My nephew, Blake Johnson

(I've tried to type my feelings and thoughts about Blake, but nothing quite sounds right, so here is the obituary.)

Blake Derek Johnson, age 17, passed away on November 2, 2010 in his home in Pleasant Grove, UT. Blake was born on Dec. 18, 1992 in Idaho Falls to Ken and Gina Johnson.

Blake enjoyed being in the outdoors, he was a talented and avid snowboarder and skateboarder. He was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served in his Young Men's organization and participated in annual high adventure activities.

Blake had a very infectious laugh and smile. (Camile: that's an understement! - anyone who talks about Blake mentions his awesome smile. If I was 10 years younger and not related I would have been in love!) He was always surrounded by his friends he loved and cared for. He touched many people's lives through his kindness and example.

Blake was a senior at Pleasant Grove High School. He was commonly on the Honor Roll and took pride in his good grades.

Blake is survived by his parents, Ken and Gina Johnson; brothers, Brandon and Brigham; sister, Emma; and grandparents, Randy and Lynette Johnson and Gene and Judy Moshberger.

Funeral services will be held at the Mount Mahogany 3rd Ward chapel on Saturday, November 6 at 2:00pm. (1548 N. 900 W. Pleasant Grove, UT) A Viewing will be held today (Friday, 5th) from 6:00-8:00pm at the Olpin Family Mortuary (494 S. 300 E., Pleasant Grove, UT) and another viewing one hour prior to funeral services at the chapel.

Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start ...

(from "The Sound of Music")
The birthday girls. We had a birthday party for Ellie on my birthday. (January)

Can you believe those cheeks!?! Oh man! I'm surprised she's made it this far in life without someone (me or sisters) chewing those cheeks right off! Unfortunately she's been slimming up over the last several month, but she still gets compliments on those cheeks of hers.

Sleeping Beauty - Ellise

Even at 4 1/2 she could still use a nap almost every day

(but of course this only happens once in a blue moon)

Fourth of July

What a big girl! She's talking (one or two-word phrases or jabbering), and she is sassy and feisty. It's super cute now, but I'm a little nervous for what's to come.

Aaron took the girls on a Stake Father Daughter camp out. They had a blast!

Aaron and I at my cousin's reception

The big girls took swimming lessons for about a month and had such a good time and learned a lot. The nice thing was that they got pretty swimmed-out and didn't beg to use the pool at our house for that month.

Dressing up with our new best friend Rosie. She lives across the street and walks Carly home from school each day. She plays (kinda' babysits) at our house most days of the week - I LOVE this girl!! She is such a sweetheart and has such a neat family.

Carly and Daddy after her birthday party. She planned her whole party (with a little supervision). When the day finally came, Aaron took her to the grocery store to buy ice cream for the party while all her friends arrived. When she got home they threw balloons and confetti and totally surprised her! I tried to download the video, but as you can see, it's not here- it was so cute!
 

The girls and our garden (two malnutritioned tomato plants)

Being sweet sisters

"Smile Aubree!"

p.s. Nothing new with the job situation. We have a lot of contacts though and some definite possibilities... we're really hopeful. Things had been pretty rough at his architecture firm for so long, and with two pay cuts we were living pretty tight, so we're excited for what's in store. The money hasn't run out yet, so I don't think reality has hit yet either. (Thanks for all of your thoughtful comments.)

Catch-up

Oh boy! What has happened in the last six months....

-We did move into our home (renting) and are really liking it
-Learned to live without internet. It's been a little inconvenient, but saved me a lot of wasted time.
-Aubree learned to walk and talk and goes to nursery now (she's now 19 months)
-Carly started Kindergarten and just celebrated her 6th b-day
-Ellise and Carly both learned to ride their bikes without training wheels
-The girls have made a new best friend, Rosie. She lives across the street and is 9 years old and I just love that girl!
-Aaron did a three hour commute round trip to work each day until last Monday (Carly's birthday) when he was laid off. It's a little stressful and sad, but we're both really hopeful and excited about new possiblities. We've already been blessed so much by friends, family and neighbors.

I think those are most of the highlights. Hopefully I'll post some pictures in the next few days or weeks :)

Camile

Fridge Quotes in August

-I told Carly I would brush her hair like a pony. (That means I brush very softly starting from the bottom and working my way up.) Well, it still wasn't gentle enought because Carly exclaimed, "Do you want this horse to butt you?!"

-As we were driving home from Cherry Hill I was kind of dancing to some music on the radio.
Carly: Mom, stop!
Me: Why?
Carly: Because someone might see you!

-Aubree (18 mo.) had just finished a bowl of yogurt and pushed the empty bowl across the table to me. After spooning out a little more yogurt I slid her bowl back over to her. Without even picking up her spoon she pushed the bowl right back to me, so I gave her even more and gave her the bowl again. This time she pushed her bowl back and tried, "bye bye" hoping I would finally understand that she was done eating.

-Aubree had been walking around the house with just a diaper on, so after finding a random tank top lying on the floor I pulled it over her head. When Carly saw her, she piously called my attention to the fact that Aubree was showing her shoulders. After I explained to Carly that Aubree had been walking around without anything on and that the tank top was the first the I could grab, Carly retorted, "Well, naked is better than immodest!"

Hey friends,

So, we are now in our new (50-year-old) home! We like the community (most people do) - we’ve found that most people living in Davis county, are from Davis county. I don’t blame them, because I think it’s a great part of the SLC area.

This is part of our backyard and these are our new pets (awesome, low maintenance pets – they take care of themselves). My father-in-law took this picture and said he counted 16 mule deer living in our backyard! This backyard is going to be absolutely breath-taking in a few weeks with new spring– I’ll post pictures of the view from our living room windows.

Aaron – Aaron loves having a yard to take care of finally – lawn to mow, trees to prune, leaves to rake – he really does love it (lucky me). We also have a piano here, so he’s been playing the piano more and we all love it! He’s been going to bed early, waking up early, and taking long bus rides. Aaron’s commute is a BIG one – 1 to 1½ hours one way. He’s usually home by 6pm, so it’s not too bad (for me and the girls). Work is really slow right now and they just did some more layoffs and cut more hours. So, he’s down to a 4-day week. It’s nice to have him around more and this will give him more opportunity to do his own work with residential designs. Luckily our insurance premium is being lowered quite a bit, so we’ll still be taking home as much money each month. We’re just really hoping that he can keep his job (just like we’ve been hoping and stressing about for the last year). Aaron is so talented so we’re hoping that if he does lose his job he’ll be able to make enough money doing his own work and networking with other design/build companies.

Camile – I have been dedicating myself to trying to make our days here at home a little smoother and happier (lifelong goal). Having a bigger home has not cured Carly and Ellie of sibling rivalry like I was hoping. I don’t think that they know how to separate themselves from each other very well – even if they are totally annoying each other, they are still stuck like glue! So, I’ve started making a loose agenda for each day so that I feel a little more organized. I’ve been scheduling time for doing preschool with the girls and going to the library or park. I plan what we’ll have for each meal and what chores need to get done that day. It seems so simple (and maybe a little too overboard), but for me if I don’t have it written down and planned it just doesn’t happen a lot of the time. Well, this has helped us all A LOT – my stress level is a lot lower and I think we’re all happier. Another thing that has helped my stress level is having a bigger kitchen – our last kitchen was claustrophobic so I hated being in it. A picture of me with our top-of-the line-fifty-years-ago oven/broiler. The cutting board below actually pulls out and that is where our stove top hides – pretty cool!

Carly – She has been such a sweetheart lately! She is so sensitive to other people’s feelings (unless Ellie is driving her crazy). I especially appreciate that she recognizes my efforts to be a good Mom. She has made a new best friend here – Rosie (our 10-year-old neighbor). Carly is very outgoing and makes new friends very easily – whenever we go to the park she makes a new friend. She also just started a music class through a program called MusikGarten. Carly is so musically talented and she is just loving it! She’ll be going to the elementary school just 3 blocks from our home in the fall and I think we are all really excited for that day.

Ellie – She has recently informed us that she likes to be called Ellise (with a hard “e”). She had her 4th birthday in January. I planned a big family party for her on MY birthday (kind of a stressful way to spend a birthday – but it ended up being a lot of fun for everyone). I worry about the second child – they have so much to live up to! Her and Carly are so close in age that they compare themselves to each other (and I think Aaron and I do too sometimes). She is also doing a music class and we specifically put her in a different class than Carly so that they can become more independent from each other. Ellie took naps up until she was almost 4 (I realize that’s pretty lucky), but the afternoons get to be pretty rough for her still. It will be really nice to have Carly in Kindergarten next year so I can spend more one-on-one time with Ellie – our relationship needs it.

Aubree –

Look at those cheeks!!!

She turned one in February. She is still our little baby, but is starting to do things that are showing us how fast she’s growing up. She says, uh-oh, doggy, ma ma (for me and Aaron), thank you, baby and hi (not with perfect pronunciation, but we know what she’s saying). She folds her arms for prayer (or when she wants food), she loves to talk on the phone and she also loves to wash her hands with soap – so cute! She stands alone and walks along furniture, but she has not even attempted to take a step alone – but that’s okay, because I still want her to be my baby for as long as possible because we probably won’t have another baby for a LONG time. She sleeps in until at least 9:30 in the morning and takes one nap in the afternoon. I’m still nursing her in the morning and at night (she wants absolutely nothing to do with milk in a cup or bottle). Aubree brings so much joy into our family – she is at such a cute stage and makes all of us smile whenever she’s around! I can totally understand now how the youngest in a family gets spoiled, you just want to keep them a baby for as long as possible!

We're moving...

into a HOME!!! We'll still be renting, but hey, it's a home!

The rest of this post is long and full of details (that make me really excited)...

Several months ago we were trying to find a bigger 3-bedroom rental (preferably a home), but after looking we realized that we would be paying quite a bit more money to rent a 3-bedroom. And right now we are trying to live as cheap as possible so we can own a home some day. So, we have been trying to have a good attitude about living in our TINY 2-bedroom with Aubree as a permanent roommate with Aaron and me.

Well, a little over a week ago, our friend, Ashley*, called us up to tell us about a 3-bedroom home for rent (they have connections with the people who own it). The lady renting it to us grew up in this home and it has a lot of sentimental value to her. So, she really wanted a family in it that would be able to take care of the yard and be respectful to the home. (Thanks to Ashley who gave us a raving recommendation!) The home was built in the 60's, but was top-of-the-line when it was built, so it's still in great shape (although a very out-dated interior - it has personality :)).

It's on a 2-acre lot, with a big back deck, laundry ROOM (not closet) ;), 3 big linen closets and 3 coat closets (as opposed to our 1 linen/pantry closet now), two family rooms, it's 3 to 4 times bigger than our apartment now, and it has a garage. We will finally be able to put Aubree in her own room so she can learn how to sleep through the night, and when she does start sleeping through the night we'll be able to put her in a room with Carly and Ellise and have an extra room! We're still trying to decide what we'll do with an extra room - office, sewing/craft room, guest room - probably all three. The girls' bedroom has TWO WALK-IN closets - so one will be for clothes and the other will be a fun fort for toys, books, etc.

I can't wait to have the extra space! I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much - but I really think it will help my sanity to have more space. With three kids at home all day long, our little apartment sometimes gets depressing.

Everyone who is familiar with the area that we are moving to RAVES about it. It has an awsome school system and a very nice neighborhood.

And best of all... we will be paying the same amount as we are paying now!!! (The owners will be covering utility costs.)

What a blessing!!!

There are a few downsides to all of this: First off, they have a pool in the backyard (which could also be considered a pro). Aaron and I were really nervous about this, but after talking over it with the owners and each other and our girls, we feel much better about it. The pool is hard to get to from the house and has an electronic cover that has the power shut off when not in use. We have also sufficiently scared the girls about kids drowning - and I'm pretty sure they get it. But, we'll still always be on guard.

Also, Aaron could possibly have a commute of one hour (one way) - ugh! (Right now the commute is about 25 minutes.) But, we have other options for the commute (such as the front runner train), so we'll have to see how it goes.

And of course, we are way sad about leaving our friends and ward here. We have really felt so loved and needed here and have made some really great friends.

*Ashley was also the friend who let us know about this apt complex we're in right now. What a great friend!

Sometimes I wish we lived in a bubble

Carly and Ellie were playing Barbie's with one of their friends (who is a little more educated then they are). This was the conversation I overheard:

friend: "...and you stole my boyfriend that I was going to marry..."
Carly: "okay, I married him"
friend: "and then I whisper 'she cheated on you' "
Carly: [a little confused] "I never cheat when I play games!"
At this point I jump in: "How about you pretend that your barbies are all friends and that they went to a circus together."

They're only 5! Is anyone else a little nervous about the sophistication of little kids these days? I love Carly's response - I just wish I could keep her innocent forever!

All about Ellie

Ellie is such a little lady! She is very consciencious about how she looks. She wears a skirt or dress at least 5 days a week and is very good at putting together her own *unique* outfits. :) She asked Santa for make-up for Christmas. She loves her long blonde hair and is very good about keeping it brushed and looking nice.


She loves to cook and bake! She is my shadow when I'm in the kitchen and unfortunately I'm not always a good sport about it. But, my goal is to be more patient with her and willing to help her learn to help out.

She has so much personality and can be very demanding and bossy at times, but if she doesn't know you she is actually quite shy. She is very nervous about meeting new people and about doing things on her own (like going to primary by herself or going to a friends house by herself - which she has never done before). I think this is partly because she has always had Carly to rely on. I think it will be such a good thing for her when Carly goes to kindergarten so she can make her own friends, have some one-on-one time with me, be her own person and build her self-confidence.


Ellie loves to color and I love her style - it is so colorful! She also likes to cut out the pictures that she colors in her coloring books. She always has artwork out.