December 9

I had the greatest pleasure of spending the afternoon with this special friend today. My friendship with Nichole goes way back to Middle School. We've enjoyed many slumber parties, cheerleading & show choir together in high school, we attended the same college together. After losing touch after college we ran into each other at Target a few years later and began hanging out again. She was a bridesmaid in my wedding, I took photos of her intimate family only wedding, she visited me in the hospital when both my children were born. We've enjoyed many long conversations over dinner at Panera, coffee chats at Starbucks, browsing Anthropologie's pretty things and laughing about old times. Now she lives in New York City and we are separated by more miles than either one of us would like. After over 2 years of seeing each other we had a fabulous afternoon together. You know that you have a true friend when you can spend that much time apart and then pick up right where you left off. It doesn't matter how many miles separate us, or how many years we go between visits, Nichole will forever be one of my very best friends. I miss her already, but am so very grateful for our time together today! 

December 7

Parker has been totally into looking at the Christmas toy ads this year. Pointing and saying things like: "Ooo, what's that called?", "Ooo, I want to play wif that!", Ooo, wook at that!". Tonight I captured this sweet photo of him with his Papa scouring the Toys R Us ad, showing him what he might like for Christmas. He told his Grandma "Um, I want an airplane. You can go and get it at the store. We will tell Santa that's what I want... come on, wet's go!" I love his enthusiasm and the wonder in his voice over it all. He is at such a fun age... I'm loving {just about} every moment! :) 

December 4, 5 & 6

December 4

The kids & Daddy had a jammie day while Mommy joined in the hustle & bustle to do some Christmas shopping.

December 5 


I am thinking I will end up doing one of the extra stories from the 3rd for this day. We had a birthday dinner and celebration for 4 family members on Rodney's side, but none of the photos turned out great, and for some reason they aren't even uploading to the blog, so... hmmm... moving on.


December 6

"Mommy, is it Summertime yet?" Quote of the day from Noelle as she's getting dressed this morning. She wore her swimsuit around the house all day!

December 3

There are truly some great memories from today... I'm not exactly sure which story I'll tell for my album from today, but I wanted to record some memories from today so I don't forget... 

1. drinking hot cocoa with the kids... the way the two of them slurped theirs down with true joy and pleasure. Noelle sneaking marshmallows from the bag once her cocoa was gone. 

2. dancing in the kitchen with Noelle to Christmas music, teaching her a little jump and kick dance... the laughter it brought us both. 

3. making paper snowflakes. watching Parker cut with real scissors for the first time. The intense concentration he had on this for a good 10 minutes or so while Noelle & I were dancing. All the wincing I was doing while watching him, hoping and praying he didn't cut his fingers...  he was being quite careful, his technique just isn't quite there yet, but he was definitely focused and enjoying himself. 

4. finishing up the decorating... hanging the stockings, stringing lights through the garland, setting up the nativity scene, pulling out a few more candles. 

5. Noticing the way the kids had arranged their Little People nativity set... 

It stopped me in my tracks really... seeing the way they had pointed every character (minus the missing wise man) to look at baby Jesus and the reminder to me that this is exactly where I want and need my focus to be this Christmas season... on the Savior. The entire reason for the season. 

Isaiah 9:6-7

December 2nd

This is the treasure Noelle brought home from school today. She is always so excited to show me what she makes at school, barely even getting into the car before she's got her backpack opened up and is pulling something out that she's created or that a friend has given her. It's so sweet to see things like this come home from school with her and to see how proud she is of her work. And of course, we are so proud too! ;)

This year I am doing a December Daily album. I did one in 2008 and loved it! Last year I fizzled out over a couple of days but this year I am determined to complete another one. So, I have decided to use this blog to keep track of photos/documentation for some or all of my album. The idea is that you tell one "story" of each day in December up through (or even after) Christmas to document this special time of year. If you want to follow along and see my album as it unfolds, I'll be posting those on my other blog (www.thispaperedheart.blogspot.com). 

I'm excited to share with you our December adventures this year and hope you enjoy being a part of them too! :)

Edited to Add: I just found this really awesome free download I thought some of you might be interested: http://aholyexperience.com/1000/AJesusAdventCelebrationDevotional.pdf

Welcome December!

We are so excited December is here! On Saturday we went and chopped down our Christmas tree at Cedar Valley Forest. Here's a pic of the kids posed in front of our tree! 

And here is the excitement our first day of December has brought... a broken TV... it was attacked by a little boy and his plastic golf club... the golf clubs found their fate in the dumpster to be taken away by the trash man on this Wednesday and will hopefully be burned in the incinerator... the boy's life however, was spared... looks like Santa will be bringing the Johnson family a new television for Christmas.

How We Spent our Sunday Afternoon...

In the Children's Mercy South Urgent Care Center... about 2 1/2 hours

Because this little guy got a little bonkers right on his eyelid. The kids were crawling around in the basement with the lights out and he misjudged and hit his eye on a glass table top! Since it wasn't bleeding profusely we opted to go to Urgent Care verses the ER. After a long time waiting to see the doctor she told us she thought it best to avoid stitches (thankfully) since the location of the cut is right in the crease of his eyelid and it wasn't deep enough to make it worth all they would have had to do to put the stitches in (they would have had to hook him up to an iv and put him under since it was right at his eye). 

Here he is showing off his arm band. Since he was such a strong brave little guy we stopped for McDonald's on the way home! :) Now it's just some prescription ointment for a week and some time to let it heal! Whew... thanks to the Lord for his protection over our little man!