Happy Birthday Mckay!

Today Mckay turns 19 years old, he is serving a mission in Virginia currently so he probably won't be able to see this but I would still like to tell about why we love Mckay!

Mckay is very loving. Some people who know him might chuckle at that previous sentence however I have seen many times where Mckay has shown great love to me and Brad. Some people would guess that Mckay and I would hate each other by now because of all the vicious fights we had as kids but even with all of that Mckay and I had some of the greatest adventures of my life so far. The easiest way to say it is that we have had the very worst moments together but we have also had some of the very best times.

Mckay has always shown great love to his family by spending time with them and giving them his attention. Brad and I love when Mckay came and slept over or watched a sports game with us. He always brought so much fun with him and we always had an awesome time. Mckay recognizes what's really important in life. He puts his time and efforts into building a relationship with each of his family members. I've always noticed that he works very hard at the things that are important to him, I'm impressed that at such a young age those things that are important to him are his family, his testimony of Jesus Christ and the gospel, and his education. Mckay has a vision that is much greater than his 19 years, he makes wise decisions now knowing that they will greatly impact his future.

Mckay is really fun to be around, we have very similar interests so it makes for a very spontaneous event when we get to hang out. Not only is he my very favorite little brother, he is one of my greatest friends. I am so grateful that Mckay and I have the relationship that we do. I miss him everyday that he is on his mission but I'm so proud of the work that he is doing in Virginia. He is a great example to us of hard work, sacrifice, love and service.

Mckay, (if you get to see this) Happy Birthday buddy! I hope it was a great day and that you enjoyed lunch with your companion. We love you so much! Thanks for being such a loving and fun brother and for always showing Brad and I that you care about us. We learn a lot from you and are grateful that we're in the same family. Love you!

Benny "The Jet" Rodriguez

Happy Birthday Ben! I'm sorry that we aren't there to celebrate your special day but we hope it has been an awesome birthday! We want to tell the whole blogging world why we love you so much! :) Hang on to your hats and enjoy the ride, please keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times. haha just kidding

The first obvious reason is that Ben can crack anybody up with his hilarious and witty one line comments that turn simple everyday conversations into inside jokes for the following years. If it wasn't so late right now I'm sure I could think of quite a few to share with ya'll. Ben can make any situation funny and his family adores him for his sense of humor and wittiness.One funny story that happened a few years ago, is whenever the boys would be watching a packers game and the packers scored a touchdown, Ben would run out the door, down the street, around the cul-de-sac and back home again, all without any shoes on and in the middle of the winter. Funny quirks and random crazy moments like this are part of the reason Ben is famous in his family for always bringing the fun to the party.

Another thing that I love about Ben so much is that he is great to have conversations with(outside of the funny ones). There have been quite a few times where Ben and I have had a conversation about what's going on in his life and I enjoy being able to listen to him as I get to know him more and more. I don't know if any of you know this but when I first became a part of the family it took Ben a long time to warm up to me enough to have a conversation. So the conversations we have now is time I really treasure spending with this amazing kid. He has so much good inside of him and he wants to impact the world for good. I'm super excited to see where he goes in life and all the success he will have because of his efforts and good heart.

Ben is a savvy business man. He has always been creative with ways to get money from people. Currently, he is running a hot chocolate business inside his mother's kitchen. There is a flier up on the fridge with the menu items and prices to go along with it. Brad says that when Ben was really young and they were on vacation Ben went around asking family members for money. He would say that he's "collecting"it. When his Grandma tried to give him a dollar, he rejected her saying he only collects fives and tens. We can tell that Ben is going to be the entrepreneur of the family and we are anxious to see his success so we can take advantage of him making lots of money. ;) haha just kidding.

Ben is a "balla"! He plays lots of different sports and he does a good job in all of them. In the summer time Brad and I play Jacob and Ben in basketball when we go up there for family dinners. I am usually the one that has to guard Ben and let me tell you he is not easy to defend. He has really good moves and is very competitive. I'm ashamed to say that sometimes Ben and I would end the series feeling very frustrated with one another because we both like to win so much. haha Ben also beats Brad every single time at Foosball no matter how hard Brad tries. Also, when Brad, Jacob, Ben, and myself go golfing in the summertime Ben is like my little golfing buddy. We tend to have the same score on the first few holes, Ben usually ends up completing the round with a better score than me. I see a lot of potential in his golfing abilities and I'd bet that before too long he is going to be amazing at it(above how good he already is). No matter what sport or game we play, he always makes it a lot of fun and we love every chance we get to hang out with him!

Happy Birthday Ben! Brad and I are amazed at all of your talents and abilities and we often notice your efforts in trying to be the best person you can be. We love hanging out with you every chance we get and we feel very blessed to have you as our little brother. Thanks for always bringing laughter and smiles wherever you go and for being an example of goodness. We appreciate you striving to do what's right and you're ability to brighten anybody's day. You're an awesome brother and we hope you have had the most fantastic birthday. Again, we're sorry we couldn't be there with you today to celebrate, but just know that we are thinking about you and we love you so much!

Sometimes I like to brag about my Mother-in-Law

Sometimes people complain to me about their in-laws. . . and then in turn I have to rub it in their face that I have the best in-laws ever! I especially have to tell them that my mother-in-law rocks my world! Everybody is so jealous that mother in law goes out to lunch with me sometimes, and invites me to go see movies, and always genuinely asks how I'm doing. Nobody can beat that! I quite literally have an extraordinary mother-in-law. Brad and I sat down and chatted about what specifically makes us love Elaine so much, and we would like to share all of those reasons with you. :)

First and foremost, Elaine is a crack up! She always has us laughing and having a good time. I love that she is capable of just sitting back and relaxing. She creates a very fun-loving environment !

Elaine seems to always being doing something for somebody else. Her love of family seems to drive her ability to sacrifice so much time, energy and money for the benefit of those whom she loves. I very much admire her work ethic and I know that Brad has learned how to work hard from her and he is so grateful for her example. She shows that family is very important to her and also she never complains about all that she has to get done each day. I know that each and every member of the Johnson family is extremely grateful for all that she does for us.

Elaine is somebody who is easily approachable and is a lot of help when any of her kids need to talk to her about anything. Brad and I agree that it is really easy to talk to her and she brings a lot of comfort and love to the conversation that makes people feel like they can go out and conquer anything.

Overall Elaine is a great mom who works hard for her family. She reaches out to others and makes them feel loved. She is funny and we all enjoy her sense of humor. She is kind and caring and wants to help others succeed in life. She loves her family more than anything and it truly shows. Elaine, thank you so much for reaching out to me and showing me love, I know that it's not easy to put forth that kind for effort like you do. I appreciate you being open to talking about basically anything with me and I enjoy the times we get to hang out. I hope you have had the most fantastic birthday ever! I hope you know that Brad and I both love you very much and we're grateful for the great person that you are and we learn from your example often! We love you! HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELAINE!

Dano

So yesterday was my father-in-law's birthday and I know I'm late on getting this up but time seemed to slip through my fingers yesterday. So sorry Dan :/ Hopefully you still feel the love after you read this. :) So happy belated birthday! Here are only a few reasons why Brad and I love you!

Dan has a big heart, he is very caring and sensitive of others' needs. This is probably the first quality I noticed in him. He always goes out of his way to say hi and bye to us when we come around, and he also takes the time to really see how Brad and I are doing. I've really appreciated his sincerity and kindness. I've noticed a lot of notes that Brad has kept from his dad that he keeps in a safe place. I think the fact that Dan writes heart felt notes to Brad truly shows that Dan is a super caring father.

Dan is very easy to have fun with. He has a care-free attitude and he doesn't take everything too seriously. He is always up for any kind of game and he keeps things light and happy. I've always found it easy to talk to him about things, whether it is sports related, gospel related or anything else. He also treats everybody with extra kindness and respect. He makes others feel important and cared for because he takes the time to really talk to them.

Dan is also a teacher at heart. I often see him giving direction or instructions on how to do something better to his kids. I know this is because he loves them so much. This is another reason he is an awesome dad. He loves his kids immensely yet he also wants them to bet the best they can be so he teaches as much as he can.

He is a hard worker. I have never heard him complain about his job and I know he puts in a lot of effort there. I admire his work ethic and his willingness to drop everything and serve. We've asked a lot of him and he is always willing to come help out with anything. He has been a huge help and a great example of Christ-like love and service.

Dan also has a great sense of humor. Every time we are around him their seems to be at least a dozen moments where he gets everybody laughing. He brings happiness and light wherever he goes, and his attitude about life and his family really creates an atmosphere of optimism for the people around him.

Dan, we hope you had an awesome birthday! I feel so grateful to be apart of your loving family. Thank you for leading in kindness and love and for teaching through your example. We are so grateful to you for serving us and for being a great father. Thanks for everything! We love you very much and we hope you had a marvelous birthday. :)

My Seester

Happy Birthday Ashley! Today I want to tell the world or maybe just the very few people that read my blog just how much and why we love Ashley.

• Of course the most obvious one is that Ashley is hilarious. She can always make me laugh! I've always appreciated her ability to bring humor into everyday situations. Back when I was eighteen I wrecked my parents car and it was a horrible horrible day. I felt really bad inside and I was really down. I then had a conversation with Ashley over the phone where she described how seeing my face hit the airbag in her imagination was super funny and she couldn't help but laugh. This made me laugh and reminded me that although sometimes crappy things happen there's always happiness to be found if we look for it. She's the only person that could make me laugh in that situation and her timing was perfect. There are so many more funny memories of Ashley, if you have any that come to your mind you should comment about it so we can all laugh with you! :)
  
• Some of the best moments I've had with Ashley are when we've had long talks. She is so easy to talk to and there are many times that I wish we had more time to talk. She is really good about trying to relate to my problems in order to help me through them. She's a good listener and she always gives heart felt advice out of love. I am so grateful that she takes the time to talk with me, whether its a fun/goofy conversation or a serious one. She's great!

• This might seem odd but I'm so glad that I have an athletic sister. We've had many fun times being active and playing ball together. I absolutely love playing slow pitch softball with her. This last season when there was a time I knew she couldn't be there for a game it made it way harder for me to want to go. She brings so much fun and excitement to playing ball. I also loved playing old lady basketball with her this last winter. We played really well together and I knew that she was backing me up every time on the court. There's just a really cool feeling knowing that my one and only big sister is watching out for me even in simple situations like city league sports. I've always felt watched after and cared for with her around.

• Another reason why we love Ashley so much is because of her ability to simplify life and to make every moment enjoyable, even if it's a little childish. I've had so many awesome times being childish and goofing off with her. I know that sounds funny but she knows what I'm talking about. One time we turned her treadmill on to full speed and we would take turns jumping onto it to see if we could sprint that fast in a split second. It was super scary, crazy, fun and maybe a bit painful haha but totally worth the laughs. I love the moments that I can act like a kid and still feel accepted for it. :)

• Ashley is very accepting of others as well. She has put a lot of effort into showing Brad that she cares for him as part of our family. When we have watched movies at their house she would go out and by treats for us and specifically mountain dew for Brad because she knows that he loves it. She is very thoughtful and kind. These acts of service have truly made Brad and I feel important to her. 

I feel like I could go on forever but I'll keep this to a reasonable length. :) I love you Ashley! Thanks so much for being a great big sister and for accepting Brad and I the way that we are. Not only are you and I sisters but we are also really good friends and I think that is a huge blessing. Thank you for always bringing a smile to my face and for helping me through difficult times. You truly are one of a kind and I thank Heavenly Father every single day for you! Happy Birthday Seester! ;) I hope your day goes fantastic, you deserve it!

Lando!

Today is my big brother Landon's birthday! I am so glad that he was born and that we get to be in the same family. Here are a few reasons why Brad and I love Landon so much! Feel free to add your reasons too:)

• Landon is very passionate about life. I love that he is open about his goals and aspirations and that he works hard to reach them. Plus he is an avid BYU fan and it makes it way more fun for me to be a fan too. I love to watch the games and cheer on the cougs with him. :)
• He is a very hard worker, he does well at his job because he puts a lot of effort and time into going above and beyond what is expected of him. 
• Landon is one of the most loyal people that I know. He knows that family is important and he puts the time in to build those relationships. I can still remember always looking up into the stands at all of my games in high school and seeing Landon there cheering me on. Those moments meant so much to me and inspired me to be better. I really felt an overwhelming amount of love and support from him because I know he sacrificed time to come see me play. 
• Landon is also very thoughtful of others. I've seen him put a lot of effort into building a relationship with my grandpa. He does a really good job and going to see him and spending time with him. Even when grandpa comes to have dinner with us he makes sure to include him in the conversations and he tries to make grandpa feel important. 
• Landon is a super fun person to be around. He is fun to talk to and to joke around with. One thing I admire about his sense of humor is that he doesn't put others down to get a laugh. He has a very loving sense of humor which makes it really easy to joke around with him. Landon brings lots of laughs and smiles to family dinners. :)
• Another trait I find amazing in Landon is he is quick to forgive. He doesn't hold onto grudges or past mistakes of others, he is quick to love again despite the many mistakes others can make. Plus I don't feel judged by Landon. I feel like if I needed to I could talk to him about life and he would just talk with me and not let judgement get in the way. 

Overall, Landon has a big heart and he is passionate about life. His sense of humor makes brings happiness to our family. He knows what he wants from life and he works hard to accomplish his goals.
Landon, Brad and I love you very much! I feel very blessed to be your sister and for the opportunity I have to be around you often. Thanks for loving and supporting me, and for being a great example of love and compassion towards others. You're a great big brother and I hope you have the best of birthdays! Happy Birthday Landon!

50th Anniversary Party

Brad's grandparents celebrated their 50th anniversary this year, and my mother in law being as nice as she is threw them a party to help celebrate with the family. It was fun to get together with everybody, plus an extra bonus. . . Brad sang and played his guitar, which I totally love! So thanks Elaine for putting together a great party. Congratulations to Blaine and Glenda for a wonderful 50 years! And a good  job to my favorite man Bradley for a great performance. Here are some pictures of the great event!

 Brad and his uncle Rodney performing a Neil Diamond song together. 

 oh and by the way, the great bunch of balloons in the background

 This is my sweet mother in law Elaine with her brothers and parents.

 Brad chatting with his uncle Richard

 Brad and I with his grandparents.

Nichole and Ryan were snapping pictures of people to see who could come up with a picture of the most random group of people.

This is Brad performing a song called Everyday by Buddy Holly. :) He did a great job!