Four girls, Three boys, Two races, One family

Adventures in Indianapolis! ( Featuring the Johnson Family)

2011-09-27T20:22:00.001-05:00

Over the past month, this is what has happened. At the beginning of September, my older brother, Caleb, had his 11th birthday. Speaking of Caleb, he has posted a new post on his website (supercrusher.blogspot.com). We also had had to go to the dentist 3 times this month. Twice for cavities and once for a pulling. The pulling was probably the most scary thing at the dentist for her ( Emilie was getting her tooth pulled, by the way). Six months ago, she was afraid of getting teeth X-Rays, believe it or not! Me and Caleb also got new bikes! Mine is Green and Caleb's is Black. Features on the bikes that we LOVE: stunt peg, back words pedaling (without it stopping),and handle brakes. School has been in for 2 months (almost 3), and its gone pretty well if you ask me. Did I mention we are going to Disney Land in November? Well, we are! We're gonna have family fun and Thanksgiving in Florida! Plus, we're going to have 2 birthdays while we are there (Emilie's and Joshua's)! In August, Josh was officially ours, just to let you know. It was good to catch up with you, but if I don't stop typing I'll... (Choose the end yourself)
1. My fingers will fall off!
2. I'll be typing all night!

I guess its time to adjust the name of our blog...

2011-01-15T12:26:00.002-06:00

As I sit here, a beautiful, tiny 6 lb baby boy is resting in a sling on my chest.

He has been very fussy (which is not entrely unusual) and after taking a shift with

Caleb & Austin, he is finally with me & has conceded to sleep. As I sit here & stare

at this amazing creature (I cannot move for fear of waking him & he desperately needs sleep)

my mind wonders to his future. I have done this, of course, with each of our children.

I find myself thankful...in the midst of this difficult time of little sleep & loss of freedom,

I find myself exactly where I want to be. Growing a family, for God's glory & my joy. Toby is right here with me, what a dad he has become. More amazing with each child, sometimes I can't get over it! Millions of questions flood my head about how to do this (raising, teaching, schooling)

well, how to be successful & without too much regret. For now though, I will just stare at his

face & dream of his future...

Joshua.

2010-12-11T09:02:00.003-06:00

Well I have a lot to tell you about Joshua he has a lot of hair,brown eyes,a cute smile,a small nose,two tiny hands,small legs and feet. Oh by the way its me Austin. Well here's who's staying,me,Georgia,and mom So Emilie and dad are headed to Indiana to be with Caleb who right now is at a freinds house. Now were was I oh yes small ears,and a loud cry,black hair,and a heart full of love.

How he looks.

2010-12-10T16:43:00.002-06:00

Joshua is home and good and so you know its me Austin here. He has a lot of hair and I think I'll stay here with Joshua,mom. But I'm not sure if Emilie is staying or leaving? Well I can't wait till I get Joshua in my room!!! If you tell your freind who don't belive to my dads blogsite The chep seat.(if its not that ask my dad what it is)they could be-come a beliver. So that pretty much it. Bye.

Nothing new.

2010-12-10T12:12:00.002-06:00

Hey its me Austin well theres nothing new in the last 3-5 miniutes. Even though I've had a L.O.T. for you to catch up on. Well I'll give some new news as soon as I hear it. So be ready for more news about our family.

The news.

2010-12-10T11:19:00.003-06:00

Mom and dad are comming home with Joshua!!! I can't wait for him to come home! I just can't wait. This is Austin your news guy. Peace!

Time to go home soon!

2010-12-10T07:29:00.003-06:00

Austin hear bringing you the latest news mom and dad have gone to get Joshua for two resons 1 so he can come home 2 so we can go home. I can't wait to see home. Even though I'm real happy we're I am. I wish the drive was't so long so I could get home faster and I could visit more often. It's fun and awesome but its time to go very soon but I have a choise to make wether to stay for a few more days or not. I'd like to hear what you would do.

HE'S HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-12-09T17:01:00.002-06:00

He's home! He's home actuly home! Hey its me Austin. Joshua is coming home tomorrow! Can you belive that?! I can't wait till he come's! Its so exciting!!!! The only thing, we need more clothes we have about 2-4 pairs witch will do for now but in general we'd have more clothes. But that dose not repeat dose not mean you have to do anything. We'll eventuly get more clothes for Joshua so don't worry about us.

Joushua come home!

2010-12-09T12:54:00.003-06:00

Hey its me Austin the kid of Toby. Right now I'm in Tennessee with my freinds Benjamin,Lexi,Sadie,and Derrick.I'm having a blast! Also Joshua is going to come out of the hospital soon!!! I'm really excided about it! Also I'm ready to go home.So I thought I might post the blog.I'll try to blog again soon.Bye for now.

Now and then

2009-08-01T19:39:00.004-05:00

Hello everyone! It has been quite some time since we have last updated, so sorry for that. I actually hadn't thought about it until I got my pictures finally printed from the last year and a half (yes I am behind on a few things)and noticed how MUCH Georgia had grown since we have moved to Indiana. They all have grown some and changed a bit to, they are quite wonderful to be around and maturing more each day. But let me show you these pictures with Georgia in them. Just a little over a year ago she was hardly talking, sooo different socially and about 10 inches shorter! We all have changed and grown this year. This has been a lesson filled year for all of us and I am so thankful for it. It has been difficult, but not unbearable. And in it has been sprinkled many triumphs! Thank you Lord for such a year (summer to summer)!! It is surely ALWAYS an interesting life we lead!

Are the end of times coming? We are one day closer

2009-04-27T10:41:00.003-05:00

Hello Friends!

I am on cloud nine right now & not for reasons you might think. Yes, my family is wonderful & they are all doing great~Caleb started his first season of baseball, Aus has started soccer again & scored 2 goals this past sat., the girls are doing great, playing & in general making LOTS of noise. Toby & I are working on house projects & are thankful that since are tax return came back we can not only do some improvements with cash but we have no debt except the house!!! However, this is not why I am excited. My hearts other home, Africa, has had some great triumphs this week & I am thrilled! In Uganda, where a beautiful Nashville girl named Katie lives, there a miracle. Katie got to be apart of it just because she was willing to do so. She works with orphans (& adopts the ones she can't find homes for) but her goal there is to spread the message & love of Jesus. Long story short, she is now feeding/teaching/loving the Karmajongs. These are an uncivilized people even the Ugandans can't stand, but she found a way with the Lord's help to reach them. So many Christians are looking at the news reports to see if the end is near, I say look in Africa. The bible says Christ will not return until some know Him from every tribe & tongue. As some of you know, this is the goal of the Southern Baptist Convention. Well, last week, another tribe was introduced to Christ, we are one day closer. If you want to follow Katie & her story or donate to help her feed & find homes for these kids go to www.kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com but beware, you won't be the same. In other AWESOME highlights from Africa...there has been some rough things to hit our beloved orphanage in Liberia. At one point, the Minister of ... stormed the orphanage & took the children, this is the nice version...it was horrible. Toby & I have been very torn up over this, (BTW, if we have not told you, its because we have not really told anyone, we have been heart broken & I at least have not really wanted to talk about it) & have been praying for God to avenge those children & families caught up in what was essentially a rash act by a government official who does not like adoption. Good news today though, the court ruled that Minister GUILTY !! I am not sure what will take place now, but hopefully the kids will be returned to WACSN & adoptions can continue to take place. Rescuing these children has to be TOP priority. This was a huge win from a government who mostly opposes international adoption. The Lord is with Maria Luyken (who runs WACSN) & He will not be stopped. James 1:27 I am overjoyed! These are things that matter, not so many other things we give our minds to. We love you all & as Toby says...Keep Your Eyes on Jesus.

Things I love

2009-03-30T18:27:00.003-05:00

There are so many wonderful things I love about my life & as I was looking through the pictures we have taken this year, I was reminded of them. Let me share a few great pictures, just everyday things you can see around the Johnson house. I hope you enjoy them.

Character sometimes hides in the oddest places...

2009-02-11T18:16:00.002-06:00

Well...we finally have a computer again & I have to say...I've missed you all! We have gotten several wonderful comments (including a beautiful handwritten letter, thank you Audrey) from you our sweet friends who have missed hearing about our goings on. Thank you for caring & checking up on us. In general we are doing well. So, one of the things I mentioned before briefly was something we have dubbed our "public school project". I didn't say much before partially because their wasn't yet much to say & partially because it was very hard for me to let Caleb go (we asked Aus if he wanted to try the experiment, he said "no way! I don't want to be gone all day just to do MORE work!"). I spent his first day gone in a puddle of tears. I can't remember the last time I prayed so much for that child. I know that sounds silly- people do this every day, but I hadn't!! So he came home that day fine & full of spunk & so the experiment began. I promise I am getting to the character part, but because so many of you have asked, I thought I would explain why we did this at all. Caleb seemed to equate public school with "being big" & seemed to continually feel he was missing out on something, so even though he enjoyed being home, he continually hinted at the awesomeness of public school. To make this an even tougher battle, his only memories of public school was kindergarten (ya know centers, story time, snack time, etc). So finally after hearing this for the umteenth time we decided to just send him. We are in a good & safe school district & second grade is a pretty safe year so why not. Also, & most importantly to me, he was not in any way working at his full potential for me. He seemed to think he couldn't do many of the things I knew he could, & I knew school would help very much with this battle when we went back to homeschooling. So...fast forwarding to now...he's had his days of fun & his days he's begged me to stay home, all in all the experiment is going just as Toby & I had hoped. So... this is where we found out something precious about Caleb's character, who knew it would pop up at Westview Elementary! Caleb has been friends with a group of boys several of whom ended up in his class. Caleb & I were glad for this at first but as it turned out these kids were only interested in being friends with Caleb as long as he was NOT friends with the uncool kids. The thing is, Caleb saw these kids needed friends ( he says one of them occasionally punches himself cause everyone thinks he's so dumb) & he LIKED them. They were fun so he didn't care as much that the other kids didn't like them. He even seems ok that these boys will only now play with him outside of school, but ignore him in school. How blessed I am at all of this. His character is growing! Thank you Lord for this. We still plan on homeschooling him next year (it seems now that this is a no brainer for reasons I have not mentioned) but I am thankful for this full experience that we have all learned much from!

Happy Anniversary to Georgia!!

2009-02-02T21:02:00.002-06:00

Dear Friends,
Our computer has died a quick & painless death (it just decided to quit turning on) but because of that I cannot keep updated on the blog much. So here is the quick skinny on us, our wonderful children, and all of the events going on, not the least of which is the anniversary of Georgia Faith bursting into our home. Tomorrow (Feb. 3rd) is the anniversary of the day Toby began his trek to bring her home. It began with trouble at the airport & all of us a bit unsure that the American would be allowed to bring the Liberian child home. On Feb. 4th we not only will celebrate Austin's birthday, but also Georgia's first year here. In a nutshell, it has been a wonderful whirlwind. Toby & I also celebrated our 11th anniversary. We went away for a night & had the best time! Farming out the kids is good for all! Caleb is trying out a short stint in public school (for all that read that in shock...call me) & loving it but is remembering why it is sooo nice to school at home. The others miss him but are troopers during "the experiment". Our holidays were simple & nice & we are currently once again sitting at the Lord's feet searching for His perfect direction, every ready for the adventure of the Christian life. We love you all, more than you know!!

More pictures of the birthday princesses

2008-12-06T15:22:00.002-06:00

The girls loved their presents, their giant butterfly wings, coloring books, wands & of course their baby dolls, what Emma didn't love however, was them singing Happy Birthday...go figure!

Happy Birthday Princesses

2008-12-06T15:04:00.003-06:00

Last night we celebrated our princesses birthdays. This was Georgia's first one with us. I have to say, it was great fun, the girls had a fantastic time eating TONS of sugar, opening presents & just running around like houligans. I loved it all. If you weren't here, here is what you missed...

I forgot to show you all my birthday present!!

2008-12-06T12:48:00.004-06:00

A truly wonderful birthday mixes things you love with things that are special. Mine was the perfect mix of both. For those of you who did not hear what we did, we went to Port Huron, MI (LOVE going to places I have never been) to visit Georgia's birth cousin Libby. First of all, you may remember the little girl who was being adopted at the same time with Georgia & the birth aunt came & stole her for a day & there was much prayer going out from all of you, well, this is the girl. It was great to see her happy & healthy! She is wild & fun & perfect for this family she was adopted in to. In addition to visiting her & her great family (there is 8 of them total so there for the weekend in one house there was 14!) the other families who had adopted from WACSN were getting together for a reunion! I adored seeing all of these beautiful families SO perfect for each other, all of these kids getting along so well, it was awesome! For any of you who know me well you know how much I love adoption ( we are all adopted after all if we are in Christ's family) so I was on cloud nine. The night got better for me though, when Maria Luyken (who started this orphanage just a few short years ago) spoke wisdom & encouragement & THEN... I met Heidi! We were given the amazing & rare privilege of choosing our child to adopt & as you may remember we struggled with whom to choose. There were a couple of little girls in particular that we prayed & prayed over before we choose Georgia. One was Georgia's cousin Libby (cool huh?) one was Georgia, one was Tayah (you may remember that name) who I heard is doing great with her family & then there was Fatu. Fatu had a small medical condition & was the only child crying in their picture. My heart was broken for her & I feared a family may not choose her because of the medical issue. Then I sat down next to this sweet little girl in a pink plaid dress, identical to her sisters & began talking to her mom. I could tell Heidi was not a her african name(duh) so I asked her mom her african name & about fell over when she told me that this tall, beautiful, healthy child was Fatu. I never expected to see her again, oh how it filled my heart with peace & joy! So here are some pictures, enjoy!

Other pictures here are CeCe, Heidi & Georgia giving hugs & posing, then Emma joined in on the fun! On the bottom, it is Georgia, Libby & Emilie Grace patiently listening as Toby tells them a bed time story, then one of my favorite shots, the bell choir! Austin (in red) & Georgia (at the bottom in white overall ) participated in the cutest bell choir you have ever seen! Georgia absolutely LOVED it!

Halloween!

2008-11-21T17:57:00.002-06:00

My 4 children's costumes couldn't be a better example of their personalitites!!!! Now, they are all sweet and wonderful children. They all have their own quirks, etc. But as I sit and look at these pictures I realize Aus would very much LOVE to be one who helps people all the time AND he's a dare devil who would love nothing more than to fly around!! Caleb loves to be devious & wild just like the green goblin! Georgia loves "can-nee" & lots of it, she's as sweet as chocolate too! And Emilie Grace...is there any question she thinks she's a princess?? At any rate, we had a great time at the harvest party at our church, there were hay rides, games & face painting, all which terrified Georgia! Emilie Grace thought it was spectacular though & asked for days after to go "trick or treating". We couldn't seem to help her understand that it only comes once a year. It is now 9 days until Emmi's 4 th birthday. We are very excited. We are also setting up some christmas stuff since we will be in Tennessee the day after Thanksgiving. Toby is preparing the fire place for a nice fire. I think he'll eventually get to the fire, he is currently picking out the remains of an old Larry boy toy that spoke his last electronic words in that fire place. We still remember the eerie sound of "I am that ..." "I am that ..." then in this pitiful way you'd hear the word"hero..." finally there was a bang & a spark & that was it until tonight when Toby picked his remains out of our iron curtain protecting the fire place. Ahh memories!

Long time no post

2008-10-21T20:48:00.005-05:00

Awwww! As ornery as a child can sometimes be, not much can beat the sweet snuggle you recieve from a little pumpkin who falls asleep on your lap.

Georgia Faith & her new best friend. I cannot tell you how much my girls love this scrappy little dog. He is a sweet pup but there have been many times I have wanted to let him bless another home after he has left the puppy nuggets that he seems to produce in endless supply! HOWEVER, I could not do that to my girls. The funny thing is we got him for our boys, who are fair weather friends to poor Tanner. Not our girls though, they sneak him treats, pet his belly anytime he wants, & let him drag them around our yard to his hearts delight.

Can I tell you how amazed I am at Caleb? I came home tonight to find C teaching Georgia how to use the mouse pad on our lap top. I myself have been unsuccessful at this but caleb somehow was able to teach her & she was so excited everytime she moved something on the Nickjr website she stopped to clap & Caleb just beemed with pride.

Now this one I must explain. The boys were learning about hibernation & we thought it would be fun to practice some hibernation ourselves. So, what do you need to hibernate? Shelter? Grab the blankets, food? Marshmallows & celery with pb! Bedding? Whatever we can find in the bathroom?! They "hibernated" for about 2 hours! If your kids are making you nuts try this one at home!

And last but not least, introducing the "World's Youngest Backseat Driver" - I took this while driving (don't worry mom I DID NOT look before I took , I could just hear the directions from the back & knew what to do). She yells out "Mommy the red button... STOP!" Or "It's the yellow button...SLOW DOWN!" And as often the light changes so do her commands. I have to say the funniest thing is the way she leans over to keep an eye on the traffic even if we are on a long trip.

Hope you are all enjoying fall as much as we are. We have done every "fall thing" imaginable. Please post in & let us know what all you all are up to. We miss you all!!!! S, T, C, A, E, & G

A September to remember...so far

2008-09-13T19:25:00.003-05:00

Hey all!!!! September is here and it has been good to our family! These pictures tell just a portion of all that has happened event wise. I may have to post twice,hmmm. Anyway,

the first images you see are of our oldest turning 8. He decided he was probably too old for a themed party so we decided to just invite 3 boys over for a sleepover & video games. He had many choices being blessed here with tons of good friends, but I forced him to choose only 3 (adding in my 2 boys & my 2 girls, the excitement of a party, lots of sugar, no bedtime...you get the drift) & believe it or not they were all Caleb's but one! So after we passed out nicknames for the evening the boys got busy playing & they had an awesome night. One Caleb's parents brought over 2 game systems & another Kaleb's parents brought an extra TV & we let the boys stink up, I mean play hard in our playroom until about 11pm. He had a fantastic time & I have to say I LOVE watching my kids get older. It doesmake me wonder how my parents let us have SEVEN kids sleepover for our birthdays each year, and if that doesn't sound crazy enough they upheld that rule even when 2 of my brothers (who happen to share the same birthday) birthdays came around. We would have 16 boys in the house. I am now wondering if they stayed the whole time...you think maybe they snuck out for awhile to escape for a bit? If not, they are better parents than me!! Anyway, the other shots you see her are one of Caleb & Aus at Lowe's making a pirate ship with Toby. If you have never done the Build & Grow thing at Lowe's or Home Depot you REALLY should. It is so great for the kiddos! The last one I loaded is Caleb today at his first flag football game. He rocked I was soo proud of him.

ALLELUIA!!!! THE DIAPERS ARE ON THE WAY OUT!!!

2008-09-01T07:20:00.003-05:00

Georgia faith is doing the potty dance!
My crazy friend Mandy suggested she was ready for training & I shouold "not miss my window". However, I was a bit chicken at the prospect, especially since we are currently (supposedly) house training a dog. But as usual, my friend Mandy was right. Yesterday the score was accidents-2 , successes-7. Today looks just as bright. And as you can see we are all thrilled!
Emma Grace spells JOE. As most of you may already know, our oldest daughter is obsessed with letters & reading. We have seen it as a very cute & slightly odd interest for our 3 & a half year old, but ya know every kid is different. Anyway, she mostly spends her time saying the letters, drawing the letters, reciting the sounds & forcing us to practice our letters as well. I was however, amazed to see her actually spelling words. Here is a picture of her at rest time writing the word JOE. She has added a few more words to her mix & I am guessing if she keeps this up, I won't be able to teach And her past kindergarten, she'll be too smart for me;)
And speaking of smart kids (I wish I had a shot of Caleb in this! He's so awesome!) here is Austin & his neighbor & fellow homeschooler Issac. Issac's mom, Tasha has taken it upon herself to fuel their curiosity of taking things apart & has made Friday's into FANTASTIC FRIDAYS by letting them spend the morning taking apart computers & whatever else she can find & they love it! Here they are with their own set of screwdrivers. They spent more than 2 hours taking this computer completely apart & had many hypothesis afterward.

Anyway, that is it for now. Caleb & Austin are doing scouts this year & Caleb is also beginning his first year of flag football so we will have more pics to come. We love you all out there, & when you visit our blog, let us know with a comment, our boys chekc the blog often!

God's Provision

2008-08-05T17:35:00.005-05:00

As many of you know, we didn't know how God was going to provide everything we would need as we moved back to Marion. This post is a testimony to His faithfulness to us in even the small things in life. For those who may be wondering about His provision for you, I hope you find this encouraging. Keep seeking the Lord, and know that where His heart is, His provision will be.

Below are a few examples, but it's certainly not all. There have been some major blessings in following the Lord's leading back to Marion that we've been asked to keep to ourselves. To honor those who gave, we will...so you may just have to trust us...there's some BIG stuff left off the list.

1. The computer we use to update this blog was a provision of God to us at no cost...though we tried to pay for it. Unbelievable!

2. We have a friend that decided this...even though we didn't come to a church position and receive a "traditional" pounding (giving gifts of groceries and supplies), she would take it upon herself to do it for us. WHOA!!!

3. We have received enough beans and potatoes to last several, several meals...along with soup from a friend...another meal provided.

4. We were given about $350 worth of school supplies and curriculum from a friend. Here's the kicker...when she used it, she photocopied the books...so, they have no writing in them! They look brand new!

5. Susan and the kids were given the opportunity to go pick sweet corn from a friend's field for free. We brought home enough corn to last through the spring.

6. Last, but certainly not least, coffee. A friend who works at Starbucks has graciously given us two pounds of our favorite coffee at a time when we couldn't have bought generic, nasty, used oil coffee. (This doesn't include the pound of coffee given to us by a random Starbucks employee that we don't know.)

We cannot write thank you cards fast enough to get ahead of the curve of giving to us. We are humbled and amazed by God's gracious provision of these things...some needs, some not-so-needs. Be encouraged...God has not forgotten you or your needs. At just the right time, His provision will be there.

Would you like to see the rest of our house?

2008-07-23T19:58:00.006-05:00

Here's the bedrooms & our crazy red kitchen. I had a wild hair to paint the cabinets red a few years back. I have to say...it looks much better in person. The bedrooms, well you can figure out which one is which. The picture of the girls room doesn't do it justice to how girly I made it. I have waited a long time to make a room girly & I had a blast. I took this as the girls were supposed to be going to bed. They look really sleepy don't they?

****** I wish I could have fit one more picture to show the front of our house ( I will next time) but here is our wonderful front yard. Isn't it great? Austin has already mastered climbing the crab apple tree in it & has been working on the giant oak in the back yard. Anyways, this completes our virtual tour please come visit us in person. To all of our friends & family far away I can say with all sincerity, we miss you. Marion would be perfect if YOU lived here. Our children definitely miss your children & their grandparents. We love you all!

Would You Like to See Our House?

2008-07-23T19:47:00.005-05:00

Everyone has been asking about the house so I thought I'd walk around with my camera & try to "show you around" a bit. I started in the back of the house with some of my favorite spaces. The first area you see is where we will school, it is the front part of the playroom which is the middle picture here. I also left my laundry door open, because I LOVE my large laundry room. The picture on the right is our shed in our backyard. One side is for tools but the other side the kids have claimed as a club house. We even let them spray paint some of the walls in it.

Next you see a room that looks nicer & that is on purpose. Since we now have a playroom, our living room with the fire place is mostly for adults. The kids do quite activities in there which is fine cause quite is usually clean. This is the front of the house & the dining area that you see connects the front & back living rooms. I will post the kitchen, bedrooms & our marvelous front yard next. We truly love our home & so do the kids.

Our Very Nostalgic Fourth of July

2008-07-23T19:38:00.008-05:00

There are so many reasons I love small town living. I love that my friend invited me & the kiddos into her family corn field next week to pick & shuck corn. I love that if I can't remember if the door is locked I don't feel too worried & I love that my neighbor invited us to the home town parade where she & her boys would be walking in cause they were in the "Reading Bug" club at the library. So... we grabbed our buckets to catch candy & our lawn chairs & headed out to the parade.

Later that night we had some friends over for some grillin' & chillin' at the house. We had such a good time & the kids just ran loose. If you are reading this & your kids aren't quite old enough to "run loose" yet, you surely have something to look forward to. The big ones kept up the the little ones in the yard with the dads & the moms hung close to the dessert;). This was also Toby's very first opportunity to buy fire works just as our parents did & light them in the drive way. The kids loved it but probably not as much as Toby. It's funny too how no one has to tell you how to act exactly like your mother when you see your sweet husband with explosives he bought in a big tent & is now lighting ten feet from your offspring. You just know to get the giant water bucket & to keep telling your kids, "Now scoot back, ok everyone...stay back."

Move In Day in Marion, IN

2008-07-23T19:33:00.003-05:00

Our first day into Marion & the kids & Caleb and Georgia (with two neighbors) crowd around our little DVD player in their still empty playroom (the truck hadn't arrived yet). Here's Emilie Grace in our front living room quite unsure about it all & also reeling from a 103 degree fever which hung around for a week. Once all the furniture came in & her fever broke she really loves "my green house".

2008-06-15T16:40:00.002-05:00

TAKE ME OUT TO THE
BALL GAME!!!!!!!!!!

Austin invited a friend to VBS & won the opportunity to throw out one of the first pitches at a Nashville Sounds ball game, so without further adieu, here's Austin........

I am too much of a computer moron to get my pictures moved correctly, but Caleb was in awe of the amazing fire works after the game. Austin got to keep the ball he threw out, Toby taught them how to keep score in baseball, & they learned about the seventh inning stretch. It was a great night for all of us.

Best buds

2008-06-04T10:22:00.003-05:00

Austin and Patrick :
Crazy eye rollers, handsome devils, and wiggly goofballs, how they were made for each other!!!! Austin and Patrick had a fun day together going to VBS, eating popcicles (& then ice cream), and playing outside, anything to spend as much time as possible before we make our move back to IN.

Graduation Day

2008-06-04T09:49:00.002-05:00

IT'S GRADUATION DAY!!!
Our boys have finished there school year and Caleb helps Austin, once again to complete the next stage in life. I loved watching the boys work on Austin's cap & gown. We opted out of the huge ceremony FCA put on & decided for an intimate one with fellow homeschoolers, Silas & Sophia Kingsbury. And where else would we hold such a momentous occasion except at Pizza Hut? They had the best time.

My friend and I made special certificates for each child. They were recognized for such things as craft genius, (Aus), fantastic big brother, (Caleb), and excellent math and reading skills (both). We are so proud of both and are truly thrilled to have survived our first year of home education!!!!

A three boy camp...titled by Caleb

2008-05-10T16:09:00.003-05:00

First we had an oreo eating contest. Toby won, but we all enjoyed the race! (Georgia & Emmi got to use their hands)
Next hillblilly marshmallow roasting on the back porch of the apartment! It still makes a good s'more.
The boys "toasting" the awesome evening.
Caleb & Aus & all of their webkinz, this has nothing to do with camping but they REALLY wanted you to see all their cool pets! We love them.

We went camping...sort of. In our attempts to camp here in what seems to be the rainy season of TN, we set our 2 man tent up for three boys. Oddly enough, I have no pics to show you of that. I do however have shots of our camping festivities.

Mother's Day out, Mother's helper & Mother's Relief ...part one

2008-04-21T12:14:00.002-05:00

Georgia loves to be a helper, she loves carrying laundry & she loves "loading" the dishwasher. This was so cute I just had to show you. Pictured below is my relief...Toby teaching the boys about baseball. They love it & they're really catching on (no pun intended). This has also recently given me 45 minutes of quiet here & there, which is awesome on many levels.

Mother's Day out, Mother's helper & Mother's Relief ...part one

2008-04-21T11:50:00.002-05:00

As you can see the girls are becoming fast friends, & now they've started Mother's Day out together! The pic on the left is their "first day of school". They have done great AND it has seemed to help TREMENDOUSLY with Em's potty training. Funny how potty training always makes me feel like a failure & then one day, they pee for a treat & I feel redeemed. Here they are below in matching shirts (I always match them in some way) & Emilie Grace took one look at the both of them & said "We're wish bears!" Em loves care bears & the matching shirts delighted her.

You Can't Make This Stuff Up

2008-03-31T21:27:00.003-05:00

For those who don't know, Aldi is not a typical grocery store. Most stores have all kinds of options...including four types of refried beans. Aldi has one brand of the things they carry, but the prices are fantastic. Tonight, Susan took Caleb and Georgia to Aldi to get some major shopping accomplished.

Once the cart was full of food, they headed for the checkout (with Aldi, there's usually only one open...unless there's an unbelievable line of people waiting). As they got to the line, a man who rode his bike to get five items asked if he could jump ahead of them. Susan said sure, and the man looked down at Caleb and said, "Your mom sure is nice." Caleb's eyes got huge and his head moved backward in a kind of weirded-out reaction. This was most likely due to the man's decision to wear his bike helmet while shopping for cottage cheese...or whatever he was getting.

Susan piped up, "Caleb, say 'Thank you. She is nice.'" Caleb looks at Susan, looks at the bicycling enthusiast, and says, "She's not my mom...she's my grandmother."

Susan couldn't believe the words had come out of Caleb's mouth, but what came next hit even harder. The Lance Armstrong protege smiled and said, "Aw...she can't be your grandmother. She's not a day over forty." Yep...40. It was one of those moments where I wish I had access to the security cameras to see Susan's face.

Caleb didn't miss a beat. He said, "She's not really my grandmother." Then, he paused, probably smirked, and said, "She's my aunt." Oh goodness...this boy is a little too quick witted...like his daddy.

The biker had to get going...to train for the Tour de France or next weekend's bike-a-thon...and Susan proceeded to check out. They got in the van, started down the road, and Caleb said, "Aunt Susan, when we get home, can we have an ice cream sandwich?" Susan responded in classic fashion..."Sure...grandpa."

And you thought I was kidding when I said you can't make this stuff up.

Easter Egg Hunt

2008-03-22T21:35:00.005-05:00

Hello, all. The kids participated in an Easter egg hunt this afternoon, and I thought you'd like to see the pics. Georgia and Emilie only got one egg because they were in the "any child not in kindergarten yet" category. The good news is...neither of them realized they were supposed to get more than one, so they were happy. Though we don't have a picture of it...Georgia immediately got the candy egg out of the wrapper and just sucked on it. It was one of those marshmellow eggs with colored shells on the outside. She sucked the red right off that thing. The kids had a great time.

Georgia's thinking, "How do I get this plastic wrapper off so I can suck the red right off that thing?"

Veggies and Pillows and Baths...Oh My!

2008-03-14T17:46:00.004-05:00

How to eat raw veggies...

That photo looks like just another child eating ordinary carrots...think again. As many of you know, it's often a challenge to get young children to eat their vegetables. Fortunately, there are a few that our children like. For example, Emilie Grace likes raw carrots. However, at tonight's dinner, she didn't want to eat them. Why? Because they were dried out and appeared to have some white places on the outside...not mold, just dry.

The question is...how do you get your three-year-old who is OCD about food looking and feeling right to eat carrots that look a little dry? You could try not letting them eat anything else until they finish...even if it means that carrots will be for breakfast tomorrow morning. You could add something sweet to them to make them more appealing. Well, as I've always said...Susan is a resourceful mom. She is quick on her feet and often comes up with solutions I would have never dreamed of. Susan got Emilie to eat her carrots. How? Easy. Susan picked one up...popped it in her own mouth..."moisturized" the carrot until it was orange again...pulled it out...then, she asked Emilie, "Is that better?" Our little responded, "Yes," and she proceeded to eat it. This happened for all four of Emilie's carrots.

Those aren't pillows! Well, actually, they are. The boys have an over-sized chair in their room, and I was called in from the living room this morning to help them. They had taken both cushions off the chair and asked me to cover them. They sat in the bare chair and waited with smiles on their faces. However, the two cushions didn't do the job, so I had to add both their comforters, the pillows they sleep on, and every other blanket I could possibly find. At long last, all the light was blocked off, and they had their "fort." Oh, how I remember doing the same thing!

What you see here is a game that lasted about ten minutes. In an effort to make Georgia more and more comfortable with the bath, we gave her a cup. She immediately learned to pour the water on herself...she was intrigued by it. This time, when the girls got in the bath, Emilie decided to help Georgia along. So, she grabbed the cup, filled it with water, and poured it on Georgia's belly. Georgia didn't quite know what to think of it the first time. She looked at me with a "how should I react to this?" look on her face. So, I did what any dad would do...I laughed out loud. It was a sign that what just happened was okay...both girls grinned.

However, as we all know, that was not the end. Emilie did it again to make me laugh...when she did, all three of us laughed out loud. It was a game with the endurance of the Energizer bunny...it just kept going and going. So, I had to grab the camera to remember the moment.

Our Snowy Saturday

2008-03-08T14:18:00.008-06:00

Hey...for those of you in Northern states, this won't sound like a big deal. However, we got about 4 inches of snow last night, and we immediately went out in it. The boys and I went on an "adventure" through the woodsy area behind our house. We scaled snowy hills, and, since we have no sled, used large snowy hills as slides. After about five trips down, we were all frosty on the backside. On the way back, we ran into Susan, who had brought the girls out.

Emma didn't want to go in, so she and I went on a 3-year-old version of adventure. That basically means...we walked around. Then, we came to the hill next to our house. Once at the top, I asked Emilie if she wanted to slide down, and with a bright red nose and bright red cheeks, she looked up at me and said, "YES!" So, I got down on my belly, she climbed on my back, and off we went...

Boys Do Work, Girls Get Clean

2008-03-07T19:49:00.004-06:00

Well, tonight we had a woodshop class on our dining room table. We got these footstool kits from Home Depot, and all it takes is two screws and six nails...provided in the kit. So, each boy got to do a little work with a Phillips head screwdriver as well as a hammer, and they came prepared with their official "Home Depot" aprons. Afterward, they painted the stools...painted stool pictures yet to come. Enjoy the pics...we loved putting them together!

Caleb goes first!!!

Next comes Austin!!!

Here's a quick picture of the girls taking a bath. If they had a grown-up conversation, I could imagine that Emilie Grace is saying, "Hey Georgia...in Liberia, you took a bath in a bucket with only a rag. Here in America, we live in a land of abundance...we sit in gigantic tubs of water with bubbles, and we use these cups to pour water on ourselves. It's great fun!" Such a fun time!

homeschooling??!!

2008-03-04T11:44:00.002-06:00

Here is Caleb's work from Family Christian Academy (his school away from school;) ) as he worked diligently to investigate a crime scene. I thought his sketch of the criminal was awesome! They got to learn how to lift finger prints & search for clues.
Here is Georgia "discovering" the fun of water play. I couldn't even get her to look up for me! She loves stiring & we think she may be a great chef someday.
Everyone gets tired of school come Feb/March so Austin's solution to Math workbooks? Playdough!!! He actually does subtraction better WITH it!
Emmi enjoying her penguin book & cheetos, this is preschool homeschooling in the winter...whatever goes.

Austin's First Lost Tooth/Georgia with Yogurt

2008-02-21T18:54:00.005-06:00

To keep you up to date, Austin recently lost his first tooth. It only took about 3 months of carefully planned wiggling before he finally couldn't take it anymore. Well, that's not true...we actually noticed that the tooth had gone dark (because the nerves were dead), so I took him into our room...he opened his mouth...and I didn't even have to exert force. As soon as I touched his tooth, it popped out. Yahoo!!!

One of Georgia's favorite foods is yogurt, and as you can tell, she does get a small portion of each bite in her mouth. This is pretty much what her mouth looks like after each bite, which usually ends in a giant gotee in the yogurt color of choice.

100 Days of School

2008-02-21T18:28:00.002-06:00

What you see below is the "100 Days of School" project that each boy did. Austin chose to make 100 airplanes, which we promptly taped up on the wall for the "100 Days of School" party. There's nothing like paper airplanes to decorate for your party. Below that is Caleb's superhero project. Caleb created 10 new superheroes, and for each one, he came up with nine superfacts. Ten heroes, ninety facts...100 things. On the left poster (left to right, top to bottom), you will see Ghost Killer, Luke the Hut, Cat Man, Dr. Two Broo, and Fat Rat. On the right poster (same order), you have Bat Boy, Monkey Boy, Duma Boy, Worm Boy, and Snail Man. Each hero has a weapon, shoes, names, where they live, secrets about them, their mode of transportation, favorite food, main power, and then he put them in alphabetical order (those are the nine things).

They had another homeschool family over this afternoon, and they consumed 100 snacks, made "100" pairs of glasses (each lens was a 0 in the number "100"), did 100 exercises, and got a "100 Days of Perfect Attendance" certificate. That's right...perfect attendance in homeschool. Gotta love it!!!

Some pictures of Georgia's First Week

2008-02-16T12:04:00.006-06:00

Georgia and Caleb going "toe to toe"

Emilie and Georgia sharing a laugh together

Georgia's first music lesson...the ukelele

Video from Liberia

2008-02-16T10:54:00.004-06:00

Hope you enjoy this musical recap of my trip! Jamie and Robert Ashbrooke sent me a one-time video camera for my trip, and when CVS made the DVD, this selection of random footage to music was included. I did not edit these things together, but it may give you an idea of how small Georgia was when I first met her. Also included is some of the time I spent at the children's home...so the children singing and reciting Scripture are all waiting on families to adopt them...HINT, HINT. You'll also see a little bit of what was on the main road in Monrovia. If you have any questions at all, feel free to ask. Also, you can check Toby's personal blog (http://pastortoby.blogspot.com/) to read more about his experience.

Welcome to our blog!!!

2008-02-16T10:34:00.002-06:00

This is the first post of our family website. Caleb had the great idea of creating a site so friends and family can keep up with what's going on in our lives. That is this site!!!

So, why the title? The four girls are Susan, Emilie Grace, Georgia Faith, and Emma...Emma was the name we gave to our baby that was miscarried back in 1999. The three boys are Toby, Caleb, and Austin. We are a two race family, having just adopted Georgia from Liberia in West Africa. However, when it all comes down...we are one family. So, that's why the "4321 Johnson" website. More to come!