bummed...

I really want to post all the pictures from the last week, but Kevin had to rearrange the power strip and my external hard drive did not make the cut. So until we get another (larger) powerstrip... sorry!

christmas party in peoria

Saturday we headed over to Peoria to have a party with the Johnson family. We have created traditions for the annual party each year and had to continue them. There was the traditional Mexican feast (and mini pizzas for the kids), the Nativity, carolling, a visit from Santa and cookie exchange. Unfortunately, we were dealing with a very cranky Koltyn, so we got very few pictures of all the fun.
The kids always have a blast dressing up for the Nativity story. I am pretty sure that I have the only children around who request to be animals (Kimble was the donkey and Karter was the camel, or other donkey if you ask him) instead of people though.

We took the kids carolling around the neighborhood. The girls sang nearly constantly and knew more of the words than I do. For some reason, Kimble thought she was a model that day and came up with a silly pose for every picture we took.

Santa stopped by to give the kids a little encouragement for the last week before Christmas. He reminded them that their elf (Sheldon) was still watching and reporting. Then they each got to come up and receive a gift. Koltyn was asleep at this point, Kimble didn't want to get close to Santa so simply got as close as she had to to get the gift, then ran and Karter was so excited to see what was all wrapped up that he had no problem getting a picture with Santa.

We will be back in Peoria after Christmas for another party with the extended Johnson family (including Steven and Keeley, yay) and the kids cannot wait.

family pictures {12-11-10}

Finally, a family picture that I actually WANT to print off. All year has been unsuccessful family pictures, there was always a child that just did not want to cooperate. Last Saturday, we finally found success thanks to my wonderful sisters! (Now, if I could just get the Christmas card mailed out...)

light parade, tempe

After taking our family pictures on Saturday, we headed over to Tempe for the APS light boat parade (not sure what it is really called). Last year was our first year and we had so much fun that we wanted to take the kids again. So we met up with four of my siblings, ate dinner on the grassy hill behind us, then enjoyed watching the boats pass by.


These were about the best of the entries. They really took time to make their boat entertaining for the kids. The Grinch theme was a popular one this year, there were four in this parade and a couple in the one last week.


One last picture of the boats as we walked back to our car...

Backyard Boutique

I was able to be a vendor at another boutique Saturday morning, the Backyard Boutique (actually in a backyard in Mesa). I basically just sold what I had left from the last boutique that I did, so it was a lot less stress and I actually got to sleep the night before. As fun as the boutiques have been, though, it will probably be a while until I participate in another.

hippopotamus for christmas

Wednesday night was the Holiday Music Program at Kimble's school. Each grade level got to sing a couple songs, Kimble's favorite was "I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" and she has been singing it almost constantly for the last couple weeks. It was super cute!

back to school

Kevin was accepted into the MBA program at Arizona State University last week!! He has wanted to go back to school for a while now, making it one of his major life goals. We are so proud of him for taking on such a huge task and know that he will be great. It is going to be a long two years for all of us, but the end result will be worth it. Congratulations Kevin!

light parade, phoenix

It is a Johnson Family tradition to attend the APS electric light parade every year. Saturday night was that night and we were excited to go. Before the parade started (we arrived about two hours early for good seats) Grandma Johnson bought a couple of light swords for the kids. Koltyn got stuck with a couple left over glow necklaces we had brought with us, but he seemed pretty content and got to take turns with the swords. They were a big hit!




Karter was probably the most excited of the kids about the actual parade. There were more than enough cars covered with lights to keep him happy. Koltyn did get very excited when Santa Claus rolled by on top of a firetruck though.

shadows, goggles {and an elf}

Kimble had a fun time making different shapes with her shadow the other day. She did pose after pose until the sun was too low to make any more.


My sister found these goggles after the swim season ended for a great price. The kids have put them to good use.

Sheldon, our Elf on a Shelf, has returned. He watches over the kids and then reports to Santa every night until Christmas. He is a great reminder to to kids that they need to be kind if they want Santa to bring them presents... Sheldon is watching!

the many faces of karter...

Koltyn tried to join in on the fun. This was his silly face...

making memories

A little over a week ago Karter got a hold of my camera and it broke it. This last week has been so hard, knowing that I could not capture family memories (plus, I really loved that camera). Well, that all changed on Monday... I bought a new camera. Now, it is not anything super fabulous by any means, it was actually just the one on sale at Target. But I can once again take pictures of the ones I love, and that is what I cherish.

Saturday I was a vendor at the Pecan Creek Boutique here in Queen Creek. Kevin helped me put together chicken wire frames and my mom helped me make super cute burp cloths. Although it turned out to be a lot of work, I had a great experience. Thank you to all that came out to support my little adventure!

18 Months Already!!

Koltyn is officially nursery age!! (Not that it really matters, considering I am one of the teachers in that class already.) He is definitely a handful all the time. He has figured out that flashing his adorable smile can get him out of trouble most the time. He tries his best to keep up with Kimble and Karter- and does a pretty good job. He has been an adventure and a half, but we wouldn't trade that for anything. Love ya bubba!

a november afternoon

::Pecan Creek Boutique::

I am getting my crafts ready to sell at a local boutique... Join me at the Pecan Creek Boutique on Saturday, November 20th!

Happy Halloween...

...from Princess Peach, Mario and Luigi!!

Halloween {johnson style}

Yesterday we made the drive to Peoria once again for the annual Johnson Halloween party. We met at a very cool park in Grandma & Grandpa Johnson's neighborhood. While we were waiting for the Halliburtons to arrive, the kids ran up and down this hill about a thousand times (okay, maybe not quite that many).


After a yummy lunch and letting the kids play at the playground, we all made the very short drive to Grandma & Grandpa Johnson's house to get dressed in our Halloween best. First, we took individual pictures of each of the kids. Then came getting them to all sit together. Ahh, the annual Johnson grandchildren Halloween picture. It is definitely getting a little harder every year to get a decent picture of all the kids together.

After pictures, the kids headed up the stairs for some trick-or-treating practice. They ended up going to four rooms upstairs and then three more down stairs. They had a great time and did an awesome job of making sure every one got their candy before moving on to the next door. Even Koltyn picked it up pretty quickly, once he saw what was being dropped into his bucket.

The kids really did not want to leave, but we were off to our ward's trunk-or-treat and we didn't want to be too late. But we did have a great time with our family while it lasted!

Down on the Farm

We were lucky enough to visit Schnepf Farms with the Johnson family Saturday afternoon. They made the long trip over from the west valley to have a little fun at the farm.
Our first stop was the Bumble Bee ride. The line was crazy long, so while I waited with Kimble and Karter, Kevin took Koltyn over to the petting zoo. It looks like he enjoyed the goats the most.

Hailey and Kimble were so cute riding together on the bumble bee. They directed their bee to the very top and left it there for the entire ride.

We stopped for a quick family picture before getting in line for the airplane ride. Obviously, we picked the wrong spot to take a picture. Kimble and Karter were both mesmerized by the ride instead of looking in the direction of the camera.

After riding the airplanes, the kids went down the tall slide and then we went over to the pedal cars. We had to go in a couple shifts, but we all got a chance to ride our way through the course. It was lots of fun and definitely a workout.
The kids wanted to see the animals up close at the petting zoo. Kevin was able to find a couple quarters in my wallet to get some feed for Kimble and Karter to give the sheep and goats. Koltyn hung out in the stroller (snacking of course) since he had already visited with the animals.



We watched the pig races, explored the pumpkin patch and played a round of mini golf before heading home. We were all worn out after having a super duper fun time at the farm!