Lexi's 7th Birthday

Our Lexi Loo turned 7! We bought her this shirt to wear to school for her special day. It's just so her.


We got her a pink suitcase so she will have her very own when we travel (and it will be easy to spot at the airport baggage claim).


She has been asking for a Princess Leia action figure (to go with her ever-growing Star Wars collection) since Christmas, but we discovered that Miss Skywalker is impossible to find. So Jason ordered this one from some collector. She was thrilled!


A few days before her birthday, Lexi handed me a picture she drew. It was exactly what she wanted her cake to look like. It was even labled "Chocolate cake" and "Chocolate frosting." But the most important part was that she wanted it to be a Darth Vader cake. This was my best attempt. She loved it. Whew!



Here are the 3 little monkeys before Max & Lex left for school. Sophie was soooo excited for the "Moons" (a.k.a. balloons).








Here's Lexi the Storm Trooper! See, she plays dress up - it's just a little different. Minus the high heels and makeup.


Sophie was in heaven with all the wrapping paper.



She loves her daddy! Jason got hit in the nose with a baseball the night before. OUCH!


Me & my girl. Happy Birthday Lex! She came into this world pretty ticked off and that lasted for about 3 & 1/2 years. But she got it all out of her system and now she is just awesome! So helpful and kind and FUNNY! We love her to pieces.

Our Baby with Her Babies

January was a rough month at our house. Little Miss Sophie woke up with pink eye on the 4th (the first day back to school for Max & Lexi) and ended up having a febrile seizure, taking a ride in an ambulance, and visiting the E.R. for about 4 hours. Whew! What a day! I really don't need to get into a lot of details because, although I'd like to forget it, it's a day I'll never forget. So . . . after 2 different antibiotics for an ear infection, drops for the pink eye, steroids and nebulizer treatments for bronchitis, and about 3 weeks of misery - our happy girl is back! Wahoo!!! She is walking more and more each day and LOVES the 4 "B's" Babies, Blankie, Bottle & Balloons.

The Vroom Vroom

Sophie loves Max & Lexi! She cries for "Ma" and "La La" all day long while they're away at school. So the minute they get home she heads for the basement stairs, points her finger and says, "Vroom Vroom"
They both laugh then whisk her off to the basement to ride in the cars.
They are the Best big brother and sister a girl could hope for.
She is soooo spoiled!

Christmas

We had another great Christmas! On Christmas Eve we went to Jason's parent's house for the traditional dinner - prime rib, avocado/grapefruit/pomegranate/bacon salad, orange rolls, roasted garlic mashed potatoes & green beans. So yummy! Then we all got to open just one present. Magically, everyone got jammies!!! And Lexi lost her top tooth. Santa and the Tooth Fairy in one night! I doesn't get more exciting than that.


We left oats and carrots for Santa's reindeer - along with the cookies and milk for Mr. Claus. Daddy read "Twas the night before Christmas" then off to bed we went!


Since the hallway off the kids' bedrooms overlooks the two-story family room, we always ask Santa to cover their unwrapped gifts with a big blanket so they can't peek. Here are some pics from the unveiling.


Santa brought Sophia a push toy/walker so she could get some practice.


For Max, a new comforter, Madden for Wii & a Moreno Bronco's jersey


A punching bag and a new football


For Lexi, a new bike - in her favorite color


and a Star Wars battle vehicle that holds all of her action figures!


She also go this remote controlled R2D2


Sophie was very curious about this new toy


so she chased it all over the house


Santa brought Sophie a little pink 4 wheeler. She calls it her "Vroom Vroom"


A new baseball glove for Max


and an Edward doll for Lexi - she wanted a boy Barbie doll!


From Grandpa Steve & Suz - a Dippin Dots maker for the girl who LOVES Dippin Dots!


They sent Max a box full of magic tricks and he loves to trick us all!


They gave Sophie a new baby with a stroller, high chair and cradle. So cute!
She was screaming at us because we couldn't get the baby out of the box fast enough.


Feeding her new "Bee Bee"



Lexi picked out this present for her sister. She also wanted that out of the box ASAP!



After we ate breakfast (chocolate waffles with berries, bacon & eggs) we put Miss Sophie down for a nap and let the kids play with their toys. Then we went to Mimi & Pa's to open MORE presents and eat MORE food. What a way to spend a day!

On a Happier Note . . .

The kids still can't get enough of their little sister.


We hiked Castle Rock the week before Christmas. It was in the 70's.
Mimi came with us and watched Miss Sophie (can you spot them below?) while we climbed to the very tippy top. My first time ever! It was fun - and so beautiful!


A few days later, we got the storm that brought us a white Christmas!


The kids had a blast sledding - and I love that they are finally old enough to be able to put on their own snow clothes. I remember the days when it would take 30 minutes to dress them and they would stay outside for 5 minutes.



Sophie loves to watch them out the window. She can't wait until she gets to go play - maybe I'll let her once she starts WALKING!!!!


Aunt Alison's family sent us this balloon launcher. The kids couldn't wait to use it, so they launched a pink baseball (so they could find it in the snow). Notice it requires 3 people to operate so they improvised and used the tree.



I LOVE when ice freezes on every branch of the trees. So pretty!!!


Bye Bye for now!

Heart Broken

Last Thursday, one of our sweet friends passed away. He was involved in a car accident coming home from the airport - a business trip. Tonight I helped with dinner for the family before the viewing. It was the last place on Earth anyone wanted to be.

Mark left behind an incredible (and I don't use that term lightly) wife and 5 young children - ages 11, 9, 3 and 10 month old twins. He was honestly the nicest, most genuine guy you've ever met and we are devastated by the loss.

www.markandcolettejohnson.blogspot.com

He was traveling home on a road that Jason travels every week for work. I imagine that his wife was aware that he had landed safely and was on his way home. I imagine that they were both looking so forward to being together after his week away from home. And I'm sure the whole family was so excited for daddy to be home so they could get ready for Christmas together.

There are so many things I CAN'T imagine having to do:
Share the news with my kids
Plan a funeral during Christmas
Carry on with the day-to-day craziness of motherhood while trying to grieve
Imagine my future without my spouse
Figure out a way to provide for the family

Once I heard the news, the urgency to buy, buy, buy was gone!
I had plans to send something fun to each of my 4 siblings. Funny how plans fly out the window when something like this forces you to re-establish priorities. My priorities have been to spend every minute with my husband and children (I'm so thankful to have the choice to be with them and I'm not letting them out of my sight for a while).

So a note to my super cool brother and awesome sisters . . .

First, I love you all very much.
Next, instead of sending you all gifts, we've decided to make a donation on your behalf to the Trust Fund that has been set up for Mark Johnson's children.

May the true spirit of Christmas be with all of you this year.
Please don't take your loved ones for granted. Let them know you love them, you need them, and you never want to lose them.

Then give them a great big huge hug!

An Early Christmas Gift

My sweet husband spent most of the day yesterday tracking down this impossible-to-find tree that I've been wanting for the past 2 years. It's 12 feet tall and slim so it doesn't take up the whole room. And I'm so lucky to have a very generous mother-in-law who creates gorgeous Christmas trees then gets antsy every few years to create a new one so . . . she passes the "old" decorations on to me! Being married to an only child does have it's benefits! This tall tree has not only put me in the Christmas mood, but has also brought back many fun childhood memories. Growing up, my parents would get a super tall - REAL Christmas tree each year. It was so exciting to watch the delivery men struggle to get the tree into the house. I remember having so much fun watching my brother straddle the beams in the 2-story family room to decorate the top. One year our tree was 15 feet tall. So cool!