We are so pleased to announce the arrival of Marcus James, son of Adam and Emily, and little brother to Ben. He was born on Wednesday, May 6th, weighing in at 9 lbs. 7 oz. and was 22" long. He has a strong resemblance to Ben, but his hair is lighter in color. Mother and son are doing fine, which is such a great blessing. We are always so happy to add someone new to our family! 
It has been almost 24 years since we moved into our house and for all of those years only one window in the living room has had a covering. That blind broke several years ago, becoming nonadjustable, but since I couldn't decide what to replace it with, it just stayed as it was. I have always loved the look of plantation shutters and this past week we were able to have them installed on every living room window. I really love them and what they do for the room! They have created a cosier atmosphere in there. Oh and I need to mention the total privacy, too. They have insulating properties also, which will help keep the temperature regulated better (it's always been too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer) and the added bonus is a tax rebate! A new rug and a mirror will finally finish the room to be what I've always wanted it to be.
When I was seven years old my parents gave me the gift of piano lessons--probably one of the best gifts I have ever been given. I don't remember how old I was when I first had the desire to teach piano, but by my early teens I was dabbling in teaching. By the time I was fifteen I was teaching for real. I always loved doing it except for the time when I got up to forty-four students--kinda took the joy out of it. It was a great way to add to the family income and still be able to be home with my little children.
Jim and I have been avid movie goers for much of our life together--that is until recent years when we have been busier than ever and the movies have been less worth seeing. Some time ago (so long that I can't remember how long ago) we determined to eliminate R rated movies as entertainment possibilities. This we did in order to be good examples for our kids and to improve our own lives.
We've come close to even doing away with PG-13 movies! I get so tired of hearing how good a movie is except for this or that offensive thing. Why should I spend my hard earned money to see or hear things that shouldn't be for public consumption? The human imagination is a great thing, but movie makers have decided that we need everything graphically displayed instead of letting our minds fill in the blanks. We recently saw True Grit and thought it was a good movie except for the very graphic violence. There's that "except for" thing again!
A few weeks ago I read an article in the newspaper by Richard and Linda Eyre about Hollywood's movie rating system. Their idea was that we shouldn't determine what movies we see by their rating from a system that doesn't much match our family values. They pointed out that many excellent movies had received ratings that would keep us from seeing them. They also felt that parents should read reviews and see movies first before determining whether they are family fare or not.
Now I'm not sure whether I am in the position of justifying or not, but this weekend for the first time in ages we went to an R rated film, The King's Speech. It was one of the best movies we have seen in a long, long time--rated R for the king's use of curse words in order to cure a lifelong problem with stuttering. Don't get me wrong--I hate language like that, even though it is pretty commonplace now days, but I don't see how they could have left it out. I loved the historical value of the movie, the insight to life as a royal, the story of a friendship thriving despite class differences, and did I mention Colin Firth?
It pains me some to confess this to our children after preaching the "no R movies" sermon for so long, but I have given my recommendation without hesitation and they can decide for themselves. I expect that we will continue to remain extremely choosy about the movies we see and always make sure that it is worth our while and money.
Okay I'm off my soapbox now.
On last Monday night we held our annual Christmas party for the extended Johnson family. Getting together with these relatives that we don't get to see very often is definitely a highlight of the holiday season for us. Traditionally, this party was hosted by Mary and True on Christmas Eve. As their grandchildren grew up and had families of their own and the matriarch and patriarch of the family moved to a warmer climate, the tradition had to change. For the past several years Jim and I have hosted the party, with Adam and Emily arranging for us to rent the clubhouse in their neighborhood. It's a great facility--big gathering room, wonderful kitchen, a game room and big screen TV for the teens, a toy room for the younger children, and plenty of restroom facilities that none of us have to clean. Santa made his appearance amid cheers (and a few tears) and how we appreciate him (and his wife) traveling the long distance he must each time he does this. The food was plentiful and delicious and we loved being together. There are quite a few pictures, so we hope all of you Johnsons can find your beautiful faces among them. We missed those of you who didn't join us--hopefully you'll be with us next time.
