Monkey Joe's

On Monday, Shannon and I took our boys to Monkey Joe's.  It was both boys first visit, and I must say, neither of them liked it at the beginning.  As you can see from a few of these pictures, Cooper was crying.  Jackson adapted a big quicker than Cooper, and Cooper was still pretty wary when we decided to pack it up and head home.  I think the fact that Jackson is 4 months older helps.  

If you haven't ever taken your kids to a bounce house, you might want to try one.  If there is a Monkey Joe's in your area, it's just the place.  They have an area specific to the two and under crowd and the great thing is that kids two and under are only $4.99!  Parents are always free, and parents can get into the bounce houses with the kiddos.  I haven't done anything like this for years, so it was quite and experience for me too!! :) 

I plan on taking Coop back, just going to wait a little while until he's a few months older.  Here are a few pictures for your enjoyment!

Loving on Wednesdays

I'm a little late in posting for today, and I will not weigh you down with all of the things I'm loving today, but here are just a few!  Link up with Jamie @ This Kind of Love for more folks loving on this Wednesday!

I'm loving these Crocs! 

I'm loving this new lunch place that I tried with a co-worker today.  I had a veggie sandwhich and some delicious potato soup, YUM!

I'm loving that 2011 is right around the corner, I hope 2011 yields healthier times for The Johnson Five, and 2011 also means we'll be trying for baby #2! :)

Ok, time to stop, I told you I'm only giving you a few!  What are you loving today?

Christmas 2010

Christmas with The Johnson Five was spectacular!  We started the morning around 7 a.m. with presents around the Christmas tree.  Andrew got $$, Steph got some clothes and gift cards, Cooper got way too many toys from us and his brother and sister, Tim and I got a BluRay player from Andrew and some BluRay DVDs and other misc items from Steph.  We went into the living room next to do stockings and wrapped up with breakfast.  I think everyone was happy with their gifts, (at least I hope!)

Everyone got ready after that to head south for two gatherings.  We first headed to my brother's for lunch.  My dad and his lady friend Gwen were there, and we all had a great time.

Then we stopped by my Grandma's (mom's mom) house for a few pictures of her great grand babies, minus Larissa and Layne that is.  Craig decided to stay home and not bring those kiddos over for the picture.  Here are a few, they were all kind of fussy, and I must admit, it was mine that started the chaos.  Oh well, there is always next year for a better photo.

I used one of the photos for the background, so there are really just three pictures here..... sorta confusing I know.  Sorry.

After that, we stopped by my Grandpa's (dad's dad) for a few minutes.  I didn't bring the camera in here, so I'm lacking photos of this stop.  Again, sorry!  We exchanged a few gifts here and then were on our way to my Mom's for the second gathering of the day.  We exchanged gifts, ate dinner then played bingo before heading home for the night. 

It was a great day overall, lots of visiting with family and I just love Christmas!

New Look for the Upcoming Year

Well Christmas was wonderful, and now it's over, and it is time for a new look over at The Johnson Five.  I'll be working on a Christmas post soon, but for now, it was time for a new start here.  Like Lisa over @ The Tolliver Times, I've been debating about getting a more customized look for the blog.  While I'm still deciding, I'm going with this look from ShabbyBlogs.  Check them out if you haven't yet, they've got some good stuff!  If you have any recommendations for me about customizing my blog, please let me know, and who you recommend, I have looked at some designers, but don't have a clue who to go with and who isn't booked solid!  Thanks!

 

Happy Birthday Jesus & Merry Christmas!

The Johnson Five would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and please remember the real reason for the season!  Happy Birthday Jesus!



Christmas Eve

Good Morning my friends!  Today is Christmas Eve, and The Johnson Five are having a day of cooking, baking and relaxing. 

We've got several things we're getting ready for tomorrow, for our family gatherings.  Turkey & Wild Rice Soup, Deviled Eggs, Monkey Bread, Cream Cheese Braid, peanut butter & chocolate chip cookies, and a breakfast casserole and so much more to get ready.

All the gifts are wrapped and under the tree, the stockings have been filled and the house is as clean as it's going to get before Christmas morning.  And, all of the laundry is done.  Yesterday was filled with much work and some play so that we could be ready for today and tomorrow. 

Tonight is the Christmas Eve candlelight service and I can't wait for that.  To celebrate our Savior's birthday is the best part of Christmas. 

What fun will you have today and over the weekend?  Today is my last post for the weekend, I wish you all a wonderful weekend!

Happy Birthday Jesus, and Merry Christmas to you all!  Have a great time with family and friends and enjoy these precious moments!

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

Well, it’s Wednesday again, time for this week’s WILW!

There are so, so many things that I am loving this Wednesday, but I do not want to overwhelm anyone, so here are just a few on my long list!

I’m loving that today is my last work day before Christmas! Then only 2 work days next week! YIPPIE!

I’m loving that Christmas is only 3 days away!

I’m loving this chair we bought for Cooper for Christmas, it matches our furniture and it is also a rocking chair. He’ll absolutely love it, I’m so excited for him to open it, probably more excited than he will be when he rips it open! We didn’t decide on it until late, and it wasn’t supposed to be here until after Christmas, but FedEx delivered it by 12/20 so Coop will get to open on the big day!

I’m loving that this Christmas Eve service will be Cooper’s first Christmas Eve service, last year he was too little and we were advised to keep him home and not get out around that many people because of the H1N1 flu craziness.


I’m loving that one of my dear co-workers has been blessed this week with some great news, and I’m so excited for them to have heard this news now! What a wonderful Christmas present. I’ll share more later when these blessings have been made public.

I’m loving that Cooper’s rash has almost completely disappeared. These pictures are from Monday night, and the rash had really gotten a lot worse, but after a trip to the ER and more medicine, he is almost back to normal. I am hoping he will be completely new by Christmas. These are pictures from Monday night, they are from my phone, so not the best pictures, but as you can see, it was bad. Allergic to penicillin. No more of that for my baby!

I’m loving that tonight is FFN (family fun night for those of you that wonder). The Johnson Five will be together with Steph’s boyfriend and Andrew’s girlfriend. We’ll be making homemade pizzas, and Auntie Anne’s pretzels! After that we’ll be playing some games and just enjoying being together!

I’m loving today. On this date 3 years ago, my husband fell in love with me! He and I were at the theater watching Fred Claus and he said he knew during the movie that he had fallen in love with me and 5 days later we were picking out engagement rings! I love my sweet husband!!!

So many things to love and to be thankful for on this Wednesday before Christmas 2010! I will probably be absent for at least a few days unless I have some down time in the next week. I wish you all a Very Merry Christmas! Remember, Jesus is the reason for the Season!



~Top Two Tuesday~

Join The Undomestic Momma for Top 2 Tuesday!

Today's TTT topic is favorite Christmas memories. 

1. The Polar Express on Christmas Eve.  My mom read The Polar Express to my brother and me every Christmas Eve that I can remember.  I absolutely love the story, it's definitely more special to me than the movie could ever be.  My mom had the bell and it seemed magical and I know it warmed my heart every Christmas.  I hope this can be a tradition that I pass onto Cooper and any future children we have.

2. Christmas Morning. I love Christmas morning.  Waking up going to the tree and opening gifts with the entire family.  It was a tradition with my family growing up and now with my married family.  Each person opens a gift until they are all opened and then we all gather around the table and have breakfast.  We try to make a special breakfast on Christmas morning, something we don't have all year long.  Sometimes its homemade cinnamon rolls, or monkey bread, or some sort of breakfast casserole.  I love Christmas morning, there is nothing like it!

What are your favorite Christmas memories?  Link up with Taylor and share!

Weekend Wrap-Up

Hi All, I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!  Our weekend went by too fast and only 5 more days until Christmas!!!

Friday after work, I went out with one of my dear friends, Erica, and we had a blast shopping and hanging out.  We hardly ever get to spend any time just the two of us, so it was so good to do that!  I spent the last of my birthday money on this awesome bag and new wallet to go with my Tignanello Purse!


Find the Fossil Key-Per Messenger here!



Love this wallet! :)

I've been wanting a new bag to use as my back and forth to work bag, and this one really caugt my eye.  So much for shopping for others, huh?  I didn't feel that bad though since I had really already done 99.9% of my shopping, and I did buy a present for a friend while I was out. 

Saturday:  Tim, Cooper and I got up and headed out for Ohio.  We were having a Christmas gathering with Tim's sister, Tammi and brother Dan and their families.  We made the trip in record time, arriving just after noon.  We were there until about 5:30 and decided to hit the road and make the trip home.  Cooper was mighty tired of his carseat by the time we got home, but he went to bed and slept like an angel.

Sunday:  Cooper woke up with a terrible rash.  He had small welts all over his little body.  As soon as the immediate care clinic opened I had him in there for a doctor to take a look.  Turns out, he's like his daddy, and he's allergic to penicillin.  Cooper had his last dose on Saturday night, and evidently his body said that's enough!  The doctor gave him a 5 day dose of steroids and benadryl every 4 hours.  I have pictures that I'm thinking of posting later.  The rest of the day was grocery shopping and working on Christmas presents, cleaning, playing with Cooper and relaxing.  The Colts won their game, GO HORSE, and I believe Tim and I were both on the couch asleep before 9pm. 

I'm looking forward to this work week, only 3 days of work, then family fun night Wednesday night, last bit of Christmas shopping, wrapping, and baking/cooking on Thursday, then comes Christmas Eve!  I cannot believe it's already this close!!!  Hope you all had a great weekend and wonderful week ahead!!!

WILW :)

Today since it's Wednesday, and I just LOVE hump day, I'm linking up with Jamie for WILW :)

I'm loving that there are only 10 days until Christmas and we'll all get to celebrate Jesus' birthday!

I'm loving that we had a great family weekend with my mom, her husband, my brother and his family this past weekend.  Here are some pictures.3

The breakfast spread on Sunday.

Mama snapping photos.

The toddlers :)

Chowing down.

  

The hubby with the plate full, not quite awake yet.

The babes.

Dancing to Mariah's All I want for Christmas!

More Dancing!

Shawn, taking it easy.

I'm loving that we're headed to Ohio to visit with my husband's side of the family this weekend. 

I'm loving that we took Cooper to see Santa this past Friday, we want to make this a tradition every year.  He didn't quite enjoy the Santa, but it was an overall great time.

Cooper wasn't thrilled!

I'm loving that Friday at work will be filled with fun!  We're having a departmental luncheon, then a dessert pitch in and I'm making these:  Magic Cookie Bars  They are so delicious.

Via Ealge Brand Recipe Website

Of course, I'm loving all of my wonderful, wonderful family!!

What are you loving on this fine, COLD, brrrr, Wednesday??? :)

Top Two Tuesday: Favorite Games

It's time for another Tuesday with Taylor over at the Undomestic Momma!  Today's topic is top two favorite games!  I really tried to narrow these picks down to two, but there was no way.  I am giving you my top 4! 

 

1)  SORRY!  SORRY! has been one of my all time favorites since I can remember!  I can remember my brother and I fighting it out playing this over and over again.  Always a great time!

2)  Hearts.  I never knew how to play this game until a couple of years ago.  I learned from my husband and his family during a Christmas gathering.  We are heading back to Tim's sister's house this weekend for Christmas and I expect we'll be playing another round or two of Hearts!  I cannot wait!  This has been a great game for our entire family, we usually play it during our family fun nights!

3)  Sequence.  I love this game.  My family used to play this quite a bit.  Now Steph has gotten me back into the habit and I am really liking it again.  I hope this game gets pulled out at Christmas, I'd love to play!  

4)  Last but not least, Catch Phrase!  I fast paced game that I don't completely suck at!  I remember the first time that I ever played this game was my first night meeting my husband's kids, my wonderful step-kids.  Tim had made me dinner one night after Christmas in 2007 and it was the night that I was to meet his kiddos.  We played this game and I totally stunk the first time, but as time has gone on, I've really enjoyed playing this game and I think we've all gotten hooked! 

So those are my top *four* games for Top Two Tuesday. I look forward to reading about your favorite games.  Do your families play games during the holidays?  Our family tries to play as many games as we can around Christmas and New Years.  It is such an enjoyable time spent making memories.  I wish you all the fun and excitement that we have!!!