The Best Part of the New Minions Movie

Recently, MoMo took the Bear Crew to Mall of America for an afternoon that included the ferris wheel and the new Minions Movie. The kids reported that the movie was "awesome" with only a "few scary parts."

Aside from the fact that my kids can now spy Bob, Kevin or Stuart from over a half mile away, or that they constantly shout out "Banana!" every time they see something yellow, my favorite ramification of the movie viewing comes from the fact that the Minions apparently refer to each other as "Buddies."  This consequence has particularly reverberated in J-Bear's vocabulary, and she has adopted the word to refer to her siblings collectively as a group.  Now, on any given day in our house you may here:

"Hey, Buddies!"

"Buddies, where are you?"

"Mommy, where Buddies? I no find them."

"Buddies, come wook!"

"Buddies, time eaaaaat!"

"Buddies, wha you doING?"

"Mommy, when I wake-up, I say, 'wake up buddies'?"

This new habit is an adorable replacement for the classic Midwestern "hey guys" or the quintessentially Southern "hi y'all!"  I am hoping it will stick around for quite some time.  On the other hand, amidst all the "Buddies," "Bananas," and general hullabaloo of our life, I can't help but occasionally feel like I'm actually living inside a Minions movie.  Does that make me the Despicable boss?

Happily Ever,

Queen B

Mom, You are my Sunshine

Happy Mother's Day weekend, friends.

We are having a really special Mother's Day here in Happily Ever Johnson Land.

On Thursday, G-Bear's Kinder class performed a Mother's Day Paraliturgy Program.

The moms were the honored guests of the program.  

We each had a special seat, decorated with personalized pictures. 

My portrait, by G-Bear

Our children were the stars.

The kids marched in singing "You are My Sunshine," carrying sunshines for Mom.

By the end, there were very few dry eyes in the performance hall.

I am one blessed Momma.

This weekend, we are blessed to have Nana with us.

Nana has four children, and now, thanks to the birth of J-Bear and her new cousin, she is grandmother of twelve.

Nana with G-Bear after her program.

This weekend, we are blessed to be with MoMo, who is home from Mayo and our inspiration.

GrandMo and J-Bear

To celebrate these amazing women in Mother's Day grandeur, our kids made daffodil leis. 

MoMo's daffodil lei from the Bears.

The Bears have made me feel really special too.

In G-Bear's program, each child got a chance to tell their mom something she appreciated about her.

Each response was so special, but, of course, G-Bear's comment was the most special to me (I know I am biased):

"My Mom is the sunshine of my life because she reads the best stories."

Six years ago, G-Bear made me a Momma.  

She continues to be a blessing my life each and everyday.

My present from G-Bear

E-Bear wowed me with a special present as well.  

Can you believe that he and G-Bear both gave me the same compliment in their gifts?

Do you think they planned it?

 I am glad my Bears seem to love our daily story time as much as I do :)

 E-Bear came running out of preschool with a big smile on his face as he presented me with his gift.  The lovely purple and white pansy keeps me company in the kitchen.

It is a perfect symbol of the joy E-Bear brings to my daily life.

My present from E-Bear

Becoming a mother four times over has been an incredible, miraculous experience that has blessed my life in unimaginable ways.  The blessing of mothering my children is beyond anything that can be celebrated in a single day.  But, I definitely have some teachers to thank for all the effort they put into helping my children make my Mother's Day so special!  

To MoMo and Nana, GG, and our beloved GG Isabel in heaven, we love you.  You are irreplaceable, to you we owe thanksgiving for our lives and so much in them, you are inspiration for our journey.  Thank you for teaching me daily how to be a better Mother.  Jesus, thank you for giving us Your own mother as an example for us for all time. 

Thank you, Lord, for the mothers in our lives.  

Cookies, cookies, everywhere

Our MoMo really outdid herself this time.

On Tuesday, while I was testing, MoMo helped us out by picking G-Bear up from school.

Our babysitter was a little concerned when G-Bear wasn't home for lunch 45 minutes after her class dismissal time.  After all, we only live a mile from the school.  

I had forgotten to warn our babysitter about MoMo.

To be sure, MoMo and G-Bear were foot-loose and fancy-free. They were driving around the neighborhood looking for their favorite treat spot.  

When MoMo finally dropped G-Bear back home for lunch, she left G-Bear with a giant bag of loot from the bakery.

"Just a few cookies for the Bears," said MoMo.

When I got home and examined G-Bear's haul, my jaw dropped.  

MoMo had sent G-Bear home with four types of cookies, filling two boxes,

 plus a third box filled with a half-dozen cupcakes!

MoMos do not give up sweets for Lent.

They make sure that their grandchildren don't either.

MoMo kindly called later in the evening to ask me how the test had been.

She also was kind enough to ask if the kids had come down from their cookie-induced sugar high.

T asked MoMo what prompted the massive purchase.

MoMo replied,

"Oh, well, G-Bear was standing at the glass counter admiring all the cookies for the longest time.  

When I asked her which one she wanted, she said 'MoMo, I need a minute, I am having such a hard time deciding.'  MOST kids her age would have said they wanted more than one, but not G-Bear!  She just needed another minute to decide.  She was just so sweet about it that I couldn't resist asking her which ones she liked and just getting them all."

I think G-Bear and MoMo have figured out each other.

Feel free to stop by our house for a cookie. ;)

Happy Birthday, MoMo

Happy Birthday, MoMo!

Tonight, thanks to MoMo, we held the first birthday celebration in our new house.  

We felt so flattered to host our very gracious guests! 

E-Bear and G-Bear were in charge of frosting the cake.  They did a great job!  

We treated MoMo to dinner on the lawn, complete with a mishmash of birthday decorations:  first birthday lanterns, birthday murals courtesy of G-Bear and E-Bear, and giant flower plumes made of packing paper (we have plenty).  T made appetizer popcorn and sweet tea, plucked flowers from our garden and turned on the oldies tunes.   Pretty nice! 

The birthday girl was radiant as always.   She was even gracious enough to let her grandchildren help blow out her candles (their reward for making such a great cake!). 

We love you MoMo!  What a treat it was to all be together for your birthday.

Staycation with MoMo

No one makes Staycation more fun than GranMo.

Yesterday our beloved Sienna was at the car doctor shop getting fixed up for our big move.  The forecast called for rain all day.  Since we can't fit three car seats in the back of our Honda Accord (how is it that a family of five with three car seats can't fit in a large sedan?), and the weather was going to be rough, we were bracing ourselves for a staycation day at home.  Oh well.

Whizzing to the rescue, as if with Wonderwoman cape and magic wand, came GranMo to "save the day," as E-Bear would say.  She drove out to our house, so we would have two cars to drive, and we all piled in, ready to ride.

Away we dashed to Mall of America, joining about a million vacationing visitors and other Minnesotans trying to escape the rain.   As I entered the flight pattern to embark on the endless pursuit of a parking space, GranMo suggested, "Let's just valet."   We walked in just in time to see Winnie the Pooh, which quickly became our new favorite movie.   We walked out of the theater and MoMo's magic continued:  a nice family handed us their left over park ride tickets as we walked past the amusement park.  How does she do it?

A (free! Thank you, mystery family!)  carousel and ferris wheel ride later, MoMo appeared with mini cookies and milk for the kids and began negotiating dinner plans.  Why not call Papa?  Before we knew it, I had a new pair of jeans and we were sitting at a table eating a baked onion while ordering ribs.  Our children were perfectly behaved at dinner.  They played chase with Papa in the mall after we finished.  We arrived home way past our bedtime, delightfully exhausted.  Best staycation day EVer.

I have learned many things from my amazing mother, but I haven't yet received my magic wand.  I suppose she has the right to keep some secrets to herself, like where she got hers.  I sure am glad she has what it take to be the amazing GranMo.

Happily Ever,
Queen B

Surprise for MoMo!

Our beloved MoMo and Papa have returned safely from their romantic Canadian get away!  

As promised, it is time to reveal my present to MoMo for her 60th birthday.  With the help of over 30 family members and loving friends, I put together a book for my mom: 

"Celebrating 60 Years of Greatness!"

Thanks to the 30+ people who contributed, this present really was a testament to the amazing woman who is my mom.  The book was is 40 pages long:

People from all arenas and periods of her life sent me emails, letters, photos and handmade pages that I was able to compile into the book.

What a little cutie!

The time, creativity and love that people poured into their contributions was heartwarming:

The GrandMo Paperdoll page, complete with interchangeable outfits and accessories of infamy, was particularly spectacular:

More examples:

We were so excited to give MoMo & Papa hugs and the present that we were waiting for them when they pulled in from the airport.

We snatched them away to dinner so that we could give her the gift right away.  G-Bear was especially proud of the card, because she had signed her name for the first time:

The first reactions:

Grandmo couldn't believe it.  She was totally surprised and overwhelmed.  She couldn't wait to get home to start reading the book.  

Trust me, it will take her a few days.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to each and every person who helped contribute to this present.  It meant so much to my mom.  Our personal family experience has taught us that we must take every opportunity to tell our loved ones how much we love them while we are still together in this life.  When it comes to my mom, 40 pages of love is just a taste of how many lives she has blessed, but it is a fantastic start.

Happy Birthday, Grandmo!

Happy 60th birthday to my amazing mom!  

She's a class act, folks, and a tough act to follow.

Mom is frolicking in Canada with my dad to celebrate the big day, and I can't wait until she gets back so that we can celebrate her in person.

I admire my mom so much.  The farther along I get in parenthood, the more thankful I become for the woman she is, the love she always gives, and the example I have in her.  She gave me life, and as if that isn't enough, she continues to give so much, to me and so many other people, everyday.

Hopefully her breakfast in bed today can compare with this spectacular spread of celebrations past :)

Happy birthday, Grandmo!  I can't wait to give you your amazing birthday gift.  Here's a hint....

.......just kidding, no hints.  You'll just have to wait until she gets back.

Twins win!

My mom made my day tonight by inviting me to my first Twins game at the brand-new Target Field.  Amazing!  Just the two of us in awesome seats behind home plate under the night sky. We shared brats, a beer and a waffle cone and cheered our Twinnies on to a 9th-inning, nail-bitting, 4-to-3 victory against Detroit.  But as awesome as the game was, the best part was having a night out alone with my mom.

Would have included the pic with her, but she wouldn't allow it ;)

Love you, Grandmo!

Happily Ever,

Queen B