Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Professional Photos

Here are some photos we had taken professionally. Birthday picts for Mulu (6) & Aaliyah (3) and Aria's 6 month. We also had a family one taken - you can see it at the end- not the perfect shot like I had imagined - but cute nonetheless. During the family shots we were all so worried about the baby smiling and Aaliyah looking at the right place, but little did we know we should have been paying our attention elsewhere. We didn't know until we got the proofs back, but in most of the poses, the girls looked great - it was Mulu being mischievous and making faces at the camera - tongue out, eyes crossed, silly mouth to the side, looking down like a monster, surprised face, etc, etc, etc. . . oh yes - he is very creative and had many different expressions. Funny now - not so much when ordering the photos.

Enjoy!


Saturday, April 19, 2008

matching Johnson kiddos

Ok, so maybe I have gotten a little carried away with putting the kids in matching outfits -


but its so darn cute.


Go Bucky!

The girls in their Oshkosh B'Gosh


Baby & daddy in denim and brown (I didn't plan this one - we can blame it on him)

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Why I love my husband.

I know this is supposed to be a blog about my kiddos - but I can't ignore that none of this would be here without the fabulous husband that I have. We have been a couple since August of 1996 when we "hooked up" in Orlando after DCI finals (our "1st date" was a 27 hour bus ride back to Madison). We were married on this day in 2002 & the time has flown as our life has merged into our current reality. Although our lives are crazy busy, I am aware everyday of how wonderful our relationship is & how awesome of a husband & father he is. Since our wedding we have grieved the loss of a parent, purchased a house, had three huge career moves and grown our family from 2 people to 5 in 27 months & I am very thankful to have been on this adventure with him.

Below are some photos of us early in our dating life for you to enjoy:

October 1996 - only a few short months of dating & right before he moved out to Vail, CO

January 1997 - Go Pack Go!

January 1997 - Skiing in Vail



August 1997 - one full year of dating - at DCI finals
April 13, 2002 - And here is a photo of us on our wedding day

As we celebrate our 6th wedding Anniversary, I would like to share with you some reasons that demonstrate how lucky I am.

So, bare with me as I get a little mushy - but here are 100 reasons why I love my husband. . .
1. he is a great dad
2. he is kind
3. he makes me laugh
4. he is passionate about being a good person
5. he challenges me
6. he is great at reading books to the kids
7. he admits when he makes mistakes
8. he rarely makes mistakes
9. he checks my blog
10. he is romantic
11. he is sensitive
12. he is constantly trying to be a better person
13. he wrestles with the kids
14. he is caring
15. he is a natural caretaker
16. he knows what I need even sometimes before I do
17. he can make me laugh without saying anything
18. he puts others before himself
19. he is a hard worker
20. he is genuine
21. he loves to travel
22. he is smart
23. he is a natural with kids
24. he loves sports
25. he doesn't care about money
26. he loves our kids
27. he makes me a better person, just by being with him
28. he sings great lullabies
29. he still laughs at Seinfeld episodes
30. he plans great surprises
31. he is funny
32. he loves to make others laugh
33. he gives great hugs
34. he is selfless
35. he squeezes my head when I need it
36. he makes me laugh
37. he loves ethnic foods
38. he loves to laugh
39. he is romantic
40. he loves to cuddle
41. he takes care of me
42. he has a great smile
43. he has a balanced outlook on life
44. he knows when to push me
45. he knows just when to listen
46. he has a great vocabulary
47. he tells great jokes
48. he is a busy body
49. he tells people what he thinks
50. he is honest
51. he is outspoken
52. he talks adorable baby talk
53. he works very hard
54. he is thoughtful
55. he is strong
56. he can fix things
57. he loves to play with the kids
58. he brings home flowers
59. he can see into my soul
60. he doesn't take himself seriously
61. he always thinks of others first
62. he loves to surprise me
63. he motivates me
64. he loves to be outdoors
65. he is kind
66. he has beautiful eyes
67. he tells great stories
68. he has a great and infectious laugh
69. he tells great stories
70. he keeps me calm
71. he is laid back
72. he is conscientious
73. his whole face beams when he sees his kids
74. he continues to inspire me
75. he is organized
76. he giggles with me
77. he is an equal participant in our life
78. he has a lot of patience
79. he handles it well when he loses his patience
80. he is sweet
81. he is creative
82. he loves music
83. he helps with housework
84. he is sexy
85. he is a great teacher
86. he is a great friend
87. he is passionate about sports
88. he is my confidant
89. he is a great carpenter
90. he puts up with my crazy ideas
91. he is committed to his family
92. he is adorable
93. he is always learning
94. he is a good cook
95. he never settles
96. he is a great role model
97. he is my lover
98. he is my soul mate
99. he is my rock
100. he is my best friend

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Spring - ish

Spring - I know technically that is the season we are supposed to be experiencing, but we have only had a handful of days that we have been able to ditch the winter garb & things are VERY gooshy and pretty muddy from the remains of our 100 inches of snow melting. . . but we did take advantage of a 50 degree day and got out on our backyard playground this past week.


Here is Aria in her baby swing for the first time - she was a fan & stayed in the swing for almost an hour - giggling when pushed and watching the others playing baseball & run around

Aaliyah in her dolphin swing - very happy to be out of our hibernation mode. For being a mover & shaker she surprises me sometimes with how long she will stay in this swing - she is normally so outgoing, but is pretty cautious with her movements (she still hasn't gone down the slide this year without me catching her at the bottom) so while Mulu & his friends jump off the platform as spiderman and bad guys she enjoys hanging out in her dolphin "shooting webs" at them when they run by.
Mulu - showing off his strength on the monkey bars - this was a big deal last summer when he was able to do them on his 0wn - but don't let the photo fool you, it may take a couple weeks for him to remember how to get all the way across again - he was pretty funny making sure it looked like he was doing the rings even though he was struggling with it. (jumping down to come check out how the picture looked on the camera and having to take a couple different shots - he approved of this one)

Monday, April 7, 2008

Happy Birthday Mulu!

On April 3 Mulu turned 6 years old. He is a funny, smart, outgoing and sweet little boy. He loves to be active, riding bikes, swimming, playing baseball or chase, and now riding his new scooter. Our wicked winter did not keep him down - spending many hours playing in the snow, and he is incredibly eager for the warm weather to really get here to tackle the outdoors again. He is a very proud Kindergartner who loves books and is becoming a very impressive reader. He loves to make people laugh, with made up (and usually not funny) knock-knock jokes, very expressive facial expressions and, if all else fails, usually some sort of slapstick humor. He is a great big brother, being naturally sweet and taking care of the girls.

Below are some photos of Mulu's birthday celebrations (three in total):

opening presents from Daddy, Mama & the girls
The waitstaff singing for him at dinner - this is his "I'm trying not to smile, but this is soooo cool look"
All his little friends at his birthday party - we had it at a pet store - fabulous experience, an hour & a half of playing with all different animals - this is the kids waiting for the "safari guide" to bring a chinchilla.
Aria getting to pet the bunny
Mulu handling the milk snake - he swore he wouldn't touch them going in - but sometimes peer pressure is a good thing - he was really diggin' the snakes once they were there

Posing in front of his birthday cupcakes.
Blowing out the candles at our house for his gathering with his grandparents.