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!!!

Happy 30th to ME!!!

Here I am at 30....and yes the next picture is of my gray hair..I like to pretend it is my first and that I haven't really been going gray since I was a teenager.

I must be dreaming because my 30th has come and gone and I feel exactly the same....I am missing a few tears...because I balled when the clock struck midnight....sobbed.....while a onlooking husband wondered why the heck I would seriously be crying. I admit..it was a hard one. 30 is old....time is going quickly....and I am now at an age where people think to themselves: WOW SHE IS OLD. I remember last year my goal was to lose 30 pounds by my 30th birthday...uh hum....um...well.....lets just be thankful I didn't gain any weight okay...get off my back!! I really meant the year after my 30th would be the year I will lose 30 pounds..so weight busters here I come. Remind me to tell you about Greg's comments at dinner...on my birthday..there may be reference to a beached whale...uh huh....I know...apaulling!!

Greg is the best husband...with the best intentions....and very VERY well trained. I have molded him over the last 10 1/2 year and slowly but surely my MASTERPIECE is becoming perfected...wuah ha ha. Let us take a moment of silence to remember the birthdays of past....it won't take long...most of them came and went with only a mention of.."I really didn't get you anything....I am serious...I really didn't...I don't want you to think I did..." Yes, he was serious and yea.....after multiple years he learned his life was more valuable than to let another birthday slip by without even a birthday card. Okay, I hear the people.... "Becky you are so selfish...are gifts really that important.....its about the love....blah freakin blah..." I am not really wanting to get gifts but maybe a little more love on the day of your birth wouldn't hurt. ***ALSO IF ANY OF YOU HAVE EVER SEEN GREGS PLANNER YOU KNOW THAT ON THE LAST PAGE THERE IS A LIST OF 'GREG'S WANTS' THAT SPANS MAYBE 5 COLUMNS AND THEN A LIST OF BECKY'S WANTS THAT HAS MAYBE ONE OR TWO THINGS LISTED UNDER IT WITH A QUESTION MARK BY BOTH. A month or two before his birthday his will ever so "unslightly" pass you his list of wants.....complete with highlights, stars, and underlines. There seems to be an abundance of cash flow around December 23rd...and an underabundance of cash flow around June 8th...SHOCKING HOW IT WORKS THAT WAY EVERYTIME.

But this post isn't about the past...it is about the present and the progress my love chunks has made. With my birthday fastly approaching I didn't even have a slight clue of what might be instore for my 30th year celebration. Dallin knew...and assured me he would probably be a little nervous...thanks D. Greg was silent about it...(only because he didn't know what he was doing until 6 days before my birthday...) But after he figured it out he assured me it would be a big surprise. I begged and pleaded for him to tell me. Doesn't he know me at all...I hate surprises. JUST TELL ME OR I MIGHT DIE...I would plead. but he continued to torture me and haunt me with NO details at all. All he would say is, "you are the worst and I am never doing another surprise again..." Come on..am I really that bad........ ( I really am and this is a warning to all who read this.....DO NOT KEEP SECRETS FROM ME.......it will only make you go crazy)

Greg and I rang in the 30th yearday of my entrance into this world at the stroke of midnight. (speaking of can't waiting for a surprise did anyone know I tried to come 2 months early and they had to sew me in to my momma and she couldn't get out of her bed for 2 months...see you can't blame me..I came that way!!) Anywho..I told Greg that it was now my birthday and could he PLEEEEEEEEEASE just tell me what he had in store. He said no and rolled over and went to sleep. I woke up to a birthday song from Gregors. Colton was so cute because he was so excited for me to see what they had done the night before. He giggled and jumped around and when he couldn't stand it anymore he would run to the corner and jump up and down. You would have thought I was getting a new car or something but he was so excited because they made me a huge sign that they hung up in the family room and he thought it was the coolest thing EVER. We all went to breakfast (I actually got splinters in my butt at the restaurant..but that is a story for another day..) and then they took me to the spa and dropped me off for a MASSAGE. I know...HeAvEn!!! (I would have saved it for later if I knew what we were doing next.....) Afterwards Greg picked me up and he was all cheery...he said we had to hurry because we were supposed to be up PROVO CANYON IN 10 MINTUES......

DA

DA

DUN...............................

What are we doing up provo canyon Greg? You will see. I started to panic. It was raining....there was lightning......ahhhhhh! He finally said we were going down the Provo River. I specifically asked him if we were kayaking down the provo river and he said...NO. He claims he didn't know...uh huh. I quickly began the...."Um, hi...my name is Becky...you know your wife of almost 11 years....um...ya..hi......DON'T YOU KNOW ME AT ALL?" I don't like danger....I like safety...I am the queen of safety..in fact just call me Queen Safety. Why in the world would I like to spend my 30th birthday with a death wish. I assured him that I have NEVER wanted my death day to be the same as my birthday....EVER. How sad would that be. People mourning you would be like.."ahh, you remember the day Becky was born...?....AHHHH, then she died the same day.." They'd be so confused. Anyways.... I had no way out of it. I also knew there was no way Greg came up with this on his own. He reassured me that he actually didn't and that him and another seminary teacher figured out their wives had the same birthday...(holla Melissa) and that this was actually Sua's idea.......and that his wife was actually adventurous...

In the end...the clouds parted long enough for me not to be struck by lightning as we kayaked down the river and we actually had a good time. I'd say it was split to about 76% laughing and the other 24% me screaming for my life as we almost hit boulders and trees. We only ran into one "house sized boulder" and Greg only almost knocked me unconscious with his ore..but whatever. WE LIVED!!! So I had to be a little uncomfortable on my birthday..did I mention the outhouse...AHHHH my heavens....of course I had to use the bathroom...I'd say ladies room but this wasn't no ladies room....twice while we were there and NO ONE..I repeat...NO ONE..should have to dry heave like I did when I went in that portapotty. DI-freakin-SGUSTING!!!

We headed home to shower and then we went to the Cheesecake Factory and ate like kings. (**warning.....this is where husband needs more training...) We were just finishing our nice meal...enjoying the feel of "over fed" when I mentioned something like this...." Oh boy..I feel like a beached whale..." My husband ever so lovingly looked me in the eyes and said,...." you are the prettiest beached whale I have ever seen." WOW.... WOW..... WOWZERS!!! Geez... wow babes...thank you...I mean no one has ever said that to me before. What do you say after that. And although he deserved to be kicked where it counts...I didn't...because it was my birthday and he was trying to be nice and it has to be my fault...I guess I never taught him that when a woman says she is a beached whale you should never EVER say,.."Oh yes hun, you are...but you are the danged cutest whale I ever did see...." Somehow I can never see how that would go over well..(one more thing to add to my sidebar of "greg says the darndest things..."

After dinner we came home and as we were driving the prettiest rainbow in the world was right in from of my house. It was gorgeous and I hate to be overassured but I am pretty sure that that was heaven's way of saying...I LOVE YOU! Argue we me if you want..but what are the chances......thats what I thought.

One of the greatest gifts came on my birthday and that was the birth of my new little nephew. I was able to go see him after dinner and I do believe that since I am sharing my birthday with him then my sister in law Kerri should give me half custody of him. No arguments from any of you....whats fair is fair.

And although I am sad another year has come and gone and I am only getting older..the reality of it all is that I have had 30 wonderful years. For being such a paranoid person..this is an accomplishment..I haven't died yet!! I can't even believe the things I have seen and done and experienced in my life and I can't help but be grateful for the gifts that I have. I am most grateful to be married to my one and only and to have had the blessing of bearing my three beautiful little boys. So...I move on towards my 31st year with anticipation of the years that lie ahead...here's to a life without anymore kayaking rides!!!

*** oh and for the physical gift..I received a new IPOD Touch...YEAH!!!!

Mind your manners!!

*Warning there is some "smelly" details in this post!!

Last Wednesday was a great night. We decided to go to the REAL game with our good friends the Vickers....(give it up for the Vickers!!! Hoot hoot!!) Our families just really hit it off...every one of us and we are in the process of arranging a marriage between two of our children...(D and Ali) We went to dinner at Greg's favorite place...Crown Burger..where my burger actually tasted like a crown...EW...Greg ate most of it. But it was fun nonetheless. Walking from Crown Burger the one whole block was a nightmare because my anxiety always gets the better of me and we arrive with me in a sweat...Greg verbally abused...and the children bouncing off of the sidewalk...BUT we survived and that is all that matters right? Greg insisted on the cheapest tickets of course because he is one of those who like to buy low and sit high. We had to take the children on many drink breaks because we were so high up the sun was beating down on us and threatening to ruin our night.

We were at the game no more than five minutes when a "unlovely" couple comes and takes the seats right in front of us. That may sound harsh to call them unlovely but continue reading on and I am positive your opinion will change...."they ain't so innocent"...:) We were just enjoying our time together when out of no where the FOULEST smell seemed to hit us smack in the face. We immediately assume it was one of the six children that we had brought with us. We questioned and commented on how horrendous this smell was. The children all promised it wasn't them...which then made us turn on our husbands. We knew it wasn't them because they were passed out on the ground from the smell. Okay, they weren't passed out but the look of disgust on Greg and Aaron's faces just told us it wasn't them. Just as we are getting settled again.....BOOM...another smell of death violates our space. We aren't a quiet bunch and begin to question where this smell is coming from. Just then Martha and I notice that the lady in front of us is elbowing her husband and giggling. IT IS OBVIOUS this guy is the perpetrator. HOW DARE HIM!!!

Games, people, are 90 minutes. Let me tell you that 80 out of 90 of these minutes were spent in the most putrid smell man can make. It got so bad that we finally decided that if they were

that rude then we wouldn't be quiet about our disgust. We made sure our comments were heard..like, "I'd like to call a foul..on the foul smell coming from in front of us." We took pictures of this "unlovely couple" and finally had to break out Martha's nice smelling lotion to try to compete with the bad air around us. And as much as we said..he still decided to silently invade our space. It was like a game to them. They giggled and poked each other and my disgust grew for Mr. and Mrs. Stinky. At one point I had to cover my nose with my hoody just so I could rest my nasal passages from being burned. You think I am exaggerating but I promise the smell we endured that night was as bad as it gets. It is what I like to consider a "hot one"...the kind that smell like a rotten egg and you know must have hurt when it came out. Gross...you betcha it is gross and I hate to have to explain in detail but it is the only way to try to take you through our experience.


I mean, look at Colton my poor baby. He got knocked out for the entire game.....SHOCKING!!!

Take a good look at these people and keep their backsides memorized in your brain and if you EVER EVER happen to sit down and realize these offenders are in front of you..take my advice and RUN...turn in your tickets, give them away, watch the game from the bathroom...I don't care..just save yourself and NEVER EVER try to endure the smell of death. No game is worth it!(I'm sorry if you are related to these people....I mean I'm not sorry about the post...I'm sorry you have to endure the smell at family reunions!!)