last Sunday- Way Of The Cross

We haven't been to the Way of the Cross in awhile and its always been a walk that Hudsy really enjoys. It was Harlow's first time there as a "walker", and really, you set her down and give her space to run, roam, and keep up with her brothers, she's happy! 

And I even managed to get a picture with all of them looking AND smiling! Must have had the help of the angels there. 

Jamie taught Hudson all about acorns, and apparently it was fascinating to him.

Her faces. I can never decide which I love more- the raised eyebrows or the scrunchy nose or....

the look of pure excitement as though she's just discovered something amazing.

Not to mention the fake smile each boy has mastered.

At the end of the walk there is an old church, and to Hudson, it's like the gold at the end of the rainbow. 

Pac was a little bit in awe as well.

Sister, she was just happy climbing on anything and everything.

And let's take one last look of those smiling kids again....

last Saturday- in REAL pictures!

I got out my "real" camera last weekend, for the first time since June!!! I had to give myself a quick reminder lesson on how the dang thing works. With having a decent camera on my iPhone that is only an arm's length away, it is far too easy to forget that I spent hundreds of dollars on a "nice" camera to capture moments in the kids' blink-of-an-eye fast lives. Last Saturday we spent the afternoon in the backyard, just playing. Something we haven't been able to do for awhile with it being 100 degrees with 100% humidity. 

Harlow is the only Johnson child who does not care for swinging.

Hudson was telling me a story, and he so often talks out of the side of his mouth.

Then Pac was telling me a story, and I just love the words he uses, his expressions, that he thinks he's telling this amazing story but really it makes so sense at all. 

Biggest brother gave Sis a gentle nudge down the slide, head first.

But no surprise, she loved it!

There was a small brotherly quarrel that I caught on camera, fighting about who gets to climb the ladder first and who does it the fastest. But there was also moments when all three of them played together. Harlow filled sand into the pail, Hudsy dumped the pail, and Pac scooped it up with the digger. I loved catching both moments.

Oh yea, and we have a dog named Bella.

she grew....

In 365 days, she grew to be taller than two chickens! 

(And she gained a super, cheesy smile!!)

2012

 2013

minnesota state fair

Per annual tradition, we piled into the Pathfinder as a family of five plus two grandparents and headed north to the state fair (and met the Ahlness family of six, Amy, and Megan!). To say I despise hot/humid weather is putting it lightly, so the fact that it was a million degrees everyday last week was scaring me away from the fair this year, but on Labor Day, the humidity ceased and the cool air blew in. Actually, my toes were icicles for the first couple hours, but the sun shown through by the afternoon and it was a beautiful day for the fair! Good food, fun rides, and great company.

Sid's (long lost) Party

It's taken me awhile to get to blogging this, but we celebrated Sidney's 5th birthday on a perfectly hot, pool party day! The boys took no time getting their suits on and jumping in the pool. Pac was off the diving board before I even got outside! Hudson enjoyed squirting the non-swimmers with water, and Harlow just loves being in the water. She loves dunking her head in, going all the way under, and the only way to get her out of the pool was to feed her! I'll let the pictures tell the story of our fun filled day at the Friederich's......

harlow's 15 month appt

Harlow had her 15 month doctor appointment this week (At almost 16 months, I called for the appointment kind of late, third child syndrome!). She was her "usual self" to say the least. Wild and sassy. She was cooperative, but she still gave the nurse and Dr. Franni her screechy scream and eyebrow scowl to let them know who's boss. HER! She runs the show. But in stature, she's a tiny boss, weighing in at 21 pounds (18th percentile) and 31 1/4 inches tall (69th percentile). A quarter of an inch taller than both the boys at this age, and a couple pounds thinner. I have no doubt in my mind though that she's going through a growth spurt right now. Sister can put down food like it's her job! And she wants to eat ALL.THE.TIME. Daycare says she's throws a small tantrum on the floor of the kitchen when she's hungry. At home she hangs from her high chair screaming at the top of her lungs, hangs from the fridge handles screaming at the top of her lungs, or points at the cupboards screaming at the top of her lungs. Her subtle hints that she'd like to eat NOW!!
This is the "Harlow face". All day, everyday. 

I allowed her to keep her lips on that grimy, germ filled mirror to give you a good look at that hair! Most mornings she wakes up with a "natural ponytail" on the top of her head. The back of the mullet is usually pretty fuzzy since she sleeps on her back.

Dr. Franni had just given her the news that she was getting 3 shots. Not even kidding you, she started yelling and ran to the door. And meanest mommy ever added another shot, getting in that flu shot early this year. Four pokes and lots of tears later, she was bruised and sore. 

And sister knew how to work it. She showed her owie legs to anyone who would listen. Daycare picked her up and Harlow immediately pointed to her legs and then laid her head on daycare's shoulder. I asked her the following morning if her legs still hurt, she pointed to them and gave me the look below. I took that as a yes and "get me some medicine". 

preschool- year 3

Hudson started his third year of preschool this week. With a summer birthday, we decided an extra year before the big bad world of Kindergarten wouldn't hurt. I do think he would've been ready, but in my heart of hearts, I just felt waiting was the right decision. And it was a hard decision, one Jamie and I didn't always agree on. But I heard from several parents and teachers, that you probably won't ever regret waiting, but you might regret sending him too early. He's smaller in size, and definitely still has some anxiety issues that another year of preschool could help with. Maturity-wise, this kid has been acting like an adult since he was 2 years old, and he's also very intelligent and loves to learn. So I go back and forth, but in the end, I think we'll be happy with this decision. After I begged and begged, he finally gave in and allowed me to take him to his first day. Sad as it is to admit, he really wanted Grandma to take him. No surprise. But I finally convinced him that Grandma would be taking him and picking him up all throughout the school year, and this was my chance to take him. With a slight eye roll, he said "Fine, then just take me." Gee thanks buddy! Even though it was forced, we still enjoyed a little extra one-on-one time together. We went on a lunch date beforehand, his pick Taco Johns.

His last 1st day of preschool. Three years I've done this now, and it's definitely not as hard, but still not easy. If I let myself, I could have wept at the door, watching him walk in, cautiously slow as he took in his surroundings and decided who to talk to. I stopped at the office on my way out, and just couldn't help myself to sneak back and take one quick look in again. He was fine, sitting on the floor playing with a friend, but I still felt that ache in my heart. I really need to work on letting go, this mama is WEAK! Heaven help me when my second baby starts in a couple weeks.

After school, I went through the typical daily questions- how was it, do you like your teacher, did you make friends, what are their names, what did you do, did you learn anything?? And I got simple yes/no answers and seriously, another eye roll! My mom says I deserve it because that's exactly how I was when I was younger and she'd ask about my day. But man alive, it's like pulling teeth getting anything out of him. He did tell me that he made something, but he already gave it to Grandma so I won't see it. Once again, gee thanks! 

Harlow's Pringles commercial