Picture Day 09/16/2009
I have loved "picture day" since I was a wee one in school. I would go through my closet and find just the right outfit. I did the same with Max and Sophie. I woke Sophie up early this morning because "curly girls" need to wash their hair in the morning if they want beautiful soft curls. She hung her head over the bathtub and let me condition the curls into obedience. I was helping Sophie with her outift when Max came into her room (dressed to the nines) and said "Sophie, you look beautiful". Sophie replied "you look handsome too Max". All I could think of was my brother and him never thinking of such a thing.....beautiful.....come on. He was too busy harrassing me the way most brothers do. Anyway, I have included some pictures of my little darlings. Mind you, Max fell two days ago and has a scar on his top lip (looks like a little moustache), and Sophie has lost one of her front teeth and there is one left that is hanging by a thread. It looks like one big fang in the front of her mouth. She will look perfect for Halloween if it "hangs on" that long.  My sweet Max........  Sophie....my 'curly girl'.  'Isn't my brother the cutest?' French Class deux 09/13/2009
I have to say that Saturdays class was much better than I expected. After last weeks class and the deflated confidence towards learning French, I felt much better in class this week. I didn't feel quite as lost and I walked away feeling hopeful that yes, indeed, I would learn to speak French one day. I tried to learn a bunch of basic vocabulary last week which always seems to bolster my confidence. It helped this week because I had a basic idea of what she was talking about. The funniest thing (well not really) happened in class. A sweet couple in their 20's were talking with Dan and I about another couple who moved to Paris and blogged about it. The sweet girl said "they reminded us so much of you guys because they were older like you". I cleared my throat and tried to pretend that I did not hear that remark. She gave me the website and as soon as I got home I pulled it up to see if they had a picture posted (they did). I looked at Dan and said "well, yeah, they do look like us and the gals name is Gina". They looked like they were in their late 30's to mid 40's. I guess that is old now. OH MY GOSH! Ok, that was really humbling. I also wanted to give ya'll a quick update on an actual date for moving. Ha., last week Dan was told that someone in Paris was working on the contract and would call Dan in a couple of weeks. That could be a month French time. Dan isn't pushing the issue because we are thinking that hopefully this will push back our arrival by a few months. I also have a realtor coming by this week to give me a bunch of information about leasing and property management. The Cafeteria 09/10/2009
Imagine my surprise when I found out that I could spend lunchtime at school with my kiddo's any time I wanted. How cool is that? I dressed for the occasion. Max appreciates a dress on me and I actually really thought about what to wear (to my children's school cafeteria). Ha. I am such a newby at all of this. I arrived about 5 minutes late because I wanted to watch them interact with their classmates. I finally spotted them digging through their lunchboxes discovering all the goodies I packed. Sophie looked like she was at a cocktail party; juice box in one hand, chatting away with her friends. They were sooooo excited when they saw me. Max is "all about Mommy" right now and he just hugged on me and loved on me and was beaming. (I was so glad that I dressed up for him.....he is just like his Daddy). Of course, Sophie was grinning from ear to ear too. I sat and listened to Sophie describe all of her friends; "Ok Mom, see that girl there.......she is a VERY serious girl". "See that boy.....his Dad shoots squirrels and then actually eats them". "See that boy there.........I was showing him a bug on the playground and then he took it out of my hands and ate it". The girl went on and on and I sat there laughing and laughing. I finally had to say goodbye and they both enveloped me, grabbing my neck and kissing me all over my face. Ahhhh, I don't want this to stop. I love this age. They are so open about sharing their love for me. I will be so sad when they are "too cool" to show their affection in front of their friends. I followed them through the hallway and spotted my adorable neighbor calling to them and loving on them. Oh, how they love Gail! I walked out of school with the biggest smile on my face. They are in such an awesome school surrounded by people who truly care and love them. Doesn't get any better. ***Allison, here are some pictures..........  Hey Mom!  Sophie.......your choking me.  So anyway...like I was saying.... Self-absorbed 09/08/2009
I can be so self absorbed at times and so concerned about MY plan. I heard a beautiful and timely message on Sunday about surrendering to Christ and His ultimate plan for my life. I seem to trip up in this area. I am a planner and I have dreams for my life and my family. Sometimes I feel like I am racing through my life trying to make them all come true. I was reminded that I need to take my eyes off of myself and MY plan and remember that God is not here to serve me but I am here to serve Him. I need to let go of the reigns and enjoy this ride that I have been given. I need to trust that God knows what He is doing and that His "ride" is better than any I could ever imagine or plan. Once I took on this attitude, I began to see a bigger picture for my life in Paris. Wondering what God has planned for me. How He is going to use me, Dan and the kids? I need to let go and let Him. I will learn French, I will be able to get everything done that I need to before we leave, my parents and family will be fine while I am away. My shoulders aren't quite so tight and life is so much easier when I am in the passenger seat. I am just along for the ride and I am certain that it will be one filled with great adventure, laughter, and tears but ultimately I want to be an instrument that God can use. Revamping blog 09/06/2009
I realized a few days ago that I did not set up my blog correctly. Whoops. I think everything is correct at this point and I hope that you will be able to follow along as easy or easier than before. Let me know if you are having any problems with it. Simply scroll down the page to read any postings you missed. If you would like to comment, click on the comment and you may write your thoughts. Please be aware that those will be for all to see. If you are intestested in being notified of a new posting, you may click on the RSS feed under categories and sign up to be notified. Pretty cool. My Mom will love that one. French Class (September 5, 2009) 09/06/2009
I woke up with "a tude" (or you might call it a bad attitude), not sure why but thank goodness I got a handle on it fairly quickly. Although, I felt like I was fighting it off and on throughout my day....don't you just hate that? Gymnastics (September 3, 2009) 09/06/2009
Our Sophie girl was built for gymnastics. Nana and Papa sent her to a gymnastics camp over the summer and she thought it was the best thing since sliced bread. We registered for gymnasttics this fall and she was beyond excited. Every day I heard "how many more days until gymnastics?" Finally the day arrived and after a full day of school, rushing to pick up Dan from the airport, coming home and jumping into her red leotard, we were off. Mind you, this, before Max ran over to her and gave her a bear hug saying "do good Sophie". What a brother. We get to the gym which is all abuzz and filled with kids of all ages tumbling, swinging on bars, walking the balance beam, etc. We stood behind the metal gate (which we are not allowed to enter until called) and wait until the coaches yell "girls....come in and run six laps". (The first time Sophie took this class she looked at me like "where do I go, what do I do", so she started running, not in a circle, just running , until the coaches explaned what a lap was). All 30 girls stretched and followed the coaches instructions until they said "ok, get in a line by your teacher". Sophie looked around wondering where to go and I was thinking to myself "who IS Sophie's teacher"? I went to the office and asked and they told me Ms. Jane. I came back to find Sophie standing in line by Ms. Jane. One of the Mom's said that "she just went around to the different coaches and asked "who is my teacher, where do I go"? Next think you know, they were divided up by age and skill level and they were walking the balance beam, jumping on the trampoline, etc. The coach set up a circuit for the girls and had them do a jump, catwheel, backwards sommersault and handstand. Sophie still hasn't mastered the backwards sommersault but wasn't getting any assistance. I could see her looking at the coach like "hello, I need a little help here". She walked over to her, poker her arm and you could see her mouth moving and the the coach helped her. Next thing you know, she was having trouble with a cartwheel, she needed help, still wasn't getting it, walked on over to the coach, another poke on the arm, mouth moving, coach helped her. I was watching thinking that these coaches need some extra help and that they were pretty hard core. Not very lovey dovey. They mean business and they don't have time for sweet talk. I was thinking to myself that I would not have done well in a setting like this when I was a little girl. I was so shy and timid. I love it that Sophie is not afraid to speak up and ask for help, ask a question ,etc. I definately want to nurture that quality in her and encourage her to never be afraid to speak up. Her voice and her opinion matters! After her class, she said to me "Mom, this is the real deal...this is serious gymnastics". I think you are right girl!  Just call me Nadia... School Bus.....pm (August 31, 2009) 09/06/2009
The kids made it to school and back again in one piece. Ha. I waited at the bus stop to pick them up but the bus was late. I was feeling a bit uneasy when the big yellow monkey mobile came barreling around the corner. All these little kids talking and laughing and jumping up and down. It was hilarious. Max and Sophie came off a little unnerved and the bus driver seemed frazzled saying "I'm sorry I am so late, I've got 47 kids". Can you imagine? Max and Sophie said they had a great day and dumped their backpacks in the kitchen. Max headed upstairs to build. Sophie sat and had a brownie with me and told me about her day. She is very resourceful and just asked "a child" (as she says) for help and she found her way to the gym in the morning. She said the bus ride home was crazy. They had to find any open seat and she said it was so loud and crazy. She just sat there and watched "the show". They both needed quiet time to decompress. It was very intesting. Sophie headed to the computer to play some games and Max played upstairs. It was very quiet. I was like 'hey, does anyone want to chat.....H e l l o". I ended up paying bills and cooking dinner. Finally at dinner they became chatty and I heard about school and the bus. All in all, it was a fabulous day! School Bus...........am (August 31, 2009) 09/06/2009
Another very early morning at the Johnson's. Dan had a 6am taxi to take him to the airport. He gave Max and Sophie a kiss goodbye in their beds at 5:45am and that started the wheels in motion, they were up and into their routine for fear of missing saying goodbye to Daddy. We were waiting on the front porch for his taxi when I noticed that Sophie had her shirt on backwards. She said "oh Mom, I am so embarrassed". As Max was jumping up and down playing with Otis, I noticed that his underwear were around his waist, he must have missed a leg whole. He could have cared less. I am glad that I spotted it and not Ms. Norris (their teacher). As soon as we said our goodbyes to Dad, Sophie came walking into the house saying "I miss him already". After breakfast and getting our hair coiffed, the kids were sitting at the front door with backpacks in tow at 6:45am. The bus doesn't arrive until 7:10am. Finally, the day has come for me to enjoy the benefits of children who have gotten up at 6am since they were two years old. Oh, how I fought it. I was not a morning person but since having children have been foced into it kicking and screaming. We put a leash on Otis and walked to our bus stop three houses down our street. I had a cup of coffee in one hand and Otis's leash in the other. I grilled the kids "what is your bus number, who is your teacher, what it your Mothers name, what grade are you in, what is your phone number"? I had a dream that they didn't know where to go once off the bus and got on the wrong bus on the way home. I have to admit something; I secretly want to drive to school and wait where the buses unload the kids to make sure that they get off and into the correct class. I won't, I promise. We finally heard the bus rumbling around the corner and voila, it's bright lights were blinking just waiting for Max and Sophie to board. I took a picture and then met the bus driver. I took more pictures of the kids while the other little kindergarteners hung over the front seats enjoying every minute of riding on a real school bus. Max and Sophie grabbed the seat right behind the bus driver and gave me a kiss and were as happy as two little kids could be. I waved goodbye and got misty eyes all over again. Shade of last Monday.  Bus #109, ready for boarding...  Could we be any happier? Coming up roses....... (August 30, 2009) 09/06/2009
Our house is really shaping up. Why is it that we wait to "jazz it up" to sell it or lease to someone else? Doesn't make a lot of sense to me but I have done it time and time again. |  AuthorGina Johnson  ArchivesJuly 2010 CategoriesAll |
RSS Feed