Friday, December 25, 2009

Merry Christmas!!!

At 6:00 a.m. this morning our phone rang. I was out of bed and to the phone in no time wondering which one of our children 2000 miles away was calling! It was may baby girl! "Hi, Mom! I made rolls last night and they did not turn out right. I think it was the recipe I used. Could you go downstairs and find the recipe in the Lion House Cookbook and call me back? This is not our real phone call." So, being the obedient mother I am, I dashed downstairs, found the cookbook, turned to the correct page and called her back. Whew! The recipe given, the phone call ended, and I with the knowledge that I had talked to my baby girl first this Christmas morning!

Later, much later, after a video call to Nathan (thanks to Katie Anne) and watching Josie play with her new toys, we opened the present that came from Florida. Our instructions were to open it first and all together. So we carefully unwrapped the present, taking turns, and Megan got the opportunity to open the box. What to our wondering awe did we see? This!!!
A REAL alligator head! If you know our family, you know that Megan was grossed out and so was I. Ray laughed and laughed and laughed and is still laughing! The very best medicine.

Later, I got my courage up and got it back out of its box and wrappings to get a better look and to show you what we got for Christmas. (This baby has VERY sharp teeth.)

Monday, December 21, 2009

Check out her blog! She is having a fantastic mission!


For Shannon!





Tuesday, December 15, 2009

No Christmas phone call?

I am happy to report that Lauren still has her dry humor intact. She writes this week that her mission president has banned Christmas phone calls. You can read her blog for an update where you will also learn that she smells like a wet dog!

On the home front, Ray gets his pump off Friday morning and none too soon as far as he is concerned. And to tell the truth, I am right there with him! We appreciate all the love and prayers that have come our way. We would not be getting through this without them. So, thank you!

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Good News from the Missionfield

Lauren's new area is close to the Okefenokee swamp! I have always wanted to go there. Instead, Lauren is and she says she will take lots of pictures for me.

My lucky number is 13 and Lauren has had her lucky 13th baptism!

Best of all, Lauren has decided that she loves Christmas!!!!!! To quote her, "I am happy that it is the Christmas season. What better of a time to be sharing the message of the restored gospel than at the season of the birth of our Saviour. I know that he lives and that he loves us and that he wants what is best for us. For that I will be forever grateful."

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

December 1st

Lauren has now experienced her second transfer and her third companion. She is a small town in Georgia. I think she has forgotten that her roots are in an even smaller town, one with three less stoplights! (That equals zero) She and her companion are riding matching bikes with bells. And she experienced that Thanksgiving dinner is not dinner without macaroni and cheese, not the jello salad she is accustomed to. We missed her at our Thanksgiving dinner as we had to go without home made rolls. So, we both experienced a different kind of Thanksgiving. Lucky for me Megan still made the green bean casserole and Katie made the mashed potatoes. Children really are very lovely!

Friday, November 20, 2009

Five for Friday

1. Grandma Peterson's Christmas cactus is once again blooming! A miracle because I have almost killed it several times. Thanks to Lanett who took it out of my office to shower it with TLC.

2. The favorite toy in my office. Everyone, young and old, boy and girl, are drawn to this fun three bears house mom made me.
3. Six down only 19 more to go!

4. Thirty nine SFP meals made, three more this year. Do you know how to feed 90 people dinner with a $50 budget? Beans, potatoes or pasta!

5. Drum roll please, last but not least, five baptisms this week!

Friday, November 13, 2009

Five for Friday

1. I arrived home this evening to find these happy balloons waiting for us. Attached was a cheerful note. Visiting teachers are the best! Thank you AW and family


2. Last Friday was Megan's 25th birthday. She met me before work so I could wish her a happy birthday in person. Megan always makes me feel so good. She truly liked her super sized birthday cupcake. She knows how to cheer her mom up!

3. I had a brown skein of yarn left over from making a sweater and needed to keep busy. A bucket hat with a pink flower. A chunky hat with orange accents. Finally, a crochet hook holder open and closed. Flowers are fun to make.



4. Balls and bags for little ones.

5. Baby bibs. Do you like the round one? I thought it was a cute idea.

My mom always knit and I want to be like my mom. Unfortunately, I do not knit, but have decided to take up crocheting. Mom knit through lots of interesting and adventurous times.

Ray and I embarked on an adventure three weeks ago. Crocheting has evened things out for me.

Do you have any cute crochet patterns?

What do you do when you are facing an adventure?

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Happy Birthday, Megan!!!!

Guess what the one thing in common with all of these pictures...Megan is ALWAYS smiling!!!
I love that smile! Megan and Katie showing off their matching clothes.
5th grade picture
SLCC graduation...
Happy baby...
Megan and Trevor on the swinging bridge...

Kindergarten picture...

More matching clothes, forgive me girls...

Happy toddler...

Her brother loves her... So does her sister....

more happy baby...

Feet are the best!

First Christmas...
With sister Katie...

and Grandma...

Choir dresses...
and sister Lauren...

finally, I got my red headed child!

Megan has always known what she wanted and when she was going to do what she needed to get it. We have always joked that we did not let her come when she wanted to so she made us wait as long as she could. Megan was born on election day 1984. We drove to the hospital in the wee hours of the morning with her brother and sister peacefully sleeping in the backseat of the car. The 120 mile drive took us about an hour. We forgot to wear a watch and the clock did not work so we timed her contractions with the mile posts. It was a fun drive. By the time we arrived, she once again decided that she was no longer ready to make an appearance! Lucky for all of us the doctor had a different idea. The problem was that she had decided she wanted to come with her cousin so she waited three weeks to open her eyes and make any noise. When she saw him, she did indeed open her eyes and she has not stopped talking.
1. Megan is colorful, even at birth she was a beautiful lavender color!
2. Megan let me hold her to sleep night after night until she was six months old.
3. Megan never cried as a baby.
4. Megan knew Trevor and loved him from the first time she saw him.
5. Megan knows her Grandpa John and that he loves her.
6. Megan has always been our beautiful princess.
7. Megan taught herself to read when she was just little.
8. Megan let me dress her in matching clothes with her sisters.
9. Megan has always liked to have her Dad or me with her; she never gets embarrassed by us.
10. Megan has always been a good communicator.
11. Megan has so much energy,
12. Megan likes to help others.
13. Megan has tons of energy.
14. Megan uses that energy for good.
15. Megan is very enthusiastic.
16. When Megan she accepts a challenge she always completes it.
17. Megan has a very sweet heart.
18. Megan she loves her Daddy.
19. Megan is very independent.
20. Megan can take charge of any situation.
21. Megan loves children.
22. Megan her sisters and brother.
23. Megan is a lot of fun to shop with
24. Megan is a good friend and cares about her friends.
25. Megan is honest and truthful and committed
I love everything about Megan! Happy quarter of a century!












Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Sharing the Gospel in Florida

Lauren writes: "We have been teaching a lady. She keeps all her commitments and appointments and does everything she is supposed to... except she won't come to church! She said that she was going to come this week but then she got sick. But she did send her girls. She has 2 girls 12 years old and 10 years old and a boy 2 years old. The girls went to primary and young women and loved it. During sacrament meeting the 12 year old sat by the friends that she had made but the 10 year old wanted to sit by us. When people started to get up to bear their testimony she asked if kids were allowed to do it too. Well of course they are! She asked if I would go up with her so I did and had my very first whisper in the ear when the kid gets stage fright experience! It was rather amusing. She talked about the Restoration DVD that we watched with them, how Jacob, no Joseph was very confused but then he saw Jesus and got his daddy Baptized! It was cute. They are so sweet. We went over to their house to teach them more (we usually go over while they are at school so they haven't learned too much). They were so excited and kept telling us all sorts of false doctrine that we will have to straighten out in their little minds.

On Friday a new elder came to serve with us. For some reason or another he came from a mission somewhere else, where apparently no body (especially the sister missionaries) does anything. He informed us that they tracted one hour every week, they mostly did member work and reactivation junk. If that was what we were supposed to do we would have been called as full time visiting/home teachers, not missionaries. He was a little bugged by our door approach (that we do because that is what president was inspired for us to do) and that we baptize like we do. He also thought it was strange/crazy in the head that we make like 50 baptism invites a day. He said that in his old mission in 10 months he invited 11 people to be baptized, 7 of them accepted, and only 4 were actually baptized. How sad is that? He also asked Sister Nielsen and I when he could bring his sewing over for us and when we were going to make him brownies. Seriously? When does a sister missionary have time for such shenanigans? He asked us what we did all day! Well son, we do the same thing you do! only we work harder. But i left the last part out. I think he might be finally getting it. We went tracting with the elders and I set a sweet date with him so hopefully he will finally come to an understanding of what we do here in the FJM. President is a pretty inspired guy.

That's about all I can remember. OH wait, the elders were tracting some apartments when there was a sick shoot out yesterday. and then an hour later we went there to see some peeps. The least they could have done was called and told us not to be hitting up that side of the hood."

Doesn't she sound like herself only energized? What a missionary she must be. We love her!

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Good Times


On our way... The great mileage we got...true biz!Our happy chauffeur.
Shopping buddies.


Girls one and two reminded me that all my posts of late have not included them. So, here goes! Girl two came home to spend the weekend. She asked her poppy if he would take her shopping like in the old days where he would drive us and then wait in the car reading a book. Sure! he tells her. So after completing our morning chores, my manly man loaded us up in his manly vehicle and off we went. Girl number two bought us lunch to eat on our way. Each of us were able to find a cute top. Girl number one bought us each a new sweater. If you bought one sweater at regular price, you got two free! We could not pass up a deal like that! After climbing back into the manly truck, my manly man asked if he could take us to dinner at, yes, my favorite restaurant, Sweet Tomatoes! We finished out the evening with more shopping. It was just like old time when the girls were little, only this time they were footing the bill, and she who shall not be mentioned was unable to join us.
Thank you for a great day girls!

Thursday, October 22, 2009

True Love

I just have to say that I have the most darling daughter-in-law ever!!!! Just click on her post (Kate) and you will see just what I mean. Because of her, we have the most beautiful grand-daughter ever!! We love her blue eyes, her big smile and gorgeous long fingers, just to name a few things. Her grandpa and I believe it is true love.

Monday, October 19, 2009

First Transfer

It sounds like our baby girl is a "daughter" of Mosiah. I am not sure she will want to come home from her mission. She is spreading the good news of the Gospel and is very happy about what she is doing.

She was transferred last week and her new companion trained her MTC companion. She reports they have "personality" and have already taught and baptised a young man.

She also reports that her first area was nice compared to where she is now, but she is on the Lord's errand and is happy to be there.

Please pray for her and the elect people she is teaching.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Sunny Florida

There she is....watching conference!
Can you find her in this picture with all the sisters in her mission?

Sister Johnson and her companion in front of her mom's favorite restaurant... ...Florida, here I come!


Last Day

On or very last day the little one decided we should "walk" to the playground with the stroller. She led the way and up the hill we went.
On the way up the hill. Stopping for a rest on the grass on the way back down.
We returned home to ask grandpa to take us to the playground in the car.

A last ride on the horsey.
See you at the play ground next time we come!