Johnson Family Dish

Our 3rd Day on the Trek

Our 3rd Day on the Trek, originally uploaded by mjseptbebe.

We had so much fun! On the first day when they put us into family groups, we hit it off as a family immediately and I felt affection for these young men and women from the onset of this trek. These young men and women inspired pa and I. They worked so hard pulling our loaded hand cart over 20 miles up and down steep and winding roads in the Arizona high country. They took Addi in as thier little sister and doted on her shamelessly, to her delight.

I LOVED being with these guys. As much as I was happy to come home to a shower (we did not have one for 3 days) and my own bed, I regretted having to leave the happy utopia that we created.

Reeder children, Ma and Pa expect a graduation announcement, wedding invite, mission call notification, and any other significant life event notification. We love you all so much and wish you all achieve the greatness that we have seen you are capable of!

YOu can see more of the trek pictures at our flickr page, http://www.flickr.com/photos/24955854@N00/

The Pioneer Trek

We are back from our Pioneer Trek. It was an experience that we would do again in a minute!

When we arived at base camp (we called it Iowa City because that is where the handcart treks embarked upon thier journey) we were arranged in family groups of 10 children 14+, 5 girls and 5 boys. We were called the Reeder family and represented an actual hand cart family. The girls were then sent with me, thier Ma, to plan and get all of our food supplies etc. from the mercantile, including one live chicken. The boys went with Pa, Randon, to get our hand cart, assemble it, and pack all of our stuff into it. We all hit it off pretty quickly and were happy to get moving along the trail since we knew that we had a LONG pull ahead of us. I estimate that our cart was somewhere around 500 lbs., give or take a few depending on water and food supplies. We enjoyed the other 4 hand cart families that we traveled with the first day. The kids had to work really hard together to get 11 hand carts up a VERY steep cliff, so steep that it took 20+ people to get the carts up. The carts were HUGE and all these guys just kept going up and down helping eachother to get carts up the hill until at last they were all there. We walked 11 miles that first day and came into camp ragged and tired but before sundown. We made dinner and took that opportunity to talk and tell jokes. We had Family Home Evening with our kids, a prayer and went to bed on the VERY HARD ground. There was a lot of snoring that night and not great sleep. BTW, all of the girls slept with me on the right and the boys with Randon on the left.

The second day we got up early, made breakfast, packed up and off we went again. We were attacked by brownie loving Indians, the boys had to leave for the service of the USA in the Mormon Batalion while the women, girls and children were left to pull our carts up a very long and steep hill, with much struggle. This was 6 people doing what 10 would normally do. It was hard and trying but we got help from some special angels, when many felt they could not go one more step further. It felt like we went up hill all day on the second day, it was hard!!! The guys joined us again, much to everyones delight. Pa and I took turns piggy backing Addi who was exhausted. We arrived in camp and took a rest for a while and then our kids found the energy to play old fashioned games that were set up for them. They also got to go to the black powder shooting range to try thier hand at the targets, and learn how a black powder gun works. Then we had the moment that we were all anxious about. We had to kill our chicken, who we named Cornel Sanders, and whom we had grown attached to. The kids treated this chicken so delicately feeding, watering, petting it and feeding it scraps. Jonah was the oldest boy in our group and was designated as the man for the job. He consulted with his father (who is also his bishop and who came up to visit the kids from his ward for the afternoon) on how to do this job. He took this job seriously and did it so well. Several of the other boys and Jana helped to clean and get the chicken ready for us to cook. They cleaned it so well, I was really proud of them! Everyone helped to make our chicken into a tasty soup. After dinner we had a dance, square dancing, instruction included. We quickly retired on a softer bed of pine needles and slept so much better this night.

The third day we woke up, had breakfast, packed up and were ready about an hour before we had to leave so we enjoyed some down time laughing and talking about all manner of things. We were the first handcart in line because we were ready so early. Our kids wrote a letter to themselves expressing thier thoughts and feelings from this event. We will mail it in 6 mo. to them to remind them of this time that they spent doing something so unique, demanding and spiritual. We finally made it to Salt Lake after a long pull where we had a prayer and a HUGE group hug. There were 11 hand carts with 10 children, 2 parents and a small child, so it was the biggest group hug I had ever been a part of. They had hamburgers and hotdogs there for us, which was so divine after living on meager portions and hardtack (heart attack as Adrian called it) and beef jerky with one fruit a day. I am so SICK of hardtack.

They did something so very hard so very well. I heard some of them express appreciation and new found intrest in our pioneer ancestors. They made new friendships and on a personal note, they inspired and changed me. I know that when ever I am going through something difficult in my life that seems insurmountable I am going to remember those guys going up the steep hills and pulling together and not quiting, even though they were physically spent and suffering from blisters, sunburn, rashes and fatigue. And I will take courage from that and I will press on with courage and faith as they did. I will forever have them engraved in my heart.

These kids are the best of the best! I mean how many kids between the ages of 14-18 would CHOOSE to come out and pull a 500lb cart through mountainous terrain on thier first days of summer break?! They did, and I was blown away by thier work ethic!

Scott enjoyed his pioneer famiy so much. The boys and girls in his family took him right in and loved him. The Ma and Pa did too. So much so that when it was time for the kids to go to kids camp Scott cried to have to leave them. The boys in his family had invited him to sleep in the boys tent they were putting up that night and he was looking forward to that. They played with him all day and I did not have one worry for him because I watched how they cared for my boy. It was so touching as a mother to see them loving and enjoying my child so well. Scott was in the Larsen family.

This was a life altering experience for Randon and I and we are looking forward to Sunday night when we have a fireside and meet the kids again, with thier parents. I am so thankful for having gone and for knowing these beautiful young women and men. I feel so lucky to have been thier Ma, if only for 3 wonderful days.

Pinewood Derby 2007

Pinewood Derby 026, originally uploaded by mjseptbebe.

Scott placed 3rd in his 1st pinewood derby!! He won 17 of the 19 races that he ran with his car he calls “Midnight Rider”. It was so fun to watch him race and see his shock and excitement every time that he won a race. He and the car that was in 2nd place had to have a race-off because they were in a dead tie. Scott’s car was slow by a hair. How fun it was!

You can see more of the pine wood derby shots at our flickr account.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24955854@N00/

Funny Conversation with Addi today

She said that she did not like her picture. She said that she looks really little in her student of the month picture at school (it is hanging on the wall with the other students of the month). I told her that she was beautiful and so was her picture. She said I know but I look free (meaning three).

I could not help but wonder to myself how old she feels on the inside. I think often we view ourselves so much differently than we are percieved.

Kelcie student of the month

Kelcie student of the month, originally uploaded by mjseptbebe.

Our darling Kelcie was the student of the month for May! Here is what her teacher wrote about her:

“Kelcie is a natural born teacher; she willingly helps those around her with their classwork by explaining how to do math problems. Kelcie strives to do her best and can be counted on. She understands how important friendship is and values her friends made here at Brinton. Kelcie has a strong sense of justice and may sit on the Supreme Court someday!”

You go Kelcie!

Pioneer us!

Pioneer us!, originally uploaded by mjseptbebe.

Randon, Michelle and Addi, in our pioneer get-up. We were asked to wear our pioneer clothes to the last Ma & Pa meeting before the Trek. We are really excited about this! It is only one week and a few days away now.

Turns out that Scott will be coming too, they need one more child, he is beside himself with excitement! He will be in the group with the Pitneys.

How cool is my family!?!

How cool is my family!?!, originally uploaded by mjseptbebe.

THIS was my Mothers Day gifts from my family! I love them!

My family ROCKS!

Addi with one of our chickens

Addi with one of our chickens, originally uploaded by mjseptbebe.

We will be killing and eating a chicken on the 3 day trek- Eeek! Not one of ours though, I just wouldn’t be able to kill one of our sweet hens, that would be devistating.

We made some Pioneer Hardtack this weekend, and the kids LOVED it! The recipe made 2 gallon zip lock bags full and the kids ate every bit up with eagerness!

Addi in her Pioneer Clothing

Addi in her Pioneer Clothing, originally uploaded by mjseptbebe.

Addi’s Pioneer clothes are FINALLY finished! Her dress was not fun to sew. I had to do 14 button holes for this one (I am really bad at button holing, so this was a HUGE challenge!). She looks like Holly Hobby. She just loves her outfit and I have to say she did a great job picking those fabrics out herself.

My clothes are almost done as well. I have to sew my Pantalooms today and do the hems on my dress, then I am DONE! I sewed both of my dresses yesterday, Addi and I’s aprons, and our bonnetts. Addi’s dress alone took me two days, of frustration.

My Fashionista

I went into the kids bathroom where I was stunned to see that the bathroom that was so squeeky clean yesterday was now riddled with pieces of some sort of shale-y rock. It was on the floor, the counter tops and sinks too. I asked what the heck it was and how did it come to be there? Kelcie simply said, “I did it. I will clean it up.” She did just that.

A few minutes later she comes to me and says “look Mom” and shuts her eyelids. I do see a shimmer on her eyelids and said “nice”. She then tells me that that was why she broke that rock up into a million pieces and ground it, to make eyeshadow. HUH!?! Did I just hear that correctly?

I did, it seems that my little fashionista is very in touch with the latest trends, and was making her own mineral make-up! I am just blown away! Only a Johnson.