Family Photo

We don't ever seem to get family photos taken.  This is July 2012 (I think Nathaniel has grown 4 inches since then.)  Below are the boys at Thanksgiving with Patrick the dog. (Nathaniel may have grown an inch since then...)

December 2011

Something happened in December - well, a number of things happened, but something happened to me.  First couple of weeks were busy with college finals, Nathaniel's birthday, a visit from Chris' mom, and a meet for Davis.  During my last final I started to feel shaky - oh no, I thought I was coming down with the flu.  I graded the exams and submitted grades sitting in bed with my laptop.    Well, 5 1/2 weeks later, I don't know what it was, but it wasn't the flu.  The doctor rulled out mono, pneumonia, and a number of other things.  I'd call it a non-mono mono-like viral infection with a respiratory emphasis.  I'm still spending most of my time in bed, and the holiday trip was a total blow-out (the kids both took turns with a fevered stomach flu, and then a whopping head cold.)  So, the many projects that I had planned for my two months between semesters have been forsaken.  I'm starting to feel like I'm getting a little energy, but a trip to the grocery store will wipe me out for the rest of the day.
 
I don't have pictures of me laying around in bed, but I do have some from the other events in December:
Nathaniel's birthday party at the trampoline gym - bouncy fun with dodge ball and a foam pit.

Nathaniel always wants pie - so a boston cream pie was a good birthday cake compromise because pie is too hard to serve at a trampoline gym.

Davis and some of his sophomore running buddies competed in the Footlocker Western Regional Cross Country meet at Mt. SAC with athletes from all over the western states.

Compression socks are the new running fad (and it looks like Davis is wearing Uncle Mark era BYU shorts, if you know what I mean...)

Nathaniel's birthday celebration continued on Sunday with a family party and an actual pie.

Carol came down to help select plants for our front yard and was there for Nathaniel's birthday and Davis' meet too.

Chris discovered that our local spudnut shop makes giant doughnuts.

We made a trip to Utah for Christmas as planned even though I was not feelling well.  I still thought it was the flu and that I'd be getting over it in a few days.  I spent the whole time laying around or sleeping except for a few family gatherings: dinners at Chris' mom's and my parents with all the local family before Christmas, and a trip to temple square with my parents to see the lights after Christmas.  I didn't get any pictures from my parents house because I was feeling pretty bad that night.  But here are some of the others.

Nathaniel and I in the tabernacle.

Angels and shepherds re-enacting the Christmas story.

Angels

Wisemen with gifts.

Angel

Baby cousins sitting on Uncle Jeff's lap.

 Mark and Annie introduced a game where a couple has to stand on a stack of phone books and one of them need to pick up a coin placed on the floor.  I think Chris was disappointed that he didn't get to play because I didn't have the strength to stand very long on my own - let alone balance on phone books.  Every couple had their own strategy; Matt and Karen used the belt loop method.  I think they got up to 12 phone books.

Nathaniel spent most of Christmas eve night throwing up and most of Christmas day sleeping with fevered hallucinations. 

After recovering from the family dinners and Christmas we decided to try a low key trip to see the lights at temple square.

Nathaniel and the life sized nutcracker.

Davis and Nathaniel with Grandma and Grandpa Johansen on Temple Square.

We had dinner in the Joseph Smith Memorial building.  This was the first food Nathaniel had had since his the flu that wasn't plain rice or saltines.  I think he was intimidated by the height of his dinner.

 Well, after this evening Davis came down with the fevered-flu and I was in wiped out for about three days.

We cut our trip short and drove home before New Year's Eve.  So, you wondered why you didn't get a Christmas card this year, its because I had planned to send them right after I was done with finals.  Oh well...

Cedar Breaks

Chris had flown home a week earlier, Davis was staying another week in Utah to attend EFY, so Nathaniel and I drove home by ourselves.  We left early in the morning so we were near Cedar City around lunch time.  I had never seen Cedar Breaks National Monument and it was only about 15 miles off the highway, so we drove up there for lunch.  It is a tiny little park but it was so pretty.  At 10,000 feet above sea level it was also a lot cooler up there (63 degrees instead of 89 in Cedar City and 103 in St. George.)  We spent a couple of hours having lunch, going for a little hike to an alpine pond, and stopping at the visitor's center where a wildflower festival was in progress.  We didn't arrive home until about 8pm that night, but it was worth the stop.

Lunch on the edge.

Rockfall we saw on our short hike.

Everything was in bloom.  I guess at 10k feet summer is short so all the flowers bloom at the same time.

Nathaniel helps a ranger with native plant restoration by planting a yarrow seedling.

Yikes.  I've been in the car too long.

5K and a Pancake Breaky in the Car Park



Running his first 5K

 A few weeks ago Davis convinced Nathaniel to start jogging so he could be ready to run the community 5K on July 4th.  Davis took him out on his first jog, then after that Nathaniel and I would jog a little bit on the trails after we dropped Davis off for xcountry workout.  We would jog a little while, then stop to examine something (lizards, quail, rabbits, snakes, elderberries, bees nests...)  The week before the 5K, Davis decided he'd rather cook sausage with the scouts at the pancake breakfast.  Fine.  But, the night before, Nathaniel told me he was still doing the race.  So, we got up at 6:30am so Chris could drop us off early for registration.  Then he drove Davis to the church and came back to watch the race.
Nathaniel did great.  The first half of the race was all uphill.  I couldn't keep up with him.  He picked some guy ahead of him and said he used him as a "pacemaker" all the way up the hill.  I caught up to him at the water station at the top.  It was fun and Nathaniel was very proud of himself that he had said he would do it, so he did it.

After the finish line.

 Davis, on the otherhand, did enjoy cooking all the sausages for three wards.  But, as you can see, he does not enjoy having his picture taken.

Mmmm.  Raw sausage.

Braces

And it begins...

He chose teal brackets.  Awesome.

End of Elementary School

Fifth grade is over and Nathaniel will go to middle school next year.  The whole family is done with elementary school now.  Hmmmm.  Anyway, Nathaniel has really enjoyed the activities at the end of the school year.  First was open house where he displayed the projects he completed over the year in school

Nathaniel in his classroom.

Playing with pals on the playground.

They loved playing tag on the structure. 

 I think Nathaniel will miss recess next year in middle school.  But, I won't miss the 1/2 cup of sand that came home in his shoes every day.  The weekend before school let out, Nathaniel's buddy Ethan came for a visit before his family moves out of state.

Nathaniel and Ethan with their gel-bead shooters.

Hey guys!  Look at us (way up on the rocks).

 During the last week of school the fifth graders had an activity day where they played games on the lawn and had a picnic.

Nathaniel and Riley compete in the tire race.

Getting ready for the water balloon fight.

Fun day.

 A culmination ceremony was held on the last day of school to recognize the achievements of the fifth graders.

Fifth grade culmination under an arch of earth balloons.



Why did this picture show up in this orientation and why can't I rotate it?



Refreshments with Willey and Riley.

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Nathaniel with buddy Derek.



 That night Nathaniel attended an 11 year old scout camp with his old patrol from S. Pas.  It was pretty exciting for him to finish elementary school.  He enjoyed being with so many friends, old and new.  We are proud of the great kid he has grown into.