Cartoon Family

Photoshop fun.. :)

Snow Play & Snow Cream

I've been working on some design jobs this afternoon. Jonah was itching to go outside...he and Jude have been like caged animals..dying to get outside and play. Like Dana over at Mamalogues, I had to do some makeshift outerwear. Jonah was good to go with his bib overalls and boots, hat and gloves. Me, not so much. I couldn't guilt darling husband into taking Jonah out, so I started hunting for snow worthy apparel. During the move, said husband thought it was a good idea to throw out my favorite Aldo dress boots, as well as one of my "Doc Martin-esque" boots. So, I headed out in my only other option..replacement long Aldo dress (think black shiny pleather) boots, with heels no less.) Thankfully, they worked just fine.

Jonah and I took our orange plastic sled to the edge of the church parking lot and I gave him a push and let him coast down the back of our yard. The first time, it was fun. But the second, third, and fourth times, he sailed as it was more packed down. On a trip up the hill, Jonah panted excitedly, "Wow Mom! You're great! This was a great plan!" Those few words will fuel me for weeks to come.

Our cheeks were turning red and my ears felt like they might fall off, so we gathered up all the clean snow we could fit into one of my silver mixing bowls and came inside. We mixed cream, milk, vanilla, sugar, and even some agave syrup into the snow and made delicious snow cream...made me miss my Grandma Urich. It was fun to tell Jonah about her.

Christmas 2009

I have much more to say about Christmas this year but it will have to wait a few days. For now, I love Christmas..it's a miracle that the God of the universe made himself lowly to come to this earth and be born in a "barn" so to speak...His love cannot be measured. I want to learn to love like that. Wes Strickland quoted one of his Gateway professors when we shared a dinner with he and Darrah. His professor said this: "You know you've learned how to love if you aren't able to choose who you love." Isn't that the very definition of Jesus?

Merry Christmas from Lesh Johnson, Jen, Jonah and Jude!

Just a fun photo..

Birding and Remembering Lonnie Brown

I'm a birder. Yes, I love birds. Wild ones. About twenty years ago, Lonnie Brown piqued my interest in birds. I thought it an interesting hobby, but not one I was likely to pick up. We would sit in their breakfast room and watch birds and squirrels come up to the feeders on their deck. Lonnie could identify all of them and loved to watch them. It was always fun to see him get excited when a more rare bird would happen by.

Fast forward about 10 years. I married a birder. When he put up our first feeder..and not what you would think of as a feeder, (think 18x24 inch platform on a post out of the ground) I teased him a little. But then the birds started to show up. They loved the thistle, the black sunflower seeds, and the bits of nut and dried cherries. I quickly learned their names. Missouri has some gorgeous birds and we have always seen a huge variety...even the elusive blue bird.

Fast forward another 10 years. Since we've lived at the parsonage, we've not had a bird feeder. I've missed my wild, colorful friends. Shortly after Lesh came home from the hospital, I took the Armada to Home Depot and had them load a 14 ft. square post on my ski racks (which never get used for anything to do with skiing, unfortunately) and drove home carefully. Lesh was able to help some of the kids in our youth group build a new bird feeder. About three weeks ago, he finally had the strength to use the post hole diggers and put it up. It is posted in the ground and stands 12 feet tall so that I can see it from our french doors. It is no more than one foot from the door, so our view is amazing.

These are the beaked friends who have come calling in the past few weeks: tufted titmouse, chickadees, nuthatches, juncos, blue jays, male and female cardinals, yellow and purple finches, downy woodpeckers, yellow-bellied sap suckers (wood peckers), and the gorgeous pileated woodpecker.

Feeding them is like an adventure. You never know who might drop in. It's inexpensive entertainment and Jonah and Jude are learning the names of the birds. We can count on Jude to go growl at the occasional squirrel that scales our feeder to feast on the sunflower seeds. Jonah has learned to sit quietly so that he can watch the birds and learn their behavior patterns and names.

Thanks Lonnie for introducing me to birding. It's a simple pleasure I have come to enjoy. I think of you often and will never forget our bird watching sessions.

Batman and Superman and what Mom will do for love!

I drove to four stores yesterday evening looking for a Batman costume for Jonah. He has been wanting to be Batman since late August. He is a little under the weather this week and asked in his best frail "Tiny Tim" voice. After the third store, I called home and asked him if he might want me to improvise with my Barber cape and some black clothing... (He already found a mask at our church flea market) or, I could go to the O'Fallon Walmart and look for a "real costume". He meekly proposed that I go on to the O'Fallon Walmart to see if they might have one. So at midnight I drove to the O'Fallon superstore and got lucky. They had about 8 of them in his size. Tiny Tim is going to be so excited when he wakes up.

By the way, Jude is going to be Superman. He tested his flying skills by "flying" from his bed to Jonah's bed and back as his red cape whipped in the wind. He beamed proudly as we cheered him on.

(pictures to follow)

My Guys

This is my new favorite pic of my guys. They are my life. I am grateful that God gave Lesh his life back and that we can still share a life with him. And who can put into words the love you have for your children? They are unique, special, precious, brilliant and full of life. My life is richer because of them.

This was taken in front of the Spaghetti Factory at Laclede's Landing during General Conference.