jfreemancubed

Fun times at the playground!

2011-01-18T12:26:00.000-08:00

Christmas Letter 2010

2010-12-21T19:25:00.000-08:00

Dear Family and Friends,

Jason began working for MSA at Hanford in June and went full time in August. Jason and I found AdvoCare in March and became distributors for their nutritional supplements. We are currently packing up to move our family a few miles away into a larger home because our family grew again in September when my 18 year old cousin, Sierra Johansson, moved in with us. She is registered for CBC Winter of 2011 and her goal is to become a veterinarian.

Josie Ruth (5) is attending Pre-School and loves it! She is usually carrying around a pencil and paper pretending to be a social worker. Josie loves to sing and dance for us.

Jaycey Paige (4) loves to be the mom when playing and carries armloads of dolls and toys with her everywhere. We are anxiously awaiting court on January 10th so she and Jake can become legally free and the adoption process can begin.

J.J. (4, aka Jason Joseph, Jr.) won't let me forget the periods for his initials. He is becoming a true boy and takes pride in how sneaky he can be. His favorite is still when he got out of bed to paint the house with Jake. He is a super hero that rides a "super charger lawn mower" around the house!

Jake Aleksander is 2. He love cars and trucks. Jake is our dancing machine! He dances to every tune he hears.

Christmas is our time to celebrate the birth of our Savior. We look forward to 2011 and the many possibilities in store for us and you!

With Love, The Jason Freeman Family

January went too fast

2010-02-08T10:35:00.000-08:00

We spent last month syringe feeding Cameron, drawing blood on Page and Drake, and driving daddy to work.

Results are that Drake has no food allergies at all. This is such a good thing because his food cost more that the rest of the family's.

Cameron is doing overnight visits with grandma and Mikey. It was so fun to see his excitement when he came home yesterday afternoon. We are happy to have him back for the week.

Too busy!

2009-12-31T17:47:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve was fantastic! We loved the food, Santa and the company! The kids loved opening their gifts, pajamas and slippers from mom and dad, nice toys and Sunday clothes from Uncle Jerry and Aunt Cindy's family.

JJ got Lightning McQueen pajamas and slippers, he started to dance and sing holding them up in they air!

Josie, JJ and Paige had a table all to themselves.

Cameron was the only one who sat on Santa's lap...he got the most presents in the morning!
Just kidding, JJ did!

It is New Year's Eve and we are home from the hospital with Cameron! What a snow storm! It snowed the whole way there on Tuesday night and the whole way home today! He is back to normal, except with arm restraints on to keep fingers out of the stitches. I hope to get photos soon!

Thanksgiving

2009-11-30T09:41:00.001-08:00

We had so much fun at grandma and grandpa's house for the Thanksgiving weekend! I didn't get any photos, but there was lots of family and food...isn't that what the holiday is all about? We are happy to have our missionary nephew/cousin, Aaron, home from the Philippines...he was at the airport at 6pm Thanksgiving night (3 hours early).

I am thankful for our houseful of children, our home, our transportation, our food, our clothes and the love of others who are taking care of our family that grew by 2s.

Too many goings ons...

2009-11-22T20:14:00.000-08:00

We've had a few weeks to calm down and find a daily schedule that worked for us. The kiddos have been doing great together and I enjoy watching them while they are playing. Their imaginations are amazing. This was hair do day...each of them were doing the hair in front of the other, including the bear!

Who doesn't love a good soak in the tub?

Aunt Julie has been busy sewing Christmas clothes for the kids...Thank you so much for their beautiful clothing!

Some of the biggest news is that last Tuesday, JJ's birthday, November 17th, Paige and Drake joined our family. We don't know a lot about them as of yet...we have found them to be very affectionate and they are very ticklish. Drake has some food allergies that we don't know at this time...he is on an elimination diet and rice and corn are all that he can eat right now.

Here are all 6 kiddos:

JJ had a great time at the Children's museum with family and friends for his birthday! Thank you to all who came and played with us!

Interesting story about JJ's party day...He woke up because he threw up in his bed....we went to Costco to get his cake and he threw up there....poor kid, he was so sick the day we had his party!

It's birthday time around here!

2009-10-07T15:11:00.000-07:00

Josie turned 4 September 17th and Mikey is now 3 years old. Thank you to grandma and grandpa Freeman for hosting Mikey's party! It was a lot of fun to see our family that was close by! Josie is still waiting for her big present! She is getting a daddy and daughter date to the movie theater...we are looking for a movie that she would like to see. Mikey received lots of noisy toys and some much needed clothing. I hope to get my computer and my printer on the same page soon...can't seem to find the disk I need to get the printer up and running so I can post the photos...not much else is going on. JJ will be having a big blow out of a party in November when he turns 3...hope to see a lot of you there!

We are still alive...

2009-09-08T21:01:00.001-07:00

As you can see, we have been busy this summer and I haven't blogged for ever! Here are some favorite photos of Yellowstone, the family reunion, and our new foster kiddos...Mikey and Cameron. We are travelling to Yakima every Friday for Cameron's doctor appointments until he has the surgery for his cleft lip. We are also playing really hard outside everyday and time is flying by...where did the summer go? I personally am not looking forward to my favorite time of year, autumn. I don't want summer to be over yet, we are having too much fun!

Photos of trip to WY

2009-07-11T22:06:00.000-07:00

JJ's cousin Lily is sharing a drink with him. We were able to spend some time with Jared and his girls. (all 5 of them)Uncle Jared in his Sheriff's uniform with Kayley, Hannah, Emma, Lily, Josie and JJ.

This is at Mesa Falls.

Here we are at Independance Rock in WY...We started to meet family for the reunion here before we began at Martin's Cove...More photos later.

Pig chores with my cousin Kelly and his family. JJ loved the piggies and won't stop talking about how much he loves them.

We're home!

2009-07-10T19:42:00.000-07:00

We've made it home, now the fun begins as we clean out the van and clean up ourselves from all the camping.

A few quick highlights: The TREK!!! We had a great time at the Martin's Cove and the Willie Company sites in Wyoming. I have never had a connection to the pioneers that came in wagons and on foot in the 1800's before, now I really appreciate who they are and what they did for the church's beginnings in SLC. I am also so happy to know the stories of Jason's ancestors that were a part of the Willie Co. It is exciting to have that rich heritage for my children to grow up with.

We had a great time visiting with family...Jared and Rachel and the girls in Idaho, Uncle Leif and Aunt Dianne with their family in WY and all 170+ that attended the Freeman Family Reunion. I feel like I am finally getting to know some of Jason's extended family. I hope to get some pictures developed tomorrow so I can post more.

Jason is 40 today!

2009-06-18T19:50:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to Jason...he has been working all day (6am-7:30pm) and the kiddos have been waiting all day for him to come home to show him the birthday cake they made for him. They chose and made a marbled cake with chocolate icing. JJ has continued to sing Happy Birthday as he ate the icing off of his cake. Josie loved it and ate 2 pieces.

Jason, we love you and we are very grateful for all you do for us. You have many traits and talents that I hope the kids pick up on as they grow and learn. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

My arm moves too much when I use my phone to take photos...sorry it is so blurry!

Count down to Freeman Family Reunion

2009-06-15T19:23:00.001-07:00

The count down is on for the Freeman Family Reunion. I am working on our costumes and Jason is getting the van ready for the trip. Jason and Uncle Ray fixed the brakes on the van last Saturday, so there is no more noise as we drive around town! So happy there wasn't a bigger problem, we were expecting it to be the wheel bearings. Yippee!! Thank you for the trip you made, Uncle Ray and Aunt Diana...we appreciate your time for us and all the help. While they were here, they visited the temple and Aunt Diana began to make her costumes for the trek and I was able to sew most of my 2nd one. I still need to get Jason's started as well and JJ's pants. The possibles bags are 1/2 done at this point.

We are just enjoying everyday life and the kiddos are outside in the water all the time.

We have enjoyed some time with the Norr family recently...Scott graduated High School and Seminary!!! Good job, Scott. Michelle and Samantha have completed their recitals as well. I really enjoy the dance and piano concerts!

"She not modest"

2009-05-29T08:26:00.002-07:00

Josie taught our neighbor a new word the other day. She was playing with his 2 daughters and showed him a doll without clothes. Josie said, "Nick, she not modest." Nick looked at his wife and mouthed, "what is modest?" She explained that modesty is when you are covered with clothes. Good job, Josie, our big missionary girl!

Happy Memorial Day

2009-05-25T11:39:00.000-07:00

It has been a great weekend! Saturday we visited with a lot of friends and family at a memorial service in Basin City. Yesterday we were lazy and spent the day with Uncle Ray's family. Today, we went to a Ward breakfast and were fortunate to hear the Star Spangled Banner by a professional trumpet player/police officer. We are about to head to Grandma and Grandpa's house for another barbeque and to catch up with all they accomplished in CA with Grandma Santos.

No news is good news?

2009-05-08T21:17:00.000-07:00

Well, we haven't heard anything from DSHS yet about our Foster Care license...that probably means the fingerprint background checks have not been returned yet. We keep an eye on the mailbox and continue to wait impatiently.

We had a busy day today. The kiddos went to the park with our friend Danielle. They took their scooters and played while I went to Wal-Mart by myself. Then, we ran to Jason's work to pick up the check stub...we saw 3 of the USF trucks, one of which was Jason and we followed him for a few minutes. JJ fell asleep on the way home. Josie was in a hurry to get home because our neighbor Bella was waiting for her to play.

After naps and lunch, we went to the Children's Museum to play. Josie loves the princess dress-ups they have there and JJ enjoys driving the school bus, ambulances and fire trucks. It was an eventful day and we are so glad we are home in bed now.

Do I still blog?

2009-04-29T20:50:00.000-07:00

I don't remember how long it has been since I have sat down to write. We really haven't been doing too much lately because we are all coughing and feverish. We are getting a lot of family time at home though. (Jason was even home from work one day and 1/2 when his boss sent him home early.)

Our part is over!

2009-04-16T15:02:00.000-07:00

Woo Hoo!!! Our part of the licensing for Foster/Adopt is over! The knots in my back and shoulders can go away now! Our new licensor is Trish and she spent 2 hours with me today. The home inspection passed all the requirements and we did another huge questionaire. We are just waiting for the back ground check to be turned into Trish. (that could take months) When she gets that report, we will be receiving calls from social workers to place children in our home. Oh, we will be licensed for 5 children...our 2 and three more that are 0-3 years old.

Easter

2009-04-14T13:14:00.000-07:00

Easter seemed to come really fast...it was just Christmas the other day. We attended the Ward's Easter party the Primary put on. It was a lot of fun. It is obvious that Josie and JJ had a great time.

A neighbor gave us a bike for Josie that her daughter had outgrown. I was really excited because the Easter Bunny could give a huge gift this year. As Jason and I discussed JJ not having a gift yet, I thought it would be great not having to buy 2. Well, the Easter Bunny was coming on Saturday morning and the gift was not purchased yet...I was ready to jump in the van and run to Wal-Mart for either a bike or scooter for JJ. Jason wanted to come with so we got a babysitter. While shopping I was talked into 2 scooters...instead of just one bike. We got home and to make the story really short...Josie and JJ saw them in the back of the van Friday evening and the surprise was ruined!

Eagle Scouts

2009-04-14T13:12:00.000-07:00

We were honored to attend the ceremony as Andrew and Scott received their Eagle Scout Awards.

Count down to Home Study...

2009-04-14T13:00:00.000-07:00

Irma will be here to inspect our home on Thursday. I had these grand plans of my schedule working out perfectly and the house being completly ready when she arrives, but Josie and JJ have had other ideas. It seems that I am just following behind Josie and JJ as they destroy what little had been cleaned up before they got there. They have even found the garage and our food storage has been a great place to find something to occupy their over energetic minds and bodies.

The Dentist

2009-04-10T13:02:00.000-07:00

Today was our semi-annual trip to the dentist. Josie and JJ did a great job holding still during the cleaning! Josie was the attending big sister and held JJ's hand as he received his cleaning. She was so cute while she took care of him.

After the cleaning, they were the dentists and brushed an alligators teeth. It was fun to watch them get so involved with the care of something else.

JJ wasn't to happy to have the dentist start his poking around and kind of gave up at that point. Over all...the dentist was the highlight of our day! Before that my little scoundrels dumped all my sugar on the kitchen floor. After the dentist, we ran over to Wal-Mart to get the egg coloring stuff so the Easter Bunny will have something to hide tomorrow morning!

Highlights from our trip to Boise for Allison's baptism.

2009-03-29T19:13:00.000-07:00

We had a great time visiting with cousins at Allison's baptism this weekend. Josie and JJ decided to "clean" the bathroom in the nursery with Macy and Jayda. They worked really hard and got soaking wet!

On our way home, we were stopped near LaGrande, OR for over an hour while the freeway was closed. (we heard it was an accident)

We are fingerprinted!

2009-03-26T13:42:00.001-07:00

Woo Hoo!!! We have one more thing done. I have 1/2 of my TB test done, the Dr. still needs to read it. Jason had more work that he thought yesterday so he couldn't get the TB test done yet.

We got a call from Irma yesterday asking if she could come do the home study today about 3...I said sure, then found out she was just trying to figure out who the appointment was with and wasn't coming here. That was good, because we didn't have all the beds we needed to be licensed yet and the house is a disaster. She would have had to make another trip over to see the bed we received from a co-worker of Jason. Now, we are loaning our toddler bed to Jason's dispatcher because he is getting 4 kids this weekend and needed beds for them. (They have already adopted 2 kids through this system and plan to adopt 1 more...they are brave to take in 4 at this time!) We are going to borrow their crib so we can have 4 beds in the house and be licensed for an infant too. The home study is the last thing we need to be licensed.

The fingerprints will take 2 weeks to 2 months to get to Irma. The home study is the only thing left...hopefully we are in compliance with everything they require to license our home. When Irma receives the results of the fingerprint check...we could have kids in our home within 3 months. Wow! That is kind of fast!

It's springtime!

2009-03-20T13:38:00.000-07:00

I love seeing the beginnings of our flowers coming up! I was about to believe that spring would never arrive. Josie and JJ have been outside for most of the last 2 days and I have a sunburn to show for it. My dad would ask if I am bragging or complaining...I am bragging! I am so happy the sun is out and we can be outside a lot. I have been out pulling up more of our lawn for a flower bed I began last fall. Jason has talked about getting a flag pole to put near the fire hydrant.

The kids wouldn't come in yesterday to eat, sleep or go to the bathroom...all they wanted was to be outside with the neighbor children. It is so much fun to play all day. We are looking forward to playing in the water and our little pools. Josie has been putting her bathing suit on the last couple of weeks asking to go swimming. (20 degree weather doesn't permit that) Today it his close to 70 degrees and I am loving it!

References

2009-03-20T13:35:00.001-07:00

Wow, I sent in my paperwork to the DSHS last week with every intention of contacting the people I hadn't for references and come to find out...they already have their paperwork to do. I guess now I ask for forgiveness instead of permission. It is amazing how fast time can slip away as we are working on every aspect of getting our family's additions.

We are also working on spring...I was beginning to wonder if it would ever arrive.

No more training!!!

2009-03-17T08:53:00.000-07:00

Oh, sigh of relief...no more "training" to become licensed. I received a phone call at 7 this morning from the state saying they got my packet and the fingerprinting appointment is on its way to us. We also received the name of our licensor, Irma. It will be fun getting to know her as we go through this process...she will be the one to do our home study and check up on any accusations that come our way through the CPS office. The social worker assigned to the child(ren) placed in our home will also be doing checks on us and our home if there are other accusations coming our way. Jason and I are now mandated reporters for the state. That means if we see anything that appears to be child abuse (in our opinion) we have to call CPS or 911 immediately. I was joking that the calls are going to be there about us already because of our recent trips to the ER with the kiddos. Hopefully there won't be more ER before we can adopt the children.

Rice Krispies

2009-03-13T13:14:00.000-07:00

Josie and JJ decided that dumping rice krispies on the floor would make a great sand box while the weather didn't permit them some time outside in the sand. It amazes me that they can do so much while I take less than 2 minutes to use the bathroom. They even had some toys to play with in their pile.

Chuck E. Cheese

2009-03-13T13:09:00.000-07:00

Josie and JJ finally filled their potty charts with stickers and we took a trip to Chuck E. Cheese last night to celebrate. They were really tired, but that didn't stop them from running between games and rides the 1 1/2 hours we were there. Josie would take a bite of pizza then run to play on something with a token...back for another bite and token when the game was over. They each got something special to bring home with them and remind them that they need to continue to use the bathroom if they want more prizes later. We had a great time and we are very happy that Josie wanted something enough to work for it!

2 down, 2 to go...

2009-03-09T17:11:00.000-07:00

2 more Foster classes are done...2 to go. It was a long weekend and a lot of information is running around in my head. Not only from the state, but Stake Conference also. I went to the Saturday evening session and Jason took the Sunday one while I was at the Foster class in the morning. I took home the message that we need to pray more often alone, as a couple and as a family...being very specific and using JJ and Josie's names while we pray for them individually. Missionary work was also a very prominent message during the sessions.

Josie and JJ are feeling the effects of Jason and I being gone so much...today there has been a lot of craziness. They are pushing every button they know about me to see what will happen to them. I have run out of ideas to keep them distracted and entertained. Coloring, TV, wii, and just a ride to the Dr. to remove a staple from JJ's head is not doing anything to keep them happy today.

To top of the craziness in our home...it snowed, hailed and rained for a bit this afternoon. Yippee!!

One more Foster class down...

2009-03-04T09:38:00.000-08:00

Woo Hoo!!! We completed one more class and there are 4 to go. We received a lot of information last night as we work toward expanding our family. We also received paper work and more paper work that we need to fill out. There will be finger printing to do and so much more, but we are ready for it.

It's March!?

2009-03-01T21:46:00.000-08:00

Wow! Where did February go? If you haven't already heard...Jason and I are taking the lessons so we can become Foster Parents. We would like to have 2 more children so we are going to adopt through the foster care program. We would like children that are younger than Josie and JJ, but not really wanting an infant. We have already taken the CPR/1st Aid training that we needed and we have 3 more classes this week. The finger printing and background checks are coming up as well as the medical release. We will keep you posted as we progress toward the additions to our family!

JJ didn't have to get stitches...

2009-02-26T18:19:00.000-08:00

JJ got a staple to close his gash in his head. (Close your eyes or don't scroll down if you are squimish.) I think he was just too groggy after his nap and fell onto the bench in his room. This time he did a better job than the last time. The cut was a bit longer and deeper.

Jason was called into the office on Thursday...

2009-02-21T20:47:00.001-08:00

...and his boss asked him what was needed for Jason to go back to his old run, going North. Jason wasn't very greedy and only asked to be kept at the 6:30am start time. That will give him overtime hours nearly everyday. The businesses will be much happier with a driver that aims to please (instead of one that complains and doesn't make all the deliveries). I think Jason will also be happier. He liked the North run, although when the weather does not cooperate it makes for a really trying day.

Which was funner? Swimming or dusting?

2009-02-19T08:50:00.000-08:00

It seems that I just will never be able to catch up with let alone get ahead of my destructive duo! Yesterday when I came out of my room, all I did was change my clothes so we could leave the house, Josie and JJ were swimming on the kitchen floor. Josie had been getting water from the fridge's spout and pouring it over their heads. They were laying on the floor making the motions for a terrific breast stroke when I caught them.

Today, I didn't even leave the room...I was on the other side of the counter and heard the giggles. There was flour everywhere...inside the cupboard, on the stove and under everything else!

If I didn't love them so much, I don't know what I'd do!

Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T21:34:00.000-08:00

It has been a great day! We were fortunate enough to receive free tickets to Playhouse Disney's Live Tour from the radio station and a Red Robin gift certificate for my birthday, so we were living high on the hog today!!! (Yep, I illegally took photos at the performance and that is part of the reason that they aren't very good! Mickey Mouse is about the clearest character I was able to get during the finale.) It is a bit unconventional to take the whole family out for Valentine's Day, but we loved every minute of it!

Joise is using the bathroom on her own!

2009-02-10T13:13:00.000-08:00

Well, Josie has finally found something she wants more than wet diapers!!! She is working really hard on toilet training for a trip to Chuck E Cheese's. She has been asking over and over and over to go and I finally said, when your potty chart is full of stickers. She is going on her own now and I am really happy that there is something to motivate her! Now we just need a bit more consistency!

Trying to ignore the big 40!

2009-02-06T21:16:00.000-08:00

I can't believe how fast time flies! It seems like Christmas was just yesterday and now Valentine's Day is so close. Jason did a great job of putting together a birthday party for me. He invited friends and family over for cake and ice cream last Saturday.

This week has been kind of easy going. We didn't leave the house on Monday or Tuesday. Needless to say the house was a disaster for the week. Wednesday we did some grocery shopping and not much else. Yesterday we had an opportunity to play with friends while their mom went to the temple. That was a lot of fun! Today we went out to do some errands, but stores were not open when we got there...it is hard to remember that not everyone is up and shining brightly before 6am. (we were wanting to be in Sears about 9:30ish, they don't open until 10) While we were in the tub, Grandma called to say she was in town and needed a ride. She was dropping off the van to get it ready to sell and didn't want to sit there for a few hours. We picked her up and the kiddos fell asleep. I was able to get the house cleaned up and Grandma was able to catch up on Burn Notice. It was a lot of fun to get some time with her. We are looking forward to the time spent with grandparents tomorrow!

Flicka Svenske

2009-01-28T16:31:00.000-08:00

I was never taught Swedish, I have no clue if the spelling is correct!

Our Swedish Girl

2009-01-28T15:53:00.000-08:00

Oh the joy of receiving a package in the mail. Aunt Julie made Josie a dress to represent the Swedish heritage of our family...this is the tradional costume for Sweden. We've been waiting by the window for the mailman to come with our package. It arrived today. We took a walk to the mailbox and there was mail waiting for Josie. She practically ran all the way home to rip it open. Of course JJ had to be a part of the festivities also. As the package was unveiling its contents, Josie exclaimed over and over, "how cute, it is cute, I love it, it is so cute!" Then I heard, "put it on mom!" Thank you, Aunt Julie!

We're bored!

2009-01-23T10:20:00.000-08:00

We are bored this morning. Josie was up at 5:30, so we've been going for 5 hours already. I got this great idea to cover them up with the balls they got for Christmas and that lasted about 1 minute, but it was fun. We wanted to go out and about town, that plan was foiled when I remembered that the visiting teachers are coming this morning. I need to find something more to occupy my over energized children.

Random thoughts

2009-01-20T14:42:00.000-08:00

We are enjoying Jason's company today and things are getting done! Work is slow at USF, but not at home. We got the 64 inch (broken for over a year) tv out of our family room and into the tv dr to be fixed. Lance has said that he will probably just give it to us instead of taking it back. We were also able to take a drive and visit grandma at school. We've been wanting to see her room and where she works. The kids love to see family any where and any time they possibly can. I am still riding cloud nine after chatting on line with a mission companion that found me on facebook. It is so fun to make contact with someone that understands some of the trials and triumphs of our mission!

Saturday's trip to Wal-Mart

2009-01-18T13:08:00.000-08:00

Well, another week has flown by without too many incidents. We went back to the mall a couple of times so the kids could play at the indoor playground and jump off some energy. We love our times with grandma and grandpa on Saturdays. Wal-Mart is Josie's favorite place in the whole wide world. JJ is just as in love with the store as his dad is. We live at Wal-Mart.

Thursday morning JJ woke us up at 4am. He has always been an early riser, but 4? I thought that would be good and an early nap would be on our way. Nope! Naps didn't start until 2:30pm, about the normal time. Josie got up shortly thereafter and we played all day long. Needless to say, I don't get much done while I try to occupy my kids energy.

Boat Show

2009-01-12T11:57:00.001-08:00

As we were running all our errands last Saturday, we ended up at the mall where there was a boat show going on. Here are some highlights:

Life goes on as the holidays become memories.

2009-01-06T11:34:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! We are back to the boring everyday life that we had before Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and the New Year's festivities. It is hard to believe that it is already 2009. The parties are over, but they were a lot of fun! Welcoming the New Year with friends and family is the best way to do it! Cindy would have liked all the streamers and poppers to have gone off outside though!

After such a long time with freezing temperatures, we took advantage of the 60 degree weather today and played outside for a while. The kids took off their shoes and coats because they were too warm. JJ has chosen the bounce house as his new favorite thing. (Manny's tools are practically forgotten at this point.) He begs for us to blow it up every time he has a chance to get into our room where we keep it while it is down.

Christmas 2008

2008-12-29T08:46:00.000-08:00

Can you believe this is the only picture we got of our Christmas? We played with our new video camera and didn't even think of still photos. Santa was very good to us this year. Jason received a circular saw that he won't have to borrow from friends and family anymore to help with Jill's projects in the future. Josie and JJ are doing a great job of playing with each other's toys. JJ loves the doll accessories as much as Josie does. Jill got her Swedish food on Christmas Eve and loved every bite of it! We spent Christmas Eve through Saturday with Grandma and Grandpa Freeman. Charie's family and Ray's family also came to spend time with them.

We can't forget the real reason for this holiday! I am so grateful for Jesus Christ and for the sacrifices He made for me and my family. I am also grateful for prophets that teach us every month in the Ensign and other magazines we receive from the church. We enjoyed their devotional earlier this month. I am most grateful at this time for Temples and the blessing of being sealed to my husband and children for all eternity!

It's another painting with BUTTER kind of day.

2008-12-23T13:59:00.000-08:00

It amazes me that I can turn around and when I look up again this is what I can find. They used one of their hats to spread it around. When I caught them...Josie looked up at me with a huge smile and said, "we make JJ room really pretty!".

Only 1 Pasco ward was not cancelled.

2008-12-22T09:03:00.000-08:00

Yesterday there was only 1 ward in Pasco that was not cancelled. Yep, it was ours! Choir practice was postponed until 15 minutes before church started, so we were on time...one of the rare times that we are. When we got there, we found out that there was an option of attending...many families were called and told that there would be church, but they could choose if they wanted to attend or stay home. We didn't get that call.

On another subject, there is 8-10 inches of snow outside and my children picked out these outfits to wear.

I'm told it doesn't snow much in the Tri-Cities.

2008-12-19T09:52:00.000-08:00

It is 21 degrees outside and I thought the kiddos would like to play a little in the snow. Outside playing lasted about 10 minutes and they came in crying for 5 minutes while their fingers thawed.

It is over 20 degrees outside! Yippee!

2008-12-18T09:40:00.000-08:00

It has been so cold outside that we have not done anything. Jason has had the van for a few days at work so today is the first time we are venturing outside since church. Our adventure begins because while I showered yesterday, Josie tied my glasses into a pretzel. The eye doctor awaits!

We allowed a big Christmas present to be opened to keep the energy contained and me sane!

JJ was brave enough to sit on Santa's lap

2008-12-14T12:06:00.001-08:00

He wouldn't look at mom though for a photo because the candy cane was much more exciting. Josie wouldn't go near the stage where he was sitting. She began to freak out when the curtain went up and we could see Santa's boots. This was at the end of an entertaining Ward Christmas party.

Never turn your back!

2008-12-13T07:33:00.001-08:00

You would think that I would have already learned that I should never turn my

back to curious 2 & 3 year olds. I had the things together for the gifts we are sending to the Johanson families and went to lay down with JJ at nap time. I fell asleep and he went to paint. This is a picture of how he finished his heart.

I then decided that our family home evening board would have to be red instead of blue to showcase JJ's masterpiece and be a reminder that I should never fall asleep before JJ.

Later, as I was fixing dinner, Josie did her painting. She did just as great a job as her brother. Does this mean that it is time to get some washable paints for them to play with? This is a picture of her "I'm sorry, mom" face when she decided that she was in a lot of trouble.

On another subject...JJ untied and pulled out one of his stitches on Wednesday. He was in the process of getting the other one out when we got to the doctor's office. Doc put on some glue and tape that is a type of butterfly band aid. JJ has already removed 2 of the 3 strips and opened the would a bit again. The beautiful small scar that the ER Doc managed to fix up is not going to be the final verdict. It will be interesting to see what kind of healing this eyebrow really gets when all is said and done!

Another trip to the ER

2008-12-07T16:12:00.000-08:00

Sacrament meeting was cut short today when JJ fell and cut his head open on the bench. I grabbed him and headed for the hall where the bishop of the 6th ward told me JJ was bleeding. Bishop Leavens is our dentist and recommended that we take JJ to the Emergency Room for stitches. I called Jason from the church (he was at home, sick) and said we were headed to ER...get up and dressed. The entire overflow section was helpful, one of the young men walked us out to the car and I told the Primary President that I was going to leave, but all the activities and my lesson book was in the back row for a sub. Josie's ER visit was just last week and she was having a really hard time. She was screaming and did not want anything to do with the hospital. Jason and Josie waited in the van while I held JJ down for his 2 stitches.

We finally got a nativity scene for outside!! Yippee!!

2008-12-06T19:57:00.000-08:00

It is so hard to believe that it is already a week into December. Today we found a nativity scene that I was excited about, but Jason wasn't too into it. (It is a blow up one) We decided that we wanted something outside to decorate, but we wanted a nativity, not a santa or snowman type of a thing. Nativity scenes are really hard to find...it has been 3 years of looking for something and then an hour to talk Jason into it with the help of mom and dad Freeman. I can't wait to see it up in our yard...it is lighted so we can see it after 4pm also!

Freeman Family Photo

2008-12-01T11:31:00.001-08:00

Thank you to Tricia for the camera that took the photo of the Freeman Family on Thanksgiving!

Josie lost a nail, Yuck!

2008-11-30T10:32:00.000-08:00

With all the fun of the after Thanksgiving shopping and visiting with family...there had to be something to help us remember that we are not perfect! Josie was riding on the bottom of a cart at Wal-Mart and she put her hand under a wheel. The nail of the pointer finger came completely off. At first we thought we could do the first aid by ourselves, then we took a closer look. There is a clinic close by so we went in there to get a doctor to help us take off the nail that was holding on by a thread and they told us to go to the emergency room.

Josie was a brave girl! She squirmed a bit as the doctor gave her a shot to numb the finger for the rest of the day. As we came out of X-Ray, she began to bite the finger because she couldn't figure out why she couldn't feel it. (There may be a small fracture at the tip...we are waiting for the radiologist to read it.) The doctor pulled of the nail, washed her finger off well and bandaged her up.

Happy Thanksgiving Weekend!

2008-11-28T21:25:00.000-08:00

It is hard to believe that Thanksgiving is all ready over! We have had a great time with the entire Freeman family (except our missionary, Aaron, in the Philipines). The food and fun continues into tomorrow. We joined the other crazy people shopping on Black Friday and got a new computer monitor and camcorder for our family. Can't wait to begin recording upcoming events. Josie and JJ will be so sad to see everyone go. JJ is playing a cling on to mom the whole time, but he knows where and who everyone are. We had an opportunity to photograph the entire family in pink, white and black and I can't wait to see the photo on our wall...I will post when I can...Still don't have a way to put photos on the computer for a bit.

I am so thankful for family that live the way our Father in Heaven would like us to live. It is great to have the reinforcement for our children as we are with others for an extended period.

2008-11-24T12:20:00.000-08:00

Sunday JJ fell asleep during Sacrament. The missionaries for the other ward thought he was pretty cute and took photos of him with them posed over the top pointing at a sleepting 2 year old. I thought that was kind of funny!

Happy Birthday, JJ!

2008-11-18T20:54:00.000-08:00

We celebrated JJ's birthday on the video phone with his mormor, morfar and Aunt Holly. That is so much fun! He did a great job blowing out his 2 candles. JJ is talking more and more everyday. For his birthday he got 2 shots at the doctor's office. Isn't that a fun day? He has become very attached to Handy Manny's tools that sing and dance in their tool box. He loves them! At least one of the tools has to go with him in the car and to church or anywhere else JJ goes. (That was an early present from his mom, dad and sister.)

Busy weekend

2008-11-09T16:43:00.000-08:00

We were lucky enough to have Jason home on Friday. His company asks different drivers to take a day off every now and then because the overtime payout gets too high. We were busy! The kiddos were worn out by the time we took a little break from all the stores we went to. Saturday was just as busy. We love our time with Grandma and Grandpa at Costco for lunch and then the errands that follow. Today was pretty mellow compared with the previous 2 days. We only left the house for church.

I discovered some fun things on a program I've had for many years. Now, Jason and I are really excited because we have on paper a schedule to snowball out of debt. We've been working on it without a proper plan before this weekend. The end is in sight and there is a specific date! Yippee!

Elections

2008-11-06T20:26:00.000-08:00

I must say that I was really disappointed in the outcome of the presidential election! I really don't understand the electoral college anymore and I get really frustrated when Washington's votes don't go to the person I voted for. Jason & I voted by absentee vote because that is the only way Pasco does it. I received a letter from the elections department that stated I did not sign my ballot's affidavit or it had been destroyed in the mail. I had to sign another affidavit and send it back in so my vote would be counted.

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T07:24:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite holiday! I love all the costumes and the party atmosphere. I'll do my best to get photos as soon as possible of the princess and tycoon we have this year.

No news is good news

2008-10-28T20:17:00.000-07:00

The last little while has been kind of quiet. We are just living life day by day. One little thing that I am loving is the way Josie sings. She is learning church, educational and silly songs. Her favorite seems to be "Jesus wants me for a sunbeep". (JJ is beginning to sing it the same way.)

What a relief!

2008-10-19T18:02:00.000-07:00

I had been asked to talk a couple of weeks ago and I was able to get out of it because of Mormor's funeral in SLC. Well, it caught up to me and I ended up speaking today on Helaman 3:35...Purify your heart. It went well and there were quite a few members of the congregation that thanked me for what I had to say. I really loved a story about Joseph F. Smith. He was 15 and on a mission in Hawaii. He had a dream that he was in a big hurry to get somewhere. He had a small bundle in his hand and didn't really know what it was. He came to an opening with a door and knew he had reached his destination. He noticed a small sign to the side that said, "bath". He stopped and cleaned himself then opened the small bundle which held clean, bright, white garments which he put on. He went up to the door and the Prophet Joseph Smith was there to answer his knock. The prophet reprimanded him about being late and Joseph F. Smith answered him, "but I am clean....I am clean."

I pray that we can all become clean and accept the atonement of Jesus Christ.

Quiet time?

2008-10-16T06:17:00.001-07:00

It is a bit eerie at the moment. Josie and JJ are still asleep and Jason has already left for work. I am really not used to a house so quiet. I could think of 10 other things I could do right now to enjoy this time.

Yesterday, Josie and JJ destroyed the last live plant we had in the house. I saw them playing with the new lamps we have in the living room and I decided to take a closer look. The plant was on the floor with roots exposed and there was dirt from one corner of the room to the other. The container was sitting nicely on the table as if nothing had happened. The kids were black from head to toe and I wish I had a digital camera to share the image with you!

Bronchitis is in the house!!!

2008-10-10T13:44:00.000-07:00

Not feeling very well this week...Josie and I saw the Doc on Wednesday and we are pretty medicated now. JJ and Jason seem to be showing the beginnings of the nasty cough as well.

2008-10-07T16:27:00.000-07:00

We have had quite a day already! Josie woke me up at 5am. It got a bit quiet later on...I found her in the bathroom emptying a bottle of shampoo into the tub. While I was cleanning that up, she found a few more things to get into that didn't cause too much trouble. We were lucky enough to babysit Brek while Aunt Trish went to the temple. JJ and Josie love to babysit and I am sure that the babies are more than happy to say good-bye when their time is up! They played with him as much as I'd let them. Although they were told to find soft toys, they dumped out every toy in the toy box for him. A little later, Josie and JJ were too quiet again. I found them in JJ's closet with what had been a new tube of toothpaste. It was all over their bodies, the carpet and the closet door. At that time, we decided to go for a ride...JJ still hadn't napped. We turned a corner and Josie started to yell that she saw daddy's truck...it was daddy and we were able to visit with him for a few minutes. JJ is now asleep and Josie is in her room doing some time for the concoction she put together out of the refridgerator. It can't get any worse!

Dentists & fingernail polish

2008-10-03T20:26:00.000-07:00

This morning Josie had a dentist appointment. She did really great! The tech was able to take x-rays of both sides of her mouth. That was how we found out she has 2 cavities in the back. She gets her first fillings in November while JJ has his first appointment with the dentist.

We went back to grandma and grandpa's house to spend the day with cousins, uncles and aunts again. We had a lot of fun making cookies with Aunt Shannon and playing with everyone.

About 1/2 an hour after I had thought that we probably should have packed up to come home, I started to smell an odd odor. It was a lot like fingernail polish and Josie was nowhere to be found. The bathroom door was closed and when I tried to open it, it got caught on the closet's accordian door inside. I started to tell Josie to close the closet and received quite a bit of attention from everyone in the house. It took Aunt Chantelle and Grandma quite some time to find the right tool to close the closet door and get into the bathroom. Josie was a trooper as we told her to wait by the shower while we shoved and shook the door all over the place. Josie cried a bit as she discovered that she was trapped and in a lot of trouble.

Well the end of this story is that fingernail polish remover and razor blades make cleaning up tile and a glass scale really easy. Josie needs to give grandma a new bottle of fingernail polish and a new closet door. The bathroom's doorknob put a hole in the door of the closet as we pushed up against it. We are so sorry grandma and grandpa!

We have a telephone & internet again!

2008-10-02T20:17:00.001-07:00

It is such a long week when your phone and internet are down! We finally got the upgrades we needed for the video phone and our internet is now high speed. (haven't had that since we moved into our house) Our home teacher came knocking on our door the other night to find out if we were ok or if we had fallen off the planet.

We are having a great time playing with cousins at grandma and grandpa Freeman's house this week. Thank you Aunt Chantelle for the crafty projects you bring along for us to play with. Josie won't let go of the necklace she made with beads and JJ is upset his picture made with stickers was left behind when we came home tonight.

Congratulations to Whitney, she will be baptized this weekend.

We are home!

2008-09-27T10:10:00.000-07:00

Updates are really hard to do when you are out of town for a week! It was great to see so much family at the funeral. We enjoyed spending a day with Marneen and her family also! JJ and Josie didn't want to leave. Josie had a great time going with Avery and Aunt Chaelaine to the pumpkin patch. She put her pumpkin in front of our house to display it to the neighborhood.

We came home to a garden that was over ready for harvest. We picked tomatos until there wasn't any more room to put them...salsa will be made today. We got 9 good sized pumpkins to put with Josie's. There are 2 more that are still getting ready to pick. We have tons of watermelon that will have to continue rotting in the garden. And there were quite a few cucumbers that are ready to harvest. Some of the cauliflower and broccoli are coming back, we'll have more of that is a couple of weeks. Yippee!

Yesterday, Josie decided that she didn't want the dinner I made. She went out the back door, through the gate, (everything was open because I was mowing the lawn) and into the garage where she opened the freezer to get a popsicle. She handed the group of them to me and pointed to the one she wanted to open.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Josie!

2008-09-17T21:28:00.001-07:00

It is hard to believe that 3 years can pass by so quickly. Josie is growing up so fast. She loves to wash JJ up when he is a mess. She loves to pretend to cook and make me eat it. She carries her babies around with a packed diaper bag and then goes to Wal-Mart to buy milk. Wal-Mart is her favorite place and she wants to go there everyday. Recently she will come over to me and say, "Mom, I want to sit on you." She may be growing up fast, but she'll still cuddle with me every now and then. Happy Birthday, Josie!

Good-Bye Mormor

2008-09-17T21:28:00.000-07:00

Maja Gulli Ellstrom Johansson is my mormor. That is Swedish for grandma. She was born on August 16, 1917 and she passed away September 17, 2008. We are leaving tomorrow evening headed for her funeral in Salt Lake City. (either Saturday or Monday) Mormor will be missed by so many people, but how can we be sad when we know she'll be with Morfar and her family. She has worked so hard to bring her family members to our Heavenly Father's presence through Temple work. Good-bye for now Mormor! We love you!

Uncles, Aunts & Cousins

2008-09-15T20:35:00.000-07:00

A last minute decision was made late Saturday evening to go to La Grande and see the new baby (still no name announced). We didn't even unpack Jason's camping stuff. We packed the rest of us up and left town. As we drove, we let Aunt Charie and Uncle Jay know we were headed their way. Josie loves to play with all the cousins at their house. Even though they had a couple of extra kiddos (sisters of the new baby) they offered to let us stay with them ... so we did. The kids were all up early Sunday morning and played together until they were ready for church. JJ loved the attention he got from the older boys. Jayson twirled him around and around and Jaxon danced "Ring Around the Rosie". JJ couldn't get enough of the chickens once he realized they were outside and close enough to try to touch. Josie enjoyed playing with Jayda, Macy and Cambry. Carter kept a watchful eye on Josie and JJ as they mauled Camilla.

The baby boy is beautiful! He has a dark head of hair with some red when the light hits it just right. We had a good visit with Uncle Tyson, Aunt Shannon and their son. As we arrived home I realized that we didn't take any pictures of the impromptu trip. What a bummer!

Today Josie, JJ and I were lucky enough to pick up Uncle Troy and Aunt Robin at the airport. JJ was looking forward to it all day long. He refused to take a nap afraid that he'd miss the airplanes. He fell asleep on the 10 minute ride to the airport and didn't see a thing. Josie was really interested in the baggage claim belt as it moved through the area.

Regular Saturday ritual is upsidedown!

2008-09-13T13:34:00.000-07:00

Our Saturdays are usually spent in the house for the morning doing the chores that did not get done during the week. When the time comes, we load into the van and head to the Temple. We wait for grandma and grandpa to finish their temple shift. Then the race is on for Costco! Lunch is either pizza or the famous polish dogs there. The afternoon is all about running errands and following grandma and grandpa around town until they are ready to go home.

We are upside down today because Tyson and Shannon had a baby yesterday and grandma and grandpa left last night to see him. Jason is camping with his scout this weekend. (there is only 1 eleven year old in our ward...they combine with the other 2 wards in our building that have only 1 eleven year old scout)

It is really hard to keep a ritual going when half of the ritualists are out of town. We can't wait to hear more about the baby and find out about Jason's trip.

Doctors and Physical Therapy

2008-09-10T12:43:00.000-07:00

Jason was ill on Sunday and the kiddos were not letting go of their coughs, so I took them all to see our Doctor on Monday. Josie and JJ are too familiar with that office! They open all the drawers and cabinets while we wait to find all kinds of treasures. Whatever they have is viral so they just need to ride it out.

Potty training is still in process. JJ seems to enjoy the toilet more than Josie. Josie brought me a diaper last night and said she wants to wear them instead of panties.

I am going to Physical Therapy 2-3 times a week. We are still working on the injuries from the car accident last October. New exercises were added last night and man can I feel the difference!

Too much pressure...we've created a blog!

2008-09-07T20:06:00.000-07:00

Well, here we go...I will attempt to keep a blog up to date. The harder part will be to keep it interesting for anyone that reads it. The photo is nearly a year old now, but we won't have an updated one until the end of October or early November.

Josie and JJ are potty training at the same time right now. When Josie says, "I want to go potty." she means: I want to play in the sink and flush the toilet as many times as I can before I get into trouble. JJ is doing really well, he just hasn't figured out that he can tell me that he needs to go...he just waits until I ask him if he'd like to.