Last Snow of the Year

Back in March, we had a pretty good snowfall.  It was several inches deep and dense.  I knew it would be perfect for building an igloo.

So that's what we did!

These pictures were taken the next day when it had deteriorated due to the warmer weather (we're not experts, ok?).

Unfortunately, we didn't quite get to cap it.  It took a few hours.  It took so long, in fact, that I completely lost track of time and when Joel's good friend from college arrived to see us for the evening, the house was a complete disaster.  I don't know if this has ever happened to me before (or I should say, if I have done that to myself and a guest before).   Total embarrassment!  He was a good sport about it and even helped the kids clean up their legos.  For days afterward, the kids talked about "Papa's friend Scott."

Thanks for the help, Scott!

After some playing and re-arranging by the kids the next day, it didn't look quite as good as good as when it was freshly-built.

But we made it, and that is the important thing.  Hopefully next year we can try again!

April Fools!

Deep down, I've always had a fondness for April Fool's Day.   I always wished I had the guts to pull off some great pranks, but the risk of making people mad stopped me many times.  (My siblings would probably want to strongly interject here, but since the one I hog-tied is serving a mission and can't read this, I will continue.)

BUT, now I am the Mom and I get to make the rules.

Be afraid.

Really, I figured this holiday was made for my family.  We love joking around with each other.  We don't mind being a little silly.  We appreciate the effort it takes to whip up a neat trick.  And, since most of us greatly prefer to be on the giving, rather than receiving, end of pranks, there is no possible way anything we do could go wrong.  Right?  (Ahem.)

Well, this year I decided to make April Fool's Day an annual Johnson Family day.  It was tough because we had returned from Cincinnati late the night before, but we managed.

First up was a breakfast prank.  I served the kids "juice" which was jello with a straw in it.  Their initial excitement at actually drinking juice (I'm lame and don't buy it regularly) gave way to confusion, and then sudden delight.  They thought it was hysterical.

Jello for breakfast is even better than juice, right?

Everett and Ashley finished theirs up quickly.  But you will notice that a scowling someone did not think this joke was very funny.

Poor William.  All he wanted was to enjoy his juice in peace.  He was so upset I'd do that to him, he refused all day long and into the next day to eat any of the extra jello, no matter how many times I offered it to him.

I have a feeling next year might be a little rough for him.  I will have to give him the upper hand once or twice.

William did perk up later in the day when the kids laid a trap for Joel.  They went for massive quantity over anything intricate.

The barricade worked!

We had cupcakes for dinner.  The kids were really excited.

I served the cupcakes with a fried egg.

(Ok, ok.  It was meatloaf with mashed potatoes on top, and vanilla yogurt with a canned peach half.)

Everett was thrilled to catch on immediately.

After seeing Everett's reaction, it took Ashley a while to even try her dinner, but she did.

If I remember correctly, William didn't each much of his dinner.

We are already getting ideas for next year!  Do you have any good ones?

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes!

Whew!  I don't think I've ever gone this long without blogging.  We've had a lot of fun things happen in the last couple of months.

• Everett finished kindergarten
• Ashley finished preschool
• James turned 18 months old
• William discovered a love for goats

AND:

• Joel got a new job

That's right!  Joel is a great financial analyst and when an opportunity popped up at a fantastic company, he couldn't help himself: he had to apply.  The location was Des Moines, which I just laughed about.  "Go ahead and apply," I laughed, thinking nothing would happen.  IF we moved, we were going to move closer to family than that!

After a great interview (Joel interviewed downtown while the kids and I interviewed the surrounding areas by scoping out some other places), I think Joel and I just knew.  It was right.  And most importantly, it was time, even though I didn't expect it to be.

Joel started working at Mid American Energy, his new company, at the beginning of May while the rest of us stayed behind to sell our cute home.  Never fear; we still get to see him on the weekends!  Muscatine is only a little over two hours away from Des Moines.  

It has been a month now of living apart.  I think we've all gotten used to it, except for Joel.  He gets pretty bored in his tiny studio.  And I, well, I have four little reasons to avoid being bored. 

I didn't feel ready to commit to moving to Des Moines.  I have great friends here.  Joel and I both had demanding and rewarding callings.  The kids have friends just down the street.  The church members here are amazing.  Joel had a very low-stress job with great hours, and working only five minutes away allowed him a lot of flexibility.  

But it was time.  We decided to try to sell our home ourselves to avoid paying the realtor commission.  It was tough getting everything ready with short notice, but we had two strong offers within a week.  We were (are) very lucky.  I don't know why it was so easy.  I hope I have been grateful enough.

The best part of this whole arrangement is seeing energetic joy enrapture the kids' faces when they know their papa is pulling into the driveway every Friday night.  Even little James shouts "Papa! Papa!" as he rushes to the front door, and back to the window, and to the door again, laughing and dancing from one leg to the other.  

We are closing on our current home on June 15th.  We will be traveling to see family for a few weeks until our next home is available.  Everything works out.  We are heartbroken to be leaving the wonderful people we know here, but we feel ready to leave because we know it is time.  Joel is enjoying his new job.  We are excited for the educational opportunities the kids (and I!) will have.  

We are blessed.  When I think of the experiences we've had and people we've known in Muscatine, the words to a song in Wicked pop into my mind: "Because I knew you, I have been changed for good."  (Freshmen roommates, I'm sure we sang this one together in our apartment more than once!).  

Living in Muscatine has made me a better person.  I am grateful for our time here.  We've all been blessed.  Thank you, thank you to all who have helped us in small ways and large.

So maybe I get a pass for not blogging for two months?  Yes?  No?  Well, it's too late now.