Rewind: December

The lost chapters of December...

Anth was very specific about what he would like Santa to bring him.  So much so that he brought a page right out of the Target ad.  While A didn't mind sitting on Santa's lap at all, Ash really wanted NOTHING to do with it.

In school Anth had dress up day as well as bring Baby Bear to school day.  We found out that our Bubsa Boo LOVES wearing a tie and would like to dress up more often.  Who knew?!  This is coming from the kid who would only wear comfy pants just a year ago!

Ash turns TWO!  

Anth got to make the annual wreath and pick out all the decorations with Uncle Airwick.  He also got some use out of his Papa Willie "work clothes" and helped Papa outside.

These two are quite the pair.  I cannot wait to show them this one when they are older!  Potty time together!

A month cannot go by without having some dress up days or two!  The pirate and skeleton are two popular ones.

Johnson Family Christmas

Hanson Family Christmas

Cutting "ood" with Ashee and Uncle Damon.

 Eating "dog food" with Papa Willie before heading back home from the Christmas weekend up north.

Celebrating Auntie Manda!

Auntie Manda is the absolute best and we love her dearly!  Today she joins the thirty club, which leaves me wondering.  How in the world is my little sister THIRTY?!  I remember shopping at Kmart after she was born and picking out a pair of special booties just for her.  Now she's the big 3-0?!   WOWZERS!  

Leech Lake

Favorite camping spot of all time

Beautiful sunsets

Lots of memories

Back when Ned was a puppy and a crowned Prince

Oh, how you have been demoted in rankings, Prince Nedward Ogie!

A box of cigars

found by the Johnson kids

Must be tried out

Right?

Grab the matches and the camera, Mom

Auntie and nephew love

Kings Courtyard

Loving up the Booger

A day of make-up, hair, nails and wearing a dress!

A day of celebration

Happiness

New beginnings 

Love

My favorite individuals

Wonderful siblings

Christmas morning

Clara Church - Yuletta services

Beautiful northern woods

Rewind: November

The lost chapters of November...

The Carhartt gear that Papa Willie got Anthony for Christmas last year fits and he's determined that he needs to wear it outside.  (Mind you there is no snow.  November started just as mildly as October ended.)  However, when Anth has his mind fixed on something there's no diverting from his plan.  He sure wishes, though, that snow would finally get here...

Dressing up continues to be a daily/weekly phenomenon at our house.  The dress up bin gets used all the time and old costumes cannot be packed up just yet for Asher.  There are many nights he will go to bed with his mask and/or work gloves on.

Zoey got a rash on her belly that she constantly scratched/licked/gnawed on until it become a bleeding open sore.  One Thursday night I brought Anth to therapy while Mark brought Zo to the vet.  On the way home Anth had fallen asleep so I was carrying him into the house to put him to bed.  This is what greeted me at the top of the stairs.  I wasn't expecting the Wonder Dog's new fashion accessory and had to try really hard not to (1) laugh too loudly and wake up the kid and (2) drop the sleeping kiddo from laughing too hard.  Luckily Mark was there to scoop up A.  What a scene!

SNOW!  It finally came!  Now Santa can come any day!  It snowed!  The five dollar shovel from Mills Fleet Farm got lots of use "helping" daddy and one little boy was in snow heaven.  (Although I see he didn't wear his Papa Willie outfit????  Hmmm...)

Unfortunately, Mr. Puke and Mr. Squirts wouldn't leave Anth alone over the long Thanksgiving break. While decorating the Christmas tree Anth got sick and we spent the next four days quarantined away from our family up north trying to kick the icky bug to the curb.  All of that wasn't fun; however, for the first time in THREE YEARS we were able to decorate the tree & listen to the Muppets belt out carols as a family without any breakdowns.  It. was. fabulous.

Arts and crafts were (and for the most part still is) a daily occurrence.  For awhile half of the table was dedicated to crayons, paints, glue, construction paper, etc. until I got organized and found a new home where he could easily find everything he needed.  I love the ideas that he comes up with and that it's never the same thing twice.

Anthony continues to have a great personality and can make us laugh with his crazy antics.  One night he should have been getting ready for bed, but decided to put on the antlers and then went and grabbed the foam fingers from downstairs.  He was showcasing his "Moose Hearing Aids" with lots of dance moves & crazy faces all the while sans underwear.

Rewind: October

The lost chapters of October....

Triple A....  Anthony, Adele and Andersyn get lots of playing time at daycare and on nights like these when Arnold & Gretchen are both busy coaching.  The Changa Girlies are an absolutely delight and we always love having them over!  (Check out the summer attire!  I had forgotten how nice it was all the way into October.)

Our Becker-amily keeps growing!

Shaun, Tracy & Emerson welcomed

Brockton Reid 

into the world on October 8th!

He was a tiny one....

10 pounds, 12.5 ounces and 22 inches long

We spent a Saturday finally visiting Apple Jacks.  We had a great lunch outdoors & Anth loved all the attractions!  Riding the horse was a highlight, but it didn't top going for a ride in the cow train. That day many cows were tried out - Anna, Susie Q., Joey, Sadie...  He could have ridden on just this the entire day.  So. much. fun.

The now traditional Halloween party was another great get together (even with last minute changes due to Miss Amalia getting sick).  I loved that the new momma MADE their costumes this year.  (Clearly she IS a superhero!)  Pin the spider was a highlight for the kiddies and some great laughs too.  Our attempt at a family picture didn't really turn out...  Maybe we should have been a theme-y family too and then it would have.  Anthony insisted on being Heat Blast (Don't worry if you don't know who that is.  I had no idea that Heat Blast was a character off of Ben Ten Alien Force.) while Mark & I decided to go through his HS bin full of jerseys and whatnot.  All in all, it was a GREAT night of playing, laughing and eating major amounts of fun.

This was the first year that Anth was totally into carving pumpkins.  He didn't need his "work gloves" on and he actually was helping to clean out the guts.  His pumpkin was stabbed hundreds of times during the creating process, but who really cares?  It was a fun family night.

Halloween night was BEAUTIFUL this year!  It was a little chilly towards the end, but what a great night to be out and about.  Once again our neighborhood did a great job; it was my yearly reminder of why I love living where we do.  I wish more nights could been like this one.  Heat Blast was all smiles!