Ashley Fall 2010 Leaves

Old Ashley pics

I just found these pictures of Ashley enjoying the water au naturale.  I'm sure I have pictures of her in the kitchen sink too.  She is nearly one in this picture but I'm not exactly sure how old.  She has always loved playing in the water regardless of whether it's the sink, hose, pool or beach.

Halloween

 Here are the kids in their cute (ish) costumes.  Ashley the lion, Ryan the DJ, Izzy the vampire, and Tommy the pumpkin (thanks Jenn).  They enjoyed the ward trunk or treat.  We were lucky the weather turned out nice.  The next day was pretty bitter.

 Ashley was adorable in her lion costume.  Thanks to Cassie for letting us use it!

 Izzy and Ryan handing out candy after they gathered their loot.

 Ashley and Brigham Moses - the wild friends.

Ashley and Scott at the end of a long day.

Grandma Allen started a new tradition last year.  She wrote a poem, dressed as a witch and read it in a very cackley voice.  This is the poem from this year.  She is amazing just in case you're wondering.

Halloween 2011 

By Grandma Allen

PETER PAUL PRINGLE

Peter Paul Pringle

          Got set for the night

With his cape, nose and glasses

          He looked quite a sight.

His shoes were all pointy

          And his hair stiff as glue

Now Peter Paul Pringle

          Knew just what to do,

He got a huge bag

          And held it real tight

For all of his treats

          On this Halloween Night.

Whimpy, small bags

          Just wouldn’t do.

No! His bag was big

King size times two.

In his deepest, gruff voice

          He made his request:

“Give me treats or a trick,

          But I like treats the best”

So on Peter walked

          From sidewalk to door,

The goodies he dropped

          In his bag on the floor.

Clouds covered the moon

          On that crisp autumn night

When something happened

          To give Peter a fright.

With each step he took

          He heard a strange sound,

But no one was there

          When Pete turned around.

“Scrtichy, scratch, scratchy”,

          Was the noise that he heard.

“Scritchy, scratch, scratchy”.

          That sound was absurd!

So Peter Paul Pringle

          Picked up the pace.

Now his trick or treat treating

          Turned into a race.

But the faster he went

          The more that sounds came back,

“Scritchy, scratch, scratchy

          And chomp, slurpy smack”.

With his teeth all a chatter

          And his knuckles turned white

He was not certain he’d finish

          Treating this night.

“Sritchy, scratch, scritchy

          Chomp, slurpy, smack

Croak, clop, clop, croak”.

          Would something attack?

Now was the time

          For a serious choice.

Should he run or stay put

          If he heard a new voice?

But hey, just a second

          Something’s not quite right,

His bag should be heavy

          He’d been filling it all night.

But it was light as a feather

          As though filled with thin air.

Something strange and quite fishy

          Was going on there.

Using all of his courage

          He stopped in his tracks,

Looked down at the sidewalk,

          As he heard, “smack, smackety, smack”.

What he saw sure surprised him,

          On the bag was a hole

Where three hungry critters

          Ate his treats as they’d roll.

Taffy and wrappers

          And a toosie roll log

Were stuck on the faces

          Of a cat, dog and frog.

Peter Paul Pringle

          Laughed at the sight.

No over eating sweets for him

          On this Halloween Night.

Next year you can bet

          The bag for his treats

Won’t be so big

          That it drags in the streets!         

Thomas, Mom and Ashley

Ashley-isms

Ashley-isms

Yesterday in the car:

Ash: Mommy!  Mommy!

Me: What Ash?

Ash: I yuv my daddy.

(so, so cute…and out of the blue)

Do la-gain  (do again – when playing with Scott or me)

My do it myself!

I get it!! (Talking about the door, or a diaper, or the phone, you get the idea)

Names for Thomas:

Yiddo guy, yiddo man…cub (higher pitch), feetie pie, feet heart, feet boy,  you baby (talking to me), my baby (talking to anyone who might want to interact with Thomas…the mood (possessive or proud) depends on who she’s talking to.

Ashley loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and the 12 Dancing Princesses Barbie movie.  She loves marshmallows .  She loves our neighbor Katelyn who is 3.  They are very competitive but adore each other.  Lately she has been super whiney but I’m hoping that she will be done with that soon – I’m hoping it’s an adjustment to Tommy so we’re about done!

She is a treasure and a delight and we love her!!

Thomas' blessing day 9-18-11

Thomas Glenn Johnson was given a name and a blessing today.  Scott gave him a beautiful blessing.  Scott was joined by Grandpa Allen, Jon, Justin, Peter, Mark Eddy, Mark Johnson, Wesley Johnson and Shane Littlefield.

Some of the things he  blessed Thomas with:  That he would grow up healthy and strong.  That he has been and will continue to be a joy to his parents and siblings.  That he would be a righteour priesthood holder.  That he would someday go to the temple with a worthy young woman.  That he would desire to follow the counsel of the living prophet.  That he would be blessed because of his decision to follow that counsel.

Even though it wasn't a fast Sunday I was given the opportunity to share my testimony.  I shared my feelings about the link between us and our ancestors and how they care very much what happens to us.  I related briefly the experiences I had bringing our three big kids home and how I felt very strongly that our loved ones had a hand in helping our birthmothers make the courageous decision to place their babies in our arms.  I shared how as the day neared that Thomas would be born I worried about what stories I would tell him, how did the angels help to get him into our home.  I didn't share these worries with Scott and yet just before we left for the hospital he and my dad and Peter and Mark (?) gave me a blessing.  Scott blessed me that our guardian angels would be there during his delivery.  I began to cry as I received an answer to a prayer and again my connection to my loved ones was strengthened.

I do have a testimony of the importance of families in Heavenly Father's plan for us.  I have a testimony that our loved ones who have gone before us continue to love and care for us.  I am so very, very blessed.

Thomas was fortunate enough to wear a very special blessing gown.  His great-great Grandma Mary Cottrell (mother of Lenore who was mother of Glenn) made the gown for Scott's dad, Glenn's, blessing day.  It was a beautiful, fragile, sweet connection to a grandfather that Thomas will never know in this life but that I hope he will learn from the stories we tell and come to love him as we do.


After church we met in Grandma and Grandpa Allen's backyard for a luncheon.  We had lots of friends and family there to share the joyful day.  People in attendance:
Johnsons:  Mark, Luanne, Mallory, Marissa, Timmy, Wesley and his wife Cassie
                Carolyn
                Joann, Bryan, Josie, and Chloe
                Steve, Paul, and Diane all had conflicting calling commitments as well as Orva being laid up after a                          scooter accident

Allens:  Grandma and Grandpa
            Jon, Kristen, Jack and Avery
            Cassie, Riley, Calvin, Brent, Amy, Tyler
            Annie, Mark, Joseph, Jessica, Brandon, Jacob, Melissa, and Grace
            Justin, Wendy, Lily and Audrey
            Jennie, Peter, Clementine, Anchor and Axle

Friends:  Amy Littlefield, Moses Family, Fairbanks Family, Eddy Family, Cummings Family (Kathleen), Pangalinan Family, Lawrence Family (Arlynn), Sigua Family, Nielson Family (Camille), Jessica Andreason

It was a good day even though it ended with sadness for Thomas as he got accidentally clubbed in the head by Ashley tossing my cell phone out of her way and unwittingly hitting him.  He also had blue frosting in several places on his head by the end of the day from Ashley loves. (She really knows how to love him!)

A sweet neighbor brought over a written transcript of his blessing (as best as she could do).  Here it is:

Thomas Glenn Johnson Baby Blessing

 September 18, 2011

Dear Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus Christ by the authority of the Melcezidek Priesthood which we hold, we give you a name and a blessing which you will be known throughout your life and on the records of the church, Thomas Glenn Johnson.  We give you a blessing, we want you to know you have been a great joy in our home and we bless you to continue to be to your parents and siblings and extended family.  We bless you with health and strength.  I bless you to be able to grow, to be healthy and strong.  I bless you with a desire to learn from your parents and teachers.  We bless you to know of your ancestors and their love for you.  You will receive strength from family members who have gone before.  We bless you Thomas to develop a keen mind and a firm testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  We bless you to feel Heavenly Father’s love and Spirit and influence in your life as you follow the guidance of the Holy Ghost.  We bless you to make wise choices.  We bless you to follow the principles of the gospel as you make friends.  We bless you to learn and grow in the gospel to be a worthy Priesthood holder and to serve and fulfill a mission when the time comes to take a worthy young lady to be sealed in the temple for time and all Eternity.  We bless you to be righteous and to be obedient and true to the covenants you make.  We bless you with a desire and an ability to heed the teachings and counsel of the living prophets.  Strengthen and receive great joy, in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Thomas and the kids (pics are of him at 2-4 days old)

 When Thomas was born Ryan, Isabelle and Ashley were with my family in Eden for several days.  They were excited to see pictures of him and to talk to us on the phone but they were having a marvelous time with the cousins.  Scott went up to be with them Friday evening and to bring Ashley back with him but Isabelle insisted on skipping out on the Saturday events to come see us in the hospital.  They arrived around 10:00 in the evening.  We were all tired, but the girls were so pleased to meet and snuggle their new brother. (Sidenote: I wish Izzy would let me do her hair like this, it's so cute!!)
Izzy has been a huge helper since Thomas came home.  She loves to snuggle him and does her best to be his second mother.  She is very sweet with him and has learned how to be more gentle as she has gotten older.  She is a delightful little mother.

 Ashley loves Thomas more than Tommy and I can quite handle.  She loves to give him kisses all over his face and is thrilled if she can catch him with his shirt off to blow a few raspberries.  She loves to talk to him and calls him, "Feetie Pie, Feet Boy, Feetheart, Yiddo Guy or Yiddo Man---cub"  She misses him when he naps and cries (loud and hard) when I walk past with him in my arms without letting her "see" him.  I've caught her on several occasions jumping over him while he's laying on the floor - I've also put a quick stop to it.  She gives him open mouth kisses which aren't my fav but I can't figure out how to stop them yet.  She has been the biggest challenge of having another child.  She adores him but hates to share me.  She will often cry, "Move 'em!!" when she wants him out of my arms so she can have me to herself.  I'm looking forward to fewer tantrums in the near future (hopefully that's not just wishful thinking!).  She loves to help by getting diapers and putting his binkie in his mouth.  The last few days she's been trying to pick him up - something else we need to nip in the bud.  It's really sweet to see how much she loves him even though she hasn't learned how to be super gentle yet.

 Ryan loves having Thomas around.  He loves that people say they look alike.  He loves making him smile and this week he was the recipient of one of the first laughs.

Thomas has been a delight to have in our home.  He is happy and sweet, quick to smile and enjoys a good snuggle.  He has figured out nursing quite well much to my surprised enjoyment.  He is growing into a sweet chubby little charmer.  He has just a little bit of strawberry blonde hair.  Most of it fell out but one patch in the back.  It has started growing back which is so fun because he is fuzzy all over.  He has decided in the last few weeks that he likes his bath but he doesn't get as much time as he wants because our bedtimes are fairly hectic.  I haven't gotten him on a grand schedule yet but he is doing better and taking longer more consistent naps.  We love him more than we can say and we are so thankful he is ours!!