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...

 Before we left Utah, it seemed appropriate for everyone to get together at the Iverson property in East Canyon.  We went up and cooked hot dogs and s'mores and the kids played croquet and kick ball.  The boys and I slept over with Matt & Karen and kids and Christopher.  It is an easy campout (with a private bath house) and it was just beautiful.

Sydney and Nathaniel by the stream.

The pukey-wheel is a favorite activity.

Davis upside down on the swing.

The big boys used the swing set like a jungle gym as the wheel goes around and around and around...

Morning with Carson, Courtney, Nathaniel, and Christopher.

Cute barn on the next property.

All cleaned up and ready to go.

Antelope Island

I haven't been out to Antelope Island in the middle of the Great Salt Lake for years.  I remembered the shallow water with brine shrimp swimming around in it (actually crustaceans, not brine fly larvae as I erroneously believed up until this visit.)  I remembered the round grains of sand, the clouds of brine flies, and of course, the smell of the Great Salt Lake.  That's a hard thing to forget.  After Chris flew back to S.Cal, I had time on my hands with the kids so I took them on the long drive out on the causeway to the island.  We were actually pretty lucky in that it wasn't too hot (no shade out there), we saw plenty of wildlife (a burrowing owl, antelope, bison from a distance, and big orb spiders), and the kids were really entertained with just exploring.

One of the bison art installments.  Not pictured are the big spiders living inside it.

Big spiders all over the visitors center.

Nathaniel, Sydney, Courtney, Davis, and Carson.

Atlases (or is it Atli for plural?)

Walking out to the water

It stays shallow for a long time and its so salty you can skip rocks even throwing them underhand.

These guys wandered way out.  They spent a lot of time skipping rocks which would go forever on the salt water.



Look closely for the cloud of brine flies.  I taught them how to herd them.



Davis found a cool old bike at the historic ranch.

Nathaniel weighs himself on the old scale.

Hope it's not hooked up to any dynamite...

Who knew blacksmithing could be so fun?

Great view from the island to the Wasatch Mountains.

It would be easier to if those dang cattle would hold still.

Hold on!

Davis got the hang of it, and then tried it on his cousins and brother.

But, we didn't float in the salt water.  I wasn't that excited about it and we didn't bring swim gear.  And I never really liked the feeling of my skin when the oily salt dried all over it.  So, it was a successful outing without that experience.

Johansen Cousins in Utah

We spent a couple weeks in Utah in July.  Its a good time for kids to spend time with cousins.  We were with our Johansen cousins in Park City and in Bountiful at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

Hummingbird at Scott's house.

  After family dinners the old folk usually sit on the deck and the kids disappear downstairs to watch tv and play games.

Jamie, Cassie, Thanny, Lily, Holly hanging out at Grandma's.

Blake and Ione

We were lucky this time to be there for Holly's 8th birthday party.  More cousins singing = more fun.

Holly's 8th birthday

 My mom and I took some of the kids up to the This is the Place Monument in SLC.  Boy it was a hot day.  I think the statues below are of Brigham Young having a visitation from the martyred Joseph Smith.  Brigham said, "This is the right place." Then Joseph said, "Yeah, but it sure is hot and there is no shade. Maybe since it's a dry heat it will be OK...."

A meditative moment for Nathaniel at the statues of Brigham Young and Joseph Smith?

Shuttle train at the "This is the Place Monument"

Touring the pioneer house with Grandma.

Pioneer donkey.

Grandma, Ione, Lily, and Nathaniel on a pioneer street.

Apparently pioneers played giant jenga games.

Ione scratching the pot bellied pig.

This is the Place monument, SLC.



Lemon, bluberry/raspberry, and watermelon flavored tongues (I mean, snowcones).



Lily and Nathaniel in Mueller Park Canyon.

Jamie, Lily, and Blake in Park City.

On the left: Chris, Jennifer, Kristen & Ione. One the right: Davis (red) and Nathaniel (yellow) ready to go down the alpine slide.

Lily, Blake, Jamie, Holly and Nanette survived the alpine slide.