Professional Photos

Between the kids birthdays I had their photos taken professionally. I came away from the session feeling fairly bummed about it, and even told Brian that I wasn't sure I was going to end up ordering any of them expecting that none had turned out well. Fortunately I was wrong and we have some cute picts of the kids!

and . . . they are cute enough that the picture place asked if they could use the photos in their displays and have already put it on as an example on a coupon: http://www.photoexpressportraits.com/ (on the 35% composite sheet coupon) pretty cool!

(4.25.07 update: I checked to make sure the above link still worked and the coupon with the kids photo is already gone. I'll leave the link to Photo Express in case you want to still peak - they do a fabulous job)

Enjoy!

Easter....and SNOW ! ! !

Holidays have been very different for us this year, suddenly having a four year old who "gets it" and eagerly anticipates all of the traditions. Aaliyah is also starting to understand and gets all excited when her big brother does. So Easter this year was oodles of fun, especially since it was the day after Mulu's birthday party (I'm working on a post for him turning 5). The kids thought the Easter Bunny was silly for hiding the eggs all over the house - but didn't question the candy in the baskets one bit!

and . . . although it was chilly Easter weekend, I was still holding on to the idea that since it was April we were close to Spring.

Not so much - April 11th we got hit with a doozy of a snowstorm. Booo! It stuck on the ground, but probably won't last long, Below are the kids playing out in the snow with our Arizona friend's "Flat Stanley".

Aaliyah is 2!

TWO!!! Can you believe it? TWO!!!!! Our little Aaliyah Konjit is two years old.

I know it didn't happen instantly, but whenever I look at her I see a miniature real person - no sign of a baby anymore. She discusses things, negotiates and laughs at real person situations. Everyday she seems to be maturing months at a time.

Because many of you can not be a fly on the wall and see her day to day moments, I thought I would try to explain who Aaliyah is as a little person. Below are a list of things that Aaliyah is - and those that Aaliyah is not.


Enjoy.


Aaliyah IS . . .

* 2 - very, very 2 - & all of the amazing and awe-inspiring pieces that come along with her figuring out her world. Lots of questions as to what things are, how they work and even some whys already.(As well as the unpredictability and deep breathing moments that come with being 2- but I will stay away from most of that )

* intuitive - she has an innate knowledge of how people around her feel and what they need. She often breaks a tense moment with a silly face, and knows when to offer a hug.

* a performer - she loves to have people notice her & watch her. If we walk by someone at Target and they don't interact with her she hollers "Hiiiii" in their direction until they respond. And most days she can be found wearing dress up clothes (Minnie Mouse dress, Fairy Princess garb, tutus)

* in love with her brother - & everything he does. She copies his actions, behaviors, words & stories (whether she was a part of them or not)

* a singer - she is always, always singing! Songs she knows well, songs she mumbles because she doesn't know the words & songs she makes up.

* a fabulous hugger - her sweet little arms (that are not any where near as chubby as they used to be) she can now wrap fully around my neck and when she squeezes she melts away all tension and worries.

* a dancer - & the girl has moves! Most of the time she does this funny elbow/shoulder/wrist movement that reminds me of Elaine's dancing (for those Seinfeld fans out there). She dances to any music she hears - whether its intended for dancing or not.

* a storyteller - She loves to share her life's happening with all those around her and often gets stuck on the same one for many days - telling it to anyone that will listen.

* adorable - she knows it & people tell her she is often! Shes got a sparkle in her eye you can see from across a room, and a smile that melts your heart.



Aaliyah is NOT . . .

* serious - she loves to laugh & consistently laughs at appropriately funny things. When a moment gets too serious for her liking, she'll break out a "tickle tickle" & giggle at herself

* quiet - the girl LOVES to talk - to me, to check out clerks, to her dollys - whomever. She shares her thoughts with anyone who will listen. And she has a vocabulary way beyond her years - surprising many people that she is only two.

* potty trained - but that's probably more me than her

* a fabulous sleeper - never has been & it doesn't look like its in her (or our) near future.

* shy - although I often refer to her as my "velcro baby" & she wants to be held often, she has an outgoing personality and enjoys spending time with other people she knows well.

* a fan of getting her hair done, but in that way she may be a typical girl with long hair. Each day I have to "talk her into it", but its usually not the highlight of our day. Daddy definitely has the touch (there are usually no tears or hollering when he does it), but we get by.

Well...here goes nothing!

My 1st post - anyone else nervous?

Trying to decide what to post 1st has caused a short delay in getting this blog off the ground. Do I start with what is happening now? Do I back track and retell some of our favorite stories? How far back should I go?

So I decided to briefly tell about the beginning of our Johnson family and then jump ahead to where we are now.

Flashback...

April 25, 2005

While at work I got an unexpected phone call from the adoption agency we had been working with to adopt a child from Ethiopia. Our dossier had been received just one business day before and I was fearful she was going to rattle off a list of papers that were missing. Instead she said "Do you have a moment? Because I'd like to tell you about a little girl!" After getting as much info as I could from her and running all over town to find Brian, we raced home to get the email with a referral for this beautiful little girl. Immediately we knew this precious little bundle was our daughter and started the process of preparing to bring her home.
(this is one of the pictures we received before we traveled to meet her)

June 19, 2005

8 weeks later we were on a plane to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to meet her, love her and bring her home. Our trip was a very quick 10 days, trying to take in as much of her country and culture as we could. Here is the photo of our first few moments with her. Yes, she is wearing a Minnesota Vikings outfit, but we tried to look beyond that! Introducing Aaliyah Konjit Hubacher Johnson!

While in Ethiopia we were able to stay right at the Care Center where she had been living. During the day she would nap in the nursery with the nannies and I would play with the older children in their school room. Completely beyond my control and logic, I fell in love with an amazing little boy - with eyes that contained his entire soul and could see right into mine. Caught up in the moment I even had a meeting with the Center Director to talk about bring him home with us that trip (all while Brian was upstairs taking a nap). Unfortunately, US Immigration had only approved us for one child and we had to leave without him.

Our lives were refreshingly different being the blissful new parents of a baby girl and cruising along as expected. There are many pieces to our story I am leaving out here, which collectively adjusted our path and the path of the little boy that I couldn't forget - all leading to the realization that this was truly meant to be - he was always meant to be a part of our family. So 10 months later, I was on a plane back to Ethiopia to finally bring him home.

April 15, 2006

Introducing Mulugeta Brian Johnson

Our first moments as a family of four at our hometown airport. The Johnson family as we know it now - 2 kids in 10 months - a 4 year old and a 1 year old.

Who would have thought?

~C