The Trampoline

Yesterday Brian and my dad spent a little while putting the trampoline together.  It took about an hour and a half, but Brian said if he ever had to do it again, it would take him half as long - evidently he learned a lot in that hour and a half. 

Reed jumped right on and squealed and screamed as he flopped around.  I asked him if Santa did good and he said "Yes!"  Then I heard him whisper "Thank you, Santa!"  It was very sweet.  Hudson wasn't as pumped about it as Reed.  When he first got on it, he wouldn't even get out of my lap.  He eventually got to where he would jump only if he was holding on to me directly.  If I sat down, he would say "Mounce!" (Bounce!) 

Then Brian got on with Reed and was bouncing him in the air.

Hudson wasn't sure about all the bouncing, but he definitely didn't want to be left out...

Reed has already asked about getting on it again this morning...  :)

Our Christmases

What a great week we've had!  Last Saturday we finished up our Christmas marathon.  It has been an endurance race, that's for sure!  As I went through my pictures, I noticed that they were very sporadic - lots of pictures at some gatherings and none at others... the only explanation I can think of is that I got more tired as time went on and just didn't think to do it!  Anyhoo, our Christmases started on December 19th with Brian's parents and Eric and Sara.  We ate, we talked, we laughed and we opened gifts.  Hudson took a nap, but woke up super gripy and we couldn't get him interested in opening presents.  I chose this picture of him in his new tool belt because you can't see his sour face.  :)

Gammy and DadDad got Reed a box full of the mini Lego figures which he LOVED.

Hudson and Grace in Grace's new red wagon...

Hudson on his new car that DadDad picked out...

The next day we went to Graham to see Mike's family.  I took this precious picture of Reed with Papa (Brian's granpa).  They sat at the table for the longest talking about Bakugans and Lego mini figures.  It was a very sweet sight to see.
Hudson is a child after my own heart.  Hanging out on the countertop doin' a little snackin'...
We had Monday and Tuesday "off" - I spent those days doing cooking for the next few get togethers and catching up on the housework.  On the 23rd, we headed to Mimi and Pepaws house.  Mimi had some Santa hats hanging around which ended up making the cutest picture...
I'm pretty sure they hadn't had lunch yet, but hey, everybody needs an ice cream sandwich on Christmas , right? My mantra for the day was "It's Christmas at Mimi's house, it's Christmas at Mimi's house..."  :)

Pepaw in the hat we got him...

I previously posted about our Christmas Eve -which by far has been my favorite one yet.  (All of our family pictures are on my other camera and I can't get those to upload - I'll work on that later!)  After we went to bed, Santa came!  We got up the next morning and he had left fun things in our stockings and Reed had a note in his.  As it turns out, he brought he boys a trampoline and had planned on putting it together when he got to our house.  Shockingly enough, it was snowing when he got here and he hadn't planned on it snowing in Texas!  He didn't have enough time to put it together, but didn't think that Brian would mind doing it for him.  :)  He also brought these cute diggers for the boys...

After opening gifts, we headed to Brian's aunt and uncles for a get together.  I woke up on Christmas morning feeling AWFUL, so I thought I was going to have to stay home.  I was so naseaus and just sat in the bathroom wishing I could throw up so maybe I could feel better.  I ate a piece of bread and chewed a couple of Pepto Bismol and got to feeling good enough to go (I DID NOT want to miss Christmas Day with my boys).  I felt much better as the day went on, and we had a great day.  

Yesterday the boys went to Mimi's and I went to go spend some Christmas money.  I've been needing a new nice coat for a while, so after I dropped the boys off, I did some shopping and got some fun things!  When I was leaving my last store, it was snowing...AGAIN!!  Twice in the same week - in TEXAS.  I was very excited.  After I got home, I bundled up and walked around outside to take some pictures.


I was really bundled up - it was 33 degrees and I don't like being cold!!  I had on a hat, a hooded sweatshirt and my Columbia jacket on over that!  WHat can I say... I'm a Texas girl!

Here's to wishing you all a safe and happy New Year!!

A Perfect Christmas Eve

Today has been such a wonderful day! We got to sleep late this morning and before I had finished my coffee with coconut creamer, it had started snowing! When I looked out my windows, this was the scene...

Isn't it beautiful?

 Reed and I made cookies for Santa...

Brian has been home today and it's been awesome. (He usually works for a few hours on Christmas Eve, so it was a treat to have him home!) Although he's spent most of the day doing this...

Installing my new kitchen sink faucet! I love it!!

We just finished opening gifts and Reed is playing a new Wii game.  Soon we'll settle down and get to bed so Santa can stop by...very exciting!

Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone

Christmas is coming!

I can't believe that Christmas is less than a week away!  This month has FLOWN by, but I have never been so busy in my life. Since the beginning of the month, there has been parties to plan for, food to make, gifts to buy...  I'm tired!  At this point I'm down to just food to make for the next few Christmas get-togethers and boy, do we have the Christmas get-togethers!  In the next week, we have 6!  It's busy, but it's great.  We are so blessed to be surrounded by family and loved ones.  This is my favorite time of the season because ALL the preparation comes down to this - the fun of getting together in each others' homes, eating yummy food, listening to Christmas music, visiting and catching up, seeing the joy on the kids faces as they open gifts... I love it all so much.  I've had a rough time enjoying things this year because of how busy we have been, but I will truly enjoy the next week. So, some updates on the boys...

Hudson has started saying a lot of new things lately that I need to write down or I know I'll forget!  My favorites are "Wha dat?" (What's that?), "Wook, Wook!" (Look, Look!) and "Tane Ooooo" (Thank you).  When I hear him getting into things I'll call his name and every once in a while he'll yell back "Wha?"  It's pretty cute.

Reed is still loving school.  He's getting very good at writing his letters and numbers.  I can tell that he is learning so much and I can't believe that he already has 4 months of school behind him.  I'm very thankful that he has the teacher he does and that I am able to go help so often in his class.  I know all the kids by name and they have evolved from calling me Reed's mom to Mrs. Blevins!  I was up working on some things before the Christmas party on Thursday and one of the little boys his classmates came over to me and said "Mrs. Blevins, why are you always here?"  :)

Lately...

Well, I've been told by a couple of people that I'm not posting enough lately, so here's what's been happening with us. :) On Saturday Reed went to the birthday party of a friend of his from school. Since I was trying to get ready for my nephew-to-be's party we were having at our house on Sunday, Brian took him and Hudson stayed home with me. The party that Reed was invited to was at Build A Bear. I've never been there before, so I was excited to see what he came home with and my goodness, it was so cute!

Yep, he chose a Darth Vader costume... So neat!!
On Sunday we the birthday party for Isaac. We had a lot of fun visiting, watching him open presents and talking wedding plans! (But I did not take ONE picture!!! Bummer!)
Today I headed to Wal-Mart to get groceries for my Christmas baking. Hudson and I stopped on the way out so he could ride the Sesame Street toy. He said "Oooooooo!" a lot. Very cute.



This week should be full of Christmas baking, school parties, Bible study class parties, and a few other Christmas related events. It's fun, but I'm tired! :)

Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone

Christmas Joys

Reed and I just finished a Christmas puzzle and now all three boys are piled in our bed watching a Christmas edition of the Imagination Movers.

I love this time of year!

Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone

Special Jammies

At school today, Reed's class is going to read The Polar Express while hanging out in their pajamas drinking hot chocolate.  Reed doesn't sleep in pajamas so I actually had to go buy some for the occasion, but it was well worth it - look at my little cutie pie!!

Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone

Thankful Thursday: Thanksgiving Edition

This was the Johnson's year for Thanksgiving and we hosted at our house.  What a great day! So for today's for Thankful Thursday, I am thankful for:

Playing games...

Hudson's sweet belly laugh when Uncle Brandon threw him in the air...

A beautiful day with great-grandparents...

Uncle Brandon and Reed shooting the BB guns...

Playing on the Gator...

The boys playing in the dirt and having a GREAT time - I'm thankful I didn't have to ride with them back to the house!

It was a great day with the family - SO much to be thankful for!  Hope you all had a great day full of blessings!

Our Little Indian

Last week the Kindergartners had a "Thanksgiving Feast" with a short program of a few songs and poems.  He made his Indian vest and headband - it was very cute and I could tell he felt like he was quite a big deal!

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for-

• butternut squash for lunch and an oven to bake it in.
• my sweet boys.
• Thanksgiving holiday and being with family!
• a warm house.
• my health.

The Pick Up Line

Every day when I go to pick up Reed from school, Hudson sits in the back and watches a movie. He is usually rested from his nap with a snack and a drink so he's happy as a clam.  Today I forgot the drink and snack and the movie just wasn't cutting it (could it be that the same movie has been running over and over for a few weeks now?)  I decided to let him out of his car seat so he could "run" around in the car.   I rolled the windows down and he was having a blast going from window to window in the back seat while I went through the mail.  A few minutes before school let out, I buckled him back in his seat, but his shoes were no where to be found.  I searched the car - front,  middle, back and far back...  Seriously, where could they be?  Then it occured to me.  The open windows... Great!!  I checked around the car, under the car and even on the sidewalk.  (Imagine with me if you will - here I am rushing to find two 5 inch long khaki colored Crocs in a giant pile of leaves next to the curb.  They might as well be camoflauge!!  Kids are starting to file out and cars are starting to move...Ugh.)  I only have two pairs of shoes for this fat footed little monkey, so I was going to find those suckers.  As I'm scanning the ground finding nothing, I vaguely remembered that as Hudson and I sat waiting for school to be out, I saw a woman walk by our car and in my side mirror I noticed that she stopped and bent down.  Maybe she found them and she took them to the office!!  So I pull over out of "traffic", unbuckled Hudson and start to the office, grabbing Reed on the way.  I'm up there every week to help, so the ladies know me and when I ask if they had a pair of Crocs turned in, they look very puzzled.  I go on to tell them that I'm pretty sure my 21 month old pitched them out the window and they both got a little giggle out of it. Nothing had been turned in but they say they'll keep and eye out for them.  I left the office and tried to figure out anywhere else they could have been "turned in" and head down to the custodian's office who also gets quite the little giggle out of it.  (If they think this is amusing, they should spend a day with me.)  After no luck with the custodian, I decide to just head to the car and hope they turn up.  I decided to take one more glance and there on the sidewalk, about a car length from where our car was sitting in the pick up line, are two khaki colored little Crocs.  I guess the kid has quite the arm - maybe he'll be in the big leagues.  :) Just another day in the pick up line!

Mine!

In the last couple of weeks, Hudson has been saying a popular word among toddlers. He wraps his arms around whatever thing it is that he's claiming - coloring books, toys, whatever - and exclaims "Mine!" It's not super often, but he has been saying it here and there.
Just now, I was checking my e-mail and he came up beside me, laid his head on me, threw his little chubby arms around my waist and said "Mine!"
How sweet is that? That little monkey sure can get his momma's heart!

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for-

• the health of my family.  We have some coughs and sore throats here and there, but for the most part, we are all healthy and thriving.
• being the girl in my house full of boys.  I really love my little snuggler, my sweet kindergartner and my best friend.
• watching movies on the couch today. I've been needing some down time!
• country livin'. :)

More Mainstay Pictures

DadDad took these at Mainstay Farms... Too cute!

The Pumpkin Patch (and lots of other stuff, too!)

We had a super busy weekend.  On Friday morning, I went to Bible study like always.  I had to leave a little early because I had signed up to volunteer at Reed's school for Harvest Center Day.  They had face painting, wreath making, etc., then we moved to the cafeteria for Pumpkin Ring Toss, Scarecrow Relay, Popcorn Relay and Gourd Bowling.  Somehow I got the rockin' job of setting up bowling pins after every Kindergartner threw the gourd. Awesome.  Seriously, the kids had a blast, and that's what it's all about. Reed and I got home and had about an hour before we were having our family pictures taken.  We got dressed in our coordinated outfits and were ready to go... all except Hudson.  Lately, if he isn't able to do exactly what he wants to, he throws a fit.  Crying, going limp where you can't pick him up... ugh.  I wanted to get at least one good one for Christmas cards, but Hudson was a bear.  I guess we'll just have to see how they turn out...  Then on Saturday morning we got up and headed to Mainstay Farms.  Gammy, DadDad, Uncle Eric, Aunt Sara and sweet Grace came along also.  It was a lot of fun and I think the kids really enjoyed it, too.  Here are the boys jumping around in the hay (in their awesome Halloween shirts). :) 

I could not get these kids to both look at the camera at the same time.  This is how every picture turned out...

As far as trying to get a family picture... Well, this is the best one we got-

The rest of the time was this...

Does that give you any idea how our family pics went on Friday night?  Well, it should...  :) 

 Check out this little sweetie and her punkin' ... :)

Best pic I have of the kids...

This is when Hudson was trying to push Grace off of the platform they were sitting on. 

 Nice, huh?

Brian and Reed in the tree house

We had a great morning and I got to be home about 30 minutes before I had to leave to go work the booth for Reed's school carnival.  I threw on a makeshift "grease monkey" costume (jeans, boots, one of Brian's Ford shirts with a wrench in my pocket, a Ford cap, pigtails and mascara smeared on my face) and headed to the school.  I spent the next 2 hours blowing up and tying balloons to give out for tickets. I actually have skin rubbed off my fingers from tying so many balloons.  DadDad stepped in and took care of the last hour for me so I could go Trick or Treating with my boys.  THANKS DADDAD!  By the time we got home on Saturday night, I was done in.  We had a fun weekend, but I'm glad it's over!