Check out that cute cowboy onsie with the pearl snaps that we found in Montana! So darn cute!
Karson's daddy had a birthday too! Hunter turned 28!
Bryn's track season was in full force! She was really fun to watch! After that first practice meet she really kicked it into gear. This year her favorite events were running the 800m, javelin, and shot put. She did great!
At her next meet she got 3rd in the 800, PRed in shot put, and did really well in javelin. Tyler, Kam, Ailey, and I were all there cheering for her!
At one of her meets her favorite elementary school teachers were there and cheering her on! Mrs. S now works at one of our new middle schools and our very most beloved elementary school teacher Mrs. A is still at our elementary school but will be moving to our middle school next fall. Next year our school district switches from having 6th grade in the elementary schools to having 6th grade in middle school. I am NOT a fan of this change and am so glad that Bryn (and all of our kids) were able to be in elementary school through 6th grade.
These two teachers have had all four Johnson kids in some respect and know each one of them and our family well. They were so excited about the newest Johnson grandbaby and needed to see pictures. They wanted updates on Reilly, Kameron, and Ailey. Good teachers are pure gold!! It was so good to see them!! At this meet Bryn got 4th in the 800 and PRed in shot put again, and got 3rd in javelin. At her next meet she wasn't feeling feeling well so didn't run the 800 but PRed both in javelin and shot put. Bryn found out that she made the Top Ten in the district for javelin. She is #9. She was very excited about that! At the meet after that Bryn qualified for the All-City finals in the 800m and she was an alternate for javelin!! She was stoked! Exciting!
The All-City Finals meet was crazy! It started at 3pm but just as the kids were taking to the field it started thundering and lightening. It's a bummer because we've had great weather all season until this meet. The kids had to take shelter in the nearby middle school. Parents had to vacate the stands and run to their cars. There was nearly a 2 hour delay. Then the kids headed back out to the field to participate in their events.
Bryn came in 5th at the All-City finals running against a pack of girls and multiple heats! She was really happy! A nice way to end her track season and her middle school sports! She did such a great job and worked hard. She is looking forward to running track in high school next year!
Ailey's blood sugar levels continued to be erratic all month. We got her in to see her doctor (the pediatrician). That was a waste of time. Tyler and I both went with her. The pediatrician isn't up to speed on all things diabetic and kept deferring to Tyler and his knowledge. She felt that with all of Ailey's sicknesses and viruses while she was at college that her system is just out of whack and needs time to regulate itself. Her advice was for Ailey to watch what she eats...more protein and less carbs...and carry glucose tabs when she exercises. She didn't think Ailey needed to continue wearing a CGM (she did!!) but reluctantly said that she would order blood work to see what her A1C was and if we *really* wanted it she would put in a referral for her to see Tyler's endocrinologist. (We did!) This process has been frustrating and difficult all month long!
Ailey's blood sugar has bottomed out multiple times in the middle of the night. Tyler and I have had the alarms going off on our phones...Ailey seems to sleep through hers or isn't aware...we've had to bring her juice so many times in the middle of the night or early in the morning this month. Other times her blood sugar is much higher than the average nondiabetic. So clearly something is going on. The CGM has been necessary. Thank goodness Tyler has had extras. She has to pack snacks and juices when she goes to work. One day she could not keep her blood sugar up. She bottomed out all day. The next day it was high. It is frustrating for her and it makes her feel crappy. Some morning both Tyler and Ailey were low and I was running juice to everyone. LOL.
She finally got her lab work done. Her pediatrician's office isn't organized and kept neglecting to send the order for the lab work in. She had to go twice. Our pediatrician that we had for years passed away from cancer and this is the group that took over for him. Not a fan. She finally got her results and they showed no sign of diabetes. Her blood sugar level was normal and her A1C was 5.0. Her pediatrician felt like that was that. We wanted a second opinion. She needs to see an adult doctor anyway so we miraculously got her in as a new patient into the group that I see.
Her new doctor is fantastic! I went with her to that appointment. This doctor definitely saw issues and problems. He thinks she might be a diabetic type 1.2 (basically a pre-diabetic heading towards type 1). He looked at all her CGM data and put in the referral for the endocrinologist immediately. (Our pediatric office had still NOT sent in a referral.) He felt that yes, maybe it could be that her system has just been really stressed out and needs to readjust but with her data and family history it could be much more likely that she is heading toward type 1 diabetes. He wanted her to continue wearing a CGM although he couldn't prescribe one off of his data. Insurance won't cover it on the info he had. Also he said that our area has a scarcity of endocrinologists. The wait time for patients to get in to see one is a year! WTH! He sent the referral to Tyler's endocrinologist and is hoping that with Tyler contacting his doctor and letting her know what is happening with Ailey and already having a relationship as a patient that it could move Ailey up the list and get her in as a "special case". We really need her to be seen this summer before she heads back to BYU-Idaho. Tyler did initially message his doctor and told her what was happening with Ailey and she wanted Ailey to go to her doctor and get blood work and a referral. It takes a week or so for any referral to get through the referral system and then read by the endocrinologist's office. Then we have to wait for them to contact us to set up an appointment. Frustrating. The good news is that we like Ailey's new GP so much so that Kam is now seeing him and Tyler too. Bryn couldn't get on as a new patient but she got in with another doctor in the group. At least all of us are now being seen by one family practice group of good doctors. Goodbye to our old pediatrics group!
Kameron has had nothing but issues with our pediatrics group too. (They will see kids through college). He needed to get in to see his cardiologist to see if he can qualify for flight school. Despite him ALREADY being a patient at this cardiology office he needed a referral from the damn pediatrics office. Again...they delayed and were unorganized. Said they sent one and didn't. Kameron and Ailey were calling the pediatrics office daily...sometimes multiple times a day... trying to get them off their butts and sending out the orders and referrals that they need. I'm sure they were sick of the Johnson family! It is annoying that Tyler and I can't take over and be demanding but Ailey and Kam are both over 18 and have to do it all themselves. I guess it has been a good lesson in dealing with doctors and insurance companies. Off the charts annoying! Kam finally got them to send in a referral and the cardiology office was able to make an appointment for him in June.
In happier and less frustrating news...the weather has been glorious and we have been out and enjoying it! One Saturday Tyler, Ailey, Bryn, and I drove up to Kingston, Idaho and jumped on the the Trail of the Coeur d' Alenes. Kam had to work. We rode down past Cataldo. We wanted to get some bike riding in before it gets too hot. It was perfect!!
We saw a moose! It looks small in this picture but I can assure you that it was not!
And turtles!
The views were stunning!!
We rode about 15 miles this time. It was so fun!!
We had dinner at the Snake Pit.
Like I said in a previous post...one day Tyler and I went out to the lake and went kayaking. I wasn't sure of the water temp so I didn't bring my paddle board. I should have. It felt wonderful! It was definitely swimmable! But it was my first voyage in my new blue kayak. I love it! We got out there around noon and it was perfection. No big ski boats were out. It was pretty quiet and peaceful. Our boat was in getting summerized. Can't wait to have that all ready to go!
We put in on the upper lake and then paddled through the channel and the lily pads to the lower lake.
As I kayaked to my mom's cove and glided by all of the familiar sites; I was overcome by joy and gratitude. It was just further confirmation that the right decision was made.
Bryn had her YW auction where they earn money for Girls Camp. Bryn auctioned off dog sitting services and Ailey made a fabulous batch of BYU Mint Brownies and decorated the tray so that it looked amazing for Bryn to auction off too. I wish I would've gotten a picture of that! Both went for large sums of money to my friend Summer! We ended up purchasing a homemade strawberry rhubarb pie and monthly deliveries of a new batch of freezer jam and homemade rolls. Can't wait for that to start to arrive!
People keep asking me what it's like to have everyone home for the summer. It's either great or it's not. Everyone is either having fun or they are not. Everyone is either getting along or they aren't. When the kids are moody and irritable it makes me irritable. Tyler and I just leave the house when everyone is pissy. Those long walks come in real handy!!
Mom's cove was beautiful and serene as always. We floated our flowers and had a snack.
We admired the ferns, moss, and flowers adorning the cliff on the cove.
Yep! That water was swimmable. It felt great!
As I looked across the lake to our old lake house...you can see it in the above picture behind me... All I felt was curiosity. What's new? What has changed? In the above picture to the right of our old lake house is my great-grandparents home and once resort. To the left of the lake house is the house that once belonged to my great-aunt (my grandma's sister). It was also the site of the old ice house. We kayaked over for a closer look. The lake house was looking good!
Were there some changes made and being made? Yes. But you can see that this property is in the hands of someone who loves and is caring for it and still honoring our family history...the memorial that says Miley's Echo Beach is still the same. A few more trees have been taken down and some remodeling is being done but all in all I was very happy with what I saw. I have released this place. I have said the long goodbye and wished it well. I felt like it no longer belonged to me and as I floated by I felt that it wished me well. Peace was all around me and filled my heart.
Then it was back up to the Upper Lake as we passed the loons once again who bid us goodbye. We had such a great day on the water!
We stopped in Rathdrum and got our favorite Chinese food from Wah Hing and banana bread from the local grocery store that we love. It had been a long time and it truly felt good to be back.
Tyler and I have being doing a ton of yard work and prepping our deck for summer. All of the furniture is out and I bought and planted a ton of flowers. It looks so nice out there. I love it when we get it done early so that we can really utilize the deck and enjoy it. Last year with the damage to our deck and needing to repair it we barely used it.
We started eating out on the deck when the weather permitted. I love it when we eat outside! Our weather has been either extremely hot and humid which I dislike greatly or cold and rainy which I also don't love. Where are the sunny 70s and 80s? We've had some crazy thunder and lightening storms but we have also seen three double rainbows in a month so there's that.
The college kids have been busy working. After Kameron got home from Florida he started working at Nike. Ailey's busy at the gym. It is fun when Tyler, Bryn, and I go in to workout and she's there.
We've seen a lot of Reilly and Karson since Hunter has gone back to work. They come over once or twice a week. We all enjoy our Karson time!!
Love that cute little face!
Tyler and I and several of our friends attended the funeral service of my friend Nancy's husband. He was the one who had been on hospice. They are an older couple. Nancy joined the church but her husband didn't although he was very supportive and came to church nearly every Sunday. He was also a much beloved teacher at our high school years ago. His funeral was held at a beautiful Lutheran church here in Spokane. The service was lovely. It was a touching tribute to Ira. I love attending other churches and their services. I just wish it would have been for a happier reason.
The lilacs finally started blooming. A bit late this year. Tyler and I went to the Lilac Garden and walked around inhaling the incredible smells. The Lilac Garden probably has over 100 different varieties of lilacs.
The lilacs in our yard were pretty lackluster this year. I am not sure what the problem is with them. But...my snowball bush was glorious!! Our rhubarb has also been flourishing. Last year it was pretty sad. This year...we are eating all the rhubarb things!!
We had been having a problem with crows roosting in our big pine tree. We have never had that happen before. They were awful. Pooping all over the deck and being super loud. We tried everything to get rid of them to no avail. Then one morning I was painting in the garage and I heard the crows going crazy. I went out on the deck to see what was happening. They were freaking out. I looked up and saw a giant bird on one of the branches. I was like, "Why is there a giant goose in our tree?" then the *goose* turned its head and it was a huge bald eagle!!
My zoomed in picture does not do the eagle justice. That sucker was HUGE!
I've seen bald eagles in our neighborhood once in awhile but not in one of our trees!! The bald eagle sat there for over half an hour driving those crows nuts. Then it flew off and the crows left the tree too and started roosting in my neighbors tree across the street. Hallelujah (although sorry neighbors!) I guess crows don't want to come back to a tree that an eagle enjoys perching in!
As the school year is winding down all of the summer activities are needing to be registered for and scheduled. Bryn is going to have a busy summer. High school sports camps and things begin mid-summer. Right after school gets out she is going on the Pioneer Trek. Then she has Girls Camp and after that she is going to FSY...not to mention family vacations. Trying to make sure we got her registered for everything was a bit of an ordeal this month. For the Pioneer Trek we had to order her Pioneer clothes (that I was stressing wouldn't be here in time but they were). She also had to research a pioneer ancestor and write up a history so she can walk in their name and share their story. Lucky for her she comes from handcart pioneers on both sides of her family. (If you don't have a pioneer family member, which many people don't, you can choose a modern pioneer or hero to walk in honor of.) Tyler and I also had to write letters of encouragement for her on the trail and get those in on time.
Bryn picked out a lovely cornflower blue calico print dress. Very Little House on the Prairie goes to church. Remember those blue dresses that Laura and Mary Ingalls would wear to church? This dress looks just like it! LOL. She is not a fan of the bonnet!
What a sweet spirit!! Ha ha! That my friends is what over a $100 bucks of pioneer clothes looks like! This will be dirty and torn and thrown in the trash after the trek.
Tyler's been busy with work. One of his good friends from work and also a fellow Type 1 diabetic retired this month and that was kind of a bummer for Tyler. He has also been busy with his stake calling. Meetings and more meetings. Stake Conference is next month so it was a busy planning time. Tyler spoke in the Swahili Branch and I went to listen to him. I love all of the time I get to spend in the Swahili branch. Everything is in Swahili with the English translations projected on the wall. All prayers, hymns, and the Sacrament are in Swahili. Tyler was told to only prepare a 5 minute talk because it had to be translated. The branch president who is Swahili is the most amazing and joyful man! His name is Moses and he oozes happiness. When Tyler gave his talk he and Moses both stood at the pulpit together and Tyler would say something and then Moses would translate. It was awesome! The musical numbers included drumming and the soloist began singing in a rousing way (not funeral dirge style) as they walked up to the pulpit. It was fabulous. I love the all the children! I wouldn't mind a calling in this branch!
Tyler is also still doing his AutoCAD tutoring on the side which he loves! We have had some fun date nights and we are regularly going to the gym. We still love our long walks so we try to still walk almost every day even if it is just a quick mile with Beverly. It is when we discuss everything without children lurking about! It's a much needed daily download with each other. This month we have seen on our walks a large snake and a bunch of frogs.
Tyler and the kids have been working on our garden which has been ignored and dormant for the last maybe 6 years. They are redoing the garden and then going to build some grow boxes. I am so excited! I planted a bunch of tomatoes in containers on our deck just in case this project takes a little longer than expected.
I've had a nice month of celebrating whether it is Mother's Day or our anniversary or friends birthdays. It's been fun! Book club is back on track! Yay! I've enjoyed working in our yard and planting tons of flowers. That just brings me such joy! I did a booth redo and did a change up from a Spring theme to an Americana style. I don't love Americana décor and bright reds and blues. I like a nice neutral booth LOL.
I haven't had to do too much with my calling except for meetings. We are already deep in planning another big activity. We just had one!
I've also helped out in my own ward's primary quite a bit this month. Our Primary President is moving and so they have been short-handed in there.
It's been fun to spend time with all the kids. The house is full to the brim most days. Once in awhile the stars will align and everyone is either at work or school and I get the house to myself. That happened once this month. LOL. Tyler has enjoyed having Kam home and doing some guy things. I've enjoyed doing more with all the girls. We've had some Starbucks dates and trips to Ulta, Sephora, and the Mall.
Karson’s first trip to the mall. He was thrilled. LOL.
Reilly had to go back to work right before Memorial Day weekend. She had to go back earlier than anticipated and it has been challenging. She is trying to work part-time in the office and part-time from home. Karson can go into the office with her which is nice.
Mommy and Karson at work.
He is starting to get very active and doesn't just want to sit or nap. Tyler and I bought an exersaucer thing for Reilly to put in her office for Karson and to use when she works from home and that has helped.
Reilly has been feeling all the feels that moms feel. It's not easy to have to go back to work. Hunter is working on his uncle's farm as the foreman but the hours are much longer than he was working in his construction job. Being a new parent (or even an old parent) is exhausting. They are figuring out how to make things work. Isn't that all of life? Constantly trying to figure things out and make them work. Ailey has been helping Reilly on her days off.
Aunt Ailey and Karsy!
Kameron flew to California over Memorial Day weekend. He was a groomsman in his friends' wedding. He is very good friends with both the bride and groom. He served with both of them on his mission and Jared was his roommate at BYU-I and who he visited in Florida. Kam spent time in both San Diego and Los Angeles. They got married in the San Diego Temple and then had their wedding reception near LA where the bride is from. Kam met Mitt Romney in the San Diego Temple. Crazy.
Our Memorial Day weekend was pretty low-key and it was nice. There's been so much celebrating this month and there will be next month too. We didn't want to really go anywhere or do anything. Plus the weather wasn't great. It rained most of the weekend. Tyler and I started the holiday weekend off eating BBQ at our favorite place. Betty Jean's BBQ. Brisket and ribs say Memorial Day weekend to me!
Ailey worked most of the weekend and Bryn hung out with friends. We relaxed and binged some shows. We've been watching Succession and Smartless On the Road (we love that podcast) this is documentary of their live events tour and it was hilarious! I also watched the Judy Blume documentary. Very interesting!
Over the weekend we dodged the rain and Tyler, the girls, and I went to Coeur d' Alene and saw all the flags in remembrance of those who gave their lives for our country. We had some good conversations about what Memorial Day is really all about. We also picked up some flowers to put on my grandparents, great-grandparents, and my Aunt Lady and Uncle Frank's graves.
After that we went to the Coeur d' Alene Resort.
On Memorial Day we all slept in and relaxed. The weather improved and Tyler hung up his hammock and napped. Kam got home in time for our BBQ. It was a really nice weekend despite the weather. Our boat was done being serviced basically the next day. Oh well. We couldn't have been on the water in all of the rain and thunderstorms over the weekend.
After Kam got home from CA, he got hired for a second job. He works a very early shift 3am to 9-ish at Costco stocking shelves. Both of his jobs are part-time so he can do both. He also found out that he got full-ride scholarship. His tuition and housing are fully paid for! Wow. So now he is basically working to buy himself a car. Sharing with Ailey has been challenging... for ALL OF US!
The month ended with me forgetting Bryn at school! In my defense this was the first day that she didn't have after-school sports and everyone was at the house that afternoon. Reilly and Karson...Ailey...Tyler and Kam who had just left to pick up the boat. I had just collapsed on the couch thinking that I had some time to read when I got a phone call from Bryn saying "Is anyone coming to pick me up?!?!" Oops! And just when she had gotten over her trauma about being forgotten in the 4th grade! She has never let me forget that! So…she got froyo.
I guess I can stop telling her to give it a rest because it was four years ago! Also...look what 4 years has done to my baby?! She's all grown up!
Several years ago Washington State made it a law that you had to buy grocery bags or bring your own. No freebies. It's annoying but most people (myself included) just pay 8 cents a bag. I never remember my reusable bags or if I do I don't have enough of them. I guess this didn't work out like WA State was hoping because now they are wanting to make it so you can't even pay the extra 8 cents for bags. All Walmarts in WA have gotten rid of their bags for purchase. You can buy a tote bag but that is it. We need like 10 bags every time we do a big shop for this family. Here is my solution:
I have boxes and boxes of bags from Sisters Creed sales sitting in my garage. Might as well put them to some use. I get stopped everywhere with people wanting to know where I got them. It does perk up my dreary trips to Walmart with a little pizazz! They are also recyclable.
My peonies started blooming on Memorial Day Weekend and they are exquisite!
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