The Johnsons move to Germany

Before your biggest bestest friends move away you much celebrate.

We where able to attend Chloe's Baptism two days before the flew out.  

I'm so glad we could be there for her special day and to say good bye.

Ike came over earlier that week to play and Everett had been asking to play ever since.  I wish these two had more time with each other.  

Awe I'm going to miss this sweet lady.  She always seems to lift me up when I'm around her.

True friends will smell your armpit for you.  

The Tall and Short of it all

Their couple pose 

James has a way of taking things to far.  hahahahhaha

But when you have to say goodbye it's better to laugh than to cry.  

Best of luck to the Johnson family and their new adventures in Germany.  We're saving our pennies and dreaming of the day we can come visit you.

Valentine's Day Parties

This year we had a lot of fun going to two different Valentine's Parties.

Gwenevere has been asking to sew so we make bean bags to give as Valentine presents.

The girls picked out their fabric, cut the squares and sewed the bean bags.  Gwenevere did 90% of the work all by herself.  I told her she couldn't sew the last side because didn't want rice spilling all over my machine. But she really wanted to do it herself.   It took her over 2 hours to do 20 bean bags but she did it.  

Grace really enjoyed cutting all the squares.  She even helped me sew 5 bean bags but then she was tired and wanted to go play, so I finished her bean bags.  

While I was cooking dinner, and Gwenevere was sewing Everett came up to her asking if he could sew.  So Gwenevere gave him a turn.   

We poured 2tsp lavender oil onto the rice and cooked it in the over before filling the bean bags.  the house smelt so good, and so did their bean bags.  

Cutting all by herself

Helping me sew

We put a stool under the table so she could press the pedal.  I love this picture James captured of Grace's little toes 

You can't see it in this picture, but Gwenevere brought the pedal up to the table so Everett could use his hands to press the pedal while she sewed.  

Grace and Gwenevere

Everett wanted to do Lego candy valentine cards.  James helped me wipe these out 10 minutes before the party.  Thank you Super Papa

party #1.  Lincoln and Kennedy's Party
Our first party started at 9am Friday morning.  We got there close to 10 am and I call that a success.  The girls decorated valentine goody bags and then we exchanged valentines.

Then we had snacks and played out in the garage riding bikes and playing with playdoh.  The kids LOVED it.

Then we hurried home to make heart shaped sandwiches before our next party.  

James was home for the day so he decided to go pick up some chickens.  Gwenevere decided she wanted to go get chickens more than attend the tea party so she went with Papa.  

Then Grace, Everett and I were off to our Sunlit Learning tea party as Sarah Day's house.   

Party #2  Sunlit Learning

The decorations were magical

Tea from a pig pot

While the kids ate lunch, Sarah read a story about the man Valentine.  

Then they where off playing throughout the house for another 1.5 while I sat and visited with two of my bestest friends.  

It was truly a day filled with lots of love from good friendships.

Happy Valentine's day

Today was simplicity perfect in every way.

James made monkey bread for breakfast.

We spent the morning reading books playing with trains and enjoying a lazy morning together as a family.

Later on I reminisce about past years.  So happy to have the man of my dreams in my life.  James worked on building a chicken coop. and the kids watched lots of tv.

Once it was dark outside James came in, I had cooked a ham, sweet potatoes and broccoli.  We ate dinner together and James took the kids down stairs to play with legos while I cleaned up,  okay so I decided to blog instead of clean up but now I'm going to go clean up.

I can't tell you how much I have loved this day.  It's been perfect.  Happy Valentine's Day.

James' Birthday: Great Wolf Lodge

We wanted to celebrate James in a very special way.  Great Wolf Lodge with Grandma Sharolee and Friends was just the right thing.  

Wednesday morning James finished assembling his chair and the kids helped him open his birthday presents.  He was the King of the day.  

Grace wanted to give Papa an Easter basket.  Mints for work, chocolate eggs and bottle of Kombucha 

After Breakfast James and the kids did a little video gaming.  

Then we packed up and headed south the Great Wolf Lodge.

Grandma Sharolee was on her way too.  We checked into our rooms, and met up with all our friends before heading down to the water park   James forced/convinced Grandma to come swimming with us.  I had an extra swimsuit she could wear so she decided to join us.  ;-)  Thanks Grandma for coming with us. 

Me and the Birthday Boy

The park was a bit busier than I had hoped but over all everyone still had a lot of fun.   

We all played for a few hours.  

Once everyone was famished we raced back to the rooms to get dinner served.  We had meat sandwiches lots of chips and veggies drinks and so much more.  I think we had enough food to feed dinner three times more.  It's so nice to have friends you can all bum off of and share with.  

Jill surprised James with a Cake and Sharolee made yummy Coffee Cake bread.   

After dinner the kids where pretty tired.  So Grandma Sharolee stayed with them and James and I were able to play at the water park kid free.

While we where attempting to ride the Howling Tornado 33 times in a row, the kids went down to the lobby for story time.  (we calculate that we did it at least 30 times possibly more.  We did it so much we made Mike Johnson sick. )

The kids slept great and in the morning we where ready to play some more.  We all ate Breakfast together in Johnson/Leavitt suit and the packed up and checked out of our rooms before heading down to the water park.

The day was magical and a bit more stressful now that Grandma wasn't there to help watch kids.  hehehehehe

James purchased a locker so I could have easy access to my camera and take a few pictures to remember the day with.  THANK YOU JAMES!  

Juicing up to go back into the wave pool.  Everett's favorite thing

Off to go down Canyon River Run with my lady friends.  

Grace was a fish in the water.  I chased after her the entire day.  Wave pool, Yellow Slide, Wave pool,  Splash area,  wave pool, lilypad pool,  Wave pool back to Yellow slide, she was determined to do it all

Everett was so tired in the afternoon I had to put my camera down and stand right next to him,  I was afraid he'd spontanious fall asleep in the water.  hahahah luckly that never happened.  

Grace loved the wave pool can you spot her

Grace decided she wanted to go down the slide face first.  

Everett going down the little side.  

Filling  up 

Coming out of the Howling Tornado 

River Canyon Run

River canyon run

(James taught Gwenevere a surfing trick and before you know it all her friends where doing it.  The last run of the day had three surfer girls riding the waves.  Surfing skills not recorded. )

Alberta Falls

Alberta Falls

Slowly our friends left and we where the last ones standing.  

Around 4 pm we decided it was time to go.  (Insert sad face).  

We showered and changed out of our wet clothes.

Then each child got to pick out a squished penny before we headed home.

Since it was dinner time we stopped at Jack in the Box for dinner and more importantly a milk shake

I'm so glad to have James in my life.  He's the best husband, father, and friend anyone could want.  

It was fun to celebrate his 33rd birthday and I can't wait for the many more birthdays we'll celebrate together.