Last Day

Well, I can't believe the girls are officially in 1st and 3rd grades now... They have each had really fantastic school years; we really couldn't be happier. Grace learned and grew up so much this year: she is now reading simple books and is much braver socially and is more confident. Her teacher gave each child a special book of her work and activities through the year. It is adorable and fascinating to see all that Grace did in kindergarten and how much even just writing her name has improved. She is definitely ready for 1st grade (but I'm not so sure I am!). Here is Grace with Miss Moore:

As most everyone knows, Anna has also had a great year. Her teacher continued to inspire and awe me. Plus, I just really, really LIKE her. I know Anna will miss her. Anna is still reading phenomenally well. She just loves it and finds so much pride and satisfaction in reading. It really is one of her most favorite ways to spend her time. Here is Anna with Mrs. Blair:

We also found out who the girls will have next year as their teachers. I'm really happy about who they got, but it should be kind of confusing keeping them straight: Grace has Ms. Cotter and Anna has Mr. Cottle. Cottle/Cotter: confusing! Both teachers will be good fits for the girls. Unfortunately, Grace's best friend got another teacher, but Mikah will be on G's soccer team next year and they will have lots of playdates:

Cute

A completely cute baby I photographed last week (it really was a busy, busy week; I don't jest...). She looked directly at me for every picture. Love her. She made my job very easy indeed.

Dance Finale

Also a week ago, the girls had their dance recital. They both danced beautifully. They will still be taking dance this summer, though, so I guess it's not really a finale after all...



With the infamous, wonderful Miss Beth:

Soccer Wrap-Up

A couple of weeks ago, Grace had her last soccer game. She absolutely loved playing soccer--and it was really exciting to see how much the girls improved this year. Even though Adam's soccer knowledge was minimal at best at the beginning of the year, he was an amazing coach. This spring, when I finally went to a soccer practice, I was amazed by all the drills they did at practice: it was like Adam knew what he was doing! Quite a stud. :-)

Anyway, here are some pictures of Grace and her team playing in one of their last games:

(Adam ties A LOT of shoe laces)


After their last game, we had the team (and many of their supporters and fans) over for an end of season BBQ. It was super fun. We've been lucky to be a part of such a cohesive team. We really loved all the girls and their parents. Hopefully, they'll be together again next year.

Grace is already signed up and ready (and so is Adam!).

taking over

Karyn left for California last night to be there for Jessica's college graduation and the after-celebrations. Nice going Jessie!


But just because Karyn isn't here doesn't mean that we can't continue the blog with the same breakneck speed that she so religiously dedicates herself to.


When Karyn's out of town, we engage in crazy behavior and wild times. Specifically, we ride public transportation, this time the train to Salt Lake. This was Anna's first time on the heavy rail line; Grace and I rode it once before. We went with Peter and his parents, whose names escape me for the moment. Everyone under the age of 9 got to get a new book. Everyone over the age of 9 got to pay for the new books and lunch.

A few days before this, I got to go with Anna's 2nd grade to Kennecott's Bingham Canyon Mine, the largest man-made excavation on the entire planet. It was rainy/snowy cold and windy and it was hard to see the other side of the big hole (which is over two miles away), and almost as hard to see the bottom (which is almost a mile down). I suggested driving the school bus down there, but if you consider the size of the other trucks in the mine you realize that there's a reason the school bus shouldn't be in the mine. The big scoops could quite literally and quite easily pick up the entire bus with plenty of room left over for copper ore.

The next day was swim day for the entire school, one grade at a time. I went with Grace's kindergarten class with a few other parents (Karyn was at the yarn shop for the day). I was one of two dads, which meant the two of us got to oversee the kindergarten boys' changing out of wet swimsuits, drying off, and getting back into clothes. There were a few missing socks and only one extra pair of underwear lying around. I didn't take any pictures. You can picture it quite clearly.

Anything but Brown Brownies

Yesterday, our Brownie troop met for the last time this year; they looked so sunny walking around Nature Center in their new tie-dyed shirts!  One mascot (Peter) and 13 girls equals two tired leaders. 

T-Ball Dropout

So, even though we have officially dropped out of T-ball, Grace still loves to wear her hat.  Just seeing her wearing it on and off throughout the day is worth the $15 we paid for her to play t-ball, even though we only ever made it to one practice.  We were all pretty excited for Grace to play t-ball...  It was Grace's idea, out of the blue, that she wanted to play t-ball this year.  Oma, excited she has a granddaughter of her own heart, bought her a new mitt, balls, a tee, and a bat.  They practiced while she was here last month, Grace remembering everything Oma told her.  

Then we had practice:  an hour and a half practice.  Immediately following her hour long dance class.  It was hot out that day.  Grace did great, though.  Then she got sick and missed the next practice.  Then she didn't want to go.  I never really wanted her to go, because DUDE, t-ball is INTENSE!  Who knew the t-ball schedule would be so grueling??!!  Two games/week plus and hour and a half practice.  On top of us already juggling dance, soccer, school, and Girl Scouts.  So, we dropped out.  She has plenty of time left to be a baseball star.  So, for all of you out there who don't think I know how to stop, I proclaim, "UNCLE!"  

Grace still plays catch in the backyard with her daddy, and--even cuter--bats Tycho's balls to him off her tee.  A perfect end to the story if you ask me.  :-)

Happy Mother's Day!!

Happy Mother's Day out there to all the wonderful mothers I know!  I hope you all have a wonderful day.  I awoke to find a new bird bath from the girls for our front yard.  We're still waiting for the birds to find it.  I also got french toast and bacon for breakfast, a plant and card from Anna, and a fun paper flower pot with Grace's traced hands for flowers with coupons on them (for one free hug/kiss/cleaned room/picnic (g's idea)).  Very fun to get things from them that they made themselves.  I love school crafts.  Now, we're off to Costco for lunch and kitty litter.  Yep, us Johnston's are darn classy people, in case you didn't know!  :-)

Catch Up (again)

So, I kind of suck at this blogging thing...  

So much has happened since I last wrote!  I'll try to briefly catch you up:  

First of all, Adam came home.  It was very emotional, since I just felt so, so lucky to have a husband who could come home.  It was hard having him gone when Suzanne's husband died--for the girls, for me, and for him.  It was just so easy to picture the giant loss his absence would be.  I now have two friends who have lost their husbands; the tragedy of losing someone so young is so unfair and tragic.  I feel lucky every day to have Adam in my life.  Even with all the emotion of Emma losing her dad while their dad was away, the girls seemed baffled why Adam and I were crying when he saw them and me again.  I'm glad for them that they can still be so innocent.  

It has still been snowing on and off all spring.  In fact, we've still had very few days that feel like spring.  But, this week, all my tulips and our gorgeous tree bloomed.  Spring has sprung!  Now, hopefully the snow is gone for good...

One of the best things that has happened since I last blogged is my mom came to visit (which was fun), and Adam and I got to go to San Francisco together for three days.  It was great fun for everyone.  The girls had a ball with Oma, playing t-ball, dying sock yarn, going to movies, and "getting to do whatever they wanted" (quote by Grace).  Adam and I had a wonderful time in SF; it was especially nice being able to talk with him without interruptions.  Of course, a lot of the time it was about the girls...  :-)  It was great being away, but great to come back home, too.   

Suzanne's Shawl

Last Saturday, the girls and I took Emma to the Fairy Tale Ball at the Treehouse Museum here in town.  When we went to pick her up, I brought the shawl I had just finished for her mom.  It is the Landscape Shawl by Fiber Trends, made out of Lorna's Laces sock yarn.  When my friend lost her husband, all I wanted to give her was a hug.  I drove over and immediately gave her one, but I still felt helpless in what I could do to help her.  So many people were already doing so much:  we baked cookies; when we delivered them the evening of the viewing, we found six other packages by their back door.  It isn't that they didn't love the cookies, it was just one more thing amongst so, so much.  Suzanne had to mail letters to every patient her husband had seen in the past three years to notify them of his death...  That totaled 4,000 letters.  I couldn't even imagine Suzanne having to do that.  So, I hurried over to pick up what she had, and my mom and I quickly finished 500 for her; by the next day, another woman from church had arranged a pack of women also wanting to help to finish the rest.  That's the thing with the Mormon church:  they know how to give support to one another.  It's enviable, really.  My friend is still receiving meals and someone is still staying with her every night.  I sometimes wonder, though, if it isn't too much.  Emma mentioned on Saturday night how she wished no one would stay with them anymore.  Her disappointment was palpable, after being so completely happy at the Ball, when she returned home to find a church friend there.  Anyway, with Suzanne already receiving so much help, I didn't know what I could do that would be different than what she was already receiving.  I did know I was thinking about her all the time and continued to feel like I just wanted to wrap her in a hug all the time.  That's where the idea of knitting a shawl for her came from.  More than anything I know, knitting is my act of praying for someone:  every stitch, I thought of and prayed for her.  While knitting something for someone, it is impossible for me to not think of that person the whole time I'm knitting it.  So, here's the shawl, my hug for my dear friend, Suzanne:

I know the hardest times are still ahead for her.  I only hope that this shawl provides some comfort for her in the months ahead.  And, of course, anything else I can do for her.