Sunday CHICK-kabob

- Whew, what a day!

- Third week at 3 services and things are clicking! Set-up is still questionable, but I think we are gonna get it down!
- My teachers rock my face off coming on time and doing a great job in there.
- I made it into the 8:30am service to hear Travis wrap up the series on Habakuk. I really enjoyed these messages and could relate today! It was nice seeing Travis speak in his brand new glasses. He can see now... and he looks hott ;)- I spent a lot of my day searching for Blake's nuk... before we left the house this morning, before we left for the beach, and when we were loading in the car. That darn thing. I need to go get some spares soon! I can only find one right now. They are like socks around her. I have no idea where they disappear to.
- After church we headed out to the beach for a baptism. Let me tell you... set up, three services, tear down and then the beach makes for one exhausting day. I feel like I might just fall over.
- Kourtney's hermit crab pinched her tonight. It was so sad. We had promised her that they don't pinch when they are this small. She was cupping the crab in her hands and when Ashley pinched, Kourtney just stood there screaming. She didn't do what I would have done - slung it across the room! Then she cried and cried. I think mostly her feelings were hurt. She wanted mostly to talk to Aunt Marcela - I think because she has hermit crabs and maybe could understand. But alas, she was whispering to Ashley telling her goodnight before bed. I think they are already friends again. I think it also reinforced to McKenna that she will not be touching one any time soon.
- Here is a video of the kids in the lobby after church.
- So on to the big announcement that Travis had today... we were given a church property for a second location in the keys. Read more about it here. Here is a picture of the church.

Ashley and Halle

Ashley

Halle

We have two new family members at the Johnson household... Ashley and Halle the hermit crabs. It will be a while before we can have a dog so I think I can handle this pet for now! Ashley is Kourtney's and Halle is McKenna's. Nana and Uncle Phil found them for us out at the beach. Phil is letting us use one of his cages and Nana got all the fixins - green crab sand, crab food, crabby toys. The girls are excited to be "mommys." McKenna is not so sure about holding Halle yet. That is why in the video she is trying to move her crab with a beach ball. Blake was pretty excited too. I wish I had gotten all the screaming he was doing on video. I only caught the tail end of it...

Tampa

We tagged along for another meeting with Daddy on Thursday to Tampa. Kourtney is working on perfecting her cannon ball! All the kids loved swimming.

Dinner with neighbors

Here are some pictures of the kids when we had dinner last week at James and Luci's house. Somehow Juliana didn't make it into the pictures :(. The kids play so well together... the big kids too. We played apples to apples and once again James beat us at our own game!

Sunday CHICK-kabob

What a cool sign!

- I must say that I am so impressed with Lisa Trinidad at the Kids Life Registration table. Every week I arrive she is already set up with pagers and name tags out ready to sign kids in. What an awesome job she does!
- Set up wasn't even touched when I walked into my room at 7:55.
- But we managed again and things were in high gear for the 8:30 service. Once again my teachers were awesome today... thank you Jennifer, Erin, Becka, Shelli, Rosa, and Kayla!
- I attended the 1st service and took away some great stuff about what to do when I am in the dip. Mostly, I realized that I want to start keeping a prayer journal again. It is so awesome to write things out and look back to read about how God's hand is in your life. Sometimes you don't even realize what all He is doing for you. I always kept journals as a teen and in college. I want to do it again! Now that I am not in the baby fog anymore, I think I might have time!
- I had two people come talk to me today about getting back involved in serving at LPC. That is always exciting. Thank you Collin and Kristy!!!
- Blake went his first day ever without a morning nap. Ms. Lisette said he was just having too much fun playing! After all, he did turn 11 months old today!
- Kourtney missed her friend Meredith who is away on a trip with her family. She came down to my area at the 11:00 am service to see me and decided she wanted to help. It was so cute. She passed out drinks, drew pictures for the kids, gave the kids hugs, got them to sit in their seats for snack, and helped clean up. I guess I witnessed one of my daughter's first ministry experiences. I know she had one with her dad last week when they went around the neighborhood together passing out invitations to church. It is such a blessing watching her turn into a little lady.
- McKenna is deathly afraid of public toilets. Ever since an automatic toilet on the turnpike flushed on her she is petrified it is going to happen again. So today Ms. Katrina came and told me she thought McKenna had to go to the bathroom but she said she would just wait until she got home. I had to take her and convince her that the toilets were manual and could not possibly flush on her. I think most women can sympathize with this!
- Tammy always gets the kids for me when church is over while I tear down. That is so helpful to not have to worry about where they are.
- Today after church Luci took the girls to her house to play (what a blessing!). They have such a good time over there. I have to drag them home every time.
- Great day at Life Pointe. We made it through our 2nd week of 3 services without a hitch!

Working on birthday pics for Kourtney

Kourtney looked cute so I threw Blake in a contraption to keep him away while I shot a couple pictures. These were my favorite so far. She loves taking pictures though, so I am sure we will see more birthday pics soon. I do think I will always need Travis around. He is the one who thinks of all the funny stuff to get a real smile out of the kids. It is usually gross stuff :).

I loved these sisters pictures, but I did not like McKenna's hair. They would have been perfect otherwise. So I will have to take them again.
This is classic McKenna. Smiling one minute and don't you dare kiss me the next!

A University of Miami day

Things my kids say and do

Kourtney...
We were watching the weather the other day and Kourtney said, "Is it headed for Florida mom?" Too much hurricane watching this season!

McKenna...
McKenna is known as the sock princess lately. She loves to put socks on her hands, and several layers of them on her feet.

Blake...
Today Blake crawled out of the pantry with dirt all over his face and hands. I knew that having a boy he would be getting more dirty than the girls did, I just didn't expect it to happen in the pantry. I walked in to discover he had been trying to eat a potato out of the bag. Poor starving boy!

This week in the Johnson house

-Our house is being worked on.

-There is a Hello Kitty party being planned.
-Kourtney begs to stay for nap time at school but begs me not to make her take a nap at home.
- We are anxiously awaiting the start of Survivor next week!
- Blake will walk anywhere holding on to one little finger.
- McKenna misses Kourtney in the morning.
- Blake tries to break through our rigged ghetto-gate.

- Kourtney doesn't mind homework so much anymore and breezes through it.
- Yesterday I put Blake on my bike, Kourtney was on her bike, and McKenna was on her Barbie tricycle and we all four rode over to the park. That was a lot of fun.

- Crying after reading THIS POST by my sweet sister-in-law Brittany (you will cry too, mom. BTW, Kevin said he wasn't coming for Thanksgiving, sniff, sniff. Said gas is too much)
- Need to mop my floors.
- Looking forward to taking the kids to the mall this afternoon

Dawn

I have a famous friend. Okay, maybe not really famous, but sort of! I have mentioned Dawn here and here when she and her family visited us. She had an ambush make-over on the Today Show. So cool. SMILE Dawn! Your gorgeous and your cheek bones are amazing! I want to know if you have kept up with the make-up? :) See the story here and be sure to watch the video link!

First steps!

Blake took his first few steps in a row on Thursday! We are on our way to walking! Here is a video of the kids with some steps at the end.

Sunday CHICK-kabob

- WE DID IT!!!!! We went to three services! It was rockin!!!!! I didn't know when one service ended and the other began! It was insane.
- I also met my goal and left the house at 7:43 with all three kids in tow.
- We made it to the theater and in to my room before 8:00.
- Set up was a mess when we got there so we had to scramble a bit to get it done, but people always jump in to help.
- Jennifer and Erin rocked the 8:30 service, Nancy, Kassandra, and I did the 9:45, and Rosa, Kayla, Mariah and I did the 11:00. All my teachers were awesome today.
- We started a new series today on Creation. Genesis 1 - In the beginning GOD created! He made all things. It was fun and interesting and the kids actually paid attention today.
- We sang "He's got the whole world in his hands" and the kids loved it! Especially Rafael Ovando. He must have already known it because he kept wanting to sing it. SOOO much fun. I don't want to lose him when he turns 3! Just about the time when they start catching on and learning they leave me!!!
- Tear down was lighting fast today thanks to Tyler and the rest of our crew. They were awesome!
- Overall it was a great day. Exhausting, but great.

Friends
Blake thinks the balloons are HILARIOUS every week!
My munchinsMy other munchkin

Nine Eleven -Where were you?

Nine Eleven. I have been watching documentaries all week and bawling my eyes out. What an awful day that was 7 years ago.

I was getting ready for work with Travis at our house in Romeoville, IL. I always watched NBC in the morning and the regular programming had broken away to cover the first plane hitting the World Trade Center. As I was watching I saw the 2nd plane hit. It was so surreal. On my drive in to work I listened on the radio as the south tower collapsed. One of my close friends, Carolina, lived in NYC and my first thought was of her. She could not be reached on her cell phone.

I worked for DeVry University with Paige at a 30 story building in Oakbrook Terrace. You could see the Chicago skyline from our floor and there were always airplanes flying in and out of sight. It was quite a creepy feeling that morning to NOT see any planes. It meant that something was wrong.I do remember feeling unsafe being in a tall building on that morning. They gave us the option of going home and I did. I met up with Travis and his boss and we watched news at his boss' house. I received a call from my mom who had spoken with Carolina's mom and she was okay. I learned later that she actually was able to help out with the efforts at ground zero - she was a nurse.

I remember collecting newspapers and different things thinking I was going to make a scrapbook. I also remembered the day when the thought of scrapbooking the event was overwhelming so I just stored it all away. I was able to visit ground zero when I was in NYC in 2006.
Let's say a prayer today for all the families of victims from the Trade Centers, Pentagon, and Flight 93. And let's not forget nine eleven. Where were you?

A video just for you mom

I know you miss the kids and are bored still without power at the house. Here is a video to brighten your day!

Highlights:The kids LOVE to watch Tom and Jerry. What they love even more is to act it out. This is them watching the cartoon and acting it out.

0:15 - Kourtney decides to steal the show by talking about school
0:48 - Blake seen dragging his Pooh blankie around. All of my children are blankie kids.
1:17 - Blake walking (holding my finger)
2:40 - Kourtney talking again - a little reporter
3:07 - Kourtney announces that McKenna is in a bad mood because she won't talk on film
3:20 - Blake sneezes and laughs
3:29 - Blake starts spitting3;49 - McKenna is finally ready to talk
4:29 - McKenna says she loves Kourtney who then walks over and hugs her

Kids say the darndest things

Kourtney...
Travis was getting ready to leave for a 3 day trip. He had just told the girls he would be gone for a couple nights. They cried, he consoled. As they cuddled up in bed to read Kourtney looked at him and said, "Dad your eye looks a little red. I think you should stay home from your trip.

McKenna...
I love spiking Blake's hair. It stands right up with a little bit of hair paste. Sunday when McKenna saw him she said, "Blake's a dinosaur!!!"

Blake...
I was with all three kids at Publix walking from the car to the store. We approached a crosswalk at the same time as a gangsta in his car. He stopped to let us cross... head cocked to the side... leaning way back in his seat... hard look on his face... music blaring. As soon as Blake heard the music he started clapping along. The gangsta laughed at us the whole way across. It was awesome.

Welcome Brittany!!!

Yeah! My sister-in-law, Brittany, is now a blogger. She is married to my only brother, Kevin. We love her very much and are thrilled that she is bound to us legally for as long as they both shall live! By the way, Kevin, you need to link your beautiful wife to your blog!

Saturday

While I wait for my new camera charger, I will steal some pictures from Luciana's blog. The kids went over there on Saturday (right across the street) and I had to drag them home at the end of the day! They had a blast. The pool, a trampoline, a play house, a swing set, friends everywhere... what more could a kid ask for?!?! I am sure if they ever decided to run away from home I will know exactly where to find them.