Washington and Virginia- AWSOME

Jon spent 3 weeks in Virginia working. He was expecting to be working all 21 days he was there. They finished their project a couple of days early so I had the opportunity to fly out there and spend some time with him. He was staying just south of Richmond so Washington DC was just a couple of hours away as well as Virginia Beach. We spent 2 days exploring DC and still didn't see everything. DC is wonderful!!! We had so much fun seeing the sites of the National Mall and Arlington Cemetery. We went to the top of the Washington Monument and took a tour of the Capital building. We also drove out to the Washington DC temple. It is a beautiful building with a wonderful spirit! The second day spent in Washington, we walked through part of the the Smithsonian, the National Archives, and went past the White House. It was hot and humid so my hair became a whole new entity. We stopped and watched a rugby match that was being played on the Mall. That was fun since we have never seen one before. We even rode on the Metro which was quite an experience for two country bumpkins from Idaho. On day 3 we drove out to Virginia Beach. We walked along the beach and played in the Atlantic Ocean. We also saw Chesapeake Bay and saw lots of things that you just don't see in Idaho. It was 3 wonderful days of being together, having fun, and seeing new things!

Back to School

It's back to school time and I always try and take the kids photos in the fall. It helps ease the guilt of not buying the mug shots from school. It has been quite a change with all of the kids in school all day. I have missed them but have enjoyed getting things done although my list of projects hasn't decreased much. The kids are loving being back in school. Spencer loves 1st grade, Leann is thriving in 3rd, and Abby can't get enough of 4th.

End of summer fun!

Rexburg always has a Celebrate Youth party in the park at the end of each summer. We have made it a tradition to go. The kids were excited to go again this year. We got to play in the Splash Park, ride the carosel, climb the rock wall, and play games to win prizes. We even watched a National Guard helicopter land in the park. The kids could go through it to see a helicopter up close. It was way cool! This year was extra fun because we had Pearson cousins and Johnston cousins there. We are always glad to see summer end but the kids are anxious for school to start. (So is mom. All of the kids gone all day long. aaahhhh:)

Summer vacation 2008

What a great trip!!
Our family decided it was time to take a serious road trip. We had planned on going to Montana this summer, we just took the long way to get there. Mount Rushmore called!!!! Early Friday morning we took off. The start of the trip was a little bumpy but after we got going it was smooth sailing except for the hourly stop we made for Spencer to "go" in the weeds along side of the road. (This happened for the WHOLE trip mind you.) The Grand Tetons were beautiful in the early morning but by the time we got to central Wyoming, the novelty had worn off, along with the beauty of the mountains. The good new was there was plenty of grasshoppers along the road for Spencer to "go" on. About mid-day we made it to Martins Cove and had a great time pulling hand carts going through the visitors center. It sure made us appreciate our air-conditioned van! We made it to Mount Rushmore at about 8:30 that evening, just in time for the lighting ceremony. What a spectacular program! We stayed in Rapid City and couldn't believe how much there is for families to do around there. The next morning we got to spend more time at Mount Rushmore, tour an old gold mine, pan for gold, and do some shopping. Sunday it was back in the car for the trip to Fairfield with a side trip to Devils Tower. Luckily there was tons of weeds and bugs for Spencer to "go" on through Wyoming and Montana. We had great fun visiting with friends and family in Fairfield. (Sorry to all of you that we didn't get to see, we love you dearly but time ran out.) We spent time in Choteau at the Dinosaur Museum, Great Falls at Giant Springs and the State Fair. The kids loved playing with the cousins. It was great for Spencer have some good "boy" time, playing in the mud and dirt. We also discovered the even dads and moms can have fun playing with Barbies:) We really had a fabulous trip but we were so happy to be home again. The trip actually went really well, we might do it again (in a year or two:)

These things never happen to me!

On Saturday, Jon and I took the kids to the free fishing day at Lone Pine Nursery. There were tons of people there and it was really hot. As we got there, we were able to put our names in for prizes. Well, we mozy over to the pond and Jon gets the kids poles set up and in the water. This requires quite a bit of energy so Leann and I went over and got us each a hot dog. While we were standing there waiting, what should happen??? They drew Jeri's name for a prize. It is a beautiful hanging basket, valued at about $250.00. The basket is HUGE. It took up almost the whole back of the van and the stand is taller than the kids. I was so shocked. The best thing I have ever won in my life was a coloring contest from the Great Falls Tribune in the 2nd grade. I got a skateboard then. We were all pretty excited to bring this giant thing home. It now sits in the front of the house.

Fun in Utah!

This last weekend, May 23-25th we had a Melvin Pearson family reunion in Utah. Paul and Ramona were kind enough to host us all at their home in Tremonton. On Friday we celebrated mom's 60th birthday with gifts and a cake with all 60 candles! We couldn't get them lit fast enough so she just blew out a portion of them. On Saturday most of us spent the day at Lagoon. We had decided that all of the adults would wear red shirts and all of the kids would wear a bright green shirt so we could easily spot everyone. The morning was so cold that we all ended up wearing jackets. Luckily by the afternoon it warmed up so we could show off our great fashions:) We really had a fun day and rode as many rides as our tummies and heads would allow. That evening we went back to Tremonton to celebrate mom and dad's 60th anniversary. Ramona had made a beautiful cake and Melanie helped the kids learn a song about grandparents. I just helped shop for the gifts. Us Johnston's took the long way home on Sunday and drove through Logan. We stopped at the temple and showed the kids the University and all of the places that Jeri lived while she attend school there. We really took the long way home by going through Soda Springs, Freedom, Wyoming, and Swan Valley. The kids were screaming to get home by the time we reached Ririe but it was really a fun time.

A perk of living by the river

One of the perks of living near a river is that you can go fishing pretty much whenever you have time. We finally had a nice evening this spring so the dads decided to take the kids fishing. The kids had fun playing and exploring but didn't get much fishing done. Luckily the dads got to wet their hooks. It was a great evening to be at the river.