The Johnson Family

These too cuties didn't sleep well last night. Both we're up past midnight. Danny ended up "sleeping" with Owen in the guest bed and me and Ben had an ALL night nursing session in our bed. I don't think Owen's feeling all that great and Ben, well, he's teething and using mama as a pacifier.

Both boys were up by 7 am (which is early early for Owen. He usually sleeps until 8:30 am.)They watched Mickey Mouse in our bed until we got ready and Ella got here.


My little drummer boy...


Here are Owen and Ben around the same age.... sporting their 2 teeth grin...

This is not the best portrayal of Ben's dance moves, but you do get to see a little booty shaking.


And days like this make days like Thursday all worth it!

I love how you can see Owen holding Ben's hand in this one...


Danny and his little mini-me...

and if they're shaped like dinosaurs, they're even better!








I won't lie and pretend like today was a "picture perfect day." I had grand Martha Stewart visions of baking cookies with Owen on this rainy day, feeding all three kids their many meals and then having dinner OUT with friends....

Instead, I had to keep myself from fussing too much at Owen when we were making the cookies. He kept wanting to lick the flour and eat the dough as I was making it. I was supposed to let the dough sit in the fridge for much longer than I did, but mister impatient wasn't having it at all! When it came time to decorate the cookies, I was SO over it and just let Owen have at it. We had sprinkles and icing from one end of the kitchen to the other. Like I have time to clean the kitchen!

At lunch I get a call from Danny saying he can't make it home and that our dinner plans were canceled and could I make homemade potato soup. WHAT??? I just made homemade cookies, lunch and now I have to peel potatoes, make a rue and make soup.

So, after a major battle (1 hour) trying to get Owen to take a nap in his crib with lots of screaming and possible puking, I opted to not have to wash his linens and clean carpet and decided to pull his mattress out of the crib and let him have quite time in his room....

This is how I found him 20 mins later....

Now I am onto making soup... I start peeling potatoes and then Ben wakes up from his very short nap... I have to nurse him.

He's been EXTRA fussy this week due to some MAJOR cutting of the teeth.

I decided to put on a Baby Einstein video (or Baby Crack as I call it) and Ben did OK for a little while...

Then I had to mix the soup with an eclectic mixer... HERE COMES THE SCREAMING.... Ella wakes up ready to eat, the mixer is scaring both her and Ben, I am trying to warm her frozen milk, while holding her and mixing the soup. Not to mention the phone is ringing off the hook and I have to answer it so it doesn't wake up Owen.

Finally, she's fed, the soup is simmering and both babies are watching Baby Mozart...




Then, the video goes off, the screaming begins again and Danny calls to say he's going to be late coming home.

or about to eat his drawstring. Whatcha think?

I haven't done a "milestone" update on Owen in awhile, so here is what he's up to at 28 1/2 months...

• loves anything with letters and numbers! He can now say all 26 letters correctly (he struggled with W for awhile.) He is counting to 20 independently w/o our help and he will count to 10 in Spanish.
• knows more animals and their sounds than I can name. It's crazy how much he picks up from books and TV.
• know colors red, orange, blue, pink, yellow, brown,white, black, gray and green
• can say and recognize the following shapes: triangle, diamond, square, pentagon, oval, heart and flower
• says please, thank you, you're welcome, and excuse me (more like cuse me.)
  
• knows left and right and will tell you which way to go at a stop light.
• knows that red means STOP and green means GO.
• Has most his books memorized. He is really into Mercer Mayer's Little Critter books, How do Dinosaurs ... books and The Curious George Treasury book (you know, the red one with all the stories in it. He loves the one where George has a surprise party. I think because George makes a mess and there is cake and party hats!
• is speaking in complete sentences , but three-four word sentences tend to still take place most of the time. He responds correctly when you ask him a question. Danny and I really enjoy this!
• He says mommy at the beginning of EVERYTHING! I am considering teaching him this is a BAD word and that he should only say daddy from now on.
  
• Recognizes places (he's gotten to where he'll say something he remembers from each place when we drive by or when we go there. )
• LOVES to dance and sing! He dances anytime there is music on TV, in the car or when we're out. He and Julie always dance at MOE's on Monday's. His favorite songs to sing are: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, ABC's, Itsy Bitsy Spider, Row Row Row Your Boat, Kookaburra, and several other songs from CD's we got from Kindermusik.
• Likes almost any show that comes on Noggin. I try and limit his TV, but there are days he watches A LOT more than I would like!
• Is really into dinosaurs, dragons, bears, caves, castles, volcanoes and we still have to build multiple draw bridges and towers every day.
• Is into pretend play. He had a Little People School Bus and Little People Animal set that he plays with a good bit.
• We also play a little travel game at night where we pull the covers over our head and pretend like we're going on a trip. We'll go to space, the beach, the forest, the swamp, the dessert, etc and talk about what animals we see there, we'll talk about stars, and planets, the temperature, etc. he usually makes some reference to Dora and Boots or The wonder Pets, but hey, at least he gets it!
  
• He also LOVES his MR. Potato Head
• He would sit and do puzzles ALL day if you let him. He has a Melissa and Doug farm scene puzzle that he really likes, a Brio dog puzzle, and a dinosaur puzzle that we do daily!
• He tries really hard to help! He wants to help me clean, cook, and take care of the babies.
• Loves to play chase and Hide -and-seek
• Loves to be tickled
  
• He loves Ben and plays really well with him. He shares for the most part, but he has recently learned the word "MY." He uses this in the context of "MINE." Boy do I hate that word.
• He has also started saying NO a lot more. I hate this word too!
• about a month ago he started jumping. Not just that little bounce where his feet are still firmly planted anymore.
  
• he is a pretty good eater. He went through a little spell where he wouldn't eat hardly anything, but we're now back to really well balanced meals!
• loves sweets (like his mama.) I try to limit these, but with a birthday party every weekend, it's really hard!
  
• LOVES to be outside. He has gotten really good at kicking and throwing balls! He love to draw with sidewalk chalk and blow bubbles!
• Molly and Sam won't have much to do with him, so he really likes it when our neighbors dog, Chili, comes over, They play chase in the backyard.
• He is a little clown and knows when he says something funny or does something silly.
• some of my Owen favorites are: "Owen's a hot mess," "Big giant poop," "Amazing," "Tasty," "Yum, delicious." When I was getting him out of the bath last night, he said, "Mama, jammas, diaper, wipes, butter paste, comb hair" and then smiled. When I ask him what the baby eats, he'll say, "Mommy's Milk." What does Owen eat? "Cows milk." What does mommy eat? "Soy milk." What does Daddy eat? "Peanuts." And baby Ella? "Baby Ella Cute! (with a smile.)
  

I really really love this kid! I am so glad he didn't sell on ebay and that Brad and Angelina didn't take me up on my offer. He's a keeper and I am glad he's mine!!!

This is Ben...




and Ella...

This is Ben making the first move ...
and the second
and the third...
Ella says, "Please don't tell my daddy."

Julie surprised Owen today and stopped by for lunch. He LOVES her and asks to see her everyday. They played chase and Owen's version of hide-and-seek. He was wore out!
Thanks, Julie!!!
We bought Ben his first container of Puffs this weekend. It's so funny watching him pick them up and try and get them in his mouth. He manages to get a few in his mouth, a few get stuck to his clothes, a few bounce to the floor like popcorn (Sam likes this) and then Owen steals a few.

I went to the gym with our friend Maggie last night while Danny and the boys watered the trees. When I got home, he had them both in the bath. They seemed to be having a blast! After their bath, we played and read books as a family.I love little moments like this!

Here is a look at what we did this afternoon. While the babies were napping, me and Owen collected sticks and made the alphabet.

I just noticed I made the "Z" backwards... maybe I shouldn't be the one teaching Owen his ABC's!

I had such a wonderful birthday! Every year I am so amazed at the all the cards, e-mails and phone calls I receive. How on Earth am I so lucky?????

I had all three kids today, so there really wasn't any "me" time, but that's OK. Danny did try and give me a break tonight, though. He made falafels, which is one of my favorite dinners, and we opened a bottle of wine from our 2006 trip to Italy (remember I was pregnant when we went and then I nursed Owen until I found out I was pregnant with Ben and now I am nursing Ben... I really just wanted one glass...just one glass...It's OK, right?!?!)

Here is my wonderful birthday dinner. Danny even pulled out our Christmas napkins for the occasion...It's St.Patrick's Day Danny, not Christmas....

I wanted to savor this moment with my glass of wine... Notice the Bumbo tray and bib in the background... Danny and I thought that was pretty symbolic of our lifestyle... (and my camera strap; I have got to get used to my new camera.)
After dinner we loaded up the stroller and put the dogs on their leashes and went for a walk. Danny told me I could go take a bath and he would watch the kids, but I really wanted us as a family to go for an evening walk; together! This is one of my favorite things to do, and we don't do it nearly as much as I would like. (We even snuck in one of the houses being built...that's fun too!)

Then, I watched American Idol while Danny and Owen played upstairs.

Just what I wished for:)
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Boy will be boys. I imagine there will be a lot more of this as they get older.

Owen had two of these shirts in different sizes, so I pulled them out and dressed them both in green for the holiday...


Here's a little video of Owen. My new camera has sound, the only thing is, you can hear my country self. It's worth it, though, to hear Owen sing Happy Birthday to me :)

O's in his diaper....He wasn't ready to get dressed yet...

Since I was little my mom has always made me feel like the most special person on my birthday! Somehow she remembers EVERYTHING and never fails to surprise me! This year was no different....

On Saturday she and my surrogate dad, Chip, came up to visit and celebrate the fact that I will be closer to 40 than 20 (as reminded to me by Danny) on Tuesday. Danny said it wasn't my actual birthday, so he was going to watch basketball games with his friend "Rold Gold." Whatever...

So, we partied without him and boy did he ever miss a party...an Elmo party!

Mom and Chip came stocked with green balloons (my birthday is St. Patrick's Day), fudge, a cake, tons of presents from them and my aunt, cousin and grandmother, and Elmo party hats!

I think Owen wanted to give me him; as if I don't already get enough of him everyday...
Oh, and even Molly and Sam wore party hats...






Several months ago, my friend Joanna mentioned picking up one of these necklaces at a craft show here in Asheville. I fell in love with it and really wanted one. I mentioned it to both Danny and mom, but never thought I'd get it.
Later that evening Danny met us back in Asheville at Papa's and Beer for Dinner. I told mom on the way to not have them sing to me, that it was a bit obnoxious and I thought it might scare Owen. Well, after an hour wait and a delicious dinner, she tells our waiter that it's my birthday. Next thing I know, here they (the entire waitstaff) come with the sombrero and fried ice cream. They sing something in Spanish and then Happy Birthday in English with a lot of clapping, and the next thing I know, a waitress takes a huge scoop of the whipped cream off the ice cream and shoves it in my face and up my nose. Thank goodness mom forgot her camera!

We waited to have cake today and we did it just before Owen went down for his nap. He was so excited that he sang Happy Birthday to me all by himself (twice)! That was so worth turning 31!
I guess we could have at least gotten out of our pj's!




Danny couldn't wait until Tuesday to give me his present, so expect much better pictures from now on out. Because as soon as the battery for my new Sony Cypershot charges,I'll be taking lots of super clear pictures without having to chase the light!!! Yay!!!!

And my awesome sister-in-law sent me two photo albums to store all those pictures.