GEORGIA for THANKSGIVING #4

DAY 3: ATLANTA: THE COCA COLA FACTORY and OLYMPIC PARK

On Friday we decided to head up to Atlanta to see the Olympic Park and the Coca Cola Museum. We weren’t sure how bad traffic would be since it was “Black Friday” so we got up early and headed off! It was FREEZING cold when we first go up there but because we’d bought tickets to the Museum the night before, didn’t have to wait in line. We were surprised at how small the crowd was. No lines or anything….that is, until we came out a few hours later! The line was all down the sidewalk, twisting and turning everywhere. Although the weather had warmed a bit, we were so glad we had arrived early!

After the Museum we walked around the Olympic Park a little and let the kids play! It was a so much fun to just be out and even more fun to watch people count all the kids! On our way home we ate at the ever popular RED ROBIN!

 

Olympic Park

 

The Coke Bear

 

Spencer, Ryan, Megan and Emily. Megan decided while we were there that she preferred Spencer over Logan. She stuck to him like glue. Logan was NOT happy about it. That girl….already breakin’ hearts! The funny thing is that she knows it too!

A really cool part of the museum is when you get to taste all the different coke products from different countries. Some were DISGUSTING!!! Everyone loved the Gingerbread Coke but I hated it too! After tasting all the different kinds of products, you get to the “North American” stuff. It was hilarious as people were running to get a regular Coke or diet Coke and exclaiming “I need to cleanse my palate"! Really? Cleanse your palate with COKE???

I LOVE this picture of Ryan and Spencer! Lisa got it and they didn’t know! These two are such good kids and had such a great time together!

  

My handsome “ALMOST” 12 year old!

Our cutest baby girl!

Our family at by the big coke bottle!

GEORGIA for THANKSGIVING #3

THANKSGIVING DAY

 

LISA SET THE MOST BEAUTIFUL DINNER TABLE! Look at those cute TURKEY Plates.

Thanksgiving day was exactly PERFECT!!! Opting out of the FULL CONTACT – NO PADS Turkey Bowl, Adam and Chris took off early in the morning to find a Golf Course that could get them out without a tee time. The rest of us stayed home and while the kids played, Lisa and I started making Thanksgiving dinner! Dinner turned out SOOOOOO yummy! I made my moms famous stuffing, and followed Lisa’s recipe for the BEST and I mean BEST sweet potatoes I’ve ever had, and Lisa did the rest! It turned out to be delicious! We all gathered in the Dining Room and ate til we were stuffed FULL!! Someone made the comment that it takes 10 minutes to eat what takes hours of preparing. SOOOO true but SOOOO worth it!

Avery’s FIRST Thanksgiving!

 

 

She pretty much slept through all of dinner but when she was a wake she was a doll and the kids couldn’t get enough of her!

CLOSE TO THE SAME AGE!!!

                      Annie and Katie 9 month age difference                                  Spencer and Ryan 6 month age difference

 

Garett and Emily 7 month age difference

   

Logan and Megan 6 month age difference

Watching these two together was HILARIOUS!!! They had a love/hate relationship and took turns being the boss of each other! In the end, Megan took the lead and Logan would do pretty much anything she asked him to do. If I asked him to do something, he’d ignore me but if I asked Megan to ask him to do it, he marched to her tune without skipping a beat!

LUKEY- Sorry buddy, we dropped the ball on this age! Luke seriously has the personality of two adorable 2 year olds! He is full of life and SOOOOOOO much fun! Maybe Chris and Lisa will let us share him with them!?

Avery and Matthew- 2 months age difference

Some of the kids jumping off some calories from dinner! (It should’ve been me out there jumping, not them!)

GEORGIA for THANKSGIVING #2

FLAT ROCK PARK

DAY 1 in Georgia began with Adam and Chris taking off for a round of GOLF! Of course it did because if there are two things these two love to do together its 1-Golf and 2-watch BYU Football (more to come on that in the next post!). This time they invited Spencer and Ryan to join them for their round! All four had a blast!

 

While the guys were gone, Lisa and I caught up! It was so fun to have nothing to do, nowhere to go and be able to sit and visit! With 9 of our combined 11 children running around playing, laughing, crying, eating, jumping on the tramp, asking when the dad’s and boys would be home and basically having a ton of fun, Lisa and I enjoyed our time getting to know each others kids and swapping fun Mom ideas! Lisa is the BEST when it comes to being a fun, involved, creative Mom. She truly inspires me to be a better mom!

When the guys got home from Golfing the kids were ready to go out exploring. The Johnson’s have already explored their local attractions and were more than happy to show them to us! We headed about 5 minutes down the road to a park called “FLAT ROCK PARK”. It’s called that because that’s exactly what it is; a park, with flat rocks and water flowing through it. Really cool! The kids had a blast hiking around exploring and semi willingly letting Lisa and I snap away! Lisa’s camera is AWESOME (on my Christmas wish list- hint hint Adam:-) so most of the really good pictures came off her camera! Thanks for sharing with me Leese!!!

 

ALL 11 KIDS!!! (Left to Right) Luke (2), Ryan (11), Emily (4), Logan (5), Avery(4 mos), Garett (7), Megan (6) , Spencer (11), Annie (10), Matthew (6 mos), Katie (9)

  

Lukey, Logan and Emily

                      Adam and His Girls                                                                 Adam, Avery, Matthew and Chris

 

The FLAT ROCKS!

Avery was so much fun on this trip! Such and ANGEL!!!!                I LOVE this picture of Adam and the Girls!

The greatest part of this trip for me was watching all of my kids hit it off perfectly with all of their kids! Annie and Katie hadn’t played together since March of 2006 but didn’t seem to skip a beat! They got along perfectly from day 1!

Annie and I love to take self portraits! I think this one turned out pretty cute!

After FLAT ROCK, we took the kids home and the adults (plus Avery) headed out for a fun date night! We went to dinner at a YUMMY restaurant at a place called Callaway Gardens. After dinner we ended up at a Barnes and Noble and wandered around showing each other some of our favorite books. We bought a few and then headed home where the kids were playing with the fun babysitters!

Once the kids were settled watching a movie, the adults stayed up and played a fun new game Chris and Lisa have called “Ticket To Ride”! Super fun game! The kids played it the next day and kept playing it the whole week long!

GEORGIA for THANKSGIVING #1…

THE JOHNSONS AND THE CHRISTOFFERSONS TOGETHER AGAIN!!!

It all started 17 years ago when one ELDER CHRISTOFFERSON and one ELDER JOHNSON played basketball at  the MTC (Missionary Training Center). There was some fierce competitive feelings between the two but in the end these two young Elders were destined to be life long friends. From the MTC, to Companions, to Roommates, the history these men share is full of nothing but cherished memories and a lifelong brotherhood that will never be broken! (above picture was actually taken post mission at our wedding! I couldn’t find any mission pics cause they are packed in boxes right now)

When these two Elders returned home from their missions they returned to school at BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY where they were roommates. In that year they met 2 beautiful Young Women. After lots of fun dates, and much falling in love, they each were married to the woman of their dreams :-) for Time and Eternity!

 

Young Couples- almost 15 years ago

 

FAST FORWARD to Thanksgiving 2009: One Respected Business Man, One Respected Radiologist, 2 wives (1 wife each to those raised eyebrows, thank you very much:-) and 11 children later and you have one LARGE group of people all ready for a WEEK OF FUN!!! And that is EXACTLY what it was!!

All of together outside the Johnsons BEAUTIFUL home!

  

Aren’t we all CRAZY!!! The funniest part is that Chris and Adam have been doing that pose where they stare at each other as long as Lisa and I have known them! Serious CLOWNS!!!