TIME FOR SUMMER!!!

Well Family - I decided to write early since I will be in Jerusalem when all y'all write - now T.J. this is when you should be happy for me and not jealous:). The month of April was so jammed packed. I finished the major research on my thesis and had my defense. It was so much fun. I sat in a room with three professors and they asked me questions - my favorites were how does Eastern Orthodox monasticism compare to Western Catholic monasticism and what other processions do you think occurred during the year that relate to other image found on the Romanian monasteries and the best, where do you think the Romanians got the idea to paint on the exterior walls of the monastery. I loved it and passed with flying colors, so soon it will be on the internet and I will attach the we address so all y'all can take the time to read my 50 page article - and I will completely understand if you don't understand a bit of it. I also had my Easter program on the 19th and it went so well. One girl got sick that day and I had to step in and sing her song but it still went really well. I think it was the best one I have put together so far. I also had fun on Easter. I went to my friend's house - yes it is a boy and as all y'all know Preston and I are just friends. It was really nice though to spend Easter in a family setting. His mom even had a basket for me that had no chocolate in it. Then at the end of the month I graduated - I still have to make a few grammatical changes to my thesis and turn it into the library but I am basically done. Graduation was good. At the first one, President Uchtdorf, a leader in the LDS church spoke and at my individual graduation for the college of Fine Arts, Elder Oaks, another LDS leader, spoke. It was so good and I am glad that Grandma, Grandpa, Grandma, Mom, Dad, John, and Kim could all come. So now I go to Jerusalem and am so excited. I will let y'all know how it is. Love Mollie

PS Here are some pictures from Graduation. I know pictures twice in a row - shocker!
This is me showing off my cool hood.

This is everyone in my program minus one girl who had a baby two days before, one girl who didn't finish, and another girl who walked with her husband at his graduation. The two older people are our professors.
The cute McVey Fam afterwards!
Me being a dork while taking a picture with Grandpa.
I hate to be bias but this may possibly be the cutest picture ever to exist.

Hi from Mom and Dad

Sorry, no pictures this month. I forgot to have dad put the pictures on the computer and he is in Phoenix, so no pictures. I will catch up with pictures next month. It has been a busy month for dad. He has been to, Chicago, San Francisco, San Jose, San Antonio, Houston, Mesa, Los Angeles, and Palo Alto. He was in Houston long enough to call Jill and say "hi". Most cities, he was there long enough to visit stores, go back to the airport, get on the plane and go to the next city. The traveling should slow down in April. Time Out For Women, come to Denver the first part of March. Kim and I went with a couple of her friends. It started Friday night and ended Saturday afternoon. There were wonderful speakers and great music. I have never gone before and am so glad that I was able go this time. For those of you who don't know, Time Out For Women, is sponsored by Dessert Book and features speakers from the church and music by people who write music inspired by church related topics. The two musicians who came were Michael McLean and Kenneth Cope. I thought that they were amazing. I have listened to them for years, and love their music. Later in the month, dad and I went to a performance by the Denver Symphony doing music of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It was fantastic. There were large screens set up through out the hall and they played clips from the movies while the symphony played the music. They played music from Oklahoma, South Pacific, State Fair, King and I and Sound of Music. The next night, the General Young Women Meeting, was broadcasted from Salt Lake City. I was in charge of the refreshments. We had a Brownie "Bar" with 7 different kinds of brownies (who knew) and thanks to dad, ice cream. There were about 120 girls and mothers and the brownies disappeared rather quickly. The favorites were mint brownies and peanut butter brownies. Since I don't have any pictures, I will put in the recipe for the peanut butter brownies.Cream together: 1 cup butter, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup peanut butter, 2 eggs, 2 tsp. vanilla. Sift dry ingredients: 2 cups flour, 1 tsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. salt, 2 cups oatmeal.Mix all of above together. Press evenly on a jelly roll pan. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Let cool; frost (recipe follows). Cut into bars, 1x3 inches. Frosting: 1/2 c. margarine, 1 tsp. vanilla, 1/2 c. cocoa, 1/4 c. milk (or until spreadable) 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar. The only reason I know that these were really good, is, they are the only ones I had time to try. Till next month, Mom

Happy April

Hello Family - March was a fun month. I was doing the same thing as always. I worked on my thesis. I got it approved by my two readers and have scheduled my defense. I will defend on April 17th. So I am finishing up on time. I also played this week. Kaylee and Nicole and I had a slumber party where we played with our hair and painted nails and watched a movie. I also went to the Festival of Colors which is the festival Rushashana and so basically all of Provo goes to the Hindu temple down in Spanish Fork and throw colored flour all over each other. I will try to attach a picture of it so you can see how much fun it is. I also have my Easter program on the 19th of April. Fast Sunday is this week so we have to have it the week after that. I am excited for it. We are focusing on the names of Christ. Here is the outline:

The Easter Program – The Names of Christ

I. Hope of Israel - 4:30

A. Quote: “The divinity of Jesus Christ is indicated by the specific names and titles authoritatively applied to him (Jesus the Christ, 35).” During this Easter season as we contemplate the life of Christ, we can also ponder His different names and roles. By doing this we can truly learn how to take upon us the name of Christ.

“Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is (Jeremiah 17:7).” Hope is not knowledge, but rather the abiding trust that the Lord will fulfill His promise to us...It is manifest in confidence, optimism, enthusiasm, and patient perseverance. Hope…transcends the trivial and centers on the Hope of Israel, the great hope of mankind, even…Jesus Christ (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “The Infinite Power of Hope,” Ensign, Nov 2008, 21–24).” (1:00)

B. Song: Hope of Israel – Men’s Group (3:30)

II. The Son of God/ Son of Man – 4:45

A. Quote – Just as Heavenly Father testified of Jesus when He declared “This is my Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, Jesus also “…knew His Father to be the one and only supremely exalted Man, whose Son Jesus was both in spirit and body – the Firstborn among all the spirit-children of the Father, the Only Begotten in the flesh…He was and is the Son of the “Man of Holiness,” Elohim, the Eternal Father (Jesus the Christ, 143-4).” (:45)

B. Song – Jesus, Son of God, Son of Man – Choir (4:00)

III. The Way, the Truth, and the Light – 6:00

A. Quote: - Personal Testimony of Christ as the Way, the Truth, and the Light. They cannot bring in the other names and must only focus on the title mentioned. They will also only be given 2 minutes. Some scripture for help are – John 14:6, D and C 34:2, John 8:12, D and C 93:2, and 2 Nephi 31 (2:00)

B. Song: - Lead Kindly Light – Piano Solo (4:00)

IV. The Good Shepherd – 3:30

A. Quote: “I am the good shepherd,” Jesus declared. “The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” He “doth call you; yea, and in his own name he doth call you, which is the name of Christ,” and “He shall feed his sheep, and in Him they shall find pasture (Ezk 34:1, Alma 5: 38, and 1 Nephi 22:25).” (:30)

B. Song: - The Lord is my Shepherd – Mixed Group (3:00)

V. The Savior – 5:30

A. Quote: Personal Testimony of Christ as the Savior. They cannot bring in the other names and must only focus on the title mentioned and they cannot talk about the death of Christ because that will go with the title of Redeemer. They will focus on how Christ has saved them in many ways because the definition of what Savior means is “to save, rescue, or deliver.” They will also only be given 2 minutes. Some scripture for help are – John 3:17, Acts 4:12, 2 Nephi 25:20. (2:00)

B. Song: Our Savior’s Love – Choir (3:30)

VI. Redeemer – 3:45

A. Quote: – To redeem means to ransom; to rescue; to recover; to buy back or pay off, to deliver from sin and its consequences by means of a sacrifice offered for the sinner. When Jesus suffered both in Gethsemane and on the cross, “He gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people (Titus 2:14).” “Wherefore, all mankind were in a lost and in a fallen state, and ever would be save they should rely on this Redeemer (1 Nephi 10:6).” (:45)

B. Song: I Know that My Redeemer Lives – Girl Duet (3:00)

VII. Friend – 6:30

A. Quote: Personal Testimony of Christ as Friend. They cannot bring in the other names and must only focus on the title mentioned. They will focus on how Christ is their personal friend. They will also only be given 2 minutes. Some scriptures and quotes for help are – John 15:13-14 and “I know that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God and that He was crucified for the sins of the world. He is my friend, my Savior, my Lord, and my God. With all my heart I pray that the Saints may keep His commandments, have His Spirit to be with them, and gain an eternal inheritance with Him in celestial glory.” (Ensign, Nov. 1982, p. 6.) (2:00)

B. Song: My Brother, My Savior, My Friend – Girl Solo (4:30)

VIII. Christ – 6:30

1. Quote: Jesus refers to himself with many different titles, but the most common title is that of Christ, which means “anointed” or "Messiah." Jesus testified of this title Himself when He stated, “Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world (3 Nephi 11:10).” Christ came as was prophesied and He fulfilled all that He set out to do. He suffered and died for us and now lives for us. As we come to believe and understand the different roles and titles of Christ, we can retain his name “’written always’ in [our] hearts. [We can] take upon [ourselves] “the name of Christ, having a determination to serve him to the end (Benson Come Unto Christ New Era, April 1988).” We also can become more “willing to bear [his] name; for in [his] name shall [we] be called, and [we] will be [His] (Mosiah 26:19).” (1:00)
2. Song: This is the Christ – Choir (5:30)

I hope it goes well. Anyways Happy Easter and I look forward to seeing everyone at my graduation and then think of me while I am playing in Jerusalem (don't be too jealous TJ:P)

Love Mollie

PS. That is the Hindu temple in the back and yes that hill is covered with people!

Almost over, for now

Hey everybody, hope your March was a wonderful month. Pi'ikea and I staying busy with work and school and now moving. Both Pi'ikea and I are trying to get jobs in SLC for the Spring and Summer terms so we are moving to Lehi (city south of Point of the Mountain). Also, if we can not get jobs in SLC I will have classes in BYU's Salt Lake Center and then at the end of the summer Pi'ikea will be going to the Master Bodyworks program which is only held in Salt Lake. It is 2 months of full-time school 8am-5pm. We have already signed the new contract so we are trying to rush and get everything moved by the end of this week so we can sell our current Provo contract. We have had a few nibbles but no bites yet, at least that we know of.

The job I am hoping to get is an internship with Jacobsen Construction. They were founded in 1922 and do tons of work for the LDS church and BYU. They were part of the team that built the new LDS conference center, they did the renovations to the capital building in Salt Lake and the Tabernacle at Temple Square. They have also built a number of Temples from Texas and Mexico to California. There is one position in the estimating department, which I love because I want to be an estimator and four positions with their Project Management team. I was informed that there were 14 people that interviewed so the five positions. Later this week I will find out if I get the 2nd interview with their VP and then the VP decides who to hire. Hopefully it is me because in this market it is difficult to find a good construction job and this internship would be a great step to getting a great job. I actually just heard from Jacobsen and I did get the 2nd interview with the VP. I am meeting with him this Friday April 10, 2009.

The job Pi'ikea is going for is at a spa called Spa Club. There are 3 of them around Salt Lake County. She is worried that she will not get the job because she was informed that there were literally tons of people that applied for the job. But we shall see. We also just celebrated her Birthday this past week. We were not able to do too much because we both had school, but she was able to go out with some friends. She bought herself a Cuttle Bug. I really don't know how to describe what it does so if you are curious you can go to www.provocraft.com. She likes it though. Once we move into the new apartment we are going to have a celebration with more friends.

Oh, I am apologizing in advance for tardiness on next months blog. The first week of May Pi'ikea and I are going back to Oahu for her brother Kawika's wedding and will be back that next Tuesday. We love you all and wish the best. Until next time.

The Crazy Life of Houston

Welcome to Houston!!!!

We have been having crazy weather lately for March in Houston. Cold fronts coming in and out of the state and cooling us down into the 30s and 40s at night and then nice high 60s and low 70s without the humidity. The kids have been going outside playing ball and running around like crazy lunatics.

JJ - He has become our little reader. He loves to read. He picks up a book and no matter how hard or easy it is and tries to read it. He sounds out the words and then tells you what the story is about in his own words. He has let us know that his favorite color is red. He runs to the bus every single morning and runs off it every afternoon. He still loves puzzles and has been working extra hard on them this month. He also has discovered the fun of Wii. His favorite game is Mario Kart Wii. We have a little wheel that he uses when he plays, he laughs his head off when he goes off cliffs and the sides of walls. He also loves Mario Brothers 1, 2 and 3. Watch your language around him, there are a few bad words that we are not aloud to say (he made this list up all on his own). Do not say "stupid," "idiot," "mean" or "shut-up." If you happen to say one of these four words JJ will come up to you and say," Stupid is a bad word." If you are polite enough to apologize he will say, "That's okay, it was an accident." He is a "Big Helper" he loves to help with everything from making beds, to opening doors, to picking up toys, especially if it is bed time. He is full of love and brings joy into our lives by his kisses, hugs, and just being a happy little 5 year old.

Jadyn - She is doing it. #2 is coming along with Potty Training and she gets her prizes of My Little Pony. She has an amazing collection. She started to think she got one every time she did it so we had to make a chart and put 1 - 5 on it and give her stickers each time and candy. When she goes 5 times she gets a new one. Luckily they are inexpensive. I figure the cost is about the same as diapers. She still have accidents but she is doing a lot better then she was a month ago. She loves having her hair done just like the ponies. We spent 2 hours doing the ponies hair and braiding them. She will go look in the mirror and say, "Ponies," very sweetly and with a sighas she looks at her hair. She is becoming very girly. We painted her fingers and toes and she looks at them and says, "So Pretty." She is really into, "Kiss you on the nose." She loves to give and get kisses all the time now, where as before it was on her terms and conditions. She is full of love and very animated. She loves to pretend play with her ponies by saying, "are you okay," if she pretends to knock one over, "Yes, I am okay," is always the answer the knocked over pony gives.

Jaxson - What can I say about this crazy little child? "Mommy, look what JJ did," is his favorite thing to say. "I hungry," "Mickey Mouse Hubhouse," "Juice," (anything to drink). He will still try to repeat everything that is said. He is into colors and letters. He tries to guess what all the colors are and letters, he doesn't get them right all the time but at least he his trying to get it. He loves the letter U, he sees a U and goes, "U,U,U!!!!" He and Jadyn dance to Little Einsteins every morning and play together, or should I say fight together all day. Jadyn is very cute with him making sure he has one of what she has unless it's her pony, no one is aloud to touch them but mommy and daddy. Jaxson also loves to give kisses and hugs. We have started time out with him and he will sit there and when it's time to get out he will say, "Arry Mommy" for Sorry. We love the mornings with him because we wake up to his lovely scream. This is not a mad or sad scream it is his happy scream that is like fingers on a chalk board when it is 7 am. He screams then giggles, screams then giggles, screams then giggles, over and over again. We figure it is because he wants out of his crib, but we leave him there until he stops hoping that he will realize we wont get him when he is screaming at us.

Josh and Jill - We are both busy with work and taking care of the kids. The kids love to play wrestling with daddy and when Josh is doing his sit ups and push ups the kids try to mimic him and count for him. Josh works out sometimes in the garage and Jadyn goes out there during Jaxson's nap and follows her daddy with the movements. Jadyn also likes to help mommy get ready in the morning. She will hand me a towel, my toothbrush, my brush, mouse, deodorant, etc. We love being together when possible and have many laughs just watching the kids grow up everyday every hour is our own personal comedy hour.

The Johnson Family

Hello Family-

I hope everyone is doing great. This is one of my favorite times of year - EASTER!! I love Easter.

This past month was pretty crazy with all of the things to do, but it was fun with Spring Break.

Our family went to Moab for Spring Break with a few families in our ward and we had a great time. After Moab, I drive to Orem with the girls and spent some time with Grandma J while Warren stayed in Moab for a few days with some friends.

Here is a quick update:

Taylor - Is Taylor. She is silly, silly, silly. She is definately 2 years old and assumes everything is, as she says, "Mine." She is way into her colors right now and her favorite is "mrange (orange)."

This is Taylor's color bucket that she takes everywhere. It carries her scratch paper and crayons, and nobody better touch it.

Nicole: Nicole goes through life, shall we say "screaming." She screams when she is excited, sad, happy, or tired. She loves life and lets everyone know it. She loves speech and is learning alot. She is talking more and more each day and we love it. Sometimes she won't stop talking, but we just smile and try to understand. Nicole also had swim lessons last month and she loves to swim!!

Nicole had the school assignment this past month to take IB guy with her everywhere she went. This was a great assignment for Nicole because she is such a Mommy. She took such great care of IB guy.

Kaylee: Kaylee is doing great. She is loving school and excelling. She loves to ski especially through the trees. Warren took her down some blues a couple of weeks ago and through the half pipe. She LOVED it and didn't want to stop. Kaylee also finished her art class and misses it already. We started ballet again, so art will be on hold for awhile.

One of Kaylee's art projects.

Here are some pictures from our Moab and Orem trip:

Kaylee picking flowers.

Give Nicole a bowl, spoon, and dirt and she is in heaven.

Cocoa went with us and she did great. Nicole was very protective over her.

Taylor all smiles.

I drove for alittle while and had alot of fun. I was pretty proud of myself for sticking with it and not getting too freaked out.

Here is the pro - GO WARREN!!

The girls had a sleepover with Aunt Mollie and LOVED it!!

Hope everyone has a great month of April and enjoy Easter.

The Johnson Family