We bought Isaac a swing set when he was a toddler. We spent a lot of time looking at options and deciding which one to buy. We decided to go with an inexpensive metal one. Many minutes were spent pushing our little man in a baby swing and then on a "big boy" swing. Over time, three more little ones joined him on the swing set. We moved it across town and then to a new state. By the third house, it was still working well, but it was starting to look a bit more rusty. When we moved here, we decided it was time to buy a new one. Some of the bolts were stripped, and it had seen better days. The various pieces laid in the yard and on the patio for the past year. I set aside some money and started looking at new swing sets. One night last week, Isaac said, "Why don't we just put the old one together?" Mark decided to give it a try. He had to improvise a bit, but he was successful in putting it together. The children are thrilled with the results of his labor! Eli has joined them in their swinging. We have definitely gotten our money's worth out of this swing set!

Fishing Rodeo, Part 2

While the older children were fishing, Eli was trying out three new delights-- "Jumpy Things" (The Johnson family term for inflatables), cotton candy, and snow cones. He thoroughly approved of all three! I also caught a picture of Anna Grace winking over her snow cone! What a happy day!

The Fishing Rodeo Part 1

Fishing is not something that we do very often. In fact, we are downright inexperienced at it. I think that it is one of those things we might enjoy after we are out of the toddler stage. Mark's company hosts a "Fishing Rodeo" at the company park each April, so we get a small taste of what fishing is all about.

Last year, Isaac fished for about five minutes before he became bored with the whole experience. The company also has inflatable slides, face painting, cotton candy, and other temptations that lure children away from the fishing. This year, he hung in longer and was rewarded with a catch! Olivia borrowed the pole and caught one also. They were both thrilled with their fish. They were blissfully unaware that there were prizes for the biggest fish, and that their sweet little fish were some of the smallest ones. The thrill of the catch was enough of a reward for them!

Bailey Is Growing Up!

Bailey has been asking to have her ears pierced for a while now. When she first asked, I told her that it hurt, and she stopped asking for a while. A couple of months ago, she decided she still wanted to do it, even if it hurt a little. I decided she was really ready. I took her while we were visiting my parents a couple of weeks ago. Having a mall nearby is a luxury right now, so we decided to take advantage of it.

Bailey was very excited, and she hardly flinched when the big moment came. The lady instructed us to clean them three times a day. I had some doubts as to how that would go, but Bailey has taken care of it on her own. She remembers so much better than I do (I should put her in charge of dispensing antibiotics!). Our sweet girl is growing up!

Toddler Training

It is amazing how much I have forgotten about childhood stages between each child. Eli has reached a particularly "challenging" stage, and Mark and I often ask each other, "Were the others like this???" You would think that by the time we arrived at our fifth child, we would have this toddler training thing down pat! There are days when I am worn out by the time Mark gets home. I can totally understand the temptation to give up being consistent and just give him what he wants, but we continue to try "fight the good fight" and try to teach him to obey. Sometimes it feels like the main goal of this stage is just to keep them safe!

A Few of Eli's Favorite Hobbies--
--Eating toothpaste -- Eli can sniff out a tube a toothpaste a mile away. No fluoride deficiency here! Deodorant is also quite a prize too, although thankfully he has not eaten any yet!

--Playing in the toilet -- "Close the bathroom door!" is heard constantly at our house.

--Pulling things off the counter-- Eli is tall for his age, and he uses his height advantage to reach further up on the counter. Cups full of liquid are his favorite, although he has snagged a knife and a pizza cutter. Thankfully he has four older siblings to help us keep him safe!

--Eating his sibling's food -- My other children have learned that any time they leave food on the table, it is fair game. Eli has the philosophy that the food is always tastier on someone else's plate!

--Throwing a fit -- Eli hates to be told "no" or have something taken away from him. He usually throws himself to the ground. He has at least learned to hold his head up when he hits the ground -- tantrums hurt much less that way!

--Running the opposite direction from wherever you want him to go!

Thankfully, the Lord gave toddlers the ability to be completely precious at times to balance out the exhausting moments. Despite the challenges, I would not trade being a Mamma for any job in the world!

Anna Grace

Anna Grace received a dress up outfit for her birthday that included a headband with a big pink flower. She wore that lovely blossom everywhere we went for several weeks. She is definitely a cutie pie from her pink bow to her pink cheeks to her pink tennis shoes! Children are most certainly a blessing from the Lord!

Family Night in the "Country"

Eli is holding his miniature tractor in his hands.

Eli's first ''hobby" is sitting on Mark's riding lawn mower. He calls it a tractor (his first two syllable word). He brings me his shoes at least once a day and says "tractor". He loves to go into the garage and spend time sitting on the lawn mower.

Friday nights are family nights, and this past week, Mark decided to take Eli on a "tractor" ride around the yard. The other children joined in. We sure know how to live it up on a Friday night!

The Germ Family

We have been bombarded with sickness the last three months (doesn't that sound like a Mark statement?!). We have had two stomach viruses (one lasting almost two weeks), two earaches, Strep Throat, and now Anna Grace has some type of a fever virus. Last week marked the first time that all five children have been on an antibiotic at the same time. Praise God for insurance! I think that it is starting to drive us all a little crazy! The children have missed lots of time with friends (and so has their Mama!). I am thankful that all of our sicknesses have been very minor, and I am praying that healthy time is coming soon!