The Difference a Year Makes

The first picture is Miss M.L., a year ago at the Orchid show, and here she is next holding hands with Henry at this year's Orchid Show. For toddlers, they'd played together really well. The handholding stroll was a really cute to watch.

Our favorite sculptures at the botanical gardens have to be the little flock of sheep. I always made everyone I took to the garden sit on the sheep. On the left, Henry is just over three months old, where he is much smaller than he is now at 23 months.

St Louis Party Time

It was serendipity when we were in St. Louis, that not only were they having the most beautiful spring weather, but that there was a birthday party to attend. There were three Lindell babies born at the beginning of March '09, and their moms had organized a party at the park for a joint celebration. It was great for a few reasons: 1) The aforementioned weather, 2) The park itself is fully gated so kids can't escape and it has great play equipment, 3) Those cupcakes! I don't like frosting, but I NEED the recipe for the blue cupcake icing. I think it was meringue based, and it was wonderful. 4)Most importantly, the people. I got to see a lot of church friends. There's no way I could have individually visited each of these beautiful women in more short visit to STL, so it was perfect that they had gathered themselves together. I got to meet a couple new babies, see some growing baby bellies, and get some updates on the old ward and neighborhood. Loved it!

Happy birthday O, C, and A! None of whom are the child crying in the above picture.

Henry loved this playground. He played hard for nearly two hours, and when we left I had to drag him away kicking and screaming. This Chicago weather has kept him caged too long. He wouldn't even slow down for a cupcake and juice.

Meet Me in St. Louis

I spent just over 48 hours in St. Louis and loved every minute of it. My last minute, whirlwind trip happened to coincide with the Missouri Botanical Garden's Annual Orchid Show. That remains one of my favorite events in STL, but of course nothing is as great as the people there.  I was able to do some great stuff and see some great people, but of course I cannot fit everything and everyone I love in St. Louis into two days.

Natalie and her oh-so-grown daughter came with us to the orchid show. 

Longing for Spring

 

For being such a short month, February felt like an eternity.  It was a hard month, both in regards to weather and health.  The biggest challenge was Nick's work schedule.  I can't really describe how overworked he is.  I will tell you he went three weeks without a day off.  March couldn't come soon enough, and now I'm excited that spring is around the corner.

More December Flashbacks: Zoo Lights

As part of Nick's few days off, we went to the nearby Brookfield Zoo for their special evening hours for Zoo Lights. They had lots of Christmas lights and displays. It was warmer than it might have been, but it was still below freezing, so a lot of the night was bundling up to get to the next indoor exhibit. This was the night that Henry learned leaving his mittens on could be a good thing.

We watched the dolphins play underwater for a while, visited the reptilian house, the wolves, the bears, and some big cats, but the real hit of the evening was the family play zoo.

Henry loves misting the plants in the greenhouse.

He worked on a craft project with Nick helping him. He got up close and personal with a guinea pig, and watched the lemurs.
For reasons unknown, he was fascinated by the chickens, and could have stayed there all night.

I Forgot About Christmas

Christmas didn't come on December 25 at our house. Nick worked all the days surrounding Christmas, but had some days off at the end of December. His first day off, he was actually post-call, so he slept the whole day. On his second day, in the morning we actually had the ultrasound appointment for the fetal anatomy screening. But we wanted to celebrate Christmas morning, even if it was later in the day. We set up everything while Henry napped, and I even changed Henry back into pajamas to create that "morning feeling," even if it was late in the afternoon.

This is our Christmas tree, made to appear taller by being on top of our coffee table.

We started by finishing off our advent calendar. It came from Aldi, the chocolate was shaped differently for every day. It was pretty cute. But we had to fudge on the dates of course.

Henry figured out the opening of presents pretty quickly, and then the problem came when the presents weren't for him. I think he liked all his presents, but the clear winner was the trains. The meal we will refer to as "Christmas Breakfast" began with cinnamon rolls, and then continued to be all out brinner (breakfast for dinner). Nick cooked the most excellent bacon.

Merry Christmas from the Johnsons, even if it is past Valentine's Day.

I Choo-Choo-Choose You to be My Valentine

Happy Valentines Day!

Love the Johnson Family