Christmas Eve

Lots of baking, 

making tamales with the Morales,

decorating a ginger bread house,

and

 Reading Luke 2 and Twas The Night Before Christmas

WITH FAMILY.

Thats Christmas Eve.

Random

This is why I love this girl.......

Full of life

and 

Very Individual.

What do You think this is?

If you guessed SNOW you are right!!!

It began to snow and we ran out and took pictures.

Who ever thought it would keep snowing.

SNOW in Houston, TEXAS

This is amazing. We had a fun time tonight with snowball fights,

snowmen and snow angels.

And what better way to end the snowy night than the hot tub.

Valiant Children

Today a sweet family in our ward let Heavenly Father take their beautiful little 2 year old daughter back to live with him. 

This has been a very humbling experience for our family. 

For Marshall because her father has been his YM leader. 

For Victoria because she has help provide some service for the other children in the family. 

And Rob and I for obvious reasons of being parents. 

Time like these are hard to explain because we know that she is in such a wonderful place. However, we have our mortal grief and pain. Which is actually us being selfish because we have lost something we love, but yet very natural and normal.

I just know that I have shed countless tears and many prayers for this family over the last several months and today. And countless more for my own family and children. 

I am grateful for a loving Heavenly Father that knows how special our "valiant children" are and still allows us and trusts us to be their parents.

So, tonight I will hug and kiss my own precious children, Marshall, Victoria, and Isabella and offer a prayer in behalf of this family and for my own children who are also "valiant" but must live in this awful world.

I love my Family!

This has been one of those crazy weeks at the Johnston's. (you know, I seem to say that a lot. Maybe that is all we ever have. Oh well, I love it that way)

We have been a sick house this last week. But no rest for the weary, with decorating and a 3 day swim meet.

Yes it is finally looking like Christmas at the Johnston's.

Isabella had a great time hanging ornaments and Victoria sang about every Christmas song she could find.

Marshall did really well this week at the Gulf Fall Championship meet. He is actually wearing 6 medals but every time he moved it would shift his medals. So it looks like 5. 

He ended up with 4 golds (1st), 2 silver (2nd), a 4th and 5th place. 

You can tell by the pic he was totally exhausted. It was a long hard meet but not as hard or long as next weeks meet at Texas A&M will be.

However, he had fun using the line: "Like Mike" and adding his own twist about Michael Phelps. He got some good laughs. Thats my Marshall....

This is my sweet Victoria.

Once again time flies. She is 11 years old well actually I am reminded that she is 

11 years and 8 months old.

This weekend she and 11 of her other friends had a 

beauty pageant murder mystery party. She was Miss New Mexico.

Doesn't she look so beautiful.

(well my camera blurred, YUCK)

We had so much fun finding a dress and crown, then fixing her hair and make-up. Yes we went all out. It was a real live dress up party.

All the girls had so much fun. 

Even when the chocolate fountain had an explosion and completely covered Victoria and Olivia's dresses with chocolate.

Most of all I loved spending time with my sweet girl and learning that we are never to old to play dress up.

I love you Victoria......

Birthday Bella

Have you ever wondered why....

 when you are  anticipating something to happen it seems to take forever. 

But watching your children grow year by year, that same time flies.

I can't believe that my last baby, Isabella, the same baby I waited and prayed for 

for so long turned 5 years old today.

Wow,

 what a great reminder to cherish each and everyday.

Happy Birthday My Sweet Isabella

I love you with all my heart.

Today we had a full day of birthday events:

First

Our family has a tradition of  TP ing the birthday child with streamers while they sleep. Usually it turns into a huge web over their bed. 

So 5am this morning, before Marshall left for swim, Marshall, Victoria and I got Isabella good.

She was so excited to climb out of her web.

 

Then it was on to TMS for Victoria's class play Cinderella with a twist. 

(yes the little old lady is Victoria)

Isabella thought it was amazing that the school would put on a play for her birthday. LOL

Then on to Toys-R-Us for the birthday girl to pick out her own present.

Of course what is a trip to Toys-R-Us without a pony ride and with her cousin Lucas. 

Then onto our birthday lunch at Chuck E Cheese.

Guess what Marshall and Victoria got her?

What a great birthday...

Isabella update

Yea, we are home!!!!

I must say Isabella is quit the trooper and very enjoyable during times that I would be stressing about (and was stressing about).

She was very cooperative and asked a lot of questions.

The doctors and nurses gave her lots of complements on how inquisitive and helpful she was. They spoiled her.

Quick recap. How Isabella would tell it is:

"In with the tubes and out with the tonsils and adnoids!"

Yes, in Aug. we had her tubes taken out and her eardrums patched.

However, that did not fix the problem. She continued to have ear infections and started loosing her hearing. So the ENT decided to try another set of tubes and remove her tonsils and adnoids. 

Thank you for all your prayers, cards, gifts and popsicle.

We love you all.

"Time for my braclets"

"Loopy Juice"

"YUCK"

"That was DISGUSTING"

This is where it gets hard on mommy.

"I don't want you to go"

In post-op, after surgery.

She looks so sweet. 

However, no one prepared me for the smell of her breath after surgery.

(disgusting burnt smell)

Thank you to the Rowdy Raccoon's in Isabella's school class for this great poster that we hung in Isabella's hospital room. 

"What a beautiful room." Isabella said in her small quiet voice to the nurse as she wheeled her in.

Isabella loved having Victoria and Marshall come visit.

Memaw and Bobum

This past week was a very full/crazy week for the Johnston's.

Isabella having her pre-op work, Victoria her school play and Marshall, what do you think, yep, another swim meet.

So, we were very excited to have Memaw and Bobum (Rob's parents) come and share our week with us. 

Thank You, Bob and Cecelia. We sure needed some family love. 

We have missed it......

Just thought I would add the whole Johnston gang.

We love y'all.......

IDK my BFF Homecoming

So I can't believe that I have a high school er.

Am I that old?

I'll answer that.....YES......

Anyway, I thought I had a few more years until I had to worry about big activities like Homecoming. 

But I was wrong.

Marshall's good friend Deven made the homecoming court and needed an escort. 

And with Deven having parents like Marshall, 

which means no dating until 16, not even groups, 

we decided that our families would go out to dinner together and personally chauffeur each of our children in their own private car to the homecoming dance.

(way better than the limo, lol)

 ...Marshall says not really... 

I was proud of Marshall for being such a good sport and keeping to his standards.

 

The Boss

(Marshall told me to write that)

Great Friends

with the Boss!!!!!!!

Marshall and Deven

aren't they precious!!!!!!!!!

 (and yes, Carol and I were taking pictures of them all the way to the door)

I am proud of you two, for looking out for one another.

Mermaidia

Today Isabella's friend, Tyler, came over to play. 

She was so excited, she has been asking for him to come play for a while. 

Before too long the house became boring so Isabella came up with the great idea to play outside in the pool. 

I don't think Tyler knew that her plan was to reenact the Barbie movie Mermaidia. 

Ergo the first picture is a sleeping Mermaid waiting on her prince. 

And second picture was perfect as an unknowing Tyler came and awoke her.

I think I enjoyed watching the whole thing unfold as much as Isabella enjoyed having Tyler play along.

Thanks Tyler, we sure had a fun time. We hope you and your family come play again.

The JohnstonEs and other Characters

Halloween is such a fun time of year. 

We have had a full schedule of fun activities thus far and several more planned.

 I thought you might enjoy seeing some of our character.

 (double meaning, of course)

First meet the Johnstone's

 (john stones). 

We went to a Family halloween party. We had a blast. 

Thanks, Kels and Jen.

We took bat wings and swamp dip and bread stick bones.

I wish I would have taken pictures they looked amazing. 

(let me know if you want to know how they are done, because they were great Halloween appetizers)

p.s. Marshall is part of the Johnstones, someone had to take the pic

Of course you already meet our Peter Pan

 Then here is our Circus Lion.

And yes, Victoria put this outfit together herself, I was glad that Isabella's tutu could be used for something else.

Her best friend Maddie was the Lion Tamer.

And Last but not least.....

Princess Isabella