Johnson Family Blog

Tuesday

2012-02-14T19:26:00.002-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day 2012!

2012-02-14T19:25:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day Family & Friends! I hope you feel properly loved today.

Q's first haircut

2012-02-13T19:38:00.000-05:00

It was a hard decision, since a year ago she didn't have any hair, but a trim was necessary since the back of her hair was so damaged. She was reluctant to get into the chair, despite the shiny allure of a fire engine and an animated video but true to Quinn form all it took was a couple of animal crackers in a cup to make her compliant! : ) She's just like her parents...if you feed us, we'll be happy!

Getting ready for school

2012-02-13T19:35:00.000-05:00

So it's not always good cheer and enthusiasm, although snotty noses do seem to be a morning tradition. Gotta love Georgian pollens.

Hi Grandma!

2012-02-13T19:32:00.000-05:00

Quinn loves talking on the phone. (She's thrilled when there's a real person on the other end talking back.) When she hears me say Grandma's name, she comes racing over and expectantly holds out her hand in anticipation of a couple of minutes of chat time. Not sure how exciting it is on Grandma's end of the line but it's pretty precious to see her body language on this end. She waves, nods, dances and shakes her head to questions. Don't think she realizes that our screen doesn't transmit like Skype. (old school phones!)

Early spring

2012-02-05T06:53:00.000-05:00

It's definitely a bit odd even for Atlanta to see jonquils emerging from the earth in early January. Now that February is in full swing, signs of Spring are everywhere. Trees are blossoming, daffodils are in full bloom. The hormones of my middle schoolers are raging. It's a bit strange to have this unfold so early. While it seems odd, I'm trying to be observant and enjoy it anyway. If, as Mayans and others believe, 2012 is last year as we know it then what better way to start the beginning of the end than with an early spring?

2012-02-05T06:48:00.000-05:00

Watching a silver backs. He kind of makes Daddy and Jake nervous since he's so big and strong. They have a game they play that sends Jake into a pool of giggles every time the gorilla seems to look at him.

A good time was had by all!

Funny enough, before the merry go round started moving, Jake and Lauren climbed off their animals and curled up in a peacock bench since they wanted to sit together. It was pretty cute.

Quinn eventually chose to ride Daddy instead of an animal.

First zoo visit 2012

2012-02-05T06:44:00.000-05:00

Thank you BJ & KJ for our family zoo membership! We upgraded our membership this year and Jake is psyched about his zoo passport.

I love that my kids natuarally gravitate to statues for a picture.
My hard work has paid off. Papa, you'd be proud!

Sweet friends!

An artist at work

2012-02-05T06:39:00.000-05:00

I LOVE that one of Jake's favorite things to do is draw. He loves to enlist help drawing a scene. Currently he's obsessed with Cars 2 so we tried our hands at drawing one of the World Grand Prix races. His Tag Reader served as our inspiration.

Pirates & Princesses

2012-02-05T06:37:00.000-05:00

Lauren is Jake's best friend at school. They've been in the same class for 2+ years and as you can see they love each other very much!

I love how there were so many different princesses...no duplicate dresses. Amazing!

Jake's homemade pirate parrot.

The eye patch didn't last long so I sported it instead.

Prepping

2012-02-05T06:34:00.000-05:00

We all had a lot of fun prepping for a party recently. One of Jake's classmates turned 5 and her mama through a Pirates & Princesses Party. Luckily we had costumes already since we love playing dress up.

This picture cracks me up.

Princesses can be pirates, too!

Aargh! We practiced pirate speak in the mirror.

Latest on Quinn

2012-02-05T06:30:00.000-05:00

19 months old & quite a little pistol. Quinn, you have strong opinions and a sassy spirit. We love you so much; you do keep us on our toes! Miss Amber just let us borrow a book called Parenting with Love and Logic. Hopefully, this will help us learn how to lovingly mold your strong spirit! You bring us such joy, sweet girl. I love that you dance at the merest beat. It's amusing that you've already figured out how to get under your brother's skin, though we are teaching him how to properly respond to you when you get his goat. If we don't make a seamless transition from bath to massage to pajamas, you'll take off and "hide" under the table in our room. See:

Daddy and I are amazed by your independent spirit. You love to dress and undress yourself. Actually, you've made it an activity throughout your day both home and at school so I've had to strategically dress you in onesies with snaps & overalls over the normal dress apparel this school year in order to curb this habit. Thankfully you are thrilled by artful embroidery and pockets so it's been an easy transition.

You also love barrets and bows, though you don't keep them in very long. I think you enjoy Mommy doing your hair more than the actual wearing of the enhancements. Plus, you THRIVE on Daddy telling you how beautiful you are. He tells you every day!

late January 2012

2012-01-29T14:47:00.000-05:00

Jake,

You really are a funny little guy. On our way home from school Wednesday, you got really serious and asked me to help you with a big decision. I asked what and you said,
"I cannot decide who to marry since I love two girls."
Me: "Oh! Who?"
You: "Abigail and Lauren."
Me. "Honey, that's not a decision you need to make right now. You cannot get married until you are 18. That's fourteen years away! I bet the decision will be easier then."
You: "But I want to be a fireman when I grow up."
Me: "You can be a married fireman."
You: "But I want to be the kind of fireman who rescues people from cliffs."
At that point I kind of lost your sense of logic and asked you if you wanted to help me get the mail. You said yes.

on Quinn

2012-01-14T22:19:00.000-05:00

Dearest Daughter,

I'm not sure if will ever be interested in these things, but at 18 months, you are in the 43 percentile for height and the 50th percentile for weight. Your head is 18.3 centimeters which nestles you in teh 46 percentile for that. I haven't been consistent in maintaining this information as you've grown, mostly because I'm just incredibly grateful that you are a healthy girl! There was a time when you were in my womb when doctors predicted otherwise. But despite the doctors' belief that you had a chromosomal deficiency, I believed otherwise and trusted God with your health and well being. This photo above was taken because you think you need to do everything that your brother does. I ran upstairs to grab the camera so I could take a picture of Jake as he was concentrating so intently at creating letters and after I clicked my shot you immediately clamored for a picture of your own. Hooray! Finally a family member that indulges me with smiles without bribery or dangling carrots! Keept it up, girl and you won't fall into the second child statistic of having 70% less photos than the first.

You are a funny, headstrong, independent and fierce little girl.

We love you so much!

Here you are mimicking daddy's stern look. You were being less than lady like at the table so daddy gave you one of his infamous attitude correcting visages and rather than being deterred, you gave it right back to him. Daddy and I have had to leave whatever parenting strategies we learned to help shape Jake behind and try different things with you. Your most radiant smiles are flashed when you are being corrected for something you aren't supposed to be doing. Quinn, you are pretty amazing though, even if you are headstrong. You know your mind. You are confident, intelligent, funny, smiley, joyful and fun to be around. Neither your dad or I can take credit for your natural rhythm--you hear a beat and you immediately start dancing; it doesn't matter where you are. I LOVE that about you and hope this desire to groove never leaves you. Right now you enjoy reading books, putting bows in your hair and jewlery on your body, coloring with crayons and markers, playing with blocks and musical instruments and you love running around outside. You are a GREAT eater... you really get into your food! (With Johnson and Kutzner genes combined guess this was fated!) You use a spoon and fork better than your brother and are an awesome sleeper! Your favorite word is "NO!" and you say it with great delight, poking your lips out as a kind of exclamation point to your declaration. Last week I quietly opened your bedroom door post nap and caught you telling the girl in the mirror no. You were practing your nos. Silently I watched as you tried a variety of nos...alternating between shaking your head, poking out your lips and then combining the two. It was hilarious. Wish I had caught that on film. We love you so much, sweet girl. It's a blast watching you grow up. Love, Mommy

On Jake

2012-01-14T21:59:00.000-05:00

My sweet boy,

You are 4 years and change at the beginning of 2012 and your daddy and I are often in wonder about what a sweet, thoughtful, observant, kind and inclusive person you are. You are such a blessing from God! At this phase in your life, you absolutely love drawing. It has been fun and interesting to watch your art skills grow since Pre-K started in late August. I can tell that others have influenced your style...every week you draw people differently, trying out a style and then refining it. (I wish I had tracked this with photos of your work.) Lately cars have dominated your imagination and you'll draw different races. Lightning McQueen is still your #1 racecar and you enlist my aid in drawing Francesco Bernouli daily, though you insist on adding the tires yourself. You are a healthy, well-adjusted, delightful boy. Abigail is still your best friend, though we don't see her as often as you'd like. Lauren is your best friend at school and we are starting to have play dates with her on the weekends as well. (Thanks for choosing friends with interesting and likeable parents!) You enjoy school and even get a bit anxious if we don't walk out of the door at promptly 7:30. You thrive on routine, just like your daddy. Probably every parent thinks that her child is smart, but you really are a smart boy! Your memory is incredible. Today you wanted to "read" me a book you memorized. I followed along all 20 pages and you didn't miss a syllable! You even had the same inflection of your Tag reader, the traditional narrator. Lately you've been opting out of book time with us, preferring to curl up with a Tag reader book and pen. However, you always emerge from your cocoon needing a parent to scratch your back and snuggle you before sucumbing to sleep for the night. Last night, in order to keep me close as long as possible, you initiated a really long prayer thanking God for all kinds of people and things. We love you so much, son. We are proud to be your stewards. We love your sensitve spirit and receptive heart. You are such a good big brother to Quinn. Love, Mommy

Falcons fans

2012-01-08T19:38:00.000-05:00

Well the Falcons ended their season today and thus Jess' hopes for a playoff game at the Dome. However, we all looked the part as Falcons fans. There's always next year!

Sweet Q

2012-01-07T13:05:00.000-05:00

Finding other places to color besides the bathtub wall.

Kind of looks like a bad make up job.

Enjoying her big girl toothbrush.
Now she doesn't have to steal Jake's!

The biggest bonk yet. Q tripped and fell and conked her noggin on an outing with Daddy.

Thank goodness for WebMD to reassure us what to do!

Stay calm.

Ice.

Watch vitals.

She rallied quickly, however it hurts our hearts to look at her head!

What is pretty commonplace for Jake-bruises and scabs on all appendages--is rare for our normally coordinated daughter.

Fun at Grandma's

2012-01-07T13:01:00.000-05:00

Jake and Zen enjoyed racing, wrestling, coloring, fighting bad guys together, bath time and hide-n-seek among other antics.

We really enjoyed playing Settlers of Catan with Zion.

Aunty gifted Quinn with a bath crayon. Good thing they enjoyed cleaning the walls as much as coloring on them!

more scenes from Ozark

2012-01-07T12:58:00.000-05:00

Zion indulges the boys & plays the "bad guy" so Jake can try out his Spiderman web sprayer.

Mild weather allowed many outings 'round the hood.

We were fortunate to have a Zen Jedi master protecting us on our walk.

Showing off the sweaters Uncle Michael gifted.

Fun with fingerpainting.

Coloring

Vacuuming with Grandma.

Aunty snuggles.

Happy New Year!

scenes from Ozark

2012-01-07T12:53:00.000-05:00

Jake and Zen enjoyed an extended cousins playdate!

Getting kinda sleepy after a long road trip but staying up for presents!

Can I stop smiling yet?

Cheese!

Aunty Critter!

Missouri or Bust!

2011-12-27T23:31:00.002-05:00

Occupying time on the road in the best way possible...reading a good book!

Testing out the new wheels 'round the hood!

2011-12-27T23:27:00.000-05:00

With the exuberance of speed an abandonment of fear, Jake looked like he'd been riding for years. (However there were quite a few crashes during the morning!)

Snug as a bug?!

Road Trip

2011-12-26T12:50:00.002-05:00

Off to Grandma's!

Christmas on the Southside

2011-12-25T19:14:00.000-05:00

Seth, Jess, KJ, Quinn, Jake, Jamie & Marie!

Christmas kisses!

Merry Christmas!

We really enjoyed our visit with Jess' relatives.

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

2011-12-25T19:11:00.000-05:00

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

2011-12-24T12:28:00.000-05:00

Though you can't tell by our Georgian temps! Our 60 degree days have been great for outdoor play but I don't think Jake's gonna get his wish of a white Christmas! We have gotten to open up some Christmas presents a little early! We are SO excited about KJ and BJ's gift to our family! Jake is thrilled about a cool Batman figure with a projectile to intimidate any bad guys about. Quinn is delighted by her bathtime Elmo! It will be fun renewing our family zoo pass for 2012! Plus, we will have aquarium passes thanks to their amazing generosity! Y'all out give Santa! Thanks!

Movie Night

2011-12-24T12:19:00.001-05:00

Growing up, one of our Kutzner family traditions was to eat leftovers and/or popcorn for dinner on Sunday night and watch a fmily movie. We have continued this tradition, although in the Johnson abode, our family movie night is on Friday evening. Papa John's pizza is generally our shared entre. The other day in one of my 8th grade LA classes students talked about Friday night movie night being tradition in their houses, too. I get it! Jess and I are so tired that the thought of digging out the sink or preparing a fresh meal is not even on our radar! I'm glad that this simple tradition is something that makes us all happy. Jake counts down the days until the NEXT movie night! It makes Fridays something for this preschooler to look forward to every week. (Saturday is dubbed "adventure" day and Sunday he anticipates Waumba Land, our church's Sunday School for preschoolers.) Jake's very diplomatic; if you ask him which day is his favorite, he'll respond "ALL of them!"

Ho Ho Ho

2011-12-19T19:53:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas!

Zoo fun

2011-12-18T16:21:00.000-05:00

Our zoo membership is about to expire so we thought we'd squeeze another visit in before the year's end!

In this picture Quinn looks a dead ringer for Grandpa KJ!

Boy sandwich!

Static!

Watching the gorillas eat was an awesome treat!

ROAR!

Christmas Cookies

2011-12-17T21:50:00.000-05:00

Round Two. It's amazing how the addition of parchment paper can make the cookie making process so much easier!

Christopher was so sweet and gentle with Quinn.

She enjoyed playing with him!

Q playing some made up game with Christopher.

Time to decorate!

Not sure which has more frosting...Jake or the cookies.

An artist at work!

As you can see, the under 8 crowd was liberal with the sprinkles!

Lovely Olivia.

Snuggling Daddy.

Tired kids!

(tired parents, too!)

Happy Meal

2011-12-15T21:53:00.000-05:00

I get it. For years I just assumed that it was a McDonald's marketing gimmick. As an educated woman, I'm not a huge fan of fast food. I've seen Fast Food Nation and Super Size Me. They made an impression. Though I have fond memories of venturing to the golden arches as a child (and coming home with cool souveniors!), I don't indulge my children with McDonald's very often. Our visits are sporadic enough that Jake knows what it is. And admittedly, he asks to go back to our closest one about once a week but I've always chalked that up to the toy and the playground, not his desire for the food. The food is just the means to an end: play and play. Yet today, after a morning and evening of going solo in the parenting arena, the beauty of the Happy Meal came alive. I wish I had video of tonight's dinner, starting with seeing their delight at having a Happy meal awaiting each of them in their carseat when I picked them up late tonight. Since school celebrated their holiday fiesta, I stayed longer than usual and enjoyed my colleagues. Any change in routine usually sends my children into a tailspin so I thought I'd make things a bit easier on all parties today. Half the meal didn't make it home, though daycare is only a mile away. The other half was devoured at the table. Jake finished earlier than Quinn and so he got to play with his toy--a plastic dragon from Air Bender. It moves when you squeeze its tail. Jake kept rounding the kitchen and having the dragon tickle our ears. I'm so glad the camera was within arm's reach, though I wish I had video to capture Quinn's throaty laughter.

Now that's a happy meal! Thanks, McDonald's. You're not all bad!

Candy Land

2011-12-11T14:16:00.002-05:00

Christmas all month long

2011-12-11T14:13:00.002-05:00

I'm glad that our church set up Christmas decor at the first of the month. My vision for taking high quality pictures of the kids doesn't usually work but at least I have another Sunday to try. Jake fell yesterday and scrapped up his face. Quinn wasn't at all interested in posing for the camera nor would she remove her winter hat. Ah, well... guess that's why people pay money for the professional photo shoots!

Around the 'stock!

2011-12-11T14:08:00.000-05:00

Jake tumbled off a curb in our neighborhood yesterday.

Daddy's been trying to teach him to say, "You should see the other guy" when someone asks what happened.

Jake and Quinn both love our rockinghorse ornaments.

We have a white, red & green set of three from my childhood.

Puppet Show

2011-12-09T19:30:00.000-05:00

A Christmas variety show!

It took awhile for Jake to understand that you are supposed to duck down and only show the puppets.

Even Q got in on the action, though she preferred to be in FRONT of the stage. (Which is no surprise to us! She loves an audience!)

Gingerbread House

2011-12-09T19:27:00.000-05:00

Okay, so these are much harder than they look, even when purchasing a kit. I now have a greater appreciation for the myriad of designs at Festival of Trees. While I helped with the piping, the children decorated the front, back, sides and roof. Assembling the house was near impossible. Though you can't tell from the picture, it only has three sides. I'm convinced that it's an engineering error as opposed to a user error. Fortunately, my sweet assembly crew saw the logic in needing a wide entrance for the snowman!

Laying out the gumdrop decor.

Working on the masterpiece.

Adding icing embellishments.

Sampling the sweets.

Starting a whole gingerbread communty.

Guess you can tell that the Johnsons let their stomachs lead.

We saved the wishbone from Thanksgiving since we forgot to bring it with us.

Though I keep trying to trick Jake into telling me his wish, his lips are sealed!

zoo

2011-11-27T13:09:00.000-05:00

2011-11-27T13:05:00.001-05:00

Decorating the Christmas tree. (Should have cropped out the mess!)

Jake loves Grandma so much. We appreciate how much time she spends with us!

Though her original flight was fogged out, she arrived the next day. It was wonderful having her here.

Now Jake's counting the days 'til our visit to Grandma's house!

Book club with Grandma!

Grandma watched the kids two different nights so Jess and I could go Christmas shopping! What a lovely treat!

Gingerbread train

2011-11-27T12:52:00.001-05:00

Somehow Quinn knew exactly what to do!

Creating a circus engine with Grandma

I think that we need to make this a yearly tradition!

2011-11-27T12:50:00.000-05:00

Bounce House fun!

Dos amigos

Enjoying an indoor slide.

Gobbling up dessert!

Feast with friends & family.

Fluctuating temps

2011-11-27T12:47:00.000-05:00

Cool 40 degree mornings turn into 70 degree afternoons.

Gotta love mercurial autumns in Atlanta!

Q samples some of the fudge Grandma & Jake made.

Fun with chalk. His written alphabet has come a long way in the past 12 weeks!

Siblings at play

2011-11-21T21:29:00.001-05:00

17 months

2011-11-21T20:04:00.000-05:00

Quinn, at seventeen months you are vibrant. Daughter, you continue to be joyful. Your smile lights up our hearts and causes strangers to return your beam with one of their own. At the same time, you are headstrong! Daddy and I continually have to adapt our parenting manual that we compiled for Jake and come up with new strategies to teach you how to mature and grow, specifically in the arena of discipline. You have your own notions of how to do things. Currently you are sporting 8 chompers with four molars in different stages of cutting through your gums. This has caused you some discomfort, particularly in the middle of the night but fortunately as soon as Mommy or Daddy have you in arms, the pain seems to receded. After a bit of rocking, you are able to relax and return to sleep. Jake is your total role model. You mimic everything he does, good or bad. He's taking this role of big brother and teacher quite seriously and so you've helped us reform some of his bad habits since he doesn't want to see you doing them. You two love each other so much.

You like dressing up, though you have your own flair in costume creation!

Quinn and I had a girls outing on Saturday.

Getting over a cold...evidence lingering.

Double trouble.

Evidence #1,234 why you've had a string of sicknesses this fall. You like to kiss every shiny surface.

Thanksgiving play

2011-11-21T19:54:00.000-05:00

Jake enjoyed his role as "popcorn" celebrating the first Thanksgiving feast.

a visit from grandfather

2011-11-20T07:10:00.000-05:00

It's clear that the Johnson genes are dominate with KJ, Jake & Quinn all sitting together!

KJ patiently allows Q to decorate him with sticker shrapnel. (Notice she's not sharing the Halloween characters that are on her dress but making good use of the 'outside' part of the sticker sheet!)

Snuggling in the love seat.

Fall

2011-11-16T11:20:00.002-05:00

Fall fun!

2011-11-16T11:19:00.000-05:00

Raking IS quieter.

Watching Jess earn his fall man card. : )

Leaf pile jumping is more fun with friends!

Enjoying the product of Daddy's labors! What a BIG pile.

Since we have lawn service (and not many trees) we ventured over to our dear friends & lived vicariously through their copious amounts of leaves. It was very fun, though we are grateful that this isn't a weekly ritual. When we were leaving for the day, numerous acorns and leaves coated the driveway that Jess had cleared a mere hour before. It was funny to hear him grumbling at the offenders.

Ready!

2011-11-16T11:15:00.000-05:00

Ready for church!

Ready for school!

Tea Time

2011-11-12T12:20:00.000-05:00

Movie Night

2011-11-12T12:15:00.002-05:00

We love our Friday tradition!

Trouble Sharing

2011-10-31T20:59:00.000-04:00

Quinn got to sample some of her Halloween treats after our excursion. Thought it'd be a good time to video one of the biggest genetic differences between siblings...a natural born sharer (Jake) versus one who struggles with sharing ANYTHING! (Q, that's you. Girl we are working on this!)

Trick or Treat video Door view 2011

2011-10-31T20:46:00.001-04:00

Happy Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T20:17:00.000-04:00

Jake posing with Erik-his best boy bud in the hood.

Two different takes on Batman.

Cheese and Carrots!

Q patiently waiting for her turn at the door. LOVE the neighbor's pumpkins!

Trick-or-Treat

2011-10-31T20:15:00.000-04:00

Treats all around the 'hood!

Imitating big brother.

One of our sweet neighbors treated us to homemade cupcakes artfully designed!

So excited!

Caroline is ready!

Gathering a crew of costume clad kids.

What's taking so long?

Pumpkin Carving 2011

2011-10-31T20:12:00.000-04:00

Daddy and Jake cleaned out the pumpkins.

Q helped!

Mommy & Jake designed this year's faces.

Johnson Jack-o-lanterns. (With a Jake-o-lantern!)

Nap time

2011-10-31T20:09:00.000-04:00

Q and Daddy curl up on the couch in front of a muted football game. Not sure that either of them made it through the first quarter. (No, the Falcons weren't playing. The prone position is not proper for the 12th man.)

Fall hike

2011-10-29T14:19:00.000-04:00

It's so nice to have a weekend where everybody is together and healthy! We enjoyed our trek around a local trail and look forward to trick or treating tonight!

Cheese!

"The Cardinals are the WORLD champions!"

Quinn walked a good portion of our three mile trek and may have done the whole thing but we'd still be out there and our tummies were rumbling!

Q wants to do everything her brother does.

How long does this desire last? To the teenage years?

"I'm probably as tall as Mr. Ben."

(Our human measuring stick.)

Quinn found several treasures on our hike and delighted in stashing them in her pockets.

Now if I can only remember to remove them when we get home!

The last time we took a picture in this spot the kids were so much smaller!

Countdown to Halloween

2011-10-28T18:59:00.000-04:00

Halloween hugs.

Ms. Sharon & Quinn in the Early Toddler's Room at KRK.

Jake's former teacher in the 2 year old room gives Q special love.

Her transition up in a couple of months will be easy since Quinn already knows both teachers!

Some of Jake's classmates ready for the parade.

Hand, Foot and Mouth Virus

2011-10-28T18:56:00.000-04:00

Quinn contracted a nasty virus from a couple of her friends at school. We distinctly remember this bug from when Jake was young, though I don't think I blogged about it. Since I don't write anything down in a notebook or files, this is just a friendly eternal reminder of our second bout with HFM.

Healthy Q the day of my departure to Missouri.

Full on HFMV my first day home.

Poster child for the virus.

On the mend a week later!

Q, you've been pretty good natured through this bug. Mommy and Daddy hated the fact that you were effected, but we both enjoyed staying home from work and school with you.

Now we continue disinfecting the house as this thing has a tendency to linger.

Bleach.

October family photo

2011-10-16T17:53:00.000-04:00

It was really good luck to run into Kristin Powell up at Burt's...she stuck with the multiple attempts to get everyone looking, something I wouldn't have expected a stranger to do. So here we are, all looking at the camera....hooray!

Pumpkin Patch 2011

2011-10-16T17:48:00.000-04:00

Friends introduced us to this particularly popular pumpkin patch a year or two ago and despite the crowds it's worth the hour trek north, especially if combined with a hike or shopping expedition at the outlets.

Yes, this is a smile.

Brrrr...

Our little explorer.

Burt's Pumpkin Farm

2011-10-16T17:45:00.000-04:00

Hide-n-seek among the giants.

Quinn's infamous "head hug"

I LOVE second hand rose clothing.

Thanks, Ginny!

The hayride

Quinn was quite impressed by a talking pumpkin.

Small world...we ran into friends at Burt's.

Actually, we saw several families from our church up there today with their telltale service shirts!

Wading in the creek

Fall fun

2011-10-15T20:17:00.000-04:00

We love our tradition of heading north for the Cumming Fair four years running.

It's hard to get both kids looking at the same time!

Quinn's first face painting.

(Which is kind of cool since Jake's first face painting was also by a Native American.)

Painting a warrior

Cumming Fair

2011-10-15T20:14:00.000-04:00

Oh the wonderful things that you can do...

You can meow like a cat

Ride an elephant, too

Corn dogs are great

covered in goo.

The merry-go-round is a carnival ride that is nice

But for this little boy any bug will suffice.

Quinn doesn't need a ride to be happy

Sheep and goats need love, too.

Video crazy

2011-10-14T20:40:00.001-04:00

So I've gotten out of habit of posting videos...it's supposed to be Daddy's terrain. Here's a string of October scenes. Enjoy!
P.S. Thanks, Uncle Michael, for the awesome new night light.

Belated Birthday present

2011-10-14T20:38:00.001-04:00

I love Jake's eternal optimism. One way this shines through is in his daily trek to the mailbox. He's blessed to receive about a package a month. Grandma's pretty wonderful about sending small niceties via USPS. Every day we stop by our postbox and for the past two years it's been Jake's job to use the key to open our slot. Each day he approaches this task with great hope that there's a package or a key indicating a package. I never get tired of his breathless enthusiasm...just maybe there's something exciting waiting for him, though it doesn't even matter if it's a toy. The other day my year supply of contacts arrived and that was enough to inspire the package dance. Well...yesterday we received a box from Uncle Michael...a nicely timed belated birthday present. I wish I could have captured Jake's energy and joy when he read J A K E on the box and then the excitement when he unwrapped this Sea Turtle night light but I only captured him introducing Daddy to his new best friend.

Months of the Year

2011-10-14T20:31:00.000-04:00

Hmmm...should we correct "Junior" and "Noctober?"

I suppose...

Days of the Week Song

2011-10-14T20:29:00.000-04:00

Jake's known his days of the week for well over a year; he's a boy of routine and has our schedule down pat but there's something a bit more fun about SINGING the days of the week. He likes to teach us songs that he learns at Waumba Land and school. It's fun to hear what he's learning at school.

Happy Birthday, Uncle Michael

2011-10-14T20:27:00.000-04:00

As tempting as it was to call you on my way to work this morning, I knew that the time difference wouldn't be a welcome way to wake. So...happy birthday, Michael! We love you.

Late September

2011-09-25T19:49:00.000-04:00

We ventured to a local park so daddy could watch the first half of the Falcons game in peace!

Quinn loves finding belly buttons so look out. She has no qualms about lifting up your shirt to discover yours. It happens when you least expect it...in the line at the grocery store, to her teachers at school...

Kissing the girl in the mirror!

Veggie dancing

2011-09-19T20:35:00.000-04:00

Backlog

2011-09-19T20:33:00.000-04:00

Quinn has been coping with croup the past couple of days and so we've laid low. In order to help Grandma get her fix I've got to go into the vault and pull out footage from last month! Quinn LOVES to dance. She starts bouncing to the beat no matter what the occasion. She's inspired us to have some fun family dance parties. You go, girl!

Apple Crisp

2011-09-11T14:15:00.000-04:00

I had a great helper today with our first batch of apple crisp of the season!

Papa, you'd be proud of this boy's ability to sheer the apple in one long strip!

Ready for the Falcons game

2011-09-11T12:25:00.002-04:00

Since I won a bet this weekend on the Cardinals vs. Braves three game series, I'm hoping my husband wins his bet on the Falcons vs. Bears game! ('Cause then our whole family will enjoy the benefits of a Chicago style pizza one night in the not too distant future!)

Ready for church

2011-09-11T12:23:00.002-04:00

Before and after

2011-09-10T19:32:00.000-04:00

Getting into mischief when mommy's getting ready for school.

After school playdate with a sibling.

Fall fun

2011-09-10T19:31:00.000-04:00

Since Jake was a wee babe, we've had a tradition of heading north to pick apples. It's a ritual we anticipate with joy! We fuel up at a famous bbq joint and today Jess pointed out a local politician holding forth court at a table nearby.

Crazy hair! (Q's finally got some!)

Helping Daddy.

Loving the fall temps!

50 in the morning and 80s in the day.

One of us is overdressed in this picture!

Loving on baby girl.

Jake loving on mommy.

It's BEAUTIFUL up here!

Snapshots from Disney

2011-09-06T22:33:00.000-04:00

We had a blast at the Magic Kingdom!

Cheese!

Mad Hatter's Tea Cups

Four dimensional fun

The wonder of "It's a Small World"

Hugging one of his heroes.

Short but sweet visit in Valdosta!

moments 'round the 'hood

2011-09-04T06:11:00.000-04:00

We LOVE hand-me-downs. This cute Georgia cheerleader outfit sealed the deal for daddy...he's going to raise her a Bulldog fan. Jake has a UGA sweatshirt so now half the family can be properly styled for Saturday football. (Plus, it doesn't hurt that Georgia's colors are that of the Falcon's.)

Jake LOVES hugging on the little girls of the neighborhood. He's sweet and gentle.

At what age does the fear of cooties by the other gender start?

: )

Wake up call

2011-09-04T06:04:00.000-04:00

Quinn delights in waking her brother up. It's a rare moment that she would emerge from nap time first, perhaps that's one of the reasons that she takes such joy in being brother's alarm.

Q dress

2011-08-31T19:22:00.000-04:00

My sweet friend Ginny makes her girls clothing. We are blessed to be recipients of cute hand-me-downs. Quinn has been sporting this cute "A" dress for a couple of weeks but Ginny hijacked it and transformed it into a "Q" dress! We LOVE it!

new school year

2011-08-31T19:20:00.000-04:00

Jake started Pre-K on Monday. He was very excited about picking out his 'big boy' backpack! Mommy's excited about reading the notes from his teachers each day!

Young olympians?

2011-08-29T06:26:00.000-04:00

On Saturday we went to a birthday party for one of Jake's classmates at a local gymnastics training center that put the place we've been going to shame! Jake had a blast and wore himself out jumping, bouncing, flying and swinging.

Mommy and Quinn play date

2011-08-27T13:24:00.000-04:00

Quinn waves at every passing pedestrian and car!

This toy has logged on a lot of miles 'round the hood over the past three years.

Playing hide-n-seek at the park.

Finding mommy!

We love the park Jake dubbed "Good morning park."

Happy 4th Birthday, Jake

2011-08-13T22:23:00.000-04:00

Dear Jake,

You turned four this week and you already seem older to me. Pre-K starts soon and you are excited about your transition from daycare to school. (Just don't tell the younger kids that "daycare is a sad, lonely place for washed up toys.") Yes, like your daddy, you often speak in movie lines. Many times the quote you recall is quite appropriate, though you also like practicing different lines when you are playing on your own.

Son, you are growing up. I see signs of it every day! Yesterday you dropped a bowl of fruit on the kitchen floor, spilling the pieces everywhere and leaving a pool. Prior to your birthday you would have instantly howled in indignation but this time you paused, considered the mess and calmly said, "It's okay. I'll just clean it up." When your sister topples over a creation of Legos or Magnaforms, you take a clue from Toy Story's Andy and say, "It's okay, mom." Speaking of your sister, I absolutely love it when you great her with a loud, "Hey! Here's my best friend!" Quinn loves modeling everything you do. Take your responsibility of being her big brother seriously, son. She's watching. She adores you.

One of our dear friends gave you a ticket to Disney as your birthday present. We couldn't let you go without us so we are headed on a whirlwind trip next month. I can't wait to see your reaction as you come face to face with some of your favorite characters and see the Disney castle in person. We are so blessed!

You are starting to ask for playdates. (And A continues to be your favorite friend!) You are increasingly more independent...getting yourself dressed, grabbing a snack out of the fridge, playing for long stretches by yourself.

We are honored to be your stewards, Jake David. I hope this year will be as wonderful as your last.

Love, Mommy

Sunday

2011-08-09T11:03:00.002-04:00

We really enjoyed Aunty Critter's visit!

We wish she lived closer!

Smash cake

2011-08-07T13:00:00.000-04:00

This wasn't intended to be a smash cake since Jake is turning FOUR but the cake topper was too cool to resist. It's a good thing we had cupcakes, too!

Random scenes from Jake's party...

2011-08-07T12:57:00.000-04:00

Is it nap time yet?

Ms. Jill & Ms. Jessica

Jake's Superhero Birthday Party

2011-08-07T12:54:00.000-04:00

Aunty Critter was our Grand Master of Games.

Of course we had a Spiderman pinata!

Kristen and Stacy humor me with a smiley photo op!

Tammy LOVES our sweet girl. She brought Q a present for being the birthday boy's sister! So thoughtful!

Bat grace, of course!

Pin the icon on the superhero.

Blindfolded Mulan

Super hero challenge

2011-08-07T12:48:00.000-04:00

For braves souls interested in a chance for a "BIG" prize, we offered the

Superhero Challenge.

1. Don supergarb

2. Assemble superhero puzzle

3. Locate bad guy and spray him with silly string

4. Fly like Superman for 20 seconds

5. Return super costume to original location

6.Record time

Tanner won fastest boy as the Incredible Hulk...7 minutes.

Go Team Powell!

Thanks, Matt for being willing to be a "bad guy" for the fiesta!

Daddy LOVED being the "bad guy!"

Lauren logged in as our Grand Prize Winner with a time of 6 minutes and 30 seconds!

"Superman never made any money..."

Party goers liked the dress up element of Jake's Superhero Fiesta!

Scenes from Jake's birthday party

2011-08-07T12:20:00.000-04:00

Hulk pass (i.e. hot potato)

Sweet friends

Destroying the cake.

Aunty Critter's visit

2011-08-07T12:08:00.000-04:00

Aunty brought us a new insulated lunch bag for our adventures! Cute!

One of Q's favorite things to do is spot dogs so we ventured to a dog park in Roswell.

And hiked a short trail.

Quinn ate dirt, sucked on rocks and commadeered Jake's hiking stick.

Looking for interesting things with aunty.

We love the elf tree.

Wood nymph?

A visit to the Southside

2011-08-01T08:08:00.001-04:00

Jake really enjoys playing with his Johnson-Malcom cousins. I can't believe I didn't get pictures of Aunt Jamie and Great Grandmother Marie!

Alex and his cowboy hat. Quinn really enjoyed wearing it, too, which was funny since she usually doesn't like hats. Perhaps it's because her older, cooler cousin sported it so well.

Anna posing for a picture.

Quinn really enjoyed this pink shopping cart. Guess it's genetic.

James was really sweet with Quinn.

James,Quinn, Alex, Jake & Anna

"Cheese!"

Video backlog

2011-07-28T21:27:00.000-04:00

I thought I lost all these videos from Quinn's birthday but they've been found! Our computer is suddenly filing our Flip camera videos in a different place than the Flip file. I wanted to post this so Q's grandparents can feel like they were there with us!

Celebrating Quinn's 1st Birthday

2011-07-28T21:17:00.000-04:00

Smash Cake

2011-07-28T21:12:00.000-04:00

Pinkalicious

2011-07-28T21:08:00.000-04:00

Nearing bath time...

2011-07-28T21:05:00.000-04:00

Belly laughs

2011-07-28T20:44:00.001-04:00

Quinn's laugh ranges from a girly giggle to a growly bear chuckle with a lot of fun types in between. When I want to count her teeth and check for signs of new chompers coming in this is what I do. (And this is what she does!) It makes us both happy.
I love that I can upload a 30 second video to revisit as she grows.

Baseline Writing

2011-07-28T14:08:00.001-04:00

So summer 2011 is nearing its end, at least in terms of how we spend our time. And as my new year as a middle school Language Arts teacher approaches, my thoughts start leaning towards planning for our GA state narrative curriculum. One of the valuable things we do at the beginning of the year is to get a baseline writing sample. It's insightful to see how each student starts the year and it's a great way to measure growth througout the school year. Preschool looms over the horizon for Jake and so I threw out an incentive to see how much he already knows about writing his letters so I have something to compare it to at the end of the year. Jake is ALMOST four...he's counting down to his August 11th birthday. He'll be one of the younger ones in his class. He's known his alphabet since he was early two and he's long mastered his special letter "J." as well as some other random letters but I wondered if he could pen them all. I told him that whenever he was able to write each letter of the alphabet on a page then we could venture out to Borders and he could pick out a new book. (Funny story on that to follow.) With such a juicy carrot dangling out there he was eager to begin at once! Much to my amazement, he wrote each of the letters through Q as we spoke them and then later that evening he wanted to finish the alphabet. As you can see, they aren't exactly in orderly fashion and some of them are HUGE, some tiny and some are flipped in reverse fashion but I was impressed with his final product since we haven't really worked on this together. I took a picture; inevitably the actual product won't last long in this house with a little sister who delights in tearing paper and eating it.

Today we went to Borders right when they opened their doors; they are closing and have sales on all their products. I tried to steer him towards books that I would enjoy reading during book club: Sheep in a Jeep (used to have it but lost it) a collection of Curious George stories and A Doodle's alphabet among other selections but he was resolute when he found Dora and the Rainbow Kite. It's kind of funny that he chose this one since we used to OWN this book but I purged all things Dora over a year ago so now I had to BUY a book that we got free from Grandma and yes, we've already read it three times since its acquisition this morning. Ah...the things we do for love.