america's next top models

So, what do you get when you cross two crazy girls with minds of their own, two even crazier moms who are suckers for good pictures, and a jammed pack room of screaming children and anxious parents? A great afternoon at Portrait Innovations, that's what! Despite the "walmart-esque" nature of the facility (people, watch your children!), Allie and Brooklyn had a great time taking their "Summer 2008 pictures." And, because Misty and I are suckers and spent too much money, we were given the CD to share...so, enjoy!

And no pictures would be complete without a set of out-takes...

Brooklyn: "Hey, Allie do your hands like this." Allie: (between a gritted smile) "No, Brooklyn, stand right."

Brooklyn: "Hey Allie, now you sit on my lap. Ooof! OK, time to get up now."

Brooklyn: "Seriously, how many of these poses do I have to do?" Allie: "Come on, Brooklyn, pretend to enjoy it a little here!"

Brooklyn has had enough of the first room.

So, on to the beach scene, but Brooklyn decides to make up her own pose. Photographers, take note!

how wonderful life is now you're in the world!

I want to wish my wonderful husband, Chad, a happy 6 year anniversary (yesterday, August 3rd). Though our life is currently dictated by a three and a half year old (already planning her four year old birthday in February), I just wanted to let Chad know what a wonderful husband and father he is. Brooklyn and I are so lucky that he is ours, and we thank God every day for him! I'm excited about starting our 6th year in a new home with our perfect little family, and I am already going to apologize for the stress that I will cause you when we move and I am redecorating. Hey, it's inavoidable. :-) But, look on the bright side...I hate to move so we won't be having this conversation again for another 30 years when we move into our deluxe condo. :-)

Can you believe that 6 years ago, digital cameras were not a staple in every household, so our wedding photographs were all on, gasp, FILM. So, I wish there were photos to reminisce with, but alas, none are on my computer, and I am too busy to scan. :-) But, we can all think back and remember that hot August day/evening at First Lutheran and Bryan Park, the beautiful ceremony, how Universal Decca Recording Artist Brendan James sang Ave Maria and Your Song (when he was just college friend Brendan Ernst), "the ring drop," how I left Heidi hanging with the bouquets and just ran down the aisle with Chad, the awesome reception with David Frazier- the BEST DJ ever, Heidi and Larry- the NEW bride and groom, the Phi Beta Chi girls dancing to Beat It (to which my brother replied "Only you would have choreography at your reception."), the bouquet (s) toss, running out of Red Oak (sorry Chad!), my new brother-in-law entering the reception hall- beer in hand & cowboy hat on head- to Return of the Mack, watching my mom and her friends dance to It's Raining Men, and finally, leaving the reception to drive through "Taco Bell" to get some sweet tea!

I love you, Chad, and I couldn't imagine sharing this crazy ride with anyone else!

well, we're moving on up...

If all goes well and the papers get signed, on August 28th we will be the proud new owners of 2330 Adams Farm Parkway. Please keep us in your prayers as we embark on this new journey. (And when I say, we are moving on up, I mean WAY up- the driveway is very STEEP!). :-)

The house is a three bedroom (+ bonus room) vinyl home with a two car garage and Dutch barn in the back (Chad's favorite). We love the area (though a little farther from work and church), the storage is GREAT, there is room to grow (not for several more years!), and the street is very "kid friendly." There is only one wallpaper border to remove (see kitchen below) and a few walls to paint....and those of you who remember Eagle Road know I HATE wallpaper. :-)

The backyard has grass (yay!) and is backed by mature trees, which we love (no crazy neighbor kids walking through our backyard!). My favorite? The retractable awning over the patio.

So, again, please pray for us as we continue to work towards closing on our old house and closing on our new house (both on August 28), as we go through the house inspection tomorrow, and as I (gasp!) pack up our stuff!

beach week 08

So, in the midst of selling our home we were also packing for our annual week long trip to Ocean Isle beach. Despite my nervousness over selling the house and having to come home looking for a house, we had a great week.
Brooklyn was not a light traveler. Since she preferred her baby pool to the big pool, we hauled around her little pool wherever we went. But she was happy, and when Brooklyn's happy....well, you know!
The Johnson Family at Ocean Isle
Thank you, Nanny and Grandpa for a wonderful week!
To end the week, we took Brooklyn to play miniature golf for the first time. She loved it and was quite good when she would walk her ball to the very end of the course and knock it in from 5 inches away. :-)

Reality

It's for real now...the paperwork has been signed and we are under contract....I am scrambling around now looking for a new home for the Johnson family.

update to the house update

So...where to begin...I guess I would just say to all you home sellers out there- "Take your house off the market!". As I said in my last post, we decided to take it off for a few weeks to "breathe" and allow us to just start over in August fresh and new. Well, this week I went home for lunch in the afternoon one day and found an elderly couple sitting in front of my house. Chad was inside trying to reach me on my cell (which was ringing as I was walking up the driveway). They approached Chad and asked if they could see the inside of the house. They were looking for their daughter and grandchild. Well, against my better judgement and how my mother raised me, we let strangers in our home. So, I sized them up deciding that I could take the older lady and Chad would have to get the man, had my phone in hand ready to dial 9-1-1 in case they tried anything funny, and positioned myself between them and the kitchen knives. We were ready for the house tour. It was quick, they were nice, said they would call our realtor, and left. Well, they did call Glenda, made an offer, we countered, they came back to look at the house, they accepted the counter-offer, they came back to look at the house, they signed the papers, we signed the papers, and the house is now sold- YIPPEE! It's been a whirlwind of a week, but we are excited about this new stage in our life. And when we return from vacation we will be in "find a new house" mode for a while.

So, the moral of the story is.....shake things up in the housing market and things will happen.

And now, I am in the "grieving for my old house" stage and thinking about all the things that I will miss....but that's for a future post.

house update

So, house selling lesson #8567: If you take your house off the market, people will come.

We have had our house on the market for 5 months now. The first 4 months were busy with activity and even two offers, but the last 4 weeks have been dry and lonely. So, this week we took the house off the market and then will re-list it as a brand new listing in August. Well, wouldn't you know it, this week alone our realtor has received two phone calls with people really interested in the house.

Hmmm.....what an interesting market we are in right now.

So....please think great thoughts for us as we continue to try new ways to sell our wonderful little home! :-)

visit to lazy 5 ranch

On Tuesday, Brooklyn, my mom, and I went to the Lazy 5 Ranch in Mooresville, NC. It was such a cool "petting zoo" where they have caged animals, but also animals just roaming around in the "wild." We opted to drive through the park in our own car instead of the wagon ride (it was drizzling and warm and we were not sure how Brooklyn would like everything in her face). Brooklyn LOVED sitting in the backseat with Nanny and seeing all the animals up close (but through the window glass!). We had a great time, and can't wait to go back soon.

The mama ostrich with her TWENTY ONE babies.

Nanny and Brooklyn in the backseat.

Have you ever been this close to a zebra?

My personal favorite- the baby potbellied pigs.

Those camels were hungry!

Our newest shout sister

Brooklyn, Zoe, Allie, and Allie all became "big sisters" on Wednesday, July 2nd when Brandon and Audrey Clendenin welcomed Callie Christine into the world. Brandon is a Shout worship leader at First Lutheran Church and the bass player of Grace Reigns Down. We are so excited about the newest addition to our "Family" and cannot wait to spoil this precious girl. Congratulations, Brandon and Audrey- you did well! :-)

holiday weekend fun

Nothing beats a fun weekend with friends and family. Here are some highlights from our July Fourth weekend...

We went to the Greensboro parade with Nanny, Grandpa, Gramma, and Pops.

The afternoon was spent at Allie's Nana's house (and pool!). Thanks, Nana Margaret!

On Saturday, we had a super fun cookout at the Henzler house where all the "Shout sisters" got to play together. Here's Zoe, Brooklyn, "Baby" Allie, and "Big" Allie goofing around at the screen door.
Brooklyn and Zoe were having a blast making silly faces on the couch.

After church on Sunday, we went with all the grandparents for breakfast at Tex and Shirley's. Brooklyn continued to wave that flag all weekend long.

the johnsons heart new york

We had a great trip to New York at the end of June. We visited wonderful family friends, caught a great Broadway show, and just enjoyed being on the road together. Brooklyn is such a great traveler and in her short life has experienced so many modes of transportation....here are just a few in our one week up north. (In no particular order...)

#1: Rental Van (with a DVD player- yay!)


#2: Daddy's Shoulders (and eating Twizzlers for breakfast at Hershey Park)

#3: The borrowed stroller (and counting her earnings at Mohegan Sun casino)

#4: A ferry (to Mohegan Sun in Connecticut)

#5: A NYC taxi cab (so excited to not be in a carseat)

#6: A horsedrawn carriage (through Central Park)

Thanks to Aunt Patty, Uncle Bill, and Sean for their hospitality while we were visiting...it will probably be a while before we get back up north, but I can't wait for the day when Brooklyn and I can hit the streets of NYC to buy knock-off handbags and see Broadway shows together. :-)

america the beautiful...

So, only in America can someone PAY you $35 to sample Krispy Kreme doughnuts. Several years ago I got involved with Bellemy Research, so they call me from time to time, ask me a few questions, and if I answer them "correctly" I go in for research studies. I have stuck my head in boxes and smelled tobacco, reviewed community websites, and now, I have sampled KK doughnuts. This was by far the easiest. :-) I think they are wanting to introduce a new glazed doughnut, maybe something a bit less fattening or carb loaded. I don't know, but the ones that I tasted had that kind of "stale, dry, good for you" taste that says "REDUCED something." But hey, it was still a doughnut and didn't make me gag, so it was a $35 easily earned.

Now, I can put 1/2 tank of gas in my car.

when I grow up...

So, last week, Brooklyn's school started "Summer Camp." Now, this is somewhat of a joke, because she goes there year round and really nothing changes during the summer. BUT, some smart guy at the school said "Hey, let's start a summer camp, charge parents $30, and make them feel guilty if they don't pay because the kid will be there anyway and will be left out." So, obviously, I paid my $30. So far it's gotten me (well, Brooklyn), a visit from a dietician (to which Brooklyn comes home and tells me that we don't eat anything that comes out of our bottoms. Gross, I know! Her teacher assured me that this did not come from the dietician, but Brooklyn derived this from her own logic), a "cookie decorating class," a visit from Flame- the Fire Safety Clown, and a lime green t-shirt that's cute, but I think was designed by one of the 5 year olds. And that's just one and a half weeks...so I may be impressed where my $30 gets me (er, Brooklyn) by the end of the summer. Today, she was supposed to come dressed as what she wants to be when she grows up. What three year old do you know has made this type of life discovery? I asked Brooklyn this morning, and she said "I don't want breakfast." My point exactly. So, we went searching through her closet for something to wear (UNC shirt- well, that's a given, a Greensboro Grasshoppers t-shirt- maybe another day, dresses/skorts- no different than any average Wednesday) and found this Mets Cheerleading Outfit. Hmmmm.....it's really cute, she has no other reason to wear it, Grandpa's a fan, and she was super excited about it so there were no early morning clothes fights. Sold. So, I am now declaring that when Brooklyn grows up, she would like to be the captain of the very first New York Mets Cheerleading Team. Take that Village Kids.

shameless plug...again

I know it seems like I am beating a dead horse here, but really folks, you should buy Brendan James's album "The Day Is Brave" on Amazon.com, iTunes, or in your local music store. He hit #5 on the iTunes Pop Chart last week and he is SO close to breaking through onto the Billboard list.

Really....you won't be disappointed....really.....

We saw Brendan in Chapel Hill last night...Chad and I got a date night (thanks mom and dad!). It's always so great to see "Brendan-the friend" and not just "Brendan-the musician." The venue was small and we were early, so that gave us some precious moments to catch up. We're so proud of him and often think back to the days in my Village apartment in Carrboro where we would say "One day, after college graduation, we will reach our dreams....Brendan, you will be a famous recording artist, and Chad and I will have the family we have always wanted." It's nice to see both dreams have become a reality.

God is good.

randomness on the way to school

SCENE: RIDING IN THE CAR ON THE WAY TO SCHOOL

(completely out of nowhere)

Brooklyn: "Mommy, you are not God."

Me: "You are right, Brooklyn."

Me to self: "Who ruined that for her so early in life? Has she been talking to Daddy???"

Brooklyn: "Church is God's house."

Me: "Again, you are right, Brooklyn."

Brooklyn: "We don't stand on God's furniture."

Me: "We don't stand on anyone's furniture."

Brooklyn: "Because it's durn-ger-ous, right?"

Me: "Dangerous?"

Brooklyn: "No, durngerous."

Me: "Oh, my fault- durngerous."

Brooklyn: "Alright.....the wheels on the bus go round and round......."

(SCENE ENDS WITH BROOKLYN SINGING AS IF THIS CONVERSATION NEVER HAPPENED)

move over steven and george...

Here are some cool still shots from my brother, Eric's, most recent film. It's currently titled "Dead in 10."

That's so cool that you can see "Director: Eric Bader." :-)

We are so proud of Eric and cannot wait to see the finished product!

a million dollar smile

So, Brooklyn made another huge step into "big girl-dom" this morning. She took her first trip to the dentist! Here are a few pictures chronicling our morning...

Brooklyn in the car saying "I'm going to the dentist today!"

Brooklyn chose to sit in my lap during the hygenist's cleaning, but she did a great job as Stephanie brushed her teeth and flossed between them. She said "no thank you and maybe next time" to the polishing, but Stefanie said that was OK. It was after the cleaning that she decided to sit in the dentist chair to play.

As you wait for the dentist, children can sit in the chairs, watch movies, color, or play with the train set. Brooklyn did all four, but here she is coloring a picture of Sleeping Beauty.

Because it was her first visit, Brooklyn got her picture taken in the chair with a stuffed character of her choice...and you guessed it...D-D-D-D-D Dora!

Dr. Malley met Brooklyn in a small examination room after her picture/play time, and Brooklyn laid with her head in Dr. Malley's lap as she counted teeth (20!), checked for cavities (0!), and applied a flouride solution to her teeth (painless!).

Brooklyn was such a big girl all morning. We left the dentist, had a few chick-n-mini's from Chick-fil-A, and went to school!

See you again in 6 months, Dr. Malley!

sweet spring treats

Last weekend, we took a quick, spur of the moment trip to Bernie's Berries on Groometown Road. My mom had taken Brooklyn there about two weeks ago, and she loved it, so we went back for another trip since we had run out of strawberries. She loves riding on the "strawberry cart" and then choosing just the perfect ones for her basket. I think her favorite part, though, was running up and down the rows and checking to see how everyone else was doing. Bernie's Berries has an awesome supply of strawberries, were priced VERY reasonably (we got two huge baskets for $4.95), and as an added bonus, it is owned by my high school math teacher, Bernice Kenan. Mrs. Kenan was one of THE hardest teachers at Ragsdale but always had a smile on her face. And, because of her, I didn't have to take a single math class at Carolina- so yay for that! So, it was great to catch up with her and show off the family.

Another sweet treat this week was a surprise visit from some furry friends. My CEO here at the Girl Scouts breeds basset hounds, and she had two litters a few weeks ago. Her husband brought all SIXTEEN to the office yesterday so we could play. She only has 4 left to sell, so if you are interested in one, let me know! :-) They are VERY sweet.....and, as you can see, the brown ones were my favorite.

News:

A special HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to our bestest friends/god-family, Joe and Misty Henzler. We love you guys and are glad to see you made it another year- ha ha!

And also a big CONGRATULATIONS to my friend, Andi, at work who announced she is 11 weeks pregnant. May the next 30 weeks be happy, healthy, and memorable!

And finally...the day is almost here...our friend, Brendan's, CD, The Day is Brave, is due out June 3rd! iTunes has released his single, Green, for sale this week, so if you have the 99 cents, buy it and support our boy! Just search Brendan James Green in the iTunes store.

Warning: Proud Mommy

Brooklyn deserves a post all to herself because I am so proud of her. Brooklyn's teachers completed a three year old "Developmental Assessment" for Brooklyn last week, and she did soooo well. Here's me as a proud mom (*with my usual sidenotes in pink).

Gross Motor Skills:

Mastered (Can do well and does often): running around obstacles, balances on one foot, marches, hops, slides, catches balls, jumps over 6 inches, push/steer toys

Emerging (Learning to do, does occassionally): walks stairs alternating feet

Fine Motor Skills:

Mastered: draws recognizable pictures (smiley faces and some letters), imitates cross (not sure what that means, but I mean the girl goes to church enough she should know what a cross looks like), traces patterns, copies circles, rolls/shapes clay, builds 9-12 block tower, drives nails (that makes her grandpas happy)

Emerging: strings 1/2 inch beads, cuts across paper strip, fastens snaps

Language Skills:

Mastered: uses plural, understands "let's pretend," repeats rhymes, sings songs (apparantly loves to sing "Better is One Day" when the other kids are napping), 4-5 word sentences, repeats 3 or more numbers in order, understands time concept, describes events or stories, 1000 word vocabulary

Emerging: NONE!

Personal Skills:

Mastered: eats independently, washes hands, uses potty independently, wipes nose with tissue, cleans up centers, dresses self with help, brushes hair

Emerging: snaps or hooks clothing, buttons and unbuttons large buttons, pours from a pitcher (when would I EVER want Brooklyn to pour from a pitcher?? "Here Brooklyn, please go set the table and fill the glasses with water...um, No!")

Social Skills:

Mastered: sings/dances to music, plays games with rules, enjoys play pretend, take turns/shares (that's arguable), helps with chores, answers phone (thank goodness for digital phone/caller ID), greets familiar adults (again, arguable), imitates peer actions (unfortunately, the good and the bad), joins other children in play, participates in show and tell

Emerging: NONE

Intellectual Skills:

Mastered: follows 2-4 related directions, understands same-different, matches geometrical forms, understands past-present, refers to self by I or me, knows gender and age, names 10 body parts, matches three colors and shapes

Emerging: NONE

General Comments:

-Brooklyn has excellent language skills. She can carry on conversations like an adult.

-Brooklyn loves to cook food in "home living." She also loves to do art and listen to stories.

-Brooklyn has good self-help skills. She can put her socks and shoes on all by herself.

-Brooklyn is very smart. She can recognize all the letters of the alphabet. She can even write many of them as well.

-Brooklyn is a joy to have in the classroom.

Jaclyn 1, Vacuum 1

So, as usual, we are busy. But when I read back to my other posts, I realize that I didn't know what busy was until the past two weeks. One of the perks in my job is to set my own schedule and plan my own events. Well, apparantly one of my weaknesses is my inability to see the "large picture", or large calendar. I scheduled three huge events and a few smaller ones within two weeks of one another. My bad. So, needless to say, Chad and I haven't spoken in about 8 days (because we haven't been home at the same time), and I have been getting quality time with Brooklyn by sitting with her at breakfast at school. But, things are slowing down now- finally- and summer will be here before we know it. Yay!

Many of you have asked about house selling/hunting. We put the hunting on hold until the selling transforms into "offering/negotiating/contracting/signing." We get soooo many people coming by the house, but no serious offers in a while. But, we are at peace with whatever happens. In fact, we are enjoying a clean, clutter free house and a low mortgage payment for as long as we can.

Most days keeping the house clean is fairly easy. If I know someone is coming that day, I do a quick vacuum around the house to give it that "fresh vacuum lines look." Well, I think the stress of work and our busy lives caught up to me yesterday, because we were leaving the house, running late for a meeting at church, and I wanted to vacuum real quick because someone was coming that evening. We have had numerous problems with this vacuum in the past, but Chad and I had just cleaned it all out- every nook and cranny- and it was working fine. Well, of course that thing decides to not suck up anything and as a bonus, proceeds to cough up dust balls the size of Cleveland in the hallway. Well, I had had enough of just everything at that point and just kicked the hell out of that vacuum. I wish I could say that it pepped up and started up again like a champ, but no, it still was a crappy vacuum, but I felt better after slapping it silly.