All Things Johnston

2009 was full of exciting events for the Johnston family. Some of them include:

A crazy, last minute trip to Bassett, Virginia for some gorgeous (and cheap) furniture from the Bassett Furniture Outlet.

Hiking Paris Mountain.

Aaron turned 34.

A trip to Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The family stayed in a wonderful little cabin (except for the scary drive up to it) and went hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains, rode go-carts, visited the aquarium, played games, watched movies, and had an overall fabulous time.

Luke and Jacob played soccer with the YMCA. Aaron was the coach of Jacob's team, the Fireballs. Luke was on the Wildcat team. Both of them did a great job.

Sadly Aaron's grandfather, Tasker King, passed away. The Johnston's traveled to Oak Island, NC for the funeral. The happy part was seeing the entire Johnston family (so many cousins) and playing on the beach.

Aaron's sister, April, and her family came to visit over Memorial Day. Everyone enjoyed going downtown, playing at the park, and being with the cousins.

Luke graduated from Kindergarten. His teachers, Mrs. Wilson and Mrs. Curtis, were wonderful. He learned a lot including how to read basic words. Jacob graduated from 3K with Mrs. Moe. Jacob enjoyed playing with friends, doing crafts, and reviewing numbers and letters.

Luke and Jacob took swim lessons at the neighborhood pool.

The most exciting news of the year was a new addition to the family, a girl. Lauren had to spend almost 6 weeks on bedrest to ensure that the little tater tot did not arrive too early. Everyone was grateful for all the help received from family and friends. Lauren even celebrated her 32 birthday from the comfort of the green couch.

Aaron was hired by Marvel Comics to adapt some of Orson Scott Card's works into comics. A dream come true! Later in the year he was hired by EA comics to co-write a comic, Dragon Age, with Scott Card. The family is eagerly awaiting the release of these comics in 2010.

Layne Elizabeth Johnston arrived on July 28, 2009 weighing six pounds, nine ounces.

The Johnston boys visited the new Children's Museum downtown.

Luke started 1st Grade with Mrs. Drabik/Miss McCurry and Jacob started 4K with Mrs. Harpool, who was also Luke's 4K teacher.

The Keller-Johnston clan gathered for Layne's baby blessing over Labor Day Weekend. Yummy food, conversation, and ooohing and ahhhing over the cutest little girl ever!

Father-Son campout for the boys on Paris Mountain. Sleeping in a tent, reading comics, and eating smores. It doesn't get any better than that.

Jacob turned 5. He celebrated with a pajama party. He and his friends ate pancakes, played with Legos, and had a lot of fun.

Layne figured out how to coo. She spent many afternoons laying on a blanket, jabbering with everyone. She also found her fingers. She discovered it was impossible to get her entire fist in her mouth, but that didn't stop her from trying.

Luke turned 7 and had a Batman party. The highlight was running an obstacle course made out of leaves that Aaron raked in the backyard.

Luke started reading like a pro. Everyone was very impressed. Jacob became the king of crafts. He decorated the house for several holidays with his creations. Everyone was very impressed again.

Thanksgiving was spent with the Johnston family in North Carolina. So much yummy food. Aaron finally purchased a Blu-Ray player. Another dream come true!

Luke lost his 2nd front tooth just in time to sing, "All I Want for Christmas…"

Layne learned how to growl. Cuteness ensued.

Christmas was wonderful, despite illness striking all of the boys at various times. Santa brought the boys a gps for geocaching. A new hobby!

The year ended with a visit to the Johnstons in North Carolina for their annual cereal party. Crying ensued when it was time to go home.



All in all a great year for the Johnston family.