Five posts rolled into one . . .

I have a confession to make.  I have become a bit addicted to Facebook.  Kolby warned me it would happen.  Consequently, my blog has suffered.  I'm sorry.  Hopefully, it is just a phase.  So, let's see if I can do at least a half-assed job of bringing you up to speed on our winter wanderings.

   

It's pretty sad when you have to schedule play dates for your dogs.  We kidnapped Tooder's sister Posey for a week and, as we hoped,  Tooder quit acting out (you know, digging holes, pooping everywhere, leaving a path of destruction in his wake).  Kids and dogs!

We also survived a mild ice storm.  Kolby's school was cancelled for two whole days!  Although we enjoyed the frosty house arrest, it just wasn't the same without Grandma Sara, Grandpa Kyle and a heated game of head and foot.

 

Snow is rare in these parts, so the girls made the most of it!  

It wasn't quite snow, it wasn't quite ice - it was "snice."

I think Uncle Curt got a little loopy from the freeze, and decided a Mohawk was a good look for him.  I'm not sure if Amos agreed.

The girls drove me nuts for days over these promised valentines presents from Nana Deb and Papa Lee!  I swear they would rip into a flaming sack of dog poo if it came in the mail.  Nothing thrills them like a visit from the mailman!

Winnie got a replacement pony (Let's just say there was a Christmas catastrophe, and Nana is a sap!)  The new pony, Scoot-a-loo, crawls like champ and Winnie insists we all give her kisses on the "yips."

 

It was Twister for June.  Mom did the spinning, June and Dad did the stretching, and Winnie did the wailing and gnashing of teeth.  If only she knew her colors, appendages, and left from right!  Serenity NOW!!!

I'm not sure what was going on in this shot.  I suppose Winnie is taking a virtual cruise on the Polar Express and Lyra wants on at the next stop.

Steph and Spencer promised the wide-screen, HD, Super Bowl-viewing experience of a lifetime.  Little did we know, we would get to enjoy the game in 3D!  

Yes, Stephanie and I were there too.

And let's not forget our valentine spirit.  We had a girls day in and got all beautified!  This is Winnie's first experience with polish, and she is hooked.  For two days now, she has followed me around the house with outstretched fingers crying, "Mom, fix it, it's chipped."  It must be the monster inside her nose that keeps eating the polish!  

There now, that wasn't so hard Jess.  See, blogging is fun!   

Getting caught up . . .

January has always been a tough pill to take.  And so, in the midst of my winter depression, I have neglected my blog.  How do you out-do the holiday posts with all their merriment and wonder?  I don't know, but I'll hop back in the saddle and hope for the best.

  

If you've been wondering but haven't yet called, we did make it home from our month-long stint in Utah.  We arrived to one small flicker of joy - all of our Christmas presents under our Oklahoma tree.  We celebrated Christmas on January 3rd and that did help ease the blow of the month I most despise.  

June and Winnie hit the mother load yet again.  Mom was smart this year and bought a bunch of Halloween costumes on November first at fifty percent off.  Seriously, all these girls do is dress up.  Our favorites were these wearable horses.  The girls went nuts for them!  June named her pink pony "Clarabell" and Silly Winnie named hers after a very special friend she left in Utah, "Uncle Willie."

Here's a shot of June's unicorn and mom looking ever-so-lovely after an astonishingly turbulent flight to Denver, a LONG day spent at the airport, and a couple hours of sleep.  I know, you're asking yourself, "How can I look that ravishing?"

 

In this house, June is NEVER the bridesmaid, ALWAYS the bride.  Winnie usually gets stuck with bridesmaid duty, but she doesn't really mind.  That's what little sisters are for, right Auds?

Tooder got a special chew toy for Christmas.  I'll be honest, he roughed up Squeaky Lizard without remorse, but let him sleep in his bed to make up for it.  There is a real love affair budding here, I can feel it!

We've already broken in our new Bosch mixer.  Kolby got up early on Sunday morning and baked four loaves of bread.  I hope his baking infatuation lasts, because we are definitely reaping the fruits of his labors!

Winnie decided that she loved the Bosch too.  On cookie night.  Guess how many she ate . . .

To be fair, the bleak, frosty winter isn't as hard to bare here in Oklahoma.  We do get the occasional nice day of 60 to 70 degree weather, and we head right for the park.  June is an old pro on the twisty slides.   

And here's Winnie's sliding debut!  For months she has LOVED going to the park.  She plays in the wood chips, climbs the stairs, and catches a breeze on the swings.  But she never slides.  Until today.  She took a major leap of faith - you can almost smell the fear on her in this picture.  But now there is no going back.  I think we spent over 2 hours just sliding.  I guess the trip to Disneyland did the trick and now we just have to make up for lost time!

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!