Johnston Ranch

Boot Camp

2010-05-03T10:10:00.000-07:00

I am told I have no excuses. Chris Mikilas runs a killer Boot Camp at the US Sportsplex and I joined 2 weeks ago. Today starts week 3 and I am feeling it! I am over 40 now...

We have 9 children as 2 more joined our home in December. I am still homeschooling 6 of them. I now also have one in public elementary and one in a private middle school. Did I mention I have a toddler???

I am thankful a 1pm class opened up as that is the only time of day I can go! Today I started my eating plan...just healthy eating with accountability.

So, what's your excuse??? Come join me at 1pm. Your first class is free. The rest are priceless...

Isaac's Mickey!

2009-06-23T19:50:00.001-07:00

Our Children...

2009-04-25T18:27:00.000-07:00

Easter Dinner Conversation

2009-04-20T18:13:00.000-07:00

Elisabeth: Excuse me!

Daddy: Why do you need to be excused?

Elisabeth: I burped!

Daddy: Oh! You're excused.

Elisabeth (looking at her daddy like he's lost his mind): No I'm not. I'm not done eating my dinner yet!

Here's Hope!

2009-04-10T18:44:00.000-07:00

We LOVE This! Happy Resurrection Sunday!!

Closed On Sundays

2009-03-29T12:49:00.000-07:00

Sierra Sidewinder

2009-03-11T13:25:00.000-07:00

Annie & Isaac above... Katie & Dad below...

A Week In California

2009-03-07T12:11:00.000-08:00

We've enjoyed this week of vacation here in California. This is the first time we've ventured into California as a family, which is strange since we live in Oregon. We've gone to Utah twice and loved it. Our large caucasian family always fit in pretty well there. Utah's really conservative too. Now we are experiencing the other end of the spectrum!

For instance, San Francisco. :) A week ago we celebrated Katie's 13th birthday in Ghirardelli Square. It was a fantastic day! Click here if you'd like to see more pictures...

On Sunday we travelled down to Anaheim and spent Monday at Disneyland. Here are more pictures...

On Tuesday we explored Disney's California Adventure. Yes... we went on the California Screamer! At least a few of us... Here are the pictures!

On Wednesday we were scheduled to go to Knott's Berry Farm, but it rained and rained and rained that day. Both Knott's and the hotel extended the invitation, so we went to Downtown Disney and spent all the Disney Dollars we had been given.

Isaac found the Lego Store!

This 'rain day' was a huge blessing to us. Katie (and all the rest of us too!) were really tired after two fast paced days at Disney. A few of us were under the weather, so being able to take HUGE naps Wednesday afternoon helped us get ready to enjoy Knott's Berry Farm the next day...

And it was great fun! Thursday was sunny and warm... and all the rides were in operation (many shut down when it rains). Annie wins the prize for being the most fearless rider in our family. She would have gone on any ride, for sure... loving it the whole time. Here are more pictures from our time at Knott's Berry Farm.

Montezuma's Revenge

(Annie wanted to be on the front row!)

Ghirardelli Square/Alcatraz in San Francisco!

2009-02-27T21:21:00.000-08:00

We arrived!

Favorite Part of the Trip... and NOT

2009-02-27T20:58:00.000-08:00

So THIS is my favorite part of the vacation - Road Trip! But not everybody's...

Getting Things Done

2009-02-26T20:48:00.000-08:00

How does a woman get 6 children (and one husband) to Disneyland?

My wife is amazing...

Kids Wish Care Package

2009-02-23T10:26:00.000-08:00

A week before leaving for California the Kids Wish Network sent a care package to Katie and her siblings. My question... how big of a Care Bear does a kid need!?!

It's Katie's trip... but everybody's excited! She's taking us along. :)

Quote of the Day

2008-12-23T19:17:00.000-08:00

Janie takes a taste of her candy cane and says, "This tastes like toothpaste!"

Saying Goodbye

2008-11-30T21:01:00.000-08:00

Our little foster son went to his adoptive family today. He went to live with an aunt and uncle who love him very much and are excited to have him come live with them. We have had him 400 days today. 13 months is a long time in a 4 year old's life. He was very bonded to us and we loved him like our own.

Please pray for his little heart during this transition. He is so little to have to have processed so much in his life already. He knows he is special. He knows God made him and loves him very much. He knows Jesus will never ever leave him!

Please pray for our family. Even though our children know we just got to keep him for a while to keep him safe--they still love him and miss him.

There is so much more I could write, but tonight I am just remembering to breathe and entrusting him to God.

Thanksgiving Dinner Quotes

2008-11-29T20:42:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving dinner quotes:

Isaac: (pointing at cranberry sauce, referring to pilgrims:)

"Why did the tambourines call it stuffing?"

Isaac: (again referring to the pilgrims, groaning a bit:)

"How could they eat so much?"

Janie: (referring to, you can guess!) ;)

"Are you going to get some smashed potatoes, Katie?"

Quick Katie update

2008-07-08T21:44:00.000-07:00

Well, Katie is in the process of weaning off the steroids. The tests showed that only about 1/2 of her 6-mp (immunosuppressant chemo drug) was being absorbed. So we have increased the dose and will test levels again in a couple of weeks. She has 'rounded' out nicely while on the steroids and is full of gumption. In other words, the only time we see her chubby and grumpy is on steroids. It's a little amusing to us all.

We are praying as the steroids are removed from her system that her body will go in remission and not flare up again. She will be finished the first week of August. She is tired of all the blood tests and pokes but she is a trooper and doesn't complain.

We appreciate all the prayers. Katie continues to turn to her Father the Healer and seeks wisdom and strength from Him faithfully. As hard as this is on her, she has had great stretching and growth in her spiritual walk.

Katie's Update

2008-05-31T11:15:00.000-07:00

Well, it's official, Katie is out of the remission that she just barely got into. She started again on Prednisone today to try to get the inflammation down. She will be on it for 2 weeks and then weaning off of it the next 7 weeks (9 weeks total).

Our Dr. in Portland is sending down a test that will check the levels of her 6-MP (an immunosuppressant, chemotherapy drug) in her system. She takes the 6-MP by mouth and it is supposed to help hold her in remission. This test will show if enough is being absorbed or if we need to increase the dose.

We are all flabbergasted by this. I almost named this post 'Stink' as that was my first eloquent spiritual response to the news.

Please be in prayer for her as she has all her concerts and piano recital in the next couple of weeks. She would like to finish well.

Thank you all.

Pray For Katie...

2008-05-27T23:27:00.000-07:00

Well, I was just going to post…”yea, we’ve gone a whole week without someone running a fever!!” But, Sunday night, Katie started running a fever. I am trying to stay calm and prayerful, but it is not good she is running a fever. Please lift her in prayer to our Lord God, her healer and saviour.

Home Sweet Home

2008-05-27T23:18:00.000-07:00

Well, we have been home now almost 5 weeks. I have to stare at pictures of Hawaii to actually believe I ever went! It was truly a fabulous vacation for us. ( or at least for me, Alisa!) Neil was up and running at 5:30am. In my book, that is still the day before as the day truly doesn’t start until after 6:00am…right? I am pretty sure that is Biblical. It was great to have a lot of quiet time, walking time and doing nothing time. I loved the time I had with Neil and hanging out in our honeymoon spot. I never would have believed it would be 16 years and 6+ children later before we would come again! Ok, I am still laughing out loud. I was so rested in Hawaii I could actually watch someone yawn and not yawn myself. Then came the red-eye flight home. No sleep Wed. night and up until midnight Thurs. night…so much for being rested!

We arrived home to a banner from the girls saying “Welcome Home!” and the boy saying “Go back to Hawaii!”. I have left Isaac’s sign on the door. I have told him…”Don’t tempt me.” Well, we arrived home by 9:00am. By 10am I am upstairs searching through the suitcases for the presents and Xman goes running by yelling “I need new pants!”

I, of course, ask, “Why?”

He replies, “ cause they’re wet!”

“How’d they get wet?” I ask, thinking I knew the obvious answer…but no…

He replies, “someone spilled some water at the bottom of the stairs and I slipped in it!”

“Oh” I reply and I go investigate the spill. Well, I was 3 steps from the bottom when I could see (and smell) that the huge puddle now smeared across the floor was NOT water. So I very intelligently ask quite loudly, “WHO PUKED?!!” Ok. Yes, I quickly realized everyone bigger than Xman could have told me they did already so that really only left 2 possible choices…Kelly (the dog) or Elisabeth. So I loudly exclaim, “Did Kelly throw up? Where’s Elisabeth??!!” “Elisabeth!!! Where are you?"

I turn the corner into the living room and looked no further. I asked yet another stupid question, “Elisabeth, honey, did you throw up?” To which she sweetly replied, “No.”

I am now looking at her…dripping in vomit, sitting on the couch. “Oh yes you did, honey.” In the bath she goes . Floor cleaned. Carpet cleaned. Candles lit. Lunch time. She seems fine, wants to eat. That is when I learned she had a bad cough. You know, the kind that makes you gag. Yes, she coughed at the lunch table…splattered everything and everyone near her. More baths. All of this by 12pm noon. Did I mention I had had no sleep yet?

Janie, I discover, is running a fever and feeling horrible. Isaac is crying because the boys are gone. Xman is dropping all the emotion he has stored up for the week on me and I have a towel clipped around Elisabeth to throw on her face when she starts to cough.

Oh, Home Sweet Home.

Zoom Zoom

2008-03-29T12:41:00.000-07:00

As promised, here's our new Mazda wagon ("New-to-us.") So far, so zoom zoom! :)

And here's my 12 passenger 'vroom vroom!'

Annie's 9th Birthday!

2008-03-21T21:20:00.000-07:00

Trading Wagons

2008-03-20T16:17:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we sold the Suburban in a day. Isaac cried himself to sleep that night (and so did Neil!). It was a great truck! The best...

We found a little 2004 Mazda6 Wagon to replace it. Ours is a Sand color, not red. I'm looking for the "zoom-zoom" song now. Enjoy the video! Maybe I'll post a picture later...

Katie's 12th Birthday!

2008-02-28T21:19:00.000-08:00

Mary's 10th Birthday!

2008-02-02T21:09:00.000-08:00

Eagle Crest - snow!

2008-01-29T21:05:00.000-08:00

Isaac's 7th Birthday!

2008-01-11T21:02:00.000-08:00

Wow!

2008-01-09T21:04:00.000-08:00

What an incredible prayer and worship service tonight. I saw so many people there that I have so grown to love over these last 8 years here. 8 years. Where does the time go? I cannot wait to see what God has in store for my Norkenzie Family. He's on the move! Take the plunge! Dive in with us in this time of prayer! Seek God in His Word like you won't have it tomorrow. Hide it in your heart. Fast and see what He says to you. He has ALL the answers. Start right now!

My motto since 1988: "I would rather be sleep deprived than God deprived."

I guess I need to stop saying I need more sleep and start saying I need more God!

Back to 7

2007-12-31T11:22:00.000-08:00

We transitioned the twins to their permanent foster home on Sat. I knew this day would come. There were times we wondered if we should just keep the twins for the duration of how long they would be in 'the system.' Watching them change and thrive here was amazing. It was hard to let them go.

It was hard to leave them there and come back home knowing my job was done. This is what I signed up for. Emergency shelter care. I love them, clean them up, love them, get them stable and move them to their permanent foster home.

I can't keep them all. I can't do 20 children. The state won't let me. What I can do is hope 20 other wonderful families will each sign up and make a difference in a child's life. Together we can save them all!

I still see all the teenagers in the system that I cannot house yet. It will be 10 more years before our children are old enough to do teens. Maybe we can house one sooner...we are open to the idea. No child will go unconsidered.

House is awfully quiet with just 7.

Christmas 2007

2007-12-12T08:28:00.000-08:00

We're raising kids this Christmas! :)

Jumping in...

2007-12-11T20:35:00.001-08:00

We have jumped into the Oregon foster care system. There are 1,000 children in our county in foster care. These children are the future of our county. These are orphans of the living. We do not need to go to Africa or Russia. We have them all around us. Hungry children. Neglected children. Children born on drugs. Dirty children. Children with lice. Children with special needs. Children who need to know God loves them. God wants to love them through us.

Our first foster son came in October. He was an angry, sad little boy. He would cry every night and ask when his mommy is picking him up from this daycare. I told him it is not a daycare...it is a family. I would hold him and rock him every night while he cried for his mommy and sometimes I would cry with him.

Fast forward 6 weeks. He is now a happy little boy who knows there is a God who loves him. He walks around the house singing now and thinks he is one of the most special little boys in the world to have so many people who love him. He loves to pray. He is not perfect. But he is beautiful.

Two weeks ago twin five year old girls arrived. They are busy. They have lice. They were not used to being told what to do. Their little bodies were wired and exhausted from too little sleep and too much junk food. They slept 12 hours their first night here. They have nightly bad dreams. They are afraid. They always want to make sure I am staying here when they are in bed. I hold them and they hang on tight. I try not to worry about the lice and think about how Jesus and Mother Theresa would love on them and then do the same.

I am now a professional nit picker (PNP). I have a homemade concoction of lice killer which is the only thing I found that works. God in his mercy has spared us a lice outbreak. The girls are unwinding and do not have bad dreams now. They are responding to the love and patience.

These are just children. Children. Or are they angels? The least of these? It has been some of the hardest days of our lives. We are exhausted. Right now 6 out of the 9 are sick. Some vomiting. Some with high fevers and headaches. Yesss.....I never ask any more..."Can it get any worse?" Because it can...

God is such a great God. He gives us only what we need when we need it. I did not have what I needed to mother 9 children when I only had 7. I do not know how long these children will be in my care. I do not know how I will get through tomorrow...God only gave me what I needed today.

You do not have right now what you need to care for 1 more child. You will get it when the time comes. Would you be willing to open your heart and home? If not the church...who will raise these treasures? Think about the other options here in Eugene...

Just food for thought during this Advent Season.

Ankle Deep in the Great Salt Lake

2007-09-02T20:11:00.000-07:00

UTAH!

VA-CATION!

2007-08-30T15:53:00.001-07:00

The Johnston Family Vacation has arrived! We've been looking forward to this upcoming week in Utah for 9 months! What's in Utah? We don't know... just a 4 bedroom condo (FOUR!), and we're gonna fill it! Whatever else is in Utah will be bonus...

Picnic with Friends

2007-07-14T21:44:00.000-07:00

Here we are with the three Chinese exchange students we're hosting...

Thanks to Rod from church for the picture!

2007 Dodgers!

2007-07-13T18:57:00.000-07:00

Isaac #17

So Proud!

2007-06-05T12:29:00.000-07:00

Last night Katie was awarded with the highest award at her band award's ceremony: The Character Award. Not that she's a character, but that she displayed great character throughout the school year.

We are so proud of her!

Annie's Second Adoption

2007-05-28T11:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a special day! Our daughter Annie gave her life to Jesus and was baptized at church. She is now an adopted daughter of our Father God. A daughter of the King of Kings! She is a princess. She has an amazing capacity for memorizing God's Word. She has been hiding God's Word in her heart and it is changing her life. We find much joy watching her read her Bible and writing in her Life Journal how God is speaking to her through His Holy Word.

She, who was once an orphan, is now twice adopted. What a neat picture of God's love and grace. We are humbled that God would choose to use us in this little girl's life.

Rejoice! For God is good all the time!

Back Home Again...

2007-05-21T09:10:00.000-07:00

This vacation was a much needed time of rest and play with the children. I love the simple life of vacation and am always thinking about how I can carry some of that simplicity home and implement it.

I love having more free time to play with the children here at home. I love to play Boggle and Five Crowns! My children are destined to be game lovers because I am! I love hanging out and shooting basketballs with my team! Their dad has taught them to play 'Bump' so watch out...anytime they are out...neighborhood competition ensues! We just found out another neighbor boy loves to play and is coming to challenge our gang! We like being a safe place the neighbor kiddos can come to and play.

Now about that simple life...more rest has done wonders. Getting up early every morning regardless of the day of the week. Hmmmm. Ben Franklin once said, "Early to bed early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise." I'm a believer.

He also said, "To lengthen thy life, lessen thy meals." But that is a whole 'nother blog!

It's a cool,wet morning here outside. The children are in the living room building a train track. Little budding engineers thinking logically and working together. And not just train engineers. I see mechanical, civil and electrical engineers all in the making! I love homeschooling! Working together as a team with all different ages IS real life. No where will they work with only people their own age. I have yet to see a business only for 28 year olds...Or a grocery store only for 53 year olds...you get the picture :) .

Loving life in the Johnston home.

Vacation!

2007-05-16T22:17:00.000-07:00

What you won't see in this slideshow are all the bike rides we took! And yes... we did swim in that pool! (Again, click ON the photo and then select "slideshow")

Vacation @ Eagle Crest

Easter Morning 2007!

2007-05-16T21:47:00.000-07:00

Easter Morning!

Here's about half of the pictures we took! (Click ON the photo to see the slideshow...)

He is Risen!

Birthdays! (click for album)

2007-03-25T21:11:00.000-07:00

Birthdays!

Here's the Youngin's!

2007-03-25T20:47:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to our Annie

2007-03-20T16:38:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow our sweet Annie turns 8. She has been with us 8 months yet it is like she has always been ours. She is a hoot. At every turn she is reminding us her birthday is tomorrow. She has been reminding us every day for 3 weeks that it is coming! We have a great day planned for her with lots of fun and even a surprise activity. Our flowers bloomed over the weekend and God has chosen to bless the first day of spring with beautiful colors and fragrance. We will tell Annie it is His birthday gift to her! After all, Isaac got snow...

Do not be afraid to open your heart and home to the orphans. It is God who would love to place the lonely in homes. Would you be willing?

Isaac's Snowy Birthday! (click for album)

2007-01-14T14:34:00.000-08:00

Isaac's Snowy Birthday

Adding Another Child! She's 7!

2006-08-20T14:23:00.000-07:00

We have started the process of adopting a 7 year old girl, Annie. She's from Russia. God brought her across our path and, after some days of prayer, Alisa and I felt God asking us to add her to our family. In just a few weeks she has already flourished, surrounded by sisters and in our home-life structure. In just a few weeks our hearts have fully embraced her as our newest daughter.

If you're wondering, Katie is 10 and Mary is 8. Isaac is 5 and doesn't mind another sister to play with (although he'd REALLY like a brother!). Janie is 3 and Elisabeth is almost 2 (October)... and they'll probably never remember life being any different! I'll post some pictures next...