Baby Girl!

Jenna Joy Johnson came into this world at 7:55 P.M on Wednesday, December 28, 2011. She was a bit of a surprise because many of us were expecting her to be a little boy, but we sure were happy that it was a little girl. Jenna weighed 10# 2 oz. and measured 21 3/4 ".

At first we thought she was going to be a little redhead, but her hair is an ashen blonde.
Jenna was welcomed by Mom, Dad, Dane and Brett. The boys were pretty excited to have a little sister.
Mom getting some cuddling time
Jenna looks pretty small in the arms of her dad.
Brett getting to hold his little sister for the first time. Pretty proud moment for him
Dane gets his chance to introduce himself to his little sister. He was really excited to get a little sister
Grandma Cathy gets her turn
Grandma Patti with little Jenna
I have a feeling these two boys will be spending many hours entertaining their little sister

Jenna is three days old in this picture. She loves to be held and she loves to eat!
Reagan really liked holding Jenna. It was hard to have to say good-bye. She would have liked taking her home.
Drew is no longer the "baby of the family!" He thought Jenna was pretty special also.
I tried to get all the grandchildren to pose for a picture - this is as good as it gets! Dane was a little more concerned about getting the chain back on his medal that he won at a wrestling tournament the night before. He did very well - took second place and wrestled boys a year older than him. Congratulations, Dane!

Retirement Party

Retirement is a bitter/sweet time in one's life. There is so much I want to do, but I really do love teaching and I will miss everyone next year. I also wanted to leave on a very quiet note, but the elementary staff chose for me to do otherwise. Linda Heide opened her home to a very fun get-together. It was so relaxing and fun. Thank you to all that provided snacks, and to everyone that came, and the beautiful gifts.
Marcia helped me pick out my own gift although I really don't recall doing so. She said that I had seen this picture and commented on how much I liked it. The words are the most beautiful part of the picture.

Our greatest contribution is to be sure there is a teacher in every classroom who cares that every student, everyday, learns and grows and feels like a real human being.

This is so true. Everyday that I look at this picture it will be a reminder of the wonderful people I worked with and the great group of kids that I taught at Rockwell City/Lytton.
I had been nominated by our local RCLEA for this award, and I was notified that I was selected from the Unit 10 nominees. I felt honored.
Another award I received from Unit 10, and it was for service. I was on the Unit 10 executive board for the past couple years.
The following are some pictures of the "fiesta." I was opening some gifts in this picture.
Mishelle used my camera to take some pictures and she set the timer, which I did not know I had on my camera. Good times! Colleen, Candace, Kris, Deb, Bethany, Kerri, Deb, Mishelle, Linda and me.
Linda, Deb, Rachel, Candace, Jayne and Barb
Another group enjoying lunch. Angie, Nicole, Dorothy, Sharon, Bethany, Emily, andy, Christine, and Kari

Jeanne Wilson also came, and she was sharing the story of the streaker, that ran across the playground, swung around on the jungle gym and then ran back to his apartment. He did have his boots on! She had lots of stories to share. What fun times!

First Communion for Reagan

On May 15, 2011 Reagan made her first communion at St. Edward's Catholic Church in Waterloo, Iowa. The children led a major part of the service, and it was very touching. The little girls were dressed in white with veils, and the little boys dressed up in suits.
Reagan posed for a few pictures after she got back home.
Grandma Yvonne and Aunt Lil came from Winnipeg, Canada to help Reagan celebrate. It also looks like Brett has some special words for Drew!
Clothes were soon changed, and its time to eat. Rachel fixed a delicious dinner of ham balls, cheesy potoates, salads, and cake. No one should have left hungry! Reagan chose the foods for the dinner menu.
The day was beautiful and the kids played outside most of the time. They were all pretty interested in watching Reagan open her gifts. She got a nice variety of things.
The four cousins posing for a picture. What a great day. Everyone was able to make it to Waterloo.

Quint County

Quint County Reading Organization is made up of teachers from northwest Iowa. Each year they sponsor a writing contest which is open to grades K-12. Students can enter stories or poems that they have written. They are then judged and scored. There are county winners at each grade level.
Dane won first place with the story that he wrote and he was invited to Storm Lake to share his story with other Quint County winners, their parents, and teachers.
Pomeroy was well represented in all categories. this picture shows the winners from Pomeroy. Good job, Dane!

40th - Anniversaries

Niece and nephews are helping to remind Cari that she has a birthday - and it is a BIG ONE! It makes her mother feel a little older as well. However, kids love a birthday, and they are anxious to share the ice cream cake.
Another 40th is Terry and Pat's wedding anniversary. Cari was eight days old when they got married. Today we celebrated that marriage with an open house in Nora Springs. Everyone had a great time and it was fun to see old friends.
Mom was able to come for awhile, and she and Betty (Dianne's mother) are greeting the "bride and groom." I don't think Terry and Pat got out of the receiving line until nearly 8:30 - good crowd.
Cheers to WHATEVER! Mom thought she was drinking water! What a surprise.
Drew, Brett and the Charleston kids gathering for a picture with Mom. It had been quite awhile since all had been together with her.
Looks like she is having a good time. She still has her sense of humor.
As we get older it is more difficult to get the cousins altogether for a picture - a good looking bunch!

Happy New Year 2011

New Year's Day the Johnson's and I traveled to Nora Springs. There we met Terry and Pat, Jay, Dianne, and Bailey. We helped Mom celebrate her 87th birthday. We ended our day at Godfather's Pizza.
Brett is pretty interested in sprinkling some cheese on his pizza.
Mom and her three kids She had a good day.
Jay, Dianne, Bailey and me as we were getting ready to leave
The Johnson's and Mom
Dane helped Mom play bingo. We all played - and everyone won at least once. Dane really got the giggles at one point during the day. He was laughing so hard that tears were rolling down his cheeks. One of the residents said something that tickled him.
We were in the recreation room and had the place all to ourselves. We are waiting for Stacy to dish up the cheesecake. I had also brought a big plate of cookies so we had plenty of food.
The other side of the table
Terry gave some instructions to boys on how to play pool. Dane did a pretty good job for his first time at the pool table.