Let the festivities begin! (the first of several posts looking back at our Christmas celebrations)

We started our Christmas celebrations at Jake's school on Thursday, December 23rd. His teachers had a class party complete with yummy snacks and a "Secret Santa" gift exchange. This is probably the best year to do Secret Santa since the kids can't say anything to each other yet- ha ha!


Jake and Ansley killing some apple juice. (I'll just save this photo for the wedding slide show- ha ha!)


Such a handsome little boy.


Opening his gift from Olivia, his Secret Santa. It's a really neat popper thing.

We then left the party and headed over to Greensboro Urban Ministry, the local food pantry/night shelter for the homeless. Our church hosted the meal that evening and Grace Reigns Down provided the music. It's always an uplifting and God-blessed event, but that evening was particularly special because it was Jason's last time drumming with GRD. We will miss him so much when he leaves in January to start Graduate School in Savannah!

Jake At A Glance

Our precious little guy is 14 months old today. So, what's Jake been up to the last 2 months?

Talking:

He's saying more and more words every week.

Favorites include: mama, dada, daddy, baba, bowl, baby, BoBo, dog, woof woof, ball, nana (which can mean Nanny or banana)

Mobility:

Jake started walking at about 13 months, taking a few steps here and there, but at about 13.5 months, he started really taking off. Now, he actually chooses walking over crawling, and if he gets going, he even runs a bit (until he gets a bit top heavy and topples forward).

Playtime:

He loves playing with his "scooter toys" and push toys. He loves balls and blocks. And he loves playing with his big sister (only if she doesn't take toys away from him). He also likes walking around the house with a tobaggan on his head.

Sleeping:

Jake is probably the most inconsistent sleeper ever. He usually goes down around 7:30pm, but he could wake up anytime between 5am and 7am. We see 5:20, 5:45, 7:00, 6:15am....never the same two mornings in a row. Coming from Baby Brooklyn who slept like clockwork 7pm-7am, this has been a bit challenging for us. But we're pushing through. :-) He used to go to sleep by himself without a peep....bedtime was super simple with just a snuggle and a prayer. Then, you could lay him down and he would crawl around like a puppy, find a spot, and go right to sleep. Unfortunately, the last few nights, we get to the "lay down" part and he sits straight up and starts yelling. But, being the "mean" second time around parents, we just leave the room, and he usually calms down and puts himself to sleep after about 5-8 minutes.

Eating:

Jake continues to be a great eater. He eats all "grown up" food, including his favorites: macaroni and cheese, baked beans, french toast sticks, yogurt, whole milk, chicken pie, Cream of chicken and wild rice soup (Panera), bananas, apple sauce, mandarin oranges, peaches, pears, ravioli, spaghetti, chicken and rice....and I'm sure I am missing something. :-)

Size:

I think we go back in January/February for a 15 month check up. Not sure of exact weight but I bet its still right at 25-26 pounds. He wears 18 month clothes (or 24 month pajama sleepers). And still rockin' the size 4 diapers. He's just perfect. :-)

Tricks, etc.:

Jake knows where his head and hair are, but when it comes to other body parts, we are still working. :-) (He's shooting 50% with finding his ears.) He knows that a puppy says "woof woof" but growls for all the other animals. His favorite book is "Brown Bear, Brown Bear." His favorite music is Twinkle Twinkle, ABC's, and Grace Reigns Down. He gives sweet open-mouthed kisses on command on your cheek and does a mean high-5 when asked.

Happy 14 month birthday, Jake! You are growing so fast but I am loving every minute of it!

2010

Wonder Of Wonders Christmas Card

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Way Back When-esday

Here are some pics of the Johnson family the week of Christmas 2009....what a difference a year makes!

On My Honor...I Will Try (not to cry)

Well, if you know me at all (or maybe you can even guess it by the blog title), you know Girl Scouts is a huge part of my life. Not only have I been a professional Girl Scout for 7.5 years, but I was a girl member of the organization for about 10 years, even earning the Gold Award (the highest award in Girl Scouting, and YES it's like the Eagle Boy Scout Award...only harder to earn) as a High School Junior.

But I digress...

This is about my sweet, grown up Brooklyn. Tuesday night, she had her Daisy Girl Scout Investiture Ceremony, where she became an official member of Girl Scouting.

She had to recite the Promise all by herself.

And helped add a petal to the "Girl Scout Law Daisy Flower"

And then all the moms got to pin the membership pins on their daughters...

It was a wonderful ceremony. The girls all did so great! This Daisy troop has been great for so many reasons, but one awesome bonus is that Ms Jeanna's pre-school girls get to have a mini-reunion every other Tuesday night.

And she has two pretty neat leaders (who also happen to be pretty special grandmas).

To say I was proud was a bit of an understatement...

Brooklyn and one of her best friends, Kate. I'm so glad they can do this together!

When did she grow up?

Annual Wonderfulness

Last Saturday, 6 "girls" from UNC gathered together for our annual holiday get-together. This was our 10th annual celebration.

Last year, we looked like this:


And I wish I could show you what we looked like this year...but well, when you have these adorable friends in attendance, somehow we just didn't make it in a picture. :-)

(Sweet Cooper, 5 months)

(Precious Graham, 6 months)

(Gorgeous Nora, 9 months)

We had a great time catching up, laughing, reminiscing, and eating yummy food. Marisa and Marc were wonderful hosts, and Chad and I even got a whole night away, spending the night in Huntersville, while my parents watched Brooklyn and Jake at home. Unfortunately, we returned to a sick little Brooklyn who had encountered a stomach virus while we were gone. Nanny and Grandpa get bonus points for that sleepover. :-)

Way Back When-esday: Jammie Edition

Date: December 2005
Brooklyn's Age: 10 months

And here's Jake in the same pajamas...As a mom of 2, I love moments like this! :-)

(BTW this is totally Jake's "I just got in trouble" face...so irresistible. I'm in trouble now.)

It only took 2+ years...

I haven't publically stated it before, but I am not the world's greatest interior designer. I tend to go simple, symmetric, and predicatable. I wish I could be more creative...let me rephrase. I wish I had the MONEY to be more creative. But I do what I can with what I have. My dining room has always been a work in progress. We did the beadboard the day we moved in (thank you, Dad and Larry!) and painted walls that week. I had big plans to do a "beach theme" where I had all black and white pics of Brooklyn at different ages at the beach. But then, we had Jake and I started to rethink "Brooklyn beach." So, I looked at various artwork in stores- canvas prints, wall sculptures, color prints, black and white drawings, wrought iron, tapestry, and on and on and on...

But then I got a fabulous deal on a family photo session from Molly Cook, and I soon had my vision. Here are some (not great) photos of some wonderful photos of my family of 4. Now, I think my dining room looks perfect. :-)

And my next project will now be a "Brooklyn Beach 1/2 Bathroom." :-)

Three Tricks from the Little Dude

Jake was kind of enough to do three tricks for you in the video. :-)

1. He's walking now!

2. He can say several words, including "dada" and "dog."

3. He is an expert growler. :-)

Fa la la la la. la la. la. la.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care...


And the trees were taken out of the shed, dusted off, shaken out, and decorated with all the soft, unbreakable ornaments.

Wait. That's not how you do it?

98% of the time, Chad and I go and purchase a live tree from a local lot or even go to the mountains to cut down our own. But every so often (read: whenever we have a new toddler), we opt for an artificial. It's easy, it's FREE, it takes no time to pick out (especially when the weather has been hovering in the 20 degree region), and again, it's FREE.

Brooklyn was thrilled with decorating a "Jake Tree" and a "Brooklyn Tree" and her Holiday Happiness was contagious, because I was THRILLED that I finally found coordinating boy/girl Christmas pajamas for the kids.

So, a photo shoot was inevitable...


But like all our photo sessions, most of the pics turned out like these...

(ok this one is pretty cute)

It's a good thing they are so darn cute. :-)

Kindergartners + Frigid Christmas Parade = A Surprising Success!

Last weekend was a big weekend for Brooklyn's Girl Scout troop! Not only did they do Candlefest on Saturday, but last Sunday, they marched in their first parade.

I was a bit nervous for my sweet, shy one, but she did so great!

(Thanks, Aunt Misty, for the great pic.)

All the girls did a great job walking the half mile(?) or so parade route down Main Street in the freezing cold.

Our God-Daughter, Allie, also marched with her Girl Scout troop. She looked so grown up with her friends. :-)

Back home, Brooklyn shows off her festive attire...

I hope everyone is having a wonderful December so far...we've been busy but having a great time!