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!

Out of the Mouth of Babes

K. is talking a ton now, putting words together. And I think he likes to say things to make me laugh.

Today he and I were hanging out together and he stands up and says "Singing". I repeated him and asked what he was going to sing, expecting "The Wheels on the Bus" since this has been his current favorite. Thank you dear Nursery Teachers.

But no, that's not what he started singing...

Ever heard of this song???? :)

A. picked this one up at a hockey game with Dad and breaks into rousing renditions at the top of his lungs. Apparently, K. has picked it up too. Nothing like hearing your baby sing "We will. Rock you!"

He Answers Us

G. wanted me to take a picture of him praying. So he showed me how he would do it... Yesterday, I was in charge of teaching the children at church about how prayer strengthens our families. I told two stories from my childhood about how my family prayed together. Funny, they were both about babies. :)

1. When my mom was about to have my brother, he was sitting on her liver which caused her skin to itch horribly. No cream, no medicine could solve her problem. The dr. said the only solution was to have the baby. So one night she was in the bath trying to get some relief and we could all hear her crying. What she didn't know was that all of us were in our beds praying that our mom would feel better. My brother was born before school started the next morning. I know because I was so excited to finally have a brother that I RAN to North Elementary. At the hospital, it all came out that everyone in the family was praying for my mom at the same time.

2. When my mom was in the hospital with K., she also had extensive abdominal surgery. We of course wanted to see our baby sister and our mom, so Dad took us to the hospital that night. She was really suffering from the surgery and I think it freaked us all out. Dad had us wait outside, where we quickly found a closet full of wheelchairs to offer up a "Willis kid" prayer to help our mom. We were relieved that no nurses came in. Wouldn't they have been surprised! I guess I didn't know at 14, that most hospitals have a place meant for praying.

I thought some of you siblings of mine may not remember these stories. So I thought I would share them with you too.

I do know God answers me. He hears me and understands me. And offers comfort that no other can give. This world touts independence and pride; He teaches humility and asks us to seek Him. I know that my life has been blessed by seeking Him. And my family, now and when I was growing up, has been strengthened by inviting Him into our lives and trusting Him.

One of My Favorites

So A. is almost 7 and these pictures were actually before he lost two more teeth. Aren't they great though? :)


This boy is one of my favorite things about my life. He truly is a joy. I can't hardly remember my life without him. I got pregnant with him right after 9-11. You know that day when a lot of people said the world had completely changed. This kid totally changed MY world.


He loves documentaries. I actually Tivo ones that I think he would "dig"- dinosaurs, sea life, pirahnas... His favorite show right now is River Monsters (though we just started checking out Man vs. Cartoon. Thanks Grandma!). The host goes to remote locations where they have legendary run-ins with dangerous fish or an occasional alligator. He interviews the people, investigates himself, and then tries to catch one of the "river monsters". So watching this show has made A. super excited to go fishing. But he is very sure he wants to catch something SMALL.


So he tells me since it will be his first time, he needs to go somewhere where the fish are small. And he has been thinking the nice small fish he wants to catch "could be something like a tuna."


Now you may not be informed (or you may be like Jessica Simpson), but tuna are NOT small. Wikipedia says "typical specimens average 2-2.5 m (6.5-7 ft) long and around 350 kg (770 lb) in weight." So I had to laugh and let him know that we would fish for something more reasonable!


He is usually very informed. It was mostly funny at how I was surprised he DIDN'T know this.


In fact, I will never forget a conversation at the dinner table when he was in kindergarten... We were trying to get G. to eat. I was making car noises, airplane noises, boat noises, anything with the spoon to get his mouth to open. A. said that I should make a submarine noise, which took me aback since this noise wasn't as easy to replicate. What does a submarine sound like anyway??? So A. beeped for me like sonar and I felt pretty silly.


Then Andy trying to show how super smart he is, asked A. if he knows how bats know where things are in the dark, to which A. replied "yeah, it's called echolocation." Well that's one way to shut down your dad from teaching you things. You just have to already know everything!



A. is such a great kid. He tells jokes. He helps out around the house. He is a great example to his brothers. He helps clear his plate and put away his laundry without anyone asking him. He tries to do the right thing.



One of the best things about A. is his talent to believe. I really think that this is a gift from Heavenly Father. When he hears things of a spiritual nature, he easily believes. He has a great testimony that is truly his own. It is in his own words and is very meaningful to him. I can't imagine life without him. He truly is one of my favorites. :) But I couldn't decide which of these pictures was my favorite, so I just posted them all.