:(

It is amazing to me how much we love our children and how much we want to protect them from sadness and disappointment.  The State tournament was a dream of these 5 senior boys since they were in 3rd grade.  I think they have talked about winning the State championship when they were seniors ever since they were on their first basketball team together.  In the first game Derek got hurt.  We thought he sprained his ankle.  He got it taped quickly and got back in the game.  You could tell he was hurt but he pushed through it and still scored 14 points and helped his team move on to the semi finals.  But later that night things did not look so good.   He ended up with a broken ankle and some torn ligaments.  How that boy played the rest of that game is a miracle.  The Seniors were crushed! I have never been so heart broken then when I had to watch these boys come and comfort their buddy.  It was truly devasting to have worked this hard for so long to have this happen just when your dream was in sight.  Derek was a great sport and showed incredible character this weekend.  Trying to inspire his team and let them know they could win without him.  It was not to be.  Without him it was not the same.  They lost the next two games by 8 points or less.  They say ones best success comes after their greatest disappointment, I hope that is true!  It is hard to see your children's dreams crushed after they work so hard for something.  I know he has a plan for Derek and his buddies and this is part of it.  I think sometimes things happen in life and the lord is saying "Are you still with me?"  Watching my son handle this extremely disappointing experience has made me realize he is not a boy anymore.  What a great season he had!

some action shots of the game - this is l where he stole the ball and went in for a shot and got hammered  and broke his ankle

him shooting after his injury

watching him walk in for the next game on crutches :(

watching the last game

Great fans!  We are missing my sister Jill's family they came to support Derek too!  

Best Friends

Local Celebrity

Derek has had a GREAT senior basketball year.  They won the district championship and we are off to the state tournament in Boise this week.  He has been in the paper after every game.  Not only does his coach say great things about him the other coaches also have rave reviews about his ability to drive to the hoop or make a clutch 3 pointer.  He only received one article with bad press because he didn't make all his free throws that game. hahaha  He didn't want me to cut that one out!  It was kinda sad last Thursday when they won the District Championship because that will be the last time he plays in the Bear Den:(  We have watched him play many games in that gym.  He has a group of 5 seniors this year that have played basketball together since they were in 4th grade.  They haven't branched out much either.  These are still Derek's best friends.

5th grade

Seniors
Josh Helbling, Aaron Donaldson, Derek, Lane Brooks & Dan McGurkin

Front Page

This is the regional paper called the Spokane Review

Some lovin' from the fans!  hahahaha

Family Picture after winning Districts and yes that is mini Derek that Grace is holding :)

Ok that's a foul!

Derek driving to the hoop

They just can't stop the kid :)

and thats a 3!

MIssing some little people :(

Missing someone is your heart's way of reminding you that you love them.  Well I must really love these two rug rats!  Jackie came to visit for Derek's Senior night (basketball post to follow soon) and stayed for  a week and a half!  We loved having them.  they are doing so much stuff.  Talking, crawling, walking, and so very cute!  My Niece Shae also came for her 16th Birthday!  We had a great weekend with her celebrating!  We also miss her!  We are still busy with Basketball and Grace is now playing volleyball so we are keeping out of trouble:)

at the grocery store

They were sad when Shae had to go home.  Goofs!

Shae is 16!  Woot Woot!

just trying a little bit of snow

Weston loved pushing his sister in the doll stroller.  

Watching Grace on the Tramp 

Getting uncle Derek

snuggling with Grandpa

Traditional Valentines day in the Pennington Houshold - Personal Pan pizza's ( except Derek he gets a whole pizza to him self!  haha) and strawberry daiquiri's!  Steve gets each of us girls a charm to go on our bracelets.  Grace got a volleyball, Savannah got a license charm, Lauren got a San Diego Temple, Jackie got a graduate and I got a runner. - He said I got a runner because he couldn't find a stress fracture charm ( that I got because of running and struggled with for most of the year!) and I was the best wife but the worst patient!  hahahaha

Grace at her first Volleyball Tournament!  Go Moscow!

Happy Birthday Steve!

“I am satisfied that happiness in marriage is not so much a matter of romance as it is an anxious concern for the comfort and well-being of one’s companion. Any man who will make his wife’s comfort his first concern will stay in love with her throughout their lives and through the eternity yet to come”  From Gordon B. Hinckley


He's the greatest husband & father!  It is hard to really celebrate his birthday because he is soooooo busy!  He had a ward conference, interviews, got called into the ER multiple times and it was the super bowl!  We managed to have his Birthday dinner of Hamburgers and some Keylime pie and mudslide ice-cream about 6:00 just in time to watch the end of the Super Bowl with him:)  Get ready family....... Next year Darren and Steve turn 50!  Laurel and I are thinking a trip or cruise to New Zealand might need to be in the plans!  Or Disney just announced a 12 day cruise in Europe!

Sister's Trip

This year our sister's trip was to Disneyland and we all signed up and ran a 5K at 10:30pm - Crazy time for a 5K.  It was a fast and fun weekend!  I love my Sister's and Sister-in-laws!  My Mom was a trooper. A few years ago she was diagnosed with Parkinsons and it has really slowed her down.  We talked her into letting us push her in the wheel chair and boy did she have a 5K WILD RIDE!  Shannon, Mindy and I took turns pushing her and we only ran into one person.  oops!  There were over 4000 people running this 5K.  It was like a Cattle Drive so it was hard to run with a wheelchair and maneuver around people.  But we did our best!  HAHAHA I think my mom kept her eyes closed most of the run! My sister Shannon is sooooo competitive she almost didn't let our poor little  mom take a bathroom stop half way because it would wreck our time! HAHAHAHA  We teased her the rest of the weekend for that one!  We did great ended up about 38 min with a bathroom stop and pushing a wheel chair!  My mom said she felt like she had been on a motorcycle ride! :) She was a good sport!   We spent the next day playing at Disney and California Adventure & stayed up late talking!  It was a Great Weekend and I miss everyone!  I think we should do it once a month!:)

Here we are before the race

DISNEYLAND with NO kids!  Who knew it would be So fun!

my mom crossing the finish line

A quick beach trip - it's part of being a Johnson - You LOVE the Ocean!

Dirty Bear trying to eat my food!

Sweet P.

This last birthday wasn't one to really blog about.  We were traveling home from Utah and I was SOOOOOOO sick.  Not fun, not fun at all.  I was laying across seats in the airport, making sure I was always close to a bathroom.  Finally made it home just in time to take a bath and GO TO BED.  I didn't get out of bed for 2 days.  But there is a story I couldn't forget about my sweet little Grace P. 
She has a hard time being the little one because she always wants to do GRAND gestures for people but doesn't always have the resources or abilities to accomplish them.   So on my birthday she was already feeling so sad because no one reminded her it was my birthday or took her shopping for a present AND I was sick.  So when we finally got home I probably wouldn't appreciate her making me a cake.  But she found a way to make my Birthday VERY special. 
During our layover in Phoenix, while I was laying again on the airport seats waiting to board our flight, I gave Grace and Savannah some money to get some food.  Grace came back without food but a little package wrapped in a paper sack and card.  She had spent her money in the gift shop:) She bought me a little souvenir from Arizona!  HAHAHA  I love that kid! She keeps telling me she is sorry for not getting me anything good!  That little desert snowglobe is probably one of my most treasured possesions:)

New Year.......New Life

My little sister Mindy got married this last weekend to Trevor Ashdown.  He became a husband and father to my sister's three children.  The kids LOVE him.  I am sure it will be an adjustment for him, but he seems up for the task.  The day did not start out so great.  Her 6 year old son was throwing up and the lights we had put up the night before were falling down AND she forgot the ring. HAHAHA But she was pretty calm through all of it! Everything turned out Beautiful.  I love seeing my sisters happy!  It was so great to see so much family!

My sister's new family

Cute cousins

I LOVE my grandchildren!!!!

I love my sisters!  This time one sister left on a honeymoon and another left to NYC so my baby sister shannon and I just stayed up really late EVERY night just laughing and she got me hooked up on Instagram!  HAHA

request a DO OVER.......

I LOVED this Christmas Holiday! Could we please do it again! All my kids and grandkids were home and we had the BEST time! We ate tons of food, played lots of games (new favorite is Balderdash), shopped, worked (Steve took David to work a few days), Basketball, dartgun fights, movies and just really enjoyed each other.

Grace waited for Lauren to make the gingerbread house because Lauren LOVES to do everything that is associated with the Holidays!

They wanted to help David feel at home so they dedicated the gingerbread house in his honor. GOOF BALLS!

Addison and Weston love playing the piano

Addison loves to help Grandma do EVERYTHING!

Jackie with the help of Grace made us a 7 course Italian dinner for Christmas - they had to start a few days ahead making all the preparations

Home made pasta!  YUM  I don't have pictures of the dinner but it was DELICIOUS!

Annual Christmas Eve Movie goers!   Movies this year were Chipmunks and Sherlock

Christmas Eve at the Mosmans was again Fabulous!  I love the punch but this year Kim also made Cotton Candy ...... I think my new favorite!

Yep - they are still very much in love and goofy!  And WE LOVED having them home!

Christmas Eve Jammies!  Some of our Christmas Eve traditions are to write down in card what our present to Jesus will be for the year and put it on the tree.  We use the same card and add the year and what you will give.  It is always fun to look at back at what you have given in years past.   We also read the Christmas Story out of the Scriptures.  This year Instead of reading out of the Scriptures, Steve had each of us take part of the Nativity and see what we could learn about each person and share it.  It was really insightful to hear all that everyone had learned. 

Lauren can not miss out on family traditions, so since David is such a good sport, they slept with the other kids on Christmas eve! 

The Cute Schwartz family on Christmas morning!

David and Lauren gave Grace a GIANT bear.  Addison and Grace love to snuggle on that ENORMOUS animal!

BEST part of Christmas!

New Years Eve we had a Just Dance Tournament but I can't remember who the winner was because there was a little bit of controversy and I don't think our bracket was very good,  HAHAHA

I barely made it to the gym because I just wanted to stay home every morning and love these little cuties!

Had to document the many early morning basketball practices both Sav and Derek had during the holiday!

and last but not least DEREK GOT HIS BRACES OFF!  YAH!!  He was so happy he even let me take a picture!