You'll Shoot Your Eye Out!

I took the kids to see Santa last weekend and I swear I have never laughed so hard!  Our dear little Henry (as many of you know) is extremely shy when it comes to meeting new people, Santa included.  Knowing this, I actually rehearsed the dialouge that would most likely happen with Santa as we drove to the mall.  The kids were all set... we stood in line... we watched the other kids.... we got really excited... REALLY EXCITED - It's SANTA!!! and then it was finally their turn.... I pushed Henry forward and he pushed me backwards.  Knowing this would happen I used the secret weapon, Violet.  Go ahead first (again) Violet!  She climbed up on Santa's knee and reluctantly Henry followed.  So as they are sitting on Santa's knee, Henry keeps sliiiiiding off, obviously very uncomfortable with this situation.  Santa had to keep scooching him up, kinda weird.  So Santa's making the small talk, "Where do you live? Hohoho! How old are you? hoHoho! Where are you from? HOHOHO!"  Then the BIG question: "What would you like for Christmas?" aimed at Henry... no answer... "Common, you must want something??"  No answer... I'm shouting in my own head "LEGO SET HENRY - We practiced this, remember?  Just say LEGO SET!"  Violet interjects: "He's SCARED of you, Santa!"  Henry meanwhile is sliding off his lap... again.  But this Santa doesn't give up!  Now this next part is straight from the movie and where I seriously lost it laughing right there, because any Santa worth his salt nowadays should know what the 5 year old boys are into into 2010... StarWars, Legos, video games, etc. 
Santa asks Henry "Would you like a dump truck?"  Henry says quiety, "yes." with no eye contact.
Santa continues, "How about a fire engine?" to which Henry again meekly answers, "yes, sure." sliiide.
Henry has never even been into the whole car/truck scene, even as a toddler! 
Then someone says loudly from behind me, "Oh, how CUTE!  Look they are holding hands!" and I notice that yes, indeed, my children who have never held hands in their life are holding hands right across Santa's lap!  But on closer inspection, Henry was doing a death squeeze on Violet's hand!  I think it loosened a bit as this funny show continued, but still, holding hands?!?!
The picture was taken, the candy canes dished out and off we went.  With a big smile, I looked at Henry and said, "Really, a dump truck?"  and even he started cracking up!  We laughed for a good 5 minutes after.  Oh, my poor, sweet, shy boy.  I think I'll have to sneak a little fire truck or dump truck in his stocking for sure! 

Here Violet is showing she still has feeling in her other hand - we're good to go.

Turkey Time

We celebrated an early Thanksgiving at my dear momma's house last weekend who despite being severely sick with ?? for the last month and a half, snapped out of it just in time to whip up a delicious turkey dinner with all the fixings for her family.  Thanks mom!  It was delicious!

Like mother like daughter!  I've been hosting the Johnson Thanksgiving for the last 3 years now.  I can truly say I appreciate all the work that goes into it, but it's a lot of fun too!  Every year I get a little better, but it's still not quite the same as eating and relaxing at someone else's house!  Luckily I have the best husband who helps with everything and entertains me the whole time with his crazy antics.  He even made his own moose jerky, bear balls, and BUTTER!  Yup, he's a real catch and he's all mine!  Me so thankful.

Grandpa Fred came with M-n-M's for the kids and his homemade Southwestern greenbeans!  Here he is enjoying a Sarsaparilla.

Eli and Jere getting serious with the bird.

I took 3 or 4 photos of the cousins - this one had the most eyes showing.. Ahh, sweet, loving cousins.

Yes, loving cousins who enjoy tying each other up and dragging each other around the floor.  I'm pretty sure they were reenacting a scene from Swamp People here.  Henry was Junior, Jada was Travis, and Eli was a monster gator named Big Head.  Shortly before this, Henry had constructed a zip line from the upstairs bridge to a chair below, tied himself to it and was a few seconds away from trying it out.  Kids are so darn creative, aren't they?

Don't let them fool you.  Holiday dresses, polka-dot tights and hairbows have never stopped the Johnson girls from a throw-down. 

Wrangling Big Head into the boat.

The little girls had their own "special table" (a.k.a. we had no more room in the dining room).

Oreo ice-cream pie!

Cheers!  Hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgivings!  We love all of you family and friends and if we didn't see you at Thanksgiving, we hope to see you soon!  Can't wait to get my first Xmas card in the mail either - Jere and I always have a little running bet to see who sends theirs first.  So far, it's usually been my Auntie Barb with a cute one.  Who will it be this year???  :)

Making a list...

Checking it twice!  It's getting to be that time of year again!  And every year family members ask what the kids would like for Christmas.  Of course, they love and appreciate everything they get so don't feel like you have to get these things, but here are some ideas for those Grandmas and Grandpas, or Aunties and Uncles who would like some ideas.  FYI They've been naughty and nice so you can decide accordingly... ha!  Merry Christmas!

**Violets Wish List: A Leapster and Leapster games, new earrings, Disney Fairies (the small 5" size - she has Tinkerbell already but wants friends for her), 25 pc. puzzles, Clothes and Outfits for her Barbie Dolls, Strawberry Shortcake RC Berry Cruiser, art supplies, a digital watch, used ice skates (size 9), Circo (Target Brand) "Love and Nature" flannel sheet set, matching "Love and Nature" wall decals, sugarfree gum

**Henry's Wish List:  Nintendo DS Lite or money to save for a DS, DS games, Scotch Pop-Up tape dispenser and LOTS of tape refills.. LOTS of tape refills, LOTS... any size/type of Lego set (but not Harry Potter - Santa's got that one!), books for his TAG system (he already has Star Wars and Cat in the Hat), any type of "guy" or "figure" (ie: G.I. Joe, Star Wars action figures), plain drawing paper or printer paper for drawing, new markers or any fun art supplies, any "science experiment" kind of thing, his own bag of chocolate chips, original Battleship game, footie pajamas from Target with moose on them (size 5T) - he seriously loves these, sugarfree gum

WWMD?

We woke up Saturday morning to a few good inches of beautiful, white snow!  The first of the year - so pretty on the trees and ground.  We had breakfast and couldn't wait to get outside.  Dear Husband was gone deer hunting so the new snow would provide some entertainment for the long weekend ahead.  It was that heavy, wet snow and it kept coming.  I think we got 8 inches at least!  While we were building Frosty, we could hear the branches crack and break off hitting the ground behind us.  I made sure I told the kids to not play in the woods.  It was a really fun afternoon that turned into evening.  I considered ourselves lucky that we still had power since I noticed on facebook that people were without it.  As it got dark I decided to put Violet in the tub upstairs, put a movie on for Henry downstairs, (Don't yell at me for leaving Violet in the tub alone for a minute -with our floor plan when the bathroom door is open upstairs you can literally see downstairs through the railing and I constantly talk to her every 1/2 minute when I need to get something from another room quick) - anyway... I just hit the top of our stairs again when.....flash, flash... EXTREME QUIET AND PITCH BLACKNESS.....  My first worry was Violet and although I was close by, I was worried she would stand up and slip and crack her head or something which I wouldn't even be able to tell since it was PITCH BLACK.  (OK - you can yell at me, I should NEVER leave a little kid in the bathtub alone!!!  What was I thinking?!!)  I very calmly yelled directions to both children, Vi to sit still I'd be RIGHT there, and Henry to the whereabouts of the flashlight.  Luckily I knew where one was but he'd need to get to it in the dark, turn it on, and get it to me upstairs as I tried to fish Violet out of our clawfoot tub, crying, wet, and scared (me too).  Well Henry saved the day and appeared in less than two minutes with a flashlight.  I curse myself for not having that all ready when I knew power was going out in other places in MN.  ANYWAY... crisis diverted.  Got Vi dressed, had the kids carefully follow me around while I dug out candles, tried to find matches, etc.  got it all set up for a cozy evening.  We got out all the blankets and set up camp in the living room.  We tried to play candy land but the kids were fighting over what was blue and green and to be honest  I couldn't tell either and I kept worrying about the candle starting them on fire - they are so squirmy!  So 7:00 bedtime kids!  I tried to read a book for as long as I could but kept worrying about us getting cold overnight etc.  Oh, and country living, no cell phone reception, no running water - our well is electric - and heck if I'm going to try to drive somewhere with two little kids on the snowy icky roads at night with the Honda.  So we are stuck.  Hey, it's not so bad.  WWMD? What would Ma (Ingalls) Do? But it HAD to be back on by morning, right?

Camping with every candle we can find... fancy, huh?

The camera flash makes it look so bright - I literally could only see the kids slightly illuminated by candlelight here.

Well, we made it through the night!  Still no power.  At 7 a.m. it was 59F in our house.  I decided I'd try to make a fire.  It's not that I don't know how, I just get nervous because we've had our house fill with smoke before 2x due to updraft, backdraft, whatever that is, and I didn't want to start the house on fire and not be able to call 911.  But cold overruled us and I did it!  No smoke either.  Hooray!

Around 10:30, I started feeling extra tough and adventourous so I decided to heat up some leftover wild rice soup on the woodstove.  Excellent.

Although I know you don't open the fridge/freezer when the power is out, after I snuck the soup out I noticed that nothing was cold in there... in fact, the milk was lukewarm at best.  I hate to waste food, so I decided I'd put the good stuff (milk, cheese, etc.) in a laundry basket and bury it in the snow.  Why do I take pictures of all of this?  Well, we had a lot of time on our hands without the bother of t.v., computers, phones, washing hands, or FLUSHING TOILETS after 22 hours.  Bet you wanted to know that, huh?

My feelings exactly.

We were getting creative with our snowmen, the one on the left is how I was starting to feel.  ugh.

After a while of playing, Violet just slid down and slumped there, defeated.  We didn't want to be outside anymore, we didn't want to go inside either.  Then we started cracking up.  She can always make me smile!

After Jere returned from deer camp, I showed him all the pictures.  He got a good laugh at this one and said I should show his Dad because this was his old coat.  Here you go Bruce!  Not my cutest moment, but very warm, very warm indeed.  Here is where this long, rambling story comes to an end.  Our power came back on around 5 p.m. Sunday night.  Jere got home only 2 hours earlier.  Figures!  :)  What's the big deal with all of this anyway, you ask.  Seriously?  Meet Henry and Violet, ages 5 and 3.  They're lovable, but wild, stir-crazy beasts!  They wake up at 6 a.m!  Take them for a day, I'll even let you have electricity and you tell me if you're tired... I was stressing out imagining another night in the dark and started to pack a bag for my mom's so we could at least go brush our teeth and wash our faces.  But... just as quick as it turned off, it was ON!!! HOORAY!  No more photos because we literally scrambled around turning on the t.v. (Henry), computer (me), drinking water from the faucet, jumping up and down, shouting cheers, flushing toilets... ahhh. we love us some electricity... we are spoiled with it... and we appreciate it so so very much.  The End.

Halloween

These might just be the ugliest pumpkins we've ever had, but I love them anyway because my children designed them.  Ahhh, a mother's love... who knew is would include pocked-face pumpkins??

Johnson cousins: Violet, Zoie, Jada, Eli, and Henry before trick-0r-treating.

Here's Henry talking to his Uncle Sam.  Whenever he talks on the phone he walks around fast and gets real serious.  He said later they were discussing burping contests and Howard the Duck...very serious subject matter indeed.

The morning after Halloween, Violet started her first day of Preschool.  The 3 yr. old class had been filled when Henry started, but the director told us that a little boy was moving and asked if Violet would like to start attending.  She couldn't say "YES!" fast enough.  Violet LOVES school, loves, loves, LOVES it!  She goes the same two days Henry goes so it works perfect.  How could we say no? 

Cute little behinders!

So many costumes, so little time...

We love Halloween here.  In fact, we have a year-round costume box that the kids are ALWAYS playing in.  I pick up costumes at thrift stores and garage sales and the box keeps getting bigger and bigger.  This year, Henry has it narrowed down to an Army Guy, Darth Vader, a Storm Trooper, or Bubbles from Trailer Park Boys (don't worry - he's only seen the cover of the DVD and asks us funny/awesome/weird questions about him).  Violet is going to be this bird (see above) but because we have so many fun costumes she likes to wear different ones for different events.  Here Jere and I took them to the FALLOWEEN Festival at a local campground.  Spoooooky!

Father and Mama Johnson by: Henry - He's getting pretty good at taking photos, huh?

Are you ever too young to be embarrassed by your old man?

Henry took this photo too!

SpongeBob and Scarecrow at Grandma Sue's Dance Studio. They had a performance for parents last night.

The Dancers

Here is Elsa (4), Violet (3), and Lila (2).  The extra girls belong to my best friend, Jessie.

Here is Jessie and I with our girls (her Dad, John captured in the background haha!).  For those of you that don't know, Jessie and I have been best friends and have grown up together since the second grade!! We weren't much older than our girls now.  We wore the BFF necklaces and everything for many years.  It's so fun to see pictures like this! 

Love those crazy gaps!

Daddy Dearest

Wow!  Daddy decided to take Violet to work yesterday and she came home with her ears pierced!  We'd been talking about it for awhile but for some reason Jere really wanted to make this a special daddy/daughter day... and he did!  Before they left for his office, it was still in negotiation so I really wasn't sure if they'd do it or not... and I kinda wanted to go too. But after work that day he took her to a hair salon where the lady gave Violet the third degree beforehand to make sure this is what she really wanted, not just her parents - that's good I suppose.  When she asked Violet if she knew it was going to hurt, Violet just said "Yes, and I don't care."  I guess that was the correct answer because away she went to the big chair with many strangers looking on... No tears, no flinches, she didn't even bat an eye!  They did them separately too!  She still claims it didn't hurt a bit.  What a big girl!  Here's the big bummer... no pictures of the event!!! That's the big difference between Jere and me... I'd be all over that like the paparazzi.  Although, momma to the rescue! I took some before and after photos just in case they really went through with it.  Although I'm sad I missed the event, I think it's pretty cool that she'll forever be able to say that her Daddy took her to get her ears pierced.  :)  They look adorable!

Before...

After!  She was so proud of herself!

This was only 10 mns. after the actual piercing so her ears look a tad red and still had the ink smear from the dots they put on beforehand.

She wasn't wanting anymore pictures but I tried to sneak one more... I hope the next 6 weeks of cleaning and earring turning go as smoothly!

Kleenex and Cupcakes

We are sick here at the Johnson house.  Just the typical knock-you-off-your-feet style cold and flu symptoms.  Nothing major, but still annoying especially with the wonderful weather we are having.  I tried to make myself go outside to enjoy the sunshine and sit on a lawn chair in the sun yesterday and read a book.  Within 3 mns. the puppy had goobered mouth juices with bits of whoknowswhat all over my shirt, tipped over my pop, ran away with the can, Henry and Violet were fighting about something and I ended up yelling at everyone.... dog, kids, husband (just because he was in my path) coughing and wiping my nose the whole time. Pleasantville it's not.  P.S. Kleenex with lotion are the BEST in my opinion when you are boogery... they don't rub your skin raw or give you that flakey skin nose for the 3 days following your cold... I love them.
Anyway, since I'm such a peach we haven't been up to much for excitement lately... I thought I'd share some old birthday pictures from Violet's 3rd (last May) and Henry's 5th (last July).  Those look happy and cheerful... :)

Grandma Sue and Eli

This is her "I'm embarrassed face" while everyone was singing Happy Birthday to her.

This is how we SPREAD GERMS Violet!!!

Such a sweet little pose!

Violet and Jada B.F.F.

We have this tradition of picking up a little cake just for us to celebrate the kids' birthday on the real day since we usually celebrate with family on the weekend.

Here's the start of Henry's B-day... his choice.. McDonalds!!  Waterpark!!  Cake!! 

Dad got Henry a slot car set just like when he was a boy... I think he missed it.

Then on the following weekend, Henry gets ready for his first party with friends from school (we only invited 3).  He was super excited!

A little Pin the SpongeBob on the Pineapple...

Henry's best bud got him this StarWars thingy and it was all over from there.  He went nutso ignoring everyone and everything until he got it out of the box.  It was by far his favorite gift - even more exciting than ours.  Thanks kid - way to steal our thunder.

The intense gazes of 5 year old boys playing StarWars. 

Then we had the Family Party right after on the same day... busy but good. 

Jere, Jesse, Sam, Jada, and Grandpa Bruce

Suh-weet!!!!

Grandma Judy, Great Grandma Evi, and Grandma Sue

I love this one of Grandma and Grandkid.