"Leprechaun Day"

You know me. I love a good excuse to get crafty and creative! It's kind of my hobby. So even though we are not even a wee bit Irish, St. Patrick's Day is a day to celebrate around our house! 

 I printed out this Subway art to add to my holiday frame. 

 And I had these little shamrocks and the green ribbon already, so I strung them up and hung it in our front entry way. 

Since St. Patrick's Day fell on the weekend, I planned this fun little scavenger hunt for my Kindies on the Friday before. 

They had SO much fun! I love any excuse to tell them how proud of them I am. I really am LUCKY to have such a great class this year! It has made my transition to Kindergarten so much easier. 

Then the REAL green day was here. The boys woke up and quickly got dressed in green so that, as Heath says, "The pincherman {Leprechaun} won't get me!" 

They ran downstairs to a Lucky Charms breakfast surprise! 

With green milk of course! 

And notes from Mommy & Daddy too...

Love any excuse to tell them, as well, how blessed we are to have them in our lives!

{Notice how Heath & Brooks' are soaked? Not 2 seconds after Heath sat down at the breakfast table was his milk from his cereal bowl slopped all over. Typical Heath! He's a mess!}

After breakfast we got ready to go to church. The boys hit the bathroom before we left and this is what they found...

{Auntie's crazy idea! And don't mind my screeching voice either, I just can't seem to shake a nagging cold!}

 We had a nice morning at church and then had lunch with the Krauths afterwards. The boys were missing their time at Auntie Kim's and we were needing some more snuggle time with Keaston. So we brought them lunch and had a fun afternoon with friends. 

I made rainbow fruit kabobs for our St. Patrick's Day lunch! 

They were a hit with the kids! Nolan tried and LOVED kiwi for the first time. He is our fruit monster! 

After a fun lunch it was time to go home for some naps and rest time for the big kids! 

When they got up I planned a fun scavenger hunt for them. I found the printables on Pinterest. And they really thought that leprechauns had left them the clues and the treasure! 

The boys love these sugary, sour rainbow strips! 

Look at my tongue mom! Ha! 

After a healthy dinner it was time for another treat! It wouldn't be St. Patrick's Day without a Johnson family favorite- Shamrock Shakes from McDonalds! 

To say Nolan was excited would be an understatement! 

Heath was excited too. He still LOVES sweets! He took one sip in the car but decided he wanted to wait to drink it at home with Daddy. Well, from this point on our night did not go as planned. As soon as we pulled into the garage, he projectile vomited all over himself and two car seats! It was SO disgusting. Moms, I think that you will all agree with me on this one, cleaning puke out of the car is one of the worst parts of our job! So gross! And the car seats are such a pain in the but to take apart, wash, and put back together. We think he just puked because he has had so much drainage going into his tummy because of the cold that we just can't shake. And he has been coughing so much, so I think he just coughed himself into a puking mess! 

When Mark and I finally got it all cleaned up, Nolan and I sat on the porch and enjoyed our shakes together. 

Love sweet moments with my big guy. 

And I LOVE creating fun memories for my family!

snow joy

Last weekend we FINALLY had enough snow to go sledding. It snowed all day on Saturday and had accumulated to anywhere between 5 to 12 inches depending on where you were. On Sunday morning the boys went to the DU hockey game with Mark and his family. We had told them that we could go sledding when they got back. But by the time that they got back, there was hardly any snow left. That's life here in Colorado...it's wonderful. We get snow but we also get SO much sunshine! So we drove around and looked for a good hill that still had enough snow on it. Luckily, there were some perfect hills at the park that is right by our house. It was nice because there was just enough snow to sled still but it wasn't too deep for the kids to trudge through as they went up and down the hill. 

 Last year, it took Nolan a little while to warm up to sledding. This year, he jumped right on his sled and cruised down the hill! 

He was so funny! It was like he got an adrenaline rush or something because he was shouting the craziest things as he slid down the hill. He was screaming random things like "Woo hoo, bomb shells, baby showers, pink splat, yahoo, wooooooooo!!!!!!" Silly boy! But it was SO fun to watch him be so care free and have such a great time! 

Here he was pretending to be a seal in the snow...

all two inches of it. See all the grass peeking through. It kept melting more and more while we were there. 

Just like last year, Heath loved it too. He went down with me the first time, but then only wanted to do it by himself after that. {Don't mind the make up less face and wrinkles, but I wanted to document my crazy boy and I and the time when he actually wanted and needed me!}

This little munchkin was so exhausted that he actually fell asleep in my arms while we were sledding. 

We also walked across the field to a steeper and longer hill, but there was a little creek at the bottom of it, so the boys went down with Mark so that he could stop them from crashing into the water. We had just taken their coats off because they were so hot. But this wasn't the best idea, because they ended up getting totally white washed! But it was funny and they handled it well!

Back up to go again! 

 We pulled Brooksie around on a little baby sled the whole time. Can't wait until next year when we can all play in the snow together. 

Heath stomped through every melted snow puddle the whole way back to the car! 

And Nolan literally slumped to the ground in an exhausted heap as soon as we made it out of the snow! 

These two did the same as soon as they hit the couch. 

It was a fun family day, and judging by our weather this week, it's looking like it will be our only sledding experience this year. At least I can hope right?! I'm ready for Spring! 

Blessing for a Sweet Ba-bee!

Yesterday, Mandy and I had the pleasure of hosting a ba-bee shower for our super special friend, Lindsay Cottier! Lindsay is expecting her second baby, and it's a GIRL! It was SO fun to throw a shower for a sweet baby girl! There aren't too many of them around here! 

We chose a bee theme and I designed this invite and a few other bee-utiful things to help decorate...

We had been planning for weeks and of course trying to make all the details perfect. And then the week of the shower came and the weather forecast was calling for an all out blizzard for Saturday! We went back and forth as to wether we should try to reschedule or relocate. But in the end we decided to just plow through and keep all the plans in place. The snow came and came and about 5 people called to cancel, but at 2 o'clock we had a lovely group of friends and family members who made it down the sloppy, snowy roads to celebrate this little sister! 

Here is the sign, that was to greet people at the door. However, what we thought was a door protected from the elements, quickly was hit with a shift of wind and the sign inevitably was soaked and snow covered. Sad! 

A few shots of the decor...

Since the shower was mid afternoon, we decided to keep the fare light and we provided lots of sweet treats. 

I whipped up these cute cupcakes. 

I ordered the little sugar bees on Amazon. They were the perfect little touch. And I also baked a batch of lemon bars- my Mom's recipe. 

Mandy put together these delicious yogurt parfaits. 

After everyone arrived, warmed up and dried off, and introductions were made, we played a fun little game as people mingled and munched. 

Lindsay's parents gave us facts about Lindsay as a baby. When people arrived we stuck one on their back. 

Then each lady had to go around and ask yes or no questions to figure out what their label said. 

It was a fun way to get to know each other and learn more about little Lindsay. 

When everyone had solved their fact, Mandy went through and read them all. Lindsay's parents had fun remembering what it was like when Lindsay was a baby and thinking about the fun year they will have ahead of them with the birth of their first grand daughter. 

I kicked off the next game...

I found this one online and tweaked it a bit. It was fun, but actually pretty tricky! Guess a popular candy that goes best with each word or phrase dealing with pregnancy, baby's first days, and bringing baby home. See if you can guess some of them! 

Mariah won with the most correct guesses- 5 out of 12! 

Next it was time for gifts! 

She got some precious little things. This outfit was picked out lovingly by her father. 

Then we took a break from gifts for a few minutes to play another game. 

Mandy read a story about Mr. and Mrs. Wright and their trip to the hospital to deliver their baby. Every time you heard the word "right" you had to pass the prize to the right. Every time you heard the word "left" you had to pass the prize to the left. 

The prize went back and forth and round and round until the story was over. Whoever was holding the prize at the end won! Stacey won! (and of course our prizes were honey themed- Burt's Bees and tea)

Then it was back to more gifts...

Lindsay's thoughtful and incredibly talented father in law hand made her this beautiful cradle. 

And her mother in law sewed these fun burp cloths for her. The fabrics were so cute! 

Lindsay and Peggy, her mother in law, worked together to cross stitch this sampler to be hung in baby girl Cottier's room. Peggy had it framed for her. Psalm 139 a special verse of comfort and strength for their family. 

Mandy made one of her famous and adorable diaper cakes! 

Amazing friends...who support and celebrate together through life's highs and lows. So thankful for these girls! 

And finally, a little something to thank our guests for coming...

the honey pot. 

Honey & Babies...two of life's sweetest things! 

It was such a nice afternoon of community. We are so thankful that we kept the plans in place and still gathered to celebrate this sweet baby girl who we are all so anxious to meet. 

We pray and pray and pray for health, for a safe delivery, and for God's will to be done. We trust in His plan and we know He is good. 

We love you Cottiers! 

Proverbs 31:25-31

She is clothed with strength and dignity, 

she can laugh at the days to come, 

she speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

She watches over the affairs of her household

and does not eat the bread of idleness. 

Here children arise and call her blessed;

her husband also, and he praises her: 

"Many women do noble things, 

but you surpass them all." 

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;

but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. 

Honor her for all that her hands have done, 

and let her works bring her praise at the city gate. 

²⁷ 

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