Johnson Family

Ten Years ???

2012-01-24T21:45:00.000-08:00

Ryan and I celebrated our tenth anniversary this year. Man, that went by quickly!! We are far from perfect, but I sure am a lucky girl to have him. We make a great team. I look forward to many, many more decades with him. We were fortunate to have Ryan's parents come to our house and stay with the kids while we spent two days in Bellevue. We went to the Seattle Temple, out to eat, shopped a bit, and did a whole lot of wonderful NOTHING. It was very refreshing and relaxing to get away for a bit, but not have the stress of travel. Of course, we could never have done it with my AMAZING in laws ( I really married Ryan to have them :))!

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The Big 3-0 !!!

2012-01-24T21:29:00.000-08:00

I tried to avoid it, but I turned 30 this year! I have to admit that I did not like it very much and wanted to keep it pretty low key. Ryan wanted to throw a party, but my birthday falls during a very hectic time of year, so I talked him out of it. I think deep down he was relieved. He did arrange a babysitter ( a first, I think) and we went to dinner and did a little shopping. The kids and Ryan also picked out a delicious cake that we enjoyed for days. It was fun to see them excited because I certainly was not. :) I am very thankful to be where I am at this stage of my life. I am truly blessed...but how about NO MORE birthdays?!?!?!

Santa Comes to the Neighborhood 2011

2012-01-23T20:25:00.000-08:00

One of my very favorite traditions of the season is the visit we get from Santa and the firefighters during the annual food drive. It really is magical to have Santa come to our house. He is so sweet and spends plenty of time with each child. Unfortunately, Ryan was not home, I was holding Eliza (who wanted nothing to do with Santa), and I was still learning with my new camera, so the pics aren't great, but I tried.

Santa reading Connor and Sadie's letter

On their lists this year...

Connor- 1. Mario Bros for Wii 2. Commander Locke (Star Wars figure) 3. Otter stuffed animal 4. Diary of a Wimpy Kid book

Sadie- 1. Barbie Doll house 2. Just Dance 3 for Wii. Big Ladybug pillow pet

Our Elf Jo came tonight as well. The kids were sooo surprised and happy!

Saying Good Bye and Going Home

2012-01-23T20:08:00.000-08:00

Before we hit the road, we attempted to take some group shots of all of the cousins and grandparents. This is what we got! I am so happy that we got to spend the week with family. Thanks to my brother and Nicole for hosting. I'm sure they were not too sad to see us all go. :) Our kids were exceptional on the way home-only had to stop once in Pendleton at Wal-mart. We ate some Subway and ran around in the toy section, and then were back on the road. Having said, that they were well-behaved, they were also VERY spoiled on the way home. Each of them had their own DVD player. Sadie had her own space in the back of the van in her own little world with shows and snacks. Every once in a while she would pipe in and say, " How much longer?" We would tell her, " Five more hours!" She would respond, "Okay!" and put her headphones back on! Connor sat in the middle so he would not get carsick and watched Harry Potter movies and fed Eliza snacks. Eliza wore her BOSE headphones and watched endless "Baby Signing Time." Is that how your road trips were when you were a kid??

Seriously??

Sadie taking a break from movies for a snooze.

Just Dance vs Mario Bros

2012-01-23T20:02:00.000-08:00

There was lots of video gaming during the week we spent in Idaho. The boys spent a lot of time playing Mario Bros. and the girls spent a lot of time playing Just Dance. The boys, uncles, and grandpa even joined in on the dancing. So Fun! Guess what Wii games ended up on both Connor and Sadie's Christmas lists??

Em, Ethan, Connor, and I gettin' our groove on...

Cutest dancers EVER!

Boys playing Mario!

Thanksgiving Day

2012-01-23T19:42:00.001-08:00

The kids had a fun table on the floor-who needs chairs?? They loved it!

These 2 look look almost like twins!

Two cool boys!

Throwing rocks into the river. Eliza has a pretty good arm!

These two look like they could be sisters too!

I love the way Connor is looking at Eliza. He ADORES her!

Thanksgiving day started out with the guys going out to play football with some of Adam and Nicole's neighbors. Nicole and I also snuck in a run! We had a FABULOUS dinner. Thanks to Nicole, Mom, Emily, and Tom (potato man). I helped here and there, but am not nearly as skilled in the kitchen as everyone else. There is something special about having most of the recipes that I grew up on. Yum! After dinner we felt like we all NEEDED a to get out and exercise (so we could come back and eat seconds and dessert :) . Luckily the weather cooperated and we had a beautiful walk. Sarge (Adam's dog) even went for a swim!

Early Christmas

2012-01-18T21:48:00.000-08:00

Since most of us were together (we missed Melanie and family), we decided to cousin gift exchanges, and presents from Grandma and Grandpa presents a little early. We had to sing the traditional Robinson Christmas Carols. Then we ripped into presents! I think everyone was happy. My kids' favorite was a karaoke machine. They have had a great time rockin' out to Taylor Swift together. I have banished them to their room with the door closed if they are using it. :)

Eliza dancing to the songs

Happy kiddos!

Cute Lucy

Dad directing the carols. (Yes, that is a Turkey on his head-he wore it 24/7 the entire trip! He even brought drumstick headbands for all the kids.)

Pediciure Party

2012-01-18T21:40:00.000-08:00

The girls had a blast painting each other's toes and GRANDPA's toes!

More Cousins, Grandpa, and a Bounce House!

2012-01-18T21:29:00.000-08:00

Emily, Tom, and their family arrived Tuesday as well as my dad. Wednesday we rented a bounce house. All of the cousins bounced and bounced ALL day. It was so much fun. Grandpa got in on the fun, and got beat up a bit I think!

Turkey Cookies

2012-01-18T21:25:00.000-08:00

Nicole and Sadie made some delicious sugar cookies together and I made frosting and helped them decorate them. I sure wish we lived closer to cousins so we could do things like this more often!

Skating in Idaho

2012-01-18T21:00:00.000-08:00

After Pinkalicious , we stayed the night in Portland, dropped Cooper off at the best dog sitters ever (Mark and Anette's) and started the drive to Boise to see my family for Thanksgiving. We were blessed with great weather and surprisingly well behaved kids in the car. We arrived Sunday evening and Monday we went roller skating for the first time EVER. Even Ryan had never been roller skating (how that happened, I don't know). Usually Connor is very cooridnated, but he was TERRIBLE. He tried soooo hard and never gave up the whole two hours we were there, but I can't say he improved at all. Ryan was afraid of getting injured-he is so tall that he has a long way to fall-so he took his skates off and walked around with the kids. Sadie was cautious, but did a pretty good job with Aunt Nicole helping. Madi and Avery did great! Luckily Grandma Kathleen stayed home with Eliza, since both Sadie and Connor were pretty high maintenance. We see how long it is before we go skating again!

Sadie LOVES Aunt Nicole

Sadie and Connor

Nicole, Avery, and Adam

Connor loved hanging on to that wall!!

Pinkalicious!!!!

2012-01-17T21:17:00.000-08:00

Frosting shot!!

One for the wedding album :)

All decked out in her Pinkalicious gear from Grandma. Connor graciously declined when she asked if he would like a Pinkalicious gift bag...

Grandma Anette told us that there was a play based on one of Sadie's all time favorite books, Pinkalicious playing in Portland and we decided we couldn't miss it! Luckily our friends' Nadia and Olivia were able to get tickets right next to us. It was such a fun outing. Connor did not want to be left out and is secretly entertained by the book as well, so we were happy to have him come along as well. He, however, refused to wear pink! We started with Lunch at Elephant's Deli, followed by a trip to the one and only Cupcake Jones for cupcakes, of course, a trip to Powell's books, and finally to the play.

Halloween 2011

2012-01-17T20:59:00.001-08:00

Sadie and Lauren

Good Shepherd Preschool

So the following posts are very late-but better late than never! Halloween this year seemed to be celebrated for a week rather than a day! I love it all! We had a school festival, church trunk or treat, preschool dress up, dance dress up, and finally the neighborhood trick or treating and traditional dinner at the Fourtner's house. Sadie wanted to "match" Eliza so we had two Rapunzel's and a Harry Potter. Eliza was super fun this year and LOVED collecting candy and kept signing "more." :) Sadie had a funny experience at preschool. When she walked in another little girl was also dressed as Rapunzel. When she saw Sadie, she put her hands on her hips, marched over to her mother, and said, "HER DRESS IS PRETTIER THAN MINE!!!" Girls....I did get a good giggle! I think everyone had a great halloween. I had the thought this year that Connor may not really care to dress up that many more years and it made me a little sad. Why do they have to grow up?? I hope I can cherish these years that they still like me.

Puyallup Fair

2011-11-15T21:53:00.000-08:00

I have wanted to go to the Puyallup Fair for years now, and finally took my girls with Heidi and her friend from college Jami. It was another "girls only" day. I asked Connor if he wanted to be pulled out of school to go and he declined. We had a fun filled day of looking at animals, riding lots of rides, and of course fair food!!

All the girls except for Brooke and Eliza sleeping in the stroller.

Rides!!!

Fall Soccer 2011-Sadie

2011-11-15T21:42:00.001-08:00

At the very last minute (literally signed up at the first practice), Sadie decided that she would like to try soccer. Sadie has never had ANY interest in sports, but with her friend Lauren playing-she decided to give it a whirl. We were so glad that she did!! It was so great for her confidence. She has been dragged to all of Connor's events since she was born, and for once we were our supporting and cheering her on. She was a really good little runner. She got in and kicked the ball a bit too-don't think she'll go pro, but we were very proud of her. She always followed the coaches' instructions and never once complained,whined, or cried. Way to go Sadie!

Helping Lauren up :)

Grandpa and Grandma made it to a game!

First Day of Preschool/Dance

2011-11-15T21:24:00.000-08:00

Another belated post-but I wanted to document Sadie's start of what has been a great year so far. Sadie LOVES preschool so much. I remember that Connor enjoyed preschool, but was just as happy or more to be home with me. It is a whole different story with Sadie. She LOVES school!! The teachers at Good Shepherd are the sweetest, most kind and gentle women in the world. We have switched from afternoon to morning Monday/Wednesday/Friday preschool this year. It has been a nice change for us. Ryan usually drops Connor off at school. I am able to get myself and the girls ready. Then we head to preschool drop off, and Eliza and I head for the gym for an hour or so. Sadie is doing her second year of dance this year as well. She is one lucky girl. I am happy that she is a happy-well adjusted little girl.

Sadie and Lauren before dance!

Circle Time

Best Friends!

Adorable little girls!

Northwest Trek

2011-11-15T21:02:00.001-08:00

This post is a few months late because unfortunately our camera was lost. Luckily my sweet friend Heidi has a really nice camera (and is a great photographer)- and sent me lots of pictures of fun things we did together. Thank goodness for good friends! The last week before school started, we loaded up the minivan-6 kids and 2 moms, and headed to Northwest trek. It had been a few years since we had been and we had a really great day! It is fun that the habitats are more natural, and the animals seem "happy" and well cared for. The tram ride is neat to see all of the "free roaming" animals. It was a cooler day-but perfect for what we were doing.

Mason and Connor on the tram. They were busy marking things off on their "check lists."

Lauren and Sadie...

Funny girl

Sleepy girl

Love them...

The babies-getting so big

I can not believe how big these two are!!! (Weren't they JUST in preschool together??)

Eliza loved looking at the grizzly bears.

The whole gang-minus Eliza

Hunter's Pumpkin Patch 2011

2011-11-01T20:55:00.001-07:00

We met Heidi, Brooke, and Lauren for a "girls" only day at Hunter's. Poor Connor...:( We had a picnic lunch, enjoyed the slide, hay maze, feeding goats, more slide, a tractor ride to the pumpkin patch, and even more sliding. What a beautiful fall day with great company to share it with. On days like this, I feel like we live in the most beautiful place in the world...and forget about the 9 months of rain. :)

Slide from the barn-definately the favorite thing to do at Hunter's!

Trying for a "sister" pose

Mad about sitting on the hay for a picture!

Lauren and Sadie

Pulling the cup of food up for the goats.

Feeding goats

Shilter's Pumpkin Patch 2011

2011-10-30T22:23:00.000-07:00

The first of our 3 visits to our favorite pumpkin patches this fall was to Shilter's. It is a really cute farm complete with a tractor ride, park, animals, pumpkin bowling, duck races, pedal tractors, slides, and more. The girls and I had a great morning with our friends the Springer's. We missed Connor though...full day school is a bummer!

Sisters

Pumpkin bowling

Duck races

Tractor ride

A "Rockin" First Day of School

2011-10-09T22:18:00.000-07:00

Who gets to go to a Taylor Swift concert on the very first day of first grade... CONNOR JOHNSON! What a luck guy! Ryan got me Taylor Swift tickets months ago and Connor has a bit of a celebrity crush on her (and knows every word to every song). My brother flew out with my niece Madison to have a father/daughter trip and go to the concert, so I decided to bring Connor as well. After a fantastic first day of school, we headed to Tacoma for

a steak dinner (Madi's request) and then we were off to the concert. I was concerned at first because the opening bands were quite loud and I think the long day started to set in and he was not enjoying himself very much. He wasn't complaining or whining, but he just sat and covered his ears. I don't know what I was thinking

to not bring earplugs. He has ALWAYS been sensitive to loud noises.

When Taylor Swift came on, however, he got a second wind, and perked right up. He took so many photos and illegal videos :) of every song. We both really enjoyed the impressive show Taylor put on. It felt like a mix between a concert/broadway show. The sets, costumes, dancers, band members acrobats, hugescreens, and of course Taylor-were all pretty amazing. We enjoyed every minute-Connor would say the only bad part was ALL the SCREAMING girls!!! They were VERY loud. What a fun and memorable night! (We won't mention I kept him up until midnight and sent him (by choice) to school in the morning.

Connor wore this exact shirt/shorts on the first day of Kindergarten :)

Off the bus-and a little irritated I met him there-he is "in first grade now and can walk home by himself!"

Our fancy dinner-thanks to Madi and Adam

Connor covering his ears=me very worried!

Taylor Swift finally coming on=Connor Happy! (PS. I have a very handsome date :))

Taylor

Sadie would have loved these princesses/ballerinas

Adam, Madi, and Connor

Me with the cute kiddos

Connor's 7th Birthday

2011-09-29T22:19:00.000-07:00

Connor and Sadie returned home from "grandma and grandpa camp" to celebrate his birthday. We decided this year to make a rule to do "friend" parties every other year. That is what we have done thus far (not on purpose), and I was afraid of Connor not being ok with this, but surprisingly he was just fine. We had a "family" party with Mom, Dad, Sadie, Eliza, Grandma, Grandpa, and Uncle Chad. On Connor's "to do" list for his birthday, was cake, presents, family walk/bike ride, and playing catch. I am glad we were able to accomplish all of his cute, simple wishes. He was so excited to get some Harry Potter Legos, a new baseball mit, a net that bounces baseballs back to him (not sure what its called-but basically allows him to play catch by himself ANYTIME-thanks Grandma and Grandpa Westover), a new BIG Star Wars ship, and a doggy pillow pet. What a lucky guy! I sure love my Connor. There is something special about a mother/son relationship that I am so thankful to have.

Some 7 year old Connor Tid Bits:

Connor loves all things sports-his favorite is whatever sport season he is playing at the moment. (Right now it is flag football.)
Connor LOVES his baby sister Eliza and is an excellent brother to her-he certainly be a better brother to his sister Sadie-the two are so incredibly different and often butt heads...I tell him all the time how grateful he will one day be to have Sadie for a sister-she is cute and will have cute friends for him to date I'm sure!
Connor is a great student. He is the "responsible" kid in his class that is always asked to walk kids to the nurse, assist others in their work, etc. (He would be a terrible homeschooler-doesn't respond well to me telling him to do things-but if I say "his teacher wants him to complete a task" he will.
I believe he is developing a strong testimony/relationship with Jesus and Heavenly Father. He enjoys church now (at least the Primary portion) and is excited to be baptized next year.
Connor is soooo active. The boy does not sit down unless I make him! When it is sunny especially-he wants to eat, play, and sleep outside.
He likes to watch nature and survival shows like "Big Cat Diary" and "Man vs Wild"
Connor has many friends and is getting good at being polite and respectful (vs shy) with new people.
He LOVES fruits and veggies-still pretty picky about main courses. Would eat ALL sweets if I let him.
Connor is independent. He gets dressed and ready for school himself-walks himself to class-and does not allow me to get him from the bus stop.
Recently is developing an interest in writing and drawing-I have to admit-so far not his best talent (gets that from me) but he enjoys it, so that's all that matters.
Loves music, loves to sing along and play drums-especially to Taylor Swift after attending her concert-Ryan says we need to listen to Pearl Jam more in the mini van. :)
His heros are his Grandpa and Dad-but when he needs something or wants to chat-Mama's #1
He really wishes he had a brother...
Connor is just a good kid-with some stinker moments for sure-but in my heart I think that he will make good choices when it counts. Love him!

Make a wish

It has now become tradition for Sadie to play Happy Birthday on the key board.

Ready...

I love this one because everyone is in it-except for me.

Someday they will be friends right???

He couldn't decide between a cake or a cookie cake so I made both!

Happy (and Spoiled) kiddo

Eliza with HER 2 week old b-day balloons-wishing it was still her turn...

Pasta Dash 2011

2011-09-27T22:58:00.000-07:00

On the last evening of Mom and Dad's visit, we decided to do a local race called the Pasta Dash. Heidi Juergen's and I rocked it in the 10k and the dads and kiddos did the fun run. It was fun to do an event as a family and with friends. Sadie and Connor loved it so much, they were asking when the next race was on the way home.

2 Hot mama's with their 6 cute kids

Heidi Finishing

Me finishing

Mason, Thomas, Connor

Olivia and Sadie-Sadie surprised us all with her excitement and endurance. She tends to be a priss at times-but we were impressed with how well she did. 1 mile is quite a distance for little legs and she didn't complain a bit!

Connor and Thomas finishing together

Eliza along for the ride!

Before the race

Leavenworth 2011

2011-09-27T22:40:00.000-07:00

Grandma and Grandpa Westover came to see us in August. We decided to go on a little getaway to a cute Bavarian village called Leavenworth. We stayed at a fun place where we enjoyed mini golf, swimming, arcades, and more. We tried to have a nice dinner-which Eliza pretty much ruined!! She was so loud had to have 2 diaper changes, etc. This is why we NEVER go to sit down dinners with one year olds!!! Unfortunately, most of the pics were on my mom's camera, but I did manage to snap a few. There is a beautiful park in town that the kids enjoyed rolling down the little hill and racing with Grandpa. They also loved all the candy stores in town. We also went on a walk along the river before leaving. It was a short, fun little trip.

Rolling down the grass hill

Racing Grandpa

Snoqualmie Falls on the way home

Sometimes they do enjoy one another :)

I love the tender look on Connor's face-he LOVES that baby sister of his!

Dinner

She even has a look of "I'm going to be a huge pain-and ruin everyone's dining experience" on her face!"

Eliza Claire Turns 1!!!

2011-09-27T21:08:00.000-07:00

Every mother says this, but it really is true...where did a whole year go?? My sweet, sweet girl turned one on August 8th. We had a little get together with a few of her favorite people-the Cammack family, Juergen's family, and Beardsley family. Eliza got her own cake and made a bit of a mess with it, but was not that impressed with it. She seems to be not that interested in sweets-yet. We enjoyed a spread of cookie cake, cupcakes, brownies, and fresh fruit. I think we ate more than her share. :) We sure all love our "Lizy" girl-and are so thankful for her! A few facts/thoughts about 1 year old Eliza...

Eliza is crawling fast and pulling up to everything-walking in the near future!
She has 8 teeth and cutting molars.
Amazing sleeper-napping 2 times a day+sleeping through the night.
Connor and Sadie still RUSH into her room when she awakes to steal some "alone" time before I get her out of her crib.
She can do the "shake"-like Sadie on demand (both fists and teeth clenched and whole body "shakes")
LOVES Cooper more than anyone in the family.
Friendly-will go to most anyone.
She will always smile for us-but takes quite a bit of effort for her to giggle.
Very independent.
Favorite place in the house at the moment (mom's least favorite)-climbing up in the dishwasher.
Destructive-she loves to make messes and destroy piles of neatly folded laundry.
Words-"mama" , "dodo" (dog), "dada"
Addicted to Baby Signing Time Videos and learning many signs
Content
Great Eater-love that she will eat whatever I give her!!
Mama's girl when I am around, but ok when I am not.
Favorite book (we just hid it because we are so sick of it) "That's Not my Bunny!"
Will snuggle when woken up out of her crib-but only very briefly :(
Getting some hair-but it is sooo white! We keep trimming it to spare her the embarrassment of a mullet.

Eliza's favorite party guest-Cooper!

Eliza and Daddy

Taking away berries to give her cake-she looks irritated by me...

Love Connor and Henry's Faces

The family

Charlie and Eliza

Boys playing football

Girls on the trampoline

Grandma entertaining the birthday girl!

Grandma and Grandpa Time

2011-09-12T23:13:00.001-07:00

The first week in August we the kids and I decided to head to Portland to spend a few days with Grandma and Grandpa. When we got into town we went to Sweet Tomato-an all you can eat soup and salad buffet that the kids LOVE. I think they love the control of scooping their own food, and especially the self serve ice cream. The next day we went to see Winnie the Pooh (such a cute movie), to Powell's-a local bookstore, and Panera for lunch. The girls and I went to the park while Grandpa and Connor went shopping together. Always a nice break from household chores and such when we are there. I get to just be "mom" without worrying about lots to do, as well as pass the kids off with Grandma and Grandpa a little. :)

Ensign Ranch Camping 2011

2011-09-12T22:47:00.000-07:00

We got to go to Ensign Ranch again this year with the Cammack's (minus poor Zach and Nadia-who were sick), Romero's, and Reed's. Many thanks to Grandma and Grandpa for coming to our house to watch Eliza. I just did not think that Eliza would be ANY fun camping. Crawling in the dirt, fire, tent sleeping with an almost one year old sounded like a recipe for a terrible camping trip for us all. Needless to say, Grandma and Grandpa had a blast with little Eliza all to themselves for the weekend-and we loved spending time with just the "big kids." We had fun having smores playing flashlight tag, sitting around the fire, sleeping in the tent, eating junk, horseback riding, sliding on the slip and slide, and canoeing. The only bad part was little Sadie (not the most graceful) tripped over a tent tie down in the dark and landed on her face. Thank goodness Dr. Spenser (our dentist) was there to take care of her. There was so much blood that I would have packed up camp and headed to the emergency room if he hadn't been there to clean her mouth out and calm ME down. Sadie was very tough and was happy to head to the tent and watch a movie on her own DVD player.

Ryan and Sadie went down the slip'n slide countless times!!!

Enjoying a nice cool ice cream treat

Sadie on a grumpy horse-I led the horse and had no idea what I was doing!

Connor's horse was much more compliant.

A Few More Pool Days

2011-09-12T22:33:00.000-07:00

Although it seemed that summer really didn't come until August this summer-we did manage to spend a few final days at the pool. Being mostly from Texas and California, Summer=Pool time. I do have to admit that the cooler weather here affords for many, many all day park days-which are few and far between for kids in the summers for kids who live in hotter climates...for that I am grateful, but I still LOVE the pool and the sun. Eliza can take or leave the pool, Sadie has become a little fish, and Connor is an excellent swimmer, but prefers short swims and more playing in the fields behind the pool. So sad when our pool days are over...until next year I suppose!

The girls and I

Sadie and Olivia

Eliza snacking in the stroller

Connor and Thomas

Sleeping Beauty Eliza

2011-09-01T13:27:00.000-07:00

Eliza is such a great sleeper these days. I wanted to document what a sweetie she is while she sleeps. She always sleeps with her little sleep sack, her blankie (clutching her tags) , a binky, and her white noise machine. She has a little aquarium music box on her crib that she loves. Connor and Sadie both had the same one, but didn't care for it. She turns it on to go to sleep, put herself back to sleep, and while she is waking up. Why can't they stay little forever??

Ragnar Relay

2011-09-01T13:01:00.000-07:00

Thanks to to injured people, and one amazing friend that took ALL 3 of my kids (THANK YOU NADIA!!!) Ryan and I were both able to participate in the Ragnar Northwest Passage Relay. Between 12 people we ran almost 200 miles in 29 hours on virtually no sleep at all. It was an adventure, that I'm still not sure I want to repeat, but I am thankful I got to do.

So these photos are in total reverse order of events, but here is a glimpse...

On the ferry ride home-so beautiful, but so tired!!!

Ryan and I with our medals. It was really fun to do this together.

The whole team at the finish-"Black Hills Bandits"

Fast Danika

Getting ready for my last leg-literally running on fumes...

I was pretending to be happy-but was a little grumpy-it wasn't until after my run Saturday morning that I was able to "snap out of it" and wake up. (Sorry van mates for being a grump:) Christine and Gina were their usual cheery selves-love those girls!

Gina and I exchanging...

Getting ready for my night run...my team lost me because I was so speedy... :) waited at the finish line for about 20 minutes for them to get there.

How could I not be speedy with a view like this the whole run...this guy was hilarious!

Christine and Gina at the 2nd exchange

Christine and Spenser at the first exchange

Van 1 all smiles-before the start-we didn't know yet what we were getting into!

A Pleasant Saturday

2011-08-07T21:37:00.000-07:00

It feels like we always have things going for all of our weekends-whether its birthday parties, sports games, get togethers with friends, church activities, yard work, house chores, etc-so it is always pleasant when we have a day with nothing planned and we can just enjoy family time. Its always helpful when we have good weather as well. A couple of weeks ago, we went downtown and went to a new pizza by the slice place for lunch, a new cupcake store for dessert, and then over to priest point park to play and hike. I sure do treasure those days...

Fourth of July 2011

2011-08-01T21:37:00.000-07:00

The Fourth of July was beautiful this year (it usually rains!). We spent the weekend before in Portland with Grandma and Grandpa having a great time. We went to a great outdoor pool (something we are missing in Olympia) and had some good family time together. Ryan and I even got to sneak out for a couple of dates. On the 4th, we had the Beardsley's over for dinner, and then headed out to the Tumwater celebration to meet some more friends and see some fireworks. It was a very happy Independence Day.

Cotton Candy and Fireworks!!!

Eliza LOVED the fireworks.

I love this little girl.

My cute kiddos.

Eliza's future husband-Charlie

Sisters

The 4th is Cooper's least favorite day of the year-Eliza was trying to comfort a really nervous dog. He HATES fireworks.

Ryan hooking Eliza up with some ice cream.

Boy's Night Out- Mariner's vs Braves

2011-08-01T21:24:00.000-07:00

For Father's day, we got Ryan some great seats to the Mariner's vs Braves game. Connor cheered for the M's while Ryan has always been a die hard Braves fan. He and Connor loved every minute of it. They had a lot of junk food, came back with a T-shirt, and lots of good stories to tell. I am so glad that they got to go together-although Ryan said that he is now very spoiled and not sure that he can go back to the "cheap seats."

Seattle Rock and Roll 1/2 Marathon

2011-08-01T20:25:00.000-07:00

At the end of June, I participated in the Seattle Rock and Roll Half Marathon. I was a little nervous before the run because I had recently slacked a lot in my training. I seemed to peak and feel really good when running about a month before the race and ever since, just felt like my legs were slow and heavy. I was excited, however, to have a great weekend with wonderful girlfriends Gina, Danika, and Christine. Ryan took the Friday before off from work which allowed us to "play" in Seattle almost the whole day. We had fun at the expo, had a yummy pasta dinner, and even yummier frozen yogurt. Gina's brother was generous enough to let us stay at his apartment in Seattle. We headed there pretty early and tried to get some sleep since we had to wake up at 4am to catch the shuttle to the start line. We got there in time to visit the "honey buckets" a couple of times and get to the start. I had such an great run!!! It was a beautiful course with such a fun atmosphere. There were lots of bands, tons of cheer squads, and a whole bunch of spectators that made the whole 13.1 miles such fun. I think I was so pleasantly surprised because I was skeptical about how a race with 26, 000 people could actually go smoothly...but it did. I was able to finish in 1 hour 48 minutes which was faster than I expected-but as I was running and realized I was going pretty quick-my goal then became to beat Ryan's time from last year of 1 hour 45 minutes. I pushed it too hard from mile 10-12 and really lost it that last mile. Oh well! Hopefully next year we can race together and I can beat him then. :)

CopTtiyrkaight

Copytienalksndalsright

Spenser, Barrett, Autumn, Christine, Gina, Danika, Me

We are such tough chicks :)

Autumn and Barrett

5am on the school bus to the start line :)

Connor's Kindergarten Graduation

2011-07-31T23:17:00.000-07:00

Connor graduated from Kindergarten!!! A friend asked me if I was "sad" at the graduation ceremony and I replied, "no...I am a little relieved." We had a "interesting" Kindergarten experience that I was happy to be done with. It started out well, with a teacher that seemed promising, and then with some class size issues, he got switched to a new teacher and into a portable. The whole thing was a big mess. His teacher was sweet, but soooo unorganized and had no idea how to manage a classroom. It didn't help that many of the kids were pretty difficult as well. Luckily, Connor is Connor, and he thrived-despite it all. He had two buddies in class-Erik and Simon-both neighbor kids. He was a great example to the kids in his class, and a very good student. When I asked him what the best part of Kindergarten was he said, "Recess, of course!"

Kindergarten Zoo Field Trip

2011-07-25T21:00:00.000-07:00

I was so happy to be able to go with Connor and his class to the Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma. It is a small, but clean and well kept little zoo. We lucked out with perfect weather, and most of the animals alert and awake for us. We especially enjoyed seeing the polar bears play, eat, and "fight." It was a great day!

The kids and I

Eliza on the splash pad.

Zach, Connor, Erik, Sadie, and Olivia

College Girls Reunion

2011-07-15T21:07:00.000-07:00

So I totally copied Anna's blog about our reunion beacause she said it so well... "This last month I had a much-needed girls’ retreat with my college roommates in the Capitola, CA. I rendezvoused with Mary Hansen, Anna Packard, and Jess Butts. Our sweet Alissa couldn’t make it this year. I haven’t seen my roommates in a few years as it’s gotten more complicated to have reunions with families and careers. But this year we made it happen and I’m so glad we did! It was wonderful to reconnect, have long hours of girl talk, giggle uncontrollably, eat delicious food, and soak up lots of California sunshine.

What I love about being with these girls is that there is no pretense. We get together and let our hair down immediately. I can be myself with them completely and they accept and love me for all my quirkiness (we made fun of Anna for psychoanalyzing a spider in the shower). During the trip, we talked some of our college years but it is nice to know our friendship isn’t based in the past. We love each other and spent most of our time talking about our current lives, experiences, passions, and beliefs. I am grateful to have friends like Mary, Anna, and Jess. No matter how much time passes between reunions, when we get together, it’s as if no time has passed. I’m already looking forward to our next reunion!"

Thanks to my wonderful in-laws and amazing friends that helped take care of my kids so that I could have such an enjoyable time. Grandma and Grandpa had Sadie and Eliza. They did great! Eliza was a little stubborn and didn't take a bottle for the 3 days I was gone, but she eats plenty and drinks water and juice out of a sippy well enough that she was just fine. Needless to say,however, she was VERY happy to see me and nurse at the airport. Autumn and Nadia were so sweet to take Connor after school for Thursday and Friday. The plan was for Ryan to get the girls for the remainder of the weekend, but Grandma and Grandpa wanted to keep the girls...so Ryan and Connor got to have a bonding weekend! Everyone had a very happy weekend!

After a delicious Italian dinner. Yummy!

Mary and I (should have gotten my spray tan)-such a white Washingtonian!

Such a beautiful bike ride on the coast. Beach cruisers are so fun!!

Anna and Mary are so cute pregnant!

My first "real" sushi experience. I was really bad at using chopsticks.

Anna and Jess-the sushi experts

Spring Dance Recital June 2011

2011-07-13T21:52:00.000-07:00

Sadie was such a champ at her dance recital. She had a fever for several days previous. Her fever had gone away on Friday, so I decided to let her dance. She did amazing, especially because she wasn't feeling like herself. I'm so happy with her dance experience this year as well. My sweet friend Christine does such an amazing job with the girls. Its very laid back and a perfect first dance experience for these little ones. It's so fun to have little girls!!!

Grandma and Grandpa drove all the way from Portland for the recital and then had to leave to go out of town. (Translation-4 hours of driving for 5 minutes of dancing=Best Grandparents!!!) Notice Sadie put her nightgown on right after she got home in typical Sadie fashion.

Autumn was so sweet to order a trophy for Sadie. Now she finally has her own to add to all of Connor's collection of sports trophies on their dresser-WAY cooler than flowers. Thanks Miss Autumn!

Best Dance Teacher EVER!

End of Preschool

2011-07-13T20:56:00.000-07:00

We could not have asked for a better experience at Good Shepherd preschool this year. Sadie made some great friends, had wonderful teachers, and got to do tons of fun crafts and projects that I don't do. :) For Connor, when he was three, he could have cared less about going to preschool. He could simply take it or leave it any day. He was just as happy at home with me. Sadie, however, LOVED, every school day and didn't miss any except for our vacation. I used school as an incentive to be good-ie (empty threats to not let her got to school if the didn't shape up...). I am truly thankful for such a positive preschool.

Waiting to get her "diploma"

Sadie and Mrs. Pharis

Lauren, Sadie, and Evie

Loves from Lauren

Sadie and Russell at Teddy Bear day

San Diego Zoo

2011-07-10T22:36:00.000-07:00

San Diego Zoo is AMAZING! We loved every minute of it. It had unique animals that many zoos don't have. The animals all have nice exhibits and look happy to me. I know that sounds silly, but you all know what I am talking about when you have visited not so good zoos, and you feel bad for the animals because they don't look well taken care of. I'm pretty sure Connor's favorite part of the zoo, was being the photographer. He took all the pictures you will see, plus hundreds more. I am sad to say I did not get a picture of the Sky Tram (a ski lift type ride-that you can take to go across the zoo). Sadie and I rode it probably 6 times! She even convinced Grandma and Grandpa to be adventurous and go on it with her. Ryan was excited that he saw Mel Gibson and said "hi" to him. Eliza and I were just along for the ride-although I have to admit I was smitten with the 6 week old baby giraffe. :)

This pic is not good at all-was at the end of a long, enjoyable day-and you can tell that we are tired-but I did have to include it because we are all in it.

Sea World 2011

2011-07-10T21:51:00.000-07:00

We decided to visit Sea World San Diego while in Southern California. I am so happy that we did. We seriously had the place to ourselves-no crowds or lines whatsoever. The kids and grown-ups all had such a fabulous day.

Eliza checking out the aquariums.

Connor checking out a star fish at one of the "hands on" exhibits with Grandpa.

Can you guess what show this was??? Yep-the dog and cat show at Sea World. (random, I know) I was afraid it was going to be lame-but it was really good, and of course it was Eliza's most favorite thing of the day! She is in love with dogs!

The highlight for Connor and Sadie was feeding and petting the dolphins.

Even Chad enjoyed the dolphins. Who wouldn't?? They are such adorable and friendly creatures!

We also loved the Shamu show, but got no photos. It was interesting that the trainers no longer got in the water with the killer whales-(I'm guessing because of the trainer that was killed a few years ago.) The orcas are such beautiful animals, but it the show wasn't as entertaining for me without the trainers interacting. Oh well!

If you'll notice in the other pictures we all have jackets and long sleeves on. It was a very cloudy, cool day (mid 60's) so none of us were worried about sunburns. I have heard a million times that its very easy to burn on overcast days, but personally it has never happened to me. We learned our lesson the hard way through poor Eliza. Connor snapped this picture of her after out day at Sea World. Her little face got so red, and I felt so bad. Some mini popsicles back at the hotel made her feel much better. :)

Crystal Cove- Mother's Day 2011

2011-06-28T22:04:00.000-07:00

On Mother's day, Ryan woke up and burned (I mean made) us French Toast-it was such a sweet effort.:) Then we went to Lance's Huntington Beach ward, had lunch, and spent some time at our favorite spot-Crystal Cove beach. Unfortunately, it was a colder day, but we still managed to have some fun.

Eliza stayed home with Chad for a snooze.

Mark loves to snap lots of photos.

Connor and Ryan playing some catch.

Its never too cold for Sadie to play in the water!

Pure joy in that face...

Loved Little Girls

2011-06-28T21:55:00.000-07:00

The Johnson guys sure love our little girls. You can certainly tell from these pictures...

In-N-Out

2011-06-28T21:46:00.000-07:00

No trip to California is complete with out a trip to In-N-Out Burger. Eliza loved all the food the most I think!

Milk shake-mmmmm!

Cheeseburger

Happy people

Fun at the Resort

2011-06-28T21:28:00.000-07:00

There is a reason we keep coming back year after year. There is so much to do at the resort that we don't really need to leave. I really don't think the kids would mind at all if we skipped the theme parks and just did the pool, beach, park, basketball, and putt-putt.

Thankfully Sadie did a month of swim lessons before vacation and got over her fear of the water. She became a little fish at the pool that week.

Connor enjoyed both the pool and hot tub!

These kids have the life!

Sadie had to stop and watch the koi fish everytime we walked by them. She got to feed them a couple of times during our stay as well.

My favorite-smores at the fire pit-Yummy!

Beach Fun with Cousins and Family 2011

2011-06-28T21:04:00.000-07:00

We spent lots of time playing at Laguna Beach and Crystal Cove. The kids especially enjoyed digging and building sand structures with their cousins.

I have a pretty sweet family!

Cute Girls

Eliza's First time on the sand-she was not a huge fan...

Sadie and Janie at the park on Laguna Beach

Cousins

Sisters

Disneyland 2011

2011-06-06T23:22:00.001-07:00

We love Disneyland! What more can I say? May was a fabulous time to go. The weather was beautiful, lines short, crowds light, and happy kiddos.

I couldn't get this one to rotate. We were waiting for "World of Color Show" Grandpa somehow got us great seats, but we got totally soaked. Thank goodness it was an impressive show.

Eliza woke up when we started getting wet. Poor thing...

Jane and Sadie

Connor got to fight and defeat Darth Maul this year.

Grandpa waited in line for Sadie to go meet the princesses. Defiantly a highlight for Sadie Lady.

Hanging out in Toon town.

Newport Beach Vacation 2011

2011-06-06T22:47:00.000-07:00

We are getting boring with our vacations...but when you find something you love its hard to do anything different. We decided to take off in May again for Newport. We met Grandma and Grandpa and Chad at the Portland Airport and travels went very smoothly. We checked into our room with a beautiful view and were excited to see Lance and then go meet up with Emily and Tom and their cute kids.

Our first two days we spent at the pool and beach. Ryan and Sadie got some quality time together at the beach while the rest of us were at the pool. They took a few cute pics...

TIme Out For Women

2011-06-06T21:58:00.000-07:00

I had such a wonderful weekend with my girlfriends at a women's conference called "Time out for Women" a few weeks ago. The theme was "Becoming...." a better wife, mother, neighbor, friend, mother, and ultimately like our Savior Jesus Christ. It was very inspiring and made me want to "become" a better person. It was so fun to get away for a night with great friends. Eliza (and Ryan) did great without me too.

Easter Sunday

2011-06-06T21:37:00.000-07:00

We were pretty pooped from the Saturday's fun. The kids woke up and found their baskets and then we rushed off to church without talking any pictures of our cute outfits. After church we enjoyed a delicious ham dinner cooked mostly my Nicole. The kids got to play a little more and then Adam, Nicole, and the girls took off back for a long drive home. We sure are glad they came. I am also so thankful for the reason for Easter. I am grateful for Jesus Christ, his sacrifice for us, and for his resurrection. I love Him and know He lives.

Star Wars Exhibit

2011-05-31T22:46:00.000-07:00

At the end of the day we went to see the Star Wars exhibit at the Pacific Science Center. It was the end of a long, fun, day and we may have spent longer if we were not so tired. It was very cool, none the less. There were many authentic costumes and artifacts from all the movies. Connor asked me to take his picture in front his favorites.

Real Lightsabers!

Seattle Sightseeing

2011-05-31T13:20:00.000-07:00

After the Easter Egg hunt and lunch, we ALL (that's right...Nicole and I squished our bums into one seat!) packed into the minivan and headed to Seattle. Luckily all the kiddos slept on the way. We visited Pike's place, rode the monorail, and saw the Space Needle. The only bummer was that we didn't find a good place for dinner. It was a beautiful Saturday and the fish and chips place we wanted to go to had a 9o minute wait-so we had nasty food court food while in Seattle--oh well!

On the monorail

In the flower market.

Yummy mini donuts!

I think these two look like they could be brother and sister.

Beautiful Family

More monorail...

Easter Egg Hunt 2011

2011-05-31T09:55:00.000-07:00

We had a jam packed day of fun on Saturday with our cousins. It started with Connor's baseball game followed by the Tumwater Highschool Easter Egg Hunt. Notice that the sun is shining and the kids are not wearing rain boots?? I think this is a first in 7 years that we have lived here. Hooray!

Day One of Westover Cousin Visit

2011-05-30T22:53:00.000-07:00

Adam, Nicole, Madison ,Avery, and Sarge, drove all night to come see us Easter weekend. We were so excited to have them.

The girls and Connor had so much fun playing together.

At the water in Downtown Olympia

At Lattin's Cider Mill and farm.

Eliza And Uncle Adam at Farmer's Market

Such cute cousins

Feeding more goats.

Sadie turned Four ...(way back in April)

2011-05-30T21:30:00.000-07:00

So I have postponed writing about Sadie turning four, because it is frankly, its hard to put "four year old Sadie into words. I want to remember lots of things about Sadie at this age so here are a few... Sadie is so fun and so challenging all at the same time! When she is happy and cheerful, there is no one more joyous to be around. I love how much she loves life. She has lots of quirks that make her her. She LOVES to pretend play. Sometimes it is with toys like her "critters", Barbies, princesses, or stuffed animals-sometimes called "kids." She loves to play with friends, Connor, and Ryan and I-but is content playing by herself a lot of the time. (I really should sit down and play with her more.) Her story lines with the characters she plays with are very creative and often include "love triangles" between two princesses and one prince-or two Barbie's and Ken. She has a little "shrine" by her bed where she stores all of her little keepsakes.

Sadie and Connor are either best friends or worst enemies. She can dish it out, but doesn't take it very well. She has lots of friends and gets along well with them most of the time. Sadie is an angel for other people (i.e. preschool,dance, church, friend's houses). She has recently become more of a daddy's girl than she used to be, but prefers me most of the time still. She is very good at remembering to pray and read scriptures. She pretty much says every family prayer and meal blessing that we let her. She is fascinated with Jesus and Heaven. She asks many questions like "How exactly do we get to heaven...do we drive, fly, run, or walk? Do we eat in heaven? Do we get to see our friends in Heaven? Will we get to be with Cooper in Heaven? What kind of clothes do we wear in Heaven? Do we sleep in beds in Heaven?" She talks about how she "can't wait to hug Jesus."

Sadie is a wonderful big sister and loves Eliza. She does get in trouble at times for loving her too much. I love to see her make up songs for her and play with her. Without fail, when Eliza gets up from a nap, or bed time Sadie is sooooo excited to see her. She also throws fits when she doesn't get to properly say good night to her.

A few other random facts...

Sadie loves to dress up, and dance but tends to be embarrassed if we watch or notice her.
She is a big breakfast eater and loves "pink"(strawberry) cream cheese bagles and just about any cereal with milk.
Lunch time favorites include "peanutbubba" and grilled cheese sandwiches-especially if accompanied by Cheetos.
If we call her beautiful she says , "No I'm Cute!"
She is sooo loud! Her scream makes me want to pull my hair out. We have talked about having her hearing checked, but I know that she can hear just fine.
She is a little (or a lot uncoordinated) and gets hurt a lot. I am surprised she has only had stitches once.
We LOVE our Sadie Lady to pieces and feel so blessed to have her!

Eliza Claire 9 months

2011-05-17T08:50:00.000-07:00

(Adorable pic courtesy of Uncle Lance)

We had Eliza's 9 month appointment today. Good news...she is a little more proportionate now. Her head is only in the 75th percentile (down from 97th%), height and weight (just over 19lbs) 50th percentile. :) She is getting more independent and fun everyday. A few things about Eliza at nine months:

-She now has 4 teeth and endured getting them like a champ.

-She has graduated from rolling and scooting to a very proficient crawler.

-She is signing more and all done.

-She can say "mama" and "dada" on command. (if she feels like it)

-Besides on vacation...sleeps through the night!

-She is becoming very independent and prefers to be left to play unless tired or hungry-then she will snuggle.

-Favorite family member...still Cooper (now that she can crawl-he is constantly harassed)...I am a far second.

-She loves swinging and bouncing in the tramp with Connor and Sadie

-Loves to eat-favorite food at the moment-yogurt.

-She HATES her hands and face to be wiped-she flinches at the sight of a wipe. She can not stand to be messed with!

-She is starting to get hair, but its hard to tell because it is sooooo blonde-almost white.

-She is so content, sweet, and beautiful (so I may be a little biased)! We LOVE her so much.

Sadie's First "Friend" Birthday Party

2011-04-20T22:21:00.000-07:00

Sadie and her friend Laine had a super fun birthday party at a children's salon called Jack and Jill's. The girls got to have their hair done, nails painted, made bracelets and tiaras, played a couple of games, and ate snacks and cake. (Check out the princess cake I made...definately not professional looking, but not bad for me!) Sadie said it best by saying, "That was the best party EVER!" When I asked her what her favorite part was, she said "Getting my hair made." We left her style in for 3 or 4 days-she was sad to take it out. Laine's mom, Autumn made adorable goodie bags/purses for the guests to take home. Best of all, I didn't have to clean up! :) I'm so glad that Sadie and Laine had a good time.

Mom and the birthday girl!

Half of the friends that came

The other half

Pure Joy

Make a wish!

Placing the candles

Princess Bingo

Kiss the Frog game

Getting her hair done!

Sunny Day!

2011-04-13T19:51:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, the sun doesn't come out much here in the Spring, but when we do have sunny days we are sure to get out and enjoy.

My Kids!

Hopscotch

Eliza Claire -8 months

2011-04-11T20:24:00.000-07:00

Eliza keeps getting bigger (despite my efforts to keep her tiny). She is still such a pleasant little girl. Every morning-and every time she wakes up from a nap Sadie and Connor greet her as if they haven't seen her in ages! It really melts my heart to see how much they love her. A few things she is up to now...

-Two teeth-a third top tooth coming in

-Trying so hard to crawl-she can scoot or roll pretty much anywhere she wants to go. I think she will be crawling for real VERY soon.

-Sitting up

-Loves to EAT

-She can wave and clap

-She can mimic sounds that the kids make (ie clicking tongue, smacking lips, squealing)

-Sleeping well for naps and at night (HOORAY!)

-Still completely in LOVE with Cooper.

-She reaches for me and says mama-not sure if she knows what she is saying, but I love it!

-She is starting to have some strong opinions and doesn't hesitate to let us hear about it.

First time playing down on the grass.

I wish I could say I got as many smiles from her as the dog does, but this picture says it all. Guess who she is looking down at?

Cute Cousins

2011-04-11T15:14:00.001-07:00

While I was in Utah I got to spend some time with my sister and cute nieces and nephew. I can't believe this is the first time I got to meet sweet Lucy. Ethan, Ashley, Jane, and Lucy are all such good kids. I am soooo sad we don't live closer to them so our kids can play more.

Lucy with sweet "taters" all over her!

These girls totally beat me at the "Pretty Princess" game

Eliza looks like she is saying "Man! Why can't I move...I'm just stuck sitting here!"

Happy Girl-she was such a good little traveler.

Hugs

My favorite

A Visit with Grandpa and Jean

2011-04-11T15:03:00.000-07:00

I had such nice weekend in Utah visiting my Grandpa and Jean. We played cards, watched General Conference, went to lunch, and spent some good time just chatting. Grandpa, of course, made us a yummy breakfast that only he can make, and his world famous Sunday pot roast. I sure love him!

Sunday Dinner

Jean and Grandpa really kicked our butts at canasta-(as you can tell I don't like losing) :)

Celebrating Grandma Anette's Birthday

2011-04-11T14:43:00.000-07:00

We always love when Grandpa and Grandpa come for the day on the weekends. The kids get SOOOOO excited and wait by the window all morning until they arrive. A couple of weeks ago, the kids planned a little birthday celebration for Grandma (a few weeks late). We made yellow cupcakes with chocolate frosting and Sadie picked flowers (or some may call then weeds :) to decorate them. Yum!

Connor, E, and Grandpa

What do you think Eliza has her eyes on?

Pretty ladies! Sadie played Happy Birthday on the keyboard.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2011-03-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

I made baby food with my friend's Autumn and Jill.

Sadie LOVES balloons!

The Leprechan's left some loot for the kids!

Cupcakes for Connor's class

We even ate corned beef and cabbage (a first for me) thanks to the Beardsley's.

Random...a few things we have been up to...

2011-03-22T22:30:00.000-07:00

I have not been very good about taking pictures or videos lately, but here are few things we have been up to lately...

All of my kids-Cooper is still Eliza's favorite family member.

Sadie finally threw away her binkies. I had delayed it FOREVER, because I was afraid it would be hard and I was losing enough sleep with a newborn to deal with a 3 year old not sleeping. I am so proud of her because she was such a good girl about it. We went to the dentist and he suggested that she stop using them. She came right home and collected all of them and trashed them! This is obviously an old picture that Connor took, but it was the only one I could find of her with her binky in her mouth and her two pink blankies.

Basketball season ended...the 2 Connor's. Connor's love of basketball has certainly not ended. The boy is ALWAYS wanting to go play hoops and constantly has a ball in his hands dribbling all over the house. (Yes its annoying...but cute at the same time!)

We went to Portland for President's Day weekend...Ryan and Eliza relaxing together.

Snow Days

2011-03-22T22:20:00.001-07:00

It is always a rare treat when it snows in Olympia. They cancelled school for 2 days for about 3 inches of snow. (We will now be in school until July!) The kids played outside for 2 days and the babies and mom's even had some fun too.

Connor and Henry

Autumn and Charlie

My girls and I...Sadie was tired and "done" and poor Eliza's face is covered with her hat...I tried:)

Charlie and Eliza snug in the stroller.

Sadie's First Dance Recital

2011-03-22T21:59:00.000-07:00

In February, Sadie had her first little dance recital. I had trouble uploading the video to the blog, but here are a few photos...she did very well and really didn't have any stage fright at all. I wondered how she would do because she will never show us her "moves" at home. She is already self conscience around us. Sometimes I will catch her dancing in front of the fireplace looking at her reflection in the glass. She will also go in the bathroom and shut the door and dance. I always have to pretend that I didn't see her or she gets upset. We were so happy that she enjoyed it. Can't wait for more recitals in the future!

Enjoying a cookie after the big show!

Roses

Grandpa and Eliza

Sadie and her good friend Lauren

Most of her class waiting to preform.

ELiza Claire-6 months

2011-02-22T21:38:00.000-08:00

It's been half a year already! We are still enjoying baby Eliza everyday. If I could freeze her and make her stop growing I sure would...Here are a few things she is up to now...

Weight: 16 1/2lbs (50th%)

Height: 26 inches(50th%)

Head : Big (90th%)

Teeth: 2 little front bottom teeth trying to poke through

She is rolling and turning all over the place. She is starting to get up on her knees and rock (Yikes!!!)

She is still so smiley and giggly. Her brother and sister STILL can not get enough of her. Their favorite game is for me to hold her facing out and have her chase them and "get" them.

Eliza is starting to eat solids...takes bottles most of the time...but still prefers to nurse.

She is still napping well, nights are hit or miss. :)

Daddy Daughter Dance

2011-02-02T22:06:00.000-08:00

One of the local high schools here puts on a daddy daughter dance. I signed Sadie and Ryan up, not sure if either would really want to go. To my surprise they both were happy to go, and had such a wonderful time. Ryan picked out a new dress and shoes for Sadie, that she was VERY excited about(although these are now "only her daddy daughter dance clothes"...she wouldn't wear them to church the next morning-silly girl!) Ryan let her choose a dinner place of her choice and she chose Panera for a "pink cream cheese bagel." After dinner, they headed to the dance where they enjoyed making wands, ice cream sundaes, stories, entertainment, and of course DANCING! I was surprised to hear that Sadie not only danced with her friend Lauren, but with Ryan too. She tends to be self conscience at times, but Ryan said you would never have guessed it the way she got her groove on! I am so happy they had a good time. Ryan feels like he earned some serious Sadie points as she can be mean to him sometimes...if she only knew how much he adores her.

Portland Trailblazers

2011-02-02T21:43:00.000-08:00

Chad gave Ryan Portland Trailblazers basketball tickets for Christmas so Connor, Ryan, and Sadie headed down to Grandma and Grandpa's a few weekends ago. Sadie stayed with Grandma and played while Connor and Ryan went to the game. They had soooo much fun! I sure wish I could have recorded the conversation I had with Connor on their way home from the game. He was more excited than I think I have ever heard him about anything. Ryan said he cheered, chanted, kept score, and of course admired the cheerleaders with the binoculars! :) I have a feeling they will be going back soon. P.S. Since Eliza hasn't been sleeping well even at home I stayed home with her-for fear of getting NO sleep there. We had some good one on one time together...and I did a bit of relaxing (ie icecream and popcorn in bed while watching movies). It was awfully quiet, however, and I was glad for them to come home on Sunday. It was a great weekend for everyone!

Connor Sinks a 3 point shot!

2011-01-29T21:45:00.000-08:00

Ryan is one proud daddy! Connor (#13) had a few misses, but made some pretty amazing shots as well at his basketball game today.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-23T22:24:00.000-08:00

We had a HAPPY NEW YEAR'S EVE celebrating by bowling with friends, ice cream, games, and movies at the Cammack's, and sparkling cider at midnight. Here's to 2011!

Up at Midnight!!!

Happy Birthday to Me at Great Wolf Lodge!

2011-01-23T22:06:00.000-08:00

We went to Great Wolf Lodge on my birthday...not necessarily on purpose, but they happened to be running a special rate and that was the day that worked out for Ryan to take off work and go. We were sure glad the Cammack's were able to join us despite Nadia's bad back. Thursday night we enjoyed a couple of hours in the water, and then went back to our room where Ryan surprised me with delicious cupcakes. Then Eliza and I headed home, hoping for a better nights sleep and let the big kids and dad have a sleep over at the hotel. We returned in the morning and stayed until 4pm. Connor was much more brave this time and loved going down the slides. Sadie loved the kiddie area the first night and for the first little while the 2nd day, but was getting sick and wanted to "go home." She was a good sport though and sat pretty patiently until Connor was finally ready to leave. When we got home, I celebrated more by going out to dinner and dessert with my girlfriends.

Olivia and Connor

Coming off the slide

Santa Came

2011-01-23T21:58:00.000-08:00

The kids were thoroughly spoiled this year. Favorite gifts were play mobile sets and Star Wars ships for Connor, and Princess Barbies and Calico Critters for Sadie. Santa brought a cute little market too, that I was more excited about than them, but they love it now and play with it all of the time. It certainly was a MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Playing with new "Calico Critters"

Christmas Eve 2010

2011-01-23T20:31:00.000-08:00

Grandma, Grandpa, Chad, and Lance were kind enough to come to our house for Christmas Eve. We had a nice Honey Baked Ham dinner, our own little pageant-with baby Eliza as Jesus, played Christmas songs with hand bells, and of course read the Christmas Story from the scriptures. It was such a special night!

Ryan asked if we could "photo shop" Sadie out of this.

Handsome guys!

This picture should have been our Christmas card. :)

Eliza trying her first bites of real food.

Our Attempt at a Christmas Card Photo

2011-01-23T20:23:00.000-08:00

These are the photos I tried to take to send out a photo Christmas card. I never sent out Christmas cards because I didn't love any of them. They are funny to look at now though!

Eliza Claire 5 Months

2011-01-17T17:52:00.000-08:00

I think all parents say this...but my how time flies with little babies. It's almost been half of a year since "Baby Elizy" (as Sadie calls her) joined our family. At 5 months she is now:

-Rolling Over from back to Tummy

-Using her hands to play and grab and scratch

-No teeth yet-but lots of drool

-Smiling and laughing

-Very ticklish

-Sleeping flat instead of in her "wedge" sitting up

-Napping better, but sleeping worse at night

-Very interested in food, but mom too lazy to feed her baby food

-Grabbing her toes (my favorite)

-She likes tummy time now!

-Still constantly loved by Connor, Sadie, and Cooper

Current weight: 14lbs

Exersaucer!

Toes

Tummy Time

More Toes

Smiles!!! We love you Eliza!

Eliza Claire -4 months

2011-01-03T21:48:00.000-08:00

My little Eliza is getting big! We had a talk the other night and she promised me she would stop growing, but for now her 4 month stats are:

Height: 24inches (50th%)

Weight: 13.11 lbs(50%)

Head: BIG (90th%)

She got out of her 4 month shots for now because she was sick with ear infections and a cough. This is the first time she has been sick and we hope the last time for a while.

At 4 months, she is still a doll. Happy most of the time, but finding her voice. Not sleeping quite as well at night, but I still don't mind, because she just wants to eat and then go back to sleep. Her "newness" is not wearing off with Connor and Sadie at all. They still swarm her whenever she is awake. She can roll from her tummy to her back and is not only just staring at her hands, but using them a little bit now. She has such a big smile and quite the serious face too. Eliza is laughing and giggling regularly now too. Yippee! We enjoy her so much and thank Heavenly Father daily to have her!

Visit "Texas" Grandma and Grandpa

2011-01-03T21:32:00.000-08:00

We had a fun visit with Grandma and Grandpa. It was pretty low key because of the frigid temperatures and having a newborn...but we managed to have some fun and relax too. We saw "Tangled" on opening day. I definitely recommend it! One of the best Disney movies yet. Grandpa did lots of sledding while the snow lasted with Connor. We also made a trip to good ole' Chuck-E-Cheese for some fun games. Thanks again for coming Mom and Dad!

Grandpa playing air hockey with Sadie (I think he is supposed to stay on his side of the line right???)

A ride together

Eliza would rather snuggle than play games!

Happy Turkey Day!

2010-11-27T22:27:00.001-08:00

We sure had a HAPPY THANKSGIVING this year. It was the first time I have ever hosted at my house. Grandma and Grandpa Westover flew in for the week, and the Johnson clan came for dinner. It was so great to have everyone here. Although my mom did most of the cooking, I feel like I could now do it myself. It was great to get a lesson from the PRO...and all turned out DELICIOUS!!! Connor was the photographer for the evening. I think he wanted to document everyone who was there. Sorry if the pictures aren't the best-but Connor insisted that I post all the ones he took.

Grandpa Mark

Sean and Grandma Anette in the background

Chad

Playing "Trouble"

Grandpa Mike and Lance

MMMM Pumpkin Pie

Connor buttered up our bird with Grandma Kathleen.

We sure have a lot to be thankful for this year...I am so thankful to the Lord for blessing us with such wonderful FAMILY and FRIENDS to share fun occasions like this with. I am grateful for our FAITH, our HEALTH, our warm and cozy HOUSE, my KIDS (as chaotic as they are most days, just to name a few. I pray I can always show GRATITUDE for all that I have.

SNOW!!!

2010-11-27T22:17:00.001-08:00

We had our first snowfall of the year last week. Connor was outside playing and sledding non-stop. Sadie was over it after the first day-typical Sadie. Connor had 2 days of school cancelled for this 3 inches of snow. They say we will likely have more snow this winter. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Connor's self portrait

Simon and Connor made this themselves.

Connor(yes he is face down in the snow)

Trying to catch the snow in their mouths.

Eliza Claire -3 months

2010-11-27T22:09:00.000-08:00

Eliza is getting so big so fast. She is sleeping, eating, and smiling so well. I think I say that every stage babies are in is my favorite, but I really do wish I could freeze where she is right now. She is still tiny enough to snuggle, but interactive enough to be fun. We are still so in love with this little sweet heart!

Check out those thighs

We went to Portland for the weekend to spend time with some of our favorite people. They were gracious enough to babysit so Ryan and could go to the temple, and do some shopping. Thank goodness little E takes a bottle-just another reason she is the perfect baby.:)

Happy Fall

2010-11-27T22:04:00.001-08:00

We have had a beautiful fall here this year. Sadie and Connor raked the leaves from our Maple tree out front in shorts and Sadie in her nightgown.

Sometimes they really do get along well.

Jumping into his pile!

Star Wars

2010-11-27T21:39:00.001-08:00

I thought Connor's cousin's who are into Star wars might appreciate this. I also wanted to document what Connor does with a lot of his free time now that the weather isn't good enough to be outside all of the time. He and Grandpa Mark have accumulated quite the collection of Star Wars action figures. One of his favorite things to do is set up battles and play with Ryan. I'm pretty sure Ryan likes it too!:)

Kindergarten Pumpkin Patch Field Trip

2010-11-27T21:30:00.000-08:00

I was able to go with Connor to his Kindergarten field trip to the pumpkin patch. It was really fun to see him interact with his classmates and hang out with me. We had never been to this pumpkin patch and we absolutely loved it!

Posing with the pigs

Holding a kitty

Handsome boy!

Connor and his buddy Eric

Neighborhood Trick or Treating

2010-11-24T23:02:00.000-08:00

Ryan took the kids out around the neighborhood trick or treating. It was interesting because Sadie came home with A LOT more candy. I guess people are suckers for cute little princesses. We definately have WAY too much candy at out house!

Eliza dug into the kid's candy when they went to bed.

Ready to go out!

Preschool and Dance Dress-Ups

2010-11-24T22:56:00.000-08:00

Lauren, Sadie, and Laine

Dance Class

Trunk or Treat 2010

2010-11-24T22:47:00.000-08:00

Our church puts on the BEST trunk-or-treat and carnival. It is probably one of my favorite activities of the year. Connor was Commander Cody this year and Sadie was Sleeping Beauty.

Connor and his Buddies

Decorating cookies

The happy kids on the way home in the car.

Cooper Loves Eliza Too!

2010-11-24T22:39:00.000-08:00

We have such a sweet dog...He is so gentle and sweet with babies. We can often find him RIGHT next to E when she is playing on the floor. I think she enjoys his company more than her older siblings sometimes:)

Flag Football 2010

2010-11-24T22:23:00.000-08:00

Connor played his first season of flag football this fall. One of his good friend's Dad coached and did a great job. I think Connor learned a lot and definitely had fun. The last game he scored a touchdown!

Hunter's Pumpkin Patch 2010

2010-11-24T21:56:00.000-08:00

My very favorite outing in the fall here is Hunter's Pumpkin patch. This year we were joined by our good friends-Lauren, Mason, Brooke, Laine, Henry, Charlie, and their moms. Such a fun afternoon. On days like that day...I think we live in the most beautiful place.

Meeting Chad, Brooke, and Sean

2010-11-24T21:48:00.000-08:00

Eliza got to meet all of the Johnson uncles and aunt within the first 6 weeks of her life. It pays to be the only grandkids in the family.:)

Chad

Sean and Brooke

Our Newest Family Member

2010-11-24T21:33:00.000-08:00

Goodbye...

Hello...

I never thought I'd be a mini van mom...but with three kids, I am and I LOVE it!

Sadie's First Day of Dance/Preschool

2010-11-24T21:25:00.000-08:00

We had lots of first's this Fall. Sadie is loving both dance class and preschool. She has the SWEETEST teachers in the whole world!

Sadie girl wearing her "school" outfit from Grandma Anette. She would only wear that dress for the first several weeks of school.

Painted Plate

2010-11-21T22:42:00.001-08:00

One of the absolute best things about Ryan's paternity leave was being able to do simple, fun, things TOGETHER as a family. I feel like I do quite a few fun activities with the kids on the weekdays-either by myself with all three-or with girlfriends and their kids. On the weekends, however, between sports, church, and projects around the house, we don't have very much time to go do fun stuff.

One weekday, we headed over to the Painted Plate, a darling little pottery painting place, downtown. Connor chose to paint a shark and was sure to include blood all around the mouth:) and Sadie painted a little heart shaped trinket box. They both did a nice job, and it was fun that Dad got to come.

Catching up... and Sadie's First Pedicure

2010-11-10T21:34:00.001-08:00

I am very behind in blogging. I've noticed with three kids (one being a newborn), by the time all of the kids are asleep (Eliza usually not settled until 10ish) I have to clean up as much as a can and then try to get some sleep rather than doing anything fun like be on the computer, work out, read. You should see how many shows I have stored on my DVR to catch up on! So here goes...all of these posts will be of events that happened months ago...but got to include them for the blog book to be printed by Christmas! :)

Sadie and I went to get mani/pedis together a few weeks after Eliza was born. It was fun to get some one on one time with our now "middle" child who definately is showing symptoms of "middle" child syndrome. She was a good girl and sat very still. Love her!

Gotta love purple sparkle toes!!!