Day 5 - A week of thanks...

Short and sweet today folks... It's something that needs no real explanation.

I am thankful for God and everything that he has done for me. He made the ultimate sacrifice so many years ago, just for ME.

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16

How awesome is that? He is the reason that we have a day to celebrate giving thanks!

Day 4 - A week of thanks...

Today is dedicated to my sister... I can't say that we were always the closest growing up... I can't even say that we were nice to each other growing up... BUT we definitely loved each other and now I can safely say that she is one of my very best friends.

She is unique... and brings out in the CRAZY in me!

She is a shoulder to lean on.

She has an AH-MAZE-ING voice and surprisingly made it all the way through her song at my wedding without crying!

She is caring.

She loves her family... and is never afraid to show it.

She is a great Aunt ZZ to my sweet angel.

She is strong.

She is BEAUTIFUL.

She is MY sister.

Day 3 - A week of thanks...

My marriage is unlike most... in a good way... actually, in a great way. I have had the privilege of knowing my in-laws my entire life (pretty much anyway). Growing up, I had a best friend named Brittany and we were inseparable. I was constantly spending the night at her house and vice versa. Even as we went through middle school and high school, we remained friends... Our families were even so close that we all went on vacations together every summer. They still do to this day... I believe Hawaii is next... ridiculous right? :) Well Brittany has an older brother, Casey, who I was pretty close to growing up, but when I graduated high school and went to college, I lost touch with many of my childhood friends. Upon completing college, I ended up meeting up Casey for dinner just to catch up and chat. The rest is history because a year later, we were planning a wedding. All that to say, I am thankful for my in-laws. How many people can really say that they LOVE living close to their in-laws? I mean, don't get me wrong, my life is not an episode of Everybody Loves Raymond... my in-laws completely respect our personal space and bounderies, which makes me a happy lady. I honestly don't know what I would do without them... Every third day, when Casey has to go to work, my MIL comes to my house, picks up my son, and takes him to her mom's house for the day. On top of that, she or my FIL will go and pick him up for me on their way home. When Casey and I both got sick, they came to the rescue and took Colton to Chuck'E'Cheese just so that we could sleep the sickness off without interruptions. These are just a small sampling of the many things they help us with, but I am forever grateful for their willingness to help in any way. I always said that I would never marry a guy who had a family that I didn't feel I belonged to. I definitely hit the jackpot and I am one very, VERY blessed momma!

Thank you God for my extended family!

Day 2 - A week of thanks

It used to be just me... then my sister came along... then I decided to get married... and then I had baby...

I wouldn't have gotten where I am today without my parents and they are Day 2 in my week of thanks blog!

I love that they raised two daughters and taught us important lessons like how to decide as a family where to go eat after church (it was ALWAYS Taco Bell, thanks Kenz), or how to decide which family member to pick on at Christmas, if Dr. Pepper is better than Wild Cherry Pepsi, or even when Dad told you no, just to go ask Mom! I'm kidding (kind of) but seriously, they taught us both so many important lessons, it's hard to name them all. Here are a few that have definitely stuck with me:

Love unconditionally and don't be afraid to dance like no one is watching (even when lots of people are!)

The J.O.Y you have in your heart will show by the smile on your face.

Never let go of the people that you care about and that care about you. They will be the ones who stick with you through thick and thin.

Use your God-given talents... or they will be taken away!

Never, EVER be afraid to show affection!

Thank you for giving me a life-long picture of what it looks like to be a good parent.
Thank you Mom and Dad for loving my baby like you still love me.

I am SO thankful for my parents.

Day 1 - A week of thanks...

I know it's cliche, but in honor of Thanksgiving this Thursday, I am going to share something I am thankful for each day. (These are in no particular order of course)

Day 1:

I am thankful for a healthy baby boy. A little over a year ago, I was riding to the hospital with my husband at 5 AM, hoping that that day I would finally get to meet my special little boy. After laboring for over 15 hours, they wheeled me in for a c-section. This is not what I wanted, but it was what had to be done. My baby was basically lodged in between my hip bones and he wasn't budging!

An hour later, I met the sweetest little chubby face that I have ever seen, and instantly fell in love. As I stared into those perfect brown eyes, I knew that e

verything worked out just the way God had planned it all along.

As I think back on that day and remember this face:

and then now at the present time:

So, I am thankful for this amazing gift that I call my son. Even though everything didn't go as I had planned it, it still went like God had planned it.

Colton, mommy is thankful for you, sweet boy!

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

It could have been worse...

I could have gotten sick on a B day (when I have a 4th period, forcing me to stay and teach)...

I could have eaten a much heavier dinner the night before...

I could have had a volleyball game to be at...

I could have had to scramble for a last-minute babysitter for Colton...

I could have been home alone since it was technically Casey's day on shift...

It could have been worse...

It only sucked a little... my first Friday night off was spent either in bed, on the couch, or leaning over a toilet. My little one has apparently decided that sharing his not-so-little stomach virus with the entire family is a good idea. Not so much little man... But like I said, it could've been a lot worse! I just happened to get sick on a day where I only teach one class and I don't have volleyball anymore so I was able to skip out a little early from work. I also have an AMAZING family who help me at the drop of the hat, no questions asked. And as I mentioned before I could have been home alone, but since sharing is caring, Casey got sick last night and had to call in this morning. Nothing like spending some quality time with your husband when you are both in sick-mode. None-the-less, I got to spend some time with him that I didn't count on, and for me, every minute I get is precious.

Even in the stormiest weather... I do remember how blessed I really am... because it DEFINITELY could have been worse!

PS. Congrats to the Pirate Football team for beating Hachie tonight!

Wordless Wednesday

My Little Sugar(sista) Bear...

So I'm just going to throw this out there from the beginning... upon reading this blog, like I know she will (because she facebook and blogger stalks me), I know my sister is going to cry.... and my dad might too (because he likes reading my blog randomly too). I know this because she is not good with goodbyes... See, my parents were pretty spolied when I went to college because - even though I actually moved out and never moved back in (not for the summer... nothing), I only went about 30-40 minutes away to Dallas Baptist University and could run home whenever I wanted to! Then when I graduated from college and eventually got married, I moved to a house that is about 10 minutes away... crazy?? Heck no... I have a 10 month old (shout out to Colton who is TEN MONTHS OLD TODAY!!) and that means instant help with a simple phone call if I ever need it!! Anyway, thats beside the point because this post is dedicated to my sista-bear... She left for her second year of college on Saturday and since I was at a tournament all weekend, me and Colton spent the night at my parents on Thursday to get in some quality family time. Anyway, at the end of the night the silly girl sat on the couch holding my little sleeping angel and balled her eyes out... Who's the sensitive one?? yeah... definitely HER! Anyway, I want to give my sister a lot of credit... she leaves her entire family for about 8-9 months out of the year and goes to school, takes care of business, and returns to us in the summer more beautiful and more grown up than the last time she left. I thought it would be a little easier for her to leave the second time around because she wasn't worried about missing the birth of her nephew this time... but it wasn't easier. Goodbyes are never easy... So sister - just know this: We are so proud of you! We cannot wait to skype you and hopefully Colton will be talking soon so that he can say hello to his favorite ZZ. Remember, you were here for some of the most important things in his life and I know you will get to see so much more in the future... he started WALKING while you were here for crying out loud! Most importantly though... we love you and we cannot wait to see you again!

So -- here's to you Sista-Sugarbear! Have a FANTASTIC sophomore year! We miss you already!

Here is what happened LAST time she left for school... She had to turn around and come back! :)

It's not my first rodeo...

...BUT it is Colton's!

Thanks to Nana, G-Paw, and Aunt ZZ for taking little man to the rodeo, while mom got to have dinner with Marli May! I know he had a blast... :)

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Fun Friday... but posted on Sunday!

I love that Casey and I have fun couple friends to hang out with!! Friday night, on a whim, we decided to call Marli and Mark to see if they already had plans for the evening... Much to our surprise, they did not and were up for going to dinner with us! (we were childless for the evening...) So dinner at Primos it was and we had a fabulous time... so fabulous that we decided to go dancing afterwards (well, Marli danced and we mostly people watched, but that counts right?) Anyway, we had a blast and can't thank them enough for coming along last minute!

Love you Marli May! I'm so glad we are friends at work and not at work!

Sidenote: Marli made EVERYONE's night by dancing with a guy that just knew he is America's next top dancer! HI-LAR-I-OUS!!! I wish I had been faster with my camera so I could have gotten proof!

The "Suite" Life

For any of you out there who know me at all, you'd know how family oriented I really am. I mean, when Casey and I bought our house, we moved right in between my parents and his. My immediate families all live within about 5-10 minutes of each other... I'm also blessed to have my extended family in the metroplex as well... just not quite as close. Well, all except my dad's oldest brother and his immediate family who live in Ohio. With the exception of Robin and Brad and their kids, we haven't been able to see that part of the family in about ten years. So you can imagine our excitement when we found out that Uncle Johnny and his two younger kids (not so young anymore) would be coming in town at the end of the summer. When they finally arrived in the great state of Texas on Wednesday, we all met up and went out for dinner at Matt's in Lakewood. They must have known we were coming because we had the entire upstairs to ourselves (which was probably the best thing they could have done-separating us from the "normal" people). It was so great to see everyone after so many years and so many changes in our lives! I couldn't wait for more time with everyone... so Friday night we all met up again at the Ranger game. I mentioned before how blessed I am to have this great family and part of that is all of our great "connections" :) I mean who doesn't love getting a suite at the Rangers game because your uncle knows somebody who let us use theirs for the night! So, that's exactly what we did... we all (all 19 of us) piled into this FANTASTIC suite right behind home plate and were catered to all night, with all the food and drinks we could want! The Rangers won, there were fireworks and we had an INCREDIBLE time! Thanks again Uncle Jay!

the view from the suite

#1 Rangers fan!

aunt zz, lee-lee, and momma

all of the guys: (top) colton, casey p, jay, casey j, miles, jeff

(bottom) hunter, keith, buddy, johnny, andy (casey j's OU buddy)

all of the ladies: cyndi, cathy, kenz, leslee, ashley, susan, milly, lauren

my little love!

he had a BLAST banging and pressing on the glass doors

making faces with momma

didn't take his eyes off the fireworks

Ok, I had to add these in here... My dad ALWAYS gives my sister a hard time about her posing for pictures because it NEVER fails that the hand migrates to the hip -- so enjoy them!

making fun of kenz...

and again...

and now she is EMBARASSED!! HAHAHAH

all of the brothers - together AT LAST! never a dull moment...

The next day was my 26th birthday... 26 just doesn't sound as cool as 25 does it? 25 was a great year... I found out I was pregnant, I became a homeowner, I went on a fabulous "last adult" vacation with Casey to the Riveira Maya, and then most importantly I had a son. I don't mind getting older... it doesn't freak me out like some people, but seriously... 26 just doesn't sound as fun! Anyway, we decided that Saturday would be more family time for the Johnson crew so we planned a cookout/swim party in Forney at my grandparents. As always, lots of fun was had and we were sad to see it come to an end! Sadly my two cousins had to fly out on Tuesday and then my Uncle flew out today... We had an amazing time catching up with them and I can't wait until we are all together again!

SO BLESSED with an incredible family.