Phone pictures lately.....

Harlow's 1st Tooth

This pretty little thing got her first tooth (about a week ago), and popped her second just days after.

 See the glimpse? Bottom right.

Jamie sent me this picture today, of Harlow on their walk home from daycare. She loves Sophie the Giraffe, even in her sleep! And when she's in her carseat, she's always hanging on to that flower.



Per tradition....

Per tradition....Like the Friday after Thanksgiving every year, we went to visit Santa. It was Harlow's first time (obviously, like that really needs to be explained) and she cozied right up. Although I'm not certain she ever really turned around to see who she was sitting on, just focused on Mom taking her picture. Hudson was so excited, in fact, he could not wait to go to bed the night before just thinking about seeing Santa. He told him he wanted a horn. Not many details on this horn, but it sounds awfully noisy! He also told Santa Harlow wanted dolls. It was Paxton's 3rd time meeting Santa, and he is still pretty sure he's not a big fan. Again, he seems brave, gets excited to see him, knows what he's going to ask for...then it happens, he hears those dreaded words, "Okay Paxton, you're next." He grabbed on to Daddy's leg and held it together at first, but when Daddy tried walking away, he lost it. Thankfully, one of Santa's helpers brought him a cookie and he agreed to sit (on dad's lap) long enough for a picture. He's saying "cheese", just not very enthusiastically! He asked for a drum. With a drum and a horn, sounds like the boys will be making some horrible noise beautiful music this year.

 Per tradition...we went to visit Grandma at work and Jamie gave the boys a ride down the rolly thingy (know idea what this thing is really called).

 Per tradition....we went to the Parade of Lights. Twas' a chilly parade this year. The boys stayed snuggly warm under the blanket, Regan and Sidney warm in their snow gear, and Harlow nice and toasty inside the restaurant! She was the smartest one!

 Per NEW tradition.... The Elf on the Shelf came to visit us this year. Hiding in the undecorated Christmas tree. Hudson was the first one to find him and is taking it very seriously....today...it'll likely wear off by tomorrow. But he had to remind Paxton several times that the elf was watching him. Paxton has been especially naughty rambunctious lately, and by golly, that elf is seeing it all!

Hudson named our elf....Meet "Rein"....short for Reindeer. Clever, huh.

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was busy again this year, with going to the Portner's side, then to Grandma Sharon's, and last to Aunt Porky's. The kids met new family, played with cousins, and we all ate good food! I am thankful for many things, but my family first and foremost. Even though I was about ready to give them all away trying to get a decent family picture, which we never got! But none the less, they are my world. My children are everything I ever dreamed of. And my husband, well, he tells me I'm beautiful everyday of my life, what's better than that! We're a lucky crew, us Johnson five!

My daughter.

 My boys...who apparently, are NOT thankful for one another! Ha!

 I am also thankful for baby girl accessories....because boots on Harlow are to die for!

a bit about the boys

Best Friends

These boys are the best of friends; they play together, have great conversations, and fight a little bit in betweem. Given the choice, Hudsy would always want his little brother with, and Pax would follow him anywhere. They are glued to eachother all day long; driving trucks and tractors, watching movies, running from upstairs to the basement looking for ghosts and witches, or hunting big bucks. They let their imaginations run wild and they do it together. My favorite moments are when they're in their beds, just talking. Sharing a bedroom has built such a special bond. I'm so proud of the relationship they have.

Here's a little bit about Hudson:
-He knows his address and knows to tell someone if he's lost.
-He overthinks every possible scenario and worries about what could happen. Right now he's concerned about our house burning down. There is no reason for this concern, but its just something he thinks about. He knows to run outside as fast as he can, across the street to the church parking lot, and then he has plans to live with Grandma, Sheri, or Ditty.
-He learns alot of things from movies. When I'm surprised by something he knows, he'll tell me he learned it from Wubbzy (which is still his favorite!).
-He can add and subtract like crazy! We practice alot with snacks. I'll tell him he and brother can each have 3 crackers, and he quickly replies with, "then I need 6".
-He knows the days of the week, the order, and what happens in our schedule on each particular day.
-At school, for Thanksgiving, he was asked what he's thankful for and he said money. I asked him why he was thankful for money, and he said, "because I want lots of it so you don't have to work." He has a pretty good concept of money. He understands when toys he wants are too expensive and he knows to pick from the red bins (dollar bins) at Target.
-He has a pretty extensive "naughty word" vocabulary and will call us out if we say one.
-He has genuine concern for other people.
-He's started to ask alot of questions about dying, heaven, Jesus and God. I can't answer all of them. And he's very strict about saying his prayer at night. He can do "Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep" all by himself.
-He loves having company over, just like his dad.
-He always wants to know details about everything!
-He acts and talks like an adult.
-Grandma is still his favorite person!
Here's a little bit about Paxton:
-He genuinely loves his baby sister, likes to play with her and make her laugh, and only calls her Sister or Sissy.
-He'd watch movies all day long, at full length. And he goes through favorites and watches that same one over and over again.
-He'll tell you he loves you out of the blue.
-He wants to do everything his big brother does and gets so excited when he comes up with an idea that Hudson wants to do.
-If you ask him where his Daddy is, he will always tell you he's hunting for big bucks.
-He handles everything like a champ. If he gets hurt, his tears only last a second. If he's mad, he'll forgive you right away. If he's sick, you'd hardly notice (exact opposite of Hudson).
-He's very polite and will always say please, thank you, and I'm sorry.
-Instead of just answering with "yes" or "yea", he says, "yes I did" or "yes I do", and there's something so cute about that.
-His words are still hard to understand sometimes, but Hudson always knows what he's saying.
-He does not like getting his picture taken and will rarely look directly at the camera. And unlike Hudson, he won't even be bribed into it.
-In the mornings, he'll wait until Hudson wakes up to get out of bed. And sometimes thats a very long time.
-He has this cute, shy smile that would melt anyone's heart. It makes you feel sorry for him even when there's no reason to.
-He's very sensitive and will burst into tears if he's being scolded.
-His favorite person is Mommy, but he'd never want to hurt Daddy's feelings.

our house

Here's a little video from our house. The object of the video was to catch Harlow doing "so big", which I briefly got, and then Hudsy took over. But you do get a glimpse of Hudson's tooth and can hear his new subtle lisp. You'll also notice Grandma's voice in the background desperately begging Harlow to do "so big". You'll see Paxton trying to get in on the action, and Hudsy almost step on his baby sister without a second thought. And lastly, you'll see Harlow do what she does best, spit up! Enjoy what happens at our house...... 

The Tooth Incident

This morning, before our day barely got started, that perfect face above was imperfected. He was climbing into the car, slipped and hit his mouth. To make matters worse, he had a toy (bubble blower) in his mouth and when he fell, it pushed his front right tooth back. It was painful, and he cried, but worse than that, he was scared and nervous. I'm not sure if I've ever explained "the way Hudson is"......he's a worrier, he has high anxiety, he thinks about everything, questions everything, and does NOT get over things! Sure his tooth hurt, but that was secondary to what was going to happen next. He knew his tooth had moved, he could feel it with his tongue. Immediately he wanted me to take him somewhere, anywhere, to get that tooth fixed. He needed to know if it was going to fall out, if he would be able to bite or eat, if it looked okay, and was somewhat shocked when I said I was still going to work. I called the dentist at 8 o'clock on the dot and they said they'd like to see him for x-rays. Those showed that his tooth is "fine", just moved to the right and back a little bit. When Hudson would bite down, the front tooth went behind the bottom tooth. The dentist moved it back into place as much as he could, but it still fits behind a bit. Hudson was SO BRAVE! Again, because of his anxiety, he would've gone through immense pain to get that tooth fixed. His hands clenched the chair, his feet flew up in the air, but when the dentist asked if he was okay, he quickly replied, "yea, just keep fixing it". If there are no further problems, the tooth should be fine. However, if there continues to be pain, if the bite bothers him, or if his gums get red, then they'll have to pull the tooth. Something Hudson does NOT want! The dentist also mentioned the possibility that the tooth could get dark in color (from bruising), something else Hudson does NOT want! All night I've been fielding questions from my 4 year old boy plagued with anxiety. "Will my tooth fall out? Will it turn blue and black? What if I can never eat again? Will it come out when I'm sleeping? What do you mean all my tooth fall out eventually?" (we haven't really explained the whole tooth fairy concept to him yet) But the worst question, "Do you care that I have a loose tooth?" as in, "Do you still love me with a loose tooth?" This kid breaks my heart with the way his mind works. Another example, while we were driving today, for some reason he starts thinking about car accidents, and if we got into a car accident, would the airbags pop out, and would that hurt, and how would they go back in, would we have to get a new car, is there airbags in back, does Harlow need an airbag? Things a 4 year old should not be thinking about, especially because he's never been in a car accident, and shouldn't even know what airbags are! I asked him how he knows so much and he said, "Because I learn from me and I'm smart". Anyway....I was so proud of his bravery at the dentist (because I even had to hold back tears), that I told him he could pick a toy out at the store....so here he is, all masked up....

We love you Hudsy!!! Straight tooth, crooked tooth, white tooth, black tooth, or no tooth!!!

(P.S. And more than one person mentioned today that bad things happen in three's- 1 being Paxton's broken leg, 2 being Hudson's tooth, and 3......I'm going to go ahead and count Harlow's minor cold. So we're good universe, no need to cause any #3 bad thing for this family!)

6 month doctor appt

Harlow had her 6 month well baby check. And since it was during flu season, she had her normal 3 vaccinations PLUS the first half of the flu shot! Poor little girl got poked 4 times. She cries more than her brothers ever did but fell asleep in Mommy's arms while we waited. We had a different nurse this time, Grandma Jo, and I'm pretty sure she thought Harlow was sent straight from Heaven. She awed at every smile and could not believe it when she tried crawling off the bed. Harlow weighed a whopping 14 lbs and 4 ozs, putting her in the tiniest 19th percentile, and measured 24 7/8 inches, in the 11th percentile, however, I'm certain the measurement was inaccurate and she is really about a half inch longer than that. Even though doctor visits with shots are tough, we still love Dr. Frani. She takes good care of us and remembers everything about our kids, all the way back to when Hudson was 1 year old and called bugs, "bubs". Thanks to her, the boys still love going to the doctor!  

six months

Harlow is six months old- November 8, 2012

At six months old.....
weight: 14 lbs 4 oz
length: 24 7/8 inches (at the doctor but I'm pretty sure the nurse cut off about a half inch or so)
diaper size: size 2
clothes: 3-6 month
bottles: 5-6 ounces every 3 hours
food: cereal, all orange vegetables, peas, bananas
Little things about Harlow.....
-Mommy went back to work :( so she started going to daycare and all reports are great!
-she moved into her own room and big crib, transitioned perfectly, and no more swaddling
-she seems to have gotten much better at favoring Mommy and likes everyone
-she naps!!!! Takes 2-3 naps during the day, in her crib, 1-2 hours each
-she's eaten lots of new foods and loves them all!
-can drink water from a sippy cup
-we moved her up to fast flow bottle nipples because she was taking forever to drink
-most days she has a rash under her bottom lip from drooling so much, especially when she's sleeping
-does not sit still EVER, rolls around everywhere, gets up on her hands and knees frog hopping all over
-likes when her brothers push her around in the exersaucer
-I swear she nows how to do "soooo big", putting her arms above her head
-she's had a minor cold for a long time now with red eyes and runny nose
-she LOVES her seahorse in her crib, we turn it on for her and she snuggles it to fall asleep
-I can finally say she loves her daddy!
-nowhere near being able to sit up by herself yet
-she smiles when I drop her off at daycare and smiling when I pick her up
-its impossible to eat next to her because she wants your food bad
-she's the happiest girl when she wakes up and could play in her crib forever
-Mommy misses her terribly now that I'm back to work and if possible, loves her even more!!

Good morning Harlow .....

You're SIX months old today!

Hudson's Drawing

My eyes welled up with tears when Hudson gave me this picture! He drew it entirely by himself. It is me and him holding hands and flowers. The details are perfect; the sun in the sky, I'm pink and he's blue, five fingers on each hand, and his shorter hair because he just got a haircut (he specifically pointed that out to me). I LOVE IT!!! And I'll cherish it forever!

it's sunday

Another Sunday, another Vikings game, and another afternoon spent at the Ahlnesses.

Harlow and Hunter

 Man, she's just inches away from actually crawling! She rocks back and forth, takes frog leaps ahead, even every once in awhile, moves her knees and hands. But she's not even 6 months yet...to early my baby, much too early!

 The boys went in the hot tub, and Pax, like the wild man he is, jumped in like it was a 10 foot deep pool! He's been taking leaps and bounds too! Limping a little less, walking a little faster....almost back to normal. The only time I really notice anything is going up and down steps, and going potty. He just doesn't have the same balance as before and he knows it...worried about missing the toilet. It took a LONG time, much longer than I expected, but the crazy kid is back! He has his last doctor appointment on Wednesday.

 Hudson looked at this picture and said, "Who do you think is the cutest? I think I am."

Here's a video of Harlow attempting her crawl. Maddi and Logan were "training" her. She wanted Logie's phone pretty bad, and was trying everything to get to it. Again, sorry if you get a crink in your neck from watching.

HaPpY HaLLoWeEn 2012

To say that the boys were anticipating Halloween is a huge understatement. They COULD NOT WAIT!! Mainly because they so badly wanted to wear their costumes. They were so excited to be the dragon and the monster. And this mama thinks they were the CUTEST dragon and monster ever!!

 Trying to scare people with their roars was their favorite thing to do! Hudson LOVED trick-or-treating! He was a half a block ahead of us all night. Running up to each house that had their light on. Never getting scared or nervous, always saying "trick-or-treat" and "thank you", and certain to check out each and every decoration. There was somewhat of a haunted house that he had to go to twice he loved it so much! Pax was nervous, but Hudson told him "there is no such thing as real witches and monsters, I promise".

 Paxton demanded we travel in our car rather than by foot, so Grandma came and picked him and Harlow up a little earlier. And after he left, at every house, Hudson told them that his brother was with too but got tired and so he asked for an extra piece of candy for him. Most people obliged.

 I asked them to turn around so I could see the backs of the costumes, and this is the view they gave me! Not quite as cute as the front!

 Then we added this adorable kitty in! Awe, the cuteness is almost unbearable!

And she was perfectly fine in her costume. Didn't mind it one bit, in fact, like a real kitty, she even licked her fur.

Our first stop of the night was our neighbors/daycare. Noah the monkey was very excited to see his friends.

Logan said Harlow had to go trick-or-treating because she was so cute, she just had to be seen by everyone.

Alec was a dragon too and Paxton thought that was great!

 Per tradition- our family picture at Sheri's house.