Guess who's packing?

This has been Jonathan and Jenna's humble abode for the past 8 months, but we are in the process of packing them up. God has called Jonathan to Crossgates Baptist Church in Brandon, MS and they will be packing up today and leaving tomorrow. We are so excited for this opportunity for them, but I have to say it is somewhat bittersweet. Please don't misunderstand me, there is no place I'd rather my children be than in the complete middle of God's will, but he is my baby and I will miss getting to see them all the time. He is going on staff to serve as the middle school pastor. This is an incredible opportunity for both of them and we are so grateful to our Lord for working in their lives.

We have spent several hours packing all these tubs. They have only been married since April, but they had alot to pack up. We are not going down with them for the move, but I will be going down next weekend to help.

I just want to say to both Jonathan and Jenna that I love you and am so very proud of you. I love watching your love for the Lord and how it plays out in your lives. God has great plans for you and I think I am thankful that for this move it is only across state lines and not oceans. I love my baby boy.

weekend fun with our babies

This past Saturday we had planned to take the kids to the Bartlett Christmas parade because the weather was so nice and the parade was to begin at 4:00. We thought this would be plenty of time to go to the parade before the cold front came through. Wrong. We took the kids to the mall first and we left at 3:00 to go to the parade. When we left it was very nice outside. By the time the parade started we were freezing. We had lots of covers, but it still was not enough. Lucy did not move the whole time. She was freezing.

Below is a picture of K, B, and some of their friends enjoying the parade. They did not seem to be bothered by the cold.

Before we went to the parade we met my friend Karen and my niece Amy at the mall with their children and godchildren. We ate, jumped on the spider jump, rode the carousel and played at the playground. A great time was had by all, except Pop who wears out pretty early and took Lucy home to give her a nap before the parade.

On Friday night we took the kids to Paint a Piece to paint their own ornaments. We did Lucy's handprints first and Pop took her on home while I stayed with the big kids to finish theirs. They loved doing it. Karis chose to do a Christmas tree and Brayden chose to do a dog bone in honor of their former dog Jackson. Go figure! Gotta love him.

We are so thankful for this Christmas season and that they are close enough for us to get to enjoy all the festivities of the season with them. We know not to take any time we have with them for granted. We are thankful for the time God is giving us. My mom use to refer to her time with my children as making memories and that is what I like to think we are doing everytime we are with them. I love them so.

Remembering a Gentle Man

Two days ago on December l, this sweet man, better known as Papa would have been 85 years old. It's been 4 years since he died suddenly of a massive stroke. Sometimes it seems like only yesterday since I watched him enjoying his grandchildren and then sometimes it seems like years ago that I heard him say "I was just calling to check on you".

My dad was as much of a gentleman as anyone I have ever known. He took care of my mom as if she was his princess. He loved my brother and I in the same way. Then came his grandchildren and great children. Oh how he loved them. He loved nothing more than having the grandchildren at his house.

I got my love for children from my Dad. I can't remember him ever seeing a baby and not holding it. He had a real love for babies and children. He loved everyone of our foster babies as if they were his. I even remember seeing his heart break a few times when a baby would leave our home that he had become especially attached to. I hated this for him because my parents didn't sign up to put their hearts on the edge like we did. They stood by us none the less and shared in the joy of each new placement that we got.

If you have your parents still with you this Christmas season, give them an extra hug and never fail to thank them for what they've done for you and what they mean to you. Both of my parents were here one minute and gone the next without any warning. I still miss them terribly and would give anything for them to see Mike and I enjoying grandparenthood as much as they did.

OFF SABBATICAL!!!

Well, I'm back. I know it has been a long time. For the past three months I have been extremely busy preparing for a faithwalk that took place three weeks ago. That is over now and I am back to my computer. I started this blog in order to have a record for my children and grandchildren and I plan to follow through.

I have had some serious withdrawals from the grandkids during this time. Although I have been able to see them some, it just hasn't been the same. They were here two weekends ago and we had a blast with them. We took them to the mall that Friday night and let them ride the carousel, play on the playground and jump on the spider jump. Lucy got to jump this time and liked it just like her siblings. This has been one of their favorites for the past year. Karis and Brayden love to jump so high. I tried to upload a video of this, but to no avail. Just a little bit over my computer skills.

Christmas is just around the corner and we are getting so excited. Last year we started a new tradition with our family. We chose not to buy gifts, but instead take a trip. We will leave two days after Christmas and head for the mountains. We are so looking forward to this trip. Ten years from now we would not remember what gifts we got on this Christmas, but we will always remember the trip we took. Making memories is one of my favorite things.

My next holiday tradition that I look forward to is shopping after Thanksgiving. We will head out late on Thanksgiving night and get in line at Target. We go prepared to withstand the cold temps and really have a great time. We spend literally hours in Target. It is so much fun. After our shopping spree we head out to eat for breakfast.

The festivities will begin this weekend when we put our tree up. Mike doesn't realize it's this weekend so don't tell him if you see him. He always dreads getting everything out of the attic and I don't blame him. But it is always worth it in the end.

I so much desire to always keep Christ the center of our holidays. It's so easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle, and forget the real meaning of the season. Lord, help me keep you in the center of all my thoughts and actions this season.

I have some posts to do of the kids, but I just wanted to let you know that I am back and looking forward catching up on lost time.

Love all of you, Lolli

What a difference a year makes

How can a year go by so quickly and change how you view life so drastically? One year ago today my life was forever changed. You see, I began my day doing what I always do. I was greeting the children that I keep and was so glad to see them after the weekend. My BFF, Karen, asked if I could keep her foster daughter who was 3 months old for her so she could go to an appointment. I had fed her a bottle, changed a dirty diaper and laid her down for a nap. When Karen returned around 11:30, we sat and talked for a few minutes and then she went in to get the baby up from her nap. Life changed in that instant. She came running out of the room with Kailah, frantically telling me she was dead. How could this be? Just two hours before she was a perfectly healthy 3 month old? We called 911 and while waiting for them to arrive we did everything we knew to do, but we knew it was too late. I can not begin to explain the sorrow, horror, fear that I experienced that day. The paramedics had trouble finding our house because of it being off the road. When they did get here they could not get in the drive with the firetruck because of our fence around the house. It seemed to be one delay after another. Once the ambulance arrived, Karen was able to leave in the ambulance with Kailah. I remained at the house. I could not reach Mike because he was in a meeting. People began arriving at the house. The investigators would not let anyone in the house because of it being considered "a crime scene". I remember walking around the house with my hands on my head crying not knowing what to do. After what seemed like a million questions I was freed to go to the hospital. All I wanted to do was to get to Kailah and Karen.

The rest of the day was a whirlwind. After having to leave the hospital we returned to the Johnstons house. No one was ready to face going to my house. Luckily when I did return later that night, a very dear friend had been there and cleaned everything up.

The next few days brought more sadness than I had ever experienced. I knew that beyond a shadow of a doubt that Kailah had not been hurt, but could not find any rest at all until the preliminary autopsy came back. Of course, they found no reason for death and ruled it SIDS.

I have heard our pastor speak of being in the room when someone who is a Christian dies. He says he feels like he is on Holy Ground because he believes that Jesus actually enters the room of the one dying and takes their spirit back with Him. I was reminded that during the hustle and bustle of my day one year ago, unknown to me at the time, Jesus entered my home and left with the soul of a very precious little girl. I will never understand what took place that day until I am in Heaven with my Jesus, but He is the ultimate Conforter and Healer.

I am so thankful for friends and family that surrounded us during that time. You are more special than you will ever know.

Life is good today, but because of what I have experienced one year ago, I will never view life like I did before, or take it for granted. God is good!

What a difference a year makes

It's been too long!

I realize that it has been two weeks since I last did a post. I started this blog so my family would have a journal of my doings and whereabouts. Looks like I have been MIA for a couple of weeks. Not really. Just really busy. Two different times I have started posts and could not get the pictures to upload. This is so frustrating to me. I should not be this old and so computer illiterate. Hope I never have to go to work outside my home any time soon. I think I would be in real trouble.

We've been super busy. Last week Karis had open house on Monday night. She was also star of the week. She was so looking forward to Mike and I coming to her open house and meeting her teacher. Well, on Tuesday of the open house, she threw up on the red carpet at school. I felt so sorry for her that I thought I was going to cry. So what did I do? I got in the car and drove to Hernando to go to an open house that Karis could not even be at. I got to meet her teacher and she is a real doll. I went back over the house to see the kids. Brayden was all up in my face and guess what? By 5:00 the next morning he was throwing up. Some how I did not get it. I was very careful what I ate for the next two days because if I got the bug, I did not want to have eaten anything chunky. I know that is TMI, but I am just saying.

Brayden had his first soccer games yesterday. Yes he had two. One at 10:00 and one at 12:00. It is unusually hot in Memphis for this time of year. By the middle of the second game he was over it. He is so little that his uniform swallows him whole. His socks came to the top of his legs. He had a great time though.

This past Friday Mike woke up and said he wasn't feeling good. He said he hurt from his back around to his stomach. He got to feeling better and headed out to go to prayer breakfast. He called about 20 minutes later and said he was in the church parking lot and was hurting again. He was headed to the er. He had a kidney stone, but it passed and he is feeling fine now. The doctor wanted to know if I had natural childbirth or an epidural. He told him that I had all my babies completely natural. He preceded to tell him that he had just experienced for 45 minutes what I had experienced for 4 to 5 hours. I think he has a new appreciation for what women go through now.

Times for us are fast and busy these days, but they have never been better. Midlife is the way to go. We are enjoying our kids more that ever and the grandkids are just icing on the cake. I am enjoying growing older everyday with my groom. He is so totally opposite of me, but we understand each other well. He is a treasure.

Guess I need to go and start getting ready for the week ahead. I have a new baby starting tomorrow. I just finished praying for his parents a little while ago. I can't imagine what it is to leave your baby for the first time.

Hopefully my next post will be sooner and with some pictures.

Fun Labor Day weekend

This weekend we enjoyed a trip to the zoo and to the fair. The kids had such a good time. Karis and Brayden were up for any ride they could get on. Here they are enjoying one of their favorites. Lucy was too small to ride, but I am sure next year she will enjoy it also.

Here is a sweet pic of Lucy just hanging out in her stroller. She is such a trooper. She never fusses and is so sweet natured. You can truly tell she is the third child. As laid back as they come.

We stopped on a bench for a photo opp.

We ran into one of the children that I care for during the week. I have had Chase since he was just a few months old. I feel like he is one of my own and no one would be upset if he and Lucy were a couple one day. Looks like they have a good head start.

What's in a name?

When Mike and I found out we were going to be grandparents, I was immediately on the hunt for the perfect names for this child to call us. I was not going to be Granny and Papa. I know it worked good for my mom and dad when I had my children, but I was not going to be called the traditional. I tried out some real winner names to my children and they vetoed them all.

Now let me digress a little. When Amanda was born, I was so picky about what she was allowed to eat. I did not allow her to even have a sucker from the bank. I know, I know, I was just being stupid. I admit it. Anyway, one night I had a dream that Amanda was having a little girl (we did not know the sex of the baby at this point) and someone was wanting to give her a sucker to eat. She was being like her mother and said no, then I said "it's not a sucker, it's a lollipop", and in my dream I immediately knew that was the name for us. Lolli and Pop. I woke early the next morning and was eager to share with Amanda what I had come up with for our names. I think I called her at 7:00. She was not impressed at that hour, but later called back to tell me she loved the names. So that is how we became Lolli and Pop. After Karis was born, I soon realized that it didn't really matter what she called me as long as she called me.

So there you have it. How we came to be.

Summers are for beaches

I have the good fortune of having a best friend who owns a condo in Destin. I was able to spend two weeks in Florida this summer with her. One week was with kids and one week was without kids. Both were alot of fun. The second trip I took Karis and Brayden with me and she took her little boy (who they are adopting). We had such a great time. I know, you are wanting to know why Lucy didn't get to go. If you don't have the answer to this, then you have never traveled in the car with her for more than 10 minutes. She is our little princess, but she has a way to go before I or anyone travels to Florida with her.

Brayden wanted me to catch him a fish. I can't catch a fish when I am fishing, so why would he think that I am capable to catching one in the ocean? Well, his sister came through for him. She took her little net in the ocean and came back with a fish. Go figure. She is his hero for sure.

Karis was such a trooper and allowed us to cover her in sand. Brayden thought this was so much fun. They were both so sweet on the trip and I am looking forward to next years trip to the beach. As my mom use to say to me when she had the kids...we're just making memories. Love you Karis and Brayden. Goodbye to summer 2010.

My hero

Eleven years ago tonight, my biggest hero left this world and was instantly in the presence of Jesus. After this many years my heart still aches for her. I would love to be able to tell her that I understand that grandmother's love now. She would be so proud of all her grandchildren. I often tell Amanda that I just wish she could see me as a grandmother.

She was a jewel to our family, but more than that, she was loved by all her peers and the people she worked with. She was still working full time at school. She never slowed down.

The Friday that she died she had taken the day off of school so she could have a yard sale. She stood up at the end of the day to straighten a table and fell over with a massive heart attack. She never suffered and died doing what she loved most.

Please don't neglect to love on your moms. Their time here with us is never long enough. I anticipate heaven in a different way because of her. She was and still is my hero.

Karis goes to Kindergarten

Where have the years gone. It just seems like yesterday that I was sending her mom off to school. I sure don't remember it being this hard when I sent her. Maybe that was because as a mom I knew that was the thing to do, but you see, since that time I have become a grandmother and all the rules have changed. My life forever changed for the better on Oct.4, 2004. The sun shone a little brighter, the moon was much crisper, and life in general had a new meaning.

I'm still saddened that my mom is not here with me to see me experience this thing called grandparenthood. She would relish in the moment of watching me experience what she had tried to explain to me for many years. The joy and beauty that comes with this new found position is unexplainable unless you have experienced it.

Anyway, enough for the mush and on with Karis' first week of kindergarten. Today she brought home a sack with memories of her first week of school.

This is a tracing of her hand with a kiss on it so that if we are missing her we can think of her blowing us a kiss and it will make us feel better.

A picture of her puzzle piece handprint.

A picture of the things she loves to do at school.

Karis, I want you to know that Pop, your uncles and I love you more that life itself. We look forward to watching you grow up, but most of all, I pray for the time that you realize, just like your mama did, that you have a need for Jesus in your heart. I pray for this daily and hope you reach this point at a young age. I heard a saying a few years ago that really made me put things in perspective. It went like this, "If you can put a earthly price tag on something then it has no eternal value." Sweet girl, I promise you there is not a price tag that could ever be put on you. You are more valuable to us than all this world.

We love you.

My Theme song...you'll see why!