Thanksgiving in Arizona

We spent a week in Arizona with Lanny's Dad and Stepmom for Thanksgiving. It was a wonderful trip! Both of Lanny's sisters and their families made it out for Thanksgiving as well as some of Lanny's cousins with their kids. There was quite the crew. We will let the pictures tell of our adventures and family fun. All of us cannot wait until we go back.

Moster Truck Tour of an Ostrich Farm - The boys LOVED it!

"Fishing" for Ostriches - Using bolts and orange slices.

Feeding the deer - Benjamin liked the deer better than the ostriches

Feeding the birds - Ryan was scared to death but Alyssa couldn't get enough of themSwimming with cousins

There was a lot more fun activities, but you get a good idea with these pictures the fun that we all had. It was wonderful being with family for the holiday.

Alyssa is 1!

Alyssa had her first birthday! What a joy in our life she has been. Our family is complete with her. What a surprise she was and a blessing she has been.

Her personality has begun to shine through. Like Ryan she loves to cuddle. She has moments of spontaneous laughter where her eyes sparkle and her laugh goes all the way to her toes. She loves to smile and play. She prefers the remote control to most of her toys even though it doesn't do anything. She has taken to climbing and we have found her on the desk in our room playing with the computer. She is definately drawn to the electronics. Somehow it runs in our family.

What a party we had for her and Grant for their birthdays. Tia planned and pulled off a fabulous birthday party. We had a costume party with games, food and cake. Oh, the train was a huge hit as well. The kids could not get enough of the train (Courtesy of Kevin and Jill Edwards).

Grant made a very cute sidekick as Robin.

Benjamin gets his cast.

Benjamin broke his arm at the end of September. He ended up going in to the operating room three days after he broke it. The surgeon ended up not having to pin it she was able to set it and cast it without surgery. It was very good news. He chose to have a purple cast. Right before surgery though the doctor found out that his favorite color was green and was surprised that he wanted purple. When he came out of surgery his green monkey had a purple cost on his arm and Benjamin had a purple cast that was accented with a bright green stripe to match his monkey. Benjamin was wonderful through it all. He was even disappointed that he could not go back to school until the following Monday. The cast is scheduled to come off on November 11 if all goes well and it heals as well as it has so far. He will most likely be in a long arm splint for the following 2 weeks.

OUCH!

Can you guess who this is? We had to make a trip to the emergency room on Sunday. One of our children - who wanted to remain annonymous to see if you could figure out/guess who it was - fell and broke his arm (okay it was not Alyssa). I must say us Johnstons when we do something we do it all the way - no holding back! Both bones are broke and are at different levels. He is scheduled to have surgery tomorrow morning to put a pin in the bone to stabilize the fracture. As you can see in the x-ray (below) it is displaced quite a bit and if we do not pin it he could lose all pronation and supination of the forearm; basically the ability to turn his palm up and down. We are very happy with the doctors who have treated him so far and are very happy with the surgeon that will be performing the procedure. We will keep everyone posted as to how he does with it all. Right now he is just bored because we can't send him to school until after the fracture is stabilized and in a cast.

Ryan is 3!

Ryan had this 3rd birthday on September 14th. What an exciting day. He has grown so much. It really is hard to believe how fast the time has flown by. We love our little Ryan!

Ryan has such a big heart. He loves to give hugs and kisses and loves to cuddle. He is a big helper around the house which is great because he makes the biggest messes in the house. He has a laugh that is so contagious. He is playful and loving.

We have been truely blessed to have him as part of our family.

Political Commentary

I have been following the political arena more closely this year than I ever have in the past. With the current issues before us and the possible changes that we are faced with it is more important than ever for us to make a stand on the core values we live by. My words are not as elequent as my sister-in-laws so I have added her comments below and agree with her 110%. I feel that we need to make this point and get the message out to all those who are not listening to the issues and are caught up in the hipe of the campaigns. Break down what is being said, "Hope" and "Change" is not reason enough to vote for someone!

Babbel views
"This election has gotten us so fired up. Now more than ever we totally 100% disagree with what is going on. Here are our issues:Those men, inspired by God, who founded this country established rights that every free man is entitled to. No where did they state that each man has the right to have his life paid for by the sweat of another man’s brow and efforts. There is no personal accountability for those who do nothing to receive help that has been earned by the sacrifices of others. People are responsible for their own lives and the lives of their families.Have we now decided that excellence and self improvement are to be punished? Apparently the democrats think so. If a man should improve his situation and make a good life for himself, he suddenly has to give at least 50% (under Obama) of that income to those who haven’t earned it. Look into the ideas of Marxism and Communism and you will find yourself reading the Democratic plan for this country under Obama’s leadership.While we need to be charitable to those who have less, being forced to give of our hard earned livelihood to those who do not deserve nor have earned it is wrong.For those who support the democratic party idea of establishing even greater economic handouts, I would like to know how we as a country will pay for it. They claim the national budget/deficit is out of control, but would like to increase government spending exponentially.Health care is another privilege we have, but not a right. People are not entitled to have their health care paid for when they take no personal responsibility for their current health conditions. If you have worked in a hospital you have seen that the majority of patients on government health care have gotten there because of their lifestyle choices, not because of an inherent medical condition. Please explain to me how any intelligent American can think that the government can efficiently and appropriately run a national health care system. They have been unable to manage medicaid, medicare and social security. How can they go from those failures to suddenly run a health care system that will then encompass the hundreds of millions of people currently in this country? Look at other countries that have national health care and you will find untold numbers of stories of horror of the medical care that is received/not received there.We feel very strongly that abortion and homosexual behavior is wrong. Our Heavenly Father has established these as unalienable truths that cannot be argued away. Abortion in all but a very few cases is exceptionally wrong. Homosexual behavior is wrong and entire cities (Sodom and Gomorrah) have been destroyed for it. While the majority of the Democratic party policies can be explained as a different way to deal with the problems in our country, there is absolutely no excuse for their views on abortion and gay rights. Those policies go directly against the commandments of God and the establishment of the family.Sen. Obama stated, "I'm going to teach them first of all about values and morals but if they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby. I don't want them punished with an STD." Apparently accountability and respect for human life do not count for much with him. I absolutely cannot respect anyone who feels that a baby is considered a punishment and that it can be gotten rid of with no eternal consequence. If he doesn’t want them punished with an STD perhaps the democrats should consider teaching correct moral principles to their children in addition to accountability for their actions. Sen Obama strongly disagreed with the Supreme Court ruling upholding the partial birth abortion ban. This is where you can be birthed to the head, just keep the head inside of the mother and then kill the baby. Where is the respect for human life? As far as gay rights go, I don’t feel I need to explain. Gay marriage is wrong, end of argument.With regards to the other issues at stake in this election, I don’t know enough to state clearly why I agree with one side and not the other. But honestly, WHO CARES!!! There is no way I could possibly live with myself by voting for a Democrat and supporting the policies listed above. Our Heavenly Father and our families need to be the two most important things in our lives. We plan on voting based on those issues that demonstrate our respect for our Heavenly Father’s commandments and the sanctity of the family."

Speak up! Write your congressmen! Take responsibility!

Water World, Denver Colorado

We went to Water World last weekend and had a blast! The boys loved it. Benjamin asked if we could come back again and I told him that it would probably be a while because it was an expensive trip. He, being so considerate and thoughtful, replied, "I have been saving my money, if I gave it to you would that help to pay for us to come again?"

Benjamin and I had a lot of fun on the two man water slides. We went on one that was in the dark and sent us down hill in circles. We both got dizzy going around and around and around. What a fun family day we had.

Even Ryan and Alyssa being so small had a good time playing in the water. Ryan went on a couple water slides with me but much preferred swimming in the pool to any rides they had there.

They had a great kids area that had small waterslides, waterfalls and fountains. The stairs even had water running down them between to three levels in the kids area. Ryan enjoyed this zone too, but not as much as the swimming pool. The lazy river was fun for Ryan as long as he didn't have to sit in the tube. He had his trusty life jacket and it carried him everywhere he wanted to go.

Ryan and Alyssa - One Saturday Morning

We were playing around the house today trying to get things picked up and just relaxing. We took the opportunity to take a few pictures as I am trying to update some of the frames on our walls at home. I noticed the other day that the last picture we gave my parents of Ryan was when he was 6 weeks old. Alyssa was only 4 weeks old. It is definately time to update her pictures as well. Here are some of the pictures that we came up with. You will just have to come visit us to see the rest!

Tyler learns to roller blade and Ryan rides his bike!

We found an old pair of rollerblades in out attick not too long ago and Tyler was ready to try them out. He put on his helmet and then the blades and was ready to go. He was skating down the road in no time. It is amazing how fast he learned how to skate. He is now flying down the sidewalks and spinning circles.


Here is Ryan on his bike. He got his bike last year for his birthday but he would never ride it. Mindy gave us Kylie's old pink and purple 3-wheeler which he LOVES!!!! He only wanted to ride the pink one and did not want to ride his new bike. We finally convinced him to try his bike and now he rides it up and down the sidewalks and the "community driveway".
What a Cutie!

Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas

While we were in Vegas Lanny took the kids to the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay. I wish that I could have been there as it looks and sounds awesome. The boys loved seeing all of the fish and sharks and touching the sting rays in the shallow pools. They each had their own set of headphones to listen to as they walked through the exhibits. That was pretty neat too they said. I guess the tanks were all ones that Reynolds Polymer built - where Casey is working. I am not sure if he helped on this project but I do know he helped on other projects in Las Vegas. Anyway...
Tyler and Ben listening to the guide as they watch the man in the tank feeding the fish and sharks. Ryan is just in front of them in the orange shirt.

Here they are feeding the sting rays. Ryan was unsure about them, he preferred to just watch while the other two boys would have jumped in with them.

You should have seen the size of the fish in this tank. Unfortunately they cannot be seen in this picture - I asure you it is not just a "fish tale".

The tunnel was neat walking through the tank with giant sharks and other fish swimming all around you. Have you ver seen the belly of a shark like this before?

Las Vegas Fun

I had a course to learn a new technique for soft tissue mobilization in Las Vegas a couple weeks ago. We used that time to make it a family trip. Lanny, the boys and Alyssa all came a long for the weekend. My mom and dad were also there since my dad took the course with me. My dad and I had fun in the course and learned a few things. Since we have come back we have used the technique quite a bit and have had good success with it.

Anyway, here are some of the fun things the kids and Lanny did while I was busy in class.

A vew of the strip at night.
The boys had to make a stop at M&M World. And you know that Lanny is not going to stop there without checking out the race car! They boys loved it too.
Out in front of the Luxor hotel Ben and Tyler stopped to pose.
Lanny, Tyler and Ben. They were tring hard not to smile. I think this was towards the end of the day. What a day they had. Our hotel was by the airport and the outlet malls, from there they took a shuttle to Mandalay Bay. From there they took the tram to the Excaliber. From the Excaliber they walked to the far side of the MGM Grand to the Tram Station which took them to the far end of the strip. From the tram station they walked to Circus Circus. After seeing what Circus Circus had and playing the carnival games they started walking back towards the other end of the strip. Tyler walked the entire way. They atarted on the strip at 10 am and we made it back to the hotel at 10 pm that night. Benjamin hopped on Lanny's back a couple times but overall did most of the walking. What troopers we have!!!!

The boys thought that Excaliber was pretty neat. We had to show them where we were going to be the next evening. We took the boys while my parents kept Alyssa, to a dinner show at the Excaliber called "The Tournament of Kings". It was so neat. The boys were so tuned in to the show and the knights competing in the games that they forgot about the food in front of them. We were served a three course meal which included "Dragon's Blood" soup, a whole game chicken roasted and a really good dessert. Afterwards Ben asked if we could move to Las Vegas so that we can go see it more often.

We had a wonderful trip. It was so much fun to spend that time together as a family and to have some time with my mom and dad outside of the office.

Lanny's "new" wife

I was looking through pictures this past week as we were getting ready for a garage sale and realized that I have had the same hairstyle/cut since high school. It was terrible. I definately needed a change and so I went and had my hair changed on Saturday.

(Not the best picture, but I needed to get something up before too many

people got mad at me for not posting it soon enough)

I really like it! I had compliments on it before I even left the salon. Multiple people at church did not recognize me right away - including one of my aunts! I knew then that this was a good change for me and I am happy that I did it. It ended up shorter than what I had wanted but I am okay with it right now. What do you think?

Benjamin graduates from Kindergarten

He made it! Benjamin had his Kindergarten graduation this past Tuesday. Looking back to the first day/week of school he has made amazing leaps and bounds. He went from a very shy boy who would not even open his mouth to speak to the teacher to being very open and well liked by all of the children in his class. His teachers both loved him.

Benjamin and Mrs. Brooks

He now moves up to First grade. He will have the same Teacher as Tyler has had for the past two years (first and second grade is combined in our school so the kids have the same teacher for two years). She can hardly wait to have Benjamin in her class. They head back to school on July 16th.

Xel-Ha

We spent one full day at a place called Xel-Ha. We were all so excited to go as we heard many things about it and there were advertisements everywhere for the place. We all woke up early, put on our swim suits, lathered on the sun screen and hopped in the vans.

As you first walk into the park you walk past the dolphin pins. That was where you could swim with the dolphins. The boys were not tall enough and it was rather expensive so we passed this year but we will do it when everyone gets a little older. The next thing we came across were some beautiful parrots. We had to stop. Ryan and Alyssa loved the colors. We tried to get a picture of Ryan holding one of the parrots but as he held it the bird turned his head towards him and it really scared him. We were not going to get a good picture after that. We did get some of the other boys but I have not scanned them into the computer yet. Sorry.

Behind Lanny, Benjamin and Alyssa is the opening of the bay. It was so beautiful. We all had a chance to snorkle, feed some fish, swim and just enjoy being in the warm water. We saw beautiful fish and some fish the size of Ryan. Those ones were a little scary.

One area of the park had hammocks hanging between to trees everywhere. Benjamin swung in them for quite a while. Alyssa took a little break with him in one as we just kicked back and relaxed for a while.
Here is Tyler after swimming the river. It was quite a hike to the end of the river and more of a swim than what we thought it would be. What fun though. Ryan was whipped at the end of the day. This picture was even taken after he slept for an hour. He played hard all day long until he literally dropped. Lanny picked him up, sat down at the table to have dinner and he was out that quickly. He was not ready to leave though, he was loving the water, the small kiddie pool and of course the all you can eat ice cream all day long.

All over the park were huge igaunas. You could find them everywhere. This was one of the small ones we saw while we were there. The boys loved it especially Benjamin. Hebrought a journal with him to write about his trip for school and every page just about talked about the iguanas he saw throughout the park here. The girls screamed every time they saw one in the beginning. BY lunch they had gotten used to them and it wasn't so bad.

What a great day it was. We were lucky that the day was just a little overcast so we did not have the direct sun beating down on us all day. The temperature was perfect, the water was wonderful and the company could not be beat!