Happy Birthday and Happy Father's Day!

Happy Birthday and Happy Father's Day, Travis! We have been celebrating Travis all weekend. I felt kind of bad for him because his birthday fell right in the middle of us packing and getting ready to move. I would normally bake him a cake or pie, but this year I bought a cookie cake for him because all of my baking supplies are packed up. Tyler serenaded him by signing Happy Birthday which was so cute! I'm so thankful we have Travis in our lives. He is a wonderful husband and the best Daddy we could ask for. He never complains about watching the kids and he is always willing for me to get away and have some time for myself. The boys absolutely love him and I'm so glad they have a Daddy that will take the time to show them how things work, take them fishing and golfing, and just do BOY stuff. Our lives wouldn't be complete without you! We love you!!!

New Friends

We have had a gift card to Build A Bear Workshop for almost two years now! One of Travis' homeowners gave it to us when Cooper was born and we had yet to use it. I wasn't even sure it would be worth anything after that long, but it still had all of its value, so I decided we should use it before we moved. We told the boys we were going to make some special friends that they could take with us to Harlingen. They were very excited and picked out a friend immediately! Tyler choose a puppy dog and Cooper choose a bear. They enjoyed their morning making their friends and had to take them with them in their beds for naps!

Tyler stuffing his puppy dog.

The boys giving their animals a bath.

Cooper bathing his bear.

Showing off the finished product. With the help of mommy and daddy, Tyler named his dog Spot and Cooper named his bear Brownie. Mommy and Daddy were too cheap to buy an outfit for the animals so they came home naked!

Goodbyes

Last night some of our best friends threw us a going away party. We had a wonderful time swimming, eating some yummy ribs, and visiting with good friends. It was definitely hard saying goodbye at the end and tears were shed, but I know these friendships will last a lifetime.

We have been busy packing up the house and getting ready for the big move. I am leaving Thursday with the boys and heading to Tyler to spend some time with my family before making the drive down to Harlingen in early July. Travis' plan is to pack up the U-haul on Thursday and head down to Harlingen on Friday and then start work on Monday. Our lives are crazy right now and I don't really see it settling down anytime soon! Here are some pictures from the party last night.

I love this picture of Laura and Marley.

Sweet Daniel, one of Cooper's buddies from church.

I love this sweet picture of Hudson.

I think the men had more fun with the water guns than the kids.

Cooper and Daddy enjoying the pool.

Sweet Coop!

Tyler is obsessed with goggles right now. I really need to buy him a pair!

Oops! Somebody found the chocolate chip cookies!

Shelby

Uncle Ross had some new friends by the end of the night. The little girls love him!

I love this picture of Jeremy with his kids.

Sweet Natalie! I love miss Natalie.

Tyler and Natalie giving hugs as we were leaving. This picture is a keeper for their wedding video, right Laura?

Travis and I have been so blessed to have GREAT friends here and leaving them is probably the hardest part about moving. They have become our family here. We have such a unique friendship with three other couples. The wives and husbands all get along wonderfully as well as the 13 kids between us and I just think it is rare. I treasure these friendships so much.

Saying goodbye to Candice. She is the sweetest person you will ever meet. She has a huge heart and is one of the most compassionate people I have ever met. She is always full of wisdom and encouragement. Her family is about to embark on an adventure of their own and I can't wait to see what God does in her life.

Saying goodbye to Laura. She is the hostess with the mostess! She is the crazy one that keeps us laughing and she ALWAYS has a smile on her face. She is one of the most generous people I know and I have been blessed by her many times.

Saying goodbye to Ashley. Ashley is fabulous in every way. She amazes me so much. She is blessed with the ability of leadership and inviting people in and making them feel welcome. She is probably the biggest reason the four of us are so close.

I love you girls and I can't wait to get together for girls weekends!!!

Johnson Construction

Front elevation before

Back of house before

Back of house after

Front of house after

So this is what I've been up to since I've been working on my own. This house is down in a nice older neighborhood close to 610 loop. It was a small house built in the 40's or 50's and we added close to 600 square feet of master suite and utility room. It is going to be really nice when we are done. Here are the before and after exterior pics. I'll shoot some interior a little later. We replace roof,siding,windows,garage door, front door, and repainted the old part of the house in addition to adding on the suite. Jeremy McFarland of Brick Moon Design in Spring did the design so give him a call if you need some architect work done.

What we have been up to...

Water Baby

The boys are loving summer because it means time at the pool. Cooper was very timid the first couple of times we went swimming this summer, but now he is a regular water baby! He loves it and he loves to jump off the side or be thrown in the pool by us. Here are some pictures from last night. We went over to Zac and Laura's for a fish fry and pool party. The kids had a blast and were worn out by the time we got home. We were hoping they would sleep late this morning because they were so tired, but no such luck. Our trusty alarm clock (Tyler) was up at 6:30!

Cooper being thrown by Travis.

Splash! I love both of their faces in this picture.

Cooper showing off his floating skills.

The kids eating popsicles in the pool.

Swimming at Uncle Ross'

A couple of weeks ago we spent the night at Ross' house because the Johnson's were in town. The boys LOVE Uncle Ross' house for many reasons, but one big reason is because he has a pool. They had so much fun swimming. Cooper was very timid on Friday night, but by Saturday afternoon he was jumping off the edge and loving every minute of it!

I'll be back!

Answered Prayer

Tyler was begging to go to the park today, but the weather didn't look like it was going to cooperate. I told him that I didn't think it would be a good idea because it looked like it could rain at any moment. He was not happy with that answer and continued to whine about it and so I decided to compromise with him. I told him we would drive to the park (we usually walk) and if it started to rain that we would have to come home. He was happy with that and then said, "I don't want it to rain." I told him that he should talk to God about that and so I told him what to pray. He asked God to not let it rain while we were at the park. So we got to the park and the boys played for a long time. As we were leaving Tyler said, "It didn't rain, mama!" He was so excited that it hadn't rained and I told him that God answered his prayer. He was ecstatic and started yelling, "God answered my prayer! God answered my prayer!" When we got home he was still talking about it and so I told him he should thank God for answering his prayer. He ran outside in the backyard praising God for his answered prayer!

While we were at the park he was asking where God lived and so I told him He lives in heaven. He told me that he wanted to go visit him this weekend. He also told me that he thought God drives a red car. I asked him what color car Jesus drives and he answered, "Green- just like Grandma's!

I just thought these stories were too cute not to share. Tyler is starting to ask more and more questions about God. He loves to go to church and loves singing songs with his friends. He is one sweet boy!

My God is so BIG!

Tyler has been learning these songs in his classes at church and loves to sing them. He gets his great singing ability from his mother!

Summer = Fun

Shoe Fetish

Cooper has a thing for Mama's shoes...

The Fountains!

It's getting hot around here and the boys love to go play at the fountains in The Woodlands. I took them there today and got some good pictures of the boys playing. I'm hoping I wore them out for a good nap this afternoon!

Cupcakes, Anyone?

It's Official!

We are moving! We finalized our plans this week and we are headed to Harlingen at the end of June... just a year late! Some of our plans have changed a little- Travis is not going to be farming right away because unfortunately the farm is having another hard year. Also, there are a lot of decisions that have to be made before they are going to be ready for Travis. So in the meantime Travis has been offered a job as an Office Manager at a Family Practice Clinic in Harlingen. We feel blessed that the Lord has provided this job for Travis which will allow me to continue to stay home with the boys. The opportunity arose at a perfect time as things have been slowing down for Travis around here and the farm is struggling. We are so glad that things seem to finally be coming together for our family. It has been a hard 7-8 months since Travis was laid off and us living job to job, and day by day, but God has provided every step of the way. We have been stretched and our faith has been tested, but we are stronger for it. There is a song that is playing on the radio lately and I LOVE it because it just reinforces what we have been through and that we are still waiting on the Lord to finish what He has asked of us- for Travis to farm. Travis and I both feel that the Lord has something up His sleeve for us, but we are just waiting, trying to be patient and trust in His timing. Here are the lyrics and go here to listen to the song.


While I'm Waiting by John Waller

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience

While I'm waiting
I will serve You
While I'm waiting
I will worship
While I'm waiting
I will not faint
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it's not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait

I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord

Coop

I got a new camera for my birthday and have been playing around with it the last couple of days. It takes great pictures, but I'm still trying to figure everything out. Here are some fun pics of Cooper this week.

Classic Cooper- This picture pretty much sums up my week!

This is Cooper's sweet side. It's one extreme or the other with this boy!

Playing outside with Daddy.

Being attacked by the tickle monster.

Caution: New Driver in town!