Friday, January 29, 2010

Back At It

Wow...I think I have been struggling with some writer's block, some serious lack of motivation, or just feeling overwhelmed in how far I have gotten behind here at the ol' blog.  But, I think I am  ready to get back at it.

As promised in the last post, I gotta few things to cover from the holiday season.   We'll do it bullet point style!

  • We hosted our second annual “Johnson Gingerbread Party.”  Sam and Luke each invited a friend over to decorate a gingerbread house one Sunday afternoon.  It was such gooey, sugary, sweet fun to watch our boys and their friends be creative.  Much fun was had and much candy was consumed.  {chuckle}100_2447
  • My sweet little Sam certainly has his mother's blood coursing through his veins.  He suffers from the same excitement and anticipation issues as I do.  {grin} I can vividly remember being so excited for Christmas to arrive that I would lay awake for hours before finally falling asleep on Christmas Eve...only to awaken a few hours later and then trying to convince my parents that 3:30 am was a great time to begin the celebrating! The Lord used these sweet childhood memories to help me give Sam the extra grace he required on Christmas Eve.  He woke up at around midnight (just minutes after I had finished placing the gifts under the tree and stuffing stockings) and asked me to snuggle with him because he was having trouble getting back to sleep.  I called upon my own childhood memories and mustered the strength to stumble to his bed with him.  We lay in the dark whispering and giggling...I am so thankful that God caused me to be gracious to Sam...I could have missed making that sweet memory with him.  Did I mention that he finally fell asleep at 4:30 am?  Oh yeah, he was awake again at 6:30 am ready to go! 100_2502
  • Christmas day was simply sweet.  It was just the six of us enjoying the day in our old Kentucky home.  We sang "Happy Birthday!" to Jesus and enjoyed some of His birthday cake for our breakfast.  This tradition began back in 2004 and it's one of my favorites...and I think the boys enjoy it, too.
  • Luke sang "Happy Birthday, Jesus!" for weeks on end, both before and after Christmas.  It made my heart smile to hear his sweet voice singing this song of praise.  {grin} 100_2485
  • Matthew was so excited about his gifts on Christmas.  He is a man of few words, but is always expressive.  His eyes open wide, his eyebrows raise, and his mouth forms a perfect little "o" shape as he says, "Ohhh!"  and "Wow!"  and "Ahhh!"  Such a sweet boy who truly appreciated each gift.
  • Caleb took on the job of reminding me to turn on our outdoor Christmas lights each evening.  He’d run to the love seat in our living room and look out the window while instructing me to   “Turn on, Mommy!”
  • Sam used his allowance money to buy gifts for each of his brothers.  We did our shopping at the dollar store - lot's of options for a boy with $5 in his hand.  He thoughtfully chose a gift for each of his brothers and took great pride in wrapping them himself.  

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            Caleb opening his well-wrapped  gift from Sam.

 

  • The sight of my four boys in matching pajamas on Christmas Eve thrills my heart.  I know that this is not normal...but, as a mom of all boys - there are so few "clothing related" joys! {giggle} 100_2462
  • As an afterthought, I bought a very inexpensive gift for the boy’s stockings.  A package of 4 silly glasses/nose things (what are they called anyway?) for one dollar.  These turned out to be the “hit” of the day.  We laughed at one another and really got our money’s worth of them. 100_2516Luke and Sam…so stylish. 

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Is that Peter Pan in disguise or Matthew?

 

  • The boys and I all enjoyed having more time with Brad during the holidays.  Things are always better when Daddy is home.  {grin}
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I think I am on a roll now….getting excited about getting caught up.  So many more good stories to tell about how God is restoring Caleb’s health, time with our extended family’s over the holidays, and the twin’s second birthday celebration!  I really am back at it!

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Overwhelmed...and Overdue

I am feeling a bit overwhelmed these days.  It's all sorts of good things that are making me feel this way.  We've hosted both sides of our families at our house over the past few weeks.  Some dear friends from out of town came to visit us, too.  Most recently, two of our former youth ministry students (siblings, who are now in college- eek!) came to spend a few days with the tribe.

It was wonderful to have so many people that we love in our home...and a blessing to be "loved on" by so many, as well.  Our boys seemed to understand that something special was going on...to soak up every minute spent with our visitors. They knew that something extra special was happening.   There were extra hands to hold babies, extra plates set at our big table, extra people to read books in the comfy rocking chair, extra people to laugh with, extra people to make us laugh (Wii fit is a riot as a spectator sport), extra giggles, extra hands to change diapers & wash dishes, and an extra special feeling that comes from being surrounded by people you love and who love you in return.  All of the excitement has left our boys a little bored now that we've returned to our normal life - with just the six of us. 

I am having issues uploading photos again...and I find myself coveting cameras.  That is a miserable feeling.  I know that I am blessed beyond measure, but there always seems to be just one thing that I am lacking.  I am so thankful that God is so patient with me.  {sigh}  Anyway, I have lots of fun pictures to post...I just can't get them uploaded from my camera to the computer.  I am working on it and will hopefully have a little "eye candy" for you soon.  Golly, those boys of mine are adorable.  {grin}

In the meantime, you can look forward to hearing all about:
  • Sam's insomnia on Christmas Eve.
  • Luke's joy in singing "Happy Birthday" to Jesus.
  • Caleb enjoying Jesus' birthday cake immensely.
  • Matthew's infectious joy as he opened gifts...saying "ooh" and "ahh" repeatedly.
  • The wonderful way God is restoring health to our Caleb.
  • My nieces, Ashley and Morgan, bringing my Mom & I to tears.
  • The sweetness of our simple Christmas.
  • Details of our visitors...and the fun!
It's coming...I promise! {grin}