Another year over, a new one [(*ever* increasingly less) recently] begun

[J] Our brief announcement generated as many comments as our most-previously-commented-on post! We had assumed that everyone had given up checking. How heartwarming. At any rate (what does that mean, anyway? Rates? What does that have to do with anything?), we will bring everything up to speed and leave out as little as possible while keeping in mind the necessity of not putting anyone to sleep. In response to one comment (Janci's), it is the time that is exactly the issue. We have too much to write about and when we sit down to do it it seems overwhelming.

[A] I'd like to give each of you a moment to recover from the shock of finding a new post on this frightfully outdated blog, but I'm afraid I would not recover from such a pause (as has been the case too many times over the last three months) and you would be, yet again, left without news from your favorite Johnsen family. We wouldn't want that, now would we? So, suffice it to say that your cries have reached our ears. We will not keep you waiting a moment longer.

November was a pleasantly hurried month whose daily tasks are all but forgot. Which is a sad commentary on my memory, but a blessing to our dear readership who will not be forced to endure a lengthy dissertation of prehistoric events. In stead know that the month was highlighted with many days of frenzied work in preparation for the Festival of Trees. Having my time more occupied than it was last fall, I feared that Caleb's second tree would pale in comparison to the first. However, with the help of many loved ones, and despite it being mainly red (we were painting signs on the day of the BYU v. Utah game which my brother-in-law found to be quite the sacrilege) it turned out quite nicely. Thank you again to all that helped. I truly could not have done it on my own.

Having committed to do so before leaving in May, in December I returned to work at the UPS Store for the Christmas rush. With Isaac refusing to acknowledge the existence of a bottle and in turn its nutritional merits, I was a bit wary of my two week sojourn into the working world. However, it worked out that Jordan and I never worked the same days and thus Jordan was able to bring our famished child to Ogden to be revived and I never had to fuss with the child care issue. So, in the end my brief working stint was marked by all the joys of reunion as well as many fond moments of wondering how some people have made it through the natural selection process. Procrastinating holiday shippers, need I say more?
As is customary with the Holiday season, we were frequently surrounded by family and friends. On the Friday before Christmas the Johnsen clan gathered for feasting and festivities highlighted by watching three brilliant babies eat paper, uh I mean open presents. Isaac got a red bow stuck on his finger and couldn't figure out why it didn't go away after repeatedly taking his hand out of his field of view and then bringing it back. It was really quite adorable. The next day my family joined us for dinner and games with a brief pause to watch Isaac open his Christmas pajamas. Jordan left for work bright and early Christmas morning (he was scheduled both Christmas Eve and Christmas) leaving Isaac and I in eager anticipation of the time when he would return and we could open gifts. Well, really we didn't mind waiting much. We made sugar cookies and took a trip to Bountiful to surprise Jordan with a visit. Just as we were getting ready to leave, Jordan's parents and sister stopped by to visit on their way to Salt Lake. So, Isaac and I decided to go with them to visit the Spencer family. Having not yet been privileged to open his own presents, Isaac decided to commandeer Lauren's. He would stop at nothing (including steam-rolling his fair cousin) until he had covered enough ground to swipe the object of desire. I wanted to object to such a treacherous act, but was much too distracted by his new found mobility to interrupt with a lesson in sharing.
When Jordan returned from work, we all put our Christmas pajamas back on and enjoyed the company of family as we celebrated the commercial side of the season. Jordan and I both managed to completely surprise each other, which was especially nice. Isaac held up the reputation of all young children everywhere by enjoying the wrapping more than the contents. Which isn't to say that he didn't enjoy the contents, but honestly . . . red rubber ball or blue cellophane? In the eyes of a 6-month-old (who absolutely adores noises of any kind) the superior option is clear. Angela and Chris were somehow able to get time off and come to Utah this Holiday season which allowed much of the week after Christmas to be spent with my entire family. We shared many delicious meals and fun-filled evenings as the year drew to its close.

In honor of our sweet Caleb's second Angel Day, we rang in the new year surrounded by family and friends in a "Celebration of Life." The company and activities were both quite enjoyable, and the presence of many people who still rejoice in our son's memory was truly heartwarming. We feel there is no better way to honor Caleb's memory than to surround ourselves with people we love, as that is one of the main lessons his life taught us.

The first day of the first month of the year 2007 marked the first decade anniversary of homeownership for our dear cousins, Michael and Shannon. Not wanting to miss any opportunity to get together for games we eagerly joined in their celebration. Being the modest fellow that he is, Isaac chose the inconspicuous moment of "Poppy's New Year's Day Photo Shoot" as the ideal time to start sitting without support. As he and Lauren quite literally took turns looking at the camera, I stepped back and watched him sit straight-backed and stable for at least 15 minutes. Prior to this point, his record was approximately 7 seconds and wobbly ones at that.

Our bodies decided to rebel against the fun-filled month of December by inviting every virus known to man over to our apartment for a month long visit. Jordan and I took turns entertaining head colds and sinus infections, while Isaac took on the daunting task of being company to the dreaded Croup. Needless to say, we were all quite relieved to see our post-holiday visitors head on their miserable way.

[J] The recent couple months have been marked by much growth in our blessed progeny. In February he sprouted two teeth ([A]at once - no crooked smile for this kid!), greatly increasing the danger to tender fingers. He has been enjoying many (so-called) solid foods ([A] especially the Rice Crispies he is so proficient at getting into his mouth), but does not prefer bananas. He now crawls in a most adorable way, alternating from true crawling to his previous transitional scoot-flopping. He waves goodnight to his daddy at bedtime and turns pages in books with early-reader dexterity. He stands well with assistance and makes a very adorable noise that involves his lips and fingers, but which ASCII text has a hard time duplicating (it goes something like "bub-bub-bub-bub"). In short, our son has grown into an expression of cuteness which nearly transcends this mortal frame.

School still bores me, but must be endured until that blessed day when I can claim my last degree. I just started my preceptorship, which means that I will work with an RN full-time for 135 hours. This precludes my working for pay, which leaves us in an interesting financial position. We should make ends meet with our federal refund, although it pains me to use it for anything but investing (have you all seen CD interest rates lately?). We are in reasonably good health and the cars seem to be working fine, so we are crossing our fingers that no disasters will happen for approximately six weeks.

Up until I took a month off, I have been working at Avalon Care Center in Bountiful as an LPN. I still enjoy the work, but I don't expect to remain there after I get my RN.

Thanks to a PE class I had to add in order to get my grant this semester, I have discovered a passion for figure skating, which I have wanted to try since childhood. I am fairly good at it considering how long I have been at it, but as in many other things I have not taken the time to develop flawless technique in my eagerness to learn more advanced skills. So, I will probably never be a professional but on the other hand I feel better physically, my balance is improving, and I have found something sublimely relaxing and challenging to do. I have been adding new hobbies and habits into my life recently, and I feel much better for it. I now have a marimba to call my own (sigh) that I play on a daily basis. [interjection: we rearranged a bit of furniture in the apartment to accommodate the marimba, including moving the TV out of our front room so it no longer seems the center of attention. Alison says it is nice that I can just play whenever I want, and she enjoys listening. Our neighbors like it also, which makes me doubly blessed] The recent passing of Alison's grandfather, although a sad event, rekindled my desire to do family history. Anyone interested in doing a cemetery tour to take pictures of family gravestones, I would very much like to organize one in the near future and head to Centerville, Kaysville, Willard, Bear River, and Perry. I guess that's about it for me.

[A] In January, I started working on a quilt as part of an Enrichment mini-series with the ward Relief Society. The sister instructing us, said that once you get started you never want to stop. I seem to have fallen ill with that quilting bug and now constantly see projects that I want to do and must exercise much self-restraint in not over-whelming our house with fabric that we can't afford at the present time. But, someday . . . ah, someday. Wanting to share my new found joy with other members of the family I organized our own block-of-the-month get together. Last Saturday's quilt square extravaganza was a success, despite many stressful moments during which I wondered if my eagerness to spread the proverbial wealth was really such a good idea. In other news, I have joined two book clubs and continue to attend my moms group (a support group for mothers who have lost children to cancer) each month. I love having so much adult contact and continue to learn and grow by surrounding myself with "sisters."

So, that's about it. We hope you enjoyed the update, at long last.