Christmas day in Idaho

We made it over to Aunt Shannah and Uncle Beau's house for brunch where we got to see Mia, Dillyn, Grammy and Papa and Breezy on Christmas morning.

Our sweet cousins, Mia and Dillyn

Grammy and Papa should have been in Hawaii today. They were booked on the flight two days ago, but due to the winter storms in the western states, all flights were cancelled. We made many jokes about warm beaches to make them feel better!

Aunt Breezy cuddling with sissy

So, Tanner started out in our room at 5am, whispering, "can I go down, Mom?" It had been snowing all night and we had forgotten to close his blinds, so it did look "light" outside, but no, he did not get to go downstairs yet. He was able to fall back asleep, but Matt and I were up. Waking to jingles, the boys ran excitedly down stairs to find that Santa had really shown up! The electric slot car track was a huge hit among ALL the boys....Dad included.

New underwear and a new scooter. What could be better?

Elise just loved watching the excitement and finding any bit of chocolate on the floor to rip into.

Granmimi and Granpa always find the latest electronic gifts....the boys loved the cars this year!

Cute for Christmas

So, this is the thing. Baby girl clothes are so much fun. Elise had more christmas outfits than I could fit into this season. Last year, it was a must on the list for the child I was carrying, so we ended up with many sweet dresses ready to be worn. Then, she got this sweet "first christmas" outfit from her great grandparents in Texas. We'll be wearing them well into January!

Ready for church on Sunday and I had to capture them all spruced up!

New sweaters for everyone!

My cousin, JuDawn knitted the kids sweaters and hats for Christmas this year. Jazzy, sporting the beanie, enjoyed some photo time with Elise! The boys were thrilled with the little cardigans and wore them continuously for two days!

Construction on the Cabin

We headed up to see the progress Matt has been making on our 600 square foot cabin in Cascade. He's been spending a couple of days a week up there, but wanted all of us to join him last week. Admittedly, he didn't get as much done as usual, but we sure had fun. I couldn't believe what a fantastic job he has done painting and getting the electical work done, let alone, getting the floor laid. It is so exciting to think we'll be able to use it soon! The kids and I gave Dad a break and went out for some sledding right down our hill. Elise lasted about a half hour strapped into the sled! Alex and Tanner were in winter heaven!

Getting them all dressed takes a LONG time!

A shot of the kitchen area..... a long galley kitchen is what fit best in this cozy place.

Thanks to Aunt Katie for letting us borrow this sweet winter suit for Lissy. She was nice and snug in the 1 degree weather outside (for a short time!)

Another day, another month

At eight months Elise is:
1. smiling only for family
2. tolerating minutes of tummy time, no crawling attempts
3. sporting 6 teeth
4. has now rolled 3x
5. sleeping 4-6 hours at a time at night
6. loves bath time excessively
7. weighs in at 19 pounds (85 percentile)
8. is adored by biggest brother, Tanner who packs her everywhere (wonder why she doesn't crawl??)
9. tolerates big brother Alex (who competes to carry her, just to compete with Tanner)

Alex's thanksgiving dance

Alex performs with his preschool class just before Thanksgiving. He continues to amaze us with his ability to remember songs, fingerplays and dances on a days notice. We wonder if he might have a bit of a photographic memory. Wouldn't that be fun? The video is a bit hard to hear, but the dance is cute anyway!

Trying to capture a christmas pose

So, it's December 8th and I still haven't developed a Christmas pose for our cards yet this year. I thought, "how hard could it be? I'll just get a good one in the bath. It's typically a good time for Elise". Well, Alex would not cooperate there and then afterwards, they wouldn't sit still without giggling and falling all over the bed. Then Lissy was upset. So much for an easy shot. Still pretty darn cute though.

Our Johnson creation at seven months

My friend, Barb (who is also a Johnson) gave Lissy this sweet t-shirt as a gift. It says it all!

Why are hats for girls so darn cute? Maybe it's just the model.

In Alex's preschool, they learned this finger play. He, unlike his older brother, loves to participate in all the songs with actions. Tanner is the tenative one to go to doors to trick or treat, Alex is right there knocking. Tanner is the observer, Alex is the participater....not giving a second thought to whose watching. I wonder what the third little personality will be. What fun!

Halloween night

Could there be any cuter kids on Halloween night? Mickey, Donald and that Jungle book bear

Super scary pumpkins. They are imitating the pumpkin faces if you can't tell.

Harvest parties

Tanner has this new love. A girl named Alexi in his kindergarten class. She sits right next to him and he has been infatuated with her since day one. They actually have a very sweet friendship. Her mom told me that recently Alexi confided in her that she had kissedTanner on the playground. I asked Tanner about it later, and he said, "yeah, she did". Matter of fact. "Right her on my neck." Oh my. We had a talk.

Corn maze fun at a local pumpkin farm

His good friend, Isaac from kindergarten.

The field trip started off with a hay ride out to see some exotic animals (a zebra in Idaho???). It was about 30 degrees that morning and I had packed up Elise to go with me as a parent helper. We froze, but Tanner was thrilled to have us along. How long does that last??

Many Halloween adventures

A family picture in front of a scary skeleton.
Just my style. Not. But the kids thought it was
cool.

Halloween one week early. We now have a tradition of going out to an annual party put on by a family in Eagle, ID who puts on a great event. This year, not only did a small plane (flown by the dad) drop candy overhead, but these superheros also came sky diving down. You can image the excitement in the air when the kids spied them coming in!

Donald and Mickey this year.

Our friend, Zach and Jake Vickhammer, joined us this year for the exciting party. We had to take pictures beforehand, of course. Alex was a little disappointed to be Donald Duck instead of a cool Darth Vader.

My first taste of chocolate

Yes, at 7 months old, we allowed our little missy to have a taste of a chocolate chip cookie. Needless to say, it was a complete hit! We couldn't pry that thing out of her mouth. Yes, the shirt says it all, "daddy's girl".

My lovely grandma

If there is ever a time to listen to that voice, that Holy Spirit voice inside your mind, it is now. Mine was telling me that I needed to get a generational picture done with my grandma, my mom, myself and Elise. It was a nagging voice that amist many obstacles, was heard. On Sunday, September 14th, we all went out and my uncle Jeff took these beautiful photos of the four of us. It was a wonderfully beautiful day that I think all of us enjoyed immensely. We finished it with a hearty meal at my mom's house and "I love you's" all around as we always do. On Tuesday, my grandma went into the emergency room with the beginning of a health crisis that eventually took her life on September 28th. Two weeks from the beautiful fall day we all spent together. I am ever so grateful for listening to that Holy Spirit voice. Now I have photos along with a great memory of my lovely grandma. I look forward to the next time we meet. Love you, grandma!

Sea World

The kids first trip to any amusement park was a HUGE hit! The shows were amazing along with the rides. Alex liked the dolphins best, while Tanner got soaked watching Chamu. Matt rode (alone) the thriller upside down, dangling feet coaster, while I stuck to the Texas Splasher! It was a great day to end our vacation on.



At last we got to see our beautiful niece, Samantha. She met Elise for the first time and it was a hit!

Lovely ocean days

Beachy days.....Grandmimi continues the search for the perfect sanddollar!

Elise even enjoyed her first taste of sand. A beach beauty in the making!

We spent two days enjoying the most beautiful, warm beaches. The boys loved every minute and so did we!

Boys will be boys....they fished out these poor jellyfish that were scattered along our dock, put them in fresh water and later dissected them.

The view we woke up to every morning. Papa Frank enjoyed two loves....fishing and grandkids!