2009 in Review

JANUARY, 2009

January was a pretty quiet month... we'd just had the gang up for Christmas. We took one trip down to Gabe and Emily's... I had a People to People meeting...
We were all excited to see what 2009 would bring... knowing that at the end of the year, we would have two new little people in our lives...
Biscuit was oblivious to it all at this point... she was still the baby at Gabe and Emily's

January...the start to a great year!

FEBRUARY

Looks like we had a pot of gold ... at the end of the rainbow in our own yard!
Lindsey... at 22 weeks pregnant...
Emily at 29 weeks...

I just remember watching them grow... praying for these little guys growing inside of them...

What an exciting time!
We also... finally... got the side porch poured!

MARCH

March was the first of baby showers! How fun this was!


What a sweet group of friends Emily has! It was a beautiful shower! Lindsey and I both went...Of course, I had to have a photo with my girls and their boys!
This gift was NOT from Emily's baby shower...no, no, no... it came to our house... it was a 'Grandparent's Gift' from our friend, Brian! Being a grandfather himself, Brian knew how excited we were...and he knew how much we were going to absolutely love being grandparents. He made this ... a wooden puzzle ... a wooden puzzle of animals ... and the finish he put on it is all safe for our little men to chew on...

APRIL

April was a month with more baby showers...and anticipation of our little men's arrivals getting closer. This shower of Lindsey's was given by Amber...and it had a theme of an old English tea party. It was wonderful...and the sincerity, the love of all these wonderful friends... well, it brought me to tears many times.



After the shower, Lindsey recorded all the bits of advice, of encouragement her friends had given during the shower.
Emily had another shower in April...and it was given by Christian and Katrina. It was a barbeque for husbands and wives. I debated about putting this jersey on a blog that a lot of Texans read... but...well, I must keep it real here at the JohnstonChronicles!

Joshua came to visit in April...he came alone... just to visit and to help with projects... of which there were plenty...
He came to Room 8 and talked to them about being a marine...oh my, did they ever love him coming! I did too!
One weekend, my guy and I helped Emily and Gabe get Emerson's room ready. The time was getting closer!!!
Here, Lindsey was 28 weeks pregnant...
and here's Benjamin at 28 weeks!
My Ax-Men!

MAY...

May was the month our two grandsons were born!
Emerson King came first...on May 13th...

I remember driving down... texting with Gabe as he kept me informed of Emily's progress...

and then I was almost there...just about to make the exit,

"He's here, and he's perfect!" was the text...

and I cried...and I cried...and I cried...
His eyes were bright, were locking on to others...from the beginning...He saluted his Uncle Joshua... I photo I just love!Holding Emerson for the first time... I was in heaven!
I stayed the night on May 13th...heading back to work early the next morning. Then my guy and I headed down Saturday morning. Lindsey and Donnie came up to meet their new little nephew... Gabe celebrated with cigars... well, he celebrated with the cigars by himself...I think he was the only one smoking one... but we were all celebrating!
One of my favorite pictures...
How precious is this?
3 generations... I stayed down and helped my sweet daughter-in-law after my guy went home. I loved every minute...holding and kissing our new little man... so absolutely precious!For his first doctor visit, he was a little jaundiced...so getting a little sunshine was a good thing.

Emerson King...
We took some family shots...On Emerson's 1 week birthday, May 20th, Emily was feeling so much better...so we ventured out to the downtown area. We had some lunch, sitting outside to eat. After eating, we looked around Barnes and Nobles, pushing this little man in his stroller.
Emily was so excited to be a mama...so proud of her little man!

Emerson on May 20
Emerson's Aunt Lindsey and Uncle Donnie came on May 16th, to see their little nephew. Cousin Benjamin was still in utero... but not for long...even though we had no idea at this time...

17 days after Emerson arrived... Benjamin was born...on May 30th...

I was there for his birth... I cannot even put it into words...

Benjamin is our little miracle baby...
Seconds after he was born, his sweet mama and daddy were seeing their little man's face for the first time...

I tried to get good pictures, but had a hard time seeing through the tears that were flowing...
just out of the womb... Lindsey, a new mama, not wanting to take her hands off her precious little man...
his proud daddy cut the cord...
in his mama's arms for the first time... Oh little man, you are so precious...Looking into his daddy's eyes...
My first time to hold little Benjamin... I remember looking at him, thanking God for bringing him safely here...for protecting his mama, bringing her through the birth. Thank You, thank You, thank You!
The new little family...their first family photo!

See this little men? This is your Mimi behind this black thing... she wants to capture everything you both do!
Oh little Benjamin...
His first visitors were Carla...
and Steve...
and Val...
Our little man needed a little assistance in the beginning of his life...his daddy was only to thrilled to help...

Two new little men in May... what a blessing, what answers to prayers, this month had been!

JUNE

June began at Stanford Hospital...where Lindsey, Donnie, and Benjamin were staying. Our newest little man was only two days old when June rolled around. He was a little guy...and his precious mama was so weak...but so happy!
Benjamin got to wear his first pair of headphones... (for a hearing test)
On June 2nd, we said good-bye to the maternity ward at Stanford and Lindsey and Donnie took their precious son home.
Papa met his newest little man...and Benjamin met his Papa on June 5th. Mimi had been down for the birth...so Papa flew down. I just love this photo!
Benjamin went to his first birthday party...for a neighbor...
Benjamin with his very happy, very thankful, Papa and Mimi...
3 generations...
After staying eight days, we drove home so I could finish the school year. The next weekend, I went back...
Emerson was there!!! He had brought his parents and they came to see their new nephew and for Emerson and Benjamin to meet! This was June 13th.
Benjamin was trying to figure out all this 'cousin' stuff...



Could I be much happier? My two little men...one in each arm!
Benjamin went to church for the first time on June 14th.
Look how tiny! He was so comfortable sleeping on his Daddy's chest!
After staying to help Lindsey, I headed back home...stopping and staying with Emerson for a while! He started getting very used to seeing his Mimi with a black thing in front of her face!
Emerson made us all proud by wearing his Texas Rangers sleeper, AND his Texas Rangers bib, AND laying on his Texas Rangers blanket...all from my buddy, Terri!

JULYJuly took us to Texas. The occasion was Lissette and Brian's wedding. First, there were some projects to do...and some visiting! My guy and I flew down....and Joshua and Thalia flew over, too. At the farm, Joshua and his Pops did some repair work on the screen porch door.

Thalia was busy, as usual, on the Texas Golf Cart!
Addison turned a year older on July 15th. His Saddie wished him a Happy Birthday...
as did his sweet mama!
Sami and Saddie were ready to pose for this blogger!
Um? Wonder who took this one of my baby brother and I?
Saddie was asking someone to get her something to eat!
My guy and my baby brother were trying to figure out who had the largest muscles...I'm sure it was a tie!
My baby brother...aka UJ...
Thalia and Joshua were enjoying the pool...it was H-O-T outside!
Lissette and Brian...this was what brought us down to Texas at this time...
My guy's older brother, Larry, with the fam... Sandra, Larry, Brian, Lissette, Brenda, Mike, and baby Ashley... she'll always be 'baby Ashley'!

After the festivities in Texas, Thalia flew home with us. Joshua went home alone...Erica hadn't been able to come...but now she had her man back with her. Thalia and I took a trip to the redwoods...she got a bit aggravated with the 'bugs' (there were hardly any!) so the sweatshirt and sunglasses went on. Thalia was convinced that people who passed her on the trail thought she was a movie star!
Well, it was no banana slug, but a snail...Thalia had to check it out.
Back at her Mimi and Papa's, she and 'LIZ' (aka Liz the Lizard) became close buddies...until her Papa made her put Liz back out to run around like lizards usually do.
Thalia and I went to the zoo... and her love of animals was definitely apparent!


Benjamin's grandparents from Montana, Don and Susan, came to visit him... and they had photos made... I just love them!
Donnie, Lindsey, and Benjamin
After staying at our house a week, Thalia and I took a slow trip to take her home. We first went to visit Lindsey, Donnie, and Benjamin. It was Thalia and Benjamin's first time to meet. She LOVED meeting her cousins...holding and kissing on them.
From Lindsey's, we headed to Gabe, Emily, and Emerson's. Thalia was so happy to be with the boys!
Thalia, Emerson, and I had our picture taken by Gabe!

We eventually arrived at our destination. Ahh, I finally got to meet Joshua's NEW CAR!

AUGUST
August 2nd, Lindsey, Donnie, and Benjamin attended part of Lindsey's 10 year high school reunion. Fortunately, the reunion was here...in the town of Mimi and Papa! In this first photo, there's Donnie, Lindsey, and Benjamin...then Lindsey's high school friend, Tammy, her husband and 3 kids...then Lindsey's still good friend - Lindsey! - and her husband, Sean, and their daughter, Anya!
Benjamin snoozed through most or maybe all of his mama's reunion...
Also fortunately, it was Labor Day...so Emerson convinced his parents - Gabe and Emily - to come up, too. We were so excited to have our little men here!

These photos...I actually don't remember the date they were taken. Lindsey, Donnie, and Benjamin were at Gabe, Emily, and Emerson's. The cousins were dressed alike... these little baseball uniforms are from Saddie...
These absolutely adorable shirts are from my friend, Lynne...
Again, in their outfit from Saddie...The Kato's in Japan sent these. Lindsey stayed in their home 16 years ago...and they've stayed in touch ever since. The Kato's knew Emerson had been born, so they sent these baby kimonos to both boys!The end of August brought the beginning of a new school year...and Thalia, started 5th grade!

SEPTEMBERLabor Day weekend...September 6 & 7... the boys came to visit with their parents.
Ron and Jessica, friends for years, came over with their two girls... Jocelyn, the oldest, wanted to hang out with the babies!
Benjamin and Emerson took a nap together while their parents ate dinner. They had just returned from a walk.
In the mornings, Lindsey and Gabe each brought their little man to their Mimi..to hang out in bed with her. (That's me!)
We love being 'Mimi and Papa'!!!
September 21st, I drove down for an evening meeting...after the meeting, I went to Lindsey's...and kept Benjamin on the 22nd while Lindsey worked. I left in the afternoon, drove back to my next meeting the night of the 22nd...
and then spent that night with Gabe, Emily, and Emerson. The morning of the 23rd, Gabe stayed home a while so we could hang out with Emerson...
Then it was time for me to head home...Emerson to go to day care... and Gabe to head to work.
September 23rd was also my first GOLF lesson! With me, Lynne, Pam, and Jane took a series of 5 lessons!

OCTOBER

October is full of birthdays!
Gabe turned 31 on the 2nd...
Emily turned 29 on the 5th...
Sami turned 20 on the 10th...

My guy and I also took our annual trip to Medford, Oregon, for the Medford Jazz Festival!

On October 18th, Thalia turned 10 years old!
On October 17th, we headed down to Gabe and Emily's for one of my People to People meetings. Lindsey, Donnie, and Benjamin came to Gabe, Emily, and Emerson's so we could be together. The boys...they hung out together ... kicking, nursing, playing with their toys...

Neither one of them was sitting up ... yet!

October 20th...Ron turned 56!And then there was Halloween! Emerson was a chicken...
Thalia was an indian princess...
and Benjamin was a skeleton!

NOVEMBER
November started with us celebrating Marvin's 96th birthday! His birthday is actually Nov 13.
Joshua came around the 16th...he and his Pops did a lot of projects...and we just loved having him here.Thalia and Erica drove up on the Friday before Thanksgiving... Erica drove over 800 miles in ONE DAY!!!
Next came Saddie and Addison...they flew in together...our crew was building! Saddie got right to work with window washing! Emerson and Benjamin came next...along with their parents. Oh boy, was the Johnston home ever lively! Everyone wanted to hug and kiss and play with our little men!Saddie and her great-grandsons!Grammy flew in on Sunday...
Patti, Elizabeth, and GRITS drove up from San Francisco on Monday. Now we were all here...all 17 of us! We were able to celebrate Thanksgiving together...and it was an absolutely grand time!
DECEMBER

December saw my baby brother turn 50 years old!
We spent an early Christmas with Lindsey, Donnie, and Benjamin...watching Benjamin open his first gifts.
We went to visit Joshua, Erica, and Thalia...to help them paint and move...well, they didn't move in December, but we had a great time visiting!
This was too funny! It's not every ten year old sweetheart that receives a jar of pepperoncinis for Christmas!Our original plan was to go to Pedro and Lizbeth's (Erica's family) on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day...but I got sick so we started home on Christmas Eve. Calling Gabe to ask him to leave the garage open so we could put Emerson's gifts inside, he told us they would be home because Emily wasn't feeling well. I was so sorry she wasn't feeling well...and that they weren't going to her Dad's for Christmas Eve... but selfishly, I was so happy we would get to see them! About 2 hours before we got to Gabe's... my 'sickness' just left...instantly. Now I think it was allergies... Originally, we were planning on seeing them after Christmas...since that's when we would have left Joshua's.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day we spent with Gabe, Emily, and Emerson...watching Emerson open gifts on Christmas day!
New Year's Eve... we spent with good friends - Pam, Peter, Lynne, & Bruce - eating, eating, and eating...and playing some high stakes ($.05) poker!

When it was midnight, I reflected on the year, on the blessings...and also the trials, the trust, the journey we had been through, and thanked God for being with us...for guiding us... and then I prayed for 2010!