Fire Station Fun

Whew!  This has been a non-stop week for us.  Something about the sunshine and cool breeze makes you want to get out and enjoy every moment!  Because the weather has been so nice, I decided to schedule a play date with a few of my MOPS ladies.  

Our tables this year at MOPS are having a friendly competition called "Mission Possible".  Every month, there is a mission that the tables try to complete for points.  This month's mission was to meet at a local fire station for a tour.  I called last week, and was able to schedule a tour at Station #5 (located on Forest Retreat Rd.) with Captain Chance and his crew.  Wednesday morning, eight mamas and ten kiddos met for a fun tour of the station.  Major kudos to Capt. Chance and his men for welcoming us and letting their 'home' be taken over by preschoolers for an hour :)  

To begin, Capt. Chance introduced a fellow fireman that would slowly get dressed in his fire gear.  Mr. Chris stood in the center of the kids and began to dress one piece at a time, explaining what each clothing item protected.  The main point of this demonstration is to try and show little ones that they don't have to be afraid.  Cole did great, but was unsure as Mr. Chris donned the oxygen mask.  He didn't cry, but definitely held my hand a little tighter :)  We also enjoyed a tour of the station and scoping out the engines and ambulances in the bay.  

Cole had a blast (he's STILL talking about it!) and we adults learned a few things as well.  Thanks to all our firemen for watching over our community! 

Mr. Chris and Captain Chance

Touring the station

The best part...ENGINES!

Cole and Campbell

Let's hope this is the only time we see the inside of an ambulance!

Wouldn't wear the hat :(  Of course, he decides to wear it when we get home.

Fun at the Farm

Although we were bummed by missing the Pumpkin Patch playdate last week with our MOPS group (the weather was so yucky!), better things were in store!  I called the owner of Bottom View Farm on Saturday, explained our situation, and asked if our family could join a group this week.  We've been to the patch every year since Cole was born, and I didn't want to miss our tradition!  She checked her calendar (only group tours are allowed on the weekdays - no individuals or walk-ins), said Monday's crowd was minimal, and that we were welcome to come.  Woo-hoo!

An added surprise was that Daddy and Uncle Kyle took off work to join Cole and I.  

Family + beautiful weather + minimal crowds = a PERFECT day!

I would love to post all of the pictures from our day, but seeing as Kyle and I took 200 shots,  I'll have to pick and choose :)  To view all of our pics check out my album on Facebook or click here.

Fun in the 'old town'

Pumpkin Patch

More farm fun!

A Halloween Preview

For the past few weeks, I have been racking my brain about what Cole should be for Halloween.  I'm treasuring these few years before Super-heros and dinosaurs become the focus and mommy's suggestions become 'silly' and 'lame' (is lame even an 'in' word anymore?).  I've also wanted to create Cole's costume (or at least parts of it) myself over these past three years instead of buying something ready-made from the store.  Sooo...with all that in mind, thinking of what he could be has been a little frustrating.  After changing my mind numerous times, both Cole and I decided he would be an Indian.  

Last fall, my parents brought him a handmade headdress, tomahawk, drum, and mallet from Cherokee near Gatlinburg.  Cole loves playing with them, and I knew he wouldn't mind wearing the headdress since he's used to it (that was part of my dilemma as well...thinking of something he would actually wear the entire evening :)).  Here are some things we're adding to his accessories:

Indian Vest - Using a tan pillowcase...decorating with paints, paper, glue, and markers.

Necklace - dying macaroni various colors and stringing on yarn with a paper medallion

Pant decorations - Sprucing up his brown pants with some leather and fringe for the evening.

Face Paint - Hopefully he'll let me put some colorful 'warrior paint' on his face :)

So far, we've practiced the vest using a paper grocery bag (wanted to make sure I knew what I was doing before cutting the fabric).  Can't wait to see how my little Indian turns out! 

Halloween 2007 - 11 months old - A scarecrow

My, how he's changed!!

Halloween 2008 - 23 months old - A train engineer

I fashioned his train from a cardboard box.  I cut/folded/painted/glued the pieces and added the shoulder straps with yarn.

What will YoU be for Halloween???  Always looking for great ideas!

Blessings in Disguise

Life around the Johnson home has been a little stressed lately.  Murphy's Law has hit us hard these past few weeks...gotta love him!  Our heating unit doesn't work, washing machine broke, Michael's business taxes were due (outrageous what self-employed Americans have to pay!), and the list goes on...

Although we feel very blessed to have the funds available via savings accounts, etc. to pay for these things, we were reminded how things can go from good - to bad - to worse very quickly.  Many of the people we see without homes, food, etc. haven't always lived that way and didn't choose it for themselves or their family.  One 'hard knock' after another comes and before you know it, the money is gone, friendships have dissolved, and you're left wondering "how did I get here? "  I'm determined to look at others through the eyes of Jesus - straight to the heart instead of outside circumstances.

The Lord also chose to reveal to Michael and I how truly weak our faith can be.  We've been reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan (highly recommend!) and we were drawn back to a passage he scribed in Chapter 4.  Chapters 1-3 leave you with an awe/'fuzzy feeling' about the God we serve...and then BAM!  Chan gets in your business beginning in Chapter 4 on the Lukewarm Christian.  Many of his points hit us right between the eyes, but this paragraph definitely related to our current circumstances:

"Lukewarm People do not live by faith; their lives are structured so they never have to.  They don't have to trust God if something unexpected happens - they have their savings account.  They don't need God to help them - they have their retirement plan in place.  They don't genuinely seek out what life God would have them live - they have life figured and mapped out.  They don't depend on God on a daily basis - their refrigerators are full and, for the most part, they are in good health.  The truth is, their lives wouldn't look much different if they suddenly stopped believing in God."

OUCH!!  Yes, I do believe that the Lord gave us a brain for a reason and wisdom, but Chan's words ring so true.  How many times do we choose to panic, worry, and stress instead of turning to the One that strives to give us all that we need?  Why do we always choose the safe route instead of living a life that is centered around faith?  Great words to ponder...

The last big blessing poured out on our family concerned our heating unit.  When trying the heat last month, we noticed that it didn't work properly.  The AC and fan worked fine, but no heat was to be found.  Last Friday we had a company technician come look at it.  He said we needed a new motor.  We were thankful that we didn't need an entirely new unit and were anxious for Monday to arrive.  Well, Monday came and went, and Tuesday we called the company.  Turns out, they had to order the part and would call us when it arrived.  Now, we weren't freezing by any means, but were disappointed that no one called us to tell of the delay. Fast forward to Thursday (today).  Still no word from the company so we call back.  The part coming in 'a few days' is now scheduled to arrive in TWO WEEKS...are you kidding me?  Needless to say, we cancelled our order and called a recommendation from a family member.  They came out today (an hour after our call...woo-hoo!), and we were shocked by what he found.  Not only was our motor not working properly, but there were rusted holes in our heating coils.  He further explained that if our heat was working, we could've died because carbon monoxide would have leaked into our home through the holes.  He also found mold in the unit and other rust as well.  He said if the gas company had come to our home, they would've shut off our gas immediately because of the impending fire hazard.  OH MY GOODNESS!!  An aggravating circumstance turned out to be a HUGE blessing!  

Although we now have to purchase a new unit (which we be installed ToMoRrOw praise the Lord!), we know that the Lord has been in this from the beginning.  We're still getting top-of-the-line and this company is 50% less than the one we started with!  We also know that it will be a great selling point when we do decide to sell our home (especially since our current unit is original to the home and is 12 years old).

It really is amazing how just a few minor mishaps around the home can alter your perspective.  Thank you Lord for what you have taught us and may we forever be changed!    

A Day For Play

One of our favorite Saturday treats is spending time with Daddy and taking a trip to Phillips Toy Mart in Belle Meade.  The store has been there FoReVeR and boasts tons of fun toys for all ages.  We love it because of the nostalgic feel and the many displays, games, and books to enjoy.

Cole's birthday is coming up, and we thought a trip was due to see what Cole gravitated towards for gift ideas.  He loved the dump trucks and bulldozers, puzzles, tricycles, musical instruments, and trains.  He also wanted to take home every book he saw :)  We came away with a few ideas (and a bag of blue marbles for a garage sale find) and some fun memories as well.

Here we are!  Look at all the ToYs!!

Having fun...

The Lionel train display...a favorite of all the kiddos

Getting to climb up in the tower and push the button to make Thomas the Train go around the track.

A whole aisle dedicated to puzzles.  Cole was in heaven!

After playing with every toy in the store, we headed to Dalt's for lunch.  Michael was thoroughly surprised by the hugeness of his nacho platter - we laughed and laughed when it was set before him at the table.  This was on the appetizer menu!  Couldn't resist a pic...

Cole being a typical, almost 3 year old (or maybe this is just pure boy being displayed?)

We had a fun day and hope to venture to the 'west side' again soon!