A few more

Here are a few more pics of Christmas. The pics on my other post got a bit messed up.

Hooray!!....

....For a new camera! My third in, oh the last year. =) Hopefully this one'll be around a little longer than the other two! The camera was one of many wonderful presents from Mikey's parents, and I'm very grateful!
Our Christmas was really enjoyable, and so nice that Mikey didn't have to leave to work that night! On Christmas Eve, we made the traditional drive out to Mikey's grandma's house for a delicious meal and a white elephant gift exchange with the rest of the extended family. Emma was a hit, showing off her new crawling skills, and looking cute in her santa outfit. Christmas morning found Mikey and I up bright and early (we're kids at heart :)for presents. Emma was quite fascinated with empty boxes, but seemed to enjoy her gifts from us as well. Mikey picked out a basketball hoop(her fav. toy at the moment) and I got her some musical drums that she also enjoys. After our time together at home, we went to Mikey's parents house for breakfast and presents with the Wells. Then it was home for the Johnson half of our Christmas. We had a delicious dinner with my whole family and then more presents! We hung out there most of the evening, playing rockband and laughing (mostly at Emma) All in all it was a wonderful Christmas. I'm so thankful for God's gift of His Son, as well for as all of His blessings in my life. I'm so undeserving.
Well, a new camera means new pics, so here we go, starting with Emma's first baby food:







Well, there ya have a mix of Halloween and Christmas and everything in between! Hopefully now I will stay on top of this blogging thing!

Still no pics :(

Well, I have a camera again. It's a loaner, but it works great. Only problem is it doesn't have a cord so I can't upload pictures!! Ah! It's getting frustrating! I have so many cute pics of my little June bug who is sitting up, crawling, and now pulling herself up! :) She's so sweet and definitely the center of our world. While I wait for a new camera (hopefully soon!) I figured I'd blog about Emma's last appointment.
Emma's 6 month appointment didn't go much better that the 4 month one. She's still in the 10th percentile for weight, and the dr. isn't thrilled about it. After more tears and beating myself up, I realized that I need to get over it. I was always petite, and obviously Emma is too. She eats well...most the time...and is the happiest baby I could dream of. It's challenging to get her to eat a lot right now, cause all she wants to do is be down on the floor working on her new skills. Lol. I hardly think she's starving though-there are quite a few fat rolls on her thighs.
Life right now is incredibly busy, but happy. Busyness isn't a chore if you love what you're doing! We're looking forward to Christmas next week...for the first time since we've been married, Mikey is off for Christmas Eve AND Christmas Day. As well as the 23rd and 26th :) It's about time!
Merry Christmas to you all!! :)

Here I go....

...trying to catch up. It seems ridiculous to post about going to the pumpkin patch when I just hung up Christmas lights, but here it is.
The pumpkin we picked has long since been cut up, boiled, and made into pies that were eaten :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

We spent this Thanksgiving with my family. Everyone met up at our place cause Mikey had to work tonight, so my mom and I teamed up with all of the cooking. It's the first time I've ever done that much, and now I appreciate how much work it is to make Thanksgiving dinner! Everything turned out great, and we all had a fun time together. Now we shift gears toward Christmas and have already decided that this Saturday is "d-day" AKA "decorating day". I love Christmas and waste no time getting my decorations out! :)
My computers and wireless network are back up and running, but still no camera. It's basically done for (after 6 whole months) and I'm quite mad about it. In my weaker moments, I have a strong desire to through the thing against the wall....over and over. So, I need to go get another camera (or borrow one) but it's really annoying not being able to blog. What's a blog without pictures?
At the same time though, not having a camera and not blogging has given me time to get pics developed, make photo albums, and finally get somewhere on Emma's scrapbook. I feel somewhat more organized as far as pics are concerned.
Well, it's a chilly night....the perfect end to a great Thanksgiving....and I'm very thankful for my warm, soft bed and for sleeeeeep :)

Oh, so behind!!

Well, I did what I said I wouldn't...it's been over a month since I've posted!! AH!! This time, though, it's not entirely my fault. Our internet has been down (dumb wireless network) and will be down until this weekend when my wonderful brother comes to tear everything apart and fix it. The only way I can get online is at school or on my laptop, and I have no pics on those computers. Speaking of pics, my camera is also not working, so I have to wait to post all the things I'm behind on...Emma's trip to the pumpkin patch, Halloween, Melissa's bridal shower. My goal will be to get all caught up before Thanksgiving and to try to get all my technology back in working order!! Hopefully it will be soon. Until then....you can just imagine how cute my little June bug is!! Oh I love her! :)

My thoughts exactly...

This pretty much sums up why I have to vote the way I'm planning to. No, I'm not a huge McCain supporter. No, I don't like arguing about politics. Neither am I a "Republican" or "Democrat". Rather, I'm a Christian who is called by Christ to elect those who uphold the morals and values found in Scripture.
Why I Can't Vote For Obama
By Huntley Brown(he is a fabulous concert pianist, man of God and is a black man)

Dear Friends,

A few months ago I was asked for my perspective on Obama, I sent out an email with a few points. With the election just around the corner I decided to complete my perspective. Those of you on my e-list have seen some of this before but it's worth repeating...

First I must say whoever wins the election will have my prayer support. Obama needs to be commended for his accomplishments but I need to explain why I will not be voting for him.

Many of my friends process their identity through their blackness. I process my identity through Christ. Being a Christian (a Christ follower) means He leads, I follow. I can't dictate the terms, He does because He is the leader.

I can't vote black because I am black; I have to vote Christian because that's who I am. Christian first, black second. Neither should anyone from other ethnic groups vote because of ethnicity. 200 years from now I won't be asked if I was black or white. I will be asked if I knew Jesus and accepted Him as Lord and Savior.

In an election there are many issues to consider but when a society gets abortion, same-sex marriage, embryonic stem-cell research, human cloning - to name a few, then wrong economic concerns will soon not matter.

We need to follow Martin Luther King's words, "don't judge someone by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." I don't know Obama, so all I can go on is his voting record. His voting record earned him the title of the most liberal senator in the US Senate in 2007.

NATIONAL JOURNAL: Obama: Most Liberal Senator in 2007 (01/31/2008)

To beat Ted Kennedy and Hilary Clinton as the most liberal senator, takes some doing. Obama accomplished this feat in 2 short years. I wonder what would happen to America if he had four years to work with.

There is a reason Planned Parenthood gives him a 100 % rating. There is a reason the homosexual community supports him. There is a reason Ahmadinejad, Chavez, Castro, Hamas etc. love him. There is a reason he said he would nominate liberal judges to the Supreme Court. There is a reason he voted against the infanticide bill. There is a reason he voted "No" on the constitutional ban of same-sex marriage.
There is a reason he voted "No" on banning partial birth abortion. There is a reason he voted "No" on confirming Justices Roberts and Alito. These two judges are conservatives and they have since overturned partial birth abortion. The same practice Obama wanted to continue.

Let's take a look at the practice he wanted to continue. The 5 Step Partial Birth Abortion procedures:

A. Guided by ultrasound, the abortionist grabs the baby's leg with forceps.
(Remember this is a live baby)
B. The baby's leg is pulled out into the birth canal.
C. The abortionist delivers the baby's entire body, except for the head.
D. The abortionist jams scissors into the baby's skull. The scissors are
then opened to enlarge the hole.
E. The scissors are removed and a suction catheter is inserted. The child's
brains are sucked out, causing the skull to collapse. The dead baby is then
removed.

God help him.

There is a reason Obama opposed the parental notification law.

Think about this: You can' not give a child an aspirin without parental notification but that same child can have an abortion without parental notification. This is insane.

There is a reason Obama went to Jeremiah Wright's church for 20 years.

Obama tells us he has good judgment, but he sat under Jeremiah Wright's teaching for 20 years. Now he is condemning Wright's sermons. I wonder why now?

Obama said Jeremiah Wright led him to the Lord and discipled him. A disciple is one in training. Jesus told us in Matthew 28:19 - 20 "Go and make disciples of all nations." This means reproduce yourself. Teach people to think like you, walk like you; talk like you believe what you believe etc.
The question I have is what did Jeremiah Wright teach him?

Would you support a White President who went to a church which has tenets that said they have a
1. Commitment to the White Community
2. Commitment to the White Family
3. Adherence to the White Work Ethic
4. Pledge to make the fruits of all developing and acquired skills available
to the White Community.
5. Pledge to Allocate Regularly, a Portion of Personal Resources for
Strengthening and Supporting White Institutions
6. Pledge allegiance to all White leadership who espouse and embrace the
White Value System
7. Personal commitment to embracement of the White Value System.

Would you support a President who went to a church like that?

Just change the word from white to black and you have the tenets of Obama's former church. If President Bush was a member of a church like this, he would be called a racist. Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton would have been marching outside.

This kind of church is a racist church. Obama did not wake up after 20 years and just discover he'd been going to a racist church. The TRUE church can't be about race. Jesus did not come for any particular race. He came for the whole world.

A church can't have a value system based on race. The churches value system has to be based on biblical mandates. It does not matter if it's a white church or a black church based on racial values, it's still wrong. Anyone from either race that attends a church like this would never get my vote.

Obama's former Pastor Jeremiah Wright is a disciple of liberal theologian James Cone, author of the 1970 book "the goals of the black community". If God is not for us and against white people, then he is a murderer, and we had better kill him.

Cone is the man Obama's mentor looks up to. Does Obama believe this?

So what does all this mean for the nation?

In the past when the Lord brought someone with the beliefs of Obama to lead a nation it meant one thing - judgment.

Read 1 Samuel 8 when Israel asked for a king. First God says in 1 Samuel 1:9 "Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do."

Then God says

1 Samuel 1:18 " When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the LORD will not answer you in that day." 19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. "No!" they said. "We want a king over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles." 21 When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the LORD. 22 The LORD answered, "Listen to them and give them a king."

Here is what we know for sure.

God is not schizophrenic

He would not tell one person to vote for Obama and one to vote for McCain. As the scripture says, a city divided against itself cannot stand, so obviously many people are not hearing from God. Maybe I am the one not hearing but I know God does not change and Obama contradicts many things I read in scripture so I doubt it.

For all my friends who are voting for Obama can you really look God in the face and say; Father ,based on your word, I am voting for Obama even though I know he will continue the genocidal practice of partial birth abortion. He might have to nominate three or four Supreme Court justices, and I am sure he will be nominating liberal judges who will be making laws that are against you. I also know he will continue to push for homosexual rights, even though you destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for this. I know I can look the other way because of the economy.

I could not see Jesus agreeing with many of Obama's positions. Finally I have two questions for all my liberal friends.

Since we know someone's value system has to be placed on the nation,
1. Whose value system should be placed on the nation.

2. Who should determine that this is the right value system for the nation?

Blessings,
Huntley Brown

Emma laughing at Lucy

Here's a video (or two) of Emma laughing. Not at mommy, not daddy, no she's laughing at LUCY despite all our efforts :)

We're back! :)

Wow!! I didn't realize it has been a month since I last posted! Time goes by way too fast as I'm so fond of saying. I would love to slow it down some! :) We just got home from Emma's four month doctor appointment and it went pretty well. I finally found a doctor I will stick with, and he seemed impressed with how alert and how cheerful she is. Em was definitely showing off for the dr. as she laughed and smiled at him the whole time :) The only thing he wasn't impressed with is her weight. She's only 11 lbs., 14 oz., pretty much at the bottom of the charts. He said that she's really strong and healthy, however, and since Mikey and I were both tiny kids (I was always underweight) it seems like she's just going to be a munchkin. I'm trying not to feel bad about it; I'm feeding her all she wants, whenever she wants, there's not much more I can do!
On a happier note, we just started Emma on cereal this past weekend and she LOVES it! Of course she makes a gynormous mess! She gets cereal everywhere from her feet to stuck on her eyelashes. She tries to grab the spoon to feed herself, sticks her hands in her mouth, etc. It's quite entertaining and I have some cute pics of her with food stuck all over her face.



I've pretty much been keeping busy with the usual....cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping, and playing with Emma. In addition, I'm planning my sister's bridal shower, and just found out I'm going to be involved in another wedding next month!I'm still loving my schedule and always look forward to the days I get to teach (Thurs. & Fri. & every other Wed.) I've got all of my fall decorations up, now we're just waiting for some fall-like weather. I'm sure we'll be waiting awhile!





I'm thrilled that my DOLPHINS are looking awesome, excited that my big brother will again be a south Florida resident very soon, and just enjoying life! I think that pretty much covers the last month and I'll try not to let another month go by before blogging again. :)

Emma Girl :)

Here are some pics of Emma from last Saturday and Sunday. I brought the camera out because she was wearing some of her new "big girl" (0-3 month) clothes. Here's the little sweetie herself!

Catch up time!

I'm behind on blogging and posting new pics (which I'm sure everyone is just dying to see...:) This past week was my "busy" week because I worked three whole days and never got a chance to get on here and update.
Labor Day weekend found us down at my mom's spending time with her and Melissa and Courtney. We had a great time just hanging out and playing Scrabble, and of course we enjoyed some of mom's great cooking and Melissa's great baking. Monday we went to see The Dark Knight, which I didn't think I'd be much interested in, but it turned out to be a great movie that we all enjoyed.



The last one is of us coming out of the movie (none of us had makeup on so don't look too closely :)

Last night Mikey and I dropped Emma off with grandma for a few hours so that we could spend some time together. We went out to our favorite upscale restaurant, Pizza Hut :), and then went shopping at Target for the kids. Two packages of diapers, one pack of wipes, one box of milkbones, two rawhide bones, and a bag of "pupperoni treats" later, we finished our "date". It was a really enjoyable time even though we didn't do too much. Sometimes just hanging out as we go through the necessities of life is the most fun.
Eating at Pizza Hut was especially entertaining. The only eat-in Pizza Hut around here is in a "questionable" area, but we like to go because it's something we both did as kids. Anyway. As soon as we walked in last night, Mikey saw that one of the waitresses was a lady he had just recently arrested and gone to trial for. While we waited for our pizza, Mikey was hiding his face. He was paranoid that if she noticed him she might add a few extra "toppings" to our pizza. :)Thankfully she didn't seem to recognize him although she did glance our way a few times! :)

Emma's first video!!

Here goes...hope this worked!!

Weekend in the wilderness

Emma and I are home from our last minute, much needed, much enjoyed weekend in Brandford. It was a last minute trip that I'm so glad we went on! I got home from school Friday happy to be off for the next five days...I needed to catch up on some sleep! Mikey's parents called that evening to see if I wanted to head up to their vacation home in Branford Saturday-Tuesday. That sounded much more relaxing than the list of chores I had to do at home, so I jumped into action to get Emma and myself ready to go (Mikey was going to be working those nights so he stayed home with the other children...Lucy & Yoshi) We left Saturday morning and spent the next few days watching movies, shopping, eating at yummy restaurants and playing Yahtzee. It was very relaxing and I came home more than ready to face the laundry, cleaning and lesson plans that awaited me. I'm also ready and excited to head back to school Thursday and Friday (part time is the best of both worlds, I LOVE it!!)

Emma update....it seems impossible, but she changes with each passing day!! She's so good natured and happy. She literally never cries, and smiles and laughes all day. She's really putting on weight and getting cute and a little chubby. She's "talking/yelling" at her toys, and also "talks" to anyone that will sit and chat with her. I'm planning to buy a video camera this weekend so we will capture all these moments and post them on here. She's also ALMOST outgrown two of her newborn outfits and I washed all her 0-3 month clothes today because she will be in them in the next couple weeks (I hope!) She's such a cute little peanut and I love having her. Girls are the best! :)
Pics from the trip...





This last one you have to view larger to appreciate it..."Uncle" Hal was making faces and Emma was trying to copy...she looks like a wild woman in this one :)

A day in the life of....

I don't know if it's the new mom business or what, but I swear the brain I used to have that worked so well is long gone. Even before Emma was born I started doing intelligent things like doing a whole load of laundry with no detergent, but I blamed it on the pregnancy hormones. I don't have that excuse now and I get enough sleep at night so that's no excuse either.
Yesterday my friend Kristin was having an open house to celebrate her recent college graduation (yay Kristin!) She lives about 45 minutes away from me, but I drive that way frequently to see my mom, so no big deal, right? The whole trip was ill fated from the get go. I was supposed to leave my house around 4 and lo and behold just before 4 a devilish thunderstorm rolls in complete with huge, thick black clouds and nonstop lightning. The deputy got out of his bed (He worked all night) long enough to inform me that I wasn't going anywhere in this storm, so I waited. It finally tapered off enough for me to get into the car with Emma and the tons of other garbage that seems to be a necessity for going anywhere with a baby. Anyway, we made it to the car in one piece and it was then I noticed there was hardly any gas in it. I should have realized right then and there that I was better off curling up on my couch and watching the olympics, but like I said, this is my best friend's graduation party! SO I go merrily on my way to the ONE gas station between our house and the turnpike. And what do you know, every pump had a red bag on it and said "OUT OF SERVICE". Great. At this point you'd really think I would have gone back home (It's still raining) but no, I decide to get on the turnpike and press on southward figuring I can get off to get gas along the way. Well, as I'm driving, I realize it's rush hour on a Friday evening. The traffic was VERY heavy and VERY slow, and my gas was getting lower and lower. To top it all off, the thunderstorm seemed to be following me, making the roads very slick and not so fun to drive on. I decided to get off at a service plaza so that at least I wouldn't have to worry about the gas problem. I exited no problem and pulled up to a pump, no problem. I rolled down a window for Emma and went to take the key out of the ignition, but it wouldn't come out!! I twisted, I turned, but it wasn't budging. So I tried to start over and turn the car back on, but it wouldn't start!! I tried and tried, but there was no spark of life. I tried not to panic, but it was getting hotter and hotter, I had an infant in the car, it was STILL raining, and there was a man leaning out his window at the pump next to mine drooling at me. (No, really) I called Mikey and frantically told him my situation all the while trying not to cry because he was far away in safeland. He told me he'd call his sarg and go in late and come to help me, but I realized that my sister in law was nearby so I called her instead. And wonderful person that she is she said she'd be right there. After I hung up with her I happened to look down, and saw something that made me cringe because of my own idiocy. The car was still in DRIVE. I never shifted into park. No wonder the dumb thing wouldn't start. I've never done that in my life!! I called Mikey and Courtney back and told them I was fine, grabbed my gas, and got out of there as fast as I could. I think my face is still red from my stupidity. Thank God I didn't make Mikey drive all the way down to tell me my car was still in drive! Oh well. We made it to the open house, saw Kristin, and actually made it home in one piece.
What I want to know is...will my mind ever snap out of this fog? Or is this the price of motherhood? :) Well, either way, Emma is more than worth it!

Lots of Randomness...

Yes...three blogs in one day. Or rather one night. (I did nothing but read the first 10 hours of the day) :) No, I'm not an obsessed blogger, I'm a bit under the weather and don't feel up to doing much, plus Mikey's at work and Emma's sleeping. This leaves lots of thinking time.
My thoughts have been all over the place but mostly centered on how blessed my life truly is. I'm blessed with a man who puts up with me and loves me always. Even when I definitely don't deserve his love and kindness. I have the precious little girl I've always dreamed of having, a great home, a job I love, and the best family anyone could ever wish for. I even have a great dog that I wouldn't trade for a million bucks!:)
The other thing that keeps coming to mind are seasons. Not just the seasons of the year, but the seasons of our lives. At this point in our lives we are in springtime, full of new life, sunny skies, and bright blossoms. Things are good in life and we have much to be grateful for. Especially now that I can look back and see the way God has led me through the "winters" of life and has always been by my side. I know other stormy times of life will come but I can face them knowing that He has truly carried me through the hard times.
Another golden summer is passing by. I've enjoyed the long, hot days, not having a schedule, and just savoring so many wonderful memories with my sweet family. As we stand on the brink of fall, however, I grow excited, because this is my favorite time of the year! I love "back to school", decorating my classroom, reconnecting with all my teacher friends, seeing the students and how much they've grown! Shorter days and cooler weather, FOOTBALL after church every Sunday and Monday nights, and of course the holiday season which will be even more special this year...Brian and Courtney will be HOME!! :)

She's gone country!

Posting about my love of decorating made me want to post pics of my second grade classroom last year. It was a country western theme and turned out pretty cute. I'm sharing a fourth grade class this year (and only working a couple days a week) so not sure if I'll get as into the decorating, but it was fun last year when I didn't have a baby to take care of!






I love these kids!!