Johnson Family Christmas 2008

Warning:  This post contains numerous pictures that may or may not be flattering to all who are represented, but we're making memories people, not putting on a fashion show!  So just appreciate that we captured the magic of another fun-filled family Christmas!

Christmas Eve was a blast with Nana and Papa, the Toziers, and Auds and Jimmy.  It was the first time I have over-eaten to the point of bursting my c-section scar wide open.  I must admit, my mom put on quite the organic spread.  Oh, and Auntie Karen, let me apologize again for bullying you during the "Ticket to Ride" incident.  That's never appropriate, especially on Christmas Eve.

Here's the party crowd.  And the top of Uncle Buck's head.  Like I said, don't count on pretty shots.

June got her way, and slept in Nana and Papa's room.  That way, she wasn't tempted to sneak a peek at Santa doing his thing.

Obviously, Winnie really scored this Christmas.  She thoroughly enjoyed opening presents for about ten minutes, and then she handed the job over to Papa Lee.  At least she wanted to play with her toys this year, and not just the paper and boxes.

 

I'm sure Papa Lee was thrilled to unwrap Barbies, Build-a-Bear clothing, and princess paraphernalia.  

Kolby always makes the best "I can't believe it!! You got me just what I wanted!" faces.

Here's the fam with all of our loot.

And a Christmas morning in Heber sure didn't disappoint.  We enjoyed nearly two feet of new snow!  We were dreaming of a white Christmas!

We enjoyed ourselves at the annual Johnson Family Christmas Night Party.  Here's a shot of all the girls:  Darby, Rylee, Malea, Misty, Cass, and Jess.  And what's a party without a plethora of mounted animal heads? This room of carnage still haunts Winnie's dreams.

 

This party was so hoppin', things could easily have gotten out of hand.  It's a good thing the sheriff was around to keep the peace.  Cousin Caulder traded his sacred crocs in for some nifty new cowboy boots!  I'm sure his mom considers that a Christmas miracle!

We finished off the night at Yaya and the Babe's house.  They got us a Bosch Mixer, the new love of my life!  The girls made out like bandits, too!

And take a gander at a couple of our sweet new T's.  Now Winnie can prove she really is the 1985 Truffle Shuffle Champion!

 

Seriously though, here's our real Christmas miracle, Baby Tukker.  We haven't seen him since birth when things looked pretty bleak, but Heavenly Father must have a plan for this little dude, because he just keeps overcoming the odds.  And he sure is the most snugly baby to hold.

Finally, Christmas was so much brighter this year because Aunt Darby got home from her mission in the Philippines last Monday!  I think she was worried that the kids wouldn't remember her, but June ran right into her arms.  Winnie was super excited because she thought Darby from "My Friends Tigger and Pooh" was coming over, so that worked in Aunt Darby's favor.

Poor Aunt Darb, she hasn't gotten much rest from the kiddos since she got home.  We're so thankful she still has so much energy!  So there you have it folks.  Another Christmas come and gone.  Thanks for the memories!

The Happiest Place on Earth!

We celebrated Christmas a bit early this year - we went on a little family excursion to Disneyland!  Can I just say, I never get tired of that place!  Sadly, Kolby was right in the middle of finals and did not get to go (frown).  But we went ahead and had a ball, just the same!

June barely reached the magical height of 40 inches this year, and got to go on almost every ride!  We were a bit worried about Winn, who nearly had a melt down in the hotel elevator (weak stomach) but I have to admit, she did really well!  Her favorite ride was dumbo and she realized her childhood dream of seeing Wall-E!  Life is good!

We are so lucky to have such a great family who not only footed the bill for this trip, but also spent their Disney days helping me with the girls!  Thanks Auds and Jimbo for the sweet hotel, Thanks mom and dad for our tickets, and thanks U.B. and Karen for the ride and our special dinner at Ariel's Grotto - it was totally magical!  

I think Winn and Uncle Buck had some good bonding time on this trip!  

The ears really suit Winnie!

Winn's big moment - Wall-E!

A quick dip in the hot tub before another day of adventures!

June was so brave, she started out on Thunder Mountain Railroad, and never looked back.  It's a good thing Papa Lee was there to be her riding buddy! 

There's nothing like doing Disney with the Kesters!  Auds and Jimbo turn into the biggest kids!

We were sad to see our vacation come to an end!

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

The Christmas season is definitely my favorite time of year!  We've been having a bit of fun this week.  A few of us ladies got together and made holiday treats to take visiting teaching.  Sure, we ate a few along the way, but that's half the fun!

Tish, Stephanie C., Amy, and Stephanie J.

Here's a sample of our work.  Everything was tasty!

Our very special Grandma Sara flew out to pick up the girls and take us back to Utah for Christmas this week!  June and Winnie have been fighting over her all weekend and poor Grandma, she's had to share her little bed with a couple of wiggle worms who can't stand to be away from her!

Tish introduced us to this awesome Christmas store called "The North Pole."  It is decorated from the ceiling to the floor with Christmas trees and decorations - Christmas candy for the eyes!  In fact, when we walked in, Winnie's eyes got as big as golf balls and she said, "OH MY DOSH!"  But the icing on the cake had to be this wonderful Santa!  He gathered all the kids around and shared with them the story of Jesus' birth.  You've gotta love living in the bible belt!

And although this has nothing to do with Christmas, here's a shot of my new haircut.  There is nothing better than a fresh haircut!  It looked a lot cuter in the mirror than in this picture, but that's the best I could do!  

Turkey Day!

Just a quiet little Thanksgiving at home this year.  We're not really used to being on our own, but here are a few things we were thankful for:

1.  We didn't have to get fancy!  Plastic plates, plastic bowls, and cheap paper napkins.  Who did we have to impress?

2.  Roasting a turkey breast takes half the time!  

3.  We got to sleep in this morning!  8:30 - it was a Thanksgiving miracle!  

4.  No need to primp, Kolby didn't even take a shower until he finished his meal!

5.  We don't have to watch endless football all day!  To be perfectly honest, Kolby hates it, and I can only stand watching so many games in a row.  Instead, we rented some movies and played some games, and even got to watch the entire Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade without checking scores!

6.  Our meal was served at 1:00, finished by 1:30 and cleaned up by 2:00!  Plenty of time for digestion and family fun!
7.  Who says you have to have pumpkin pie for dessert - we had a Jell-O cheesecake!

8.  We now have left-overs that will carry us through the upcoming week!

9.  Kolby didn't have to share his mashed potatoes with the masses!  You know how stingy he can be with taters!

10.  Okay, we're missing everyone pretty bad, but we are very thankful that we have such a wonderful little family here and can make some great memories with our girls!  Happy Thanksgiving!

Who's the mother here???

If you know June, you know that she is very intuitive and never misses a trick.  She is always aloof, but is always listening intently and absorbing like a sponge.  Anyways, Kolby and I had a few private convos (or so we thought) about an inevitable exam he had to perform on a female patient yesterday, you can probably guess what exam I'm talking about.  The girls and I were driving home yesterday afternoon when June asked, "Mom, what's Dad doing today?"  I said, "He's at school,"  not wanting to get into yet another discussion with her about our bodies and what they are for.

 

June:  "But is he just reading, or is he being a doctor?"

Me:  "He's meeting with a patient."

June:  "Is it a girl?"

Me:  "Yes . . ."

June  "Is it a little girl, or a big girl like you, like is she 60?"

Me:  "Well, she's a lady, but probably not sixty, and NEITHER AM I!"

June:  "Is he looking at her bum?  Because that is okay if she is at the doctors and her mom said it is okay." 

Me:  "Yes June, he's making sure her bum is healthy."  (What do you say to a 4 year old?)

Long pause . . .

June:  "Mom, I want you to tell me the truth."

Me:  "What?  Why would I lie?"

June:  "Well, I appreciate it if you're honest with me.  Remember the boy who cried wolf?"

Me:  "Junie, why don't you wait until Daddy gets home and then you can ask him what he was doing today."  

All I can say is, I think we're in over our heads with this child!

Miss Johnson's Class

Well, this month, just call us "Jess and Kolby plus 7."  That's how many kids we have been taking care of for the past two weeks, all under the age of 4.  June, Winnie, Amos, Lyra, Charlie, Ella and occasionally Sofie.  I wasn't sure if I could handle the crew, and although I am pretty much dead tired at the end of each day, we're hanging in there.  I have a whole new respect for mothers of large families!  We have stuck to a very strict playing, eating and napping schedule to preserve my sanity and the kids have been such troopers.  I happened to have a free arm to grab the camera when I saw what was going on outside today.  June created her own primary in the back yard and taught a sweet little lesson to her captivated audience.  I guess she's just a "born leader."  I almost teared up when I saw her teaching the kids "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes."  I wish I could have captured the sound, but I didn't dare open the door and disturb Miss Johnson's class.  I really LOVE this video!   

Crazy 8's tag

I suppose I have to do these from time to time, even though I feel like my life is very boring!

8 TV shows I Love:

1.  The Office

2.  Law and Order C.I.

3.  Ugly Betty

4.  Charlie and Lola

5.  My Name is Earl

6.  Jon and Kate plus 8

7.  Project Runway

8.  The Hills (I know, I'm lame!)

8 Favorite Restaurants:

1.  The Outback

2.  P.F. Changs

3.  California Pizza Kitchen

4.  Cheesecake Factory

5.  Bajios

6.  Los Hermanos

7.  Louie's Pizza

8.  Mi Rancherito

8 Things that happened yesterday:

1.  Slept in until 7!  (Thanks Winnie!)

2.  Saw Kolby for more than 10 minutes!

3.  Went to the craft store with Tish.

4.  Went to the Library

5.  Ate at Applebees with the fam.

6.  Played at the park with the fam.

7.  Made a kick-butt primary singing time activity!

8.  Watched 1/2 a movie with Kolby before falling asleep.

8 things I'm looking forward to:

1.  Going home for Christmas!

2.  Going to Disneyland in a month with the girls!

3.  Our next installment of loans!

4.  Twilight at the cinema!

5.  Harry Potter at the cinema!

6.  Kolby finishing school.

7.  A good night's sleep.

8.  A tummy tuck after my next and final baby!

8 people I tag:

Tish 

Amy

Stephanie J

Stephanie C

Candace

Jenn

Misty

Tyree

Creepy Johnson

Trick or Treat!

Warning:  A plethora of spooky photos await you!  Scroll down if you dare . . .

Halloween week was just one ghoulish party after another!  How many costumes can we wear?  Lets start with the best least you get bored . . .

June got really into the Goonies this year, so she opted to trick or treat as Sloth.  Baby Ruth?

Poor Winnie got stuck with the Chunk costume.  So we taught her to do the Truffle Shuffle!  I also have to add that I have the most talented mother in the world.  We simply send her a picture of what we want and she whips up these amazing costumes!  Wish I could take credit for Winn's duds, but that's all Nana Deb.  Thanks mom!

Sloth love Chunk!

Here we are at Aunt Becky's Halloween party.  Mom and Dad were garbage men in our cover-alls with mullets and five o-clock shadows.  June and Winnie really got into the trick or treating this year.  Kolby kept asking Winnie if she was tired of walking, and she just kept saying, "No, I fine."  We could hardly keep up with June.  Candy is great motivation for exercise!

The Oklahoma City Zoo puts on this awesome Halloween celebration called "Haunt the Zoo."  The kids had a ball cruising around the zoo collecting candy and enjoying the haunted scenery.  Amos was Raggedy Andy and Winnie was a big fat chicken.

June and Ella held hands throughout the entire night.  

Thanks Nana Betty for this lovely ballerina skirt.  June made the cutest fairy princess!

And, last but not least, we had a wonderful time at Jenny's Halloween carnival.  She is so creative, she had games set up all over the yard, face painting, and even a fortune teller!  June is still talking about it.

Well, that's about it for Halloween.  We'll leave you to enjoy Winnie's pervert mustache!

Who's that girl?

Halloween is just around the corner.  That hasn't really stopped Winnie and June from dressing up early.  In fact, it's rare to see these girls out of costume at our house.  We got a birthday invitation shaped like a flower in the mail today from our sweet little friend Ella.  June gave it a once-over and asked, "So, what does Ella want us to dress up as?"  

I can't even blame it on Halloween fever - the girls' room has been one giant staging area for make-believe for over a year now, and it seems we mysteriously acquire more garbs as time goes on.  Lately, June won't set foot outside the door unless she is in character  - princess, super hero, Indiana Jones in a flowery straw hat with a sash for a whip, it matters not.  Winnie is quickly catching on and has become a decked out side-kick to June's every alter-ego.  

Normally, I'd loose my cool over finding an entire roll of toilet paper unraveled and strewn about the house, but I just can't help but melt when I find my girls quietly giggling in their room, wrapping each other as mummies, June telling Winnie, "don't trip, walk carefully," and Winnie adding, "OOOO, Junie, you so pooky."  Oh, well, I guess love is messy.

Painting Pumpkins

Pumpkin painting with six kids under the age of four is more of a workout than you might imagine! It's a good thing we had four moms to keep things under control!  Here are some pictures of the kids working on their masterpieces. 

  

June started out with a mosaic of colors.  She liked it for a while, but a few days later, we created some truly spooky pumpkins.  You'll see . . .

Winnie had a great time painting her hands, arms and face.  She managed to get a couple of dabs on her baby pumpkin, as she called it.

Amos was all business with his painting.  He didn't even take a break to smile for the camera!

Ella, on the other hand, never passes up the chance for a pretty photo-op.

And young master Charlie must have been pretty worried about getting his clothes dirty!

We finished off the afternoon with a bit of dress-up - until everyone got over-tired, started to do battle, and began the bawl-fest!  You know, the usual.  I'm sure the kids got to go home and sleep it off after a big day of painting!  

Here's what we ended up with a few days later.  We found some fun patterns in our National Geographic for kids (thanks U.B.).  June did the pink cyclops all by herself!  Pretty spooky, ey?  Don't get scared now!