A Picture a Day!!!

New Goal: I got this idea from my sister. I will try to post at least a picture a day...maybe a story will develop in between but I can at least post a picture each day....because a picture says a thousand words!!

Who wouldn't love to watch soccer in the rain when you have the worlds largest umbrella. This picture sums up this soccer season of rain~!!!

We still exist!

I know seriously...we need something else to do don't we!!

We still do exist you know! Everytime I think of blogging I get a nautious feeling...don't get offended little blog world...it really isn't you...it's me. It just seems like if you miss a week you miss an eternity and we all know how long it takes me to blog about a week...let alone an eternity. I am sure I have missed so very much in my "out of sight, out of mind" approach and so I will just try to recap some of the most exciting parts.

We had Halloween, and Thanksgiving and Christmas!

No, I will update these one at a time...the truth is is that these memories are still on my camera and I will have to download them in order to remember what exciting things happened.

Ew, I can think of one. Greg just did a Best of EFY. We left the kids for a night and headed down for a quick 24 in St George...seriously....we need more time than that but as a parent, knowing that you are driving 4 hours away childrenless for a night makes you giddy. No really, like giggling like little school girls. I love just being with Greg and being with just Greg in a car for 4 hours up and back is quite the treat. Unless you have gag reflexes like me and he spits sunflower shells in a cup for 8 hours! I just had to look straight ahead and not at his massive collection of shells. See, I like to eat the whole sunflower seed...shell and all. Its less cleanup and actually pretty tasty and you only almost die when part of the shell lodges in your throat. Kind of scary in the middle of the desert....BUT don't worry, I didn't die!! Well, we pulled into George around 9 and met some friends for dinner. And then we did what ever other couple would do when they have no children.....WE WENT TO SLEEP!! Sorry, there is nothing like a hotel room with two queen beds and some seriously thick curtains...heaven!! We were up bright and early and headed to Greg's speaking assignments. He had three this day all at different places. His boss said there was about 1300 in each session. Well I had the treat of watching him and two of our good buddies. It was fabulous. Its hard for me not to make "Greg" signs and wear a number 1 finger when he speaks....I think it might distract from the spirit....maybe!! Greg did a fabulous job except....EXCEPT he had a "Greg moment". What is a Greg moment I hear you ask......DEFINITION: "A Greg moment is when one who is he (Greg) says something that no other would say to one person, let alone many persons... outloud...it is a time when the brain is working faster than the mouth." Got it? So what he was meaning to say or get accross was the importance of writing things down. And I will admit he is very good at this. The kid is a journal lovin, planner writing, 3x5 card fool. I sometimes joke that you can check his planner for when he needs to use the restroom...no seriously. Anyways, so his intention was to say, "In my pocket I always keep a 3x5 card and it drives my wife nuts..." Instead he said, "IN MY POCKET I ALWAYS KEEP A 3X5 CARD AND MY NUTS!!!" The kids didn't know what to say, I mean thats kind of personal right? They laughed and he about passed out. How do you come back from that...."What I MEANT to say was um, well, really not my nuts or my pocket, but my wife and my nuts and I MEAN....CRAP!" He doesn't recover from these "moments" very well. It was an experience and I was surprised he wasn't featured on the 5 o'clock news. Overall he did a wonderful job and we are trying to forget about the nut comment.,...for the rest of his life his buddies will slap his pocket and say, "Oh sorry buddy!!" I'm sure it will drive him NUTS!!!!

I am well as well. Well sort of. I have never felt so don pickin old ( I just pictured Mr. Blackburn...you know Don). This past few months have made me feel like a Grandma...no offense to the grandma's out there. Some of these moments have been shocking....some more shocking than others. Things that have made me feel old ARE: I got a bladder infection that turned into a urinary tract infection that turned into a kidney infection...WHAT? Yea, I should get the senior discount with that one. Another one.....I peed my pants. Don't judge me! It wasn't on purpose...I was being clean and not "sitting" but squating in the Chili's bathroom. I just happened to be distracted and missed the toilet. Ya,...try walking out of there after that experience!! Um, I got glasses finally and contacts (Um I think I'd rather poke my eyes out) and realized that a elderly person can probably see better than me. I can't live without them. If you see me and I don't say hi it is because I am not wearing my contacts or glasses and I can't see you....no seriously!! I AM OLD!! But all of these experiences have not affected me like this last one. I still can't come to terms with it and I might cry just recalling the experience. My feet have been killing me and my shin splints are horrible. I have had them my whole life and no matter what I do they only get worse. Greg has been testifying about his orthodics and talked me into going to the foot doctor to get some. As the doctor was looking at my feet his said a word that made me want to passout, gag and die! It may not be so horrible to you and maybe some have experienced it but to me it was the most shocking thing I have been told I am getting. Ready....Bu....buuuu.......I don't know if i can say it.....bbbbbuuuunn....oh alright..BUNIONS! That's it...bunions. The word makes me throw up a little bit in my mouth and I don't know why. I think because I associate it with being old and I AM NOT old!! I'm not! Stop it.....I am not old!! Just a minute...I need a tissue! I think its because I always thought I had cute feet! And while I am coming to terms with my oldness I really don't think I can ever come to terms with the old things happening to my body. Greg laughs at me because when I speak of this experience I have to whisper that awful word.....bunion. I mean whats next...depends? Stop it, I know what you are thinking..it would make my trips to Chili's a little less embarassing right? Now you know it all! Its out there and I feel much better. My name is Becky and I am developing a bbbbuuu....well you know!!

The boys are adorable and lovely and fabulous! I love these little guys to pieces. They say cute things all day long and I make them repeat them over and over so I will never forget any of them. I feel like the luckiest woman in the world....and I am! Dallin is just my little 25 year old trapped in a little boys body. He really is quite perfect and one of my best buddies!! He is a wonderful student and never ceases to amaze me with his schoolwork and knowledge. Greg and I are praying that he was blessed with the smarts since the smarts never came real easy for us. Okay, they came easier back than than they do now and I am not sure I can do above 7th grade math!! Alex is loving school and is the kindest most gentle little boy. He never wants to hurt anyones feelings and says he is saving money to buy his big brother a motorcycle....who does that? The kid is obsessed with money and asked me today for a metal detector....seriously? Colton, is my baby angel! He really is spoiled by me and Greg because just when he opens his mouth we both declare we want to eat him.....in a good way.....not a gross psychotic way!! He looooves school and when I asked him the other day who made him smart..(referring to myself) he quickly answered with his teachers name! Appauling....but I agree!!

Life goes too quickly and I am determined to write/type it all down!! This won't be the last you hear of me...I am recommitted. (Although I recommit myself to going off coke every third day so don't get your hopes up too much)! Until then or there.....goodbye!!

Big Boys do Cry!!

This post is for me..and for me only...because I don't ever want to forget it!!! Today the boys came and asked me for the crayons so that they could color...they love to draw me pictures and I love seeing their pictures....I wish I was better at saving them...but honestly...I don't...and now I will repent.

Well the boys went downstairs and about 10 mintues passed and little Colty came upstairs so excited about his picture. I do the normal, "Oh wow, buddy look how good that is. I love it!" He then proceeded to roll it up and look out of it like a spy glass...so cute..and so Colton. A few seconds later Alex bounded up the stairs and came and showed me his. It was absolutely darling. He said it was a picture of me and then up to the side of me was a little thing that sort of resembled a t.v.,...sort of and he said, 'Mom, this is your imagination." I thought it was so darling that he had thought of drawing a little box for my imagination and I guess I must have really made over his picture. Okay...I did and I hung it up not even thinking about poor Colton. Well, I hadn't noticed that Colton had disappeared back downstairs until he came up holding his picture close to his chest and he had the biggest tears streaming down his face and he said in the saddest voice, "Mommy, I'm sorry, I don't know how to draw your imagination.." Um, dagger straight through the heart...I think I am the worst mom in the whole world.

So, now I may have to seek counseling because I am going to become a hoarder because I won't dare throw away any of these precious pictures they make for me......if you come to see me just excuse the standard white papers with darling drawings hanging on every square inch of my walls...its what a good mom does!!

Everyday there are things that happen that you laugh about and forget about..funny for the moment and then its over..right? Sooo, yesterday was one of those days...although...I haven't forgotten..I have been puzzled and it has been bugging me. As many of you know I have the most beautiful and outstanding voice given to man..wo'man'....uh-hum....actually it is so beautiful that most everybody in my life has never heard my 'real' voice because I save it for the car and for the shower and sometimes when I am home alone. When I am around other people I try to make it sound off tune and awkward because I don't want to come across as perfect..:)...and so most people think I can't sing. BUT, let me tell you...if you heard me sing in the car you would just kill over dead or call American Idol..whatever came first because you'd be astonished that I have been hiding this talent for so long. So really this doesn't have that much to do with this post other than I was exercising my talent while driving to Dallin's game yesterday...minding my own busIness,....I was stopped at a light off of the freeway at Center in Orem and I am belting out my EFY tunes and I look over and this boychild..ok..snotty teenager has just snapped my picture and is now showing it to the girlchild who is driving and they are wetting their pants. Um HELLO.....I CAN SEE YOU!! So light changes and they drive off in their stuck up Audi and I sit there looking puzzled like, "whats so dangfreakinfunny?" Anywho, I call my mother because I want to know the deal.....WHY DO WE LAUGH AT OTHER PEOPLE SINGING AND DANCING IN THEIR CARS....WHY? We don't laugh at them when they are singing in the church choir...ok..so maybe I have once or twice...we don't laugh at them when they sing on American Idol (which pretty much I was practicing for anyways) we don't laugh hardly ever at people just singing...so why is it so dang funny in the car. I mean I am normally ubaraware when i am singing in my car..I can be belting it out and then its like the radar has been set and a car passes me and I can't hit that high note because a car is passing. I mean forget about it when you get off the freeway because every stop light you stop at you have to ditch the song you were singing and pretend like you weren't even trying to sound like Maria from the Sound of Music. I have even gone as far as to pretend like I was yawning....I wasn't singing...no..I was ah..ahh..oh..yawning..see..there..that was just a big old yawn!!!





Soooo, here is my recommitment to singing and dancing in the car. Snap a picture of me...this is what perfection looks like baby...okay...well thats what my mom always tell me to say to myself..but snap away. I like to sing in my car...I am AmAzInG at singing in the car....I like to dance in my car..some of my best moves come in the car. I'm not afraid anymore to show it off. Just ask Greg...he's seen my moves in the car..its like I was born to dance in a car...seriously...if I would have danced in the car for him on our first date we probably would have been married by our second date...THATS HOW GOOD I AM!! Just realize that one of these days..ONE...OF...THESE...DAYS... I will start charging for those pictures. No more freebies!





Now watch..I'll find out they were only snapping a picture of me because they thought I was Heidi Klum!! Seriously sucks sometimes to be me!!

The First day of School!!!

I am quite aware that school started a long time ago...but I am behind..... a lot.. and need to catch up...so a little at a time....right?Aren't they sooooo sweet?

Don't be fooled...the littler one flipped me off during church yesterday..still wondering where he learned that one from...I'd claim a bad word...but not the bird!!

I do believe in haircuts but the boys all insist on growing their hair

out a little longer than the military cut I always give...heaven help us!

I can't believe my baby started school...now these gray hairs really mean something!!

America's most Unwanted!

AMERICA'S MOST UNWANTED.......

Because someone thinks they know him I decided to cover his face....sorry!

Last seen Location: Joe Bandito's

Date last seen: Sept 24 approx around Lunch time

Clothing: A levi shirt with levi pants (that could be a crime just by itself!!!)

Description: This man has a tendency to get 3 inches from your face and ask you what you ordered off of the menu. When he isn't satisfied with your brief answer he will begin asking more annoying questions like, "what size did you order?" He has a tendency to eavesdrop on your conversation even though clearly you are sitting at two different tables. When he finds something you said interesting...he has no problem in hesitating asking you what you are talking about. If the waitress doesn't see him waving his hand like a crazy person because he is ready to order he has no problem screaming across the restaurant because by golly he is ready to order his food. He doesn't find it rude to stand up and walk around to every damn table in the area to take a peek at what other people are eating for the day....he is entitled to everyone else's business. Pray that you don't get your check before him because he will so rudely turn around and say, "Hey how'd you get your check already???" and then you will have to look at him and say, "we were patient..." (which I said by the way but I should have ended it with a naughty word because that is what I was thinking..) He will then start to wave his hand again and snap his finger and begin to yell at the waitress who is clear across the room and when he isn't satisfied in his brief 2 seconds of throwing a temper tantrum then he will stand up and march to the front of the restaurant to retrieve his check and then he will say loudly to the waitress ..."I didn't tip you very good because today you had poor service,...."

While some may find this highly entertaining, I don't care if I ever have to encounter someone who is so obnoxious and rude ever again. If you see this man...I know the picture doesn't really show who he is....you will know him by his mouth (oh and by his levi attire)....run...run...run...or don't be afraid to pop him in the jaw because thats what I really wish I could have done today. Jerk..ruined a perfectly good day to go out and get some chips and salsa.

*as for the waitress...she was the most classy and lovely waitress I have ever had and she handled him with class...good for her..I wouldn't have been that nice. '

**post edit: so NOW I am told this guy may have had a brain injury from football and that is what makes him so rude. You'd think that the guy he was paying for would have said something to us or the waitress one of the 3 times when he got up and walked around the place. Makes sense..I feel like an idiot but to our defense he seemed perfectly intelligent other than just rude! It only happens when I am around...Serious!!

EFY, 4th of July and Aspen Grove...OH MY!!!

4TH OF JULY

EFY: REXBURG IDAHO...WAHOO!!

ASPEN GROVE PICTURES..(OK...A FEW OF THEM)

That picture of Colton is classic. Everyone else in the class wrote on the sidewalk..my little guy writes on the poll...he doesn't normally know how to write letters but of course when writing on a poll he figures out how to write "F"...nice.... He was so proud of his little "f"....good thing it was totally innocent..I think!!

It seemed like it rained a lot the beginning of summer...and then we left...and now we are back..and now I am dying of heat and my summer is almost over! Just a second....had to dab my eyes a bit. So crazy enough..I am writing a post....ShOcKiNg....I know! It may take me a few days..considering the amount of "entertainment" I have to fit in here.

Anyone who knows me....knows I am a little paranoid...I hate leaving the kiddos. Doesn't matter who I am leaving them with I lay in bed every night....6 months before the actual event...going over every possible tragedy that could strike while I am away from my children. Greg calls it an anxiety "condition"...I call it being a good mother. (Keep your opinion to yourself...I am dealing with it.) We roped Greg's sister into coming and staying with our children...because she is the greatest person on the planet earth and she really is so good with my kids. Deep down I knew they'd be okay but I wouldn't be me/myself/and I if I didn't STRRRRRESS.

Greg did an EFY up in Rexburg the Idaho this year at BYU the Idaho. It really was fantastic. It really helps when you love the coordinators you are working with and the Building Counselors. They were great and Greg and I laughed and laughed the whole time. Also,...a good hotel makes a difference to and although there isn't anything real "high class" in Rex it sure beat some hotels we have stayed in before. Soooo, highlights of the trip.

-Greg doing pushups in the hot tub and scaring all the other people trying to actually relax in the hot tub.

-Greg losing our keys....three times

-Greg losing his credit card

-Greg losing his binder

-Us forgetting to pay for our icecream....(we were used to the cafeteria where you grab your food and go...yes we did pay..eventually)

-Walking every morning and pondering if we could move and be Rexburgians.

-DrAmAtIc participant(s)....always ALWAYS full of some drama at EFY..(this one was the worst though)

-thankful prayers that we don't have any daughters after dealing with the drama...

-cupcakes, cupcakes...and more cupcakes!

-random conversations with randoms counselors

-crazy lightening storm while in the temple. (pretty cool)

-free breakfast..because where there is free breakfast there are happy Johnson's

-the brightest shirts EFY has ever produced (pink and green)

-the worst hail storm to ever hit the world...I am not kidding..I wanted to cry.

-shopping at the local Walmart in our matching shirts.

-nap time...without the children (hEaVeN)

As you can tell there was so much going on..I had to sum it up or we might be here all day. All of these will ring a bell for Greg and I when we read them and then we can reminisce about all of those stories....ahhh just makes me laugh thinking about them. Soooo, the week after EFY is when most of the Peterson's get together. July 4th is "our" holiday! We love it...it is also the time I miss my Grandma the most. We always spent the 4th at my Grandmas and although we still get together with that side of the family every 4th....its not the same without her. Okay...now I am depressed......... ahhhh....hmmm...Okay, so I have deprived my children of the parade for another year. I feel like I should be getting the award for the most darn awful mom when I do this. I lived for the parade every year. This year though I had to work the night/morning leading up to the 4th and with all that we Peterson's cram into the day..I didn't think I could make it if we went to the parade. I, Becky, vow to attend the parade next year...I can't live with this guilt any longer. Anywho, the day was wonderful and we ended the night with a little Joebro's and fireworks. While they were somewhat entertaining.....I really am there for the jet flyby's and the fireworks.....oh and precious familial time...:)

Next adventure....ASPEN GROVE. Have I bragged about my hubby before maybe....probably...get over it...so what... I am so proud of him and because he is such an 'inspirational' and 'uplifting' (no joking) speaker we have so many opportunities to do fun things as a family. Greg, I and the kiddos were invited for a fun filled week up at Aspen Grove. The kids were put into their groups each and every day...all day long and Greg would speak a couple times a day to the groups that were there and I would go listen and then we would just enjoy our surroundings. Ahhhh, it was heaven. Okay, I am not a camper and even though the cabin we stayed in had running toilets and a shower...I was a little weary of its condition. My inlaws came up one day to listen to Greg speak and I warned them about the cabin....I am sure they about peed their pants when they saw the cabin...because honestly..in hindsight...it wasn't too bad. The boys had a ball and I think this was one of the greatest vacations we have gone on as a family! We met some of the greatest people and made memories that will last a lifetime...oh and none of us were eaten by a bear or a cougar even though I was almost 100% positive one of us would...we didn't even see one..AMAZING!!! The boys would spend the day in their groups and then at night we'd come back to our cabin and watch a movie on our little porta t.v. we brought up. One night we decided to run home for the night so that we could do some washing in our own washer and dryer...we had gone to Park City for the day..(this was on the weekend when no other campers were up at Aspen Grove)..anyways we drove all the way back to the cabin and gathered our clothes to wash and drove all the way home and when we got out of the car we realized that neither one of us had grabbed the bag of clothes on the way out...CRAP..oh well..I still got to sleep in my own bed that night. I had one to many encounters with life size crickets that may or may not have been crawling on my skirt as I was getting ready for the sabbath..I know....traumatic and then who knew bees like sacrament meeting because I spent the whole hour ducking, squealing, and almost crying because there were so many bees. I never intend to attend a sacrament meeting out doors again and I think others at the meeting will agree I should never be allowed. I turned around to see all the counselors peeing their pants at me.....geez..shouldn't they be listening to the meeting? What do they think this is...free entertainment!!!?!! The boys had the time of their lives and I am so grateful for the opportunity that we were allowed to have. Thanks Gregor for sharing your talent...we all benefited!!

Well so, far, so good on the summer vaca....more to come I am sure!!!