The Johnson's

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Tour of Texas, Hayes Man Style

When embarking on a road trip with an infant, there are many things one must take into consideration and ensure are easily accessible. For Hayes Man, these items include: Puffs, Cheerios (really any kind of snack in general), diapers, toys, the never-ending CD of nursery rhyme remixes, a momma who can make crazy faces and most importantly, Rio. This was our strategy for surviving the tour of Texas this year as we drove from Harlingen to San Antonio and beyond to celebrate Christmas with my side of the family. Hayes got to meet many relatives that had only seen him on Facebook up to that point, and it was so fun to watch the excitement that a baby brought to everyone's Christmas festivities. It's still a little surreal to me that I brought my very own child to my grandparents' houses, but that just made the experience all the more exciting. I would be lying if I said we weren't all beat by the end of the journey, but it was worth every mile to see family members that we don't see nearly as often as we wish we could. Hayes Man also couldn't have been a better sport about all of the driving... he napped when he needed to and entertained himself in the back seat. And when this and our many other strategies listed above didn't work, the sight of his puppy brother was all he needed to engage in happiness again. We sure are glad our itty bitty likes to stay on the go... he's fitting right into Mommy and Daddy's adventures!

Because there were way too many pictures for a blog post to document Hayes' first Christmas in SA and visit to Comanche and Corsicana, I decided to showcase a few highlights from our travels. The full collection can be viewed on Facebook for those who are interested and haven't yet taken a gander at them.

We are so thankful for all of the family that loved on Hayes during his first Christmas celebration. There's nothing better than family, and we definitely have lots of that to go around, for which I feel incredibly blessed!

The Merriest Christmas Birthday Yet

Christmas Day is always incredibly special to us, and for good reason. It's the day we celebrate the birth of our Savior, above all... and boy do we celebrate. I am also fortunate enough to have a birthday on this day, and who wouldn't want to share a birthday with the biggest celeb of all time? I mean He is the reason we're here and saved, after all! This year Christmas brought even more joy than it normally does with the addition of our little man to share it with, and we loved every second of watching the celebration through his eyes. While he is still too little to really understand the significance, there was no denying the joy that circulated with every piece of wrapping paper torn and every box opened! We were with my family in San Antonio for the holiday this year, and it was so fun to see everyone's excitement as Hayes Man experienced his first Christmas. We began the festivities with the Christmas Eve candlelight church service that we always attend, where Hayes had to step out of the sanctuary due to his inability to contain his excitement to praise our Lord. :) His daddy reported that he raised his hands and yelled at the beginning of every new song as they listed from the sound-proof barrier of the "cry room". We returned home after church for the yummy traditional tamale and chocolate cake dinner, followed by birthday presents, a good night's sleep and... drum roll, please... Santa's arrival on Christmas Morning! A picture is worth a thousand words, so I'll let them do the talking now!

The best gifts a girl could ever ask for.

All dressed up for Christmas Eve candle light service... and our obligatory girl pic!

Rio even got in on the Christmas action. He is our first born, after all.

The loot!

Stocking time

Big boy in his new chair

"All done" with Christmas presents! (For now)

I know his daddy hates this ensemble, but I can't get enough. Too precious for words, people.

Aunt Nanny was clearly sharing in the excitement

Okay, I've been good all year. Can I be a little naughty now? Or at least make a face?

All dressed up and ready to begin the Tour of Texas. Christmas #3 and #4-- here we come!

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Just the Four of Us

Once the Christmas festivities began, I was beyond excited to celebrate our first Christmas as a family of four (yes, Rio is included in that count). We opened presents on Sunday before Christmas due to the fact that we left for San Antonio on Monday, but it felt just as festive as if Santa had come on Christmas Day itself. Santa arrived during Hayes Man's nap, and he woke up to lots of fun treasures. I'm not sure who was more excited though-- Hayes or Rio, because Rio also jumped up and down with excitement upon receiving his stocking. If only we all got so excited about tennis balls and a raw hide bone, huh? We had so much fun exchanging gifts with our new little family, and while I've always been a lover of all things Christmas, it is even more special and fun now that I have an itty bitty to share it with!

"Now we're talking... books!"

(a true product of a family full of educators and I couldn't be more proud!)

Hayes gifted Daddy with his own Moscow Mule making kit. Isn't he thoughtful?

Sunglasses, a purse, boots and wine. What more could a girl want?

Somebody wasn't so thrilled about his rocking giraffe at first... but after a few tries he decided it was okay after all!

Christmas in Harlingen

The weekend before Christmas, we were excited to get a mini-celebration with the Johnson side of the fam. This was our year to be with my family, so when we found out Katie, Jason and the girls would be coming down for us to all get together before we left for our "Tour of Texas" we were thrilled at the chance to celebrate with ALL of our family instead of just some! Plus, it was fun to watch Hayes interact with his cousins during his first experience opening Christmas gifts. I don't know who was more excited about it-- him or his mommy. :) MiMi and Pappaw spoiled us all, and we had fun hanging out and kicking off our holiday celebrations!