the happenings of mike, sarah, greta, calla & samuel johnson

it is time.

2011-12-04T21:31:00.000-08:00

it's time to get this thing going again. why now? well, i need a place to track all the funny stories about our kids and i don't want to start forgetting them. so, if anyone out there is still checking this blog- can't imagine anyone is, but you never know- you are in luck. today i'm sharing one of my new favorite kid stories.

we were in chicago for 10 days over thanksgiving. a wonderful time was had by all. lots of time with family, and mainly a lot of cousin time for the kids. it was a great time with everyone. we always feel very thankful for how much we enjoy being with our families, and this trip was no exception.

on to the story....

greta & maja were playing one day, and all of a sudden the conversation turned to...

maja- "greta, only baby boys have penises"
greta- "maja, no. big boys have penises too"
maja- "no, greta. only baby boys have penises"
greta- "no, maja. it's not just baby boys, grown up boys have penises too"
maja- "no, greta. just baby boys have penises"
they proceed to run upstairs, where greta runs to find mike.
greta- "dad. you need to come to the bathroom with me & maja right now so you can PROVE to maja that big boys have penises too."
mike- "that is not happening."

yes, folks. there you have it. an amazing anatomy lesson from one 7 year old to another.

praying for our bodies...

2010-05-04T21:48:00.000-07:00

yes, it's another blog entry about praying, but this is too good to not share.

tonight mike was praying with the girls while he put them to bed and calla starting praying for their bodies.

thank you, Jesus for my body.
thank you for mom's body.
thank you for greta's body.
thank you for daddy's body.
thank you for dad's long tail.

i don't think you need me to explain what the "tail" is.

****************************************************************************************

while i'm sharing callaisms, i don't want to forget these two:
1) you bird-ed (her version of "you burped")
2) while singing "grand ole flag" (yes, we are very patriotic around here these days), instead of singing "it's a high flying flag" she sings, "it's a highhhh-ing flag".

i know these pale in comparison to praying for a "tail" but i don't want to forget them.

and then there were five!

2010-05-04T21:30:00.000-07:00

i can't imagine there is anyone who reads this blog who doesn't know the big news yet...BUT...just in case...we've had ourselves a BOY!

Samuel Michael Johnson was born April 18, 2010 at 4:09pm. 6 lbs, 6 oz, 20 inches long and every single part of him is perfect! we are loving having a boy. i'm not going to lie, it's been a bit of a hard transition (think lots of high fevers, sickies, jaundice, emotions flying all over the place, etc), yet with all the chaos going on we are trying to soak up every minute of our new baby boy. and he could not be more perfect. we are so thankful to have a healthy, happy (we are getting lots of those newborn baby "smiles") baby- it's going to be fun watching him grow up with his two older sisters. it definitely feels like our family is complete with Samuel.

but MoM!

2010-03-18T20:50:00.000-07:00

a few days ago greta came to me wimpering about a scratch on her face. i looked at her check and saw a line that was welting up and blood was showing. i asked greta what happened and she said, "calla scratched me." when i asked calla about it, she responded with, "but mom- i didn't scratch greta, i was just trying to pull her hair!" once again, at least they're honest!

fierce determination

2010-03-13T22:11:00.000-08:00

greta is a girl who sets her mind to something and doesn't stop until she accomplishes her goal. case in point- about a week ago she decided she wanted to learn to snap her fingers. she started with "snapping" her thumb and pointer finger. we showed her the right way to do it and she practiced...and practiced, and practiced, and practiced...and after a week of practicing she did it! seeing the satisfaction on her face was priceless, she was so proud of herself. after reaching this goal we were driving to school while she practiced her new-found skill of snapping, making sure she had it just right to show her friends. now we have the - "it's fun to share these things with your friends, but be sure you're not bragging..." talk. i have a sneaking suspicion that while at school there might have been some bragging going on!

yellow tooth

2010-03-04T08:53:00.000-08:00

the girls have developed this habit of waking up together and climbing in bed with us in the morning. it's their "wake up" call to mom & dad (usually by 7am every morning). a few days ago we were in this morning routine and greta suddenly said, "mom- you have a yellow tooth. dad, look, mom has a yellow tooth!" she proceeded to point to my canine and said, "see, it's yellow." looks like all my coffee drinking is catching up with me. time to break out the crest white strips. nothing like a 5 year old to tell it how it is!

moving, the willamette, and mary

2010-03-01T20:20:00.000-08:00

we have had a whirlwind several months, which all culminated this past weekend with our move from corvallis to portland. mike got a job in portland and we are staying with my folks until we figure out a house. we spent the past weekend moving all of our things to a storage unit & then cleaning up our cute little bungalow- oh, how we loved that little house on 7th street. even though we were busy moving & cleaning, we had a wonderful time with friends- we are SO thankful for our corvallis community & will MISS it (we're glad it's driving distance!!!). so that is the story of moving (a brief version- there were lots of tears shed, frustrating moments of "what the frick are we doing!?!?!", and of course the task of packing- i so hope our next move is into a house which we will live for a long, long time!)...now come the funny stories.

as we were pulling out of corvallis last night greta started yelling, "GOOD BYE CORVALLIS!" "we will miss you corvallis!" "we will come visit soon corvallis!" then as we were crossing the bridge over the river she said, "Good bye Willamette River" then quickly, "wait a minute, i don't need to say good bye to the willamette river, it travels all the way to portland!" hello smarty pants!

today's story is one of my all-time favorites though. calla and i were at tj maxx buying some gifts and as we were checking out in line calla says (keep in mind, she has no indoor voice), "mom, look, it's mary." i look back in line and there is a woman with a blue head covering, her whole face showing, who did look just like a 3 year old version of mary from the bible. the woman clearly could hear us so i said, "yes calla- she is beautiful." and calla responded, "mom, she looks like mary. she looks beautiful." i was pleased to look back, smile at the lady and see that she had a huge grin on her face- no offense taken. whew. much better than last week when calla saw a woman with rather long, big, puffy gray hair walking down our street and said (again, loudly), "mom- look- she has CRAZY hair." and then she proceeded to laugh hysterically. that- not so sweet, today- very sweet, both totally innocent. i am daily reminded how much i love this age, both the good & the "bad."

cutie pie

2010-02-07T22:44:00.000-08:00

somewhere along the way mike started calling greta his "angel girl" and calla his "cutie pie". and somewhere along the way calla took the cutie pie to heart, to the point that she prays that God makes her a cutie pie (regularly) and announces it loud & clear to all who will listen. tonight we were watching the game with neighbors, when she declared- "i'm a cutie pie and can talk all day!" oh boy, we'll have to make sure she doesn't get too big of a head on those cute little shoulders! :)

they are only little once.

2010-01-03T12:09:00.000-08:00

I found this today and love it...words to live by with young kids. as we potty train calla & teach greta to read i need to enjoy every moment of it. even the poop in the underwear accident & the "please, can we read right now?" (while i'm in the middle of making dinner). we love these girls & butter baby (as the girls refer to the bun-in-the-oven).

"On Being Mom" by Anna Quindlen

If not for the photographs, I might have a hard time believing they ever existed. The pensive infant with the swipe of dark bangs and the black-button eyes of a Raggedy Andy doll. The placid baby with the yellow ringletsand the high piping voice. The sturdy toddler with the lower lip that curled into an apostrophe above her chin. All my babies are gone now. I say this not in sorrow but in disbelief. I take great satisfaction in what I have today: three almost-adults, two taller than I am, one closing in fast. Three people who read the same books I do and have learned not to be afraid of disagreeing with me in their opinion of them, who sometimes tell vulgar jokes that make me laugh until I choke and cry, who need razor blades and shower gel and privacy, who want to keep their doors closed more than I like.

Who, miraculously, go to the bathroom, zip up their jackets and move food from plate to mouth all by themselves. Like the trick soap I bought for the bathroom with a rubber ducky at its center, the baby is buried deep within each, barely discernible except through the unreliable haze of the past. Everything in all the books I once pored over is finished for me now. Penelope Leach, T. Berry Brazelton., Dr. Spock. The ones on sibling rivalry and sleeping through the night and early childhood education, all grown obsolete. Along with Goodnight Moon and Where the Wild Things Are, they are battered, spotted, well used. But I suspect that if you flipped the pages dust would rise like memories. What those books taught me, finally, and what the women on the playground taught me, and the well-meaning relations -- what they taught me was that they couldn't really teach me very much at all.

Raising children is presented at first as a true-false test, then becomes multiple choice, until finally, far along, you realize that it is an endless essay. No one knows anything. One child responds well to positive reinforcement, another can be managed only with a stern voice and a timeout. One boy is toilet trained at 3, his brother at 2. When my first child was born, parents were told to put baby to bed onhis bellyso that he would not choke on his own spit-up. By the time my last arrived, babies were put down on their backs because of research on sudden infant death syndrome. To a new parent this ever-shifting certainty is terrifying, and then soothing.Eventually you must learn to trust yourself. Eventually the research will follow.

I remember 15 years ago poring over one of Dr. Brazelton's wonderful books on child development, in which he describes three different sorts of infants: average, quiet, and active. I was looking for a sub-quiet codicil for an 18-month-old who did not walk. Was there something wrong with his fat little legs? Was there something wrong with his tiny little mind? Was he developmentally delayed, physically challenged? Was I insane? Last year he went to China. Next year he goes to college. He can talk just fine. He can walk, too.

Every part of raising children is humbling, too. Believe me, mistakes were made. They have all been enshrined in the Remember-When-Mom-Did Hall of Fame. The outbursts, the temper tantrums, the bad language, mine, not theirs. The times the baby fell off the bed. The times I arrived late for preschool pickup. The nightmare sleepover. The horrible summer camp. The day when the youngest came barreling out of the classroom with a 98 on her geography test, and I responded, What did you get wrong? (She insisted I include that.) The time I ordered food at the McDonald's drive-through speaker and then drove away without picking it up from the window. (They all insisted I include that.) I did not allow them to watch the Simpsons for the first two seasons...What was I thinking?

But the biggest mistake I made is the one that most of us make while doing this. I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of the three of them sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages 6, 4 and 1. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less. Even today I'm not sure what worked and what didn't, what was me and what was simply life. When they were very small, I suppose I thought someday they would become who they were because of what I'd done. Now I suspect they simply grew into their true selves because they demanded in a thousand ways that I back off and let them be. The books said to be relaxed and I was often tense, matter-of-fact and I was sometimes over the top. And look how it all turned out. I wound up with the three people I like best in the world, who have done more than anyone to excavate my essential humanity. That's what the books never told me. I was bound and determined to learn from the experts. It just took me a while to figure out who the experts were.

calla's prayers

2010-01-03T09:42:00.001-08:00

for whatever reason it seems we have a lot of posting about prayers, which must mean our children are very holy- right? :) whatever the reason, last night i was listening to calla for about 30 minutes as she rambled prayers in her room (it was way past her bedtime, but i enjoyed listening to her so much i let her keep going...).

just to give you an idea of her ramblings...

"dear god, please pray for my daddy, and for my grandma get better, and pray that i go to bed and stay in bed, and for going poops and pees on the potty. amen."

the girl kills me!

m&m's

2009-12-09T14:25:00.000-08:00

today after lunch calla was the lucky recipient of some m&ms. she was counting them & talking to mike about them, when she picked up a red one & said, "dad, it doesn't have a 3 on it!" sure enough, it was a blank!

claiming her roots

2009-11-08T14:47:00.000-08:00

yesterday the girls & i had a starbucks date...we were also trying to let dad sleep in. i had my first gingerbread latte of the season (it was worth the year long wait!) and the girls had hot chocolates.

calla was being crazy, making all sorts of faces & noises, when i said- "where in the world did you come from?!?!?!" greta's answer was priceless...

mom- we came from sweden!

we're expanding...coming sometime around may 6th!

2009-11-05T13:30:00.001-08:00

we just told the girls, so now it's time to share the big news- johnson baby #3 is arriving sometime this spring (due date may 6th, which really means sometime in april for me!). the girls can't wait for "our new family" (calla) and to "help with changing diapers, pushing the stroller & holding the baby" (greta). we are so excited & can't wait to welcome this little one. the big debate now is to find out the sex or not!?!?! we have not done it before, but it's so tempting now!

for the love of the game

2009-11-01T20:28:00.000-08:00

we have quite a bit of sports talk around our house lately. greta discovered baseball this summer & loved spending many an afternoon/evening playing with dad in the backyard...and with mom & calla...but it was really about greta & dad. it also helps that she has a yankee loving, world series watching dad so she is fully engaged in watching sports on tv now, too. this love is not only for baseball, it's for football, or really any sport that she can watch. the best part for me (the non-sports lover) are the things the girls say.

here are my favorites:

greta- dad, which team are you yanking for? (yes- yanking. not rooting, but yanking- i think this proves her dad is a true yankee lover)

calla- dad, do you want to watch some golfball with me? a better example of this is me telling calla it's time for bed & her replying with- um, i need to watch a little golfball with my daddy.

they base the teams they are rooting, excuse me, i mean yanking for, based on the name. for example- greta was yanking for the angels over the yankees because she liked the name better. now she is yanking for the yankees because the phillies does not sound very good. and yesterday in football is was the ducks over the trojans because- the trojans is a crazy name!

being a big sister is tough work!

2009-10-22T11:39:00.000-07:00

today greta walked into the kitchen and declared- "mom, sometimes it's awful having a little sister!" when i asked why she said, "well, sometimes she gets in the way and hits & pinches. and when i was coloring my snow white picture she pushed my head down to the table." (sidenote- calla is a bit of a bully- she just hasn't figured out how to channel her frustrations- she's well- meaning, for the most part!). i then asked greta if she enjoyed laughing, playing house & dress up, snuggling up in bed together, etc with calla. she hesitated and nodded her head yes, but in the end left the room saying, "still...sometimes it's awful having a little sister." being a 4 1/2 year old is tough sometimes!

things i don't want to forget

2009-09-27T21:38:00.001-07:00

that calla calls her big sister "det-ta" and granola bars are "mereal bars".

that greta asks every day - "am i going to school today?" it's nice to know she loves the place that much (and we hope this love for education lasts forever!).

and that tonight we watched "the sound of music" for the first time together and my heart was happy the whole time. what a fun memory, probably more for me then them (especially since calla decided to "go to work" in the middle of the movie), but still, i love sharing those moments with our girls.

it happened.

2009-08-06T10:00:00.000-07:00

calla climbed out of her crib yesterday. she was supposed to be taking a nap, when suddenly she walked into the bathroom to see me. she is trouble with a capital T!

***just in case you were wondering- there were no injuries of any sort- she is perfectly fine. we are the ones who now need to figure out if it's time to transition to the big girl bed. i've been telling her once she learns to go potty on the big girl potty she can get a big girl bed- maybe calla will be so motivated she'll potty train herself overnight! :)

she's getting there...

2009-07-30T10:25:00.001-07:00

greta has been asking me to teach her how to read. while i really look forward to doing this, we have some steps to take before getting there- like knowing lower case letters! in the process she is doing a lot of writing out words. she will ask me, "mom- how do you spell (fill in the blank)?" and then she will go on to write out all the letters. she knows to write her letters from left to write, in a fairly straight line, to form a word.

yesterday she was making a birthday card for her friend. she asked me how to spell LOVE, then wrote it out. next she asked me how to spell ARI- this is her friend. she wrote A-R-I and then paused to say, "but mom- that doesn't make sense- shouldn't there be an E on the end of her name?" someone is getting it!!! the hard part was me explaining the sounds...we might need a workbook of some sort to help us along the way, but it's amazing, exciting & fun watching her learn. she is such a sponge (calla, too) that i want to take advantage of this time...which is a large part of the reason why i quit my job. time to stay home and be with these girls - teach them more, play with them more, love on them more...doesn't get better than that!

rash, pneumonia, and ear infection- oh my!

2009-06-30T21:35:00.001-07:00

yes, it's true- we were sick again. this time it started with pink eye over a week ago, which we nipped in the bud immediately (poor calla- she did NOT like those eye drops!). there was some coughing going on, but it seemed we were on the upswing, until...greta woke up saturday with a rash covering her body, we took her to urgent care and they listened to her coughing, took x-rays & concluded it was a form of pneumonia that involves a rash. off to get anti-biotics and greta is on the mend. sunday had us back in urgent care for mike- with, what he believes (we need to verify with his mom), was his first ear infection. another set of anti-biotics and hopefully this is it.

so now we are working to de-stress and change our diet. my cousin's husband is doctor, focusing on whole body wellness. he is going to analyze our diet (keeping a food diary) and then give us suggestions. at this point we are going to try everything possible to get healthy...which might involve many more things- to be discussed later...

who's the boss?

2009-06-15T10:56:00.000-07:00

a few days ago i overheard greta telling calla- "calla, the big kids are the boss of you." i quickly jumped in and said-"greta, moms & dads are the boss- you are not the boss of your sister."

greta's response- "Mom, Jesus is really the boss of all of us."

WOW! i got trumped by a 4 year old!

too many ideas, not enough time

2009-06-08T15:48:00.001-07:00

lately my craftiness is starting to get the best of me. as in- all i want to do is craft projects. i just finished an apron for a friend & now i have a laundry list of other things all vying for my attention! where to begin? i need to finish mike's father's day gift & i'm working on fixing up the girl's upstairs table & chairs. i think the fact the table top gave greta a giant splinter under her fingernail (ouch!) was a pretty good indicator that the table is not okay in it's current form. (i'll take some before & after shots).

but here is the problem- i also want to do this, and this, and i'd love to try to recreate anything from here, and i have several ideas (and fabric to use) for skirts for the girls. mike has 4, yes you read that right- FOUR - days left of school and then it's summer break! well, not really since i still have to work and he will be working, but it's going to feel so leisurely in comparison to life with him in school (just picture me with the girls 24/7 and that is basically life with mike in school). and i hope that during this break he finds a full time job that wants to hire him when he's done in december. and i also hope that i can use my free time to enjoy some summer cocktails & crafty nights. the fact that there will be an extra set of hands with the girls (and with chores- oh how i look forward to not doing every single load of laundry for the summer!) already has me relaxed and revving to go...craft/organization/beautification projects- i'm coming!

since they are gone

2009-06-04T09:32:00.001-07:00

the girls went to my parent's house yesterday and stayed the night. they have done this before, but usually it's b/c we have something going on, we are sick, etc. yesterday it was really for no reason. mike is studying for finals (he's done in 8 days, not that i'm counting!) and i had no plans for the evening. a full night with NO plans!?!?! i can't remember the last time i had a night like that. at first i didn't know what to do with myself, but the night quickly filled up- hair (it keeps getting shorter), gym, dinner with mike and the rest of the evening was devoted to gutting through the mounds of girl's clothing we have acquired over the past four years. garage sale- here we come.

back to the reason for this post- last night mike got out the video camera and since we couldn't tuck the girls in to bed, we watched some video from dinner a few nights ago. it was another night of laughing hysteria & another night we didn't want to end. (i need to figure out how to post video!). then we were laying in bed talking about the girls & their funnies, so before i forget - and because we miss them - here are the current favorites:

calla- "green hair!" (we have our first official family inside joke)
greta- basing her decision to go to grandma & papa's house- "well, you know, they do have a really good mcdonald's in their town. it's probably even better then the mcdonald's in our town, so we should probably go to their house." (apparently mcdonald's play structures are a big determining factor!)
calla- when we ask her "what color are your eyes?" she rolls her eyes up to the top of her head & tries to "see" what color they are- this last for about 5 minutes b/c we are all rolling with laughter & she knows she is putting on a good show. it's her new party trick.
greta- "mazagine", in reference to magazines and "pale nolish" for nail polish.

the other new dinner time entertainment is cheering each other on when we're finishing up dinner. when the girls decide they are done, but still need to eat a few more bites, we chant, "greta, greta, greta, greta..." until she takes a big bite & then we cheer. same goes for calla (and mom & dad)- it's a great way for them to finish eating a few bites and we are all happy & laughing. much better then the old - "girls, please finish your food!" (in a harsh tone). it's amazing how we get creative with things as time goes on and learn through trial & error. parenting- it's a learning process! :) what we don't have to learn is that we love our girls & miss them when they are gone.

what dat noise?

2009-05-29T22:23:00.000-07:00

calla has been using this phrase for the past few months. anything & everything she hears she asks, "what dat noise?" sometimes it's the train coming, a siren, honking...but sometimes we don't even know what she is hearing because whatever it is, it seems it's audible only to her. a toddler's curiosity is such an amazing thing.

tonight over dinner she took her token "what dat noise" phrase and changed it up on us. greta was telling me a story about gymnastics and how after class (mike took both the girls so i could finish getting dinner ready) she saw "a guy with green hair and no shirt on- so you could see his ovals." apparently this is her word for nipples, and when we all started laughing calla said her new "what dat noise" phrase - "what you talk-a-ing about?" then we started laughing at her & it was all downhill (or uphill, depending on how you feel about uncontrollable laughter) from there. mike & calla started imitating each other, saying "what you talk-a-ing about" over & over, and then greta asked, "why are you guys argu-u-ing?" it was one of those nights where i wanted dinner to last forever. we frosted cupcakes after dinner for no reason other than sometimes you just need a cupcake with sprinkles and princess graham crackers on top. it was just one of those nights- love it!

how could i forget my camera?

2009-05-28T11:56:00.000-07:00

this past weekend was full of all kinds of fun adventure- and since i failed to have my camera around for any of it- you will just need to use your imaginations (plus a few links here & there) to get an idea of what the weekend held.

friday we headed to the gym in the morning, where the girls played with their church/school/gym friends. i then cut my hair (it seems i officially am a short hair girl. no matter what i do i can't seem to grow it out- so now the question remains- when will i officially have "mom" hair? or do i have it already?) while the girls played with more friends. then we headed to gymnastics that night and finished off the evening by going out to pizza with our gymnastics friends.

saturday we hung out at home all day & then had our first family bike ride! greta rode by herself across the streets and was awesome! calla fell asleep in the trailer and i relearned how to ride a bike after all these years (i can't even remember the last time i rode, but now that i have one of these i want to ride all the time!). it was awesome. rode to the fountain where we had a picnic and the girls played until they were soaked. well, calla was soaked, greta was not really into the fountain as much as riding the scooter we borrowed from our neighbor.

sunday was church, followed by a day spent in mcminnville in the carlson's backyard. saw friends, celebrated jakob's 4th birthday and enjoyed every minute of it. after the party and dinner we headed to my parent's house, where the girls got their first scooter, and greta received a lovely nightgown, which she is trying to convince us is really clothing.

monday we went out to a fabulous breakfast in portland with my family and grandpa. i sometimes am a complete genius and this was one of those times. i brought bead necklaces the girls could work on while they were waiting for their food (gotta love the michaels dollar bins). so they sat and created some plastic bead beauties while we waited for our food. the funniest part about the meal is that greta ordered a monte cristo- she cracks me up sometimes! we left there to head home & hit our local outdoor water park otter beach. i was not sure if the girls would love or hate it, but hours later i was pretty sure it was a hit! we met up with some friends there and it was a fabulous day, especially since mike joined us (we aren't going to see much of him these next few weeks as he finishes up school). after hours playing we went out for ice cream cones at mcdonalds (and enjoyed the play structure too), then we were off to friends from church for a bbq...a perfect end to a pretty perfect weekend.

now i really am kicking myself for forgetting my camera! but at least we can remember all the fun things we did for the weekend & we have a few visual aids to help out.

Spring sing, Belle & Calla

2009-05-18T12:51:00.000-07:00

now that i've committed to keeping up the blog, it's time for some photos!

last thursday greta had her spring sing at school. it was about 15 minutes of the kids singing various songs & it was probably one of the tamest programs i've seen. no one did anything crazy and it was structured- kind of a big surprise and i have to admit, sort of disappointing! i totally look forward to the chaos that comes with a kid's program, so i was waiting & waiting for some sort of disaster and while it was still really nice, i wanted to see a meltdown or one kid singing & dancing out of control. at the same time, it was SO fun watching greta up there. she was so excited to see us & very diligent about making sure she followed the moves and that she sang loud & clear.

i also took greta to her first play. we went to see beauty & the beast. her friend scarlet (who is 12, but greta refers to her as her friend) was in the play and greta loved it. took a little getting over the scary beast, but she turned to me during the play and said, "mom, this is a really, really good movie!" everyone near us got a good chuckle out of that one.

then there is calla. it seems like poor calla gets neglected on this blog when it comes to story telling. and it's not because we lack stories about calla, i think it's more that she can't talk much. she's getting there, but her stories involve more physical activity and i don't know if she wants us to mention all the bullying she does on here! :) i will say my absolute favorite thing about calla is that she laughs- all the time, about everything. if she falls down - she laughs. if she is talking to greta - she laughs. if she is being a monster - she laughs. if we say it's time for...(fill in the blank- dinner, bedtime, getting dressed) - she laughs. everything she does- she does it with a laugh. life doesn't get much better than that!

what's your name?

2009-05-17T17:57:00.000-07:00

recently we noticed that when calla was asked her name, her response was "two". i decided to teach her the difference between her age & name. so i'd say- calla, how old are you, "two" she would say. then i'd ask her name & she'd say "two" again. i explained the difference- you are two years old but your name is calla. can you say calla? can you say calla johnson? she would repeat it all after me and i'd ask her the questions again.

me- calla, how old are you?
calla- two
me- calla, what's your name?
calla- greta's sister.

hilarious & of course we laughed, which made her laugh, which made it take weeks to get her to actually say her name. she will still say her name is greta's sister if she wants to get a good laugh out of us. it's amazing that at two she is smart enough to know she is putting on a good show. and also very telling that she refers to herself as greta's sister- even though she is the bully (we often hear greta wimpering b/c calla is literally attacking her), she still idolizes her big sister.

back at it!

2009-05-13T21:48:00.000-07:00

today was the first day in weeks when greta was greta. she was laughing, giggling, making boats & rainbows and butterflies out of her apple and it was SO fun to have her back! we even made kool-aid playdough tonight and she played with it for hours just cutting shapes, building people, animals, making up stories- it was awesome. aunt kaitlin sat with both the girls and played with them. calla even got into it (she is still pretty sick so it was nice to see her enjoying herself a bit). we made rice krispie treats, had a pillow fight & played belly bumpers. calla is still really sick, but she had a bit of life in her. mike took calla to the doctor today who prescribed anti-nausea meds to try to help her get healthy. she is still so weak & can't seem to keep anything in her. the only good part is that she wants to cuddle and i love when she crawls into my lap and falls asleep while i'm holding her. nothing beats that & those are the moments when i think that they will not be little forever. i have to savor every moment of it. i'm so thankful for a little bit more health today. and tomorrow we'll have a little bit more...we're getting there!

greta's first dentist appointment

2009-05-12T22:17:00.000-07:00

today greta had her first dentist appointment. i didn't even think we would make it to the appointment b/c of the week we've had (i'll get to that), but she made a quick recovery and we made it! let me tell you- she was not a happy camper about the fact we were heading to the dentist. huge tears filled her eyes and she was so sad as i said it was time to go. i didn't talk much about beforehand, since the one time i did mention it she said, "scaredy cat!", which i'm pretty sure means she was scared. we went today and read books while we waited and then walked back to have the BEST experience! the dental hygienist was a rock star! she knew just how to work with kids & greta was laughing and smiling the entire time. even when they told her she has two cavities (for real- how much did i feel like a bad mom when i heard that one) she was unfazed. she thought the whole thing was fabulous and doesn't think going back for her cavities is a big deal- i will just need to brace myself for that one!

now- the last week. what a crazy one! my mom was admitted to the hospital 10 days ago for an infected colon. turns out it spread to 100 feet of her large intestines and the dr explained it to her as if she had burned all the skin off her arms and needed to let it heal - that is the type of healing her colon/large intestines needed to to. she was in the hospital for 4 days, released, home for two days and is now back in the hospital for bacterial pneumonia and severe asthma. it's scary, but it appears she is doing okay and will be released sometime soon.

ps- the night after my mom was admitted my purse was stolen out of our car. i don't even want to go into details, but it's a big, huge, inconvenient mess! the worst part is of course the camera with all the pictures. bummer.

in the midst of all of this the girls got the worst flu EVER!!! we've had throwing up/diarrhea for the last week and i'm hoping, praying, crossing my fingers, disinfecting the ENTIRE house in hopes that we can be done with this. it feels like i have washed every towel & clothing item we own b/c of the girls throwing up on everything and i just want some health to return. greta missed a birthday party that was planned around her being there. her friend asked her mom "couldn't greta just come to the party with a bucket?" (about the cutest thing ever!) greta had the biggest crocodile tears when i told her she couldn't go to the party. i realized at that moment that i can handle a lot when it comes to me and our crazy life, but when things happen to my kids i get mad. it just doesn't seem fair. why greta? i know it's life, but it was the hardest part of the week for me- watching her be so sad. and calla has been furious with us & bursts into tears b/c all she wants to do is a drink a BIG huge glass of gatorade, but we have to ration it out so she doesn't throw it all up. again- so sad.

in all of it, we've been able to have some fun & i sit and think how thankful i am for our family and that we can take care of each other. i realize so often how good we have it, doesn't mean life is easy or fair, but it's good. for this i'm very thankful. as my friend steph reminded me this past week- count your blessings, even when things are bad. it's so true.

okay- off to cut some fabric for an apron. one of these days i'll post pictures of some of my projects, but this blog has become more of our place to keep track of things so we can remember them down the road. our online journal, as measly as it might be, imagine if we didn't have it. the girls have their baby books, but i like thinking there is something beyond that. now i should just get better at keeping this up!!!

our budding chef

2009-04-06T15:00:00.000-07:00

this past weekend was gorgeous- when i say gorgeous i mean 70, clear skies, feels like a summer day gorgeous- days meant to be outside ALL day long (which is what we did minus naps)! yesterday we came home from church and decided it was a perfect day for a picnic in our front yard. i got out a blanket and was about to get lunch started when greta said, "um, wait a minute- what if i make lunch?" mike & i looked at each other with huge smiles & i asked if she wanted me to help, her response- "i think i can handle it." how do you keep a straight face with that one? she proceeded to head to the fridge and get bread, turkey & cheese ("not the cutting kind b/c i'm not a grown up and i don't know how to cut the cheese. just the kind with the wrappers"- to quote her exact words!). she brought it all outside, layed down all the bread & did it. greta made her first meal at age 4! at least i think turkey & cheese sandwiches count as a first meal! we are so proud. :)

gorgeous hookers

2009-03-23T14:58:00.001-07:00

this is really a two part blog post, but i couldn't help the title.

for whatever reason prayer time with greta has become a very sweet and also often hilarious thing. she always wants to pray for maja & all her friends and family. then we have nights where we wander into praying for all sorts of things- her bed, her nightgown (she only wears nightgowns- she is girly to the maximum), etc. one night she was looking around in her room for things to pray for. "i pray for my pillow, my covers, my books, my door, the walls, the hookers...(anything said after that was not heard by me)" i'm pretty sure if you're reading this you are thinking what i'm thinking- "the hookers!!?!?!?!" she had me in stitches with that one and i asked her what the hookers are, to which she quickly responded, "mom, they are the hooks on the walls. you know, the hookers." right- how did i never realize those hooks on the walls were in fact hookers?

and gorgeous is just her new word for everything and it makes her sound so grown up- it kills me. we were coloring today and she kept stopping me to say, "mom, i love the way you colored the prince's crown- it's gorgeous." or last night at dinner when scarlet was sitting in her thrown and greta said, "scarlet- your chair is gorgeous." everything is gorgeous these days and i love it. she is a little lady.

i just hope she doesn't put together the two and start referring to her "gorgeous hookers"- i'll save that one for my blog title!

cee-cee and sas-see

2009-03-23T00:30:00.000-07:00

for the past several months calla has been working on her vocabulary. it broadens daily, but a few words have stayed the same: cee-cee and sas-see. when it's time for a nap, for bed, for comfort - calla is quick to say her two favorite words: cee-cee and sas-see, translated to blankie & paci (pacifier). it makes me wonder if that is what she hears us say. when we say, "calla, time for bed- let's get blankie & paci" does she really hear- "calla, time for bed- let's get cee-cee & sas-see"? and now the question is, since those words have stuck- do we start referring to them as cee-cee and sas-see? i'm thinking yes.

happy birthday lady

2009-03-11T13:42:00.001-07:00

it was calla's birthday on tuesday, march 10th. she turned two. T-W-O! it's so hard to believe it's been two years. march 23rd is my dad's 60th birthday & also the two year anniversary of the day calla came home from the hospital. how thankful we are that she is a healthy, vibrant, growing, loving, head strong, determined, giving, giggling two year old girl.

just a reminder of what we had two years ago

mike, greta, sarah & calla (bathing in the "sun")

and now!

we love our girls and this week we are celebrating calla. dinner with friends on tuesday night & a family party on sunday. happy birthday big girl!

resurrecting the blog!

2009-03-02T10:50:00.002-08:00

it's time to get back to blogging! we have been running around like crazy, but i realize that is just life. since my last post (way back in november!) we have been to seattle a few times for maggie's shower & wedding, in new hampshire for christmas & new years with the johnson family, the applequist family came out to oregon for a visit, we had mike & greta's birthdays, a weekend to mcminnville with the halversons & carlsons, several trips to portland- and calla's 2nd birthday is next week! it's been a fun-filled few months. greta started ballet (she now wants to be a ballerina when she grows up), both girls started music class, and calla is soon going to be able to do her own gymnastics class. we go every week for greta & calla just sits there DYING to run out and do all the stunts. when she turns 2 she gets to go- it's so soon!

calla is clearly stubborn & her new favorite words are "mine" and "no, me" (as in, leave me alone- i want to do this myself, especially when she's getting dressed- she wants NO help!). she is also a total riot and cracks up herself & us all the time. greta has decided that along with being a ballerina she wants to be an artist, which she daily shows us with her art projects & coloring within the lines (with the "right" colors for each part of the picture). she could spend hours coloring. they both want to climb on the furniture every chance they get, which finds me nervous at times they are going to hurt themselves, but i love that they are willing to try crazy things. greta practices her "handstands" all the time & calla can be found mimicking pretty much everything greta does. we love our little girls!

we'll post stories soon, but that is life in a nutshell!

Pictures from sarah

2009-03-02T10:50:00.001-08:00

64 pictures
View Album at Shutterfly

i could not make these things up

2008-11-01T21:14:00.000-07:00

when i was putting greta to bed tonight we were doing our nightly prayers. it was the usual, "pray for my owies and maja's owies", "pray for all my friends," then greta stopped to ask, "mom, where do Jesus and all the angels live?" here is the rest of our conversation:

me - where do you think they live?
greta- the circus?
me- (composing myself since i wanted to laugh outloud) no- they don't live in the circus, do you have any other ideas?
greta- in town?
me- no, they don't live in town.
greta- do they live with the lions?
me- (again holding back laughter) no, do you want me to tell you where they live?
greta- whisper it in my ear.
(to which i whispered- they live in heaven).
greta- mom, can we go there someday?
me- yes, greta, we can go there someday, but not until we're very old.
greta- and calla, she will come with us too.

this little conversation ranged in emotions for me. i was hiding my laughter in the beginning and then sitting there praying silent prayers that my girls grow old. i just sit here in disbelief at how much i love my girls and my family. we have been S-I-C-K around here (think being up all night long throwing up Xs 3 nights = not fun!) and even though being housebound with sickies is not all that fun, i love the sickies i'm housebound with.

shaving...already?

2008-10-23T10:11:00.001-07:00

on tuesday afternoon calla was napping and greta and i were hanging out in the bathroom. she was putting all of her bath toys in the tub and playing teacher. we were chatting and then all of a sudden it got very quiet. (sidenote-i was sitting next to her, but when i say sitting i mean i was on the toilet so i was not able to see what she was doing). i quickly got up to see greta standing in the tub with two bloody lines on her chin. yes, she got the razor & yes, she tried to shave. she stopped as soon as the blade touched her sweet little face and she realized it did not feel that good. she said she wanted to shave like daddy. it is a very minor injury and today we took off the bandaids (b/c it's picture day) and there are two faint lines. we have talked a lot about how daddies shave b/c they have beards, but that girls/mommies don't need to shave b/c they don't have hair on their faces. i have thought recently we might need to watch out for scissors b/c greta & her friends might want to cut their hair, but never did i think she would try to shave...at least not until junior high when she thinks it's cool.

moral of the story- keep your razors very extremely high (or in a cupboard they don't have access to) so your kids can't reach them!

proud mama

2008-10-15T10:42:00.000-07:00

yesterday was an exciting day in our house...probably not that exciting to anyone else, but exciting for us none-the-less. after months of "working" on letters with greta (identifying them in books, trying to write them, etc) and her having absolutely no interest (which i will admit was very frustrating to me) she wrote her name! she was coloring on the coffee table with her friend and i wrote out their names on each piece of paper. after a few minutes i asked greta what she was drawing, to which she responded, "i'm writing my name silly!" and there you have it...her name, complete with an E that has about 10 lines coming out of it, an upside down G and all. we've already dated the piece of paper and put it in the baby book...this is one for the records!

more greta speak...

2008-10-12T20:36:00.000-07:00

after a 2 day hiatus greta speak is back! tonight greta said, "tor ta- do you know what that means? tor ta- it means 'i'm ready.' seriously...where is this coming from!?!?!

Greta Speak

2008-10-10T10:01:00.000-07:00

a few nights ago greta started talking in a new sort of language. we will call it greta speak. it's basically a variety of sounds that resemble toddler babble. after a few hours of talking like this this she started saying, "mom, do you know what E means? E, e, e- do you know what that means?" to which i said, "no, what does that mean?" and greta replied with, "it means you can E-eat anything that you want." i think she said this b/c all she wants to eat lately is candy corn!

later that night when she was going to bed she started sounding out K and then said, "kai, kai- do you know what that means?" again, i said "no, i don't know what the means," to which she replied with, "it means- i think the train is coming." (sidenote-we have a train that runs basically in our backyard).

we have no idea where this came from, but i LOVE the vivid imagination and just wonder what else goes on in that head of hers!

our summer at a glance- Part 1

2008-09-11T12:29:00.000-07:00

we started the summer the day after mike finished his first year of grad school. we hopped on a plane and were off to minnesota for a wedding in wisconsin (brian & "big" greta), a trip in the middle to chicago & a wedding on the other end (ben & emily). we then spent some time at home, hanging out with friends and making the most of what's around us. then back to pilgrim pines to spend more time with family...the rest will come later when we download our remaining photos! :) this is just a glimpse of all of it...it's hard to get a full summer into one blog update!

the growing applequist & johnson families

cousins reunited at last!

good friends sneaking in a little time together...

bathing beauties already?

couldn't be cuter!

are we allowed to set them up already? (calla & emmett mckernan)

calla on the ride back...we made it all the way to the car, then she woke up!

calla's first pigtails

from the back.

greta showing off her "ballet" moves

happy birthday carolyn (greta, carolyn & jakob carlson)

a baby shower for amy...congrat on new baby holly!

another move...if we move again before mike is out of school i think i might go crazy

we've had lots of lazy backyard days with friends

birthday parties

new hampshire with grandma j

lovin' the pilgrim pines lake

our true water baby...calla could not get enough

aunt beth turned greta into fancy nancy!

more time with greta's favorite cousin (no offense linnea!)

mike snuck a mountain climb into the summer too (i wish there were some pictures of him, he climbed the tallest of the sisters mountains).

that is the first half of our summer (we get a long one-mike doesn't start school until sept. 29th)...the rest we've yet to download from our camera. missing from the photos above are our 4th of july trip to maggie's cabin just outside mt. rainer. we had a fabulous time with maggie, her future husband brian & her mom. also missing is the trip i took with carolyn poterek and the girls to cascades camp to stay with becky morhweis (poterek). the girls loved playing together and it was a fabulous get-away.

calla the klepto

2008-08-25T13:49:00.000-07:00

last week i was getting things organized when i noticed a new (but very used) doll in our house. i figured greta's friend had left it when she was over playing at our house. i asked greta about it. the conversation went as follows:

me- "greta, is this emma's doll?"
greta- "no."
me- "who's doll is it?"
greta- "it's the toy stores."
me- "you mean you took it from the toy store?"
greta- "no, CALLA took it from the toy store."
me- "you can't take things from the store, you buy things from the store."
greta- "silly calla."

so here i am imagining calla just walking out of the store with one of the display/play dolls in tow, assuming that now greta thinks it's okay to take things. turns out that my dad had taken the girls to the toy store and was so caught up in the fact that greta had taken money from us (she took money from our change bin-which she then would not use b/c she felt guilty and quickly returned it to it's rightful place when she got home) that he didn't notice that calla walked out of the store with a "new" doll (when i asked my dad about it he laughed and said, "i thought the doll was hers!"). in the end we returned the doll to the toy store and i asked that they give a little "lecture" to calla about why we do not steal (a lecture that was really meant for greta to hear). hopefully this is it for the girls. i think at least greta learned that it's wrong to take things. it's like the time i stole a piece of gum and my mom made me return it to the store. lesson learned!

just a tease...

2008-08-17T22:02:00.000-07:00

pilgrim pines 2008: greta (3 1/2), calla (1 1/2), maja (3 3/4) & linnea (11 mos)
outfits compliments of aunt beth & ice cream compliments of grandma & papa j

...in case you think we dropped off the face of the planet, we didn't. we have just been really very extremely busy (any charlie & lola fans out there?). and maybe, just maybe, we've been a bit lazy about downloading our pictures (if only you knew how long it takes!). so we stole a picture from grandpa j and we are currently getting the pictures going so this week...i promise...they are coming!

ps...calla has a shoe fetish, which explains why she is the only one wearing shoes!

swim lessons!

2008-07-21T20:49:00.001-07:00

okay...so more than 5 people are checking in on our blog...even more reason to keep everyone updated on life! today we started swim lessons for greta. i was thinking i would be joining her in the pool but when we registered for classes i was told that she would be in the water by herself with the instructor. greta does pretty well in these situations, but i thought to ask a friend to join us which ended up being a great idea. the first thing greta said when i told her we were taking lessons and explained i wouldn't be in the water with her was, "can maja, or emery, or emma come to class with me?" (sidenote - i love that everything still involves maja...it always makes me smile). since maja lives in chicago that wasn't going to work so we asked emery and the lessons were a hit! greta was grinning ear-to-ear the entire time. she loved it! turns out our practice in the tub seems to be paying off...most of what they taught the kids was the same as the bubbles we blow and floating we do during bathtime. keep in mind, this is day one, but at least she started being excited to go back again tomorrow.

greta getting the water on her head, "it's a shower!"

now it's emery's turn for a "shower"- notice greta is waiting her turn! :)

and here are at least a few pictures of the summer! several of my good friends from high school got together a few weekends ago. a few live in portland, one in texas, one just moved to idaho and one in hawaii (there are others who weren't there, but we were thinking of them!). i'm stealing my friend sarah's pictures to post on the blog. it's amazing that now we have so many kids between all of us! how life changes!

all the friends, moms & kiddos

this is the best shot of all the kids we could get...

since i haven't posted any pictures of my girls recently...here they are, enjoying summer! more to come...

daily prayers

2008-07-14T22:45:00.000-07:00

mike started to write a post about our blog being a "dead end" (no links to other blogs, which was brought to his attention by his blog hopping sister - these are his words, not mine - beth) and while that is true, i think i'll fix that. it's been a long time and it was time for a new lay out and while we have plenty of pictures, they are not downloaded yet so for now you get a story (you, the 5 people who probably still check this blog- beth, grandma j, lisa, ingrid, and chris).

for the past few nights when we've put greta to bed she has asked during her prayers who we are praying to. "who are you talking to?", "where is God?", "is He here?", "what's He saying?". we have answered saying that Jesus is in our hearts and all around us. so tonight she said, "you mean he's in my heart, like in my tummy?" she then started patting her tummy, got a huge smile on her face and said, "i think i feel something in there!" what a sweet thing for a little girl to start to wonder about God and be so excited about the joy of Him.

the only other big thing around here is that calla has finally figured out the difference between hello and good bye. she finally started waving good bye, where before she would only wave for hello. it was really funny that it took her so long to get that one down. she is a riot! she broke a molar last week, which explains her understandably rotten attitude the few weeks prior. we are enjoying the sweet, lively calla who has returned to us...with all her dance moves still intact! someday we'll post a video of our dancing diva.

pictures are coming...keep checking back, i promise they'll be up sometime soon!

little miss 'tude

2008-06-05T09:06:00.000-07:00

today was a first. greta has been-dare we say it-an easy toddler/pre-schooler. she likes to play independently, play with others, loves to just sit and "read" her books, is curious about life, and in general has been very easy to raise. i knew the day would come when she would start throwing out some phrases, but i couldn't believe what i heard this morning-and i don't understand how parents don't just laugh at their kids.

greta wanted to wear a skirt today, but since we still have 50 degree weather (ugh!) i told her she had to wear leggings underneath, she had no choice. she wanted to wear cropped leggings, not an option, or no leggings at all, again, not an option. after a bit of this: "i don't want to wear leggings," i got this: "it's not my choice, it's your choice." okay-then wear your leggings. what do you say to a 3 year old when she says this: "it's not my fault, it's your fault." this one had me laughing out-loud, but i had to turn around in hopes that greta wouldn't see. and then there was something about being fair. and maybe something about needing to do it right now. other than the fault comment (maybe she picked this up from a friend or school?), she was just throwing back at me all the things we say to her. i held firm that she must wear her leggings and made sure she understood that is not the way she talks to her mom and dad, or anybody for that matter. but i couldn't help but get a good laugh, and every time i think about it i just smile & laugh some more. kids-they make life entertaining!

this face

2008-06-04T20:39:00.001-07:00

how could you not love this face? even when she is throwing a tantrum and flailing herself all over, i still love this face. when she is fake crying b/c she hears someone else crying, i still love this face. when she is hitting & pushing b/c she is the second child and needs to fight for her rights, i still love this face. when she decides to dig up dirt everywhere she goes, even in the house, i still love this face. and when she goes to sleep at night and looks like the most peaceful, perfect thing ever...i love this face.

and don't forget this face. the fiercely independent girl who makes me smile every morning when she comes down the stairs with her blankie in hand-i love this face. when she is "helping" me cook in the kitchen and makes a big huge mess, i still love this face. when she is hoarding all her toys b/c she doesn't want to share them or doesn't like the way her friends are playing with them, i still love this face. when she is whining b/c she wants to watch more tv or eat another treat and is mad i say no, i still love this face. and when she hugs me and says, "i love you mommy. i'm a sweet girl," i melt and just love this face.

congrats to mags

2008-06-03T22:05:00.000-07:00

so my dear friend maggie morris got engaged a few weeks ago and we couldn't be more excited for her! we have had the privilege of spending some time with brian since moving out here and he is wonderful...such a great guy. so...here is my picture for today- maggie with her ring. i also was lucky enough to see her right after they got engaged-it's so exciting and we can't wait to celebrate with them in december...or whenever they set the date! :)

two days later...

2008-06-02T22:01:00.000-07:00

...another picture of the "day." so a day to me means every two days, what's the difference?

greta does not really love having her picture taken. she was SO filthy one day i mentioned to mike that we needed to take a picture of her to document her dirty shirt. when mike pulled out the camera, greta was on the floor like this, blocking her face and wanted nothing to do with it...which made us want to take the picture even more. we tried. really hard. it didn't happen.

this is the closest we got to a picture (we probably took 15)...and you can't even tell how dirty her shirt was. it was filthy!!! good thing for stain remover and bleach (have i never mentioned how anal i am about getting out stains on kid's clothes? oh, that is another blog story for another day. i'll post some before & after pictures of how i work my magic...i also have the messiest eaters ever so the problem starts there).

a picture a day...

2008-05-31T00:18:00.000-07:00

...i'm realizing i'm not so good at keeping up with a blog, so i'm going to try to post a picture a day to just give a glimpse of life. i have a feeling i won't make it every day, but at least it's easier than trying to "catch up". so...today's picture is of the shirt i made for maja. i have been in some children's boutiques this year and every time i see a cute shirt i can't help but think, "i could make that," so i did! greta has one too (her shirt is the reverse fabrics of majas)...maybe someday i will take orders, but for now this is it!

now picture a cute little 3 1/2 year old wearing it! can't wait to give it to maja in person when we're at her house in a few weeks!

recipe

2008-05-12T15:55:00.000-07:00

i have said i would post this recipe forever, so here it is...now that i'm back to the land of blogging. although i do think i jinxed myself when i wrote that i am the only one who hasn't been sick b/c of course the next day- i'm sick!

Pulled Pork Tacos (adapted from Real Simple)- they are delicious and super easy!

3ish (plus or minus) boneless pork shoulder
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp pepper
1 c apricot preserves
1/2 c bbq sauce
1 red onion (decent size) chopped

1- rub the pork with the mix of cumin, salt & pepper
2- put the rubbed pork in a crock pot on low (or dutch oven at 250)
3- pour the apricot preserves, bbq sauce & onion over the pork and coat, turning the pork
4- let sit in crock pot for about 4 hours, pull pork and then let soak in juices for another hour or so (i left it for 3 hrs b/c that was how long it took us to eat!)
5- serve with tortillas, black beans, cheese, avocado, sour cream- whatever your poison. i added tortilla chips & mike's mom cole slaw (a bag of slaw with some miracle whip, sugar, dash of white vinegar, chopped apple, raisins & a little pineapple- it was a great touch to the meal!)

there you go- super simple & everyone has asked for the recipe...enjoy!

read at your own risk

2008-05-11T22:28:00.000-07:00

there is the cutest children's store in portland. i adore it. it's called posh & it's just that- posh. the thing i love about the store is that they started selling products made by local moms. it's since expanded and they have a variety of high end things...many of which are now out of my-husband-is-a-grad-student budget (aka- i shouldn't spend loan money buying anything that can be called "cute"). they do have a great sale though. so i was online looking on their website, trying to figure out when they have their sale...only to stumble upon something called "girlfriends pick-me-up breast lift tape". they describe it like this: We all know sometimes it's about the perks in life. So, if gravity's got you down, don't fret. Say goodbye to breast lift surgery and hello to two inches of gravity defying pick-up. what they also have on their website is a picture of two boobs...one with the tape and one with out...but did you read that right- they have the BOOBS for the world to see!!! i was so shocked when i was on their website & then i started laughing b/c i couldn't believe that they actually had the picture, but then i thought- should a website with children's products also have nudity? it does demonstrate how the product works very well, but don't you think they could have done that with a t-shirt over the model? am i just that big of a prude that i care? I found myself thinking- what if a teenage boy was on the website or looking over his mom's shoulder while she was on the website-is that okay? i'm curious if anyone else cares about the nudity...if you want to see it, you can go to their website here & find it for yourself (since mike told me i'm not allowed to post anything that would link someone to nudity- and like i said earlier ***at your own risk***):

http://www.poshbabyllc.com/posh/

ps...i still think the store is adorable and would tell anyone in the portland area to check it out!

we're back...

2008-05-10T21:11:00.000-07:00

if only i had kept a diary of all our illnesses from this winter. it would look a little something like this (you'll notice that i've been the "healthy" one, which means i've been the care taker, which is even more tiring than being sick!):

jan. 1- greta throws up
jan. 2- calla throws up
jan. 3- mike throws up
jan. 4- sarah throws her hands up in the air b/c she is covered in throw up!
jan. 5- calla spikes a fever and is covered in a rash
jan. 6- greta has an ear infection
jan. 7- mike has shingles
jan. 8- sarah faints of exhaustion from tending to the ill

we made the maybe-not-so-wise choice to get kaiser for our insurance out here. good, cheap insurance...a LONG drive to get to a provider. a drive i'm all too familiar with this year. so this week when greta woke up with gunky, crusty eyes i decided that we were going to just use natural products. i went to the co-op, bought some similasan eye drops and called it good. the only problem is that it wasn't good. it took DAYS for her pink eyes to get better (days of being basically home, which is not that fun for a 3 year old), which then made me feel like a bad mom b/c i didn't just take her to the doctor in the first place. i didn't want to make the drive. i just didn't feel like driving an hour each way, paying a $30 co-pay, having the dr tell me that she has pink eye or conjunctivis, whatever you want to call it, and then paying another $10 for the prescription. i just didn't feel like it. i know that pink eye runs it's course in time and i have used similasan drops in the past for myself and they have worked just fine, but after 3 days of greta having gunky eyes and no fun (and knowing the eye drops from the dr would have worked in one day), i felt bad. should i feel bad? she's fine now, we went to the park, went for a walk with friends, had some of her friends over to play this afternoon, but i still feel bad. i'm just using the excuse that on wednesday morning (the day after greta woke up with gunky eyes) calla woke up and threw up on me. yes, on me. so in reality i would have been a bad mom if i had taken a throwing up baby on a long drive, made her wait in the dr. office and then made her take another long drive home. so really, if you look at it that way, i'm a good mom.

She did it!

2008-04-11T13:48:00.000-07:00

It has happened folks...we got our first steps yesterday from Calla! She has taken a few in the past week, but they were more the falling-forward-and-happening-to-move-her-feet-at-the-same-time steps. Yesterday it was real steps, followed by looking up at us and proceeding to laugh because she knew she did something special. We are excited for walking but she is so feisty...I can only imagine the trouble she will get herself into! And so it begins...

busy, busy bees

2008-04-08T21:43:00.000-07:00

i know it has been a month since my last post...how did that much time go by already!?!?! we have been quite the busy people these past several weeks. ever since calla's birthday it seems we just keep going (insert energizer bunny...going & going & going & going...), but i have to say that it's all been pretty stinking fun!

happy birthday calla! (at our party in oregon)

having a small cake celebration in california...with the cute shirt from carolyn...thanks carolyn!

march 13th brough a visit from annalea, which was fun all around. it was right in the midst of mike studying for finals and annalea was awesome at making that time enjoyable and helping me run the errands i had been putting off for far too long! and our girls love annalea...they are getting spoiled seeing her so often.

now if we'd only taken a picture outside of the car!

annalea headed home on the 17th and paul joined us on the 18th. greta was thrilled to see uncle paul and calla quickly caught on to what a fun uncle he is. before paul's arrival greta had a laundry list of things they needed to do, "garden, go to the libraray, go to the toy store, go to the park..." and i'm pretty sure paul did all of it with her (and with calla in tow).

greta showing paul how to drive!

paul showing greta how to be a duck? chicken? paul, what were you guys doing?

paul left on the 20th and we headed to california the following day. we drove down for mike's cousin peter's wedding and stayed for easter with the extended family. greta of course was thrilled to be with her cousin maja & it's wonderful seeing them pick right back up where they left off...just sad saying good bye thinking they won't see each other the next day in chicago. overall it was a great time, just too quick! we also snuck in a visit with inger, joel, tyler & elin...it had been 3 years since i'd seen inger...way too long!

beth & krysta teaching maja and greta how to get down
a decent family shot...it's so hard to get everyone looking and smiling!

calla learned how to stand (and i think this might be my favorite picture of her...she looks so sweet)

the girls opening their easter egg hunt finds...look at the cute baskets...good work grandma j!

we got a good goofy family shot!

"belly boppers"- this is a game mike & beth played growing up and it's hilarious...i think every kid should play this game

we finished off mike's spring break with some visits to portland and then mindi arrived on april 3rd and we also had a fabulous time! we went shopping, hit up vineyards, she entertained the girls and won their hearts (mom, i want mindi to get me out of the car)...another missed friend around here. the saddest part is that we didn't take one picture together or with the girls...next time mindi, next time!

ingrid arrives tomorrow with kaia and lola for a quick trip (which greta already has mapped out our plans, including the "outside park" - not sure what the "inside park" is - and the toy store...maybe that is what she considers the inside park since we go there to play (best toy store ever) and not buy), then a birthday party this weekend for one of greta's friends in town...it is a busy season around here.

sometimes i wonder if this is just what life is...busy? and other times i think it's just seasons because lord knows there were times this winter when it felt like we were hardly doing anything (and hardly knowing anyone...which i'm realizing just changes in time). but we are thankful & enjoy the busy times. mike has a much better schedule this term, which means more time as a family, which we have needed. today we went to the park after dinner...we're headed for 70s this weekend so you know we'll be out enjoying it!

here are some other shots of life around here...

greta and jakob carlson...we went to meet jake's new sister camilla

baby camilla (because everyone loves to see a picture of a new baby)

our little helper...someone has discovered the dishwasher

greta tending to the garden (her new favorite hobby)

all that activity makes for two tired girls!

happy 1st birthday calla!

2008-03-10T21:58:00.000-07:00

it's hard to think a year ago today we welcomed calla elizabeth johnson into the world.

brand new

5 lbs, 2 oz - 17.5 inches long

calla decided she likes sunbathing at an early age

she was so little...and we went two weeks without her being home with us. it's now hard to imagine going a day. it's been interesting over the year the times we have mourned those weeks we lost. even just going through pictures to post flooded me with emotions & put me right back in evanston northwestern a year ago. being a premie isn't something that defines calla, but it will always be a part of who she is. as many new parents know when you have children, you start talking with other parents about when your children were born (early/late), labor, parenting tips, etc. with calla's story, there is always the fact that she was over 6 weeks early. it's just a part of her story. but as her parents it was painful to visit her every day & not take her home. i can remember just sitting at the hospital, holding her & crying because i knew at the end of my visit i was going to put her back into a box...and when would she be held again? who was going to just love and cuddle her? all i thought about was that if she was home we could just hold her all day long if we wanted to. i remember people saying, "just be thankful you are sleeping"...let me tell you, i would rather have been up all night long and have her home. but i also knew that the longer she stayed in the hospital, the healthier she got & the less likely she would need to return to the hospital. and she is healthy...and happy. so while the two weeks were what she needed, it will always be remembered as a tender time.

and calla today, on her 1st birthday:

taking her first sips of real, whole milk

she likes it!

the birthday bib (greta wore this one too...what will we do if we ever have a boy?)

getting her birthday cupcake

diving in! i think babies eating messy cake and frosting is one of my favorite things. i love watching them discover the texture, mashing it around in their fingers, spreading it all over their faces. it's too fun.

happy birthday calla...we love you!

sometimes i can't help myself

2008-03-04T23:04:00.001-08:00

i just think these girls are so stinking cute. it's not so much that they are cute outwardly. it's greta making train tickets to new hampshire out of toilet paper and asking me if i'm the conductor (which doesn't sound much at all like conductor, but we know what she means). and calla learning how to blow kisses (which really she is slapping her hand on her open mouth, but i know what she is doing) and waving hello anytime she hears someone say the word hello. these girls kill me. and watching them start to play together more, i love it. sometimes i can't help but just start to smile & giggle because they are who they are. different from each other, yet each so great. i know i already posted similar versions of these pictures, but they are too cute not to share...and if for no one else, then for me to enjoy looking at them & getting a good smile.

greta- age 3

calla- almost 1

life around these parts

2008-03-02T23:25:00.000-08:00

i think probably the best thing so far about living out west is the weather we have had these past few weeks. we have heard (what we now consider) horror stories of the snow and COLD in the midwest & east coast. not to rub it in (though i am), but we have had an amazing early spring. think clear blue skies (and lots of stars at night), sunshine, high 50s-low 60s, windows down, going for hikes, not needing a coat (common words from greta these days when i ask her to put her coat on- "no thanks mom, i'm fine, i don't need one" and she's right!) kind of weather- it's fabulous! what is also fabulous is a little girl turning 3, a trip to seattle & a baby girl who is SO close to walking we could spend all day just watching her. although life is crazy a lot of the time, we do have it good.

greta in all her birthday glory

calla enjoying herself at greta's party

greta sporting her new birthday outfit (she has the matching outfit for bitty baby- kinda sickening!)

if you love seattle, you will love this picture...it's glorious!

calla loved the swings...even with her arms tucked in!

the older girls!

the younger girls (nice nose picking greta)

it's hard to get a good picture of 4 kids, ages 5 and under, so i decided to throw in the worst one! :)

happy, happy, happy

2008-02-17T22:57:00.000-08:00

in the past several weeks we have had many "happy" occasions...

1. happy birthday mike
mike couldn't ask for a better bday gift than snow...and lots of it! (our frontyard)
our backyard...as greta says, "we live in the country!"
out for a hike...greta likes feeling the moss.

2. happy 3rd birthday greta
greta showing how old she is..."i'm free!"

blowing out the candles on her cake

the cake we made together...greta placed all the flowers, she did a great job!

calla enjoyed greta's birthday party too!

3. happy valentine's day
the girls in their matching outfits from grandma j

we've been busy!

my mom & our crazy life

2008-01-29T22:03:00.001-08:00

thank you all for your calls, emails, thoughts & prayers for my mom. she had surgery, is home and doing great. she will be off her feet for a long time (12 weeks), but she is in great spirits, has lots of visitors (if you live in the portland area...VISIT HER!), and seems to be recovering well.

it's been a whirlwind around here for us. we scrambled together childcare for the girls, since my dad had been watching them. a mom from our church has two girls about the same ages as greta & calla. she had offered several times to watch our girls & when this happened i took her up on it. she is watching them on tues & thurs and they go to the lutheran school on mon, wed, fri. it's a good thing...greta LOVES it. when mike picks her up from school she tells him she's not ready to go home yet. and she and em get along great on tues & thurs...everyone is doing well with the changes.

the craziest thing this winter has been the snow. it snows about once a week. this is not the oregon weather i am used to. this was evident when i crashed into a curb yesterday, driving my parents car. everyone is fine and the damage is not too bad, but it was alarming & makes me nervous to drive in the snow! who would have thought we'd move to oregon and have so much snow?

then today we came home to a cold house. the thermastat read 59 degrees...it was really cold. i just paid the bills, so i knew that wasn't the problem. turns out the heat company is supposed to refill the propane tank when it's below 30%. when mike went out to read it, it read 0%. so, we had no heat for a few hours (calla's lips were the slightest shade of blue) but we are warm & cozy now. it just seems like strange things keep happening to us, so we're hoping for a break here!

i know everyone really just wants to see pictures...so enjoy them!

merry christmas...greta is ready to open presents!

calla didn't care as much about opening the presents...she was lounging.

someone found the vaccuum!

greta showing off her new hat & mittens

this is calla's new "funny" face...it's hilarious!

and this is greta's "poop" face
a picture of us...because we really do still exist!

you're kidding, right?

2008-01-15T14:37:00.000-08:00

today my mom fell & broke BOTH of her ankles, along with one of her legs. yes, you read that right...both ankles & a leg. she is having surgery within the next 24 hrs, will have pins in her legs & be in a wheelchair for at least the next several weeks. pray for a good surgery, fast healing & sanity...seriously, i would go nuts!

i've been tagged!

2008-01-07T09:08:00.000-08:00

this is a first for me. i've been tagged by ann-marie to share my resolutions for 2008. so i've been thinking about what i really want to do this year. i had some ideas already, but i've taken a little time to think of more. and i keep thinking & thinking...and talking & talking...so here they are, in no particular order...

1. Love God & love others more. nuff said!

2. become a non-snobby foodie. i have this inner foodie in me, but she is often muffled by something like this, "mom, where is my cinderella doll?" or "ma-ma-ma-ma...WAAAHHH (insert 10 month old falling on her face)." so i want to experiment. i want to spend more time in the kitchen. try new things. enjoy it, even if i do have a toddler and baby tugging on my legs. i have realized that i'm a bit of a restaurant snob. i prefer to try new places rather than return to old (not always true, but most of the time). in my love of restaurants, i realize how easy it can be to become snobby about it, hence the desire to be a non-snobby foodie. i just want to enjoy it for myself & share it with others, no attitude!

3. enjoy the arts. go to more movies. read more books. go to concerts, art shows, fesitvals. and expose our girls to the arts, too. you are never too young to appreciate things. okay, i'm not about to take them to see juno (if you haven't yet- see it!), but we can find age appropriate versions of the arts for them.

4. volunteer/give back to the church. i'm not sure what this means, but i want to give more of my time, energy, resources, love, ideas...i want to give to God's Kingdom in new ways. i want to let God use me.

5. knit. i learned how to knit as a young girl from my great grandmother mimi. i put it down for years, picked it up in college & again put it down for the past 4 years. today i picked it up again & it was like returning to an old friend. i loved it. i want to make things for the girls (and that sweater i promised mike years ago), but it appears i'm starting with a sweater for greta's bitty baby. i figure it's small & a good way to learn a sweater. but a sweater for a doll who can't appreciate it? call me crazy...a crazy knitter.

6. work out. i'm starting tomorrow. no really, i am. 5:15pm i'm meeting a friend at the gym. we'll see how it goes. we're talking about training for a half marathon. i figure even if we don't make it to the race, we'll get in shape along the way. and lordie my body needs some help right now. it's not that my clothes don't fit or that i don't like my weight...it's that my body jiggles in ways i never knew possible. to the gym i go!

7. go to bed earlier...all of us! we slipped into a bad habit over the holidays. we were going to bed late & in doing this our girls were going to bed late and the real problem in all of this is that mike & i now are missing out on our time at night. so we need to go to bed earlier. (i'm listening to little feet pitter pattering upstairs while i'm writing this...at 10:36pm). friday night i went out with my mom and carolyn. we went to dinner & a 10:20pm movie. i went to bed at 2am & was up with calla at 6:30am...i'm too old for this!

and on that note i'm off to bed...for pete's sake, it's almost 11pm, what am i doing up!?!?!

Pre-School, Already?!?

2008-01-04T22:41:00.000-08:00

today we visited our first pre-school. we have been talking about it with greta for a little while. reading a few books about kids going to school, asking her if she would like to go to school & play with kids, etc. with my work schedule & mike's school schedule we have known that we would need to figure out some form of childcare & have hoped that pre-school would be the thing that would work. so...we all got in the car today and drove to a local pre-school/childcare. during the drive over we told greta where we were going and explained things a little. when we pulled into the parking lot she was greeted by the nice playground and the first thing she said when she got out of the car was, "i think i'm going to like it here." we walked around inside and, while we may look one more place, i think we might have found a good fit. they have a childcare for calla so both of the girls can be in the same place for a few hours, 3 days/wk. they do bible lessons, letters, numbers, colors, shapes. i have to admit (and i know most moms feel this way at some point) that i felt like we have done a pretty good job teaching greta at home when they went through the curriculum. letters- she knows almost all of them, numbers- she knows them to 20, colors- yes, shapes- yes...so what is she going to learn new here? then i realize the learning comes for the other kids & the random things we don't teach at home.

now i just have to adjust to greta going to school. on one hand i'm ready; on the other hand i'm not at all. how can our baby not be a baby anymore? i know it will be good for her, for me, for all of us, but i just can't believe the time has come. i have these visions of sending her for a week and then deciding we will become hermits. i will home school her & we won't need to deal with formal school or childcare, and i will keep her home & sheltered forever. okay, so those visions don't really exist, but it still is quite an adjustment to send her off. i'll report back when we make the big leap...it feels like we're making such a huge jump/commitment. why does sending a kid to pre-school seem like such a huge thing?

today's funny

2007-12-29T23:22:00.001-08:00

i walked into the bathroom today to find greta sitting on the toilet bended down with her head in her knees. i asked her, "greta, what are you doing?" her response: "i'm trying to remember yellowstone." where do kids get these things? we were in yellowstone 3 months ago and yet she still talks about it. hilarious...this is one for the record books!

merry christmas!

2007-12-29T23:15:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas from our house to yours!

fun with aunt beth

2007-12-20T22:26:00.000-08:00

beth came to visit this past weekend. she flew in thursday night (on a blue plane, greta was sure to ask, "what color was your plane?" first thing. do you think she flies much?) and flew out monday morning. we spent friday in corvallis showing her around our (cute) town, saturday at the beach and with carolyn for dinner, then sunday after church we were off to portland to see santa & enjoying the city a bit. we loved our time with beth and at one point greta said, "mommy, i'm going to call you aunt beth." she sure does love her. here are some pictures from our time...really, they are all from the beach (it was a gorgeous break in the rain we had!). it was fun for me to head to the coast, especially since we spent time in newport, which is where i went every year growing up...and now i'm sharing it with my girls...it's neat when it happens like that. anyway...here are the pictures!

a few pictures of greta and beth running around barefoot at the beach

greta's footprints in the sand

greta running from the waves

beth, mike & greta at seal rock (awesome beach, i'd never been there)

a little snuggle time with aunt beth before she leaves

chubby chew!

2007-12-19T21:10:00.000-08:00

as my friend chris likes to refer to full babies, we do have a "chubby chew" on our hands. after going through life with a beanpole kid, it's nice having a baby who sits in her highchair with her mouth wide open waiting for each bite to hit her lips. her large stature was evident at her 9 month check-up, where calla weighed in at 19 lbs 2 oz, more than greta weighed when she turned one (she was a little over 18 lbs then and only weighs 25 two months shy of her 3rd birthday). i tried to find the "fattest" picture of her i could...and had to throw in a few others!

this is from the summer...but i think it captures her size quite well.

our christmas pic...she really smiles likes this all the time- at strangers, the wall, her pink chair, it's amazing!

and greta...lately i can't help but think she is such a little girl. here she is sporting her first braids, which she now wants all the time. "i want braids like maja." someone loves her cousin!

Thanksgiving...a little bit late!

2007-12-05T07:39:00.001-08:00

i know, i know...it's taken FAR too long to get these pictures up, but in the past week we have suffered three colds, one fever, one bad back, two finals...and let's just say that our bags are yet to be unpacked! it's hard getting settled during finals week. mike's last final is tomorrow night & then maybe we will get ourselves into a groove...it's yet to happen since we've moved here. anyway, here are the pictures from our trip to new hampshire. we had the best time being with everyone and it was great seeing greta & maja pick back up right where they left off...they did not skip a beat. and calla was giddy over linnea. calla is crawling all over & picking herself up on things and she wanted linnea to be doing it right along with her...by next year they too will be running around together.
it was a wonderful time, and sad to say our good byes. we miss the friendships for our girls & also for us. we just miss them all. so...here are the pictures of our week. it was a good one. scott thinks all the fun happened after the dads left...the first four are from the time with dads...the rest are after. the question remains, was more fun had w/o dads?

they did this on their own...on the way to see great papa j

art projects are always a good way to pass time...and fun too!

great papa j had the coolest toy

greta getting a close up of maja

making thanksgiving place cards (they were made after thanksgiving, so they are for next year!)

grandma j showing greta & maja how to make a gingerbread house

the finished product...greta put so much frosting on this side that it collapsed

calla trying so hard to get linnea to play with her

the girls watching "the singing movie" (aka- disney princess sing-a-long songs, which i highly recommend for any 3 or soon-to-be 3 year old girls...it's quite the hit)

grandma & papa j with their broad of granddaughters...what are the chances it would be all girls?

the big 3-0!

2007-11-15T20:27:00.001-08:00

this past weekend was my 30th birthday. mike took the girls to my parents for the weekend & i spent the weekend with good friends in the Columbia River Gorge area. maggie & ingrid drove down from seattle, kara from vancouver bc & we picked carolyn up in salem on our way to portland. we had an awesome weekend together & it made me thankful for good friends. I think the highlight of the trip was our "spa" experience. we went to a mineral spa & it was pretty hilarious. we took group mineral baths, group body wraps & yes, the massages were only separated by curtains, so you could say those were "group" massages too. it was quite the experience...so hilarious, we were all dying laughing the whole time. we decided it was the strangest place any of us had been...so odd. here are some pictures from the spa & from dinner out in hood river (super cute town) and multnomah falls....thanks girls for a fabulous weekend! and i can't forget to give a BIG thanks to mike for watching our girls & also throwing me a surprise dinner. you are a wonderful husband...i love you.

the sign out front was deceiving of what we would find inside...

below is the board that gave you a picture of your massage therapist...has anyone ever seen something like that before?

here are the mineral baths...

just in case you wanted a close up of the tubs

and here we are getting body wraps...if only we had pictures of the massage tables

multnomah falls

dinner in hood river- thanks girls!

imperfections...an update

2007-11-07T13:48:00.000-08:00

mike took greta, scarlet & calla to the park on sunday while i showed violet around town. greta made a new friend, willow. they were playing when willow asked, "why does that baby [calla] have a grape on her head?" i think from here on out we are going to refer to calla's bump as a grape. it was too cute. on the flip side there were kids at the library yesterday who were scared when they saw it...that was a first & pretty sad. sad that it would be scary. who could be scared of a grape? :)

milestones

2007-11-04T21:39:00.000-08:00

why is it that baby pictures are so much cuter in the nude? calla has had some horrible diaper rash and thus has spent a lot of time airing out...which calls for lots of naked pictures! calla has also learned to sit up (not completely upright, but it's better than the teetering she did before) and she is this close to crawling! greta didn't learn to sit up until after she started crawling. she also crawled at 7 months & calla is almost 8 months so she is a little behind...but she was born earlier than greta so they are about even! anyway, thought i would share the cute naked pictures. and a halloween picture of the fairy/butterfly sisters. greta went back & forth when people would ask her what she was. half the time she said butterfly, the other half fairy. so does that make her a butterfly fairy? whatever she was...she was pretty stinking cute!

life without mike

2007-10-28T21:48:00.000-07:00

i know, it sounds totally awful, depressing, sad, terrible...there are a million words, but our life since september 24th has pretty much been without mike. that is what happens when someone enters grad school after taking an eight year hiatus from school, and when they are getting a masters in a different area than their undergrad degree. we have had visitors, been to various places in oregon & have been trying to enjoy life here...all without mike. i was thinking this as i was looking for a picture with him in it. hilary wanted one for brooke's room. here's the problem...we don't have any. i mean, yes, we have them, but not one since we've been in oregon (just in case you were wondering, we've been here six weeks). and i have a feeling our next family picture will probably be over thanksgiving...or maybe my birthday (it's a big one this year). anyway...enjoy the photos of the life of the johnson girls...that is our life these days...all the girls!

mindi and the girls (it was a windy day!)

the girls with mindi & carolyn...introducing them to wineries at a young age (don't worry, there were about 5 other kids there)

greta & jakob carlson

visitor 1- annalea (which, calla looks like annalea!)

someone found her toes

greta kills me in this picture...she could not look cuter!

the johnson girls (we're in hood river apple country...there were apples & pumpkins everywhere, but we picked a spot in front of the old tractor)

imperfections

2007-10-24T21:38:00.001-07:00

while people often don't ask us about calla's bump on her head, i'm realizing that people notice. when kids notice they are obvious. we were with friends in minnesota & their 2 year old started squeezing the bump. older kids ask, "what is that?" but when it comes to adults, especially other moms, they don't say anything...they just look (more like stare). sometimes i say something when the staring is especially obvious, but i honestly don't think about her bump so usually i don't say anything about it. but...if any of you have been wondering, her bump is a cluster of small blood blisters. if it burst it would be horribly bloody, look awful, and we would need to take her to the hospital, but it would not be dangerous. it will go away when she is older (probably 2 or 3) so we don't worry it. i took the pictures of it so we could remember it. when calla was in the ISCU we just wanted to be with her & didn't end up taking many pictures...now i wish we'd taken more. so i want to document the things in life that i want our kids to know about, even if they will never remember...and even if they are not fun & pretty. we think calla is perfect & rarely notice her bump, but when she is older i will want to show her the little "imperfection."

the first rainy morning

2007-10-18T09:11:00.000-07:00

calla is now eating finger foods...she seems so old...where did the newborn baby go?

i think this is the best nap position i've captured yet!

the girls (greta had been eating blueberries, hence the blue mouth)

calla is so close to crawling!

greta put her lamp back all by herself!

i did this kind of backwards...pictures first, when i meant to end with pictures. one of these days i'll really know how to work this thing. so...pictures first & then you can read about the rainy days! :) just a few pics from the past few weeks.

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although no one will believe me, this is the first morning we have been here that we woke up to rain. don't get me wrong, there have been several days where it's started raining during the day, but this is the first that it's raining when we woke up. now, let me explain oregon rain. you don't wake up to heavy rain and thunder, it's really a quiet mist that comes down. i didn't even realize it was raining until i looked closely outside. as mike likes to explain it, it's as if the sky is spitting on us. so today the skies are giving us spit. maybe i should start keeping track of how many days in a row it rains. that is a fun northwest hobby...counting the rainy days. i will say, so far i've also seen the sun every day so maybe it won't be too bad...but it's also only october. yesterday at work my coworkers were informing me that oregon has the highest rate of anti-depressants in the country. doesn't that make you want to move here tomorrow? yet everyone who lives here seems to LOVE it here...so even though the weather is lousy, the town (and oregon) has a lot of cool things to offer.

last weekend we discovered the farmer's market, which was really fun. we went with friends and made a nice fresh salad for dinner. i also bought several sweet potatoes & butternut squash and have made vats of baby food. our fridge is being invaded. now i need to move onto to some greens and some fruits. i'm stuck in the smashing bananas habit. i need to get avocados out again too...greta started young & still loves them so i hope calla will do the same. the joys of baby food.

we also found the library this week. we walked about with the 10 book limit (that i instilled...greta would take the whole library given her choice) and a dvd. they have story time on tuesday mornings so we are going to try that soon too. this weekend is the 5th annual kids for consesrvation day so we are going to check that out. being in a small town makes it easy to not only find out what is taking place, but also go to everything. it's not like chicago where you are choosing from 10 different activities. there is usually one activity so you go. the great thing is that they seem really good so we're taking advantage of everything.

tomorrow annalea arrives & greta is especially excited because her (big) friend scarlet is spending the weekend here. we've been counting down the days! aunt kaitlin is coming saturday...and now we need to start counting down for next week...mindi comes a week from today!!! we can't wait!!!

life in corvallis = road rage

2007-10-12T19:41:00.000-07:00

we have now been living in corvallis for two weeks. how do you get used to a small college town coming from chicago? some things are a welcome reprieve from city life (like no traffic). some things are harder to get used to (like no targets within 20 miles). i have found myself having road rage at times because people move so slowly. you can't swerve around cars, drive through yellow lights or use bumpers while parking. you have to drive with respect for other drivers & pedestrians...who would have thought that existed? this forces us to...slow down! it's been a long time since we've done that! there are so few people driving that we can get anywhere we need to be within 15 minutes. the slower pace is nice. the fresh air, natural beauty...it's really nice to be in a different setting.

the hardest thing about life here is figuring out how life works. mike spends most of his time either in school or studying, and i am still trying to unpack boxes, get settled, and get used to working again. it's hard to figure out a new schedule, while trying to put two kids on a schedule at the same time. it feels like an uphill battle, but i know we'll get there...i remind myself...it's only been two weeks.

i accepted a part time job at OSU. i'm a part time office worker with full time benefits. because of this 20 hr/week job we get medical and dental benefits for our family, along with...wait for it...fully paid tuition for mike's school. this is a blessing beyond anything we could have ever imagined. even writing it i can't believe it's true. we are thankful.

we have met a few people here & really like them. we had a playdate with friends of friends & they were all nice, and all happen to attend the only covenant church in town! i think God wants us to go to this church! we are trying it out this week so we'll see how it goes...there are other churches in town, but a covenant church does just feel like home.

we have yet to take a picture since moving in so the next goal (after i finish unpacking) is to take some pictures. maybe i'll take some tomorrow when we try out the farmer's market & have our first dinner guests! and then next week the visitors begin...annalea, we are ready & waiting for you! :)

our trip- part 1

2007-10-03T11:35:00.001-07:00

finally...here are pictures from our trip. we have over a hundred, so here is a glimpse of the things we did. i had some trouble uploading, so it's divided into part 1 & 2...enjoy looking. i'm sure we'll update about life in corvallis soon, but it was time for some pictures first.

leaving 5300 n spaulding

yes, our first stop was at a walmart, but we needed baby food & your options are limited when you're on the road!

our first tourist attraction...the Mitchell Corn Palace (can you see us down there?)

Here we are...at the Corn Palace for the International Polka Festival...you can tell they draw quite a crowd.

our trip-part 2

2007-10-03T08:34:00.000-07:00

yes, their vests say, "Polk of A"...got to love the International Polka Festival at the Mitchell Corn Palace!y

our family in the Badlands...it's so cool!

Greta looking for groundhogs in the Badlands

the girls at Wall Drug...quite possibly our biggest waste of time, but at least we got a picture!

At Mt Rushmore...it was cold!

Thank you Lisa for letting us use the Ergo...it was awesome!

The bison. As Greta says, "no bears, just bison." These were right next to our campsite.

Calla hanging out in our campsite...the "perfect" baby!

Everyone in the tent (until I bailed ship with Calla to sleep in the car).

At one of the waterfalls in Yellowstone

Old Faithful...look at the rainbow. It really is amazing.

Visiting Kaitlin in Boise at NNU.

i will post about life in corvallis sometime soon (we are all here now & moved into our house), but for now i thought the pictures would be enjoyable. i still haven't mastered blogging, but i haven't had time to master it...one of these days, right?

statics anyone?

2007-09-25T17:37:00.000-07:00

mike started his first day of grad school yesterday. he left portland about 6am to get down to corvallis for his 8am class. it's not a two hour drive, but being the new kid on the block he gave himself plenty of time.

here are excerpts from an email he sent out to family this morning:

my 8:00 class started with my professor saying ' i assume youve all taken Statics. it is a prerequisite for this class. if you havent, i wont kick you out, but if you stay, you might struggle '. i have not taken Statics.

then at 10:00 in my next class, it was pointed out that everything we would be studying this term would be based on....drum roll....Statics.
My advisor teaches that class so i spoke with him after class thinking i would drop one of the 2 classes. Instead, he recommended that I...drumroll...take Statics. So instead of dropping a class, im picking one up ( actually just sitting in on it ).

He was actually very encouraging and said it would be rough but better to try to do them all at once rather than put my entire sequence of courses back 1 year. he seems to understand where Im at and thinks i can do it...so im doing it. i was pretty nervous until i spoke with him so now i just have to learn Statics before Wednesday and ill be ok.

i knew it would be tough at first and im sure the worst is yet to come in some ways but im still very excited about the material believe it or not. i think if i can get through this first term everything will be more manageable.

so that is the life of a new grad student...learning things you never knew, go figure! i'm in portland spending time with family & friends. i'll head down this weekend. still haven't heard about the job and still am not sure how to get our pictures online so pictures will wait until next week, when we're in our house & i have our computer back! :)

the wild west

2007-09-21T20:41:00.000-07:00

it's been awhile & for whoever reads this i assume you are wondering if we ever made it to oregon...well, we did. we are in portland. we arrived tuesday evening and have spent the last few days going back & forth between portland and corvallis. but let me back track first and finish sharing about our road trip.

we left gillette, wy on saturday to drive to yellowstone. it took longer than we had expected so we didn't get to yellowstone until about 5pm. we got to our campsite just in time to see a herd of bison eating in the field next to us. about an hour later we were eating dinner when they moved from the field to OUR campsite, right by our table! anyone who knows me knows i'm not a fan of animals, but really big animals...they flat out scare me! add to that the signs everywhere warning of bears (and the knowledge that yellowstone is one of two places in the US where grizzly bears still exist) and i was not too excited about sleeping in the tent...which explains why i moved to the car (with calla) in the middle of the night.

yellowstone was awesome. like the badlands, i say go if you ever have the chance. it's beautiful. we spent all day sunday at the park and wish we'd had longer.

sunday night we drove to idaho & spent the next two nights there visiting my sister kaitlin. it was wonderful spending time with her & seeing her school. then tuesday we headed out to portland and arrived tuesday night.

things we weren't expecting-

-crying (hard) when crossing the oregon border. i wish i could say it was tears of joy, but it was more of the reality that we weren't going home (which, chicago still feels like home) and weren't going to see our friends & family next week (will we ever get over that one?).

-calla being a (dare i say it) perfect baby. we are pretty sure between chicago & oregon she cried for an hour...total. she was wonderful.

-greta being willing to do anything...and loving almost all of it. greta has always been our "adventure" girl, but recently it had seemed she was growing a bit more timid. this trip proved otherwise & we love her love of life...and learn from her too.

so now we are in portland. yesterday i interviewed for a job. the interview went well so we'll see if it works out. mike had orientation today & we finally saw the house we will be living in, which was awesome! we lucked out on this one. the town of corvallis is super cute so we are excited to share it with anyone who decides to visit (in case you don't know...we love visitors & hope to have lots!).

pictures will come sometime soon, but i thought a posting about life was good for now. :)

what a day!

2007-09-14T22:06:00.000-07:00

here is our day at a glance...we were busy!

Corn Palace- interesting, but what would have been REALLY interesting is if we'd had time to stick around for the International Polka Festival...yes, that is right, we were there right before the action (but long enough for some interesting conversations).

Badlands- amazing. definitely the highlight of the day. if you ever have the chance to go there- go!

Mt. Rushmore- the highlight of visiting Mt. Rushmore is that we can now say we visited Mt. Rushmore (and we have some pictures)

Wall Drug- not even sure what to say- not really sure of the point in this one, if there is supposed to be a point.

we started our day at 11am, gained an hour when we reached mountain time, and ended our day at 10pm. drove from mitchell, sd to gillette, wy, about 468 miles. the girls are still troopers. my favorite comment of the day was when greta said "when i grow up & get bigger i'm going to be a boy!" it was hilarious. she also loved climbing the "mountains" in the badlands.

tomorrow we are heading to yellowstone & will be camping...the new adventures continue, yet it's interesting the moments of deep sadness (even in the midst of the excitement) when we think about what we have left. lots of mixed emotions.

more later...

on the road again

2007-09-13T10:31:00.000-07:00

here are bits & pieces of an email i sent out to our family...

we are heading out of minnesota in moments to began our "real" voyage out west. mike has it all mapped out on an excel spreadsheet (thank you scott!), which we are already beginning our journey a bit late (no surprise), so the times are estimates. we want to be in portland by monday night, but it might end of being tuesday...we'll see how it goes.

for those of you who haven't heard, i have a job interview a week from today (thurs, 9/20) at OSU in the College of Forestry. it's a part time office job so it's nothing glamorous, but it would offer full benefits for our family with me only working 20 hrs/wk. pray for that. it would be a huge blessing for us & would ease our worries/fears.

we'll update with pictures once we are in portland.

IT'S A GIRL!!!

2007-09-02T07:20:00.000-07:00

Lisa & Scott welcomed Linnea Lisa Applequist this morning at 5:50am. Lisa's water broke at 5am, the ambulance arrived about 5:15am...and Linnea arrived after one push at the hospital! We are so thrilled & can't believe that we have all girls in the Johnson family! God must trust us to raise good women! :) I'm sure I'll post pictures later, but the news was too exciting to wait to share! (vital stats: 6 lbs, 12 oz, 18 inches long) linnea was born 3 1/2 weeks early, lisa's due date was 9/26...she's having a baby like i have babies...early! everyone is healthy & doing great.

taking lessons

2007-08-28T18:21:00.000-07:00

ann-marie was so kind as to have me over for a blogging tutorial. who would have thought something that seemed so simple could have so many cool options...this could be really fun! this is not an interesting post...just a practice one, with a few good pictures too. ps...we did realize my problem was that i had been using safari, which is lousy for blogging...so now i'm on to bigger & better things...firefox!

you've got to love the way a baby's butt sticks up when they are sleeping...this is my favorite baby sleep position...love it!

annalea doing double duty (calla on the left, brooke applequist on the right)

greta girl

trying to figure this thing out!

2007-08-27T06:25:00.001-07:00

i can't quite seem to figure out how to work this...especially how to post the pictures...how do i move them around? i'm going to experiment here. is there a way to make "captions"? and how do i rotate pictures...is that possible? if anyone wants to give some sort of tutorial, i think i need some help! i can't seem to move these pictures or write captions...so here are some pics...enjoy them!

2007-08-27T06:16:00.000-07:00

on friday night we went out to wildfire for dinner with hil, greg, lisa, scott, beth & paul. it was our "last supper" out together. it was so fun & yet again reminds us how much we love our family & close friends...and how very sad we will be when we leave them. it's hard saying good bye. the last few days have been spent tearing up over anything & everything...i guess we just get used to this being how the last week and a half will be spent! we sure are going to miss you all. here are some pics hil sent to us from friday night.

Are we really doing this?

2007-08-23T06:38:00.001-07:00

well...it appears the time has come & the time is now...we are going to be bloggers! we (what am i talking about...I) have been thinking about doing this for awhile but now that we are moving it seems like the right time. i'm sure we'll post pictures on here but i think those of you who receive our shutterfly pictures can still look forward to those! :)

a quick update on life...
on september 5th we plan to move from chicago to corvallis, oregon where mike will begin grad school in engineering. we are making a trip out of the move...spending some time with friends in minnesota, taking in a national park or two, visiting my sister in idaho, introducing calla to family in portland she has yet to meet & landing in corvallis around october 1st. we have a place to live, but we have yet to secure jobs so pray for us as we figure out how we are going to make things work. we trust that things will work out, but we'd be lying if we said it wasn't scary. we are scared to leave family, scared if we won't like it, scared if we can't find jobs...yet at the same time we look forward to pushing ourselves & experiencing life outside of chicago. and we remind ourselves that we might love corvallis...we'll wait & see.

i need to figure out how to work this thing so i'm going to try adding some pictures...we'll see if it works. if the pictures work...they are some favorites from the summer. calla being sweet, greta at american girl & then a family photo from mike's muddy buddy race.