June Stories

I don't have any one topic to blog about. Life is just trucking along right now and we are all holding on and counting the days until we get to go to the cabin. So here are a few random, but fun things going on in our world ...

I was reading the painfully dull super exciting baby animals book to Declan a couple nights ago. He likes it because there are baby goats in it and because we sit there and make animal noises. There is a page with pictures of pets on it. He can never remember "guinea pig," so I had to remind him when I pointed to the picture. He repeated "guinea pig" and then proceeded to label the rabbit "guinea bunny" and the goldfish "guinea fish." 

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Fiona has a loose tooth. It's been loose pretty much the whole month. She was crazy excited when she discovered it was loose right before D's birthday party. The excitement has worn off, as has her dedication to wiggling it. It will probably surprise us all someday - when it actually falls out. Until then, she's bored with it and I'm going to live in a state of denial that she's old enough to have a loose tooth.

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Mike's new job is awesome - and he's really enjoying it. The one thing that we don't enjoy as much ... his hours. He has to be there until 5pm, which means he doesn't get home until 5:30 (or later). That means that I pick up the crew, get home, and run around like a crazy person to get supper ready before Dec loses his mind because toddlers are not known for their dinnertime patience ...

Last night, when I finally sat down after cleaning up dinner, Q sat down next to me, rubbed my arm, and said, "Mama, when I get big, I'm going to cook dinner in the kitchen." I asked her if she was going to do that because she liked to cook, and she said, "No, mama. I'm gonna do it so you can sit in the living room and play." Oh, sweet girl!

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The kids and I met Auntie, Anna, and Otto at the zoo on Saturday. Besides being hella hot, it was super fun! Eventually small people got hungry and tall people couldn't take the heat anymore, so we did what anyone would do ... used my phone to find a restaurant nearby where we could eat. 

My phone said there was a Subway nearby, so off we went. Phone was right, but Subway was tucked into a little strip mall. I was momentarily worried - until we drove by a cupcake bakery in the strip mall as well. Then I knew we were fine (whether Subway was there or not!). So after a moderately healthy sub lunch - and because this field trip was chaperoned by three Johnson women - we took all four kids to the cupcake bakery for dessert. And in a surprising move to all (seriously, the girls had quite the look of shock on their faces), I let each of the kids have their very own cupcake! 

Sweet Faces

Occasionally on the blog, you may see a particularly awesome photo of one (or more) of the kids and think "wow, Sara's pretty talented with a camera." Ninety percent of the time, you'd be wrong (once in a while, I do get lucky). Chances are, if there is a photo that makes you stop and say "wow," my incredibly talented sister-in-law took it!

Tracey has recently started her own photography business (photosbytracey.com), and we have lucked out incredibly in her efforts to build out her online portfolio. She brought her camera to Dec's birthday party - and look at these gems. I love how Tracey captures the kids "in the moment;" her photos show so much of their personality. From Q's sweet face as she snuggles her baby to Fiona's sneaky eyes as she tries to get Brad with a water balloon to Dec's pure joy at playing with the big boys - these are the people we adore.

Father's Day Camping Trip

Happy campers

Mike decided that for Father's Day this year, he wanted to go camping. We were talking with his two best friends from high school about it and ... we all decided to go camping together! We lucked out and found three sites together at Baker Park Reserve in Maple Plain (about 30 minutes from here). We've camped there before with our pre-kid camping partners B&C - and we are notorious "day campers" there since we had kids ... hanging out with C's family and doing super fun things like the Baker Boo. We were set for a weekend of fun with six adults, eight kids (six and under), and two dogs!

The bigs

Mike and I spent Friday morning packing while the kids played at Ms. A's, and then we picked them up right after lunch. Our timing could not have been better as we pulled into the campground right behind B&C. We got the campers set up (non-electric sites) and a fire going to cook our burgers. The sky was getting dark and our phones told us that a storm was on the way. However, the models gave us hope that the worst part may go around us. E&M got to the site just we finished cooking our burgers. So did the rain. The P and V families huddled under the P camper canopy and had a delicious picnic, while the S family set up camp.

When it's raining and
you gotta pee ...

The light rain continued for the rest of the evening, but it never got too heavy. It definitely didn't stop the kids from running around and exploring the full expanse of the three side-by-side(-by-side) campsites. They hunted bugs, played baseball, played cars, played tag, and really, played who knows what all! After all the kids were settled into bed, the adults grabbed some "big kid" beverages and huddled in camp chairs under the P canopy. We had the best time with each other - only interrupted by returning small people to their beds or watching E try to catch fireflies!

Friday night was not the easiest sleep in our camper. It was hot and really really humid. Dec was overheated in his little area and therefore, quite restless. At one point, he started screaming "owie" and was quite inconsolable until I picked him up. In the morning, we discovered a golf ball-sized welt on his calf that we suspect was a deer or horse fly bite. The girls woke up with the sun (sigh ...) so we handed them a coloring book and some colored pencils. A bit later, we folded up our bed (which is also the table) and set up the table. They came down and did some art while little bro slept and I ran to take a quick shower. 

Fiona had wild camping hair!
Humidity=Johnson women's curse

After breakfast and Bugs' daily flush in the S family's camper, we headed out on a bike ride with the S's. We did not go as far as them (they have independent riders ... we have extra weight to transport), so we hit the playground on the way back. Then we made a pass by the lake to check out how the Ps were doing fishing.

After a full gang lunch (we filled two picnic tables!) and a short nap by Dec, we headed down to the beach. The overcast sky of the morning turned into a very sunny afternoon. There was a definite separation of sun and shade lovers in the adults. I happily took a sun role and hung out in the sand and water with the kiddos. The beach was super busy, so it was too much for Q. She was much more comfortable hanging out in the shade where it was quieter. Bugs was all "bring on the beach" and Dec was more in the middle. He's usually all over the beach, but his bug bite and the heat were really getting to him and he was not himself for most of the day.

Our site

My favorite part of the beach was when Mike looked at Bugs and said "Bugs, you lost a shoe!" She says, "I know. Jack is looking for it." And we turn and see Jack in full goggles, diving away. He did not find her shoe (but B did), but he did find $10. No lie! Once Bugs, Dec, Cooper, and I were forcibly removed from the water, we headed back to the sites. 

Dec was still acting off and when I kissed him after dinner, I thought he felt warm. The other moms thought so too. With an assist from C's thermometer, we determined he was definitely running warm; Mike and I decided that I would take him home and see if cooling him off and getting some benadryl for the bite would make a difference. We asked the girls if they wanted to go home with Mom or stay camping with Dad. Neither of them hesitated - camping! I was surprised and pleased by their answer. 

Little bro is feeling better

Mike drove D and I home since he needed the car to bring the camper home on Sunday. And if D wasn't feeling better, we didn't want to have to drag him back up. By the time Mike got back and worked to prep the camper (he rebuilt the bottom bunk so the girls could each have their own beds - since Yogi and Dec were home with me), the girls didn't go to bed until 9:30 or so. They thought they were hot stuff! Both girls reported that their favorite part of the weekend was camping with just daddy (which makes my heart so happy!). 

After a solid 12 hours of sleep, Dec was feeling much better (the swelling on his bite was way down too). So we drove back up to the site to spend the morning with our friends and help with the packing. The kids had a great time continuing to explore together while the rest of us visited and broke camp. 

The proof that it was a great time - we are already booked to do it again next year. Same time, same place, same group! This looks like our new Father's Day tradition.

The Baby is Two!

Declan forgot that he's a baby and has decided to follow through on this whole growing up thing. He's very much a two-year-old - in all the best that two will bring AND all the "special" moments that two provides. Dec is a bundle of fun, smiles, and charisma. He has a grin that is SO cute when he is being good and SO frustrating when you are trying to be mad at him!

Dec is quite the character as well. He tries to be funny all the time - so if someone laughs at his antics, you can guarantee he will repeat that behavior. We spend a lot of time glaring at the girls for laughing, while trying to discipline him ... and not laugh ourselves. There's a family bet that he will be named Class Clown his senior year. Or at least be a serious contender!

Loves his new train

He still loves everything sports and is becoming quite a good thrower. In fact, he has figured out how to wait until Quinn falls asleep and then stand up in his crib and lob his mimi (lovey) across the room - usually right onto her head. We are in constant training of what you can throw and where you can (or can't) throw it! He also loves to watch his big boy friends and try to emulate everything they do. He picks up on skills pretty quickly and is always interested in learning more. He even makes a pretty good hitting coach, telling Mike to "stop dropping shoulder, daddy" after a particularly bad at bat at softball last week!

Testing Q's bed

D is extremely verbal (thank you, big sisters) and is happy to narrate his activities. "My bonk a knee. My okay. Want my water. Thank 'em, mama." He's our first kid to use the "my" instead of "I." I've tried to correct him a couple times, but he just thinks I'm talking about myself. So we're letting that go for the time being. The words are there. The logic, not as much.

In the mornings, he's usually the first one to get ready. His new favorite thing is to grab a book and climb up on Q's bed to read it. He will happily sit there, turning the pages, identifying the cars on the page, and making up little stories about them. He loves it when Q is ready and will come sit with him and "read" the book to him.

Birthday proper was spent in the pool

As a third child, he is generally decent at sharing. As a newly two-year-old, he is generally not good at sharing. It's a interesting paradox to watch. He got a couple birthday presents that he will adamantly protect with every ounce of his being. The first is an inflatable football, pretty much the same size as him. If Q or Bugs touch it, he screams like a crazy person. And then there is his new big boy water bottle. If his sisters even look like they are thinking of looking at it, he loses his freaking mind!

At two, Declan loves sports, balls, cars, trains, books, music, and being outside. He is quick to smile, quicker to giggle, and a bundle of energy! Happy birthday, little man!

Baseball Birthday

The baby turned two today. When I ask him if he is a "baby or a big boy," he consistently answers "big boy." Mike has told me that D is not a baby anymore. It's so weird how they are both totally wrong!

We celebrated the big birthday yesterday with a baseball birthday party. We decided to throw it on the hottest, most humid day of the summer so far. With three (four if you count me) summer birthdays, we've been known to throw a hot party or two. Luckily our friends and family are good sports and are willing to sweat it out in the yard with us.

Happy Birthday side-eye

In addition to the baseball game in the yard, we had an epic water balloon fight and the sprinkler ball was a huge hit with the younger crowd. We had many friends go home in their dry swimming suits - because their regular clothes got soaked (we did it backwards!). There were plenty of friends, balls, and water options ... all Declan's favorite things!

His favorite part of the day ... besides having plenty of accomplices to help him sneak candy ... was when he and Grayson were in the wagon and Eli was pulling them. Eli would pull them right into the sprinkler spray, stop, and all three little boys would shriek and giggle. Too much fun!

Our favorite part of the day was when everyone sang Happy Birthday to Dec. He totally did NOT know what to think of that experience. He looked terrified for the first half of the song and totally side-eyed the gang for the rest of it. He looked quite relieved when it was over and he could eat his baseball cupcake!

His sisters have been so sweet and happy to celebrate him and his big day. They've also been very encouraging of him sharing this new toys with them. They've only needed a few reminders to let him see his new toys. He's pretty willing to share - as long as they don't even look at his new water bottle!

The party was so fun and they were sweaty, dirty messes when we finally came inside for bed. A quick shower rinse later and I put the almost birthday boy to bed and could hear him singing "happy birthday" as I got his sisters ready to join him.  It seemed to be the best way to end a birthday celebration!

Leftover water balloon water

They didn't know I was behind them!

Sprinkler run

Preschool Graduate

First day (L) and Last day (R)

Fiona graduated from preschool today! Mike and I were invited to attend a very sweet little ceremony at her school this afternoon and watched as she got her diploma from Principal Mike. Then we got cookies and had the opportunity to do a class photo and some pictures with her teachers and friends.

She had a great school year, made some good friends, learned a lot, and most importantly, gained a lot of confidence in herself. We had the sweetest talk with Nurse Sheri as we left school today. Ms. Sheri and Fiona spent a lot of time together during the times she needed to cath and they will miss each other greatly! We are so thankful for the wonderful teachers that made Fiona's first school experience so great. And we are excited that we will see many of them again next school year when Quinn joins the preschool ranks.

For now, Bugs is excited to spend tomorrow with Gma and Gpa N. And then on Monday, she will join her siblings at day care for the summer. They are very excited to all be together and we are very excited for the single drop off and pick up location. It will be a nice couple months before the Year of the Three Drop Offs begins!

Getting her diploma

Proud mom and dad

Life Lesson

Massive eye patch

Buggy learned a life lesson the hard way yesterday. When I picked her up from school, she had the world's largest band-aid over her left eye. Some of her friends had decided to throw wood chips out of the playground tunnel and she ended up getting wood chip dust (or sand) in her eye. It was really bothering her, so they made a makeshift patch. We checked her eye out when we got home and it looked really irritated, but not scratched.

Both fortunately and unfortunately, their buddy Levi (my friend Deanna's son) was coming over to visit for the evening. Deanna works for Emerson too and they live in Texas - but are up here for the week. We do our best to steal some of their precious time whenever they come up because they are the best! Levi was such a sweet and understanding friend as Buggy navigated her evening. He even held her hand while I put in some eye drops - and tried to cheer her up by telling funny stories. The evening was a mix of smiles and tears, though I suspect without Levi, it would have been a bit tearier! 

Silly faces with Levi

By the time she got ready for bed, her sore eye was REALLY sore and her good eye was really tired. Another round of eye drops and some antibiotic eye cream later, she willingly chose to forego book and just went straight to bed so she could close her eyes. The eye was still red this morning, but she said it felt better. By tonight, it was looking great. 

And now she knows why the teachers (and parents) constantly tell people not to throw sand!

Three Things

I saw this idea on another blog I read and I liked it. So I thought I'd give it a try as well. Here are three things about each of the kids right now:

Fiona
1. She's started biting her nails. I don't know why. At first I think it was a nervous habit, but now I'm constantly catching her with her fingers in her mouth.

2. She's doing so well with her daily "flush." She has to sit on the toilet every morning for an hour and her attitude is fantastic (the fact that she gets the iPad during this time helps immensely). She is also so generous with her siblings - inviting them to join her on weekend mornings and even sharing her iPad apps with her sis.

3. She had her first school friend (Makai) come over this weekend. His dad dropped him off and they had a great time playing. She happily included her sister and stood at the end of the driving, in the pouring rain, waving when he left.

Quinn
1. She is super attached to a specific baby doll (baby Quinn) right now. The baby goes to Ms. A's every day and comes home every night. We forgot it there on Friday. Mike made an emergency run at bedtime on Friday.

2. She has been doing a much better job with new people. She still gets nervous, but she's warming up more quickly. In fact, this morning, she marched right into church while the rest of us were stuck in the greeter line.

3. We've seen some regression in behavior and suspect that some of it stems from the fact that she is by far the oldest at day care. She is very excited for the school-agers to start next week. And preschool will be really good for her!

Declan
1. He's still obsessed with sports. When Makai was here, D would watch him and then try to replicate whatever move Makai was doing - including throwing a ball in the air and hitting it with a bat.

2. He's his father's son. Yesterday, he said "Yucky." I said, "What's yucky?" and he said "Mama face." And then burst out laughing. As did his dad. Where did my sweet innocent baby go!?!?

3. We took the crib out of our room. And the baby gate is down. The wall attachments are still there, but we are solidly in a "no gate" probationary period. Little (or kinda big) changes like these remind me how big he is getting and how we are almost officially out of the baby stage. Forever. It's a mostly happy dance feeling and just a couple tears (from me. Mike is all happy dance). He's becoming such a fun kid that it's hard for me to wish him back to baby. Except babies didn't tell me I had a yucky face!

Annual Boat Ride

We started a tradition on Memorial Day. Although we don't go North (oh, the traffic!!!!), we still have the inherent need of Northern kids to be at the lake. For the last three years, we've satisfied this need by taking Mike's boat out - even if it's just for a couple hours! We need our kids to be Northern kids at heart ... and to feel the pull of the lake!

This year was no different. After we got ready for the day, I packed  up a picnic lunch, Mike hooked up the boat, everyone slathered on sunscreen, and we were off. It was a bit of a line to get launched, but we did get the last parking spot at the landing. The kids were super excited to get out, but were also interested in watching all the other boats go out or come in.

Mike and I quickly got the boat launched. Then while I was getting the kids out of the car, Mike made a quick circle and the boat was working fine. As soon as the kids and I got in, the motor refused to work. We had the trolling motor, so just used that. However, Mike was disappointed/frustrated that the motor was up to its usual annoying tricks. We anchored out by a small island and the kids dropped their fishing lines in the water. Each of the girls caught a fish - all by themselves! And Declan got to touch the fish [gently] before Mike released them back into the water. 

It was a pretty hot day and the sun was at its peak. So we only stayed out for 90 minutes or so. But we had a great time fishing, eating our lunch, and trolling around the lake. Fiona thoroughly enjoyed lounging in the front of the boat when we drove around, Dec was all over watching Dad drive and tinker with the motor, and Quinn enjoyed watching the other boats. We also had a few lessons on wakes - and enjoying riding out the waves from passing boats. We saw a few tubers and can't wait to test out Grandpa's new tube over the 4th of July.

We all look forward to this annual "kick off the summer" tradition. It's the best way to bring a little of the North to us.