Easter Festivities

There was an Easter egg hunt at church on Easter Saturday.  We arrived a little late and as we were supposed to bring ten filled eggs per kid, I was dashing to take the eggs to the field to hid.  The bottom of my bag broke and all of the eggs landed on the ground.  The kids didn't seem to mind to much.  I didn't get any pictures of Piper because she was in the older kid's hunt and I was trying to help Simon.  Of course he headed for the eggs inside the soccer net.

The Easter bunny came!!  He even ate the carrots and hid our dyed eggs.

Simon with his basket of bath crayons and I Spy game.

Piper with her basket of Bingo and a Fancy Nancy book.  (Even Nani got in on the action. The sheep in her arms was an Easter present five years ago.)

Looking so grown up in her dress and peep-toe wedges

All decked out in a linen suit.  Such a big boy.

"Cheese!"

Stitches redux

Within two months of Simon's last set of stitches on his lip, he got five on chin.  He was brushing his teeth and then he decided to hang on the sink which made him come off the step-stool.  When he tried to set his feet back down he knocked over the step-stool and fell on the edge of it with his chin.  

I knew he needed stitches right away.  We took Piper upstairs to our landlord's house and they watched her all night.  (That was her first non-relative sleepover.)  Afterward, I took Simon to the ER and after a few hours of waiting we got five stitches in his chin.  He had a hard time waiting because he was tired and my phone had died.  We had to pass the time by watching any sports we could find.  I promised Simon that if he was brave that I would give him two rolls of pennies to put in his piggy bank.  

When it came time for the stitches he started repeating, "I'm so brave. I'm so brave. I'm so brave."  So, so sweet.  After four stitches I told him that his friend, who's older than him, had had stitches on his chin and had bawled.  That did it in for Simon and he just burst into tears.  

"The Phog" Is Thick Out Here AKA Journey to the Motherland

The level of joy Rick experienced during this short weekend away is indescribable.  I'll let the pictures do most of the talking.  A few points to remember this momentous occasion though:

• This was the last official regular season game at Phog Allen Fieldhouse between the KU Jayhawks and the Missouri Tigers.
• We didn't buy tickets to the game until the morning of the game and they were the cheapest we saw them that whole week, which was still a lot of money.
• The decibel level was 127db at several points during the game (that's the equivalent of a jet engine).
• Rick may or may not have cried a couple of times throughout the day.
• Jayhawks won in the overtime of a nailbiting game.
• Strangers were hugging each other at the end of the game, Rick included.
• During our travels in the Kansas City/Lawrence area we drove past the township of Piper.  There's a name-origin story for ya, if we'd known it existed when Piper was born.
• This trip marked my first time on a plane in over two years.

Rick's elementary school

Valentine's Day 2012

For Valentine's Day this year I made Piper this new skirt.  It was my first attempt at this new pattern.  She got all decked out in pink and red, even her tights were made for love day.  She and I made these little woven heart baskets and filled them with M&Ms.

Piper takes a baking class

Piper's school offers afterschool classes so we signed her up for one.  Unfortunately we've had a bad run of luck with classes and it got canceled so we just moved her into a different class. She took a baking class and she loved it.  

She learned lots of different cuisines.  They were just variations of bread/pastries but she got to bring home hot samples and they were delicious.  She made challah (for the Jewish sabbath), hamantashen (for Purim), chocolate chip muffins, cinnamon rolls, and kolacz (Polish danish).

Here's our pastry chef showing off her mad baking skills.

Tree Planting

In February we joined with a hundred other volunteers in planting trees along Pico for the City of Los Angeles.  There was a wonderful feeling of community, even if we didn't live in that particular neighborhood.  The firehouse fixed us up a pancake breakfast beforehand which was a great time to meet new people too.  

We were assigned a team leader and off we went to plant a tree.  We somehow got grouped with a bunch of other kids also wanting to plant.  It was fun to see them shovel and dig.  Piper wasn't too interested in having her picture taken - it was early, so I'll give her that.  We planted "our" tree in front of the John O'Groats restaurant so now we point to it whenever we pass by.  I forgot to get a final picture of the tree planted but at the end everyone was tired, Piper especially.

After pancakes

Waiting to go dig

This picture melts my heart.  They really do love each other and hug quite often for no particular reason.

So funny

Upcoming posts

Just to whet your appetite for all things Johnson family-related, these are the posts I currently have in the works.  Really?!  Then I would be pretty much up-to-date.  Whoa, that's amazing!!  Truly amazing!!  (Hear the sarcasm deeply hidden there; just don't get your hopes too high.)

• Tree planting - that's my tree!!
• Piper takes a baking class
• Love is in the air - Valentine's Day edition
• "The Phog" is thick out here
• Stitches redux
• A visit from the Easter bunny
• Road trip!!
• Piper does the Mexican hat dance
• Simon takes a soccer class
• Cleaning up Griffith Park