Christmas Letter 2013

Dear Family and Friends,

Another year down!! Needless to say 2013 came in like a Lion and out like a Lamb!!! So let’s just do a quick factually review. We started the year (Literally Jan 2) with the Flu, Mike, Noah, Cam, Sadie, & then me!! The flu left some lasting affects for Noah; a 2 month ear infection that resulted in tubes. Winter brought tons of snow, & record breaking blizzard.  Later in the winter a stomach bug effected 4 out of 5 of us (Still not sure how I managed to avoid it). Early spring we mourned with our City due to the Marathon Bombings, we had another round of Flu for Noah and Sadie, & fluid in the ears for Sadie causing her to fail multiple hearing tests. To start the summer off and the ICING ON THE CAKE, Noah got a mosquito bite that caused his entire forehead swell and one eye to completely swell shut!!

With all of this we still managed to enjoy our Crazy lives… We rang in 2013 with a cold, wet, and SOOO FUN trip into Boston. During Feb Vacation we had an amazingly fun weekend in Maine with Friends; we went sledding, had snow ball fights, played games, and just LAUGHED AND LAUGHED AND LAUGHED (If you’re ever looking for a fun game to play, Wise and Other Wise I highly recommend it)!!! In May we managed a much needed vacation to Florida (A sickness and injury free vacation I might add). We spent lots of time in Maine, at the Beach, and Cape Cod. We celebrated LOVE with friends at their weddings, celebrated LIFE with family at my Grandfather’s 90^th Birthday Party, and celebrated SUCCESS with the ENC woman’s Volleyball team making play offs, of course the Red Sox winning the World Series, and best one of all, Mike receiving a job promotion; we now refer to him as the Director of Facilities. We enjoyed spending time with friends and family, dressing up at Halloween, playing soccer & now Basketball, a tour of Fenway, and so much more.

There have been many moments this year where I have felt extremely overwhelmed with just the little things in life, the up keep of our home, the health and well being of our children, finances, just the typical pains of this world. In these moments without fail God has reminded me that he is my strength to take the next step up the mountain, not just the strength that gets me to the top, but the STRENGTH in JUST one little STEP!!! Sometimes the strength came in the form of laughter, an encouraging word, a moment of quiet or sleep, a good deal on an item we needed, a hug from a child,  or an “I love you mom”.  God’s strength came with many different faces, but I most often felt God’s presence when I had open eyes to recognize the small moments and a grateful heart to thank Him for this blessed life. 

In the next year I hope and pray that you may see the amazing presence of the One that Brings Peace beyond all understanding, strength for the weary, and Hope for the dismayed; may you SEE Him in laughter, a smile, a kind word, a hug, a moment of generosity and all the other GOOD little moments that make this life on Earth GREAT!!

For more updates on each of us… Read Below

                                                                                Love, Mike, Megan, Cameron, Sadie, & Noah Johnston

Mike: This spring he celebrated 10 years of work and commitment to his job, and this Fall Received a Promotion. As I said previously (But totally worth repeating) He is now the Director of Facilities. Mike also accomplished a big goal & something on his bucket list: he trained and completed a triathlon. Even with all these wonderful accomplishments and success if I were to venture a guess the High light of his year was taking 10 at Bats on Home Plate at Fenway Park, one of the 10 at bats he hit the warning track!!

Cameron: Is now 8 years old and in 2^nd Grade. He loves to Fish, play soccer & basketball, & when stuck inside you will find him doing one of two things playing Just Dance or Rainbow loom.  Proud parent moment: At Cameron’s Parent teacher conference besides telling us Cam was wicked smaht (While possible considering where we live she didn’t really say it that way) the teacher said that Cameron has been truly loving and companionate to the one problem child in the class; being this child’s partner, playing with him, etc. Even though Cameron’s determination can get him into a pickle at times, he really is a loving , caring, and soft hearted child.

Sadie: Oh my Sadie, she is now 6, but soon to be 7 and in the 1^st Grade. She is plugging away at her school work, but things of fashion and friends are of her highest priority!! Sadie is so funny and totally keeps us on our toes, she calls it like she sees it in this house!! Proud parent moment: Sadie’s teacher told me one day that while giving out stickers to the class. Sadie spoke up and told the teacher that she wasn’t supposed to get one because she had been absent. The teacher was very impressed with Sadie’s honesty and gave her the sticker anyway.

Noah: He’s 22months and a total charmer!! His smile really could just get you to do anything! Noah is following in his Brother’s Footsteps with a love for JUST DANCE!! With Noah food has been quite the battle (Dairy and Soy intolerance & textures), at the beginning of the year we were hopeful that he had outgrown his dairy and soy intolerance, but after about six month of unlimited Diet it was determined that his little body still was not ready for those proteins. So he is currently living a dairy and soy free life. Proud Parent Moment: This fall Noah had to go into the 2’s & 3’s Sunday School class for a day and the teacher wrote me a FB note telling me that Noah was Super Cute and had very good manners saying Please and Thank You.

Me:  Well my life overall is pretty much the same, however this summer I accepted the offer to be a Assistant Woman’s Volleyball Coach at the college level. My High School Coach Mr. Rendle is the head coach so I am learning from the best!! This season was really fun, we squeaked into the play offs during the last conference game of the season winning  a 5 game match!  This was the teams first playoff appearance in 7 years. Over the last few months I’ve been working on our house. I call it Operation LOVE my house again. My goal was for us to be de-cluttered by the first of the year which So far so good, over the break we will work on the basement giving Mike a “Handy Man’s” Work area and then come Jan 1st I’m moving onto a new project; Operation LOVE MYSELF! When I was given the green light to eat dairy and soy again I went a little “BUCK WILD” and gained 10lbs. Time to get back on track with Healthy Eating and RUNNING (5k’s anyone??)!!! So if you see me in 2014 ask me how it’s going it will help keep me accountable. 

Wanna Leave a Legacy that began before me!!

So This past weekend I was completely blessed to be with my GRANDFATHER my hubby, kids & mother, as well as my 5 aunts and most of there families. We are generally scattered all over the east coast from as far as Ft Myers, FL to as north as Boston, MA (clearly we are the Boston Folk!!)However on Saturday May 11th we were all together in Chambersburg, PA. where we came together to Celebrate my Grandfather's amazing 90 years of life and to wish him many more Happy days ahead.

He says "He is 90 years young and Turning 30x3" :-) Always a Jokester he is (and apparently I'm Yoda)

As I reflect on the life of those that have influenced me in my journey... My Grandfather is no exception.

Philippians 1: 3-6 says it best...
I thank my God every time I remember you. ⁴ In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy ⁵ because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, ⁶ being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

My Grandfather demonstrates Great Joy in Christ...  As a little girl I can remember waking up every morning and my grandfather would be sitting in a "BIG to me" (the eyes of a child) high wing backed gold chair located in the living room of my grandparents 2 bedroom bungalow. He wasn't just sitting there he was reading his Bible. There is no doubt in my mind that is where the source of all my grandfathers Joy comes from. That Joy overspills through his Music, His Joke and Laughter, And the Stories he shares about life.

It is because of the Legacy of faith that was established in the life of my grandfather that I can look at my family as testimony to the God's Faithfulness and the Words of Psalm 100...

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.

Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before Him with joyful songs.
Know that the Lord is God.
It is He who made us, and we are His,
we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.

 Enter His gates with thanksgiving
and His courts with praise;
give thanks to Him and praise His name.
For the Lord is good and His love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.

 

 

 

It is my prayer that I can continue the Legacy that began in the good work of my grandfather and will be completed through Christ.

 

 

 

 

Laundry and Credit Cards

Small observation as I work on our budget and laundry!!

So I've come to conclusion that Laundry is much like Credit Card Debt....

Once you get behind it is nearly impossible to catch up when you only do the minimum, and even if you do extra it still takes double the time to catch up then it did to get behind!!!

And thus I hate Credit Cards and Laundry!!!

Adventures in CIO #5: Starting Over cause Habits Die Hard!!

So two weeks of illness leads to MUCH regression in the CIO department.. Needless to say I've had to START OVER!!

As I laid in bed last night I kept saying "WE ALREADY DID THIS!! THIS HARD WORK WAS DONE!!!"

Now I will endure another week of sleepless nights!!! As if 2 weeks of sleepless nights due to illness wasn't enough!! (It's no wonder I have so much Gray Hair!!)

This adventure reminds me of my own habits and battles with bad habits!! When I allow myself to even take a taste of the bad habit I totally Regress!!! So when its time to go back to Good habits I think I am much like Noah... Banging my head against the crib, pulling my hair out, and SCREAMING!!! (Noah has a set of PIPES!!!)
Healthy living is one of those areas for me!! I just want to grab what is easy and not think about the nutritional value it has on me and my body!!! I don't want to walk / run, I just want to RUN. My body is so not ready to RUN a 5K. I think I've shared this before but I Hate the process and just want to get to the PRODUCT!!! Cause the Product means I can be "Laxed" and it doesn't take as much brain power!! The Product means I've gotten myself back into good choice routines!

 

Noah and I are both going to try and enjoy this process a little more... For example while I won't feed Noah in the night I will pick him up and rock and sing to him, taking baby steps back to sleeping through the night! Thinking that maybe for both of us COLD Turkey isn't the way to go!! For me I'll walk /run outside in the beautiful sunshine while listening to my Fave Music and hopefully the process of getting to Running a 5K will be a little more enjoyable!! Instead of dwelling on what I can't do at the moment I'm going to dwell on what I CAN do!! ;-) As for food... CHOICE AND CONSEQUENCE are what is on my mind, MY NEW MOTTO....

MY CHOICES TODAY WILL AFFECT THE RESULTS OF TOMORROW!!!

Fashion Faux Pas TOTALLY BUSTED!!!

When I was in 3rd Grade I would spend every Tuesday afternoon on the Campus of Eastern Nazarene College... My babysitter was a student and Quincy had 1/2 day every Tuesday... (They still do actually)

Well I had this light baby blue Sweatshirt and a Pink Polo shirt that I would wear with jeans (This outfit sounds terrible!!!!)... But I thought it was so Cool!!! So naturally I had to wear the "Coolest" thing I had on Tuesdays when I was with College students. Well After several weeks maybe even months... It came to my attention that when you only see people once a week and you wear the same thing on that day WELL you get the idea... They think those are the only clothes you have!!! ;-) (Even in later years it was known as my "TUESDAY" outfit) So at the age of 8 I learned a valuable fashion lesson... Variety is good, Mixing things up is important.

Well Fast forward to mommy hood meaning limited money, self-esteem issues, etc... And over the last few weeks I've been looking through our photos... Apparently I've reverted back to my 8year old ways. I'll just let you see what I'm talking about...

 

We'll just call this shirt my "Special Occasion" or "Photo Op." Shirt.

Holding on to Truth!!

As I prepare to send my children back to school after a week off and an extreme life altering, world view changing tragedy...  I have Two Scripture verses that I am HOLDING ON TO SO TIGHTLY and I am using as the words to my prayers in the aftermath of the Marathon Bombing.

2 Timothy: 1: 7
For God has not given us a Spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

Philippians 4: 6-8
⁶ Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

⁸ Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.


I pray these words not because I fear for their physical safety at school, I fear for their emotional and spiritual safety. I worry that the thoughts and words of the others in regards to these tragedies will take aways my children's innocence, sense of security, sense of peace...  We as parents have chosen our words carefully and have been as honest and protective as one can be. I pray that the focus of tomorrows discussion be on all the THINGS that were Honorable, Right, Pure, Lovely, NOBEL...

And the truth is this not just my prayer for my 3 children but my prayer for all the children that enter Boston (& the surrounding area) schools tomorrow. I pray for God's Hand to guide the words of the teachers & administrators as they comfort our children. I was so incredibly impressed and grateful for how the school handled the events of Sandy Hook.. I am praying for the same wisdom in light of the events in this past week.

So if it comes to your mind tomorrow as these children go back to school pray that  their little hearts and little minds will be protected from A Spirit of Fear and Timidity, and that they will be embraced by POWER AND LOVE!!! 



 



 

I am Boston Strong: Because I have Hope and Comfort in Jesus Christ

A glimps at our week....

Boston's 117 Marathon Monday... Need I say More (Clarification we were not at the Marathon, but the events that happened shook us)... BOSTON STRONG!!!!

Picture taken Last Spring (Not Marathon Monday)

Tuesday Phone call my mother is in ER from Dehydration she caught the stomach bug.

Wed 1am Noah is crying he seems fine... Sadie is Crying Fever of 102+
3am Noah has a fever of 102+

Wed & Thursday are spent secretly following the news online and trying to take care of Two sick children and entertain a Highly energized Bored 7 year old.

Wed afternoon my childhood/life long Best Friend delivered her sweet little boy Isaac.

Thursday Doc appointment confirms that Noah and Sadie have influenza B yes Round 2 of the flu for us!! UGH!!

Friday... Still two sick kids, a man hunt and Boston on Lock Down!! (Thankful my actual residence is safe)... Highly energized boy is outside playing!!!

Today I reflect on the emotions that have Filled my Heart this week!!!

I am Over Joyed by God's gift of new life

I am Sorrowful at the loss of young life 

I am Mad at those who have stolen our sense of security
I am Proud and Appreciative to those men and woman who risk their lives to heal and bring security back to our city.
I am Determined to not let fear overcome us

I am Tired from fighting infection and sickness

I am  Over whelmed by all that life throws at us
I am Grateful to God for the life he has given us and His gifts of Strength & Peace in the face of adversity!!!  

 

You may not be in mourning for the pains or loss of loved ones or fearful from acts of terror... but whatever hardships you may find in this life may this song remind you of the comfort that can be found in knowing that...

 

"The arms that hold the universe
Are holding you tonight
You can rest inside
It's gonna be alright

And the voice that calmed the raging sea
Is calling you His child
So be still and know He's in control
He will never let you go"