Nothing Like Family- Nothing Like a Baby as an Excuse to Get Together

Sunday was the baby blessing. What a wonderful day and a special blessing. We are so grateful this baby has come to be a cousin to our boys. It is amazing to watch all these kids oooh and ahhh over him. You could call it magic, but I think is that these kids somehow can sense this baby just came from Heavenly Father. And they are drawn to that.

Grandpa got to come and he brought my niece C., the only granddaughter on my husband's side. It was a wonderful time to have them here. We loved getting to know C. better as a teenager and a young lady. We even got a Girls' Night with all the aunts!!! She is a great example to our kids and a real sweetheart.

I loved that K. got to know Grandpa better. He played trains with him and was comfortable enough that he was calling him "Grandpa" just 3 days into the visit. K. even picked up C. name! We marvel at how well Grandpa keeps up with the boys- he plays Power Rangers and bandages Spiderman action figures with napkins and rubber bands.

We spent TONS of time together and I just love that our children live close enough to mingle this much. Jen and I are wondering if they will be sick of each other now that Grandpa and C. have left or if they will go through withdrawal. I am leaning towards withdrawal since they have already asked when we get to see them again!

So thanks to Grandpa for making the trip and bringing C. in tow. Thanks to Jim and Tamara for letting her come. Thanks to the other aunts for joining in the festivities. Thanks to Jen and Stan for generously housing all the craziness. And thanks to the stars colliding that I got to marry into this wonderful family. :)

Do you see anything that doesn't belong in this picture???

Oh, yeah, my kid peeking from behind! ;)

Some handsome Johnson men. I am kind of partial to the one w/out the suit coat. :)

The Clever One's First Day of Preschool

The family has decided that this is my "clever child". Two examples:

1) Andy was playing our new Ben 10 Wii game the other day and the bad guy killed his character. G. says "Dang it. I said 'dang it' for you dad." He continued to "pitch in" whenever he felt Andy needed it.

2) We went swimming the other day w/ cousins. In the locker room, he is calling cousin J. a "poopie butt". Andy pulls him aside and reminds him not to say potty words. To which G. replies completely seriously, "But Dad, we're in a big bathroom."

Ooooh, are we in for it.

So he is off to preschool. These are pics from his first day. He doesn't look very excited to go, but actually he was. He had been asking me for months when he was going to start. We even bought this backpack in June. He had a great time and loves doing homework. Go figure!

A Lighthouse Bathroom- The Beginning...

So I have all these friends that are Decorating Inspirations! And they may not even realize they are to me. Some, I marvel at their blog posts and how unintimidated they are by painting any piece of furniture (Katie H., you know I am talking about you.). Some, I visit their homes, with the confident placement of decoration on the walls and shelves (Gina, Shannan, Kim, Karin, Jenn, Michelle, Lisa, etc. etc. etc.). And I think, maybe I can do that. Most people that have been in my home since I have been married know how minimalist I am. NOT minimalist because I LIKE the look. Minimalist cause I am scared to buy something and then hate it. Scared to spend the money and frugal because my husband just doesn't "get it". But after taking Gina's decorating class, I have decided that "yes, I will try".

So my first plan...
I have always dreamt of a bathroom decorated with lighthouses. I even bought a cheap 2008 calendar so I could frame a picture or 2. Well one day, I was in Goodwill and bought a lighthouse candle holder and felt the time was right to get started. I started by painting a lighthouse picture, inspired by one in the calendar. I have always wanted to learn how to paint and even bought brushes and watercolor paper/paints. So I finally did it!!! And I actually think it turned out good enough to frame and hang over my guest toilet. Guess if you word it that way, the location doesn't set the bar that high. ;)

Now I just have to get fearless like Katie/Gina and paint some things and find that shower curtain that is in a box somewhere. If I ever finish, I will post pictures. I already took the before pics. So hopefully, it won't be too long till the after pics. :)

Sometimes You Have to Send Them to School to Find Out What They Know

So A. started 2nd grade at the beginning of August. He is doing well and staying out of trouble. Hooray! Today, he brought home this assignment. He was supposed to fill it out about his friend. Guess What!! He chose his brother G.!!! It just warmed my heart. And it made G. smile too. :) Gotta love it when you realize that your kids really love eachother. Now I just have to figure out where to put it for later when I need to remind them. ;) And just as an explanation, G. is 4 and is still learning how to jump. He has been able to gallop almost since he could walk, but for some reason, the idea of lifting TWO feet, was impossible for him. Andy even tried to get him to practice by duct taping his legs together and letting him jump on our bed. I, of course, was just seeing a CPS visit waiting to happen- when our child innocently told someone about the time Dad taped his legs together... ;) So we are very proud of G. when he tries to jump with both feet and is successful!