Friday, December 23, 2011

Merry Christmas!

Once I leave the office today I'll be lucky to have more than 60 seconds of "alone" time, so I thought I better spread some Christmas love before it was too late.  LOL 

So to all of our friends and family that we won't get to see in person this year:

Merry Christmas from the Johnsons!



Each of you are in our thoughts and prayers and we hope you have a blessed day!

Monday, December 19, 2011

A little bit of this . . .

Babies, babies, and more babies.
I have a sweet friend who is expecting a baby boy in May and my sister-in-law is expecting a baby girl the same month.  So excited to start buying baby gifts after Christmas.  Emma is super excited to have another girl in the family; so far she has been completely outnumbered by the boys- 3 to 1.

Back to school I go.
I finally bit the bullet.  I'm starting graduate school in the Spring.  Lord, please help me.  I still have no idea how I'm going to find the time to do this.  Geez, I can barely find the time between work and the kids now to make sure that my house is clean.  I suppose everyone who comes to visit me will just have to step over the toys and look the other way if dust is visible. :)

The zoo is shrinking.
We're down 5 dogs.  Woo hoo!  No, they didn't die.  I'm not so cold hearted that I would say woo hoo about that.  They were sold to a friend who still trial hunts and needed some good dogs.  All I can say is buh-bye.  See you around suckers!

Fowl news.
Hubs brought home two ducks.  I guess he thought the loss of 5 dogs meant we needed to replace them with something.  Ugh.  And wouldn't you know, Emma and Seeley love those stupid ducks.  Rosetta and Donald.  Unfortunately Donald didn't make it.  Can you tell how heartbroken I am?  Rosetta is apparently made of sterner stuff and is currently residing in a storage container on my dining room table.  Double ugh.  Hubs says this is just temporary until he can get Rosetta a warm outdoor habitat.  I pray that happens soon.  Ducks stink.  Literally.  And I catch her head picking out of the storage container eyeballing me as I walk around the house.  Creepy.

Ornament theif, thy name is Pancho.
Hubs' dog eats Christmas ornaments.  His favorite are the glitter balls from Emma's tree.  Don't let the sweet face fool you- stone cold thief with an iron stomache.


New favorite game.
Keep away from the rats.

New favorite question.
Can I open my presents YET?!


Thursday, December 15, 2011

Letters to Emma

Dear Emma,
You've had several big months little girl! I can't believe that you turned 4 last month; I keep asking myself where the time has gone.  This year you had very specific ideas about your birthday- what kind of party you wanted (Jake and the Neverland Pirates), what friends you wanted to invite, and especially on what presents you wanted.  Rollerskates were requested, but not received, and you have reminded me of that fact DAILY. 

My sweet girl, you need to face the fact that you are clumsy like Mommy. 
Skates + a clumsy 4 year old = disaster. 
I'm just sayin.

You and your sweet friend Ramsey at your birthday party.


Playing with Allie.


Convincing Seeley to come and play with the big kids.

You're 4!!!

Mommy and Daddy got you a trampoline for your birthday so that you could practice your gymnastics more often.  You LOVE gymnastics, but still get a little scared about falling and getting hurt.  Since you got the trampoline you've been practicing really hard on your cartwheels and are doing such a good job!  Mrs. Bethany says you've improved a lot.  You actually received your trampoline a few days early because we couldn't hide the fact that Daddy and Uncle Brian were putting it together in the back yard.  You have a stellar eagle eye.


We've also spent a lot of time talking about things that big girls do by themselves when they turn 4.  Like wipe their own bottom.  You proudly told Uncle Brian that when you turn 4 you'll "wipe my own butt."  He almost fell off the trampoline he was laughing so hard.  You've also started going to bed by yourself for the most part.  Sometimes you still like Mommy or Daddy to lay down with you though.  Daddy is usually the one who caves into this demand the most.  You've also gotten really good at saying your prayers all by yourself.

You've also decided that Christmas lights are the best thing ever.  Not that they weren't awesome before, but now they're apparently really awesome.  You flat wore us out running all over Garvan Woodland Gardens.  And Seeley was right there with you, trying to keep up.

Christmas lights at Garvan Woodland Gardens.
 I love watching you with Seeley.  You are the BEST big sister ever.  You are so patient with him, sharing your snacks and toys.  You're so good to involve him in the games you're playing.  Although Daddy does tend to worry when he sees you and Seeley having tea parties and pushing baby strollers so much.  Some manly nonsense about boys and baby dolls. :)

Seeley just adores you.  At bedtime he rushes to your room and climbs on your bed so that he can hug you and tell you "night night".

Life isn't always perfect though.  I've lost count of the times when I hear you scream "Mama! Seeley just hit me!"  Usually this happens when you both want the same toy and he tries to beat you into submission, or when you're doing your own thing and he wants your attention.

We also discovered that you are well on your way to being a genius. Or at least I think so anyway.  Mommy has been practicing writing your name with you, 5 minutes here and there as time allowed.  Imagine my surprise when you just started writing it all by yourself.  Really well.  I assumed that Mrs. Melba or Mrs. Michelle had been working with you too at school, but no.  They said they just saw you doing it one day and were so excited that they started clapping, jumping up and down, and yelling for you right in the middle of class.  You are the only one in your class who can write your name.  How awesome are you?! 

Mommy is so very proud of you, every day, all day.  Even when you're being a stinky butt.


Love,
Mommy

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Christmas Traditions

A few of our family Christmas traditions:


 The Christmas lights at Garvan Woodland Gardens.

 The Santa Train.

Riding on the Santa Train.  Because who wouldn't want to ride on a train, right?!

Seeing Santa on the Santa Train.  This Santa is a friend of mine and has been the ONLY Santa that Em has ever seen.

And our newest tradition- the Elf on the Shelf. 

We just started this, and boy has it been fantastic!  If Em even steps the smallest little toe out of line we tell her that "George" will report to Santa that she's being naughty, and BAM, she gets right back in line.  I so wish that George could hang out with us all year long!

Now I'm just crossing my fingers that I can get in one more tradition this year-Christmas cards.  I'm sad to say that I still haven't taken any photos for our cards yet. Oops.  Hoping to get that done this weekend and then a rush order on cards. 

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Christmas Crafts

Just a few of the ways I stayed busy (and kept the kids occupied) over our 4 day holiday weekend!

Christmas art for the wall.  A wreath made of Emma and Seeley's handprints.  (Immediately followed by a bath for all 3 of us.)

Sign for the front porch.

Emma and Seeley's Christmas tree ornaments.  They were already covered in green from the wreath painting, so why not?!  The original plan was to give them to family but Emma refuses.  She's stingy that way.

Christmas card holder.  Wrap ribbon around a straw wreath, add a bow, and pin Christmas cards around the edges.  Cute and functional!

New wreath for the front door.

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Black Friday Virgin . . . .

No More!

That's right, I finally found something that I HAD to have.  AND, since Walmart was so accommodating by opening up on Thanksgiving night I decided to give it a try.

First, let me say it was pure chaos.  I arrived at 9pm to score my ticket for the tv I was after and there were already no more shopping carts in the entire store.  I took this as a sign that apparently I should have arrived 4 hours before the Midnight sale.  Geez. I noticed several seasoned Black Friday shoppers giving me the pity look.

I also discovered that once you get a ticket for the tv you have to get in line; you can't leave.  Period.  Once again, the seasoned BF'ers had a sidekick so that one person could wait in line for the tv and the other could run out and score the goodies that went on sale at 10pm.  More pity looks pointed my way.

Jeremy absolutely refused to go anywhere near a Black Friday sale.  I believe his exact words when I asked if he wanted to go with me were "!@*# no, are you @!#?$ crazy?"  Yeah, hence the shopping solo and my predicament.  Since there were a few items I wanted that went on sale at 10pm (mainly toys for Emma) I improvised; I made a friend in line. Who coincidentally had a shopping cart, was solo, and a novice as well.  Score!  She and I traded out, one of us would shop while the other guarded our cart and held our spots in line.  Worked like a dream.

When you stand in line with someone for 3 hours you get to become fast friends.  My new Black Friday BFF was super sweet, and as it turned out I knew her husband and we had several mutual friends. Small world. 

I finally get home at 1am, with my brand new tv and other assorted goods.  The hubs, who if you'll recall called me crazy, met me at the door to take the tv and start hooking it up.  No thanks given for braving the BF crowd.  Just a grab for the tv.  Sheesh. 

Total savings tally: approximately $375 between the tv and other presents.  Whose the crazy one now?!

So would I brave Black Friday again?  You bet!  With the right incentive of course. :)

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Seeley- 17 months

Seeley will be 17 months old on the 25th. What?! Since I'm trying to keep my promise of doing more monthly updates in the hopes of giving my kiddos a blurb book one day I've decided to do See's a little early. Because honestly, his 17 month birthday falls on the day after Thanksgiving, which is also the Razorbacks versus LSU football game. I highly doubt it will get done that day. :) {And how sad is that right?!}

I also discovered a way to cheat on these monthly updates; all thanks to Mrs. Eyecansee. So, in this month of giving thanks I'm thanking the Lord for this beautiful idea that will assuage my mom guilt and still only take about 15 minutes of my time each month!


Saturday, November 19, 2011

A Pirate's Life For Me-Emma is 4!

My big girl is 4! How did this happen?? I swear it was only yesterday that she came home from the hospital. And what is even more unbelievable is the fact that if she were only a few months older she would be starting Kindergarten next year! Yikes! I don't think I'm ready for that yet. Maybe not ever.


We bought her a trampoline for her birthday and since it's not exactly portable she received this on her actual birthday. Technically the weekend before because she caught Daddy and Uncle Brian putting it together in the backyard. Oops!



Our 4 year old!! I took this the morning of her birthday. She had a party at preschool with all of her friends.

Her favorite new cartoon is Jake and the Neverland Pirates on Disney Channel. So of course we had a pirate party!


The Birthday Girl wearing her pirate tutu. Because what pirate doesn't wear a tutu, right?!

Pirate loot for her friends!








Birthday banner and pirate ship table. Quick tip- go to a local sign shop and have a vinyl banner made for parties. They can print some of the info-such as the color, wording, etc. and then some of the design can be made of vinyl which can be replaced each year. This sign was $40 and the birthday year and photo can be changed out and the sign reused. Worth it in the long run if you don't mind having the same color sign for several years.










Seeley was all about some cupcakes!





Happy Birthday sweet girl!

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

You say its your birthday . . .

Happy Birthday to the sweetest and funniest little girl I know! My sweet pea Emma Lou Who!


Mommy loves you!!


Monday, November 7, 2011

This and That

Blurb Book: So my friend Jennifer was the final straw that broke this camel's back. I have avoided doing monthly posts or letters to my kiddos because, let's face it, I'm not a very consistent blogger. The main reason I started this blog was so that our friends and family could keep up to date on what was going on with us. We have a lot of friends and family that just live too far away for us to see them regularly.



But then I saw this. Now, I've got to do it. This would be such an awesome keepsake for Emma and Seeley. Granted, I'll be starting them a little late. But it will actually just kind of pick up where their baby books have left off. So, say a little prayer for me that I can work this into my schedule!



Christmas Decorations: I bought out Hobby Lobby this weekend. Not kidding. Big plans for making a wreath and other goodies. Now that Halloween is behind us I'm ready for Christmas!




Putting the hubs to work: My love of Pottery Barn is legion. I informed the hubs that he has to recreate this for Emma.



How cute is this bed? Emma will absolutely love it and it will solve so many of my space problems. My child has a room jam packed full of toys and doll furniture. Hubs can pull this off for about 1/4 the price. Score! This will be his after-Christmas project.


I'm a leper: Sort of. My dermatologist put me on Accutane to clear up my face. Now my face is looking better but one of the side effects is horrible dry skin. This translates to some awful spots on my arms, which led the hubs to nickname me The Leper. I keep repeating to myself "It will be worth it, It will be worth it."


Black Thursday: I'm thinking about jumping on this bandwagon. Several stores are now starting their Black Friday sales late on Thursday, or at Midnight. I can definitely stay up late easier than I can get up at 2am. So now all I need is someone else willing to freeze their butts off in line with me . . .

1st Annual Johnson Halloween Bash

This was sooo thrown together at the last minute. As in, the first guests showed up and the hubs and I still weren't in our costumes! Our friends almost had a stroke; they thought we were playing a joke on them and they would be the only ones in costume! Ha! As you'll see, I failed majorly in my role of photographer, only getting a few here and there. Mainly because most everyone stayed outside around the bonfire unless they were eating. But, the party itself was a huge success! We've already been informed that we're expected to do it again next year!


Some of the decorations on the front porch. Emma and I had a lot of fun with the glitter!

Our Mad Hatter friend won the best costume award. It's hard to tell in the picture but she went all out with the face paint. I think that's what put her over the edge; best costume was between her and our 70's friend sitting next to her.


The Mad Hatter and Alice (and Slash). This Mad Hatter won Funniest Costume. Without the jacket he had this porno vibe going with the vest and no shirt. He played that up quite and bit and come out as the winner.



The Mad Hatter's husband came as ketchup. It was hilarious to watch him walk around in this thing. Hubs won Scariest Costume. And not because of that hot mess of facial hair he's currently sporting. By this time he had already taken his zombie skeleton mask off.



Food table AFTER it had been attacked.



I snapped this real quick at the end of the night, Midnight or so. You can't see the dress, but I was a flapper. The pink hair was the highlight. :)


Despite my lack of preparation, everyone had a great time. And that's all that matters! But maybe I should start planning now for next year . . .

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Halloween Part 1

This is the family shot where Jeremy is not looking at the camera. The one shot where he was looking at the camera he was flipping it off. Awesome and classy, right?



Emma was dying to be Rapunzel this year. As in life was not worth living if she couldn't be Rapunzel. She can be very dra-ma-tic when the situation calls for it! So I've had this costume since August. Because God forbid some disaster occur and there were no more Rapunzel costumes for Halloween! LOL Seeley was a smurf if it's not obvious. And if I must say, one of the cutest smurfs I've ever seen. I called him Hunky Smurf all night!


Emma and MeMe Hope. I can only hope and pray that I look this good at 90.

Spiderman aka Holton. Seeley kept looking at him trying to decide if his chicken nuggets were in any danger. Hunky Smurf does not share his bites, even with super heroes.


Emma, Seeley, and Parker. Parker was a fisherman. And he also absolutely refused to smile-stone cold face was all we could get out of him. LOL