Sweet 16!!!

William Colt Johnson is 16 years old today!!! Scary...I know. We allowed him to drive himself to school this morning and I was an absolute nervous wreck, but I know he's a good driver and that he will be fine. It still doesn't make it any easier on my nerves!! We're having the big party this weekend. And when I say big birthday party I mean he's having some friends out to the house for hot dogs and stuff and then they're going to the Pontiac Coffee House to listen to some bands play. He's excited and it's just what he wanted so that's what counts! I just can't believe he's already 16. He was 12 when Gene and I first got together and it's weird that it's already been 4 years. They grow up too fast!! Happy 16th Birthday Colt!!! I love you very much and hope today is a great day!!!

Let's Do Lunch

Yesterday I had the pleasure of an unexpected lunch date with 3 fabulous ladies!!! A good friend of mine was scheduled to have a c-section yesterday morning at 10 so I got up and out early to get a baby gift and meet Allie at her house so we could drive up to Rogers to see Addie and baby Paisley. When I got to Allie's house she was on the phone with another friend of ours who had just informed her that the c-section had been pushed back to noon. Since I have to work at 2 and Allie has to work at 3 Addie would not have been out of recovery in time for us to see them so we weren't able to go up there. I was sad because I was so excited about seeing Miss Paisley Jayne!!!

I had been texting Steph back and forth and asked if she had taken her lunch break yet and she said no so Allie and I decided to meet up with her for lunch at Marketplace!!

Steph called me while we were on our way over there and asked if her mom could go with us too. Well duh!!!! Steph and I have been best friends since junior high and while we were in school and before I got married we were pretty much inseparable. We were always over at each others' houses and my parents were like second parents to her and her parents were like second parents to me!! I don't ever see Sheila and Curtis anymore so I was very excited when she told me her mom was coming!! We had a yummy yummy lunch and I was absolutely stuffed. I have done pretty bad with sticking to my diet the past few days but today started back full force!! I figured Marketplace would be my last hoorah for a while!!!

I had to go straight to work right after lunch and it was just a long night at work. I was off this past Saturday and then out sick Sunday because I had pulled something in my neck and couldn't move my head so I've only had to work 2 days so far and today is technically my Friday but I have a police dispatcher in-service class tomorrow from 8-5 so I'll be off Friday/Saturday this week to adjust out for the class. It works out good because there is something big happening this weekend and I'm actually fixing to do a whole separate post about what that is!!!

Weekend Bliss

I had a really great weekend!!

Grace modeled some heels...

...and used Layla as a foot stool.

I worked out with my husband...

....and my toddler.

I got my house cleaned, with the help of my wonderful husband...

...and a little laundry.

Grace tried her bubba's hat on for size, along with her "neckaless"!

Colt played some piano while blindfolded because he wanted to prove he could!

Corey tried to keep me from taking his photograph, which he was successful at...for the most part.

We went out with friends for some dinner, drinking and dancing!

And had just an absolute fabulous time!!!

I promise I really did do more than just walk around with a camera. I made chicken enchiladas for dinner Thursday night and lasagne and a Butterfinger Cake Friday night!!! I also ran errands and spent some good quality time with my family!

I am soooo far behind....

There is just not enough time in the day for me to get done all that I need/would like to get done! I've put blogging on the back burner the past couple of weeks since the boys are fixing to start back to school and I've enjoyed just spending the time with my kids instead of on the computer. There's not been anything huge that's happened...just life. I don't have just a whole lot of time right now either to write a real long post so I've just posted several pictures to sort of highlight what's been happening!!

Grace LOVES LOVES LOVES to ride the 4-wheeler!! She has spent alot of time riding it with either her daddy or her bubbas! One morning last week she and Gene came running into the house looking for the camera because there was a group of deer next door to us and there was a little spotted baby! Grace thought it was just the neatest thing and they actually just stood there forever eating and watching us!

One of the things I love about living in the country is being able to look out and see deer in our front yard..or neighbor's yard!!

Gene has a love of guns and hunting and there is so much camo stuff in my house it's not even funny. It's typically scattered throughout our bedroom and closet and Grace found one of his hats and decided it was just her size!!

Now, I don't think I've ever shared with you about Grace's "look!" See....she started this several months ago and when we say "Grace, give us your look!" she does this! It cracks me up everytime!!

This is sort of the "look" but not quite. She's quite the little entertainer and there is most definitely never a dull moment in the Johnson household!

I had posted about wanting to find a hammock for Grace's stuffed animals and I didn't even know if they still made them but I found one on Target online and ordered it. Her room looks so much better with all of them off the floor! Plus she can't throw them all over the place now! I'm not realy crazy about the chain hanging across the front and will probably take it down. When we hang animals on the clothes pins they just look so sad! :(

I don't have a story for this picture, I just love it and the softness of it! My little girl is not so little anymore!

Grace is still a huge fan of bath time! She has now taken to trying to swim in the bathtub. Well, at least "going under water!" Since I'm only home 2 nights of the week I love giving her a bath and last night while she was sitting there playing I was filing my nails and heard her start talking so I peered over the tub and she was talking to her big pink duck. The conversation, obviously one-sided, went something like this:

Grace: "Here you go ducky, you want to hug? Give her kiss!"

Duck: (Silence)

Grace: "You want to go to my house? Ok. Come one." (stands up...walks to other side of tub) "Here you go, here's my house."

It was so stinking funny and I had to grab my camera!

She went on talking for a while and then realized I was taking pictures and said "take our pitcher" so I obliged! She kept squeezing her ducks up to her face and giving them kisses. She's so smart and so funny!

Yesterday while I was cleaning the upstairs living room I had to pull her tent out from behind the big bean bag and you would have thought it was brand new again! She asked me to bring it downstairs and she spent the better part of the evening playing in it. Colt decided he needed to play too so he started crawling through the tunnel! Grace thought it was hilarious and crawled on top of him!!

Colt had a doctor's appointment this morning and then I had to drop him off at his mom's house with Corey. Gene was supposed to be off today but ended up getting called out and worked most of the morning. When Grace and I got home she was watching Dora and they were going to the beach on a pirate ship so she turned the tile by our front door into the ocean and she and her babies went "swimming!" I was cleaning up after lunch and when I turned around she'd stripped down to her panties and told me she didn't need them to swim in. All of her babies were already swimming...as you can see! Quite the imagination!

In other news, the boys start back to school next Wednesday then Colt turns 16 the following Wednesday, the 26th. I can't believe he's almost 16! Corey is excited to be a 9th grader and now officially in high school! We're having Colt's party on the 29th and then the following weekend we'll be headed down to Alma because Gene is going to build a deck on the back of Granny's house!! She is so super excited about it and has wanted one for forever. Lucky for her I married a carpenter!!! There is other more serious stuff I want to eventually post about but not today. I need to get off here and get dinner started!

It feels good to be back!!!

Ten Things About Me!!

Lynette over at Dancing Barefoot on Weathered Ground is doing a little blog carnival to get to know her readers a little bit better! I have only been reading her blog for about a month but she is so fun and and inspiring!

Anywho, the idea is to share 10 fun things about yourself! I've met so many incredible people in the blogging world and this is just another fun way to get to know each other a little bit better. So, if you're interested in participating hop on over to Lynette's blog!

And here we go....

1) When I get really upset/mad at someone I get incredibly quiet and don't want to talk to anybody....especially that person. My husband hates this particular quality, I think he'd rather me just yell at him every time I get mad!

2) My favorite movie is The Sound of Music.

3) I absolutely, whole heartedly, inconsolably, totally HATE clowns and circuses. Creeeeepy.

4) I am very anal about the way my house is cleaned and the way my laundry is done. I gripe and complain because Gene and the boys don't take more initiative as far as house work goes but truth be told I'm so stinking picky about how it's done I go right back behind them and do it again myself!!

5) I can't live in the city. I grew up out in the country and currently live in the country. I've only ever lived in the city for 6 months and I was not a fan!!

6) My husband is 13 years older than me...although some of you already know that because I just did post about us!

7) I have a tattoo of a cross on the inside of my left ankle. It matches the one that's on Gene's arm.

8) I gained about 50 lbs the first year and a half that I worked at the police department and am currently on the road of weight loss. I eat healthy now (for the most part!), work out on a regular basis and have lost 25 lbs in about 2 months time!! I was also prescribed a diet pill by my obgyn, which has helped things. I feel so much better about myself and know that I am capable of looking the way I want to. All it takes is dedication!!

9) I love to cook...and bake. Well, anything but seafood. I detest seafood!!

10) I love Jesus, my Lord & Savior!!

There ya go...10 things about me! I'm really tired right now and couldn't come up with any really fun or interesting ones so that'll just have to do!

finally making time

I have not been very good about posting lately. It's been pretty busy though and this past week has been all off routine. Grace and the boys were gone all weekend so Gene and I spent some good quality time together!

Saturday morning we got up around 9 or so and Gene made a yummy breakfast. I started my period (sorry if you didn't want to know that!) right afte I got up so of course I started cramping and didn't feel so hot. Gene decided after we ate though that he wanted to take Layla out to Devil's Den. I had no intentions of going but he was able to talk me into it. I'm glad I did though, it was alot of fun!! It rained on us on the way there and I was afraid it would rain the whole time but it stopped before we got out there and was pretty the whole time. The rocks were all slick though so we had to be very careful walking!

Layla had an absolute blast and was loving being in the great outdoors. She would have loved it even more if we'd let her off the leash but I'm pretty sure she would have been long gone chasing squirrels!! If you live in Northwest Arkansas and have never visited Devil's Den you definitely should. There are several different park areas, swimming areas, hiking trails, campgrounds, just all kinds of stuff to do and it's so pretty!! This bridge is right in front of what is sometimes a waterfall if there has been enough rain. Obviously, Saturday there wasn't one.

We also came across this awesome bench they had made out of big cedar trees. It was so neat and they built it to where it faces the waterfall. Further down the trail there was a chair built just like it!! We were out there for about an hour or so and then headed back home. We drove the back way the whole way home and just enjoyed the beautiful countryside and the time together to talk. Gene grew up out here and knows everything about everything about the country!!

After we got home Gene grilled some bratwursts and some squash!! We ate and then showered and went in to see Transformers and it was amazing!!! I loved it and I think it was even better than the first one!! Gene was craving some Shake's ice cream after the movie so he pulled through the drive thru and I just had a small concrete and felt like I was going to be sick because I hadn't had that much sugar in a while!

Mom called after we got home so we got to talk to Grace for a little bit and then I went to bed before 10 o'clock which never happens! Sunday I was back to work and Gene took the boys school clothes shopping.

Grace made it home last night around 6 and I was so happy to see her this morning when she woke up!!! Teresa and I went and ran last night and I go back to the doctor on Monday so I'm hoping I can lose another 5 lbs this week!!

I hope everyone had a good weekend!!