DAMIAN GUARDING THE CHRISTMAS PRESENTS!!!

This is Jonathan's new past time. In between playstation 2 and watching Nichelodeon.
He likes to find free games on the internet.

WINTER BLAST 2008


Here's the snow we got today, Friday, December 19, 2008

I spent 2 hours outside snowblowing the driveway.
When I was done, I looked like Frosty the Snowman.
Sorry.............no pictures of that.
Just a picture of the swimming pool to show you how much we
got in one day. Keep in mind, we never got around to covering the pool,and it was half full of water!!!It snowed from 6am until about 6pm.
Mike's truck broke down near Detroit, so he had to wait ALL DAY
for someone to be able to bring him another truck.
Now he has to work on NO SLEEP!
Wonderful Winter Wonderland!
Wish Lucas and Lana were here so Grandma could take them
out to play!!!!!!!!!!
Miss you two very much!

Here a few more pictures of my Oct/Nov 2008 visit to Utah.

Cindy, Sandi and I went to the Tabernacle at Temple Square on Sunday morning. We met up with a couple of friends to see Music and the Spoken Word. It was really nice. It was the first time I saw the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in person.

Utah in Oct/Nov 2008

Here it is, time to visit the grandbabies again. When I arrived, the grandkids were both feeling under-the-weather, but we are getting back to normal. I am glad that I could be here to share this stressful time with Cindy, because it definitely was a 2-person job!!!! anyhow, I am glad to be here. Sandi is here too, somewhere. I haven't seen her much, with school and all. But, I have seen here in passing.
I am hoping to look up friends while out here.

Jonathan's newest adjective

Well, not sure if all the kids are saying it, but jonathan now calls me "CREEPY"
SO, not sure if that is just something he picked up off of Nickelodeon, or if it's the newest thing the kids say at school. either way, I'm creepy! unless i make him mad, then he just plain hates me.
we have been having a wonderful time adjusting to yet another school year. I think this big probationary period we are in for this life is begining to be just a bit much. Oh, there i go murmuring. oh well, guess it's all a learning experience.
i would much rather be chasing him away from spiders, than yelling at him to get off the top of dad's big milk tanker that was parked in our yard the other day.
also, i kept hearing a noise on the roof, i went outside to check, and there was nothing except the neighbor guy powerwashing his house. so, after i called Jonathan's name a few times with no answer, i went back in. the only reason i know jonathan was running across the roof, was cuz later on, i went outside to trim the bushes in our front yard, and overheard the neighbor tellin her stepmom that jonathan was on the roof! OH BOY! so, let Lana chase spider Cindy, cuz she can't break her neck doing that! well, maybe falling out of the highchair isn't good!

Hmmmmmmmmmm.........

I found the following story on my daughter sandi's web page. I laughed out loud in bed, as mike slept, when i read it on my laptop. so.........i had to share. i laughed so hard i had tears in my eyes. Sandi must be Jonathan's protector! NOW i know what happened to the pickles!
Oh yea, keep in mind this story was written on or about may 27. I just found it today, sept. 27th!!!!!!!!
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THE VOLCANO ISN'T BIG ENOUGH. by Sandi Gough

Today was an okay day. Not too much happened. I did a few loads of laundry, walked the dogs with my little brother, cooked dinner, talked with some friends online, etc. I haven’t read my scriptures yet today and I skipped yesterday and the day before . . . bad Sandi. Oh well, there isn’t anything I can do about the past, but I’ll get to my studies right after typing.
The highlight of my day was walking outside to a giant water volcano in the garden. My little brother Jonathan looked back at me, his hands and feet bathed in mud.
"What are you doing?" I squinted one eye at him and raised the eyebrow of my other.
He turned away from me without answering. His small hands scooted more mud up to the volcano’s sides. I walked toward him and smirked slightly. What a kid. I knew it was too quiet in the house. I stopped at the edge of the garden, crossed my arms together, and watched him. Being closer, I noticed the mud reaching to his knees and onto his shorts.
"Jonathan, what are you doing?"
"I’m making a volcano, but I couldn’t get it to explode so I made it bigger," he looked back at me with that look of his . . . what was that look . . . it was, it was his I’m-not-sure-if-I’m-allowed-to-be-doing-this look.
"Oh, okay."
We both waited, staring at each other for a few moments. He turned away again and I watched him again, what in the world possessed him to think making a muddy volcano was a good idea. Well, I guess it is kind of cute. Jonathan waded around the outside of his work of art pushing dirt back into the giant puddle.
"Do you think they’ll notice?" he patted down the mud making sure it was level.
"I don’t know, but you’d probably better tell them."
"No, just don’t say anything, Sandi."
"Well, you’d better tell them. You know they won’t be as mad if you tell them."
He stood up and waddled out of the garden, taking half the soil with him. We talked about how to get him in the house without tracking mud. Finally, he sprayed himself down with the hose. When he finished he stood in one spot with his arms lifted up horizontally to the ground. Water dripped down his legs, jacket, and heavy jean shorts.
"Well?" both of my eyebrows were raised this time and I bit my bottom lip.
"Go get me a towel."
That’s the end of the story. I’d give more, but nothing interesting has developed past the point of me getting him a towel, him coming inside, and then he changed his clothes . . . Just kidding, something just happened. Man, I always feel so guilty when Jonathan gets in trouble right after doing something good (he actually watered the garden before drowning a section of it he thought was unplanted.) It turns out there were pickles planted underneath the water volcano. Oh well, it will all work out: I’m sure.
Anyway, study, study, study. I must get back to my great quest for wisdom and knowledge. First (aw, he was just thanked for watering the garden despite the blunder . . . I feel better now) stop, scripture mania. Over and out.
Posted by Sandi at 7:12 PM 0 comments Links to this post
Labels: 2008, May 24, Saturday

Another typical Jonathan Story

The sunday before last i made jonathan go take a shower before church. he came out of the bathroom wearing his swim suit. i asked where his church pants were, he just stood there with his Jonathan look. I told him to go get them and he sat there quietly, not moving. So, I stormed off to the bathroom to get his khakis, and proceded to dress him "like a baby" (remember, i was irritated at his stubborness at this point) to my utter surprise..............he had put on so much weight this summer, we couldn't get the pants to go around his waist! I started to giggle, cuz i realized he was too embarrassed to tell me they didn't fit anymore. luckily i had a bigger pair from last years medication holiday, so we were good to go.
so...........to my daughter cindy, this stuff goes on until they move out! although i greatly enjoy your story and pictures of lucas messing in the flour, i don't, however, enjoy when jonathan gets a notion to sprinkle salt all over the kitchen floor, then not know how to get it cleaned up before mom gets up. IT NEVER ENDS!
I envy all you young parents out there that have little ones that do CUTE stuff.

Funny Jonathan

wow, hard to believe i havent posted since april.......well, jonathan was in rare form this past weekend, so i thought i'd share this little story with you all.


jonathan was getting ready for church last sunday. after he walked out of his bedroom after dressing himself, i looked over to see he had buttoned his white dress shirt over top of his red and white striped polo shirt (mostly red!). i started to laugh out loud, and he got a little defensive. after convincing him i was laughing WITH him, he giggled a little himself. i asked what possessed him to put his church shirt over his red shirt????? his reply..........."so, when i get home from church, all i have to do is take off my white shirt!" apparently he wanted to be ready to go play when he got home! after i got my laughter under control, i managed to get him to put a white t-shirt on under his dress shirt. but when he got home, he thought he was wearing his white t-shirt over to the neighbors......WRONG! actually, i'm surprised he didnt wear his bathing suit on underneath his pants!

Sandi is home!

I survived my first trip driving to Detroit Metro Airport to pick up Sandi. As my daughters will tell you, I hate even the thoughts of having to pick anyone up there. I always have made Mike do the driving. My airport of choice is Flint's Bishop International Airport. Small, simple, easy to get to! It sounded so good when I first bought the discounted Southwest Airline ticket for Sandi to come home from college for the summer. I white-knuckle drove all the way there. My jaw hurts from clenching my teeth for an hour and a half! Since i was there 30 minutes earlier than planned, it cost me 9 hard-earned dollars to sit in their parking complex to wait for her, and to de-stress myself! I only had to circle the airport 3 times to finally find her waiting for me outside. Thank goodness for modern technology (cell phones!) But, it's 1:30 am and we are home safely. Sandi said the airport was dirty and she will work all summer to be able to fly home out of Flint! NO arguements here!

Another week past.

It's hard to believe. I am finally on day shift. My prayers have been answered. I believe the Lord is always trying to teach me patience. It took 9 months of 7-day work weeks, sometimes 12-hour days. Not that those long hours and weeks are over, but at least now i feel a little more normal.I can go to church and not have to leave early to go home and take a nap. (well, I'm sure the naps aren't completely over, just hopefully not as long!) My kids can call me and not worry about waking me up. I can enjoy the good weather and daylight!
I had a conversation with my daughter Cindy this week about her dealings with her 2 children. I remember going throught the same things, but she seems to have a lot more patience and self-control. I am so proud of how she handles her little family. I look back and think how hard I was on my children. I think Cindy knows a little of where I was coming from, although she swears she doesn't remember ever being that difficult! I hope she can forgive me for not having enough patience and self-control. I feel bad and have repented, but somehow it doesn't seem enough. I put those girls through a lot. I am just grateful that they brought the LDS gospel into my life, so that I am able to be a better mother to my son.

On another note, we had a scary adventure this week with a bat flying through our living room. Jonathan was the lucky one to see it's presence. I never did see it, and in my course of denial, I asked him if he sure it was a bat, or just a large moth! The first time he saw it, it had flown behind the couch. I peeked ever-so-slightly behind it, only to see his church tie laying in a pile on the floor. I didnt't make an all-out effort to actually see if the bat may be clinging to the back of the couch. I then decided the crisis was over, so I retired to bed. Around 11:30 pm (so much for sleeping normal hours!) he came running in our bedroom to say he saw the bat again, this time flying into the kitchen! I once again half-heartedly investigated.......No bat! Jonathan then crawled into bed with us. Well, 2 dogs, an 11-year-old and Mike..........all crammed into a queen-sized bed on a night I had to get up the next morning to go to work! Oh Boy! I decided groggily to retire to the livingroom couch and take a chance that this ghastly creature would not decide to nest in my hair! Sleep suddenly ruled over fear!
When Jonathan came home from school the next day, he told me he was playing on his laptop while sitting on the couch, and he looked over to see the bat clinging from the couch just a foot or two away! ....and now i feel guilty that I only peeked ever-so-quickly behind the couch after his first sighting! Apparently it was there all along and decided to climb over the back of the couch to snuggle closer to my son. That only goes to show you, Lucas and Lana, don't run to Grandma when you are scared! I tend to tune things out and the worst is yet to come! I definately will never become anyone's hero!

That's my life this week in a nutshell.Stay tuned for next weeks adventure of "Bats in our Belfry!"

Hail Storm

Okay, this may just look like a leftover pile of michigan snow, but it is in fact a pile of hail we got last night(apr. 11th) around 9pm. Jonathan was so scare listening to the sound the hail made hitting the window, he came out and sat next to me on the couch and asked "shouldn't we say a prayer?" well, i did and as i was asking the lord to protect us, the winds died down and the hail stopped! so, i said......."see, prayer really works!" he said, "well, it calmed down some anyway!" It was coming down pretty hard, and the ground was blanketed with hail. It was pretty cool. This picture i took the next morning after most of it melted. I was going to take a pic. of it last night, but somehow got distracted and forgot. Luckily there was still a little left when i got home from work (9am)
so, this is my exciting life! not as good as my daughter cindy. if you've ever been a mom of young children, you can go to her blog and read of her adventures with her 2-year-old son Lucas, and 6-month-old daughter Lana. I read last night before i went to work and i was laughing all the way thru. I even caught myself laughing at work just thinking about it! I hope no one saw me! (laughing to myself,that is)
I truly do appreciate her sense of humor. I think she should write an editorial column for the local newspaper.

Pretty as a Princess

I couldnt believe how beautiful Lana had gotten since our visit in September. She's grown so much! She looks soooo much like her mommy did when she was a baby.

Spidey

The amazing Super Spider Man!

Lucas ran around with either his spider man mask or his superman cape........or both!

My Trip to Idaho

I am home from Idaho now. It was great visiting Cindy, Daniel, Lucas, & Lana. It seems I just get the little ones used to me, then it's time to go back home. I'm already missing the pitter-patter of little 2-year-old Lucas' feet running across the floor; and the beautiful smile of my 5-month-old granddaughter Lana. Being around the grandkids reminded me of my own kids when they were little. It's amazing how fast the time goes by. They grow up in the blink of an eye.

Lucas has such an active imagination. He brought his baseball pitcher into the living room and launched the foam balls all over the place. He giggled the whole time the baseballs were bouncing off the sliding glass door. Then he got the fabulous idea to load the pitcher with his steel "Thomas the Train" engines. Luckily for all of us within range, they were too heavy to launch! ....Ya gotta love em! Grandma couldn't help but laugh. He's such a bundle of energy. I love him so.

Lana is a good little baby. She definitely is mama's girl. Grandma was okay to hold her for a while, but when mom walked by, there was no comparison in Lana's eyes. She loves her mommy!

JONATHAN'S ARROW OF LIGHT CEREMONY

On Thurs, Feb. 28th, 2008 our little cub scout became a boy scout! we are soooo proud of him.

everything went as scheduled. for those of you that know our Jonathan, that can sometimes be a unknowing experience! He did GREAT!