The No Good Very Bad Week

Well, it's been quite the week at the Johnson household! Mama had the flu and Dada was super amazing - Praise God he didn't have to work and could spend the time helping out with sick Mama and all the kiddos. And just 3 days ago, our baby broke his arm! This is our first broken bone. He and Kivi were playing outside with the wagon and he stood in it and because of some law of physics, he fell backward as Kivi pulled the wagon forward. Crack. Broken bone. The poor boy came howling into the house, screaming, "I broke my arm! I broke my arm!" We thought he was being over dramatic and tried to calm him down. Then when Peter took off his sweater and his long sleeve shirt and noticed his arm going the wrong way. He said, "Yep, I think we'll go to the hospital." So two days in the hospital, lots more vomiting, and "pins in the arm surgery" later and our Eben man is doing well... as long as there are lots of meds in him.

We'll go back in 8 days so they can take the pins out and he can get a hard cast.

Ahhh. Now, the hardest parts are over and it's on to Holy Week! Hurray for God and how He loves us enough to send His Son to suffer for us - way more than a broken arm.

Kivi's Special (Helper Rocket) Day

I earned 10 special helper rockets so that I could go to the Seattle Science Center. We took a bus ride all the way to the sidewalk and then we walked to a hot cocoa shop and got hot cocoa. We kept on walking and got to a big sidewalk in the city. We went and looked at flowers and looked at a flying pig and sea horse, puff up fish and an octopus. I stood on a big whale. Then I found out the Seattle Science Center was closed. Dada told me that we were going to go keep walking. And Dada took me to the Children's Museum and we got some breakfast. And I played at the Children's Museum for a while. My favorite part was looking into the rocks and seeing what was inside. Then we went to the bathroom. And then we went and Dada took a picture of me on a big tube. And I did a little dance on a stage.

This is me sipping some orange juice on a bridge. We got soaking wet when we walked through the waterfall.

This is me in a log.

This is me painting a picture. I liked dipping the brush in the jars and looking at my picture.

This is my picture of Dada going down the slide.

The Kid's Cookbook

On February 12th the kids wanted to make a cookbook, so their wonderful recipes could be enjoyed by all. They told me their recipes and I wrote down exactly what they said. We have yet to try them, but I'm sure they're delicious!

Crunchy Cheese

Jasper Age 3

Take crackers and peanut butter and mix it in and crunch it. Then wait for hours and it turns into cheese.

Candy Ballers

Eben Age 6

Take some Sugar Babies and little pieces of chopped up Swedish Fish, add sugar. Put chopped up licorice in the bowl too. Then melt a bunch of pieces of carmel. Try to get it all into a ball with the sugar inside of it. Then add the melted carmel all over the ball of candy. Stick cotton candy onto the carmel and cook it for 20 seconds at 30*.

Crunchy Cheese Bread

Kivi Age 4

First get a big bowl. Put in some powdered sugar and make some dough and put the dough in the bowl. Mix it all together and cook it for 60 seconds at 20*.

Muffin Cups

Eben Age 6

First make a tray of muffins. Then scoop the inside of the muffin out but leave some of the inside so it doesn't fall apart. Then take some licorice and cut it into a short piece. Somehow, with carmel or something, glue it onto the side of the muffin to make a handle. Then put honey inside the bottom of the muffin cup. Pour raisins on top of the honey and make them flat on top. Then put in a drink that doesn't make a muffin soggy and then drink it. When you're done drinking you can eat the muffin cup.

Flour Sugar

Kivi Age 4

You need sugar and some flour and baking oil. Then add some sweet potatoes. Mix it in with a cup of water. Then add one more cup of sugar. Then put it in the oven for 50 hrs at 70*.

Cheese Bread

Jasper Age 3

First put in crackers. Then put in cheese. Then flour. Then dough. Then chomp it up with your feet. Then it turns into a pancake and then applesauce cheese. Then it turns into Cheese Bread.

Bread Cheese

Opal Age 2

Bread. Cheese. Cheese on bread. Cheese on bread. Cut bread on cheese. Cheese on bread. Cut the bread.

After they made their cookbook, Peter whisked me away for surprise Valentine's dinner at Over the Moon with friends and an overnight stay at a bed and breakfast in downtown Tacoma. This was a brilliant plan because we didn't have to drive far but it still felt like we were somewhere far away!

Playing and Projects

When Poppie and Nonnie came the first week of February we were able to get a lot done! Well, Poppie and Peter got a lot done - some much anticipated projects that I've been waiting years for are finally happening!! I'm so excited!

First, they tackled the construction of our experimental concrete countertops. I love the floors of Home Depot and I've always wanted that look for our kitchen counters. Peter has tried numerous times to talk me into just buying granite. But the really cheap side of me can't stand it, plus, I hate the look of granite. So, because he's the most wonderful hubby ever, and my Pops was here and is very knowledgable in the ways of everything DIY. They started the concrete process!

Peter tinting and mixing the cement.

Pops vibrating the molds to get out the air bubbles.

Who knows how this is going to turn out? I'm just excited that he's trying it. The next step is to take them out of the molds. They've been in there for a month now, so I think they're ready.

Then, they got all ambitious and decided to upgrade our fireplace! I've always had a vision of what I wanted it to look like and they did it! It didn't even take them that long. Peter even put in matching slate, built a frame for our huge mirror, and they installed light sconces. I love the end result!

Now I just have to figure out what to put on it.

It wasn't all work, we got to play too, although, I think Poppie thinks the work is play. He had to take it easy, because he had just had knee surgery.

It was probably harder work to take all the kids to Build-A-Bear! It was finally time for Opal to go and get her choice animal and stuff it with fluff. She picked a kitty and the rest of the kids got to watch her and help. While they were at the mall, Peter and I had some alone time!!

And this is just a cute picture of Nonnie and all the kids in the kitchen at the Olympia Children's Museum. Which happened at some point. It was a busy week!