Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all. It has been a crazy month for me. Life at the Johnson household has been super busy. Both of the kids have had birthdays and preparing for Christmas has really monopolized my time, and as a new blogger I forgot that I had this to do for awhile. Guess that just happens. I hope everyone had a great day and took the time to remember the Reason for the Christmas season.



We have had family in for the holidays. Chris' mother and step-dad have traveled up from Texas to spend Christmas together. The kids were excited for today. They could hardly stand to wait. Waiting and anticipation is just part of the fun for me. I always try to talk Chris into opening up just one present early, but as always we had to wait til Christmas morning. He surprised me this year with a new laptop. When I started blogging I told him that I thought it would be so much easier to blog from the living room. He told me several times that I was crazy if I thought I was getting one. Chris is always so good at surprises. I am so thankful that God put him in my life. Every Christmas he pulls a fast one on me. We say every year we aren't exchanging gifts. It has become a tradition that we say that and do the opposite. I am so excited that I had to blog right away. He spent all morning getting the wireless router hooked up.



We have truly been blessed this year. As I spend time at home with the kids and catch up on the news I see that so many people out there are having a hard time this Christmas. So many people losing their jobs and the trouble with the economy. Chris and I talked about it the other night and feel that we are so lucky to have a job and still have our home this Christmas. God has given us so much so we need to stop and reflect on what we can give to him. As the new year rolls around again so quickly, I think and wonder what the next will bring.



And since I missed blogging about Thanksgiving I will say now that I am so thankful for Jesus, first and foremost, my family, children, friends, and church family. I have so many things that I am so thankful for. I can't count the number of blessing given to me this year.

Reminiscing

All this talking about deer hunting made me go back through all my old photos and pull out some of my favorite shots of Parker and Chris's deer hunting adventures.The first picture was taken on December 4th, 2004. This is Parker's very first time to go hunting with Chris. He just couldn't wait. Chris ended up carrying him most of the way. Just the beginning of their time hunting together. It really makes me sad to look back and reminisce. He was so little. Yet, he thought that he was so big. The second photo was shot October 4th, 2005. This was the first archery hunt for the two of them. and the last shot is from November 26, 2006. This picture has a story to tell. Parker was growing weary. He thought that they were never going to get a deer. This was the last night of black powder gun season and they had not seen many deer that night. Right

before dark one started moving in the distance. When Parker saw it, he said to Chris, please dad shot him. So Chris decided to keep him happy he would. This is the first deer that the two harvested together. Parker though that this was a monster buck. He was so excited. He wanted to have this one mounted. You know the old saying, Like father, like son. In this case it does apply. The two of them are definitely from the same mold. Hope you all have enjoyed these pictures from the past just as much as I did!

Cara's Deer ?

For all of the ladies out there, my sister has crossed the line. She has taken up deer hunting and putting me to shame. I'm sure the rest of you feel the same way. She has crossed a line I feel no woman should. This is a man sport. I think seriously, we should keep it that way. I am in the process of seeking her some professional counseling. I think we should all take a minute and pray for her. I'm certain she was feverish and ill at the time. Or maybe she was forced, held at gun point. Something, there has to be some excuse. LOL. No, in all seriousness she has decided to take up hunting. As you can see my nephew loves it. Since everyone else made the blog, I posted a pic of my brother-in-law's deer also.

Correction: He did get a BIG ONE!

I have to redeem myself and duly note the correction to my previous blog. Oh, how quickly I was corrected and ridiculed because I had made a mistake. Chris let me know right away after reading my previous blog that he was able to get one with his bow during archery season. I was wrong in thinking this one wasn't an important deer. This one is a big one because it was taken with a bow. I guess I'll have to work more on knowing the importance of game scoring.

Deer Season

My husband is so very excited this week because, the rut is here! Some of you may be asking what is that. Well as the wife of an avid deer hunter I confess I did have to learn a few things about this. The rut is the time of mating for deer. I know your next question is what's that got to do with hunting them. Well, it causes the deer to move around more increasing the chance for shooting a monster buck.
I know, I know, it really is too much for me too. I don't like hunting. I have tried to get involved some. It is something that only the male gender of my family are interested in at the time. My son is as crazy about it as Chris. I just don't enjoy something that requires me to
#1. get up early, #2. be cold, and most importantly, #3. be extremely quiet. I find that most difficult at times. I am a talker. Or as I would say, I was born to communicate with others.
Chris has taken us all out in the deer blind once. I stopped to think about it and no, its twice. And I must admit that both times were uneventful. No deer is what I mean by that. Because getting two children out in a tent asking them to sit still and be quiet is truly an event. I think the whole idea for Chris is for it to be a family thing but I don't think that it's going to happen. Madi is alot like me. She doesn't see any reason hunt. We both have other things that we would rather do. I love family time, but I don't want to mix that with hunting.
This weekend seems to be a really big deal. Gun season opens, maybe I should say rifle. Not sure, oh well, its all just hunting to me but I'll keep you posted if Chris "gets a big one!"

Roundup Sunday

November 9th was Roundup Sunday at church. They decided to throw in a theme and asked everyone to dress up for the occasion. It was really alot of fun. It was a nice change of pace. Everyone seemed a little more relaxed and enjoyed the day. After church we had a fellowship at the Activities Center with lunch and games.

We had time for a family pic at the alter after services. Parker wouldn't smile. We finally gave up trying. Our pastor even dressed up for the occasion. Missed the photo opp. though. The church was packed full. Some new faces, which is a really good thing. One of Chris's friends had brought the chaps and spurs for someone else to wear and it ended up that Chris wore them. He looked like an authentic cowboy. We all had a really good time and hope to do it again.

Women of Faith

This past weekend, Misty, Lisa and I all went to the Women of Faith Conference at the OKC Ford Center. We met other friends there from my hometown church in Mountain View. We always have a really good time and this one was no different.

My favorite speaker is usually Patsy. She has us laughing till we cry. But this year I enjoyed all of the speakers. There is usually one that isn't as funny as the others. Someone has to be serious, but they were all really comical and funny. I love to hear the stories about their lives. They all have such a way of story telling. The music wasn't just good this year it was AWESOME! Nicole C. Mullen performed Friday night and it was truly moving. I have never felt this way in response to a musical performance. She had everyone up and moving literally. And there was also Sandi Patty and Mandina. They were great too! I just loved the performance by Sandi and her husband. I don't remember the name of the song but it was another moving performance. Her husband's part was in another language, so I have no idea was he was saying but the two of them singing together was a tear jerker. I've never understood why anyone would enjoy opera because it's in a different language but now I understand. It was Wonderful!

Change of Opinion

When I was 15, I went to take the driving test in order to get my permit. Little did I know that there would be questions about organ donation once I passed and they started to make my license. Organ Donation? What in the world? I guess I had been in the dark up until this point. They gave me a form and asked me to read it and then to check a box. Needless to say I was a little scared. I checked no quickly and went on my way. Give someone my organs? No way! This was the last I thought about this until I renewed my license again sometime later. Again, I thought no way am I checking that box yes now. I guess I thought if I checked it now God might really need my organs and then my time would come sooner. I know these thoughts are not rational. I'm just a little crazy sometimes. Anyway, I had always said to my family I really don't think that I want to be an organ donor. It just always freaked me out a little until recently. Now to get the the reason for this blog.

My cousin, Lori, that is 11 years older than me, decided she wanted to lose weight. We all can empathize with her in this area I'm sure. I know I can. Who reading this hasn't wished a dozen times to be thinner. Well, when she went to the doctor for advice, she was given a prescription for a diet drug. After taking this she did lose weight, but little did she know that she would be in that percentage that would experience drastic side effects. (Not really bashing pharmaceuticals, just feel that she was seriously injured by these.) Several years after she had taken these drugs she was diagnosed with PPH. This is a condition that seriously effects the lungs and heart. She had lived with PPH for around 7 years. She did use several medications that helped her. It wasn't until these drugs stopped working that she faced the hardest times of her illness. She was so very sick. I'm not sure any of us realized how sick she really was. But on September 3, she received a call she thought would never come. She had recently been placed on the lung transplant list and was notified that they had a set of lungs. This was a very moving day for her and the whole family. Life is such a precious thing. But without someone else losing their life she would not be able to live today. Thanks to God above, and thanks to a generous woman in Oklahoma, Lori now has a new set of lungs. She is doing well and is feeling better every day. It is still a long road ahead for her in the recovery process. Because of this experience, I have now decided organ donation is the only way you can help someone on this earth after you die. When I go home to meet my maker, you can have all my organs. I will be in a better place and will not be needing them anymore. If you are not an organ donor, please just think about giving life to someone else and maybe you too can change your opinion on organ donation.

Halloween Costumes

As promised, a picture of the kids on Halloween. Parker really has to act like the character anytime he dresses up. Madi was a little upset that Parker was being so dramatic about the picture. She kept making me take it over. She'd say mom Parker is getting in my way.
Parker really loves to dress the part anytime he does anything. This summer for Pee Wee Baseball he had to have the black under his eyes. Just like the pros. We have to have batting gloves. They are a must. He says they will help him to hit a home run. For playing football in the yard he needs pads, a helmet, and a jersey. He is very serious about all things. I just laugh at him. It's so cute.
Madison loves to dress up too. She just isn't as particular as Parker.

Pumpkin Carving

This weekend was very eventful. My mother-in-law, Paula, came from Texas to visit. We spent most of Saturday at soccer. We managed to get in

a little shopping in Clinton once the kids games were over though.

Sunday we had some fun time carving pumpkins. The kids had never done this before. They just couldn't understand where the pumpkin pie comes into the picture. After opening up the pumpkin to find all the strings and seeds they were grossed out. Neither one of them would stick their hands down in the pumpkin to clean it out. Although when I suggested throwing out all of the pulp and seeds Madison about cried. She's my drama queen deluxe. I can't wait for the teenage years. I know they are going to be so much fun. Madi insisted that we roast the pumpkin seeds like Mrs. Russell did in 2nd grade. She called Michelle to get her recipe. We used salt, pepper, garlic powder and a little garlic salt and baked them at 350 until they browned. We cooked them a little long. The seeds were really crunchy but the kids loved them. The two of them working together in the kitchen is a priceless moment. They were calling themselves chefs. There are times that they are so cute. Someone remind me of this from time to time. Don't get me wrong I adore my children. There are just times I'm ready to pull my hair out. Kids can make you crazy like that.


Our pumpkins turned out really cute. The kids put candles in them and put them on the porch. Parker is hoping that people that trick-or-treat are scared by them. I tried gently to let him know that they weren't too scary but he still believes that they will be scared.

Madison and Parker are both really excited for Halloween. I myself dread it. Tons of candy, a costume, and walking from house to house in the cold. Halloween is my least favorite holiday. Parker is dressing up as Daniel Boone and Madi is going to be a princess. I'll be sure and post pictures of them on Halloween.

P-Bar Farms Field Trip

Oh what fun we have on field trips! I went with Parker's class to P-Bar Farms east of Weatherford on Wed. We went out to a pumpkin patch and picked our very own pumpkin. They were all small, the perfect size for the kids. I had a lot of fun, although it was a rather strange day. On many of the field trips I have been on, the teachers have a planned itinerary. It is followed to the letter. Which for the most part is a good thing. But not this one. The day was very low key , other than the 25 screaming kids. Not once did I see the teachers scrambling to do a head count.

They had a wonderful time despite the dreary weather that moved in Tuesday night. Just a few rain sprinkles the whole day. P-Bar Farms was a really neat field trip. They actually had lots of interesting things for the kids planned. They have really spent time in making the farm appropriate for young school age children. They have a train and an inflatable slide, which the kids see as the best thing since sliced bread. (I just couldn't pass up this cliche. My nanny uses it and I always laugh when she does.) They also gave a presentation on wind power and solar power. This was all a little more than the kids could grasp but very interesting for the adults. The Weatherford area has approximately 90 wind turbines and to my surprise none of that electricity is used in Oklahoma. They said that all of that energy produced is used in Florida. This is really strange to me. It seems like they would use more energy/electricity getting the power generated to Florida than they produce. But, I don't guess what I think is too important. Anyway, we all had a good time.

Fun on Fall Break

This year for fall break we had a big camping trip planned. As my luck goes, we were rained out. Its funny how God works things out sometimes. Because of all the rain during the first part of the week it was going to be a muddy mess and we decided to head to the mountains. Wednesday we called and made reservations at a lodge in Red River, New Mexico and headed out as soon as school let out. The kids were so disappointed when they awoke Wednesday to rain drops and wind. It was so sad to see their little faces. When we picked them up at school they wanted to know what we were going to do since we couldn't go camping. All we told them was that we were going somewhere they had never been before. They were so excited then. They started playing the ever so frequent game of 21 questions. Who? What? When? Where? How far? They were so cute. I just love to surprise them. It nearly drove them crazy. Us too! Finally after much contemplation, they gave up and fell asleep only to wake in the mountains with snow on the ground. Red River had received the first snow of the 2008 season on Tuesday that week. It was 29 degrees that night when we finally got there. The kids couldn't believe it. The next day we went hiking in the mountains. We had so much fun. The trees were turning and the air was so crisp and clean. I just love the pine scent. I forgot how quiet and serene the mountains are.

Nature is something that I feel too many take for granted. God created some very spectacular sights. The last picture of our trip that I just couldn't resist adding to this blog is the one of the water running down the inside of the tree. Its in Cimmeron Canyon, which is between Cimmeron and Eagles Nest. I'm not sure how long this has been there but I know for sure that it has been there at least 30 years. It is a very special place for me. As a kid we went to Red River several summers. Many times I would see this log and hope to stop and see it up close. The first time I was able to stop I was with my nanny (Winona). She thought that this was one of the neatest things. I am so glad that I was able to share this with her and now I have had the chance to share this with my family.

Trip to the Wichita Mtn. Refuge

Saturday after soccer, Chris and I went to the Wichita Mtn. Refuge with Mike and Cindy. We signed up for a Bugleing Elk tour. But just as my luck would have it, no Elk within camera distance. It never fails, every time I go with Chris hunting the same thing happens. The wind picks up and we see nothing. We did see a few elk with binoculars but nothing up close. The wind was howling and it had the elk on high alert. The refuge, however, was beautiful. We had a wonderful time in the outdoors. The highlight of the trip for me was the trees in the photo. This group of trees was planted in perfect rows. No matter which way you look they line up. Growing up close to the refuge I've been by this tree group too many times to count but today I actually walked out in them. It was awe inspiring.

We did see buffalo. They were out and about, roaming all over the place. Such an odd looking animal. Not a care in the world. The bus didn't even bother them much. We actually had to stop and wait for them to move. The four of us really enjoyed our time there and plan on doing it again sometime. I am just hoping for less wind the next time around.

Soccer Time

The kids are both in recreational soccer this fall. Parker's team is really aggressive. They have only lost one game so far this season. Madi's team on the other hand have yet to win one. She plays U10 and it is a little harder. Her team could care less whether they win or lose. They all just like to be together and talk. (And they all just love the pink soccer jersey.) Must be a female thing. We are constantly on the go with the two teams, making saturdays really crazy. I am glad that they both are playing but I will be glad when it slows down. Life moves so fast. Just when you find a minute to catch your breath and then the moment is gone. Where does all the time go? 10/11/08

New Birdhouse

I've spent so much time lately enjoying all the other blogs that I finally decided to start my own. It seems like so much fun that I couldn't resist trying. I have been inspired by a few ladies that blog here in my hometown. I'm always pulling up the page, so anxious to see what has been posted. Thank you so much for the inspiration you have provided to me. I don't think that I am quite craft worthy to be a blogger but I am definitely going to give it a try. I received a gift from a friend last week. It's the cutest birdhouse made from a gourd. I just love looking out the window at it. Thank you for the birdhouse. I love it!