Fresh Air

After confining ourselves to the warmth of our house the past few days because of ridiculously cold temperatures, we were excited to get out and get some fresh air today. Though it was still pretty cold, the sun was shining and there was not too much wind. We (Kris, Aunt Heidi, and myself) took Caleb for a "walk" around the block. He enjoyed being outside and had fun on the sled, especially when Daddy went fast!

***Sorry for the amateur videotaping skills....I was running alongside Kris and Caleb (hence, the shakiness). And, please don't mind my LOUD voice. I never seem to remember that the video camera picks up my voice quite well. =) Oh, and after the fact, I realized that I should have been on the other side of Caleb so that his face was in the sun. Lessons learned....

Sneaky Boy...

Caleb's activity of choice the other evening...
Now that I think about it, he was very quiet for those few minutes.....
I should have known that he was up to something...

He took out EVERY SINGLE wipe.


"Was I not supposed to take them all out?"


At least he followed directions when I told him that he had to put them all back in.


I'd like to think that he is so proud of himself for cleaning up so well....but in reality, I would imagine that he is most happy with himself for managing to take out all the wipes in the first place.


Gotta love him. =)

A Good Reminder

I received this encouragement today.....a great reminder of truth...just what I need.

"No one has to remind you of the high cost of anxiety. Worry divides the mind. The biblical word for worry (merimnao) is a compound of two Greek words, merizo (to divide) and nous (the mind). Anxiety splits our energy between today’s priorities and tomorrow’s problems. Part of our mind in on the now; the rest is on the not yet. The result is half-minded living. … Anxiety is an expensive habit. Of course, it might be worth the cost if it worked. But it doesn’t. … Worry has never brightened a day, solved a problem, or cured a disease. … Sadly, worrying is one job you can’t farm out, but you can overcome it. There is no better place to begin than “beside the still waters,” where the Shepherd leads."

From Traveling Light by Max Lucado

Philippians 4:6

"...do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God."

Matthew 6:34

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

Christmas and Chicago

It has been a busy, but very fun, few days!

Christmas:



We celebrated Christmas, and the days surrounding it, in Roscoe. It was a full house at my parents'. Kirsten and Jon are in town from Arizona...and, it has been great to spend time with them.....though Caleb does not get to see them all that often, he quickly warmed up to them and has loved being with them both.

We had a wonderful Christmas.....it was great to be with family, and to relax. We decorated the tree together on Christmas Eve and had our traditional egg strata and monkey bread on Christmas morning. We had lots of cozy fires, ate (way too much) good food, and as always, had a great time just being with family. We are very blessed and are thankful for all that God has provided for us.

Although these past days have been wonderful, we have missed Kris's parents and siblings. Heidi went to visit Mom and Dad Johnson in Florida, and Kyle is in Idaho. We miss them, and hope to see them soon.

Here are "a few" photos from Christmas Eve and Christmas morning....if you would like to see the slideshow in a larger format, click on it and it will be enlarged for you. **Note to self...next time we have a family get together, we have to take some photos so that my dad can actually end up in some of the pictures!



Chicago - Happy 30th Birthday, Jon!



Yesterday (the 27th) was Jon's 30th birthday...we celebrated by spending the night downtown Chicago. Caleb took his first Metra ride, as well as his first cab ride! We had a great dinner at Sullivan's, and of course, played a game of Celebrity. It was fun to be able to be with Jon on his special day!

Snow Day!

Grandma and Grandpa took Caleb for a walk today after all of the snow had fallen. He had a great time being pulled on the sled!

Look at all this snow! We got about 10 inches out here...

Faster, Grandma!

Grandpa's Turn...

Close Up...

This is so much fun!

Next time, can we please go down some hills?

Kris's 31st Birthday

Yesterday (12/12) was Kris's birthday....I am very thankful for him...he is a wonderful husband and a wonderful father, and I am looking forward to another year of doing life with him!