Tis the Season to be Jolly!

We had such a fun Christmas!! It was definitely a white Christmas...it has been snowing all week, and is still going at it!

Well, Christmas morning started out with a "bang!" Really! Spencer had asked if we could shoot our gun early Christmas morning like the Colonial people did. People would shoot back and forth for awhile to welcome the day. So of course Ryan was more than happy to get out his gun and fire 6 shots to wake up the kids...although we uh, didn't hear any shots back from joyful neighbors. It was fun to at least see the neighbors horses get a nice early run around their pasture! (hee hee...I am reminded of the joy of this horse loving, llama hating neighbor on 4th of July when Derek lit off a huge pile of fire crackers!)

The biggest excitement on Christmas morning, was finding a new Golden Retriever puppy! After the kids had opened all their presents and started playing, Ryan pretended to be mad and said with a sly grin- "Kids, go clean out that messy car! It looks like there have been animals living in it it's so bad!" They stopped what they were doing, hung their heads, and sadly went out to the car with grocery bags, ready to clean it out.We shut the door behind them... then in a minute heard excited cries-"A puppy! A puppy!" Ryan had hidden it in a box in the car. (He had left at 6 am for Idaho Falls to go pick it up and hurried back before the kids woke up).

Spencer claims this has been the best Christmas ever!

Best of 2007

Make a photobook - it's easy!

Only 4 days til Christmas!

The Johnson household is full of some sort of electrical charge that makes everyone constantly excited and full of energy!!! Oh what could it be? It seems that every waking moment is filled with the number one question: "Mom, can I just open one present, please?? I promise if you let me open one I won't ask again tomorrow!" Porter is our little countdown man, constantly reminding me how many days until Christmas. We're almost there!!


The annual Gingerbread house making event.
The kids had SO much fun making what they think is the biggest snowball in the world! As Kami would say- "Holy HUGE!" Knowing Rexburg's weather, it will probably be a permanant monument in our front yard until June!


Dirty, but proud of their "fort".

Santa Claus!

The Ward Christmas Party! The highlight of course, was when Santa Claus came for a visit.
Kami was too scared to sit on his lap, but the other kids waited in a long line for a chance to tell him what they wanted, and came away with a nice treat bag.

Lindsey boldly told Santa there were 3 things she wanted. She later said "I don't like Santa's mittens. He doesn't look like Santa one tiny bit!" At least she left his beard alone. Last Saturday at a high school basketball fundraiser breakfast, Santa came to visit, too. Lindsey sat on his lap and pulled on his beard, and looked under his hat...coming to the conclusion he wasn't the real Santa because there wasn't a "bunch of bushy white hair under his hat".
Santa seemed to be a bit serious and not quite as jolly as usual...maybe had a long day?

Welcome Winter!

Goodbye Fall

It looks like autumn time is over around here. The leaves have all fallen off the trees, the air has turned cold, and the kids have already written their letters to Santa. Ryan and I even went to his Economics Department "holiday" dinner on Thursday. (We left Dallin for the first time for about 3 hours, and he did great and took his bottle like a good boy). As we looked at the forecast and saw that snow is in on the menu for this next week, we decided to take one last hike before winter settles in. We were able to enjoy the Teton canyon, and even found some snow as we gained a bit of elevation. Ryan in his element with Kami.

Brothers. They swear they found bear tracks in the snow.

Pretty aspens.

Dad and Dallin talk for awhile.

Recipe of the Week: Lemon Poppyseed Bread

In the mood for a moist, delicious, lightly lemony muffin? This is our favorite!

Stir together:
3 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 T poppy seeds
2 1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 pkg. small lemon jell-o
Add:
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/8 cups oil
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp lemon extract

Mix until smooth, about one minute. Pour batter evenly into 2 greased, floured bread pans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes (18 minutes for muffins), or toothpick comes out clean. Cool loaves in pans for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack.
Combine 1/4 cup orange juice with 1 cup powdered sugar and almond extract. Whisk until smooth. Drizzle over bread.


What do the taste testers say?

Kami- Mmmmmm!
Lindsey- We could sell these on Ebay!
Spencer- Delicious!
Ryan- They're great!

George and Martha's Photo Shoot

The Johnson Review turns blog!

Welcome to the new modernized Johnson Review! We'll be keeping you posted on this site now!

What better way to introduce the fam, than all dressed up for Halloween!!

We have been studying the Colonial Era and the Revolutionary War in our home school for the past couple months, and have been having so much fun! The time period has really come alive for us, as we have read the biographies of Martha Washington, Abigail Adams, George Washington, and John Adams. In addition, we have been reading the American Girl Series books about Felicity, a girl growing up in the Colonial Days. This inspired Spencer and Lindsey to be George and Martha Washington for Halloween! It was their own idea, which was great, because I didn't mind spending time making costumes that were somewhat educational!! So we hit the DI and came up with some fun outfits.
Martha and George Washington
No, Spencer is not a British Redcoat...you gotta take what you can get when you shop thrifty!


Cute witch and SuperDuper Man

Sweet Dallin is 2 months old! This picture isnt from Halloween since he didnt dress up. This outfit was knit by our friend Pam!