Celebrating Life

I don't think we could have possibly fit anymore celebrations into the last two weeks.

To start the festivities we prepared for and attended Sutton's annual Dugout Days. This year was my first year serving on the Chamber of Commerce Board and in turn the Dugout Days Committee. It required quite a bit of my time but all in all it was a fun experience. I am proud to say that I assisted in making this fun-filled weekend one of the best yet. This year's theme was "There's No Place Like Home." As a committee member, they asked MACK, Inc if they would prepare and pull the Grand Marshal float through the parade. It was a lot of work but yet again Jan had a fabulous, creative vision and with the help John and Nathan it all came to life. The Chamber selected the new city administrator and his family, who recently move to Sutton from Kansas, to be the Grand Marshals of the parade.

Thankfully my parents came for the weekend and mom helped me take care of Mason while I assisted with the festival events. Dad brought the Jeep and it made its maiden voyage through the parade. Nathan got to drive and dad, Andy and Isaiah rode along to throw out candy. I am not sure who was most excited.

Lots of "vroom vrooms" to see.

Mason loved the bounce houses!

Next in the line up of celebrations was this summer babe's 7th birthday. We had a packed day of swimming lessons and summer school but we managed to squeeze in breakfast at the bakery, lunch with the family at Subway and a quick trip to Hastings for shopping and mani/pedis.

And if that wasn't enough, she also lost her front tooth. Apparently, after I tucked her into bed she stayed up and wiggled it with tissues until if finally popped out. Unlike any other normal child, she then wrote her own note to the tooth fairy and put it under her pillow without telling anyone. Needless to say, she was a bit disappointed when the tooth fairy failed to come. We came to the conclusion that it must have been too late in the night for her to add one more stop to that night's schedule. Only my child would be so independent. 

The very next day, July 1st, we celebrated the wonderful life of an amazing woman. Grandma Lorene (Griess) Johnson died on June 27th at the age of 91. She will be missed by many however she lived a long, full life and the memories will forever be with us and she in our hearts.

Jentry helped me make a photo collection to display at the services.

The funeral services were lovely and God provided a beautiful day for us to celebrate her life. It was fun for me to hear more stories about Grandma in her younger years, as I only knew her for the last four. 

Next stop....Harlan County....to properly celebrate Jentry's birthday with family. She chose a pink and black zebra theme and requested a taco salad bar and brownies "with no frosting". My parents hosted the party at their house and my sister made the desert which included homemade ice cream. I would totally recommend having your child's birthday party at your family's residence. It really cuts down on the prep work. Trust me. I have tried this twice in the last year and they haven't caught on yet!

  

Mason liked the ice cream a little too much.

And then we celebrated America with lots of great fireworks (thanks to Grandpa John and Nathan) and yet another parade.

My dear friend Lindsay and her family joined us.

Red White and Blue drinks were a big hit!

Finally we celebrated living near the best kept secret in Nebraska...the Harlan County Lake of course. This was Mason's first trip to the lake and let me tell you he loves the beach. So much so he wanted to drink the water and eat the sand.

This Monday morning finds me completely exhausted but oh so thankful for the many reasons to celebrate in this fabulous life of mine.

A Jeep... A Very Special Jeep

Since today is Fathers's Day, I find it very fitting to talk about a Jeep.  Not just any Jeep but a 1954 M38A1 Willy's Jeep. This jeep was purchased by Nathan's father at an auction when Nathan was a boy.  Nathan's grandpa, Rolland Johnson, had driven a jeep very similar to this Jeep while serving as an MP in the military in Hawaii. When Rolly saw it for sale, he asked John if he would bid on it and I believe the story is that John ended up with a winning bid of $250. They hauled it home from the auction and it sat in a quonset for years.  The intent has always been to restore the Jeep, but as usual life was busy and it remained untouched. While in high school, Nathan and his friends made an attempt to bring the Jeep back to life and began taking it apart. Unfortunately, their attempt stalled and Jeep was left looking like this.

Until one day, I talked my dad into taking on the project. And by take on I mean he dove in head first and was completely obsessed with restoring this Jeep to its true military form. Right down to the jerry can on the back. He picked it up in January and his goal was to have if finished in time for the 4th of July parade. The man that can't sit still had it ready to roll in June.

It's really quite funny, when I first brought up the idea my dad didn't seem at all interested. Then one day, out of the blue, he called Nathan and said, "Get that Jeep ready to go. I'm going to be coming through with a trailer and I guess I'll haul it west." I really shouldn't have been all that surprised. My dad is the type who needs it to be his idea before it is a good idea. 

So he hauled it to the their shop and the work began...

  

This Jeep is absolutely a family affair. This Jeep involves some of the most amazing men who just happen to also be fabulous fathers. Without Grandpa Rolly's military experience, John purchasing the Jeep, Nathan insisting that they hang on to it, my father's remarkable mechanical ability and passion for the project, my Uncle Craig's painting expertise and my cousin Jason's knowledge for Jeeps; this Jeep would have remained some old scrap parts that meant nothing. Because of these great men, this Jeep will be something that my son, Mason, will cherish forever.   

There is no way I will ever be able to repay my dad for this special Jeep. His talent simply amazes me and I am so grateful that I get to call him dad.

Mason's Mini Mom

Saturday morning, as usual, I woke up at 6:30. The house was quiet, so I allowed myself to go back to sleep. At 8:00 I awoke to sounds of Jentry walking around in her room. I could not believe that Mason was still sleeping. I took a few minutes to put in my contacts and brush my teeth. When I reached the hallway, Jentry's room was empty and the light was on in Mason's room.  I could hear their little voices and wondered what I was going to find. All of the sudden, Mason comes crawling out the door with his jammies half on, no diaper and a devilish grin. As I reached the room, Jentry had the changing pad pulled down to the floor, a new diaper in hand and an outfit set out. She was completely frustrated that she couldn't get her squirmy little brother to sit still long enough for her to finish playing mom. She was also very proud of herself. "I changed his wet stinky soaked poopy nasty diaper all by myself. It was soooooo gross!"

I was fairly impressed that she dealt with the diaper, however I am still wondering how her 43 pound body got a 25 pound little boy up and out of the crib. Most likely I don't want to know. Sometimes it is best for a mom to be naive.

Just A Little Trim

Mason received his first haircut last week. His mother didn't think he needed one yet, however his father said it was time. So, his mother scheduled him an appointment at the Midtown Hair Studio in downtown Sutton. Nicole Nuss was the stylist and she did a fabulous job of following Mason's mother's instructions to "just trim a little off the back and around the ears." Mason's father didn't think she had cut enough, so next time Mason's father is going to take him to the salon.

Mason had a wonderful time and sat very still. The stylist said it was the easiest first haircut she had ever given. Mostly Mason was curious as to where he was and what was happening around him.

Photography credit goes to our fabulous friend, Monica Smith, who just happened to be getting her hair done at the same time.