Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Hello!
Up until recently, my only writing outlet each year came at Christmas time. So, here I will share the highlights of our family one year at a time. I hope you enjoy.
Monday, December 25, 2006
Christmas 2006
Merry Christmas! Welcome to your first interactive custom-made Christmas letter. Each year I sit down and write about our year. I try to be entertaining. I try to be funny. Well, this year I thought I would employ a few helpers—namely YOU! Yes, you will be helping to write my Christmas letter, so if it’s not funny you know whom to blame!
DIRECTIONS: DO NOT TURN OVER THE PAGE!!!! Fill in the blanks on this side of the page with words that fit the description (i.e., noun, verb, etc.). After you have filled in ALL the blanks turn the page over and write each of your words in the appropriate blank in the letter. Then read and enjoy. For you home schooling moms out there, give it to your kids and call it a grammar lesson ☺.
1. ________________________(name of person/pet in your family)
2. ________________________(adjective)
3. ________________________(active verb, past tense)
4. ________________________(animal found by or in ocean, plural)
5. ________________________(adjective)
6. ________________________(adjective)
7. ________________________(number between 20 and 50)
8. ________________________(number between 20 and 50)
9. ________________________(number less than 250)
10. _________________________(adjective)
11. _________________________(adjective)
12. _________________________(weather condition-adjective)
13. _________________________(adjective)
14. _________________________(adjective)
15. _________________________(adjective)
16. __________________________(adjective)
17. __________________________(adjective)
18. __________________________(adjective)
Dear _________________1,
Merry Christmas from the Johnson’s! 2006 was full of fun at the Johnson house. We won’t bore you with all of the happenings – just the highlights.
We went on two _______________2 trips this year. The first was to Gulf Shores, AL where we _____________3 in the sand and sea. We also saw lots of ________________4 there. In July, we went to Yellowstone Park. We loved the ______________5 mountains and the _______________6 animals we saw. The only difficulty on the vacation came from our van, which stalled _________7 times as we went over the pass into the park and _________8 times as we traveled through the mountains in Wyoming. It took us ten hours to travel about __________9 miles on our first day coming home. Next year we will be doing a tour of flat grasslands!
Evan & Chris took their second annual trek up to the Boundary Waters. They would describe their trip as _________10 and _______________11. The weather was rainy and __________12 most of the time but they had fun as well.
We had some deaths in our family this year as well ☹. Our ____________13, ____________14 hamsters both died this year. They are both buried out back – we are starting a regular pet cemetery. We also had a fish die but he is not buried out back, he was flushed. Now you may think that we are having a pet deficit in our house now – NOT SO. We lost three but we gained one ___________15 hamster, four _____________16 finches and ten _______________17 fish. So if we add Snickers into that mix we have an average of two pets per person.
That said, we will hopefully need four more pets in the coming year to keep our pet to person ratio the same. Once again we are hoping to add four more feet to our home – the feet will come with four hands, eyes, ears, etc. We have just begun the _________________18 process of adopting a sibling group from Ethiopia. Won’t next year’s Christmas letter be fun!!!!
I hope that our little letter has brought a smile to your face this Christmas season. We want to leave you with more than a smile though. We want you to know that there is a wellspring of joy available anytime to anyone. That source of joy is the same Jesus Christ whose birthday we are celebrating. He didn’t stay a baby but grew to a man and then died on the cross so that we could spend eternity with him in heaven. That knowledge is the source of unending joy and happiness and it is available free-of-charge to all.
“Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. Yes, what joy for those whose sin is no longer counted against them by the Lord”
Romans 4:7-8
We are wishing you all of that joy this Christmas season!
Merry Christmas from the Johnson’s
DIRECTIONS: DO NOT TURN OVER THE PAGE!!!! Fill in the blanks on this side of the page with words that fit the description (i.e., noun, verb, etc.). After you have filled in ALL the blanks turn the page over and write each of your words in the appropriate blank in the letter. Then read and enjoy. For you home schooling moms out there, give it to your kids and call it a grammar lesson ☺.
1. ________________________(name of person/pet in your family)
2. ________________________(adjective)
3. ________________________(active verb, past tense)
4. ________________________(animal found by or in ocean, plural)
5. ________________________(adjective)
6. ________________________(adjective)
7. ________________________(number between 20 and 50)
8. ________________________(number between 20 and 50)
9. ________________________(number less than 250)
10. _________________________(adjective)
11. _________________________(adjective)
12. _________________________(weather condition-adjective)
13. _________________________(adjective)
14. _________________________(adjective)
15. _________________________(adjective)
16. __________________________(adjective)
17. __________________________(adjective)
18. __________________________(adjective)
Dear _________________1,
Merry Christmas from the Johnson’s! 2006 was full of fun at the Johnson house. We won’t bore you with all of the happenings – just the highlights.
We went on two _______________2 trips this year. The first was to Gulf Shores, AL where we _____________3 in the sand and sea. We also saw lots of ________________4 there. In July, we went to Yellowstone Park. We loved the ______________5 mountains and the _______________6 animals we saw. The only difficulty on the vacation came from our van, which stalled _________7 times as we went over the pass into the park and _________8 times as we traveled through the mountains in Wyoming. It took us ten hours to travel about __________9 miles on our first day coming home. Next year we will be doing a tour of flat grasslands!
Evan & Chris took their second annual trek up to the Boundary Waters. They would describe their trip as _________10 and _______________11. The weather was rainy and __________12 most of the time but they had fun as well.
We had some deaths in our family this year as well ☹. Our ____________13, ____________14 hamsters both died this year. They are both buried out back – we are starting a regular pet cemetery. We also had a fish die but he is not buried out back, he was flushed. Now you may think that we are having a pet deficit in our house now – NOT SO. We lost three but we gained one ___________15 hamster, four _____________16 finches and ten _______________17 fish. So if we add Snickers into that mix we have an average of two pets per person.
That said, we will hopefully need four more pets in the coming year to keep our pet to person ratio the same. Once again we are hoping to add four more feet to our home – the feet will come with four hands, eyes, ears, etc. We have just begun the _________________18 process of adopting a sibling group from Ethiopia. Won’t next year’s Christmas letter be fun!!!!
I hope that our little letter has brought a smile to your face this Christmas season. We want to leave you with more than a smile though. We want you to know that there is a wellspring of joy available anytime to anyone. That source of joy is the same Jesus Christ whose birthday we are celebrating. He didn’t stay a baby but grew to a man and then died on the cross so that we could spend eternity with him in heaven. That knowledge is the source of unending joy and happiness and it is available free-of-charge to all.
“Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. Yes, what joy for those whose sin is no longer counted against them by the Lord”
Romans 4:7-8
We are wishing you all of that joy this Christmas season!
Merry Christmas from the Johnson’s
Sunday, December 25, 2005
Christmas 2005
Dearest friends, family and acquaintances,
In 2005 we did NOT do any major home projects or add any additional children, pets or rooms to our home. We did NOT go on any exotic vacations or missionary endeavors to foreign countries. So, I guess I have nothing to write about.
I could tell you about the many academic and athletic awards my children have received and about when our dog saved a child’s life -- but none of that happened this year either.
SO WHAT DID THE JOHNSON’S DO IN 2005?
Kids
We still have six – didn’t lose any this year; at least if we did we found them again. We’ve noticed that Raelea thinks she’s a dog. How do we know this you ask. Well, it could be that she licks instead of kisses or maybe it’s the way she pants when she gets excited. Of course this isn’t surprising because our dog thinks she’s a baby. She pushes the buttons on Raelea’s toys to watch them light up and make noise. So, anyway you count it we still have six “kids.” I’m sure they’ll both figure it out eventually. Okay, maybe only Raelea will figure it out.
Kids, they are endearing and oh so honest…
Nina - “Mom, you shouldn’t wear a two piece swimsuit.”
Mom – “You’re right, dear, I shouldn’t!”
Nina – “Well, maybe if no one was on the beach. (long pause) And it was dark out.”
Next day…
Emily – “Mom, is Snickers your daughter?”
Mom – “No, Snickers is a dog.”
Emily – Taking a long look at Snickers turns to Mom and says “You kind of look like her.”
And just today…
Aidan – “Mom, if you don’t stop singing I’m going to have a nightmare!”
Honesty. I love it!
This was our first year of doing the baseball thing. Aidan and Nina both played for the YMCA and Chris coached Nina’s team. The rest of our time is filled with dance classes, piano lessons and swimming lessons. This means that Molly is learning to play the piano underwater and Nina can pirouette all the way around the bases.
Our best parenting resource of the year...Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. “Mumbling. I can’t understand you when you mumble.”
School
School goes on and on here. Evan is now in seventh grade, which means that his science experiments carry warnings with them like “DO NOT let the oxygen out too quickly. If you do the experiment could become dangerous.” To our neighbors, don’t worry he’s usually well supervised.
House
Last Christmas letter we told you that we were making the kids sleep outside and you thought we were kidding. Well, come take a look in our backyard now. In June, Chris and the kids built a spacious tree house in the yard. Let me tell you, it’s a beaut! And it went up without a single trip to the emergency room.
Church
In January we left our church of 19 years and began attending Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis. Although it was a difficult transition we now feel at home there and we get to enjoy finding parking during every home Vikings game. Molly has revealed a penchant for singing and has joined the children’s choir at church. Her debut performance will be on Christmas Eve.
Family
This year was a difficult one for Barb’s family as her dad was diagnosed with lung cancer in the spring. Thankfully, it was caught very early and after two surgeries (one on each lung) we believe he is cancer-free. He is golfing again and doing well. Thank you to all of you who prayed for him. You have no idea how much those prayers meant to us!
So this Christmas season we are thankful for friends and family and mostly for Jesus Christ. Not only is He the reason for the season He is the reason for everything.
We’ve had each of the kids sign this letter so that when they are famous you can say that you knew them when…and then you can sell their signature on Ebay for hundreds of dollars!
In 2005 we did NOT do any major home projects or add any additional children, pets or rooms to our home. We did NOT go on any exotic vacations or missionary endeavors to foreign countries. So, I guess I have nothing to write about.
I could tell you about the many academic and athletic awards my children have received and about when our dog saved a child’s life -- but none of that happened this year either.
SO WHAT DID THE JOHNSON’S DO IN 2005?
Kids
We still have six – didn’t lose any this year; at least if we did we found them again. We’ve noticed that Raelea thinks she’s a dog. How do we know this you ask. Well, it could be that she licks instead of kisses or maybe it’s the way she pants when she gets excited. Of course this isn’t surprising because our dog thinks she’s a baby. She pushes the buttons on Raelea’s toys to watch them light up and make noise. So, anyway you count it we still have six “kids.” I’m sure they’ll both figure it out eventually. Okay, maybe only Raelea will figure it out.
Kids, they are endearing and oh so honest…
Nina - “Mom, you shouldn’t wear a two piece swimsuit.”
Mom – “You’re right, dear, I shouldn’t!”
Nina – “Well, maybe if no one was on the beach. (long pause) And it was dark out.”
Next day…
Emily – “Mom, is Snickers your daughter?”
Mom – “No, Snickers is a dog.”
Emily – Taking a long look at Snickers turns to Mom and says “You kind of look like her.”
And just today…
Aidan – “Mom, if you don’t stop singing I’m going to have a nightmare!”
Honesty. I love it!
This was our first year of doing the baseball thing. Aidan and Nina both played for the YMCA and Chris coached Nina’s team. The rest of our time is filled with dance classes, piano lessons and swimming lessons. This means that Molly is learning to play the piano underwater and Nina can pirouette all the way around the bases.
Our best parenting resource of the year...Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. “Mumbling. I can’t understand you when you mumble.”
School
School goes on and on here. Evan is now in seventh grade, which means that his science experiments carry warnings with them like “DO NOT let the oxygen out too quickly. If you do the experiment could become dangerous.” To our neighbors, don’t worry he’s usually well supervised.
House
Last Christmas letter we told you that we were making the kids sleep outside and you thought we were kidding. Well, come take a look in our backyard now. In June, Chris and the kids built a spacious tree house in the yard. Let me tell you, it’s a beaut! And it went up without a single trip to the emergency room.
Church
In January we left our church of 19 years and began attending Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis. Although it was a difficult transition we now feel at home there and we get to enjoy finding parking during every home Vikings game. Molly has revealed a penchant for singing and has joined the children’s choir at church. Her debut performance will be on Christmas Eve.
Family
This year was a difficult one for Barb’s family as her dad was diagnosed with lung cancer in the spring. Thankfully, it was caught very early and after two surgeries (one on each lung) we believe he is cancer-free. He is golfing again and doing well. Thank you to all of you who prayed for him. You have no idea how much those prayers meant to us!
So this Christmas season we are thankful for friends and family and mostly for Jesus Christ. Not only is He the reason for the season He is the reason for everything.
We’ve had each of the kids sign this letter so that when they are famous you can say that you knew them when…and then you can sell their signature on Ebay for hundreds of dollars!
Saturday, December 25, 2004
Christmas 2004
Hard to Believe
You can take the family out of the suburbs but you can’t take the suburbs out of a family. After three years of pretending to be big city people, the Johnson family has come home to Apple Valley. Leaving many people staring open-mouthed in disbelief the Johnson’s packed up their many belongings and headed south. When asked about their reason for moving back to Apple Valley, Chris and Barb respond, “Bigger Yard.” With the bigger yard came a smaller house so the Johnson’s have decided to have some of the kids sleep outside. Did I mention the MANY belongings?
Emily Finds Rodent in Home
Gleefully, Emily Johnson shouted upon discovering a rodent in the Johnson basement. A great celebration followed, as this was no ordinary rodent. Emily had indeed discovered the missing hamster, Marshmallow, who had gone AWOL earlier in the day. The Johnson family used to unwillingly live with rodents in their home. This year they have invited them in and fed them as well. If you can’t beat them, treat them as pets! Two hamsters have taken up residence in the Johnson home this year.
How Many Kids Can You Fit in That House?
Have you ever tried to stuff people into a phone booth? I guess that would be hard these days. Maybe you could try to stuff people into a cell phone!? Anyways, the Johnson’s have decided to see how many kids they can fit into their new home. When they moved into the house in June Evan, Nina, Molly, Aidan and Emily all fit rather nicely in two of the bedrooms. This left one bedroom completely empty, so the Johnson’s decided to start filling that room too. The latest addition to the Johnson family doesn’t take up too much space in the home but she fills their hearts to almost bursting. Raelea Renee was born on Nov. 5 and came home to roost Nov. 8. She is a wonderful addition to the Johnson family. Even the boys think she’s a keeper.
Tree Abuse Reported
It has come to this reporter’s attention that a stately oak has been subject to unheard of trauma this past summer. It seems that Mr. Johnson has drilled a hole in a branch on said tree and hung a tire swing from it. Although loud screaming is frequently heard in the area, no ambulances have been sighted. When Nina Johnson was questioned about this tree abuse she said, “This swing is better than any ride at Camp Snoopy!” Rumor has it that further tree abuse is scheduled for next summer. Stay tuned for more information.
Attendance Nearly Doubles
The Johnson’s Homeschool had a surge in attendance this year as the student population increased from three to five. Mrs. Johnson is concerned about the teacher-to-student ratio and is requesting more funding.
Boy Survives Fall
Evan Johnson survived a near fatal fall from a large pine tree in Siren, WI. His freefall from a height of 25’ was interrupted at 15’ when Evan became wedged between two branches. These conveniently placed branches saved Evan from near certain disaster, allowing Evan to escape with abrasions and a sore body.
Other headlines…
• Scooter injuries up significantly in Apple Valley
• Unfamiliar dog seen roaming Faith Park and surrounding neighborhood
You can take the family out of the suburbs but you can’t take the suburbs out of a family. After three years of pretending to be big city people, the Johnson family has come home to Apple Valley. Leaving many people staring open-mouthed in disbelief the Johnson’s packed up their many belongings and headed south. When asked about their reason for moving back to Apple Valley, Chris and Barb respond, “Bigger Yard.” With the bigger yard came a smaller house so the Johnson’s have decided to have some of the kids sleep outside. Did I mention the MANY belongings?
Emily Finds Rodent in Home
Gleefully, Emily Johnson shouted upon discovering a rodent in the Johnson basement. A great celebration followed, as this was no ordinary rodent. Emily had indeed discovered the missing hamster, Marshmallow, who had gone AWOL earlier in the day. The Johnson family used to unwillingly live with rodents in their home. This year they have invited them in and fed them as well. If you can’t beat them, treat them as pets! Two hamsters have taken up residence in the Johnson home this year.
How Many Kids Can You Fit in That House?
Have you ever tried to stuff people into a phone booth? I guess that would be hard these days. Maybe you could try to stuff people into a cell phone!? Anyways, the Johnson’s have decided to see how many kids they can fit into their new home. When they moved into the house in June Evan, Nina, Molly, Aidan and Emily all fit rather nicely in two of the bedrooms. This left one bedroom completely empty, so the Johnson’s decided to start filling that room too. The latest addition to the Johnson family doesn’t take up too much space in the home but she fills their hearts to almost bursting. Raelea Renee was born on Nov. 5 and came home to roost Nov. 8. She is a wonderful addition to the Johnson family. Even the boys think she’s a keeper.
Tree Abuse Reported
It has come to this reporter’s attention that a stately oak has been subject to unheard of trauma this past summer. It seems that Mr. Johnson has drilled a hole in a branch on said tree and hung a tire swing from it. Although loud screaming is frequently heard in the area, no ambulances have been sighted. When Nina Johnson was questioned about this tree abuse she said, “This swing is better than any ride at Camp Snoopy!” Rumor has it that further tree abuse is scheduled for next summer. Stay tuned for more information.
Attendance Nearly Doubles
The Johnson’s Homeschool had a surge in attendance this year as the student population increased from three to five. Mrs. Johnson is concerned about the teacher-to-student ratio and is requesting more funding.
Boy Survives Fall
Evan Johnson survived a near fatal fall from a large pine tree in Siren, WI. His freefall from a height of 25’ was interrupted at 15’ when Evan became wedged between two branches. These conveniently placed branches saved Evan from near certain disaster, allowing Evan to escape with abrasions and a sore body.
Other headlines…
• Scooter injuries up significantly in Apple Valley
• Unfamiliar dog seen roaming Faith Park and surrounding neighborhood
Thursday, December 25, 2003
Christmas 2003
So, you think you know the Johnson’s pretty well…
Take THE JOHNSON FAMILY QUIZ and test your Johnson family trivia for 2003!
1. Which Johnson did NOT have surgery this year?
a. Snickers
b. Aidan
c. Barb
d. Emily
2. Where did the Johnson family go for vacation this year? (Circle all correct answers.)
a. The Apostle Islands
b. The Virgin Islands
c. Door County
d. St. Louis, MO
3. In July, Chris started a new job at ________________________.
a. The Federal Bureau of Investigation
b. The Federal Reserve Bank
c. The Secret Service
d. The White House
4. What is Snicker Dog’s NEW nickname?
a. Triscuit
b. Rose
c. Squirrel-Killer
d. Fluffy
5. Which of the Johnson children started lessons (of one form or another) this year?
(Circle all that apply.)
a. Evan
b. Nina
c. Molly
d. Aidan
e. Emily
6. Match the following quotes to the correct child:
a. “I like you, Mom, and I love your teeth. They’re so shiny!”
b. “We picked up some snow lemonade!” (i.e., yellow snow)
c. “I think we should kill the squirrels and eat them!”
d. “Do squirrels have moles?”
e. This one has to be sung, “Stir-fry don’t bother me…”
7. Which items did Snickers steal from the counter top this year?
a. Cookies
b. Pancake mix
c. Frozen chicken
d. Tortilla chips
e. Almonds
f. Chocolate chips – as in a whole bag
g. All of the above and many more
1. a. Believe it or not Aidan, Emily and Barb all had same day surgeries this year. Thankfully, not on the same day! Aidan had tubes put in his ears (for the second time), Emily had her tonsils out (for the first and only time) and Barb had a female-type surgery, the details of which will remain out of this newsletter! :-)
2. a , c & d The Johnson’s did a whirl-wind tour of Northern Wisconsin in September with, believe it or not, not a single mosquito bite! Several lacerations and bruises but not one mosquito bite! We also made the road trip to St. Louis to visit Barb’s sister and her family – no mosquito bites on that trip either!
3. Although Chris would probably prefer the answer to be a or d, the correct answer is b. After an exciting time working at Gearworks, Chris sought out more stable employment and is now working at the Fed in Minneapolis.
4. c. Our dear devoted Snickers has proven herself quite adept at reducing the squirrel population in our yard (by two to be exact). Now if she could reduce the rodent population inside our house! Don’t feel bad if you got this one wrong. The other nicknames also belong to Snicker’s; they just aren’t new to her this year.
5. a,b,c,d & e All the Johnson children partook in swim lessons this year (with not a single drowning in the bunch). Nina & Molly have begun taking dance classes at a studio in Burnsville. Evan, Nina & Molly have all started piano lessons which means any quiet moments we used to have are now filled up with someone practicing the piano. All of us are taking daily lessons in patience as well.
6. a. Emily
b. Aidan
c. Aidan
d. Aidan
e. Emily, when told we were having stir-fry for dinner burst into song
7. g, did I mention that she also has a nickname of “Bad Dog!!!”
A very merry Christmas to you all! Regardless of your score on this test we love you all and wish you a very blessed Christmas season!
For a child is born to us, a son is given to us.
And the government will rest on his shoulders. These will be his royal titles:
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6
We pray that Jesus would be your Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace in the coming year!
Take THE JOHNSON FAMILY QUIZ and test your Johnson family trivia for 2003!
1. Which Johnson did NOT have surgery this year?
a. Snickers
b. Aidan
c. Barb
d. Emily
2. Where did the Johnson family go for vacation this year? (Circle all correct answers.)
a. The Apostle Islands
b. The Virgin Islands
c. Door County
d. St. Louis, MO
3. In July, Chris started a new job at ________________________.
a. The Federal Bureau of Investigation
b. The Federal Reserve Bank
c. The Secret Service
d. The White House
4. What is Snicker Dog’s NEW nickname?
a. Triscuit
b. Rose
c. Squirrel-Killer
d. Fluffy
5. Which of the Johnson children started lessons (of one form or another) this year?
(Circle all that apply.)
a. Evan
b. Nina
c. Molly
d. Aidan
e. Emily
6. Match the following quotes to the correct child:
a. “I like you, Mom, and I love your teeth. They’re so shiny!”
b. “We picked up some snow lemonade!” (i.e., yellow snow)
c. “I think we should kill the squirrels and eat them!”
d. “Do squirrels have moles?”
e. This one has to be sung, “Stir-fry don’t bother me…”
7. Which items did Snickers steal from the counter top this year?
a. Cookies
b. Pancake mix
c. Frozen chicken
d. Tortilla chips
e. Almonds
f. Chocolate chips – as in a whole bag
g. All of the above and many more
1. a. Believe it or not Aidan, Emily and Barb all had same day surgeries this year. Thankfully, not on the same day! Aidan had tubes put in his ears (for the second time), Emily had her tonsils out (for the first and only time) and Barb had a female-type surgery, the details of which will remain out of this newsletter! :-)
2. a , c & d The Johnson’s did a whirl-wind tour of Northern Wisconsin in September with, believe it or not, not a single mosquito bite! Several lacerations and bruises but not one mosquito bite! We also made the road trip to St. Louis to visit Barb’s sister and her family – no mosquito bites on that trip either!
3. Although Chris would probably prefer the answer to be a or d, the correct answer is b. After an exciting time working at Gearworks, Chris sought out more stable employment and is now working at the Fed in Minneapolis.
4. c. Our dear devoted Snickers has proven herself quite adept at reducing the squirrel population in our yard (by two to be exact). Now if she could reduce the rodent population inside our house! Don’t feel bad if you got this one wrong. The other nicknames also belong to Snicker’s; they just aren’t new to her this year.
5. a,b,c,d & e All the Johnson children partook in swim lessons this year (with not a single drowning in the bunch). Nina & Molly have begun taking dance classes at a studio in Burnsville. Evan, Nina & Molly have all started piano lessons which means any quiet moments we used to have are now filled up with someone practicing the piano. All of us are taking daily lessons in patience as well.
6. a. Emily
b. Aidan
c. Aidan
d. Aidan
e. Emily, when told we were having stir-fry for dinner burst into song
7. g, did I mention that she also has a nickname of “Bad Dog!!!”
A very merry Christmas to you all! Regardless of your score on this test we love you all and wish you a very blessed Christmas season!
For a child is born to us, a son is given to us.
And the government will rest on his shoulders. These will be his royal titles:
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6
We pray that Jesus would be your Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace in the coming year!
Wednesday, December 25, 2002
Christmas 2002
Dear friends,
It is Christmas time again and Barb was just too busy to write her annual Christmas letter, so she has asked me, Snickers, to do it. For those of you who don’t know me, I am the Johnson’s dearly loved (and adorable) dog. If you’ve ever wanted to be a fly on the wall at the Johnson’s house, this will be the next best thing. Insider information at its finest. So what do you want to know???
Do Chris & Barb ever stop working on their house?
Actually, yes, the work stops for LONG periods of time quite regularly. Perhaps a better question would be, “Do Chris & Barb ever FINISH working on the house?” The short answer to that is, “No!”
Do they really spend all that time doing church stuff?
Well, why else would the dog be writing their Christmas letter?
How did Evan really break his leg?
Ah, it’s time to separate truth from fiction. Evan did indeed break his leg on the twins’ birthday. He was indeed playing basketball in the driveway with Chris but, despite rumors, Chris did not “take Evan out.” Actually, they keep me locked behind the fence so I didn’t see what happened but I did hear Evan screaming in pain, so I knew it was bad. Evan’s leg also changed colors every few weeks (I think those were his casts.) He is now cast free and sworn off basketball for the rest of his life! Emily likes to play that her dollies or stuffed animals have broken legs now ☺. They broke them playing basketball!
Are Aidan and Emily really that funny all the time?
Well, some might call it funny but I just call it strange. Listen to this interesting conversation I overheard one day in the bathroom.
Emily – “I like Snickers. He’s my best friend!”
Barb – “Emily, Snickers is a girl. She’s a SHE not a HE.”
Aidan, puzzled by Mom’s ignorance – “Snickers is NOT a SHEEP, she’s a Cow!”
I think Barb has her work cut out for her home schooling these two!
What on earth is all that noise coming from their house at ten at night?
Well, you see it’s like this. Barb thinks the house is much to quiet when all the little munchkins are in bed so she has to make a lot of noise by herself.
After a 19-year break, Barb has taken up playing the French horn again. Call it a mid-life crisis or reliving her childhood – who knows. All I know is she’s been playing Christmas music since Halloween to prepare for the big Abts family Christmas concert.
How come we never see the Johnson’s at church in Bloomington anymore?
They have developed this secret drink that makes them invisible and they drink it with their cinnamon rolls on Sunday morning…
Okay, that’s not really what happened to them. As some of you remember, the Johnson’s moved to Minneapolis last year to help start an urban church in the city. That new church, The Urban Refuge, will open its doors on January 12. The Johnson’s decided that waiting until January to switch churches wasn’t exciting enough. They decided to switch to Evergreen’s West Minneapolis location in the meantime, just to really confuse their kids.
Nina – “Is this our new church?”
Dad – “No, this isn’t our new church. Well, it is a new church to us but it’s not THE new church that we moved to Minneapolis to attend.”
Nina- blank stare, no reply
Where did the Johnson’s disappear to in September?
Well, I told you about that secret make-yourself invisible drink, right?
Seriously, we all went on our first-ever family vacation. Actually, Barb called it a weeklong field trip – isn’t home schooling fun! Camping in 102° weather in South Dakota sounds fun, doesn’t it? Actually, we had a great time in the Badlands and the Black Hills of South Dakota. I really liked the part when we were driving to the Badlands and the van started to overheat so Chris turned on the heater to cool the engine down. Did I mention it was 102° outside? Well, it was probably 108° inside the van ☹!
We hear that you, Snickers, have a bad habit of chewing on things, is that true?
Well, look we’re out of space….gotta go…bye. Actually, I get really bored when left all alone so it is so nice of the Johnson’s to leave things out for me to chew on! They are so thoughtful!
Well, here’s something for you to chew on too –
“She gave birth to her first child (Jesus), a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the village inn.”
Luke 2:7
“In this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins. Everyone who believes in him is freed from all guilt and declared right with God – something the Jewish law could never do.” Acts 13:38-39
Merry Christmas on behalf of the Johnson Family!!
It is Christmas time again and Barb was just too busy to write her annual Christmas letter, so she has asked me, Snickers, to do it. For those of you who don’t know me, I am the Johnson’s dearly loved (and adorable) dog. If you’ve ever wanted to be a fly on the wall at the Johnson’s house, this will be the next best thing. Insider information at its finest. So what do you want to know???
Do Chris & Barb ever stop working on their house?
Actually, yes, the work stops for LONG periods of time quite regularly. Perhaps a better question would be, “Do Chris & Barb ever FINISH working on the house?” The short answer to that is, “No!”
Do they really spend all that time doing church stuff?
Well, why else would the dog be writing their Christmas letter?
How did Evan really break his leg?
Ah, it’s time to separate truth from fiction. Evan did indeed break his leg on the twins’ birthday. He was indeed playing basketball in the driveway with Chris but, despite rumors, Chris did not “take Evan out.” Actually, they keep me locked behind the fence so I didn’t see what happened but I did hear Evan screaming in pain, so I knew it was bad. Evan’s leg also changed colors every few weeks (I think those were his casts.) He is now cast free and sworn off basketball for the rest of his life! Emily likes to play that her dollies or stuffed animals have broken legs now ☺. They broke them playing basketball!
Are Aidan and Emily really that funny all the time?
Well, some might call it funny but I just call it strange. Listen to this interesting conversation I overheard one day in the bathroom.
Emily – “I like Snickers. He’s my best friend!”
Barb – “Emily, Snickers is a girl. She’s a SHE not a HE.”
Aidan, puzzled by Mom’s ignorance – “Snickers is NOT a SHEEP, she’s a Cow!”
I think Barb has her work cut out for her home schooling these two!
What on earth is all that noise coming from their house at ten at night?
Well, you see it’s like this. Barb thinks the house is much to quiet when all the little munchkins are in bed so she has to make a lot of noise by herself.
After a 19-year break, Barb has taken up playing the French horn again. Call it a mid-life crisis or reliving her childhood – who knows. All I know is she’s been playing Christmas music since Halloween to prepare for the big Abts family Christmas concert.
How come we never see the Johnson’s at church in Bloomington anymore?
They have developed this secret drink that makes them invisible and they drink it with their cinnamon rolls on Sunday morning…
Okay, that’s not really what happened to them. As some of you remember, the Johnson’s moved to Minneapolis last year to help start an urban church in the city. That new church, The Urban Refuge, will open its doors on January 12. The Johnson’s decided that waiting until January to switch churches wasn’t exciting enough. They decided to switch to Evergreen’s West Minneapolis location in the meantime, just to really confuse their kids.
Nina – “Is this our new church?”
Dad – “No, this isn’t our new church. Well, it is a new church to us but it’s not THE new church that we moved to Minneapolis to attend.”
Nina- blank stare, no reply
Where did the Johnson’s disappear to in September?
Well, I told you about that secret make-yourself invisible drink, right?
Seriously, we all went on our first-ever family vacation. Actually, Barb called it a weeklong field trip – isn’t home schooling fun! Camping in 102° weather in South Dakota sounds fun, doesn’t it? Actually, we had a great time in the Badlands and the Black Hills of South Dakota. I really liked the part when we were driving to the Badlands and the van started to overheat so Chris turned on the heater to cool the engine down. Did I mention it was 102° outside? Well, it was probably 108° inside the van ☹!
We hear that you, Snickers, have a bad habit of chewing on things, is that true?
Well, look we’re out of space….gotta go…bye. Actually, I get really bored when left all alone so it is so nice of the Johnson’s to leave things out for me to chew on! They are so thoughtful!
Well, here’s something for you to chew on too –
“She gave birth to her first child (Jesus), a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the village inn.”
Luke 2:7
“In this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins. Everyone who believes in him is freed from all guilt and declared right with God – something the Jewish law could never do.” Acts 13:38-39
Merry Christmas on behalf of the Johnson Family!!
Tuesday, December 25, 2001
Christmas 2001
MOVIE REVIEWS
The Johnson’s Go To Minneapolis () Rated G
This little watched flick is a gem of a find. The Johnson’s Go To Minneapolis is an independent, low-budget film put out by The Big Guy Productions. It is a story of a family’s move from suburban Apple Valley to the big city of Minneapolis. Produced and directed by God this film boasts of an all-star cast. Mom & Dad, played skillfully by Chris and Barb Johnson, have a quirky but solid marriage that is able to weather the many storms that come their way during the course of the movie.
The movie starts out in suburban Apple Valley where the Johnson family happily resides. In addition to Mom and Dad there are the children: Evan (Evan Johnson), Nina (Nina Johnson), Molly Dolly (Molly Johnson) and the twins, Tater & LuLu (Aidan & Emily Johnson).
Evan spends the entire movie reading one book or another (or several at a time). Nina and Molly Dolly are best friends and most scenes find them playing together nicely. Tater and LuLu are two delightful two year olds. They actually provide much of the comic relief throughout the movie.
We learn in the first scene that the Johnson family feels led by God to move to Minneapolis and help start an urban church there. The start of the movie consists mostly of Dad scurrying about trying to get their house ready to sell and Mom spending hours checking out prospective houses on the internet (and telling Dad what to fix next).
Early in the movie, the family finds the perfect house in Minneapolis. This creates a bit of a predicament as Mom wasn’t supposed to be looking for houses yet. The Johnson’s house in Apple Valley is nowhere near being ready to go on the market. The scurrying and painting and cleaning reaches a frenzied pace that leaves the viewer exhausted just watching it all.
At this point the story line stretches the limits of believability. There is a wild home-selling scene where 60 prospective buyers walk through the Johnson’s home in 6- hours one weekend. At the end of the weekend they sell their home to the highest bidder. Humorously, most of the Johnson’s personal belongings were crammed in their garage during this exploit. With the house sold, the fast paced frenzy continues until the move takes place in mid-June. Actually, the frenetic pace continues throughout the entire movie!
Never content to be without a home project, Dad immediately embarks on numerous projects to make the new place more livable. Everyone adjusts to the new living arrangement well except for the family’s dearly loved cat who claims the entire basement as her litterbox. This leads up to the tear-jerking scene where the family decides they must put their dear kitty to sleep. Those of you familiar with the prequels to this movie should remember dear Elle kitty from her many appearances in previous story lines.
The funniest line of the movie is when Dad comes home from work and announces, “I was out on the internet today researching boxers.” To which Mom gives a strange look and replies, “You were researching underwear on the internet?”
“Not underwear, dogs!”
This leads to the introduction of a new character to the plot, Snickers, the boxer puppy. Snickers is a favorite of the audience and will no doubt appear in many sequels to this movie.
Near the end of this movie, Mom begins to homeschool Nina (in addition to Evan). This story line could result in an entire movie by itself, a sort of dramatic comedy perhaps.
In a second unrealistic twist in the story line Dad takes three months off of work at the end of the movie to spend more time with the family. Ironically, he spends most of his time off training the new puppy.
Overall, this is a fast-paced movie with lots of laughs and a few tears. For a low-budget film the sets and props are amazingly realistic. Overall, a great family movie!
The Johnson’s Go To Minneapolis () Rated G
This little watched flick is a gem of a find. The Johnson’s Go To Minneapolis is an independent, low-budget film put out by The Big Guy Productions. It is a story of a family’s move from suburban Apple Valley to the big city of Minneapolis. Produced and directed by God this film boasts of an all-star cast. Mom & Dad, played skillfully by Chris and Barb Johnson, have a quirky but solid marriage that is able to weather the many storms that come their way during the course of the movie.
The movie starts out in suburban Apple Valley where the Johnson family happily resides. In addition to Mom and Dad there are the children: Evan (Evan Johnson), Nina (Nina Johnson), Molly Dolly (Molly Johnson) and the twins, Tater & LuLu (Aidan & Emily Johnson).
Evan spends the entire movie reading one book or another (or several at a time). Nina and Molly Dolly are best friends and most scenes find them playing together nicely. Tater and LuLu are two delightful two year olds. They actually provide much of the comic relief throughout the movie.
We learn in the first scene that the Johnson family feels led by God to move to Minneapolis and help start an urban church there. The start of the movie consists mostly of Dad scurrying about trying to get their house ready to sell and Mom spending hours checking out prospective houses on the internet (and telling Dad what to fix next).
Early in the movie, the family finds the perfect house in Minneapolis. This creates a bit of a predicament as Mom wasn’t supposed to be looking for houses yet. The Johnson’s house in Apple Valley is nowhere near being ready to go on the market. The scurrying and painting and cleaning reaches a frenzied pace that leaves the viewer exhausted just watching it all.
At this point the story line stretches the limits of believability. There is a wild home-selling scene where 60 prospective buyers walk through the Johnson’s home in 6- hours one weekend. At the end of the weekend they sell their home to the highest bidder. Humorously, most of the Johnson’s personal belongings were crammed in their garage during this exploit. With the house sold, the fast paced frenzy continues until the move takes place in mid-June. Actually, the frenetic pace continues throughout the entire movie!
Never content to be without a home project, Dad immediately embarks on numerous projects to make the new place more livable. Everyone adjusts to the new living arrangement well except for the family’s dearly loved cat who claims the entire basement as her litterbox. This leads up to the tear-jerking scene where the family decides they must put their dear kitty to sleep. Those of you familiar with the prequels to this movie should remember dear Elle kitty from her many appearances in previous story lines.
The funniest line of the movie is when Dad comes home from work and announces, “I was out on the internet today researching boxers.” To which Mom gives a strange look and replies, “You were researching underwear on the internet?”
“Not underwear, dogs!”
This leads to the introduction of a new character to the plot, Snickers, the boxer puppy. Snickers is a favorite of the audience and will no doubt appear in many sequels to this movie.
Near the end of this movie, Mom begins to homeschool Nina (in addition to Evan). This story line could result in an entire movie by itself, a sort of dramatic comedy perhaps.
In a second unrealistic twist in the story line Dad takes three months off of work at the end of the movie to spend more time with the family. Ironically, he spends most of his time off training the new puppy.
Overall, this is a fast-paced movie with lots of laughs and a few tears. For a low-budget film the sets and props are amazingly realistic. Overall, a great family movie!
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