Geneva's 7th Birthday

Geneva LOVES Dragons! Thank you Miss Penny for an amazing dragon cave cake.

Looking for hidden dragons..

Making dragons and dragon eggs.

Snacking by the fire.

What a sweet group of girls- we are so thankful for these dear friends. 

Loved time with Uncle David and Auntie "L"!

It was quite special to be a in CA with Papa and Mimi the week before G's birthday. We had a fabulous time celebrating with them.

 Geneva is such a joy. She loves life to its fullest. She's always moving, laughing, hugging, playing, and eating! This girl knows how to encourage others and make people feel loved. We are thankful for the work God is doing in her heart. She is learning obedience and loves the Lord. 

Maddie's 12th Birthday!

 

Celebrating at the White's Willows was absolutely the best!! We snorkeled, swam, floated, drove, and barbecued.

And she's driving....

Such a fun day with the White's!

Maddie's baby, Butterscotch

Paulyn was so kind to bake and decorate a chocolate cake with Maddie for her birthday.

We are so thankful for the young lady Maddie is becoming. She loves the Lord, serves others well, and is a hard worker. I love seeing her creativity and goofy side blossom. We are so blessed with good friends and family that invest in one another. 

Happy Resurrection Day!

 Water color paintings..  

 

Maddie made several batches of m&m chocolate chip cookies for some friends.

 Bunny pancakes!

 I had fun baking this lemon meringue pie, and it was delicious!!

We had a mini Easter egg hunt in our yard.

 

The girls dyed the eggs for the traditional Italian braided bread...

Savannah led us in devotionals using the Resurrection Eggs for the 12 days leading up to Easter. 

She did such a great job!!

Happy Resurrection Day from Team Johnson 2020!!

He has RISEN!!

Joy in the Midst of Difficulty

As we look around at our world, there is pain and brokenness due to the fall of man. It doesn't surprise me that COVID 19 exists--or cancer, for that matter. Death and suffering are part of this earth, as Christ could well attest to. He bore our sin, He was scourged for our rebellion, He was mocked for our transgressions, He was put to death to pay the perfect sacrifice for our sins. So as we put our busy schedules on pause during this Palm Sunday weekend during lockdown, I marvel at how Christ was aquatinted with grief, yet overcame the grave. He did all of this because His will was the Father's will and because it ultimately brings Him more glory because now there is a perfect and complete payment for reconciliation between God and man. The Rescuer completed His task under the severest conditions, and has set an example for how we are to live. In light of what He suffered, we can not complain- we have challenges, but nothing like that of Christ's. I am overwhelmed at His goodness. As I've spoken with Christians that are suffering this week- whether from isolation, loss of a loved one, COVID 19 symptoms racking their bodies, or other painful diseases...whatever the case may be; I hear hope coming from these individuals because they have placed their trust in Christ. Even though this world can be filled with trials, we have a confidence that Heaven will be filled with perfect communion, joy, and worship. So, we fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our Faith and keep running the race.

Part of the beauty of fait in Christ is that we can rejoice, even in a world where suffering abounds. Easter weekend is a perfect example of this. We rejoice because there is resurrection after death, there is joy after pain.

Along those lines, here are some ways we celebrated Palm Sunday...

 Jesse even helped with making the croissants!

 These sweet girls wanted to dress up for Palm Sunday, even though we watched the on-line service in our basement!

 Our children's ministry is amazing, and had a drive through pick up your palm branches and Resurrection family activity pack.

 Savannah's "Potato Man" even waved Palm branches!

 Savannah asked for some "property". She has a vision for a fairy garden and a spot for a few vegetables. 

 Here it is!!

After all the work in the sun, we had a bit of a water gun fight!

While we wait...

During these strange days where we stay home, distance ourselves from others, and stop all activities; the girls and I thought we'd share what we've been doing...

 School presses on! No stopping here, we are close to the end of several of our subjects for the year. We press on and want to finish well.

 Gerbil races! 

 Whenever it's not raining, we're outside!! Hammock is up and dolls are out for some vitamin D.

Saturday s'mores and stories by the fire!

 Church was around the kitchen table. Please join us as we listen to Jesse each Sunday morning!

 Pretend play- each stuffed animal is wearing a slipper sock- hahah!

 We re-organized all the girls clothes. They had all grown a size, so we were able to give away several bags of clothes! I learned a new way to fold and sort clothes so that you can see all your shirts/pants at the same time. 

 Lots of bike rides.

 The girls have been taking Taekwondo, and their studio is continuing with "zoom" classes- the teachers can see the kids and the kids can see and hear the teachers. The girls were thrilled to have earned their white belts.

 This was a first- today (Wednesday) Jesse married friends of ours and the wedding was on FaceBook live, so we "attended".

 Puzzles and story time in the evenings.

 We get to invest right at home. Yes we do!

There are challenges with being home more, and there are perks. We are making every effort to make the most of this time. Ephesians 5:16