Way Back When-esday!

So, in my travels through "blog land" I saw something really neat on several sites. They do "Way Back Wednesdays" where you post pictures from previous years that were taken in the same week. This was fun, since I have now realized that we take Brooklyn to the pumpkin patch the same week every year (we are headed there again this Thursday), and it was really neat to see her change from year to year.

October 21, 2005 (bald and beautiful): October 18, 2006 (the beginnings of some peach fuzz):
October 20, 2007 (Houston, we have hair!):
So, for all my blog friends out there, give it a try! I can't wait to see YOUR Way Back Wednesdays!

a new addition

We have a new addition to the family....a beautiful 150 pound elliptical trainer. "Ellie," as she will affectionally be known, has been accepted wonderfully into the Johnson family, and we hope to have many great 20-30 minute/ 3-4 times a week memories with her. After her birth in the office, we decided to move her to the playroom where she can watch cable TV, cool off under the ceiling fan, and keep watch over Brooklyn and her toys. Brooklyn is undecided about this new member of the family, but she knows that Ellie's job is to make mommy skinny, so she has asked everyday if mommy is skinny yet. :-) I don't think Brooklyn likes all the initial attention Ellie has received, but we hope that she will learn to love her as much as Chad and I have in the short time we have known her. So, Ellie, welcome to the Johnson family!

House pictures part 1

So, you have all been very patient. I finally got a chance to take pictures of some of the rooms in our new house. Brooklyn was asleep in her room when I got home to take pictures late last night, and our room was a disaster, but here are some shots of the rest of the house.

The bonus "playroom" upstairs above the garage:
The living room:

The "formal" (and I use that term loosely) dining room:
The breakfast area:
The kitchen:
Brooklyn's bathroom:
Not pictured: The office, our bedroom, our bathroom, Brooklyn's bedroom, 1/2 bath downstairs, garage, outside, etc. Maybe next month!

Trip to Lutheridge

This past weekend, our entire family (grandparents, godparents, friends, etc), all attended our church's 30th annual family retreat in Arden (Asheville), NC. This was Chad's 30th year (yes, he has NEVER missed a weekend), my 20th, and Brooklyn's 4th. It was a great weekend with BEAUTIFUL weather, wonderful food, and fabulous fellowship. I had so much fun, I forgot to take out the camera pretty often, but here are some highlights.

Brooklyn, Zoe, and Allie in the rocking chairs.
Saturday Night Live "Lutheridge Rectangles"
Princess Allie with her daddy's crown
Walking up the hill- Zoe and Brooklyn

Brooklyn- Age 3 1/2 plus some days

Brooklyn has been a fun girl since the day she was born, but now that she is a "little girl." We are just having the best time with her. Here's a post dedicated just to her:

Favorites:

Food- Pizza

Song- How Great is our God

TV Show- Jon and Kate Plus 8

Movie- Care Bears, Big Wish Movie

Friends- All her Shout sisters, and Kate, Sierra, and Anna Grace

Sayings- "Mommy, you are such a sweetie." "Oh my goodness." "Zoe, come here."

Animal- Fish

Restaurants- Chili's and "Old McDonalds"

Story- The "Our vacation to the mountains" story I tell at bedtime

Halloween costume- Dora (for the moment)

Candy- Smarties

Drink- Milk or water

Outfit- Any skirt (unfortunately, this cold weather is cramping her style)

Playground equipment- Swings

Games- Puzzles

Color- Pink

Shoes- Crocs or dress sandals

Way to annoy mommy and daddy- Ignoring us and acting like we are not even speaking English to her

Bath time activity- Washing the tub with a bar of "hotel soap"

Breakfast food- Granola Bar

Special treat- A red Icee from Target

Just another manic Monday...and Tuesday...and Wednesday...and Thursday

I have no excuse for not blogging last week, but this week has been crazy. I have worked every night (M,Tu,W, and Th), and I finally see an end in sight. Three days I have eaten lunch at my desk in an attempt to just get out of work on time to get to my evening work meeting. The plus side? I have made no effort to get to work on time in the morning (since I have flex hours), so Brooklyn and I have slept in every morning and had a chance to spend some time together before school and work. Thankfully, tomorrow night is a "night with Nanny." So, my mom, Brooklyn, and I are just going to hang out, eat dinner, and shop for Halloween costumes.

So, in an effort to catch up, I am gonna try to do some "power blogging."

the band continued...

While I'm on the subject, Grace Reigns Down is looking for a few things:
(1) A photographer for some "press photos" (You can be amateur, not a problem, just willing to take some pics of us-at a CHEAP (if not free) price).
(2) More venues- Do you have a youth group at your church or a youth event coming up? Or even a church/family picnic where you need some entertainment? We would love to come play for you!


For more info on the band or to contact us, visit our website: www.myspace.com/gracereignsdown. And become a friend while you are there!

we are...

The band is really taking off.....I mean, crazy how much it's taking off. Many of you may say "You're in a band? How did that happen?" Well, we started Grace Reigns Down as just a "worship music team" at our church's 6:30pm Shout service. Jason started playing drums for us as a Confirmation project, and he just stuck around. :-) In 2005, Chad and I were expecting Brooklyn and needed some extra peeps to help with the worship leading once our precious baby arrived. So, we asked a nice couple, Luke and Emily, who had been coming to the service and mentioned that they were musical, to fill in for us once and a while. (Chad and Emily actually knew each other casually from UNCG, so we had some common ground.) Then, they knew a bass player, Brandon, and invited him to join in. Once we realized how we all just "clicked," we went from a "let's see who shows up to play Sunday night" group to "let's actually offer some consistancy and play every week" band. That was over two years ago. We had Brooklyn, Luke and Emily had Zoe, and we recorded our first Grace Reigns Down album in the winter of 2006-2007. Once we had an album, we started trying to play some shows in the community and get the word out. Since then, we have played various venues around the state, from Oak Hollow Mall in High Point, a coffee shop in Summerfield, a community church in Eden, and Emily's hometown church in Rutherford County (just to name a few). It's great to be out in the community sharing our music and meeting people. We just have a love of sharing God's word with others through our music, and we have a great time just "being" together. We have eight original songs and know tons of Christian cover songs. It's so much fun, and being on stage often takes me back to my "Rhythm and Rhapsody" days at Ragsdale High School. Those lessons in stage presence have paid off! :-) God has truly blessed our group, and we are excited about all that is yet to come. Next stop for GRD? The Greensboro CROP Walk. We will be featured on their city stage in downstown Greensboro, playing a 45 minute set at the conclusion of the CROP Walk. We are so stoked and can't wait to play to this size crowd. What an awesome blessing for us, and for now, we are just enjoying the ride!

more house updates...

Here's Brooklyn sitting on the kitchen counter in our new house.....it's proof that yes, we are actually moved in, but I have yet to clean up a room enough to take a nice picture to post. :-)

Some updates to my post "Late Night Ramblings"...
Things I will miss about Eagle Road:
It's our first home: Well, it does hold, and will always hold, a special place in my heart, but as I stated before...it's just a house.
Brooklyn's first (and only home): She made many memories in that house, and I look forward to the many will be make together here at the new house.
The backyard: We have a great backyard here- thank goodness!
My gardenias: Seriously, I am kind of over them already. Sadly, I never did have a green thumb. Vaccuming: I have found that I can vaccum the new house using two plugs, so that's not too bad.
The hole: Dad and I looked, and although we don't have a wall where we can make another hole, the space is open enough, I think we will be OK. :-)
The Stevensons: We will always miss you guys!

And now an update on things I had looked forward to at the new house:
Duel sinks in the master bath: Honestly, the duel sinks are not that great (more to clean) but the COUNTER SPACE is incredible in the master bath!
Cool sink nozzle/sprayer in the kitchen: Yup, love it!
Hardwood floors: Spills have been great to clean up downstairs (no stains on the carpet upstairs yet!)
A place to have a big Christmas tree (in the LIVING ROOM): Yet to be determined since, thankfully, I have a few weeks until the holiday season
New carpet and paint upstairs (that I didn't have to do!): Some rooms I like, some not so much now that we are moved in with our stuff (like the master bedroom)
Side by side fridge with an ice maker (that's connected!): Once I figure out the best way to store food efficiently, it will be great.
Retractable, remote controlled awning on the patio (cement, not brick- yay!): We've already spent a lot of time outdoors and that extra shade has been nice.
Neighbors with kids (three years old, too!): We met Peyton, a three year old, next door- VERY cute and friendly!
A dutch barn (as opposed to the "out house" looking contraption we call storage now): Already filled with crap; I'm gonna have to get in there and clean!
A bonus room (or as Brooklyn calls it, "her dancing space"): Been a GOD SEND for all her toys
CLOSETS: Like the dutch barn- already filled up but up for a good cleaning out when I get the chance (or when we move again, whichever comes first)
A breakfast table (more chairs for everyone!): We LOVE our new table from World Market.
Surround sound: Not hooked up yet; Probably will never be

So, that's a quick house update...I promise to post pics soon.

In other news, we had a GREAT Saturday with my girlfriends from UNC and their sig others. To celebrate Loryn's birthday we went to Chateau Morisette winery in Floyd, VA for the day. It was a day of eating, drinking, laughing, and sitting! It was a wonderful day and I should have more pics to post soon, but here is one at the end of the day.
McKenzie, Jaclyn, Loryn, Heidi, and Jennifer (Marisa had left at this point but I think I will have a pic of the six of us soon.)

We're still here!

It's been quite a week and a half (and feels like a year!). It's been 5 days with no cable, phone, and internet (quite refreshing actually!). It's been countless trips to Home Depot, Lowes, Target, Linens -n- Things, Babies R Us, American Furniture Warehouse, World Market, and Pier 1 (and I'm still not done).

But...we are moved in to our new house!!!

More updates later, but we are loving it and can't wait to share stories and pictures soon.

late night ramblings

So, it's not often I am stuck awake, trying to fall asleep. But so I am, here in the office, at 11:48pm awake with my mind racing. You can't really blame me though. I mean, we have a lot of big stuff going on in our lives.

The obvious- the house. Here we are, ready to move on with our lives, on to bigger and better things. I mean, we are going from 1190 square feet to an unimaginable 1900+ house (plus two car garage). It will fill up quickly, but we are so blessed to be able to make the move and "upgrade" our surroundings. I have told people from the beginning. A house is a house. It stays where it is and people move in and out of it. Your home is where your heart (and your family) is. It's where you live, breathe, sleep, work, play, laugh, and love. So, though I try to look at everything objectively and say "Eagle Road is just a house. We are taking everything we love with us." It's hard to make my heart believe that sometimes. I mean, Eagle Road has so many memories and a special place in my heart....
-It's our first home: Chad and I had only been married 9 months when we came upon home ownership. It was a scary and exciting time, and we were excited to have the opportunity to OWN, and not rent, so quickly after marriage.
-Brooklyn's first (and only home): She took her first scoots, crawls, and steps in that living room. She drank her first bottle on the couch. She cried for her mommy and daddy from her bedroom. She peeled the wallpaper from the wall above where she could lay on her changing table. She bathed (and peed) in the tub. She snuck in our bedroom at night. She moved to a big girl bed. She learned to use the potty. She played in the backyard.
-The backyard: Ahhh, it was our pride and joy. So lush and green. How we will miss you.
-My gardenias: I didn't even know what they were when Emily helped me buy them, but they are beautiful and bloom so often. And I don't even have to remember to water them. :-)
-Vaccuming: One plug reaches the whole house. Need I say more?
-The hole: That hole that my dad put in the wall between the dining room and the living room made all the difference in the world. It opened that space up more than I ever imagined it would.
-The Stevensons: Jon and McKenzie are literally a 58 second run away down the street. Close enough where they were our "go to" family for anything we needed in a pinch. I think we kept their flashlight for about 8 months. We'll miss sharing Eagle Road with you, and just remember guys, I have been scoping houses out in AF for you already!

So, I know that these are little things and I have taken enough pictures of everything to last a lifetime, and I have many things to look FORWARD to with the new house. To name just a few initial excitements:
-Duel sinks in the master bath
-Cool sink nozzle/sprayer in the kitchen
-Hardwood floors
-A place to have a big Christmas tree (in the LIVING ROOM)
-New carpet and paint upstairs (that I didn't have to do!)
-Side by side fridge with an ice maker (that's connected!)
-Retractable, remote controlled awning on the patio (cement, not brick- yay!)
-Neighbors with kids (three years old, too!)
-A dutch barn (as opposed to the "out house" looking contraption we call storage now)
-A bonus room (or as Brooklyn calls it, "her dancing space")
- CLOSETS (or as Brooklyn calls them, "her hiding spaces")
-A breakfast table (more chairs for everyone!)
-Surround sound

So, these are just things that I see from just a few visits....there will be more, I am sure, and I am sure I will lose sleep over the next week or so worrying about everything that will transpire over the next week: from closing back to back houses, to painting, to moving, to moving the BIG stuff, to remodeling, and finally, to closing the door to Eagle Road one last time with the keys inside and saying "Goodbye." It's an emotional time and I am not an emotional person, so this should be interesting to say the least.

Some prayer requests: Pray for us as we make this move. And please pray for me as I deal with some pretty complicated issues at work ("Stress at the Girl Scout office?," you might say, "Really?") You would be surprised. And finally, pray for our band, Grace Reigns Down, as we have been afforded some great opportunities over the next several months and we are working to discern God's path for us and how we can best be His servants.

Am I tired yet? Did typing a long post help? Kinda....but now I have to research baby gates for stairs. Never had to worry about that before, and even though Brooklyn is 3, I am dead set on having a gate at the top of the stairs for her "midnight visits." :-)

My big Village 3 girl

Today marked a pretty exciting day for Brooklyn. She moved to the Village 3 hall at school (where all the biggest kids are!). It's hard to believe that we survived Village 1 and infancy, much less Village 2 and "Toddler-dom", and now we are already in Village 3. Next stop: Kindergarten! (But thankfully not for two more years!) To celebrate the "big move", Brooklyn's school had a "Field Day/Cookout" for the kids and their parents last Friday. It was a fun morning, and here are some highlights:

Brooklyn and Sierra waiting their turn for the games.
Brooklyn in the "Potato Sack" race (or "Walk along the mulch in a pillowcase" race)
Ms. Ramona helps Brooklyn, Eden, and Sierra with the "Egg Relay"
And finally, the "Ball Toss"
It was a fun morning, and Chad and I were glad we both got to spend some time with Brooklyn on "her turf."

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!