Mike and Dena sitting in a tree. . . .

(okay, clearly I don't know how to download pictures. . . I did not mean to get all these duplicates, but I can't seem to get rid of them either! Bear with me.)

We had family photos taken recently. 5 kids and photo shoots do not go well together. And yet, we have the most amazing photographer (www.corbinphotography.com) and he makes even 5 wild kids and two crazed parents look good!

We make fun of my sister Amanda and her husband Ben because they always take these "glamor shots" of themselves. Wherever they are, Bothell, Spokane, Rome, or Venice, all their pictures look the same: intense, staring deeply into each others eyes, alone in a crowd and all that mumbo jumbo.

So, we could not resist the opportunity to mock them. Just a little. We told our photographer, "Hey, let's do a Ben and Amanda shot!" and this is what we came up with. Howerver, no matter how you slice it, we're just not as cool as they are. It might have something to do with the 10 years difference, but even when we were 25 we were not as cool as they are. That's okay, they'll never be as encumbered by debt and surrounded by kids as we are! Ha ha! Just let them try and catch up!

I have a handsome husband and the most beautiful kids you've ever seen (except your own, of course). I count myself lucky, vain, but lucky.

www.teamlanghans.blogspot.com to see more of the Amazing Amanda and the Beneficent Ben

Halloween/Harvest/Fall Celebration

Well, I don't care what you call it, our family really enjoys it. We started out 10 years ago with the attitude of "Oh no! Not the evils of Halloween!" Well, we soon got over it and started down the slippery slope of moral demise.

Sasha, pictured here, was aiming for "Mexican." I told her that was not politically correct and so she revised it to "South American Peasant Woman." I think she looks more like Cher.

Gabriel is my cabellero. Sasha did his make-up and I'm darned impressed.

Lily is an amazing pirate. The Dred Pirate Roberts be warned!
Chloe is a clown. 'Nough said.

Isaac refused to dress up, but that did not keep him from getting handfuls of candy when we went trick-or-treating. I think his "4 year old boy" costume was appreciated by all.

We went trick-or-treating in Seatac (the town, not the airport) and our group of 13 (!) made quite a parade. Randi and Chad, Mike and I, and all 9 kids certainly stopped traffic.

The kids all had a slight cold so we skipped the AWANA Harvest party, which was a good thing after all, since they only allow the kids to dress up as Bible characters. We worked long and hard to figure out whether any pirates, clowns, cowboys, or Mexicans showed up in the Bible. We tried, really we did.

Instead we had a party over at Randi's house and it turned out great. The kids all got really creative and planned games, contests, and even prizes. They played "Pin the wing on the airplane", "Fishing" (a clothespin attached to a string and stick) and bobbed for apples. Micah, who just turned 12, said it was the best Halloween ever. You just know you've done something right when the 12 year old enjoys his younger siblings and cousins enough to say that! Good job, Randi and Chad.

So, whether you celebrate Harvest of Halloween, we hope your holiday was as blessed as ours was. I've come to believe that God can handle Halloween, and just might enjoy the costumes as much as I do!

All About Me

Well, I have tons to say about the kids, as always, but I wanted to add some thoughts of my own this time.

First, the news: I had laser eye surgery two weeks ago and I love it! I have been wearing glasses for about 15 years full-time now, and it is incredible to not need them anymore! I probably don't look smart now, but I'm willing to risk being thought dumb and cute.

I am supposed to be grading the 126 papers sitting on my desk right now, but instead I am checking email, writing old friends, and blogging. A homeschooling mother of five's work is never done!

So here is what's on my mind: Forgiveness is a beautiful thing. I have group of friends (family acutally) who get together a couple times a month to share our lives and what Jesus is doing in our hearts. Somehow the topic of forgiveness came up. (Actually, I know how the topic came up but it's not relevant to the story. And it's none of your business.) But the point is, I shared how I had recently experienced forgiveness for something that has been on my heart for over 15 years. I've been ashamed and embarassed about something I said and did to someone I cared about, and for all this time I've felt sick everytime I've thought of it. 15 years is a long time to still get yucky butterflies in your stomach when you think of something.

I guess what surprised me about this experience, besides the surprise of getting in touch with a long lost friend, is how utterly giddy and light-hearted I have felt ever since. I am truly wondering if I have ever experienced forgiveness before, because this feeling is new.

I know that I have certainly needed and received God's forgiveness, and my husband extends his forgiveness daily it sometimes seems. But to hold onto something for that long, to feel sorrow and shame and all around stupidity for something and not have it go away, and then suddenly, to have it lift- this really is a taste of eternity. This is God's goodness, this is his touch. He lifts shame, not through denial but through being seen. He extends grace, not in response to our hard work to set things right, but randomly, out of the blue, and with no strings attached.

So, in addition to seeing more clearly, I also see more clearly. (Get it? Laser eye surgery, new understanding of forgiveness. . . )

Pumpkin Carving. . .With Deranged, Knife Yielding Husband

An average night at the Johnson household. . . Lily sitting on counters, Mike making strange faces, pumpkin guts EVERYWHERE, and an argument over why we can't put blood (ketchup, she suggested) on the pumpkins to make them look scary. Never a dull moment around here!

5 Johnson Kids

We went to have pictures taken with our good friends Melody and Corbin and I snapped this digiital picture of the kids. For the great pictures done by professionals, see www.corbinphotography.com

When we get the pics back I'll post some of the "professional" pictures. Corbin does some wonderful work, his photos are creative and original. Yo should definitely call him and give him your business!

Sasha is almost 10, Lily is almost 8, Chloe is almost 5, Isaac is 4, Gabriel is 3. Mike is 36 and Dena is 29. Again.

And Another Tooth!

Two teeth in two days! Wow, is that a new record? I think she's in it for the money. . . the Tooth Fairy at the Johnson house is known to be generous. Not to mention that her older two sisters are lavishing gifts upon her to celebrate this event. Sasha keeps hiding things under Chloe's pillow at night and telling her not to look. I think she peeks.

Chloe Lost Her First Tooth!

Chloe lost her first tooth tonight! She pulled it herself, which is the kind of thing Chloe would do. She turns 5 in October, so this is quite a busy month. She and Sasha both lost their first tooth a little before their 5th birthday. It turns out it runs in the family. . . :)

Pointe Shoes

This was an exciting day for Sasha (and Mama)! After 7 years of ballet, Sasha was invited to go on pointe this year. We went to the dance shop with all of the other girls who started pointe this year and spent over an hour trying on pointe shoes for just the right shoe. Her teachers were there to help out and make sure the girls learned the proper way to put on shoes and what materials to use for padding.

As it turns out, Sasha has the same shape feet as her Mama does: wide and long! Her first pointe shoes are the same brand and make as my first pointe shoes. We thought that was pretty special.

Now that Sasha has earned her first blister from pointe shoes, she's officially a ballerina!

Playing Catch Up

This is a crazy time of year, as any mom will tell you. It's super to get back on a schedule and have some sanity after summer. . . but now I remember why we look forward to summer!

We're keeping busy with 4 of out 5 kids are dancing this year and 4 out of 5 enrolled in AWANA. Sasha is a fourth grader and doing a lot more work this year and a lot more independent studies. Lily is doing 3rd grade and loving it. Chloe is starting some preschool work with me and is just learning so quickly! I'm still trying to figure out what to do with those two boys while I'm doing class time with the girls. Mostly they play outside and make a huge mess in their room! When the rain starts we're doomed.

These photos are from a camping trip we took to Friday Harbor, an island in the Puget Sound. We took a ferry and then camped overnight. The island is beautiful and we had perfect weather!

I'm back to work a few days a week as a Teaching Assistant at Mars Hill Graduate School, the seminary where I did my counseling degree. I attend and grade all the assignments for two classes with a total of about 120 students. Mike jokes that I'm finally getting paid to go to school after all those years of paying! I really enjoy this opportunity and it fits well with my part-time counseling practice. I am continually challenged and refreshed through the course work and then I get to apply it directly to my therapy work.

If it weren't for the most amazing husband on the planet, I don't think I'd ever get my teeth brushed in the morning. He really is a wonderfully supportive and encouraging guy who makes it possible for me to do all sorts of amazing things. I'm a lucky girl.

50th Anniversary

These fine people are the Dunns. We went to Astoria, Oregon to celebrate their 50th Wedding Anniversary last week. On the drive down, Sasha says, "Wow. They are sure lucky to be married so long." Luck, huh?

I tried to explain to Sasha the same thing I try to explain to my married clients. 50 years of marriage is not due to luck or smooth sailing. 50 years of marriage is due to a willingness to suffer on behalf of another, a knowledge that no one can hurt you or bless you like your spouse, and a belief that your spouse and your spouse alone can uniquely shape you and redeem you as part of God's plan.

Well, okay, so that's not exactly what I said to Sasha. I told her that Leroy and Muriel have worked very hard for many years to have a good marriage. That when they fought, they loved each other enough to stick it out, that when bad things happened (they lost their only daughter) they turned to each other for comfort, and that they loved Jesus more than they loved themselves and so they followed his plans for marriage. She nodded wisely and went back to the "alphabet game" on the drive down.

Leroy was my school bus driver in elementray school and their oldest son, Dennis, was my 5th grade Sunday school teacher. Dennis brought Randi and I to church every week for what seemed like years (although we moved so often it couldn't have been more than 9 or 10 months.) When my mother remarried, the Dunns kept Randi and I for several weeks. I remember that time as one of the greatest vacations I ever had! Dennis drove us to his parents restaurant every morning, where Muriel would cook us anything we wanted for breakfast. She then made us each a lunch and let us choose a candy bar from by the cash register to add to it. Leroy then came by in the school bus and picked us up on his way to school. We thought we had died and gone to heaven!

This family is so instrumental in my faith experience. Dennis brought us to church each week and he used to bribe us to read our Bibles. In exchange for a certain number of chapters read, he would take us to the movies, roller skating, and one time all the way to Portland for ice skating! I remember spending lunch hour in the library reading a Bible so I could catch up on chapters. This is when I discovered the Psalms. . .

They lived out their faith for us little girls in such a simple way. They just loved us.

Over the years the Dunns have been more or less involved in our lives, depending on where we lived. But they were present at my wedding 15 years ago and my mother's funeral 3 years ago. To be able to join in the celebration of their anniversary was such an honor and a pleasure.

My kids now know them as Grandma and Grandpa Dunn. I love this. Their family was my spiritual home as a child and the influence of their love has touched my children's lives today.

Quick Update

Here's some info for those of my loyal friends who notice when I fail to keep my blog current!

Great News!

Lyndsey and Michael Martin are expecting a baby! This is truly a God thing, as those of you who know their story are aware.

And, my sister Amanda and her husband Ben are on their way from Boston back to Seattle. We cannot wait to see them again and have them nearby for babysitting. (Just joking, it's your friendship we treasure not your childcare!)

My contract as a Teaching Assistant at Mars Hill Graduate School was renewed with an increase in hours and an increase in pay. I'll be the personal TA for Dr. Roy Barsness, who I really enjoy and learn a lot from.

Good News!
I'm headed out of town to Astoria, Oregon with my sister Randi and all 9 kids to visit my father and brothers. We've been invited to the 50th Anniversary celebration of a dear couple Randi and I have known since we were little girls. So we are taking a road trip without the guys (Chad is in Connecticut with the Coast Guard Academy and Mike works Sundays!).

Sasha and I had a better day at math yesterday. We're taking the weekend off and looking forward to better days ahead. I' m learning all about incentive (versus threats) and things are looking brighter today.

Thanks for tuning in!

Homeschool Woes

We are doing our first round of "Summer School" at the Johnson house. Sasha did not-so-hot in math and standardized math testing this year, and so we agreed to do math summer school.

Sounded like a good idea at the time.

I am now considering Military School.

As much as I believe in what we're doing, as much as I believe the options in our area are limited, as much as I believe in the social/educational/spiritual benefits of homeschooling. . . I'm fed up with 9 year old attitude and tears over subtraction. And addition. And multiplication. And division. Well, you get the point.

This is just a chance for me to lament. Any pity would be appreciated and taken in exactly the right spirit.

Ballet Recital '06 and The Jungle Book

Chloe's First Ballet Recital: Red Rose in the Emperor and the Nightingale.
Sasha as a Spanish Dancer in Swan Lake with Lily

This time of year comes around more and more quickly, it seems. With three girls dancing recitals are a family affair that essentially eat up most of June. But I'm not complaining! Some of my best memories from childhood involve dancing, and I hope that my girls will have great experiences to remember.

Sasha finished her (gulp) 7th year of Ballet and her second year of Jazz. Lily took a year off of dance to try out gymnastics and did just great. Chloe is in her first year of dance, taking a combination ballet/tap class. Isaac says he wants to take tap next year, and I guess I'll have to arm wrestle Mike about that one. As broad-minded as he is about things, I'm not sure he's ready to have a son in dance lessons.

Sasha danced Swan Lake this year as a Spanish Dancer. Her class of girls are all on the verge of going on to pointe shoes next year, which is a BIG deal for those of you non-dancer types. She is a really beautiful dancer and it's such a shock to see this little kid get up on stage and reveal a completely unique and independent personality. When she dances she is bold and self-assured. And all of this is completley outside of me. It's all her. I think I'm okay with this.

Chloe, I must say, is probably more of a football player than a ballerina. She's built for soccer, or swimming, or rugby. The girl is sooo strong. But she is also beautiful and danced with so much personality. She loved tap more than ballet, which makes sense because it's noisy. As is Chloe.

The two bigs girls, Sasha and Lily, auditioned and were accepted into a children's theatre production of the Jungle Book! Missoula Children's Theatre travels around the country in the summer and does these one week workshops and then productions. Sasha was a Wolf Pup with a speaking part (!) and Lily was a monkey. They both worked really hard all week and then did a singing/dancing production that was great fun. I ordered the DVD so I'm sure to bore you all with the show when you visit!

Sun in Seattle and Swim Lessons

The sun is shining in Seattle! It's a beautiful first day of summer, with temperatures expected to reach the 80's! For my dear friends in Texas, I understand this is a cool spring day for you all (oops sorry, for ya'll) , but this is the height of hot sunny days for us! I've read posts from Gina and Arlene about the heat and I wilt just thinking about it! Remember you all have a cool place to visit whenever the heat gets too hot.

We're a week into swimming lessons for the three girls. They all love the water and can really swim like little tadpoles. Sasha was slow to catch on, but is now swimming the length of the pool and can do a variety of strokes. Lily just jumped in and hasn't stopped paddling since. Chloe, who is 4 now, is really a riot in the pool. She's fairly plump, which makes for a super swimmer. She truly does float!

Like most things Chloe does, she swims with passion. She puts her face in the water, starts kicking her feet, and just keeps going. She has to be reminded to come up for air! Her swim teacher talks to her as she goes down the pool lane and you can hear her saying "Breathe, Chloe! Breathe!" So she pops her face up for about 1/2 a second, gulps in some air, and goes back to it.

I like this about her. I like her determined personality and her persistent drive. Someone I live with may say that she's a lot like me. . . and I'd take it as a compliment if he did! She is a stubborn little thing. She wants her own way and works hard to get it. If you resist her she fights or cries, or both. (I'm pretty sure I'm talking about Chloe here. . .) But then she offers up the most incredible kisses and hugs, and has a longing for "snuggles" that surpasses even her longing to get her own way. If Chloe doesn't get her one on one holding, snuggling, talking time she really is a mess. You'd think being one of five that it may be hard for her to get that one on one time, but she certainly makes sure she does not get overlooked or left out. Her middle child personality has not left her "invisible" as some middle kids are called. Rather she has claimed her place and reminds us all pretty consistently that she is here to be adored. And she is.

Lemonade Stand

Do any of you remember the days before kids when you envisioned parenting as idyllic days of lemonade stands and children with general good will to all mankind? So perhaps I read too much as a child. Stories like The Little Princess and The Secret Garden left me discontent, even as a child, for what childhood could have been. Should have been.

And now I parent 5 kids, and I really do believe in the innocence of childhood. What I've come to discover, however, is that innocence does not equal goodness or mild manneredness or inherent other-centeredness. In some ways, innocence just means that my children think they are the first ones to do the thing (good or bad) that they are about to do!

Sasha and Lily bugged me and bugged me until I finally gave in and let them have a lemonade stand. I tried to put it off until Papa got home with the excuse that they needed him to carry the little table down the driveway. Oh me of little faith! 3 minutes later the girls had mixed lemonade, found cups, got a money cup, and pulled the table down the drive. They made name-tags for themselves and a sign asking 10 cents a cup. Good deal if you ask me!

What made this moment cute beyond words and heart-touching in a way worth blogging is this: Sasha and Lily had a second money cup set out with these words written on it: Fore Pore pepole. (Okay, now is not the time to comment on my teaching abilities.) They had decided to give part of their proceeds to a charity organization. Needless to say, everyone who stopped gave over and above the requested 10 cents.

When a customer asked who they money was going to, Sasha decided that Children's Hospital was a worthy recipient of their efforts. Our nephew was recently in Children's for a surgery and ever since then the hospital has taken on mythic proportions in our home. They ALL want to go now! It's like the Madeline story, "Boo hoo! We want our appendix out too!"

I have great kids. They have tender hearts and loving spirits. Their creativity and love of life inspires me to put down the vacuum and enjoy the lemonade!

Yard Work

Isaac loves to be outdoors. More than anything, he likes to be outdoors with his Papa!
He discovered the wheelbarrow this spring, and much like prehistoric man with his discovery of the wheel, Isaac is thrilled with himself!

Here he is helping Mike build a fence. Our backyard was fenced, but the front was open. Now the entire yard is connected and completely enclosed. This gives the kiddos lots more space to play and allows us not to annoy our backyard nazi-neighbor as much as we (allegedly) have been.

Isaac discovered the wheelbarrow and I discovered something I have long suspected: I have always believed that my husband loathed and despised yard work. However, he has always denied this to be true. It only took 15 years of marriage and owning 3 houses before he finally confessed to the truth I have always known: He Hates Yardwork!

That fact is what makes my fence even more special to me! This and a maple tree are what I asked for Mother's Day, and I got them both! Mike didn't believe that I really wanted a fence instead of a massage or jewelry. Those of you who know me may find this equally difficult to take in. . . but it's true!

Backyard Pool

10 Year College Reunion

Did I mention we went to Texas for our 10 Year College Reunion?

Sasha, Lily, Mike and I flew into Dallas and took that long and flat drive to Abilene. For those of you who know me, you know how shocking this news is. For those of you who don't know me that well yet, let's just say Texas and I did not get along very well. At all.

Driving away from Abilene after graduation was such a strange day for me. I cried and cried as I said goodbye to my many good friends and memories. At the same time, I heaved a sigh of relief to be heading West again. Water! Mountains! Trees! Halelujah!

So going back to Texas, on purpose, still surprises even me. We talked my sister and husband into going with us. Well, maybe they would have gone anyways, but since we all went together we got a free place to stay out of the deal since Chad's mother, Jane, lives in Abilene. She graciously put us all up, a total of 10 extra house guests!

We went to the Homecoming Parade and I cried through the whole thing. What was that all about!?! I felt very sentimental and proud of my Alma Mater and could even envision my children moving off to ACU for college. (And then I came to my senses: NO WAY are they moving that far away!)

We spent some wonderful time visiting with our dear friends the Kasselmans and their two children. It was great to catch up and realize that no matter how much time you spend apart, good friends pick up right where they left off after all these years. We were saddened not to connect with more of our friends from those years. The Robinson's could not make it, but we know their hearts were with us! Now they'll have to come to Washington, since we made the trek out to Texas! (That of course is an open invitation meant kindly and genuinely.)

An odd and overwhelming realization for me: We are ten years out of college and 9 years out until Sasha goes to college. 11 years until Lily goes. 8 years until Chloe goes. 7 years until Isaac goes. 6 years until Gabriel goes.

Response? Terror and relief. Simultaneously.

Spring Happenings

The Johnson 5 are gearing up for summer!

The count-down is on:

• 2 weeks until Lily's gymnastics performance.
• 3 more weeks of school!
• 3 weeks until our 15th Anniversary! (wow, how did that happen?)
• 4 weeks until swim lessons start.
• 5 weeks until Ballet/Jazz recitals for Sasha and Chloe.

The swimming pool is already put up in the backyard, which is sort of like tempting the Rain Gods if you live in Seattle. However, we had 3 days in a row when the temperatures hit the high 60's, and since that is basically as good as it gets in the Northwest, we brought out the shorts, tank tops, sun screen, and pool toys. I confess to having a sunburn.

My sweet husband has been working on the yard for me non-stop. It's not that he loves yard work or anything. (He finally confessed after 15 years of marriage that he hates yard work. I've known it all along :) ) But he prefers working in the sunshine than in the rain, and so he put up a new fence that encloses the whole yard and then we puled up about 2 tons of ancient junipers. Those things of from the dark side. I hate them. They are dead now.

Summer in Seattle is an odd thing. We come out from the woods (sometimes literally) with flesh white and ghostly. And although it's only in the mid-60's, everywhere you look we are wearing sandals and tank tops. Within a day or two of sunshine, you start to notice that the white ghostly shades have been replaced by a vibrant pink. I'm not sure which is worse. . .

But it is a beautiful place to live and spring doesn't get any greener anywhere in the world. We'll spend the next few months leaving work early, taking 3 day weekends, skipping church, calling in sick to work, and generally making the most of absolutely every sunny day. By August we'll be complaining about the heat and running our fans non-stop. Air conditioning? What's that?

Wherever you are spending this spring, I hope you enjoy it as much as us Washingtonians do ours!

Family Photographs

I have discovered something about myself: I hate bad pictures. Call it vain, call it snobby, I'm sure you'd be right. But, what can I say? This picture is just awful.

So the question is: Why post it?

Well, to be truthful, I think it's a funny picture. You know how Olan Mills comes into churches and does their directory, and tries to sell you their pictures? That's what this is. So, this picture is what will go down in history for our church. This is what we'll be remembered by and this is what people who don't know us will see and this is what the other kids will make fun of when they see it. It's ripe for mocking, if you ask me.

Despite it's less than quality portrayal, it also is amazing in how utterly it misses the personality of every single person in the shot. But what can you do? Free is free.