2012 Blessings

As I reflect on 2012 the one word that comes to my mind is blessing. I am so thankful to God for His provision and blessings in my life. With our family growing from a family of four to a family of five I am so very grateful for healthy happy children.

Kaden learned how to swim and ride his bike this summer. I can't believe that he is growing up so quickly. With Joel spending a lot of the summer out of town we had plenty of walks/bike rides at the trail. With this snowy weather I long for those days to return. Kaden also started Kindergarten this year. He is as smart as they come and jumps at any chance to learn more. He loves Science and wants to be a Scientist when he grows up. I am sure whatever he choose God will have a hand in it.  He loves to memorize God's word and has a sensitive heart. He also has really gotten into Lego's this year. He has more sets than he knows what to do with. I love his ability to play and pretend.

David is well David! Happy, Sweet, and Ornery. He has his own ideas about his day and how it should go. He loves to do school with Kaden and is interested in anything Kaden has going on.  He is learning how to potty train and with a little practice I think he'll have it soon. He loves trains, Mickey Mouse, and tractors. He also loves to sleep with Stripes (his zebra) and  Ribbert (his frog). He is such a snuggly little boy. His sweet cheeks and sparkly blue eyes captivate me and have the ability to keep him out of trouble often times.

Emmalyn has grown so much this year. She was born in January and is almost a year old. She has learned how to do, well, EVERYTHING. From eating, to crawling, to talking. :) She is a very smart little girl. She thinks she is the boss and pretty much lets the boys know it. She is the happiest baby we have had. She is a joy. Emmy is our little pretty pretty.

I hope your 2012 was wonderful and God blesses you in 2013. The bible says that "Every good and perfect gift comes from above." Thank you God for my family! As this year ends may you reflect on the blessings God has bestowed on you and thank Him for them.

Our Junebug is 8 Months! :)

Our sweet little June Bug is 8 months old! :) She has such a sweet/laid back personality but these last few weeks have been pretty hard since she has gotten in two more teeth. I am sure all of you mom's out there with teething babes can empathize. We have tried everything from Tylenol to teething tablets and nothing seems to ease the discomfort. So if you would please pray for our girl I'd really appreciate that! :) I am sure we have many more sleepless nights on the agenda.

She is just too adorable. I love to play dress up with her. It is so fun picking out different outfits with matching accessories! Cute shoes, hair bows, and tights fill her closet. She has more clothes than her momma, and that's saying something! lol.

We have been listening to the  new Matt Redman cd around here. The boys love "10.000 reasons but I am pretty sure Emmy's fav is "We are the free." That one is my favorite as well.

John 8:36 "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."

Monday Photo Madness

Hi there. :) Our blog has received a much needed makeover. I know the old header had Emmy's newborn photo and our girl is now 7 months old!! (What?) So I spent some time this morning fixing that. Hope you like it. I am planning on adding a few more things throughout the week so if it looks a little different each time, well that's just my OCD, bare with me.

I wanted to start out with these sweet pictures from our instagram. I have had instagram for such a long time but just never really used it. I had it before a lot of people did so I didn't really see the point without anyone to follow, up until now. I love it. How fun. To get a glimpse into daily snapshots of friends/families lives. :) If you have instagram and would like to follow us our username is johnsonsforhim . If you don't have it well get on it! :) You'll love it I am sure.

I can't believe our summer has come to an end already. I am in full swing of Kindergarten home school with Kaden and loving every minute of it. See that pic up there of him with the "Teach Me Chinese" literature? Yep. That's right. My little boy asked to learn Chinese. So if you think about it please pray for me as I am trying to teach him one of the hardest languages EVER! :) I have four years of Spanish under my belt so you would think that is what he'd pick. NO GO. Chinese it is!

Joel and I are also coaching K's soccer team with a sweet friend named Heather. It is going much better than I expected since I have never played soccer, practiced soccer, or even watched it on t.v. for that matter. LOL. I am more of a girly girl really, and never did many sports other than cheerleading. But this has been a really sweet time that Joel and I have gotten to share with our boy. Our little fox team is doing quite well. And we are just beaming with pride that K and his teammates play, have fun, and get along.

I have just finished up another Beth Moore bible study and it was terrific. I can't say enough about this woman's ability to make you delve into the word of God, sit and meditate on it, and apply it to your life. Not sure what to start next? Anyone have any good studies they have done recently? Or any treasures even in the past? I'd love for you to share!!!
Have a great week!

Our Kindergartner

Here he is! Our smarty pants. He starts Kindergarten right after Labor Day. I can't believe it. We are so proud of the sweet little man our K has become. He has such good manners and is a true joy. He is excited about starting school back up again. This little guy is one of the smartest 5 year olds I know. Case in point: He memorizes bible verses like a pro and can already do basic addition! :) If I sound a little like a proud parent, it's because I am. I want our children to be very educated in things pertaining to school, but my major desire is for them to know the Lord and have a personal relationship with our Savior. I pray everyday that the Lord guides me in this, because on my own I am nothing.

I have received a lot of questions about homeschool through email so I thought I'd answer some of them here:

Q: What curriculum do you plan on using?

A:  Through much prayer we have decided to go with Sonlight Curriculum (www.sonlight.com). It's a literature based program. We feel like if children love to read then they can learn almost anything else! :) It is also a Christian based program that teaches children at a very young age to have a biblical world view.

Q: Do you do school 5 days a week?

A: Last year I only did 4 days a week. We took Fridays off and with K's attention span I thought that worked well for us. (He has a very good attention span). If your child will sit still for that long and actually enjoys school then why not. We want our children to love school! If four days seemed like too much at first we would have cut back some. This year we plan on a five day school week but will cut back if need be.

Q: I can't get my child to sit still for a movie. How do you get your child to sit for school?

A: Sometimes I think K forgets he is doing school. Our curriculum is literature based so to him it just feels like a really long "story time." Now don't get me wrong we have our days were it isn't so smooth, but for the most part he loves it.

Q: Do you really think you can teach your child through 13 years of school? Do you feel qualified?

A: Joel and I both feel called to homeschool our children. When the Lord called we listened. I just take it one day at a time. Right now I am teaching ABC's and 123's so yes in that part I do feel qualified. As far as 13 years of school, no I may not be the most qualified but the Lord is. He is more than qualified. Will will walk in His Spirit and His Truth! I pray my children have a heart for Him and His people. Everything else: icing on the cake.

Our Junebug is 6 Months!!

Our sweet girl is six months old and I can't even believe time has flown by so fast. She has the most infectious grin. I just love her chubby little cheeks. Isn't she so precious? She is such a joy to this family and we thank God every day for blessing us with her. We love you Emmy Girl!

 We have had such a fun summer I have had a hard time keep up with this blog. My littles are my first priority. :) We have been swimming, camping, vacationing, and all of the other things that coming along during these hot summer months. I am so ready for the beautiful colors of fall and a hot mug of apple cider. Not to mention the start of home school, K's soccer, and football.

I have successfully taken K's Kindergarten pictures and I can not wait for you to see them. I am one beaming proud momma. I can't believe my baby is 5. We start school after Labor day weekend and this is one momma that needs to get organized pronto! :) I have already started school shopping and I have to admit I love buying office supplies. Can anyone else out there relate? If your not careful you can really drop some dough at Staples. I know I am showing my true geekery! :) You can see where my children get it from. We are all just too school for cool!

Summertime 2012

Right before my trip to Alabama for the fourth we had our family pictures taken. I thought they turned out great. Thanks so much Kara. We love them! :) My sister is in town for the next couple of weeks so I am enjoying much needed time loving on my nephews. Hope you have a wonderful week! :)

David's 2nd Birthday ~ Pond Pary

~Happy Birthday To You! Happy Birthday To You! Happy Birthday Dear David!

Happy Birthday To You! ~

This weekend we celebrated our sweet boy David's second birthday! We held this exciting event at his favorite place, the pond. With sunshine, water, and all the dirt a boy could get into who could ask for a better place. We had such a fun time swimming and celebrating with friends and family. Our children truly are blessings from the Lord. I just thank God everyday that we have happy and healthy little ones!

Joel decided he would build a sprinkler for the grand event out of PVC pipe. It was a HIT. Our children have the funnest dad on the planet! :) Did I mention he's also the most handsome?

Our little David is such an adventurous little boy. His natural curiosity is so wonderful, but can also be some of the reason he finds himself in trouble. He is always doing things to make us laugh and as you can tell by the photos he has the most ornery grin. I just love his bright blue eyes and sweet kissable cheeks! :) He is going to be a strong leader some day, I am sure of it with his "take control" personality. Joel thinks he is going to be a tattooed Harley rider. As long as he lives his life for our Lord I will be happy with whatever he chooses. Happy birthday sweet boy. We love you bigger than the oceans!

Run Momma Run!

This past weekend I ran my first ever 5K! And I can't wait for the next one. Who would have ever thought I'd say that about running? I know right! I am so thankful to my sweet husband for his support. As I crossed the finish line he was parked right by it blaring "The Final Countdown" from our van. :) I am so grateful as well for all of the sweet encouraging words from my friends/family. I know that 3.1 miles doesn't seem like much, but if the only running you ever did before was errands then it is a great accomplishment! I think Joel is going to run in the next one and he has already informed me he will cheer me on from the finish line. Any takers for babysitting? lol.

Our Father's Day Friend

I hope you all had a wonderful Father's Day and spent time with those wonderful men in your lives. I know we did. Joel is the best daddy to our children. He loves them with zeal. He is so passionate about his role as a father and a spiritual leader. He encourages me to walk closer to the Lord. He is such a wonderful provider and a very loyal man. He is my best friend! I couldn't imagine walking through life with anyone other than him. I thank God for blessing me with such a wonderful husband.

We spent Father's Day swimming at the pond and we found a new friend. That's K holding our special guest. Isn't he brave. Our boys are such adventurers. :) David also held the frog and Jimmy (our nephew) did as well. As for me and Emmy, well lets just say we had fun snuggling under the umbrella! :) Have a great week!

S'more summer fun!

 We have been having such a good time this summer already. Over the weekend our children spent three consecutive days in water. They will be little fish soon! :) We camped over night at Joel's grandparents pond. We went swimming, did some paddle boating, cooked hot dogs and s'mores, and even had a few friends drop by to play. I love camping and always have, it has been something that Joel and I share a love for. Look at how resourceful my wonderful hubby is. In that last picture that bacon/brat contraption was hand crafted. He is wonderful. Pretty sure if he was ever a tribute on the Hunger Games he would win! :) lol.

It is so important to us to create these memories with our children. This time we get to spend with them is precious to me. It won't be long before they are all grown up camping with their own little ones. I cherish it. I try and takes as many pictures as possible; with my camera and my mind.

Kaden and Jimmy were up late talking that night and it was so cute to be able to listen to their conversation. They started telling jokes and they were cracking us up. Some of the jokes went something like this:

Kaden: "Knock, Knock"
Jimmy: "Who's there?"
Kaden: "Frogs"
Jimmy: "Frogs who?"
Kaden: "Frogs that eat mosquitoes."

lol

Jimmy: "Knock, Knock"
Kaden: "Who's  there?"
Jimmy: "Cheese."
Kaden: "Cheese who?"
Jimmy: "Cheese Cake."

These jokes were followed by uncontrollable laughter. Joel and I tried to keep laughing under our breathe so the jokes would keep on coming, but after awhile we couldn't help our selves and burst out in fits. Then we joined in!

Mommy: "Knock, Knock."
K and Jimmy: "Who's there?"
Mommy: "Cow's go."
K and Jimmy: "Cow's go who?"
Mommy: "No silly cows go moo!"

Hope your weekend was just as fun. I know we had a blast. I can't wait for this weekend as I will hopefully be running my first 5K! :) Wish me luck, cuz this girl's gonna need it!

Piggies & Cream

Last night we had a fun family date night at a local restaurant here in town, Piggies & Cream. With a name like that how can you go wrong? Our boys just loved it. (see above grins from ear to ear). With Joel working Saturdays it was nice to still go out for a date and be home at a decent hour for him. It was such a warm night so we also got to sit outside on the picnic tables. Our boys loved looking at the trucks and cars zooming by. They come by their love for automobiles naturally. Boys will be boys, if you can't see in the picture both of their sweet faces are covered in gooey goodness. It took everything I had not to grab a wipe and wash them before snapping the photo, & I am glad I didn't! Like I've said before I am learning to live more in the moment. Here's to your weekend being just as wonderful!

Hello Friends

Hello there. What a beautiful day we are having. I absolutely love Spring weather. Warm days with an oh so sweet breeze and those cool nights: Could it get any better? We have been really enjoying it with fun days spent outside playing at the park, coloring on our driveway, swinging on our swing set, and riding bikes (well our little man rides his power wheel lol).

 After my nephew had such a hard time with RSV we haven't taken the children out in public yet. I know we will have to do it sometime soon, I just would like Miss E to be  a bit older before we do. Which has been hard because we have been really missing our church and our church family. I don't mind home church every so often but there is something so special about connecting with other believers in worship and in truth. Maybe that's why God tells us to do so in His word! Anyway if your reading this and you go to our church we truly miss yall.

I am excited that summer is on it's way. I can not wait for the numerous fishing trips that we have planned. I love to fish. :) Our boys love it too. I am also excited to take them camping. We usually take a camping trip to Michigan every summer. I absolutely love this time spent together away from everything. Do you have any annual summer traditions you do with your family? If so I'd love to hear about them. :)

*pic above from here

Easter Sunday

Our Easter was wonderful! It was filled with lots of fun activities: Coloring eggs, Easter egg hunts, playtime with cousins, & great food. I am so thankful that we serve a living Savior and because of his death and resurrection I am forgiven. Hallelujah! Hope you and your family had a wonderful Easter as well.