The "Punkin" Patch

Watching Over Us

2008-09-30T21:07:00.003-04:00

Wow!!! Two rainbow sitings in FOUR days time!! Tonight Garrett discovered another rainbow after a thunderstorm and rain! This time there was a DOUBLE rainbow....you can just faintly see the second one! I think God is telling us it's going to be OK, somehow, some way!

Rainbows, "God's" Promise

2008-09-28T18:45:00.005-04:00

Friday night after we had torrential rains and high winds the day before.... oh and by the way a very rough week in general. Garrett saw the rainbow. He was so excited. He kept yelling "A Rainbow, A Rainbow!!" So we all ran outside to see the beautiful colors over our house! I told the boys the story about Noah's Ark and God's Promise to us. They enjoyed it and even talked about it. I also took it as a personal message for Him saying things will be OK.

The boys, me and furbabies

2008-09-21T13:35:00.010-04:00

Life has definitely been different with Jeff gone but we push through every day. Garrett has been having some major issues but we are hoping to work through those. They are both doing very well academically so far. Garrett's is more behavioral.

Here is a picture of my boys. Justin is now 9 and Garrett will be 8 in a little less than 2 weeks. You can see how much Justin doesn't want to be there, but Garrett is very much the loving one. He even said after the picture "he doesn't like me Mom."

Here is me, Halo, and Mr. Manners. They really are a lot of company with Jeffrey gone. The kids too. In fact I hated when school was starting because I didn't want a silent house.

Here is Justin and Mr. Manners. I love this photo. They love each other.

This was right before school started. Justin and are are on the back deck.

This is from Justin's birthday party in August. Mine are the two on the left. I had a cake and ice cream party at the house and then took all the boys to see "Star Wars, The Clone Wars." It was a great day.

The Apple Seedling

2008-09-21T13:31:00.008-04:00

Look how this little tree has grown! We've gone through about three or four pots now and I guess when it gets cold I'll bring it in so it doesn't die! It still amazes me that Garrett took a seed from an apple and it grew!

Now:

Before:

and I tried to get this as best I could, see the teeny, tiny spider's web on it....

A Last Day to Share With Daddy

2008-08-02T15:13:00.011-04:00

The last weekend before Jeff deployed we too them to the beach. It was a 'perfect' day. The temperature was just right, about 85F and the humidy was not high!!

Here is Jeffrey and his boys (Garrett and Justin):

Here is a picture of the sand dunes. I love the dunes!

Here is Jeff and I hang'in out! Justin did so well taking the photo!

And here are the boys playing in the surf and sand. It those moments caught unnoticed by them:

Here is Garbear....The quality of this photo is amazing! I cannot believe how big he is!

And Justin playing in the surf! He loves it! Couldn't get enough. But unfortunately the surf was really rough this day and he could only go in so far.

Iraq

2008-07-18T20:13:00.009-04:00

As most of you know, Jeff is deploying to Iraq again on 30 Jul 08. We are not happy about it but unfortunately when you're in the Army you have to 'Roll with the Punches' so to speak! This time (at this point) he's only going for six months this time. He's been home for only one year and now it's off to the War Zone again. So we ask for as many Prayers as we can that the Lord keeps him safe till he is home with us again.

Here is Jeff enjoying one his last drinks (alcohol that is) before heading over to the box:
Our faithful 'Blue Star' till he is home safely again:
And the prep for Iraq, all his gear...ruck sack, gas mask, helmet, etc.

Garrett's Green Thumb and Then Some......

2008-07-18T19:54:00.014-04:00

Well I have a wonderful friend and lady in Australia.....And she's been waiting for an update on Gar's Apple Seedling....and here it is still growing like an champ and two pots later (growing bigger of course)!!!

And let me continue on with Garbear's Green Thumb. He was giving a tree seedling on "Earth Day" at his school and so we planted it in the ground. Then transferred it to a pot and thought it died! It's thriving and has green leaves!!!

So here I'm braggin on Garbear's stuff, but Justin just isn't into any of this...And yes here is Garrett's Pumpkins growing (slowly and so so this year) from the seeds he planted! Hopefully we'll get a few out of the deal!
And now for my Garden (which Jeff made the box for (and p.s. Garrett took a Lima Bean and planted it and it's growing!!) and did a wonderful job on). And some flowers too.

And my Wave Petunias:

And the Shed. I help some, but Jeff did 95% of the work on this baby. He did such a wonderful job. I will show you the Before and the After:

Before:

And the BEAUTIFUL AFTER:

War Gear

2008-07-18T19:48:00.005-04:00

OK, so here is Garrett in Dad's M40 Protective Mask. Now let me tell you what, this mask brought back a FLOOD of memories for me. I was an engineering tech that worked with this mask and the M42. And wow, I looked at it reminded me of the days of testing, packaging, getting into a chamber with that baby on, etc., etc.!!

But Garbear things he's cool in Dad's mask to protective from any gas/agent attacks in Iraq!

And then there he is again is some of the ACU Camo stuff....

Here is Justin, who for some reason didn't want to play dressup????

Johnson Land!

2008-07-18T19:42:00.004-04:00

Hello from Johnson Land! Reading some of my other friend's blogs and message from one has made me think how I've been neglectful! So lets play catchup!

Here are me and the boys in Georgia...a visit before Jeff's deployment and enjoying friends....who'd I'd love to post but won't because I don't know how'd they feel about it.

It was a great time and it made things seem like the 'good old days'!

Misc Photos of our backyard

2008-05-17T19:53:00.006-04:00

Here is the whole view!

My Lantanas:

Roses:

Garbear's Pumpkin Plants!!

Our Star Jasmine Vine - beautiful and smells wonderful!

The Strawberry Patch

2008-05-17T19:42:00.005-04:00

We went picking strawberries today!!! How fun it was! Justin didn't want to go but he had fun after all! We picked almost 14 lbs of strawberries (OMG)!!! But I froze three huge bags!!! So Fresh Strawberries for Oatmeal and Margaritas and daiquiri's!!

Here is Justin in the Strawberry field!!

And here is Garrett....who by the way met a friend from the Asperger's Group!!! And he then came over to our house!!! It was wonderful!!! And they played together so well!!! It made my heart happy!!!

And lets not forget Mommy and Daddy (Gena and Jeffrey)! Here we are on a beautiful day! It was beautiful! It was 75F and a beautiful blue sky and a breeze!!! It was a Happy Day for the Johnson Family!!! Yeah!!!!!

P.S. Just and update on Garbear. He has not been playing with his bully friend. Unfortunately, we spoke to the parents after our unfortunate incident with him wanting to harm himself for over three weeks and going to the principal to see if anything else was going on in school. Then telling her about the beating incident and she wanting to know if it involved any of her students. Us telling her who and her taking action (KUDOS TO HER)!! Then making that child and others apologize, etc. Then calling the Mom...who by the way HATES us now. We even called her to let her and her husband know Garrett and I spent 8 hours in the hospital ER and possible Admittance into a psych ward because he has post traumatic stress and depression because of this incident, oh and by the way 9 months of abuse from her son (we didn't mention but talked to them about repeatedly). But they still won't speak to us. But Gar is going into immediate counselling and by the way that is almost two weeks later....because that is the soonest they could get us in with a "Fast Response" Team! Most it is 7 months or longer or not at all! But, again not playing with this friend his mental state seems to be 100 times better!!! Wish us luck!

My Puppies!!

2008-05-17T19:37:00.005-04:00

Well I can never go without posting pics of my Labs!! Beautiufl Labs! I will not have two again, but I believe I will always have one with maybe a smaller breed!! But I love these boys just like my human boys!!

Mr. Manners the Yellow Boy!

Halo, my Choco Moose!!

My Husband

2008-05-17T19:32:00.004-04:00

What a beautiful Man!! He works so hard at work then works so hard at home (to make me happy)!!! This is my little Garden he made just for me. I was willing to put it in the ground but he built this lovely Garden box that now has Squash, Silver Queen Sweet Corn, Jalapeno Peppers, Cayenne Peppers, Sweet Peppers, Tomatoes and Cherry Tomatoes!!!

The beginning:

The Final Product!!

Update on Gar's Apple Seeding

2008-05-03T20:40:00.008-04:00

Here it is in all it's glory! It's just growing and thriving!!! Well have ourselves a little Apple Tree before we know it!!

And on that note here is my reader! Justin! He loves to read, read and read. Right now he's reading the second book of "A Wimpy Kid's Diary!" And because of this he asked me today if he could have his own Diary.

And then there is Gar and his "new" friend! Yeah!!!! It's a little girl name Julia who came from Hawaii. They are military also. She ended up in his first grade class too! The get along beautiful. And as you all know that means the world to ME and to Garbear too!!

And here is Garrett painting a 'Volcano' with paints and clay!

Adding some Touches to the Backyard!

2008-04-27T21:08:00.006-04:00

My husband.....he's a hard worker. Yes he is. I just wanted to add some plants and mulch around our deck and he decided to add some stone too. This is more involved than we've realized! You have to dig down 8", then lay sand, pack it all down to maintain the level ground, lay the stone, then he has to mortar the top pieces on also. For such a small section it turned into a lot of money and a lot of hard earned sweat!!! I've taken a few photos, but it's still not complete. Oh OK, I did paint two sides of the shed while he was doing this by the way (gotta get my kudos also!!!)!!!! P.S. It was a beautiful Saturday!! It was 84 F and a lovely breeze....I got a slight burn but wow! Sunday..the Day for mulch and mortar was overcast and cool 69 F. Go figure???

Jeff in the beginning....

He's Planted the Nadinas!!

The mulch has been added now we need to add the rest of the mortar...and get a nice hose holder!!!! This is a rose bush (pink roses) and a jasmine vine...lovely actually with yellow blooms in the spring and fall. On the other side where you see the lattice panel we planted a star jasmine that blooms white in the spring only...but I'm still waiting on those blooms!!!

Helping Daddy Dig

2008-04-13T15:13:00.004-04:00

Today is much cooler than yesterday. We reach 82F yesterday and today it's only 63-65F. Not that it's bad, but cooler. But a good day to plant a big tree we purchased. And Jeff had to dig a couple more inches out of his hole and the little worker monsters decided they wanted to help!!

Here is Garrett!

Here is Justin!

And here are all the Guys!!

Garrett - Asperger's and ADHD

2008-04-13T14:58:00.006-04:00

"Individuals with AS can exhibit a variety of characteristics and the disorder can range from mild to severe. Persons with AS show marked deficiencies in social skills, have difficulties with transitions or changes and prefer sameness. They often have obsessive routines and may be preoccupied with a particular subject of interest. They have a great deal of difficulty reading nonverbal cues (body language) and very often the individual with AS has difficulty determining proper body space. Often overly sensitive to sounds, tastes, smells, and sights, the person with AS may prefer soft clothing, certain foods, and be bothered by sounds or lights no one else seems to hear or see. It's important to remember that the person with AS perceives the world very differently. Therefore, many behaviors that seem odd or unusual are due to those neurological differences and not the result of intentional rudeness or bad behavior, and most certainly not the result of "improper parenting.

By definition, those with AS have a normal IQ and many individuals (although not all), exhibit exceptional skill or talent in a specific area. Because of their high degree of functionality and their naiveté, those with AS are often viewed as eccentric or odd and can easily become victims of teasing and bullying. While language development seems, on the surface, normal, individuals with AS often have deficits in pragmatics and prosody. Vocabularies may be extraordinarily rich and some children sound like "little professors." However, persons with AS can be extremely literal and have difficulty using language in a social context".

We have know for a long time that Garrett marched to his own little drum. But when he started preschool in Florida at 4 they had us take him to 'child-find' to have him evaluated. It showed up that something wasn't right. He ended up that he was delayed cognitively. We ended up taking him to see some Dr's and there it was determined that he more than likely had Asperger's on top of ADD or ADHD. He met many of the signs, but being 4 he was still a bit young for them to determine things yet.

We then moved to Pennsylvania and they do not have the services for special needs children like they did in Florida but we did get him into a four day (half days) program, but it was geared more toward severe autistic children. But Garrett thrived in this environment. But they determined his special needs percentage had dropped so therefore he no longer qualified.

Then his Dad got deployed to Iraq and he started kindergarten. By the luck of the stars and God we had a wonderful and caring teacher, Mrs. Hagg! She knew what was going on but wanted to watch him. And she did and worked with him for six months but then told me it was time for more evaluations, etc. And that is what we did. It was then determined that he definitely had ADHD on top of having the PDD (pervasive developmental disorder). At this point he was put on medicine, which made a HUGE difference.

Garrett meets many of the 'classic' signs for AS. He is a 'little professor', he is quirky, he does tend to not understand that others need space, and socially he can be inept. But on the other hand he is sweet and loving and very giving. But the tradgedy is this difference brings heartache for him (and mommy). Kids are mean to him. And now with age, I've watched adults do it also. And this is adults who I've explained what is going on. And also the children who treat him bad, I've explained to their parents also.

So now, in a nutshell maybe you can understand what we are trying to deal with. I did join an AS support group this weekend. My first meet will be on 26 April and then we will have a Family night on 2 May. I'm excited because Garrett will meet people like him and Justin will meet kids who have siblings like he has.

I read this:

"Asperger's Syndrome is nothing to be ashamed of. It is not a death sentence, nor a character defect. The fact is that AS is a NEUROBIOLOGICAL DIFFERENCE".

And what I'm discovering, as Garrett's advocate, is that I MUST help other people understand this and educate them on this and hope that they can educate their children on this so maybe we can make it easier for us to live where we are.

BULLYING

2008-04-12T17:23:00.006-04:00

BULLYING HURTS AND KEEPS ON HURTING

Bullying is an act of repeated aggressive behavior in order to intentionally hurt another person, physically or mentally. Bullying is characterized by an individual behaving in a certain way to gain power over another person (Besag, 1989). Behaviors may include name calling, verbal or written abuse, exclusion from activities, exclusion from social situations, physical abuse, or coercion (Carey, 2003; Whitted & Dupper, 2005). Bullies may behave this way to be perceived as popular or tough or to get attention. They may bully out of jealousy or be acting out because they themselves are bullied (Crothers & Levinson, 2004).

The effects of bullying can be serious and even fatal. Mona O’Moore Ph. D of the Anti-Bullying Centre, Trinity College Dublin, said, "There is a growing body of research which indicates that individuals, whether child or adult who are persistently subjected to abusive behavior are at risk of stress related illness which can sometimes lead to suicide".[6]

Victims of bullying can suffer from long term emotional and behavioral problems. Bullying can cause loneliness, depression, anxiety, lead to low self-esteem and increased susceptibility to illness.[7]

We had rough evening yesterday. Again our neighorhood has proved to be not so great. Garrett, my youngest was 'attacked' by some boys in the neighborhood that he was 'playing' with. And the worst thing is he was only there for 15 minutes! I cannot understand what is happening in this world and why things are the way the are anymore. He was punched, called a crybaby and had a chair thrown at him, which left this lovely bruise on his leg...that showed up instantly.

I immediately went down to the house he was playing and they were all on the trampoline. I had this boy who put the bruise on him get off, get his bike and go home with me. I also found out that the Mom of the house he was at wasn't home (which I didn't know) and her 13 yr old was watching her kids...AND this 13 yr old told the younger kids to 'dogpile' Garrett. I am mortified by this behavior.

I see this stuff happening in the news, but I will tell you I'm seeing it in my own backyard. When I finally got to talk to the Mom who wasn't home, she marched all of hers down, 13 yr old included. This child had such a horrid attitude! And his excuse, "we were just playing." I told him that something was seriously wrong when a 7th grader does this to a 1st grader.

And Garrett, when both of the children came to apologize (and the one has done things more than once) he has 'forgotten' because he wants to be friends so bad. His innocence and his ease of forgiveness is amazing.

My heart bleeds for my child. But I'm taking new steps because we will not be moving anytime soon because of the economy. And I will be posting more on Garrett.

But I will tell you. I pray to God. But last night I was on my knees. I was praying on my knees for my children, for my baby great-nephew and my Dad.

The Apple Tree Flourishes!

2008-04-12T17:19:00.003-04:00

Garrett's little Apple Tree is growing, growing and growing!! Life is flourishes in this little plant that came from a seed! We are excited to see how it continues. As it gets bigger we will buy a pot and continue to let it grow!

Johnny Apple Seed

2008-04-03T15:53:00.006-04:00

A few weeks ago, or more (I'm getting senile), Garrett came home with a couple apple seeds. He insisted we had to plant them and we were going to grow an apple tree. So I promised him we would. I got a plastic cup and punched some holes in the bottom. Then we filled it with some top soil and put the seeds down in the soil. Then Garrett watered it and we placed it on the deck in the back where it would get water and plenty of sunshine. Well, LOW AND BEHOLD, I go back there yesterday and what do I discover a plant growing, yes a little apple tree!

And look at my proud little Johnny Apple Seed who never doubted for a minute something would grow!! The innocence and trust of a child is a beautiful thing and maybe, just maybe we adults need to take que from them also!

Mid Life Crisis....Hmmmm...Whadda Ya Think??

2008-03-27T21:00:00.006-04:00

The pictures say it all (well not that this is probably his 2nd one...he had his first when he married me hahahaha).....

My Fur Boys!

2008-03-27T20:53:00.006-04:00

Mr. Manners catching his 'beloved' frisbee! He's our energizer bunny and never stops but he's the most loveable dog you'd ever want to have in your home!!!! Wow - how lucky we got when we rescued him two and half years ago!!

Here is Mr Halo! Or Bubbie as I call him a lot of the time. He's my choco boy we got at 8 weeks. But he's so temperamental. But he loves me to death. He's stubborn as they come too!

A Day in Jamestown - Williamsburg, VA

2008-03-27T20:05:00.009-04:00

Today we went to Jamestown. Where Settlers from England came across the seas and settled in the area on the East Coast of the United States. It was a Beautiful, sunny day with blue skies. The temperature reached about 75 F today!

Here are the boys standing in front of a bear skin (blonde haired boy is a friend):

Momma (me) making 'corn meal'!

Cool Artifacts (tools, turtle shells, baskets in storage)

They need to start scrapping that animal skin!!

This our family shot near the town well:

Spring Has Sprung....

2008-03-24T20:30:00.008-04:00

Here are my Pansies....mind you I planted these in the fall and they are coming back with a fury!

And here are some mixed colors

Look at the lovely blossoms on the trees!

And here the blossoms turn to leaves!

Spring is such a new beginning! Ah! The smells, the sounds, not to forget the feel of the sun beginning to warm our skin! It's like being reborn again after being hidden for so long inside of our homes and ourselves!

Easter Sunday

2008-03-23T21:07:00.005-04:00

This is the first day of my 'blogging' life! Easter Sunday. It's kind of fitting. A new beginning! Easter was nice. We are holding onto the last of our "Easter Bunny" believe with our children and the excitement that comes with it. But also teaching the true meaning of Easter too. Garrett, our youngest was up at 0639 this morning. I could hear his feet pounding on the floors. Boom, boom, boom over and over. He didn't come in. But then at 0650 he did saying he'd found his basket! That profound excitement and light in his little voice. I made Jeff get up, saying get up, get up, enjoy this moment while you can! Then his brother got up, Justin who is 8. They had a lot of fun and yes they were 'spoiled' by that 6 foot bunny! Then we went to church at 10:30 and what a beautiful sermon. Then off to Lowe's (the home and garden center). I bought some flowers to plant and Jeff bought some lights for our entertainment center and his motorcycle (haha). Then off to brunch we went! It was a great thing. But then I felt so guilty for two reason. First it was just a food gluttony fest...and then I kept thinking of all the waste and people who weren't getting anything...Crazy but true.

But all in all we had a beautiful day and were blessed. We didn't get to spend it with family being that we are military and are far away from either side. But we did have each other and This year Jeff was not in Iraq this year (YEAH) like last!!

Here are some photos of me and the boys dying eggs!!

HAPPY EASTER everyone!