Montana pictures

 Grandma Kathy has some cool toys that are a fun change for the boys. 

We all got involved in this one though. Marbles away!

 Jeff couldn't wait to take the boys hiking and in the snow. This is a hike they did up to Mary's Peak over by Stevensville (about 15 minutes south). We realized quickly that snow gear gets grown out of more quickly when you don't use it. Calder had to get new everything and Phaelen is wearing stuff Calder got in Utah!

This is one we did as a family and it was short and sweet. We were losing light fast so we didn't go very far up Bass Creek. Jeff and I rode some mountain biking trails near there the first week we were there. Now it's way too cold and snowy to bike anywhere!

Butte was cold and it started to snow while I waited for Jeff during his interview. The town has a long history and used to be the largest city in Montana. There are a lot of old buildings that make for great photos but it wasn't so easy with the snow falling.

Well we are getting into a groove here, but we know it won't be long until it gets changed again. We are making progress though and Jeff has an interview December 8th in Great Falls. They said they have one vacancy now but are hoping (if money gets approved and sent from the Fed's) to hire eight people next year. Yeah! There are only 15 people interviewing so that helps us realize that Jeff is improving on his desirable qualities and being recognized for his skills as a Firefighter. We know that moving here was needed and inspired from the Lord and that timing was important too. Patience and faith are two things that we have, and probably will continue, a lot of experience in. Thank you to all of you who have been so encouraging and supportive in all of the different ways. Well keep you posted!

That last post is now voided

We have tons going on now! For those of you who aren't in the immediate circle of family or noticed my Facebook postings here is an update for you of what has happened in the last two and a half weeks.
Jeff now has a job as a security/emt officer in St. Patrick's hospital in Missoula, Montana and we moved! Jeff got a call a couple weeks ago about a possible job lead from a family friend that was injured and referred Jeff to be his temporary replacement. I guess they take those suggestions and recommendations seriously b/c they offered him a job ASAP, after a few drug tests and phone chats. The position is temporary until January and we'll see what happens after that, but we've been told that other job opportunities will become available in January at the hospital as well.
No sooner had Jeff gotten here that he found, tested, and signed up for a local Paramedic night course. So, Monday and Thursday evenings he goes to class and Friday, Saturday, Sunday nights he goes to work at the hospital. Not too shabby, eh? The course is finished in May, but then clinical and hours will need to be done along with the State and National tests. We are super excited for this progress in attaining Jeff's goal of being a Firefighter.
Wow! It really was a whirl-wind of moving and packing for about a week and a half, but we are here in Montana and doing fine.

With all of this craziness, the boys and I had a day or two to chill and gather up the last things in Vancouver before heading over to Montana. With the help of Jeff's mom Kathy, we had all of the information we needed and contacts to get Calder in kindergarten with only two days missed! We didn't want to get too out of routine with the kids so the boys and I stayed behind to make the transition easier. Calder likes his new class and is making friend fast, but still pretty shy in large gathering situations. He is #14 in his class and gets to go FULL day instead of half like before. He was excited to be able to eat at school and have recess two times a day. He doesn't ride the bus here b/c he would be on it for an entire hour in the morning before school started, so we just drive him the whole 1 mile it is to school and pick him up in the afternoon. The school here is really small and the HS, MS, and Elementary are all in the same campus.
On another side note, Jeff has another interview for a Firefighter position next week in Butte, MT that we just confirmed this morning. I guess some things are stalled in the address change b/c they called to see if Jeff got his letter. Thank goodness that message was relayed in time!
Well that's all I will post for now. I'll add some pictures of a few other things that have happened lately that I didn't get to b/c of the craziness.

What is up with us?

Well not much, sadly. So here are some photos of what HAS been going on.

Whatcha gonna do in a little canoe...

Clark County Fair 2010

Yeee-haw! It was a great year at the fair this year, short and sweet. We only went once this year and part of that was b/c it was so hot! Yes, it does stop raining and gets above 85 degrees here in Vancouver contrary to what Jeff may say. We were glad to have Bethany, John and Max with us this year to enjoy this tradition. Here are some photos of the different things we did and saw and had a fun time.

This was the really cool reptiles and amphibians exhibit. There were more creepy crawly critters but I didn't want to gross anyone out (my mom) with all the photos. Calder & Phaelen thoroughly enjoyed it. I can tell that some of these creatures will be in the Johnson home someday, and I don't mind a bit.

Dock Dogs are so fun to watch, but even more fun to photograph! The only problem is that it makes me want a dog even more badly and Phaelen kept wanting to pet all of them and go swimming too.

What's a fair without some tractors? The boys (big ones included) always enjoy sitting and pretending with all of the John Deer tractors and vehicles they bring out every year.

Yeah pony rides! Although it cost $6 a kid, they were on there quite a while and had a super fun time. They were both sad when it was over and if we didn't have another fun thing to do after this, I'm sure they would have gone again.

Petting zoo's are always a great attraction at a fair for all ages. Jeff wants one of these llamas if not a few. Although the hair on that llama looks dingy and dirty, it was super soft! Phaelen loves animals and remembers to treat them respectfully, which is usually rewarded with access to petting and wet noses, which he giggles in delight from.

Yes this is a bunny costume contest. I couldn't believe how well behaved these fuzzy little bunnies were! It was hilarious so say the least.

The boys had a lot of fun and we hope that they will always enjoy this annual tradition wherever we may live. Oh, we also went to the Tuff Trucks competition, but I was too preoccupied to take photos. That is one red-neck event that I will never turn down!

Phaelen's 2nd Birthday!

Happy 2nd Birthday silly boy! We can't believe Phaelen is already two years old. This year hasn't gone by quickly, so we don't expect our baby to be so BIG! It is hard to keep up with him nowadays and he tries his hardest to keep up with Calder, so we are all running around like crazy! Here are a few photos of some of the celebrations.

Summertime

Wow! I can't believe I haven't posted in so long. We have been pretty busy since our last post, but sadly not as busy as we want to be. Nothing on jobs yet, but still a lot of prospects. I am taking a photography class now and am really enjoying it, although struggle getting back into the groove after two weeks off and then missing the first week because of Girls Camp.
So yeah I went to Girls Camp as the Camp Director for our ward, which is the same ward I was born and raised in. I served with some new people but the YW President is someone who was around when I was a young woman and that was kind of fun to learn from her how camp is run and what we do as leaders before, during, and after camp. (Which is a lot more than I ever thought!) Our week at Girls Camp was crazy and fun. It was packed full of good times, but also of some crisis. I'll explain:
Monday: Most adult leaders, YCL's (16/17 y/o), and 4th years (15 y/o) head up to camp in various trucks, vans, suvs, and two large buses with trailers following suit. 20 minutes to our destination (almost to Yakima on Hwy.12) the main Uhaul with nearly all the girl's stuff,  80% of our food, and lots of other things needed for camp, CATCHES FIRE! No joke. The engine catches fire and the driver (luckily a fit adult man) has to jump out while it is moving along the highway b/c nothing mechanically is responding. There was a ton of damage and a lot of girls lost everything they packed for camp and the blaze was so bad that it melted through the metal into the trailer! Everyone on the buses who had things in the Uhaul turn around and go back to Vancouver to claim and salvage anything they can and replace everything in less than 24 hours. Those of us (including myself), who drove up in separate vehicles and have our thing with us just do what we can up at camp and chill the rest of the day.
Tuesday: Everyone (adult leaders and the rest of the girls 12-17 y/o) comes up a little later than originally scheduled and the weather is nice, people are doing pretty well considering what happened. We set up the rest of camp and go along our merry way.
Wednesday: Everything is back on schedule, we still have some trucks coming up to deliver last minute food replacements, and all is well. People are having fun, swimming in the lake, doing crafts, certifying for their levels, writing in their journals, BB guns, archery, humanitarian aid projects, la-de-daw, sunshine, fun times, etc. Wait what was that? Thunder? Lightening? Dark clouds barreling in above us? Crap! Get everyone out of the lake fast! Get under some shelter! It starts hailing and raining. Actually it was more than rain. It was a flash flood! Everyone get into the main lodge, leave your belongings the lightening and thunder is deathly loud right above our head. (I flash back to when I was about 13 and my whole soccer team got struck by lightening through a field light post) Stay low, grab a jacket, my new camera and my day pack. 5 hours later all my stuff is dripping wet, even though it was in a tent with a rain fly on top of a tarp. Many more people report that everything is wet. We cram as many people from each ward group into the platform tents and disperse out necessary bedding and clothing and everyone else is on the floor in the main lodge for the night.
Thursday: It's still kind of rainy in the morning but by lunch it is warm and humid. We tie rope to as many trees as possible and put wet things out to dry. For those of us who had the worst of the flooding in our campsites we got our super wet things together and two adult leaders (from our ward :p) took things in garbage bags to a laundromat in Yakima and returned just in time for bed. I sleep in the lodge with a few other girls who still don't have a shelter/tent to sleep in down at our campsite, it was fun.
Friday: Everyone is happy again. Activities are back on schedule. Yeah! Ew...what's that huge puddle from? Because of the torrential rain, the septic tank overflows and it starts seeping up from the ground in one of the ward groups campsite. No using the bathrooms or showers for today! A truck load of wood chips and gravel fix the standing sewage water and some time allow the water pressure to resume to normal and things are good again. Phew! That evening the bishops from each ward comes and we have a good time sharing our testimonies about camp, our families, our lives, and mostly about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Our bishop brought us a treat of Cinnabons and milk. Yes milk! We had milk only one other time the entire time at camp and I think I drank about 32 oz. that night. Yummy! Slept in the lodge again b/c of hearing of a chance of rain and not wanting to wake up wet.
Saturday: Everyone wakes up, quick breakfast and more milk! Ahhhhh. Clean up camp, pack our things, load up the trucks, have a farewell ceremony, and go home! Yeah!
Crazy fun! No really, it was a lot of fun besides the craziness. I learned so much about myself, about camp, and about the girls. It's a little nerve wracking to see these young women go through their teenage years. It's a very formative time of who you are and what you want to be. It all depends on your choices.

Well, I need to get crackin' on my homework. Here are some photos of the adventures we've been having.