Fourth of July Fun

 Since my parents were out visiting us on the 4th of July, I convinced my mom to do a run with me. Alas, I don't yet have a picture with both of us, but we had a great time together. We got up WAY too early to make the 40 minute drive to Cameron, Missouri to check in at 6:30.

I did the 4-mile run and my mom did the 2-mile walk. Her goal was to not be the last one in, and my goal was to run faster than an average pace of 9-minute miles (so a time of 36 minutes or better).

My mom was FAR from being the last one in. And despite the mistake of drinking a 64-oz soda the day before (for anyone planning to run in a race . . . , just sayin', that's a bad idea), I managed to run it in 35 minutes and 2 seconds. I even got 2nd place in my age group (2/5), so I got a nifty medal to take home.

After our race, they held a kids fun run. At first, none of the kids wanted to do it. But when they learned that all finishers got a popsicle AND a bag of treats, well, they changed their minds. Brandt didn't quite have the idea of a race down. They said "GO!" and he just stood there.

We all shooed him forward, and he finally took off running. Rick cheered him on the whole way, but apparently Brandt couldn't hear what he was saying so he stopped and turned around. "What?!"

When we all shouted "Run, Brandt, run!" he got the idea and started again. Despite his stops and starts, he managed to pick up the pace and actually WON the thing. Yup, 1st place. Crazy kid.

Khyah wasn't really tempted by the popsicle, and she was going to sit it out on the playground with grandpa until she found out she got to wear a number just like mommy if she ran. She was still quite hesitant, so I had to run the whole thing with her. But she finished it and was more than content to get blue splots all over her white shirt with her popsicle.

London was in the upper age range, so he ran in the second race about the twice the distance. He ran hard and came in 2nd! The kid who won was older, so he felt pretty good about that. We were really proud of him!

After lounging around the park for a bit, we headed to Wendy's to get the free Frosties with the coupon that came in their bag of treats, then drove the 40 minutes back home. It wasn't our traditional 4th of July big breakfast, but it was so much fun. I especially appreciated doing it with my mom, and having Rick, the kids, and my dad there to cheer us on. Hopefully we'll do another one together next time we meet up.

Oklahoma Joe's 2012

One of the first things we did when we got back to Kansas City was visit our favorite BBQ place: Oklahoma Joe's. We got to go with the Swing Grandma and Grandpa who were out helping us unpack.

The kids all wanted Ribs. :)

Brandt needed Grandpa's help to get all the meat off those bones.

Eeep. Khyah in a white shirt and everything.

London had no problem cleaning those bones off! No wasted anything there.

I got the pulled pork (despite how it looks . . . I was only CUTTING the ribs for the kids. Really.). And see those people standing behind the brown wall? That is the line which went out the door. The ordering counter is actually in front of me and to my right. Yup. Long line.

And Rick, the man with the new toy, was our cameraman, so his order is not pictured. But for posterity's sake, he got the Smokie Joe Sandwich. And he may have sampled the ribs. ;)

Glad to be back in KC just for the BBQ! :)

Wall Art

We have a budding artist in our family.

It may or may not be a she. And she may or may not have blond hair and blue eyes, with eyelashes that she uses to bat her way out of trouble.

 Le sigh . . . 

Thank heavens for Magic Eraser.

Family Pictures 2011

While we were in Utah over Thanksgiving, my sister kindly took some family pictures for us. Not an easy task with 3 grumpy kids and 2 grumpy adults (from dealing with 3 grumpy kids), but she put up with us and even managed to catch a few good moments (and there weren't many!).

First, please note that these pictures aren't edited. This is not a photography site and if I wait for that, they will never get posted. Ever. So here we go.

How she managed to catch us all smiling, I'll never know.

I couldn't choose just one of Khyah. Her cuteness just has to be shared.

Brandt, Mr. GQ himself. Thank goodness we got one last picture before he decided to chop his hair!

London had school pictures done, but I liked the tie theme, so he had to endure a few shots, too. He was not happy. Man, if you could see all the moments around the pictures. These things are deceiving!

And finally the two of us. I made Becca take about a million pictures before I was satisfied. Good thing she loves me. :)

So voila! There's a family.

Thanks, Becca!

Naughty or Nice?

I discovered this fun Santa site where you can check your naughty or nice rating. We had fun reading about our kids:

London

Overall, niceness outweighs naughtiness. Was good a lot last month! Politeness often good, but has room for improvement. Could help around house more instead of watching so much TV. Expected to move even higher up "nice" list.

Brandt

It was a pretty good year, so we'll go for a "Nice" rating. A few naughty marks for excessive junk food, not going to bed on time and nearly forgetting someone's birthday. Really tried to keep up with household chores, though. Extra credit for smiling a lot. Is kind to senior citizens. Keep improving!

Khyah

What a great person and friend! Definitely a "Nice!" Wonderful job of always considering others. Hands out compliments regularly. Knows the great importance of "please" and "thank you." A good role model. The main suggestions for improvement: eat more veggies and really wash those hands!

What list are you on?

Christmas Tree 2011

On Saturday, we decorated our little, fake Christmas tree. It's so much fun decorating it because we only have enough space to put up the important ornaments. This year, we added an ornament from the Kennedy Center, France, and Switzerland to our collection.

As we decorate, we tell the kids about each ornament before we let them put it on the tree. We even talk about the ones we've lost in tragic kid-cidents. Hawaii and Disneyland will not be forgotten! Someday we may even replace them.

London is getting to the point that he knows the stories. "I know. I know!" he complained often. But I think he secretly liked hearing the stories anyway.

First we pulled out the jingle bell snowmen. These are the kids' favorites, I think.

Taking turns:

Brandt choosing just the right spot (which may have been just the right spot for the ornament he put on right before this one, too).

London pondering what to do next:

Daddy putting up his special doctor ornament:

When we pulled out our Steamboat Springs ornament, I asked the boys if they had ever seen one of these before.

London said, "Yeah, in Shrek."

I asked him if he knew what Shrek used it for.

London said, "Ummm . . . he went there to read a book?"

Yes, London. You will fit in nicely with the Johnson and Sumner men. ;)

Okay, that was a picture from last year, but I wanted to give you a visual. ;)

Me rearranging (shhhh!):

Then it came time for the star. It took lots of help to get it up:

And voila! Our tree:

London was feeling a little picked on that I made him come back to be in a picture. And Khyah was very worried about him.

Then we remembered that we hadn't started our Star Wars Lego advent calendar yet, so we pulled it out and the kids huddled around. (Turns out, waiting until Dec. 3 to start was a smart thing. No arguing over who got the first Legos!)

We love decorating for Christmas! So many wonderful memories of all our adventures over the years.

P.S. Don't tell anyone, but we used a Costco-size box of Cup-of-Noodles to heighten our tree. Wonderfully effective!

Snow!

It snowed here on Saturday. Not enough to stick . . . but still.

We were at our Church's Trunk-or-Treat activity and our good friend was chasing down Khyah to get a picture of her in her costume. She ran outside and he clicked at the exact moment she saw the snow. Priceless image!

Oh, the magic of youth.

Johnson Family Reunion: Part 3

Okay, because I know you didn't get enough of the beach before, here's some more fun:

London was the expert shell collector of the group. Here is a particularly fine specimen.

And Quincy was his partner in crime. Look at that beauty!

Thursday evening (our last one thanks to Irena), we all took a nice walk on the beach. Doesn't look like a hurricane is about to hit, does it? However, even then, the water was coming in higher than usual. Definitely past the established tide lines.

Khyah came with us and she was Daddy's little girl. She did not want to let him go.

Before the walk, we had changed the kids into regular cloths. Woops. A swimming suit would have been much easier to clean later.

Yep. Definitely much easier.

Rob and Tiff and Cadence came on the walk with us.

In preparation for Irena, the local news stopped by to film. Want to see what they're filming?

"Water Is Dangerous." Yep.

But we went in anyway. I know, I know. But it sure was fun! And again, I couldn't get to all the beach pictures, and I KNOW you're dying for more. Isn't that what a blog is for?

Johnson Family Reunion: Part 2

While the pool was definitely rockin', what would be a trip to the beach without the beach? We attempted some boogie boarding, built sand castles, went for walks to the pier, relaxed to the sound of ocean waves, and in short had a very good time. We loved being right on the beach . . . all we had to do was walk out the back door and there we were.

Unfortunately, I took so many pictures, I'll have to split it up into two posts.

Khyah girl.

Mic testing out the water.

The boys working the sand.

Brandt debating if he wants to get his feet wet.

Khyah deliberating how long it would take to dig a hole to China.

Uncle Greg making the trek from the house.

Rick being embarrassed that I made him make a hang-ten sign.

Rick ready to take on the wave.

Rick, riding the wave.

Me, sporting London's goggles and the cool shark boogie board.

Me, again. Boogie boarding is WAY fun. Just sayin'.

Cousin Mic taking on the waves . . . because London and Brandt refused.

Uncle Rob and Cousin Zach. Cool dudes.

The guys. Out to conquer the world. Or at least a couple of waves.

I really love the ocean. I just can't express how I feel in words. Just something that fills my soul and brings me peace.

And more beach next time. :)