bed covers Blanket Pelow drinks home

Who geves candey Bandads and loves hugs

Who fears snaks spiders and Dark

Who would like to see bere

Who shares candey

Who is nice

Who is responspel

of Utah Last name Johns

Frostbite!

Dear Garden:

I took so much time to take care of your plants, and to plant you. I even tried to protect you from the snow (the latest snow in Utah history). I so wanted you to live! I worried about you for two days hoping that you would live and give me some veggies!

Today I finally got the nerve to go and check on you and see if you survived. Well, it wasn't pretty! I slowly made my way to the garden...
I found death and frostbite! It was a sad situation!

I tried I really did! I have learned from this and hopefully it won't happen to me in the future. So now what to do? Plant again?

I Heart Shopping!

OK, so I am kind of an obsessed coupon shopper. Last week Smiths was running a special where they would match coupons up to $1. I had to go even though I had the worst sinus infection and felt like total crap. I got SO much stuff and saved SO much money. Lots of my stuff was totally free, which I of course love!

When it came time for my receipt to print it just kept coming and coming. I stuck it on the fridge because I thought it was so funny. Steve came home a few days later and started laughing and told me that it was bigger than I was. I didn't believe him... but sure enough it was. So I guess the joke in this is:

You know you are short when your grocery receipt is taller than you are.

Makennas SBO speech

Makenna decided to run for Student Body Officer. She was really nervous because she had to come up with a speech that would stand out. Friday was the big day. She got out of school and was SO excited. She had beaten 11 other kids and won it! My VERY FAVORITE part was that she said that she voted for a girl who she didn't think anyone else would vote for and not for herself. That alone tells me that she should be SBO!!! Next she gives this speech in front of the entire school along with the kids that won in the other 4 classes. Here is her speech.

Tears are rolling down my face!

Just heard the best conversation between Coren and his friend.

Coren: Do you swear on your mothers grave? Cause if you lie you will have to kill your mother.

Josh: I don't want to kill my mother.

Coren: Yeah, so don't lie.

Josh: I heard on the news that a Mom and Dad killed their son!!!

Coren: How did they kill him? Oh I bet they gave him all sugar.

Josh: Yeah. Or stabbed him with a knife.

So random. So funny. And yes, I tell my child that if he only eats sugar he will die. Woops, my bad! I guess it left an impression!

Breakfast yummies!

So I have been spoiling my kids lately with gourmet breakfasts. Bacon, eggs, and all. It has been testing at school, so they have been needing to eat extra good. Here are a few of our favorites.

Waffles

2c. flour (I use half white and half whole wheat*)

2tbsp. baking powder

2tbsp. sugar (I use one)

2c. milk

2 eggs

1/2c. oil.

Pancakes (so freaking good!)

1 1/2 cup flour (I use half white and half wheat*)

3 1/2 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. sugar

1 1/4 c. milk

1 egg

3 tbsp. melted butter

Mix dry ingredients and add wet ones.

*Tastes best with just white flour, but we are trying to be healthy around this joint and it still tastes so great this way!!!

Cute!

I just found an envelope in Carsons room. He made it out of paper, and decorated it. It read:

Carsons cash stash

asom right

It made me laugh!!! And... it was empty!

105 mile bike race!

Steve just completed his first 105 mile bike race. Let me point out that the race was supposed to be 100 miles, but they added an extra 5. Not fun! He did so great. He came flying past us in Centerville at mile 16 in a huge pack! It was so cool because they were going so fast you could just hear them flying by.

(that is him towards the back with his arm up)

We met up with him at lunch. They actually stop and chill out and eat. It was a weird concept for me, but I am sure that it was nice to get off the bike for a while.

Coren got stung by a bee at the playground while we were at lunch. He gets stung by SO many bees. It was sad!


I arrived at the finish line an hour early, making sure I could get a good spot. Anyone who has been to a marathon knows what I am talking about. When I got there, this is what I found. It made me laugh.

While we waited for him to finish, the boys played in a big tree and with a dog they found. Carson didn't want to climb the tree cause he didn't want to get hurt. I gave him a pep talk on how we should try things, and next thing I know he comes over with bark in his eye telling me he NEVER should of climbed the tree. BUT, he went back and climbed it again.

Steve came across the finish line and let me know how he felt. Actually, he felt pretty good considering. We were way proud of him!!!

Still scary!

Coren has always been such a scary kid! He has NO FEAR and freaks people out. He just got home from a friends birthday party. They went to a place called Jumpin Jacks that has tons of large inflatable bounce houses and stuff. Well when the Mom dropped him off she came and told me, "I don't know how it happened, I don't even know how he would have done it or how it was possible, but Coren somehow bounced over a cover on one of the big slides and then landed back on the slide. He was fine, somehow, but I just don't know how it could have happened. It happened right at the first and so we watched him really good after that..."

I am telling you he is a wild child. When I asked him how it happened he said that it was just really bouncy and he jumped really high and did a flip. He said that he didn't even hit the slide cover, just bounced right over it. WOW! I felt bad, I swear that kid!!

Mothers Day

I am such a lucky Mom. My cute kids and husband showered me with gifts and love on Mother's Day this year. They really know how to make you feel special. I loved all of the cute handmade things the kids had for me, and Kenna got me the biggest card you have ever seen. Being a Mom is such a great thing, I cannot imagine what my life would be like without my kids. Less busy I guess, but so empty! I am so grateful for all of the joy that they bring to my life.

Later that day my Mom and Dad came over for a BBQ. I have a great Mom and my kids LOVE their Grandma. I think it is safe to say that we had a perfect day!

Phoenix

We took a great trip to Phoenix to visit the family that lives there. We had tons of fun. The first day we just all hung out. The "original five" as we like to call ourselves. We ate LOTS of good food and had tons of fun!

The second night Zak and Katie had reserved us a cabana at SandBar. It is a club/bar. We got treated well, and as the designated driver, I got to watch everyone get silly and crazy!

The cabana came with a bottle of vodka and some mixers. It came out flaming. A party in a bottle I guess you would say!

Janeen gave us a good laugh with her "winkie" comment and had us all laughing and winking. (had to be there for sure!)

Even the drive home was pretty entertaining. We were all laughing at who knows what and being dumb.

Kristen, Brooke, and I spent the night at Zak and Katies and were amazed by their energy at 4 in the morning. It was quite the slumber party.

We had a fun trip, hopefully we will be able to do it again soon!

It was fun to see everyone while we were there and it was GREAT for me to have a break (thanks Steve!) and relax a little!

Confession

It's time I come out of the closet.

Yes, I have a serious confession to make.

Drumroll please....:**:....:**......:**:......

I Brandi Johns am a STALKER!

See this is how it goes. I try to mind my own business, I really do! Then out of nowhere BAM! I run into the most interesting people! OK, so we never really meet face to face, so I can easily justify my stalking, but I cyber stalk them. I find out everything I can about them. I get anxious to find out more. Soon they are part of my day. I wake up reading about their lives, wanting just a little more than they are giving me. I want to be a fly on their wall. They seem to make me a better person. Uplift me. Make me realize that whatever comes my way I can take it, and I can take it with a smile on my face, knowing that if they can do it then so can I!

A while back I started stalking a new victim. She was a beautiful mother of four who had been in a serious airplane crash with her husband. She was burned so terribly that they thought she would die. I hung on every word I could find on her. I wanted to help her. I wanted to see her face and look into her eyes to see if her soul had been taken from her that day. How could she go on?

I started to hear of the pain she faced every day. The simple act of holding her crying child brought unbearable pain. She had to have her wounds scrubbed for hours each day, something I cannot even fathom. She didn't always think living would be worth it. But it was. She has inspired me to be a better person and to have a better attitude.

Please take a minute to watch her story. Find wisdom in her strength and courage to live. I am humbled by her, and hope to complain less, laugh more, and be grateful for the people I have in my life because they are truly what make it all worthwhile.

(Non -religious folk can simply skip the last minute if desired. ;))