Dr Seuss and Nancy Carlson

Carter's class performed a variety of Dr. Seuss Reader's Theaters for Dr. Seuss Day.  Carter was Thing 1.  He was pretty adorable, but don't take my word;see for yourself!

Alex was one of the selected students from his school to go to this years Young Writer's Conference at William Penn University.  He had to write a short story in order to go.  He wrote a story about a robot dog from outer space. It was great!  He is a fantastic little writer! While at the conference, he was able to select  which break out sessions he wanted to attend and the keynote speaker was Nancy Carlson.  She was excellent!  Alex purchased a book and had it autographed. He also picked out a young writer's hooded sweatshirt.

Alex also drew a Sneech in his art class at school for Dr. Seuss Day.  He is a talented writer and illustrator!

Pinewood Derby

The boys participated in their first Pinewood Derby.

They each designed, carved, and painted their cars with a little help from Dad.

Their cars looked fantastic! 

Each boy scout took turns racing their cars.  

It was a double elimination competition.

Alex never lost.  He took first place out of the entire den.

Beginners luck!  He was so proud!

And Carter came in 3rd!

Ironically, a distant cousin came in 2nd so it was a 

Johnson, Johnson, and Johnson victory!

 Both the boys are really enjoying Boy Scouts!

Christmas Programs

Alex and Carter both had their Christmas program before Christmas.

Don't they look handsome?

 Carter's class sang the chipmunk version of "Christmas Hurry Fast" complete with hula hoops gestures-- pretty cute stuff! They also sang "Frosty the Snowman." 

 As usual, Carter was in the front row. He is second from the left.

Alex's class sang and signed the "Twelve Days of Christmas."  He did a great job!

  Alex is in the second row and is fourth from the left.

A snow storm postponed Hallie's program until after Christmas, but I am just going to include it here. Not all middle school students participate in the Holiday Program, just those in choir.  They sang "Let it Snow" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas."  You'll find Hallie on the second row all the way to the right.

Hallie has recently been asked to audition for the Honor Choir next year.  

She was very excited and of course we were proud!

Santa

Of course December wouldn't be the same with out our annual visit and fun Santa pictures.  I was a bit sad that I didn't have Doug take the kids to our usual Santa in Utah while visiting over Thanksgiving break, but in the end it all worked out.  Santa made a stop at the fire department in our tiny town.  The boys were acting like they were too big to actually sit on Santa's lap, but I reminded them if they wanted Santa to know what they really wanted, they'd better.  So, they obliged.  This was the first year that the girls opted not to visit Santa. 

Carter insisted on whispering his wish into Santa's ear so I couldn't hear.  This was his "plan" to test whether Santa was real or not.  It was adorable!

While Alex was quite the contrast.  He described in great detail what he wanted.

 Afterwards the kids were invited to decorate cookies and cupcakes and eat them of course!

I had fun playing with this picture with an App.

Nine

Alex turned nine in November.

I still can't believe he is half way to 18.

He celebrated his birthday party with three of his friends at a fun place called Fun City.

We opened presents and piled in the van for the drive.  

It was a little over an hour.

The boys ate lunch, played arcades and drove the cars.

After we went swimming.  The boys enjoyed the tube slide.

And before we left they attempted to rock climb.

For Alex's actual birthday, we had Uncle Joe and Aunt Diana over for dinner, ice cream and cake.

We ended up using Alex's cupcakes that were meant for his class treat as a cake,

as he couldn't pass out his cupcake because the cupcake policy was not made clear to us.

(Yes, they were store bought, but they were the wrong brand.)

Alex had a good attitude about it though and that's what counts.  :)

And they were yummy!

NINE!!!!!!!

(Don't mind the kitchen mess, we were in the process of getting new appliances.)

We tricked Alex and put one of his presents in an old box.  (A gift he had already received.)

I love his look of disappointment on the left and how happy he is on the right once he realizes our trick.

Shortly after Alex's birthday, Doug and the kids piled in the Van and headed to Utah for Thanksgiving.  

I couldn't go as I had to work so I had an entire week of "me" time. 

Of course, my family couldn't resist another reason to celebrate so Alex had

 another birthday celebration in Utah too.

And he and Doug even managed a little hike while in Utah.

So, there you have it.  We now have a 9 year old and it's a great age!

Country Lesson #1

Alex and I learned what it means to work cows.  

Until recently, I had no clue. 

I definitely was not raised in the country.  

First you round up all the cows.  Grandpa baited them with yummy Hay.  

Then you sort the cows into smaller groups.  This was quite entertaining.  It involves waving and whacking a stick around and making funny loud noises. 

Alex had a front row seat.

 Next  you lead the cow into the cage.  Some cows do this easily, others not so much.

Some don't seem to mind the cage, others kick and object.

They get  vaccinated and wormed.

And the lucky ones get released back into the pasture. 

The unlucky bull calves get castrated.  

Colin had that lucky job and Doug held the tail.

Alex helped too. 

Yuck!

We took a break for lunch and called in an order.

Alex enjoyed watching and helping.  I enjoyed taking pictures.