Monday, May 8, 2017

Fun With Friends...

Dinosaur friends...who doesn't love a hot pink dinosaur on roller skates?


Jace's first grade class spent an afternoon in May helping the Troy Garden club plant flowers in the planters on main street in Troy, and picking up trash in the area.  (Jace is sitting on the wall in the middle, in a grey shirt.)


Connor and Cassidy were great help feeding the bucket calf, Tuff.



Jace got to take Brook for an exciting Gator ride!


And we don't dare let Brook into the gator with either of these crazy drivers!


Our strawberry patch has been outstanding this year!  It's never produced so many strawberries!



Jace helped Jed do some scouting...


And this was awesome...Jace fell asleep, in my lap, and Connor wasn't sleeping.  I love these kids.


Thursday, May 4, 2017

Routines.

We've got some good ones. 



School drop off:  Every morning I stop in the middle of the street, in front of the annex, and drop Jace off.  We try to hurry, but we both get out because sometimes it's hard for him to get out of the truck with his bag, heavy coat, etc.  Give him a hug and a kiss (this won't last forever!), and tell him to have a good day.  But wait, that's not all...After I get in my truck I have to look back at him because he will turn around and blow me a kiss before I drive off.  What a sweetie.  :)


Bedtime: Bed times are a process at our house.  I have a love/hate relationship with it.  I love it because we have some good talks and we read books.  I hate it because it takes a long time! We start off with books in Connor's room.  Jace reads to us, sometimes from his chapter book he is working on, and it takes longer for him to read, but it is amazing listening to him.  And amazing how much he seems to always be becoming a better reader.  Then Connor has her book, which sometimes she has to "read" to us, sometimes it's a short one, or a long one.  But, we cannot skip her book.  OR, instead of a book sometimes she asks to do a puzzle.  It's not the puzzle that takes so long, it her choosing which one to do.  "Eeny meeny miny mo, catch a tiger by a po, every dollar every day my mother told me to choose the one that...." She tries to do the saying, but it definitely is her own version.  And then if she asks me to pick, if I pick "the wrong one" she will say "We already do that one yesterday" and shrug her shoulders. 

After all that, then we lay in Connor's bed (unless Jed takes Jace to his own bed) and we say prayers.  And then becomes the longest part of the process.  I lay with Connor and as soon as I try to get up, whether it's one minute or ten, "Mom, will you lay with me, just one time?"  Yes, of course! Then the next time she lets me get up.  But there is always a question.  Either right when I get out of bed, or sometimes she will wait for me to get to the door.  A very important question, like what time will I wake her up? How many cats do we have? Can she have a snack when she wakes up? Then that's usually (hopefully) it.  She blows me a kiss, I blow her one, and good night Connor!

Then I go check on Jace. His process has gotten much shorter, but still, lay with him, and he has "important" questions and things to talk about. And then, when I get up to leave, "Mom, will you check on me after you do your jobs?" (I tell him I have to clean the kitchen, do laundry, etc.)  But yes...I come back and check on him.  Most nights.  :)

Sunday, April 30, 2017

Little bits...

A few last moments from April...
Drinking from "big boy cups".


Dabbing.  Thanks to the Grable kids for teaching her this move....


Muffins with Mom at Jace's school!


Outdoorsy...

Working cows...or watching everyone else work cows...


Planting season!!!



Attitude.  I probably told her she had to come inside.


Feeding Tuff.


Supper on the way to the field...lots of meals in the truck.  #farmfamilylife


Getting to hold those Easter surprise kitties...


Celebrating Grandma J's birthday...


And playing a game where you use these mouth pieces and try to talk...obviously not made for kids...


And sometimes they still fall asleep in the truck and have sweet moments like this...


Monday, April 17, 2017

Easter Fun

We spent Easter Eve at Grandma and Grandpa B's house.  Dying Easter eggs, playing, and egg hunting!

Looks like Alexis is allowed to egg hunt but not dye eggs!
Colton is 9, Jace and Kyler 7, Connor and Cassidy 3, and Alexis is about 1 1/2.



I'm with Alexis on this one.  What are those kids DOING? What is a DAB????



We sent to sunrise service at Grandma B's church...


Did you notice that? First family photo where one of us wasn't holding someone....


After church we went home and the Easter bunny had left some things outside to hunt for!  Eggs, books, games...


And this super cool sandbox digger toy!


Our little egg-hunters :)


And their dog, Angus.


 The last stop on our Easter parade was Grandma and Grandpa J's house.  The weather was perfect for kite flying and playing with cousins!



Max is almost 1, Jace is 7, Brook is 1 1/2, and Connor is 3.






Happy Easter!

Sunday, April 16, 2017

Easter Surprises...

Started Easter with Sunrise service at Grandma B's church! 

Johnson family photo!


Did you see that?  First family photo without one of us holding a kid....


And now for the Easter surprises....

This is Tuff.


It's hard work taking care of a bucket calf.  They have to be fed no matter what the weather is! 





And here is the other surprise....we suspected Pickle was going to have kittens...and the morning Jace picked her up for this picture, later that night we came home to the baby kittens.  We left school and dropped Jace off at the field, went home and Connor went outside and said, "Mom! Pickle had babies!!!"  Oh boy.


Sunday, April 9, 2017

Birthday Weekend....

Part of Jace's birthday present was tickets to the Bull Riding at the Civic Arena in Saint Joe.


We had great seats, close to the chutes, and the kids loved it.  Even when one of the straps the bull riders use flew off, in a total fluke accident, and hit a girl two rows in front of us.  I didn't look, the girl was bleeding from the head, and even the announcers said they had never seen that happen before.  WOW.  But the kids loved the bull riding!


I got to go on Jace's field trip!  We went to see "Piggy and Elephant" at the Coterie Theatre at Crown Center.  And then we had a picnic lunch, and went back to Saint Joe to roller skate...which a lot of kids had never done before!  Jace kept falling down but getting back up!  Oh, and I "Got" to ride the bus--tried getting out of it but the teachers said they needed the help.  But look who was sleeping in my lap on the way back!  These days are numbered!



When we got back to the school I noticed this on the wall--Jace says he is "good at getting in the spray tank." I'm sure he had to explain that one...but when you are a little guy and Uncle Jay and Dad need you to climb in the spray tank to get something or fix something, away you go!


And a few pictures from my birthday with some cute kiddos!