2009 Resolutions

Doesn't Brantley just look frightened? We went for a walk tonight. I am already on my way to keeping my resolutions

1. Make healthy choices--means that I want to eat more at home, cut out the late night eating, eat smaller portions, exercise...And drum roll please, we are three days into the new year and I have accomplished all of these.

2 Cultivate relationships--I want to make those play dates, have people over for dinner, enjoy my kids. I want to build those relationships insead of always saying "we should get together" and never do.

3. Take baby steps

4. SCRAP

Today Charlie, Brantley and I accomplished numbers 1, 2, and 4 by taking a nap together in our big bed, going for a bike ride/walk, and scrapping together. (okay, so Brantley didn't scrap but Charlie did play with her stamps and new ink pad.)

3. Take baby steps--I went to hobby lobby and didn't buy any more pattern paper even though I had a gift card from some friends...(baby steps to saving money)--I shinned my sink--Okay flylady, my house still isn't clean but at least the kitchen sink is shinny :)

Now to the real reason for this post. I have a daughter that can not ride a bike. There is no way I am letting her any where near a car and a road. She can't keep her bike on the sidewalk. She pedals three pedals forward and six pedals backwards. After ten minutes of trying to get her to pedal down the street she walked her bike back to the yard (we only managed to get three houses away) and then we went for a walk.

Jan first

I have to laugh at my first picture in January. Charlie runs up to Brantley in his walker. Grabs his hands and says, "Let's dance." She then proceeds to dance with him. She even twirls herself around his walker. I couldn't help but laugh and the two of them. You would think that Brantley wouldn't like this but he just laughed at her.

Christmas on the road

We went on a marathon family visit after Christmas. Here you see Charlie crammed into the back of the car. She sure looks comfortable huh?

We stopped by Aunt Sherry's and Uncle Jimmy's in Springdale, AR. Some how I got out of there without Uncle Jimmy's picture. I didn't do a very good job taking pictures this time one the trip.

At Grams and Papa's in Lead Hill, AR we had a great visit. Once again I didn't get all the pictures I should have. We were able to visit with Uncle Bobby, Aunt Pam and cousin Jarrett. I still can't believe that Jarrett is 20. Boy am I getting OLD.

Charlie and Papa Charley played in the band...It is really funny when Papa plays blue grass, gospel, and old country and Charlie speaks in disney, cartoons (princess, backyardigans, Hermie, and strawberry shortcake), and Bare Naked Ladies. It is really hard to find a song that they both know. They played a lot of Away in the Manger and Rudolph.

We also stopped at Mammaw and Pappaw's in MO.

It was such a long trip that Daddy and Charlie took a nap on the couch. I just love this picture.

We also saw Grandma Flo, Uncle Rick, Aunt Brenda, and Uncle Stan. I managed to get lots of pictures with the kids and Grandma and NONE of the rest of the family. Someone needs to smack me this year. I am not getting all the pictures I should.

But here is a great one with my Dad and his grandkids: Charlie, Brantley and Erin.

All I want for Christmas

is a little pink house with a door, a window, and some flowers.

Grandpa and Grandma Johnson helped Santa by building a little play house.

Then Grandma and Charlie decorated the inside.

What great in-laws I have.

Christmas Day

Working backwards....We went home and opened presents...Charlie went on her present hunt and found a picnic table. We had a picnic the next day.

Mommy tried really hard to get great pictures in front of the tree. This was what happened!

Here is mommy's pretty picture.

We spent Christmas morning with Grandma and Grandpa Johnson. Gant, Colten, Cale, Uncle Donnie, and Aunt Mistie came by too.

Charlie and Brantley were very excited to get their Christmas Eve PJ's, especially when Charlie saw that they matched!

Gingerbread house

Last year we started the tradition of making a gingerbread house. Dusty was determined to get it up and get it up fast. I told him that he needed to let the icing dry and he said it was fine...Here is what our house looked like.

This year he listened to me. Our house turned out beautiful!

Scraping stuff

This was one of the layouts that I did for Linda (Dusty's mom). We had been talking about her grandmother. She said that she always wanted to be the kind of grandmother her's was. I wanted her to know that she is that kind of grandmother...the one that just takes the time to be there.

I hate to clean the house. Did I say HATE? Yes, I said hate so this is the way that I make it fun. I have a can. In the can there are popsicle sticks labeled with different chores or locations. (dishes, laundry, bathroom, bedroom, living room, entertainment room, long table, vacuum, ect.) So when I start cleaning, I choose a stick. Charlie had to have a cup too. So, these are our cleaning cups. Silly, Huh?

The last layout that I did for Christmas was for Dusty's dad. When Dusty and I first started dating, I went to his parents house. His dad was in the kitchen baking chocolate chip cookies and reciting something. The something turned out to be this story: The Monsters Three Wishes. It was Dusty's favorite story as a kid. So I looked everywhere to find it. Alas, I had to break copyright laws to get it. It is a short story inside a collection of Sesame Street story books.
So I went to the library, checked out the book and color copied the six page story. I then laminated it and used clear packing tape to bind it together. One day this summer I caught pictures of Ben reading it to Charlie. I loved it. So here is the page. INside the pocket is the story typed out. The journaling tells the story of the cookies in the kitchen. It's a memory I don't want to forget.