Happy New Year!

We pray that everyone has a blessed 2009.

The Johnson Family

Trevor's New Camera

Santa did very well for Trevor and brought him a Kodak Easy Share Camera (C813 with 8.2 MP). Santa was able to "make" the camera for a very good price and even thought about a camera case and a memory card. Santa is so very thoughtful.

This was one of the first pictures Trevor took with his new camera. He wanted to get a picture of Hayley in her new Princess gloves and Ballerina slippers. Well, as you may have noticed you can not see the Ballerina slippers. Why, you ask? Because Trevor thought that you have to zoom the camera every time you take a picture. He did not realize that if you don't zoom you can see more. He learned that Camera Tip #1 fairly quickly.

A not so flattering picture of Mom, but hey I have to put all his art on the blog site. Right?

This picture helped Trevor figure out Camera Tip #2 which is that he has to keep his finger out of the way of the flash when taking pictures. Once he figured out Camera tip #1 and #2 he started to take more and more good pictures.

This is of Dad holding the new game Auntie Karen bought just for Trevor and Sean. It is called Gassy Gus. Go figure a game about gas and burps for Sean and Trevor. Although it was for Sean and Trevor, Hayley and Karen played this with them after Aunt Evelyn and Uncle Joe's house and all 4 loved it. I did not join in the reindeer fun.

Trevor wanted to be the photographer as everyone opened their gifts this morning. Here is Hayley and I opening our Color Me Mine gift card from Auntie Karen. We get to go choose pottery and paint it anyway we want. How cool is that?

Alexandra and her Dad, Steve, stopped by to drop off gifts for our family and WHAM... the camera guy was ready for them. They were good sports for him though.

Aunt Evelyn smiling as Trevor takes a close up shot of her. Thanks for letting him show the viewpoint of a 4 foot tall 7 year old.

Trevor got this one of Katie as she was just about to leave to go to work. She was trying to get out of the house, but when he asked to take her picture she was so gracious and turned around with a big smile. Thank you Katie for helping our young photographer

We are not sure if Great-Grandpa knows Trevor is taking his picture or is just pretending not to see him. That is one good Great-Grandpa. Thanks!

Great-Uncle Trini helping Trevor's picture taking be fun and full of expression.

After taking several pictures of other family members, Trevor turns the camera to himself, clicks the button and says, "Perfect." He is my kid for sure, but where is the funny face with the tongue sticking out while taking a self portrait. Maybe that will come in time.

Once Trevor had photographed most of the people at Uncle Joe and Aunt Evelyn's house he decided to capture a few pictures of his surroundings. These are some of the items that Aunt Evelyn has painted and has displayed throughout her house. This is just the tip of the iceberg though, she has so many beautiful creations.

Trevor really likes Nutcrackers and Aunt Evelyn had several of them on her China Cabinet. This one was Trevor's favorite so he did what any one with a new camera would do. He took a picture so he could see it again after Christmas.

Dylan did not know his picture was being taken because he was playing his Nintendo DS. If Trevor would not have zoomed in on his face you would see the DS in Dylan's hand.

Christmas with the Krauss Family

Today we also went over to Amy's Aunt Evelyn and Uncle Joe's house in Livermore to celebrate with the Krauss side of the family (Amy's Mom's side). Trevor brought his camera with us and had fun taking pictures throughout the day. It was a wonderful time together visiting and just being with each other. It was so nice to see Great-Aunt Virginia and Great-Uncle Trini. We were not able to see them at Thanksgiving time and were excited that they could be there with us today. We were also able to see cousin Katie for a little while before she had to leave for work. She and Cousin Dan are police officers in San Jose and both had to work today. We did not get to see Dan as he was home sleeping to get ready for work on Christmas night.

Here are the 5 Great-Grandchildren in the Krauss Family who live in the Bay Area. We tried to get all the kids to look at the camera at the same time, but since we had 3 people taking the picture at the same time it was hard for them to know where to look.

Trevor is the oldest at 7 born June 26, Dylan is also 7 born Sept. 3 (holding baby Kyla), Hayley is 4 born Sept. 2, Wyatt is 3 born June 7 (red sweater) and Kyla is the youngest at almost 2 months (born November 9).

We wanted to make sure to get a good picture of Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa Krauss with the great-grandchildren. There are more great-grandchildren but they live to far away to be with us at Christmas.

Dylan was so amazed that the Nutcracker Aunt Evelyn (his Grandma) had was taller than Wyatt. Although Wyatt refused to be in this picture, just know that the nutcracker is about 3 inches taller that he is.

Hayley waited so patiently to hold Baby Kyla. She was very gentle with her and thought it was special that she could hold her.

She actually held her twice today and loved it both times. Hayley is a very sweet and caring little lady and she took great care of cousin Kyla. Kyla is very good natured so that helped Hayley not get flustered.

Christmas Morning

Trevor is not an late sleeper and Christmas Day was no exception. He woke up this year at 4:51 am. I thought it was later so I said hold on let me wake Daddy. When I rolled over in bed I saw that the clock said 4:51. I quickly changed my mind and put Trevor back to bed. I told him that it was way to early for me to be up and to come back at 6:00 am at the earliest. He fell back asleep, but did wake up again at 6:30. Thanks for letting us sleep a bit longer.

Once awake Hayley could see her Grand Doll House in the Living Room and was very eager to see what furniture Santa had brought her. She was so happy that there was furniture in the doll house as she forgot to tell Santa she wanted the furniture too. When we saw him at the mall the day after Thanksgiving she only told him about the doll house and as soon as we got home she was very upset because she forgot the furniture. It was so cute and really funny at how upset she was. Santa came through for her though and she was extremely happy. She played with her Grand Doll House all morning and even in the evening after dinner at Aunt Evelyn and Uncle Joe's house.

Trevor was shocked to see that Santa brought him what he asked for, 1 item he forgot to tell Santa he wanted and something he has wanted but not mentioned to anyone but Sean. Trevor only told Santa he wanted the Nickelodeon Scene It game, but forgot to mention to Santa that he had been wanting a big person (not Kid) digital camera. Well, Santa hooked him up with the game, a digital camera and even some Magic Tricks. Trevor has been learning a few magic tricks from Sean and said he would love to learn more. Well "Santa" found a great set of magic tricks for someone just learning and made sure it was there on Christmas morning for Trevor. All morning we were the audience for which Trevor tried his tricks out on. It was fun to see how excited he was. He also took pictures with his new camera throughout the day (will post some pictures in another blog posting).

Santa even thought of Boo and filled his stocking with treats, bones and rawhide. Boo sat on the stockings for most of the morning chewing on the rawhide.

Trevor was thrilled that Santa brought him a new electric Pokemon Toothbrush. Trevor dropped his a few months ago and it broke. He mentioned that he would like a new one and was surprised when he found one in his stocking.

Trevor was being so good pulling each item out of the stocking one at a time and showing Sean and I what Santa had left for him, but not Hayley. She was so funny about her stocking.

She decided it was better to hold the stocking upside down and let everything fall to the ground. This way she could see everything faster. It was fun to watch the difference between Trevor and Hayley as they looked in their stockings.

After we opened gifts as a family, my parents and sister came over with gifts for the kids, Sean and I. Trevor was not a happy Camper when he opened a gift from Auntie Karen. Apparently this gift was supposed to be for Hayley, but Karen put the wrong tag on the gift and Trevor opened it. He quickly realized it was not meant for him and handed it to Hayley, but not before we could get a picture of his reaction.

Christmas Eve

Trevor and Hayley in front of our Christmas Tree all dressed up and ready to go to dinner. Hayley is still sleepy from the nap she was taking before we had to get ready for dinner. She did not want to get out of bed, but when we told her we get to go see Nora she got up.

Mr. Trevor looking handsome in his vest and tie. He did not want to wear the tie because it was too tight, but we made a deal that after he showed everyone how he looked he would be able to remove the tie. Little did we know the vest would come off and the shirt would get untucked at dinner as well. We did make him put it back on for a picture in front of Gary and Adrianne's Christmas Tree though.

Here is the whole gang that went to Mimi's Cafe for Christmas Eve Dinner.
We were sad that Uncle Jim and Aunt Margo could not be there with us. They were up in Portland visiting Cousin Dave, Shinobu, Kiana and Cody. Maybe next year Dave and his family can make it down to the Bay Area. Cousin Jan and her boyfriend Ben were also missing as they were in Eureka. Jan has to work on Christmas at the Eureka Zoo so they could not come down.

What cute little girls.
They both looked so pretty in their Christmas Dresses.

Since Gary and Adrianne always have such a beautiful Christmas Tree I wanted to get a picture of the girls by the tree. They were really happy to take the picture, but would not stand still.

This was our second attempt to get a group photo of the kids. In the first one Hayley had her eyes closed and then in this one Tyler made the weird facial expression. Well, at least everyone had their eyes open in this picture.

Sean decided it would be funny to take a picture when I wasn't looking, but I realized it at the last minute and made this funny expression. Thanks for capturing all my beauty Honey!

Aunt Adrianne wanted to get Trevor, Hayley and Nora matching pajamas this year as a special treat. Well, she ordered the sizes appropriate for sizes for each kid, but when the pajamas came they did not look like the correct size for what was ordered. Needless to say they were way smaller than we are used to and so the pajamas were a bit tight on Trevor and too short for Hayley and Nora. Trevor did not want to put the pajamas on nor did he want his picture taken while wearing them. We told him that all he needed to do was put them on and let us take one picture. He did not want to and so this is the face he made while we waited for Nora to change. I was lucky enough to have snapped this picture before Nora got done and Trevor decided he would smile.

Although the pajamas fit the girls better I was thankful that Trevor let us get a picture of the three of them in their matchy pajamas. As soon as the picture was taken Trevor got back into his dress clothes. Can't blame the kid, but was happy he played along with Adrianne and I.

Hayley received a Magnetic Doll Set from her cousin Cody in Oregon and decided she wanted Nora to play with her. The girls had so much fun together tonight. Hayley always says that her and Nora play so well together . She is right they do.

HAVE A BLESSED CHRISTMAS!

Christmas Tree with Presents

I finished wrapping all the gifts last night that are for people outside our household and I just thought they looked nice under the tree. I have a funny thing about having all the same wrap, so I make sure I use different wrap for everyone in the same family. I don't want anyone to feel like their gift is the same as someone else even if when they open the gift it is the same present. I found a good sale on wrapping paper a few years back and have not had to buy any for the last few years except for the kids wrap. Seems that the list of kids we get presents for is growing. I love that, since Christmas is so much fun for the kids. It is so great to see the smiles on the kid's faces when they see the wrapped present and even more enjoyable when they open the gift and see what is n the inside. Aside from Christmas being the day Jesus was born and that being a TOTALLY amazing event, my other favorite thing about Christmas is watching the joy as kids open their gifts.

Although you can see my wrapping paper supplies and empty boxes I took this picture to show the cool stockings Trevor and Hayley made at Sean's Company Christmas Craft Event for the kids. They are hanging above our Nativity set. Our friend Melissa, also Sean's co-worker, made the stockings for each child and let them decorate it any way they wanted. The make a great addition to our Christmas decorations.

Last night when I went to check on Hayley before bed I found her in a weird position. No blanket down her pants or up her shirt this time, but worth getting the camera. She was so out when I went to move her back into bed. I am not sure if she just slid out of bed or did she fall asleep on the way back to bed. She likes to play in her room before she falls asleep. We are always finding toys in her bed in the morning. Either way it was a funny way to find her sleeping, so I HAD to share. Sean said I don't, but I like to anyway.

Last month my cousin Jan took this picture of Hayley. She is starting her own Photography business and took some pictures of Hayley for her new web site. If interested in seeing more of Jan's photography check out www.yoursacredimages.com

More Preschool Crafts

Hayley brought the Santa home first and it was quickly hung on the wall. Next came the Candy Cane, followed by the Red-Nosed Reindeer. The Reindeer in the Snow Globe, Ornament and Gingerbread Girl were created, but kept at school until her last day before break so the room would be decorated.

I was the helper the day the kids made the Reindeer. It was a lot of fun helping the kids create the crafts. Some did the craft very quick and then went off to play while others took a very long time and had to be encouraged to be done.

The class also made these Christmas Trees using toilet paper rolls, construction paper and lots of glitter. The glitter is still all over the inside of the car. Thanks!

Preschool Crafts are the best...

Today was Hayley's last day of Preschool until next year. She is officially on Winter Break. When my Mom went to pick her up today she had to laugh because all the kids were sitting on the floor with huge smiles on their face, their noses painted red, and with reindeer antlers on their heads. When I got home from work and came in the house, I saw Hayley sitting on the couch and asked why her nose was red. Before I could say more she jumped up and ran to the table to put on her reindeer antlers. She was so cute that I had to share a picture with you.

After the reindeer antlers were taken off, she put on the elf hat she made at Preschool. She wore this for most of the night, but asked Sean to take off her red nose.

Girls Just Want to Have Fun!

This is Hayley with her friends Kalia (Timeout shirt) and Natalie (Tinkerbell) on December, 13. Trevor and Hayley had not seen their friends for some time so we invited them and their parents over to visit. The girls played dress up and house most of the night while the boys were busy with their Nintendo DS and our Wii Video games. It is amazing that all three girls are 4 with Natalie as the oldest born August 17, Hayley born September 2 and Kalia born on September 9. Had Hayley not been so impatient and wanted out of my belly she and Kalia would share the same birthday, as the 9th was the day Hayley was originally scheduled to be taken by c-section. That would have made things even weirder since Kalia's brother Erick and Trevor share the same birthday just 1 year a part. Erick is 8 and Trevor is 7. I also think the height difference is funny.

December 14 was a cool day for the Johnson Family. Sean's work, Orchard Commercial, hosted a Christmas Party for the employee's kids. The kids were able to decorate cookies and color wooden ornaments. One of the ladies had even made stockings with each kid's name on it for them to decorate with beads, glitter, trees, snowman etc. In between projects the kids had many snacks to eat as well. It was such a fun time.

Check out all the Sugar Cookies the kids had to choose from. There was stars, trees, angels, snowman, reindeer, and more. The had white frosting, green and red icing, red hots, and way to many types of sprinkles. The kids were each supposed to decorate a whole plate full of cookies, but Trevor only wanted 3 and Hayley made 3. Sean said the next day at work there was tons of cookies left over.

Trevor really enjoyed coloring the ornament.
He was so careful not to go out of the lines.

Hayley on the other hand was all over the ornament and mostly with the black marker. Not sure why black, but she did add a bit of teal in a few spots.

Trevor and Hayley loved the chairs in the kitchen area. The chair had its very own tray attached and both of them thought it was cool to sit in them to eat the snacks provided.

Here is the final product Trevor made at the Christmas Party. He kept his stocking simple and yet very Winter-like.