Little Squirt

I couldn't resist - I had to post the pictures of the little swim trunks, they were too cute :)

Little Fish

Oh that is right, baby cakes went swimming for the first time this afternoon! I mean...we couldn't have gotten any dorkier - we had the swim diapers, the sunscreen, the swimming suit (momma forgot the hat, but a sun umbrella did the trick) and the floatie all ready to go...ALL MORNING! We were waiting in anticipation to get over to Nana and Grandpa's to get this little man in the water. He was a party animal and he loved it! He had the feet kicking and moving like he had been swimming his whole life - it was so fun! He was smiling and screeching and just having himself a great old time. We pretty much had to drag him out of the pool for him to even think about taking a nap. We just had a great day - it was beautiful weather and we so enjoyed hanging out with Nana, Grandpa, Uncle JJ and the dogs. Everyone enjoyed the water and we have 220 pictures to prove it, yes I said "220 pictures!"

The first dips in the water - Nana and Grandpa had the heater at 83* and it seemed to suit the little buster just fine!

The little family - the doggies are somewhere around swimming around!

With his new super floatie from Nana and Grandpa! He loved it and looked like such a big man sitting in it.

I can already seem him at five years old screaming at daddy to throw me in the in air and catch me please!!

I just thought they looked a little too cute - you can't see his swim trunks but they have little fish and whales on them "little squirt" is the line, I couldn't resist!

He finally felt the party could end about 8:30 and passed out two minutes into the car ride home. It was pretty funny - he got a second wind once we got home, it didn't last for too long thankfully! This afternoon and watching little squirt having so much fun splashing and laughing in the water totally reaffirmed just how lucky we are to have been blessed with such a wonderful baby. We love him and can't wait for the next swim day - thanks Nana and Grandpa!!

When I went to bed last night Connor looked like this...

Only his head was down and he was sleeping - after three tries! I may have fudged a little and taken this picture this morning when he woke up, but you get the point!
And when I got him up this morning he looked like this!! That's right our little sweet pea is rolling over! :) He was so proud of himself and I may have been a little proud. I think Daddy's ear hurt from hearing me screaming in delight in the monitor! He is so big and this is the second day in a row, third time he has rolled over! Ah, that means he will be on the road to crawling before we know it!

The Circle of Neglect

a.k.a. - THE EXERSAUCER!

We tried Connor in this around 4 months and he wasn't super into it. We kept trying every once in awhile to get him used to it (we thought it would be a great tool for the move) but it wasn't until AFTER we packed up the house and moved 900 miles across the country before he realized his love for the exersaucer. He played in it for about 45 minutes this afternoon - without any of the bells and whistles (his awesome parents didn't have any batteries!) imagine the fun he is going to have when he realizes it lights up and talks to him!

He was so cute playing in it - he was laughing and stomping his feet - even turning himself around with all of the commotion! The dogs also thought it was really fun to crawl under it and lick his tootsies.
The fun is endless and I am already dreaming of the laundry and organization that will happen around the "little apartment" with this new form of entertainment! I will admit though I was a little taken aback by how big he looks in it - ah, he is just getting to be such a big man!

Just Hanging Out!

We are all back in MO (poor Daddy had to pick up his car in Co and make that awful drive again on Wednesday) so we took advantage and hung out this morning. We had some breakfast and caught up - it was quite nice :) Here are a few little pics of the bugster in his jammies doing what he does best -being sweet!

Bits and Pieces

I am not sure why I was thinking about it the other day (maybe because Steph is going to give birth any day and childbirth was on my mind) but I was remembering bits and pieces of Connor's birth. I will say that most of the day is hazy - but a few things were coming back. I had forgotten how the proud Daddy had ordered pizza and pizookies for all involved in Connor's delivery and how he made sure everyone had enough to eat. I remember Bj running in and out of the recovery room with pictures and videos of our little man - he just couldn't stop smiling. He would leave every few minutes because he didn't want to be away from his son. I still to this day and convinced they brought me back to another room with about 20 people in it - they didn't, it's just the way I remember it. I remember getting all the pictures ready to send out - and making sure that I was the one that called my mom and Steph and I said I was ready to do it all again the minute I saw him. At any rate, I just thought it was kind of funny the little things that were coming back to me - I still can't believe that day was five and a half months ago!

Thunder and Lightning

I was just sitting outside with the munchkin and the doggies listening to THE THUNDER!! Bj and I have so missed good old mid-western thunderstorms and I had to drag myself inside. I remember as a kid watching the flashes of light and then counting until I heard the booms to see how many miles away the storm was. We always talk about how much we miss hearing the rain on the tin roof at camp and the giant claps of thunder. There goes another one, I love it!

A New little Poll!

As you may have noticed, I like my little polls on the blog! I think they are fun - and I love anything interactive, it's so fun to see what people think. In honor of Steph, Keith and Baby K we are polling what scooter, jr followers think the little one will be! She is due any day now (technically May 31 but she won't go past June 4, hence the 8 days to vote!) and we can't wait to find out if a little lady or a little man is going to enter the world. So, be sure and put your votes in and stay tuned for the updates :)

Margaritas!

We celebrated our first night in St. Louis (after unpacking of course) with dinner and margie's at Canyon Cafe! We both haven't been in years and I tell you what - it didn't disappoint :) Connor slept the whole way to the restaurant and popped his eyes open as soon as the car was in park - he was ready to party! We had a great night and we can't wait to do it again!

Olivia the Olympus

That's her new name, my beautiful new toy! I couldn't resist and took about oh, 180 pictures of Connor and the dogs the other day. Just wanted to post a few pictures so you all could witness the clarity and stunning edges this camera has. I am still trying to figure it out, poor Connor is probably still seeing spots from me learning how to use the flash :) He loves me though and I must say he is a pretty darn cute subject :)

Our New Toy

It took a little begging and pleading on my part...but little momma got herself a new camera!! This little beauty is the digital SLR I have been dreaming of - I will now NEVER again miss one little smile, sneeze, yawn or blink Connor man throws my way!! Heaven help my family - we will all be in therapy one day talking about my addiction to taking pictures but as I so gently remind the hubby, dogs and baby - they will appreciate these pictures one day :)
Isn't she a beauty? She came with two lenses - and I just love her!Next up - finding the perfect photography class and a few lessons from MP!

Kymmers Strikes Again!

I suckered poor Kymmers into taking yet another set of Johnson Family pictures. I really wanted to get a few family shots of us with the flatirons in the background before we left for St. Louis, and I knew of no one better to turn to. We have had so many memories and firsts in Colorado, I thought it would be nice to have some nice pictures of us to remember them by. I also had a vision of an 8x10 framed on the bookshelf in our new house - I am SUCH a dork! CFJ was a little "bored" with us and wasn't really in the mood to smile or look at the camera - I still think he looks pretty cute though. She did such a great job and I can't thank her enough for taking the time out of her busy schedule to photograph us for an hour!! The one thing I forgot to ask her about was photo shopping my body out and putting a thin, beautiful models body in - next time I will remember, don't you worry!

I loved this one - little baby, big mountains :)

We did get a few smiles out of him, just not many. We have one where he just has this HUGE yawn - I was laughing that I shouldn't have to deal with this until he is 13! I am going to put the rest in a slide show, just wanted to post a few examples!

We SURVIVED!

We may have been really excited for the 500 this weekend - we just weren't sure how excited we were about our first 48 hours away from the bugster!! We didn't worry about him as he was in good hands, but I will say that we missed him tons!!! I took a few pictures before we left and I MAY have OCCASIONALLY glanced at them. The strangest thing was just not taking care of someone else, we are so used to constantly doing something for him that it felt empty without him. I will say we did not mind the 11 un-interrupted hours of sleep after the race though!!! :) Is it bad that I am excited we won't be leaving him again overnight for awhile?!

"The Greatest Spectacle in Racing"

Memorial Day weekend is upon us and that means packing up and heading to Indianapolis for the 500! The 500 is a huge family tradition in the Johnson family - one that I am so excited to be a part of and have our children be a part of.We look so forward to this weekend every year and I can't believe it is already done and over. We had a great time this year and can't believe that we will be bringing Connor in six years!! We left Connor and the doggies with Granny, packed up the car and coolers and were out the door. Our tradition is to hang out and drink at the hotel on Friday in order to rest up for the early morning on Sunday. We had a new hotel this year and it was wonderful - we each had our own room and two bathrooms, amazing compared to the one room and one bathroom we are used to! We were up and at 'em at 5:30am on Sunday to get ourselves over to the speedway and ready for the day ahead. We finished our customary six bottles of champagne before heading in and watching the race and we were able to meet up with Steph's Gran and Gramps - which is always great! We were joking with the people in front of and behind us (they are the same every year) that no one noticed that I wasn't drinking last year - I must have played it off really well. They all congratulated us on the birth of Connor - so it was fun to have another reason to celebrate.There are quite a few years of Indy history here - Johnathan, Doc, Brian and Debbie

At the tent before going in.

Graham Rahal crashed right in front of us - in the main straightaway - he was just fine, only the car suffered some damage.

Congrats Helio - third time Indy winner!

Daddy won the pot and Connor got a onesie!

We were so excited that Bj's grandpa Doc was able to make it for another year. This is his 68th consecutive year (I am pretty sure that is the number anyway) and it also happened to be the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway opening in 1909. It is only the 93rd running of the 500 - as the first 500 mile race was three years after the tracks opening and they took a few years off during WWI and WWII. We kept saying we wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Doc! It was an exciting race overall and as a bonus Bj won the $180.00 pot we do every year (his first time!) and Connor got his first piece of Indy gear! We are a little exhausted but it was a fantastic weekend - we kept commenting on the fact that they just keep going faster and faster. It is amazing how little time it takes to drive 500 miles/200 laps - I guess it's not so bad at 220mph! So, until next year!

We Made It!

After 900 miles and 15 long hours, we made it safely to St. Louis! Whew! We left Colorado about 10am (after a there and back trip to the airport and packing the china in my car) and pulled into St. Louis at 2am local time. It was definitely a VERY long trip, but well worth it. I have to say it was a little tough saying goodbye to 1207 Lefthand Drive - I cried! I think it hit me as I was walking in Connor's room, one last time, that he was never going to sleep in this room again. This room that we put so much time and effort into was going to be someone else's nursery now. The whole house that we put so much into for that matter. We were ready and I already can't wait to search for another house, but it was still a little sad leaving the old homestead. We have had so many wonderful memories in that house and the one nice thing about me being such a picture hound is that I have them all documented from start to finish. So, here's to the many new memories our life in St. Louis will bring!!

Packing Day!

Keep in mind - we filled all of these cars with stuff! You may notice a cord going from the truck into the house - Bj had to keep the kegerator cold for the long drive home :)

No, they are not putting one last thing in - they are getting one last drink off the kegerator that is strategically placed inside the door!!

Connor Man was preparing for his busy drive home - logging as many sleep hours as he could!

My Co-Pilot

Our first gas stop in Kansas. There was a corn field next to the gas station and the dogs looked so funny hopping through it while we filled up :)

We were only in St. Louis for approximately 3 days before we packed up another car and drove to Indianapolis for the 500 - but another post on that :) I think it really started to hit us as we were driving that we moved to St. Louis. We kept talking on the walkies - and we couldn't quite believe we had actually done it. The process moved so fast - it was crazy! We had a great visit with my mom, granny, aunt and cousins on Thursday and a great visit with Nana and Sir on Friday night and as we were driving home to my mom's we looked at each other and said "nights like these are the reason we did this". We are so happy and excited that the nights with the family and friends will no longer be few and far between!

One Year Ago Today...

We found out Connor was on the way! This time last year we had just found out that we were pregnant - I will never forget the feelings rushing through us as we stood in the bathroom reading the pregnancy test. We didn't get one lick of work done that day - all we could think about was the little tiny bean developing in my belly. We were in complete shock and just so very excited for all the things in our future. It is so crazy to imagine at that time that we hadn't heard his heartbeat or seen him move on the ultrasound - and now he is talking and sitting up, our beautiful baby boy. It has been an amazing journey and worth every single pound, emotion and days in the hospital.

Good-bye Colorado, Hello St. Louis!

It's official, I will be off-line for the next few days as we are leaving for the Lou bright and early tomorrow morning! Still a few things to be done around the house before it is ready to turn over to it's new owners - but other than we are packed and ready! We have FILLED an entire 26 foot moving truck, the 1972 Volkswagon Bus attached to the back of it, the Toyota Tacoma and Jeep. I am talking every square inch of each one of those - but by God we got it all!


No worries, I have documented every inch of our move and can't wait to get back to regular blogging as soon as we are up and running in St. Louis. Until then - goodbye Colorado, thanks for the memories!

Fusion

Last night our sweet friends threw up a going away party at a local restaurant, Fusion. It was so nice to spend the evening reminiscing and saying goodbye. We had some good food and drinks and a nice, quaint little spot on the patio. Connor had a bit of a rough time as it was around bedtime and he wasn't quite used to all the excitement - but we will still keep him - perhaps just leaving him at home next time :)

We had to change the little man out of his party outfit and into the jammies.

Bj's crew - Sean, Sleepy, Amanda

Angelo and Sweet Blu!

Alex, Doug and Monica

You can't tell, but C is screaming in this picture - it was time for him to hit the hay!

It was the perfect escape from our chaotic house and the business of packing - friends from all over were able to make it and we so appreciated seeing everyone. We are so looking forward to our new little life in St. Louis, but we will miss the wonderful life we have had in Colorado. I couldn't help but thinking of all the beer pong games at our place in Boulder and the countless parties and dinner's on our patios in our first house. So, thank you everyone for a wonderful life in Colorado, and coming out to say good-bye!

5 Month Old Bugster !

WOW - I can't believe the little man is already five months old! Where has the last five months gone?! When I think about all that has happened in the past five months it makes my head spin a little, but the many changes have all been for the best.

This month we have witnessed his little personality explode! He laughs and smiles ALL THE TIME. He knows his momma and daddy and gets so excited to see us. He is a talking machine and when he gets really excited he schreeches! He rolled over for the first time (though not on purpose, I think we are getting close to a real one though) and has been a pleasure every single day. He scoots all over his crib and loves to be entertained. We have also found that he doesn't really enjoy the car - at all. He has fallen in love with the doggies and loves to snuggle with momma AND daddy in the mornings. He has realized just how handsome he is and loves to admire himself in the mirror. He splashes in the bathtub and loves to sleep on his tummy. He is a rock star at tummy time and is fascinated with bright colors and moving objects. He is the absolute love of our life and we can't wait to see what this fifth month brings!!

Interview with Nana and Momma

So, I apologize this video is about 2 minutes long and you can hear me and Nana screeching and talking to him in the background. It was pretty cute though at one point I asked him if he was excited to move to St. Louis and he laughed and squealed with delight - looks like the little one is on board with the move too! He is such a good little talker these days - heaven help the poor boy if he takes after his momma!!

Double Sighs of Relief!

I am extremely happy and proud to report that both Momma and Daddy Johnson are gainfully EMPLOYED in St. Louis!!!! Ahhhh...in case you can't tell that was me letting out an extremely content and happy sigh of relief. I can FINALLY stop eating. The final pieces in our move to the Lou are coming together.

Bj had been in talks with this new burger place, Five Guys Burgers and Fries for a few weeks, he had an interview last weekend and was offered the job! He is going to be the General Manager of one of the new stores - he is so excited and I am so proud of him. He so deserves this wonderful opportunity to run his own store and I can't wait to watch him be amazing at it. It is different than he though he wanted, more fast casual, but he is really looking forward to the change. We may be a little excited too as it means that he won't have to work into the wee hours of the morning anymore! Congrats Brian Johnson - we are so proud of you :)

I have been with Platts, a McGraw Hill Company for the last year and a half and I love it. I was always interested in their Education side - as I love to read and I love kiddos. I am happy to report that I will be transferring to McGraw Hill Higher Education as a Sales Representative in the Humanities, Social Sciences and World Languages Department! I am so excited for this opportunity - I interviewed when I was in St. Louis the end of March and I just got such a wonderful feeling from the office and employees - I feel so fortunate to be able to stay with such a great company. I finally got the call on Tuesday (on my way to pick up Deb at the airport - I was going 90 when I got the message and we all know Momma doesn't drive 90mph!) I am also really excited that this opportunity will allow me to work a four day, 30 hour work week that follows a school calendar. So, I will be home an extra day, ten extra hours, summers and winter breaks with my little bugster!

Packing the Homestead Update No.1

I am happy to report that we are about 97% packed up! My wonderful mother-in-law HAND WASHED and then HAND PACKED everything in the china cabinet and the kitchen. I don't think we would be this far without her - an extra set of hands to help with the packing and child rearing. We thought we would let her have her say in the packing up the breakables department with her 22 moves in all!! Ha! The house is a total disaster and we love it because we are moving in less than a week!! I know it hasn't sunk in yet - but it is starting to become a tiny bit more of a reality. I was just so excited that I didn't have to be sad watching Deb leave tonight - didn't have to be sad at the tears in her eyes when her grandson smiled at her because she will see him again in less than a week and then WE are never leaving again. Enjoy the house DISASTER, I mean packing pictures! :)

The laundry room - or what used to be the laundry room :)

The living room and dining room - notice the EMPTY china cabinet!

The woman responsible for our sanity this weekend! Thank you for ALL of your help and guidance Nana, we couldn't have done it without you!!!