My Birthday

This year my birthday was a very special one.  The kids made me a birthday cake.  I just had to share the photos of this one.  It was so sweet.  Madi planned this for a week.  She kept saying " Mom if we decide to cook this week Dad said it was ok.   We'll clean up our mess, I promise."  She just couldn't wait to give it to me.  She was so proud.  It made it such a special day.  I was also blessed to share an evening out with some very special friends.  Mike and Cindy took our family and Billy and Sharon out to eat at Simon's Catch.   Bill and Sharon don't get to go out very often and were thrilled at the chance to go.  Cindy arranged it all and it was a very memorable evening.  Sometimes we don't realize what God has blessed us with.

 

Vacation Time

I have been absent for a while.  Not only did we take a much needed vacation, I also took a long vacation from blogging.  I wished everyday on vacation for my laptop to capture the moments that I didn't want to ever forget.  I hope that all the pictures we took while we were in Mexico help me to recall all of the very special moments we had. 

We left the last week of June and headed to the Riviera. We actually stayed approximate 1.5 hrs south of Cancun.   A tropical, Caribbean vacation is definitely the  answer. To kick back, relax, and forget all your worries (even with your kids!)is priceless.   We had the most wonderful time.  It was a trip of many firsts for our family.  The kids had never flown.  That was a great experience.  They had also never seen the beach.   They just couldn't believe how clear the water was, and why its salty they never came to a conclusion for that one.   Not only was it a trips of firsts for the kids but Chris and I also had a first.  Snorkeling with the sea turtles was something I've only dreamed about.  I am an animal lover of all sorts.  I love the turtles, they are so cool.  I have so many pictures I'm not sure which to share first.   We went walking the beach one night after dinner and walked up on this turtle that was up on the beach.  It was turtle nesting season while we were there.  They say that the turtles come up on the beach during the full moon to lay eggs.  The resort we stayed at has partnered with the CEA in Mexico to help protect the sea turtles.  We visited with a man that worked there and he shared a little about the project and then showed a bucket that was full of baby turtles that had just hatched.  They move all of the nests to an area on the beach that is blocked off in order to collect the babies and take them to a special place in Akumal. 

Anniversary and Father's Day Fun!

Our anniversary is usually spent in combination with Father's Day celebration. Chris and I have been married twelve years on the 20th.   We spent the day at the Runaway Bay Lake.  We had so much fun with the kids, Grammie, and Papa Tom. 

It was so hot.  The kids just love to jump in and swim.  Parker was really getting tired.  You can tell when he wears down.  He gets still and then crashes.

Where's the Beef?

Not a question heard frequently here!!   Meer's is a famous country restaurant.  Well....restaurant may be a stretch.  Diner...I should say... Nah..... Really it's just some off the wall place set in the Wichita Mountains in Southwest Oklahoma.  It originally started as the local post office, I think that is right.  All I know is that as a kid growing up we never waited in line here.  We would just park and walk right in.  People did actually still get their mail here too.    Now, things have changed quit a bit.  They have built on twice.   The wait has definitely increased.  I think that there is always a line.   People will drive from all over to eat here.   The thing that they are most known for is the Meer's Burger.  Served up in an old fashioned pie tin.

 

Yep....It is that big.  And delicious to boot.   They actually use Longhorn cattle beef, which is so lean.  So lean I'm sure that they classify as healthy.  (said joking...haha)   If you get a chance be sure to visit.  Not the cleanest or nicest place you could dine in Oklahoma but it qualifies for the most authentic country diner.

My baby goes to church camp!

Last week Madison went to CKBA church camp.  This is the first time she has been away from us for an extended time period without other family around.  I was so sad.  She on the other hand wasn't.  She acted a little sad on Sunday, but come Monday she was set to go.  When we got to the church she hardly had time to take a few pictures with the family.

Parker wanted so badly to give her a hug and kiss!  Madi was not having any part of this especially with all her friends watching! 

Since she was going to be gone, Parker decided to go the Texas and spend the week with Paula.  I can't believe that the week went by without even the least bit of time to blog about all of this.  Both kids gone and I didn't know how to manage all of my free time.  No baths to give, no laundry piling up, no one fighting.  It was a strange week.  Parker was such a big boy too!  I can't believe that either one of them are old enough to be gone from us for that long.   Time flies.  Friday came around and I just couldn't wait to pick her up and to get to Tx. to see Parker.   Madi made me so proud.  She ran right to me and hugged me.  These moments are priceless.  Then she shared with me the good news that she gave her heart the the Lord while at camp.  This is a big step and makes me so happy. 

Flowers

My flower beds are overflowing with blooms right now.  One of my favorite is the Balloon Flower. (not sure that is the real name) It is going crazy.  Until we moved here a couple years ago, I had never seen a flower like this one.  I just love how it starts and then when it blooms it is so cool.  The flower starts out like a little balloon full of air.  If you squeeze it you can tell it has air in it. At first when they started blooming we thought what a weird flower then when it bloomed I realized that it was so cool. 

This picture is right before it blooms.  The plant is just full of these before any of them bloom.  It looks really cool.  The flowers are really pretty when they bloom. 

This is after the flower blooms.  

 

My daisies are also in full bloom.  Daisies are one of my very favorite flowers.  I had them in my wedding flowers.  So when I look at them it takes me back.   

Another cool flower I must share is the wishbone flower.  It is unique.  Each flower has a wishbone inside.  This is the first time I have grown this flower.  I found it at our local greenhouse, Dean's.  He always has really healthy plants.    I have this one in a hanging basket just out my front door to the north.  It seems to love it there.  It is really growing.  

I feel like I've gone crazy with all the pictures but I just love my flowers and want to share the joy they give me!

A Busy Start to Summer!

Life has been extra busy at the Johnson household! Summer is always a fun time with lots of stuff to occupy our time. (so busy I forgot to blog) We started off the week after school was out with VBS. The kids just loved it and had a wonderful time. The theme this year was The Boomerang Express. Something about a boomerang and a clever verse about It all comes back to JESUS. The next week was a week of no babysitter. And yes I had confused the weeks and didn't realize it was upon me..... so I stayed home most of the week with the kids. It wasn't too bad. Well, maybe it wasn't to great either. I give a big hand to those moms who homeschool. I'm not sure I could make it. Maybe I could...
That week allowed for some time for baking. I decided to try out several different cake recipes I found on the internet. Thanks to Barefoot Contessa we all gained a couple extra pounds too. Madison has set the DVR to record all of her shows. She loves to cook too! I made Beatty's Chocolate Cake. It was the best chocolate cake I've ever made. It was a little more complicated than just the norm for me but definetly worth the effort!
The other cake I made was another Ina Garten recipe. It was a Coconut Cake. My favorite was the chocolate. I'm a big fan of chocolate. The coconut was good but it was a very heavy and dense cake. The chocolate was so moist it practically fell apart when I was icing it. Oh.... the icing was to die for. The major problem I had was the lumps in the icing. If you look close you can see them. My sifter broke as I was sifting the flour and so....LUMPS! Oh well, it still tasted fabulous. If you love chocolate then you must try this one.