Finally some snow!

Yesterday the kids finally got their wish, we got about 9 inches of snow dumped on us! It was heavy, wet snow, the kind that is perfect for snowball fights and snowmen so we did both and went to grandma's for the best sledding. Even Jeremy was home from work to join in all the fun. Cameron had off from school yesterday, today, and probably will tomorrow too. This coming Monday is a teacher work day so he will have a very long weekend. There is something about days like today that just makes you want to drink cocoa, eat popcorn and curl up under a blanket to watch a movie. Those are our grand plans for tonight since everything else has been cancelled. Snow days sure are good for family time, I love it!

Grandparents and the Aquarium

We really enjoyed having Grandma and Grandpa Johnson here for a few days. The boys LOVED having two constant playmates to fight over and Jeremy and I just enjoyed catching up with them. The day before they left we traveled to Baltimore to the aquarium where we saw sharks, sting rays, jelly fish, and a neat dolphin show. I'm so glad that Grandma and Grandpa Johnson got to hang out with our kids and get to know them better. We promise to make a trip down to the ranch soon!

Cameron and the jellyfish- this was the coolest exhibit!

This is what you get when you ask for a group picture at the end of a long day.

Cameron's Baptism

We had prepared for Cameron's baptism for weeks, months and even years before it actually happened on Saturday. I had been looking forward to this day since he was born, knowing that he could choose to join the church because of a decision I made almost 15 years ago to become a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In our church when a child turns 8 they are old enough to decipher between right and wrong and therefore old enough to be baptized. And what a glorious day it was! Jeremy's parents flew in and attended along with Grandma and Jeff, Aunt Kristin and her family, Jim and Judy, Brother Harding, Sister Allen, Sister Tondro, Mrs. Winger, the Tolers, the Bensons, the Porters, the Turners, the Walls, the Candlands, the Deverauxs, the Gardners, the Seldens, the Thiriots, and the Bosleys. Cameron was surrounded by those who love him the most as he was baptized by his daddy and then given the Gift of the Holy Ghost. Cameron and Gavin sang the sweetest song "When I am Baptized" that they have been practicing every day and it was perfect- just right for the occasion. I couldn't have been happier with the result of how everything turned out, it was a pretty seamless event, everything fell into place so well. Most of all, Cameron just glowed with excitement and joy and he looked so dapper in his new suit, just like a little man.

It is so hard for me to see Cameron grow up so fast, but I am so proud of this boy. Time and time again I am in awe of how sweet and kind he is to his brothers and his friends and I know he has such a giving heart. He is selfless and always wants to help. He is growing strong both in body and in spirit, and I am so glad that he has chosen to follow the example of Jesus and be baptized. I know that he has a bright future in store for him and I can't wait to see what life holds for him. I know he will do great things. I just hope he stays my little boy for a long time coming.

The big snow that wasn't

They said on the radio yesterday that last year it just wanted to snow in DC. This year, it just doesn't. After getting all that snow last year, the kids keep asking when we'll get a big one again. I think this is the third snowstorm that had "just missed us" this season. One inch doesn't count in my book. The kids and I are ready for a good six inches, so that our sleds don't get stuck halfway down the hill (like they did today). Cameron went into school two hours late, but I really wanted him to stay home, drink some hot cocoa and snuggle under a blanket with the rest of us in the basement watching a good movie while the snowflakes fell outside the window. As it was, we went about our day and the sun promptly melted the dusting we got. Boo. Those weathermen better not get my hopes up again just to smash them to bits, I can't handle another let down!

New Year's take two

So on 1-1-11 we had our own little New Year's bash with the kids. We played tons of games, ate molten lava cakes, watched Transformers, and stayed up until 10 pm. They didn't care that it wasn't actually New Year's Eve and we were able to have twice the fun, sounds pretty perfect to me. Next year we will be sure to record the ball dropping though so that they can experience the countdown, it wasn't quite the same without it. But we did blow our horns!

Another New Year

We are lucky enough to start every new year off with our closest friends. I can't think of a better way to party! This year we had the Seldens, Thiriots, Porters and Tolers over for a Mexican fiesta and Minute to Win It games that included getting a cookie from your forehead to your mouth using only your face, keeping a feather in the air for a minute with your breath, knocking down cups with rubber bands, picking up shaped pasta with a spaghetti noodle in your mouth, and a few others. It's always midnight before we know it and we watch Dick Clark count us down. We know how to ring in the new year right and it's always a blast. Stay tuned for our faux new years tonight with the kids!