Our Independence Day

Yesterday, on the Fourth of July,  

Buddy Bear walked across the room by himself with no help, 

and G-Bear swam across the pool by herself with no floatie.

We had quite the Independence Day!

Thanks be to God for our great country, all of our freedoms, 

and a summer's worth of days to enjoy them.

Last night, as we watched fireworks with our friends, T asked,

"What to you think, Buddy Bear?"

"OOOOoooooohhhhhhhh," replied Buddy Bear.

It was an awe-inspiring day in many respects!

Have a safe and happy Fourth of July week!

Off to Rockport

Is there any day like a day at the beach?

Thanks to Aunt K and Uncle T, we got to spend almost a week at the beach together as a family.

I have been known to be a beach scrooge in the past, but this trip changed me.  

Although temperatures hovered around 65 degrees during our stay, we spent hours at the beach everyday.

At the beach, E-Bear learned to write his name,

our princess became queen of the sandcastles,

Buddy Bear ate his weight in sand and loved it,

and towel and jacket-clad adults enjoyed some R&R 

while the kids played with Papa

or occupied themselves in the outgoing tide.

After spending the afternoon at Front Beach, we would take an evening trip to the meadow to play,

and return to a dinner prepared fresh off the boat, thanks to YaYa and GP (what a treat!).

Thanks to Aunt K's great planning, we celebrated Cousin Harkin's 3rd birthday 

Happy Birthday, Harkin!

with beautiful fairy cupcakes 

and firemen hats.

The best part, though, is always just being together.

We always leave with refreshed relationships, 

plenty of memories to treasure,

wondering when we can do it again.

Thanks, Rockport.

To our family, for taking the time out to be together, thank you.   

We love you, and we're missing you this Fourth of July.

Goodbye, June. Hello, July.

In June we....

Spent nine days at home,

flew on 18 airplanes,

travelled to Houston,

Rockport, MA,

Florence, AL,

Minneapolis, MN,

saw dozens of friends,

visited family in three states,

interviewed for jobs,

interviewed schools.

G-Bear swam by herself for the first time, both over and under the water.

E-Bear wrote his name for the first time, both in sand at the beach and with markers on paper.

Buddy Bear gained new independence, both by standing and walking by himself.

In July we need to....

Decide where to move,

decide when to move,

decide how to move,

decide what job to accept,

make decisions for kindergarden,

make decisions for pre-school, 

decide where to live,

decide what to bring and what to leave behind,

soak up family, friends and favorite spots in North Carolina,

relish the weather,

swim in the pool,

finish a book chapter,

attend a conference,

complete a curriculum,

and relax a little too, 

because, we mustn't forget, it's summer.

A better bagged lunch

I  won't be posting Grocery Bag this week, as I have found a much more impressive solution for our nomadic, traveling Johnson dining needs.

Photo from LunchboxAwesome, May 2nd 2012

Yes, this really is one mom's solution to her son's school lunch.  

I wish she would make lunch for us everyday.

You must check out Lunchbox Awesome to see a whole year of Bento lunchbox ideas, each just as impressive and healthy as her Tigger sandwich, above.  My travel snacks look much less interesting now, thank you.

A Capeless Crusader

E-Bear comes out of his room, wearing nothing but his Superman shirt:

"Mooooommy.....do you notice anything missing on me??"

Me:

"Your pants?"

E-Bear, rolling his eyes:

"Mooommy, you silly goose!  No.  

Look back here (pointing to his back).  No CAPE!"

It's a tough job to get dressed in the morning when you are a superhero!

Happily Ever,

Queen B

Remembering Annie Rose

Today is a special day as T and I remember traveling to Houston to be with our dear friends,

Katrina and Ed and their family.

Today marks two weeks since the birth of their daughter, Anastasia Rose.  

Katrina has written about her daughter's life and death on the blog, Building Cathedrals.  Annie was born with a condition called anencephaly and lived just a few minutes after birth.  Annie's life is a testament to the truth that every life is precious and can have an powerful effect on the world, no matter how long or short.  Through Annie's life, countless health care workers, neighbors, friends, family members and even strangers witnessed the strength of a family's love, the beauty of Christian community, the power of loving parents living in grace amidst suffering.  

Me, Katrina, and Katrina's daughter, M, talking together after Annie's birth

T and I remain so grateful for the blessing of getting to be in Houston for Annie's birth.  Her life has left an indelible mark on our lives, as has the strength and loving witness of her parents.  We'll never forget holding her in our arms, the looks on her older siblings' faces, the smiles of her parents.  We'll never forget that Annie inspired G-Bear to give her most beloved paci, an act of generous love that we couldn't have inspired ourselves.  I won't soon forget the sense of tragic loss, watching dear friends bear such a heavy cross.  Annie's life reminds us that this life is short, we have but a little time here.  But, no matter how long or short our lives, we can leave a mark of goodness on the world, and thanks be to God that we have victory over death in Christ.  Her life is one marked by that very Joy and Hope that gives limitless light to the world.

Katrina's daughter, M, admiring Annie's feet with T.

I am grateful to Katrina and Ed for sharing Annie's life with us and for permitting us to share our memories of Annie here.  

Thanks be to God for sweet Anastasia Rose and for touching our lives with hers.

A Basketball Birthday for 33

I couldn't resist throwing T a basketball birthday party this year.  

After all, birthday parties are the epitome of celebration for our kids right now,

and who can ever outgrow a birthday party?

We chose the basketball theme because it is well-known that T was number 33 on the court

during his long, illustrious years playing basketball.  What better way to celebrate the arrival of his 33rd year?

T was gone for two days leading up to his birthday, so the kids and I worked hard to make his cupcakes and decorate our living room with shakers and basketball festiveness.  The kids colored a picture of T playing "against LSU," and we made placemats out of basketball coloring pages for everyone to enjoy during the birthday lunch.

E-Bear was so kind to lend his basketball hoop to the cause.

 We surprised T by picking him up at the airport and bringing him home to his birthday party lunch.  The kids could hardly wait to give him his presents, so we did that first.  They were so excited to open his present for him: new basketball shoes and laces!  (T already had guessed his present because he had seen the charge on our bank statement -- it is impossible for me to surprise him!)

Then G-Bear proudly gave T her present: a custom birthday coloring book that she assembled herself. She had worked really hard to put it together for him.

 What a fun afternoon!

MoMo and Papa had no idea, but their birthday card was perfect for the occasion.  T absolutely loved it:

You can find more great "Inherit the Mirth" greeting cards at DivinityBoutique.com

The inside of the card said it all:
"There's no denying it's your birthday....
hoop, hoop hooray!"

Happy Birthday, T.  We love you, 33.

June Hiatus

Hopefully, summer has been so wonderful that no one has noticed the blog-posting hiatus going on here in Happily Ever Johnson Land.  By the time we make it to July next weekend, we will have spent a total of nine days at home this month.  We have made so many memories and had so much fun, there has been no time for sitting in front of a computer.  Now it is time to start playing catch-up, lest I miss out on recording our fun June escapades forever.  Over the next week, I'll share what we have been up to this June.

Now, we're off to enjoy these sweet summer days....

The Big 33

He's tall, 

he's handsome, 

and now he's 33 on more than just the basketball court.

Happy 33rd birthday to the man of my dreams. 

Grocery Bag

Friends, it is summer.  That means that instead of furiously meal planning, grocery shopping and blog posting all weekend, we are soaking up the perfect weather, family moments and evening sunlight.  As a result, I have to make a shift in my meal plans.  For the next few weeks, I'll be posting our menus on Friday night for the following week.  That way, I'll be prepped and stocked for our fun weekends and ready to go on Monday without spending all weekend in planning mode.  So here it is, our first Summer Friday grocery bag.  Now, we're off to have a great weekend!

Day One

Bell pepper and onion quesadillas 

with salsa, green salad and blueberries

This has become one of our go-to weeknight and weekend meals.   Saute up the veggies and then pile them onto a warm tortilla on the griddle with a handful of cheese.  So yummy!

The kids like their "cheesy tortillas" sans peppers and onions (Buck, I hope you are laughing at me).  

We win some, we loose some.

Day Two

Gnocchi with summer vegetables from Everyday Food Magazine

with pear slices

So fast, so delicious, tastes like summer.  What could be better?

Photo and recipe from MarthaStewart.com

Day Three

Spicy lime-cilantro shrimp from Dinner a Love Story

with basmati rice and minted snap peas

Photo and recipe from Dinner A Love Story 

Day Four

Pasta with peppers, squash and tomatoes from Everyday Food Magazine

with homemade bread

Photo and recipe from MarthaStewart.com

Day Five

Pasta with vietnamese pesto from Vegetarian Planet

with chutney glazed carrots

I love this pesto, and thankfully, my kids to too.

Tofu or chicken are easy additions to the pasta.

Recipe from Vegetarian Planet by Didi Emmons via Allrecipes
Photo from What Lauren Eats

Blessings on your kitchen this week!