4R's Finale

Last night Mason had his 4R's end of the year preschool performance.  It was all nursery rhymes and Mason was tight lipped about which ones he would participate in.  Turns out he had many roles, including a farmer, a pig, a flower and a butcher, and he narrated Little Miss Muffett.  He was in great spirits for the performance and really hammed it up whenever it was his turn on stage.  It sure is hard to believe that his first year in preschool has come to an end and that summer is already here!  Mason can't wait to go back to 4R's in the fall and I am glad that I have two weeks of him home with just me before the older boys are home all day.  I'm loving having him home to myself!

Memorial Day

We had a low key Memorial day weekend.  Besides fishing, we went to the pool since the weather was sticky and had a BBQ at one of our favorite local parks with some friends.  The kids are always happy if friends are in the mix and you know what?  So am I.

Fishin'

 Today we fish!  Cameron's friend Austin is a fisherman.  Most days after school you can find him at their nearby pond with his fishing pole having a good time.  So when Angie suggested a fishing trip, we were game.  Two $13 fishing poles later we set off to Silver Lake.  Our tackle box came with hooks and bobbers and some little gummy worm-like things to use as bait.  We got the poles ready and we waited... and waited...  A couple of fish nibbled a bit but no bites.  It became tiresome and the kids started wandering looking for something more exciting to do.  These fish wanted something real to eat, so we ran off to get some hot dogs and oh boy did that make a difference!  The fish swarmed the meat and we had catch after catch, it was awesome!  At first, Gavin was a bit hesitant to get to close to the fish, but by the time we were done he was pulling fish hooks out on his own, Cameron needed a bit of help to begin, but soon he was pretty much self sufficient.  Mason liked to hold the rod for a minute, but he wanted nothing to do with any flapping fishies!  He wouldn't even touch them.  We also caught a few turtles who wanted some Oscar Mayer action.    Soon enough the sun got hot and we were all sweaty and craving the shade.  Jeremy worried about his head getting sunburned :)  But Ange and I were the ones the most fascinated and could have probably stayed there for hours.  I'm excited to have a new pastime to do with my boys, I can't believe we haven't done it sooner!

Saying Goodbye

It's hard to believe that some of these kitties are old enough to leave our nest.  Six kittens have gone to their new homes and there have been some pretty tearful goodbyes.  Each of the boys have had a favorite kitty that they would rush to after school or in the mornings and now that they've had to move on, it's bittersweet. I wish we had a big farm and could keep them all.  Even though it's been hard, I hope the lesson learned is that we did a good deed by saving all these little lives and now these kittens can go out and enrich the lives of the families that have adopted them.  When all the kitties are gone the house will feel much more empty but the promise to the kids was that if we didn't keep a kitten that we could do this again another time.  It sure has been an amazing experience for us all and something we'll never forget.

Peek-a-boo!

Kitten update!

Never a dull moment in the Johnson home- at least not when there are a dozen kittens to play with!  Every morning before school the kids race to get their stuff done so they might have some time to play with the kitties and most nights are filled with kitten play time as well when we all park it on the floor in the bathroom and watch the show.  Now that the older kittens are about 5 weeks old, they are super playful and fun to watch.  They wrestle each other and attack the boys with their tiny teeth and claws.  Everyone has a favorite and the kids like to sneak one into their rooms at night.  Now that they are bigger, they are eating real food and using the litter box which means that bathroom gets cleaned out 3-4 times a day!   And apparently the kitties didn't get the memo that the litter box is not a giant fun pit.  They play around in there and get the litter EVERYWHERE!  But it has been such a fun experience.  We have already found homes for 6 of the 12 and the oldest ones will be going to their new homes just after Memorial day.  Already there have been tears shed by our oldest boy, my little tender heart that  would love more than anything to keep them all.  It will be tough to give them away, but maybe we can do this again in a few months and have a new brood to fawn over.  Jeremy and I have also enjoyed picking a kitten each night to love on.  If nothing else, these kitties will be good with children.  It is a miracle that there have been no broken kitty bones.  What an adventure we've had.  Memories made for sure.  This was the kind of thing I dreamed about when I was a kid.  I'm so glad I was able to make it happen for mine.