Hung by the chimney at last!

I am so glad to have this stocking of Reese's finally finished. As of December 3rd it hangs by the chimney with care.  Jaden and Ty's stockings were done within the first or second year of their lives.  And while I got away with not having Reese's stocking completed last year, I knew that if I didn't come up big this year she'd potentially be scarred for life.  I'm, of course, being facetious but when your child is old enough to request that it be finished by Christmas, well enough said.  My excuse for the procrastination?  Older siblings.  I don't sit down anymore.   I remember that I nursed Ty while stitching his stocking.  Thinking back, I can't picture how I did that -- don't really want to.  I'll tell you that it was much more fun to make Reese's stocking, what with all the input she had on colors, etc.  And to say it lightly, she was very encouraging along the way.  Each Friday night we typically have a movie night.  Movie night was my best chance to stitch away and Reese knew it.  She was on my case from the beginning of the movie to the end.  Some weekends I'd have much preferred to watch the movie without multitasking but it wasn't worth the lecture I'd get from Reese.

This past weekend we took a quick trip to San Antonio.  I can't tell you how many times I thought to myself that I should be working on Reese's stocking while driving or sitting around watching movies or just hanging with the family in our hotel.  

For the record, I really do love these stockings -- the finished version.  They are really easy to make, you just have to remember to have it at the ready to work on whenever you have some down time.  My mother-in-law found this pattern in a catalog for a whopping four dollars back when they started their family.  Kyle has a stocking.  And all three of my kids can now say they have a hand stitched stocking.  However, I have no intentions of making myself one -- just not something you make for yourself.  It bothers Kyle that I don't have one.  So, of course, I've told him to make me one already.   Maybe if I nag him as much as Reese nagged me it could actually happen . . .

Thanksgiving and white cabinets

There's no better time to make changes to your kitchen then when your going to be cooking in it for a day and half!  I was so lucky to get my kitchen cabinets painted white for my birthday or for Christmas or because my husband loves me or because he really wanted to put an end to my nagging him for them.  You name it, I'm just so glad they're white.  It was definitely a want not a need.  When we built our house over three years ago I must've really liked dark brown because everything I picked out from cabinets to furniture to hardwood was just that.   Once it all came together there were just too many shades of brown.  And it just so happens that the easiest and least expensive of those things to change is cabinet color.

 After three days the kitchen was ours again, but only after 7:00 on the eve of Thanksgiving.  We had some serious cooking to catch up on.  Thanks to every last family member pitching in (more than usual) we pulled it off, with the exception of the turkey.  We forgot to put it in the oven before we went to bed.  You wouldn't believe how offensive that was to the kids, who had helped prepare the turkey, (injections and all) to wake without the smell of turkey like we so promised.  Luckily, there's more than one way to cook Tom the Turkey.

Sarah swoops in

(I know, don't ask about Ty and Reese's hairdos.  This was just about 30 minutes into everyone's morning.  Reese looks like she's sporting a mullet and Ty looks like Jimmy Neutron!) 

Sarah ran circles around our kids this past weekend. If you don't believe me just read their to-do list below -- keep in mind that the majority of it took place on one day, Saturday. This is the day that Kyle and I typically share the responsibility and we still can't wait to put our feet up that evening. Sarah did it on her own. And beyond that, she added some extra-curricular, out of the ordinary events. Those included removing Ty's stitches from his chin AND driving the back roads of Texas to find an exotic hedgehog breeder to purchase a hedgehog for the kids! Couple that with the fact that the kids thought they were doing it behind mom and dad's back and the weekend becomes even more thrilling! The to-do list was made before I left town that day. Reese made sure to cover up the picture of the hedgehog with her arms every time I walked into the room. Unbeknownst to the kids, I was in on the scheme from the beginning. Sarah and I saw a pic of an adorable baby hedgehog on Pinterest when she first arrived and while the kids were at school. We were smitten and being that Jaden's dwarf hamster had recently kicked the can I told Sarah she should look into finding a hedgehog with the kids. I need say no more. Sarah was on it. 

Sarah claims that she loves to take care of her nieces and nephews and I'm sure she does. I'm also sure that she enjoys when their parents return home too. We think ourselves very fortunate to have Sarah drop in and care for our kids while we go off to play without a concern in the world for them, truly.  But on top of that, we are just really thrilled to know that our kids are graced with Sarah's presence. What a privilege for them.  She is an influence for good on our kids. She's spontaneous and fun (case in point: hedgehog). She's always looking for a teaching moment (which benefits both me and my children). Ideally, she could morph into me, then I'd be a mom with more perspective, full of energy, fair, logical, positive . . . the list goes on. Let's just say if I die guess who's raisin' my kids? I wish we could steal her away more often or that she lived down the road. I know that with that scenario I'd run the risk of never seeing my children but like I said, she'd raise them just fine . . .  

Thank-you, Sarah, for helping us to getaway. No thank-you for a smelly hedgehog that Jaden can barely muster up the courage to take out of its cage, let alone train to be handled often at this point.  See? We need you back already.  I'm not touching that thing!  (I'll post a pic of, Pepper, the hedgehog as soon as I can get Jaden to take it out of its cage.)

This is where Kyle and I took off to for a three night stay in Laguna Beach, CA as he was invited to a Trial CLE.  They definitely rolled out the red carpet for us.  That said, our favorite part was leaving the premises to hit up a whole-in-the-wall favorite restaurant of ours, the original BJ's.  The same restaurant we ate at over 13 years ago.  It was on the heels of that trip that we decided to get married.  (I can't believe I didn't have someone take our picture while we were there.)

The views from our Bungalow.

I got to go on a gorgeous boat ride in search of dolphins and whales.  Yummy food, good weather and beautiful scenery and sea life.   These dolphins are just below my nose.  We chased about 20 or 30 of them before they started chasing us.  I told Kyle I should probably not leave Houston very often for fear of never coming back -- Houston is one plain looking neck of the woods!  What I don't see I won't miss, right?

Literally our only pic of the two of us together on this trip.  The Beach Boys are singing behind us one night on the beach for dinner.  There was no expense spared on this trip.  They bent over backwards.  

Happy Halloween

I'm really glad that I seized the opportunity to snap pics of the kids in their costumes at our church party a couple nights before Halloween.  Because instead of trick-or-treating (and picture taking) tonight, I spent the evening at the Urgent Care with Ty.  Poor guy. What a bummer to spend Halloween getting stitched up.  Ty's chin connected with concrete when falling off of his bike (minutes before I was planning to call him in to unload dishwasher) and four stitches later we were home in time to trick-or-treat only one neighbor.  The same neighbor that brought our bloodied Ty in from the street.  And the same neighbor that had a large tote full of candy for Ty guy when we arrived home.  Jaden and Reese gave up half of their candy.  And Ty's good buddy, Jake, claims (via text) that he'll be sending half of his loot too.

Here are a couple of memories from Ty's frightful evening:  First off, I'm beginning to believe that Ty really is a product of Kyle.  When Kyle gets sick/injured he turns all sweet, sentimental and super grateful.  I couldn't help but notice Ty doing the same tonight.  For example: One of Ty's first concerns while he stood in my kitchen, chin gaping open, was that he wouldn't be able to throw a football with his dad.  On the drive home (and nearly in tears as he gazed out the car window) he apologized for my having to cancel our spooky dinner plans with friends.  Afterwards I told him to choose either Jamba Juice or McDonald's for a shake or smoothie.  His reply, "whichever one is closer so you don't have to go out of your way to get me one." And when asking what size of smoothie he wanted to slurp down with a numb chin he said, "a large, so I can share it with you."  Good grief, rip my heart out.  And on top of that he was a big stud in the emergency room.  Tough as nails -- just some pretty clammy hands afterwards.  Beyond that, he got out of dishwasher duty, piano and Kumon.

Anyway here are the kids in costume a few nights earlier.

Jaden as the Goddess of Wisdom.  Quite a big Lightning Thief series fan.

Ty, looking ever so happy to be taking a pic as the Nerf specialist.  It's funny how each kid goes through their phase of abhorring picture taking.  It seems like Jaden recently rolled out of this phase just in time for Ty to take her place.  And are you liking his shaggy hair?  I'm not quite sure what we're going for here but I can't wait to get where ever it is that we are going with this!

And last but not least, Reese in her second year as cupcake.  We're hoping to make it three next year.

Such a crazy and fun museum

One of our outings while staying in St. Louis with Grandma and Grandpa Johnson this summer.  After learning that Miriam, Scott and Lexee would be visiting Mom and Bob's the kids and I decided to crash their party by driving into town too.  I have too many pictures to post all at once from this trip.  So I've decided to break it up into events.  This is the St. Louis City Museum.  I've not seen anything like this museum.  It is so eccentric and cool and not necessarily child proof.  Enter at your own risk here.  Jaden left with a pretty badly scrapped up back.  Lexee was missing for a good 20 minutes.  Matthew got stuck in a crawl space.  And had I not gotten down on all fours, winding my way through the life size underground mole whole, I'm fairly confident Reese would not be with us today.   Nonetheless, we had a heck of a time.