Staying busy

I feel like I have been really slack at updating our family blog lately. Owen and Ben keep me on my toes and there really isn't a lot of time to sit down and catch up. I am usually nursing Ben or feeding Ella if I am on the computer, making one handed typing very difficult!

We are leaving for Florida tomorrow morning and will be there for 7 days. We are so ready to mentally check out it's not even funny!

In the meantime, I will leave you with some pictures from this week...

Owen
and his new obsession with my shoes

Ben
has discovered how to crawl up the stairs
he's super fast... we really have to make sure ALL gates are closed at ALL times!

These two love nights where they get to take
bubble baths together!

Owen
is a huge Alton Brown fan and
he is all about helping in the kitchen these day!
(We were making pumpkin pancakes)

He has also been refusing nap time, however, he tends to fall asleep during dinner.

We celebrated Julie's "23'rd" birfday
at Blue Sky Cafe with a yummy dinner and
PINK "mufcakes"

Owen wearing my shoes again.
This time he requested I get the camera and take a picture.

Ben
could spend HOURS playing in the cabinets.

Our downstairs "Play Room."
There would have been a beautiful dining room table in here if the guy on Craig's List wouldn't have screwed me over.
(Long Story...Now, however, we have a guy who is going to make us one and hopefully a mantle for the fireplace.)

(and yes, that's a coffee stain on the rug. The kids don't seem to mind.)

Sorry ladies....

You'll never be good enough for this mama's boy!

Blueberry Pancakes

I think he liked them :)

I Wonder....

these two????

Cara's wedding

We traveled to Charlotte for the weekend to celebrate the union of one of our dear friends, Cara. She and Jonathan were married at St Mary's Chapel in Uptown Charlotte. Cara was breathtakingly beautiful and the wedding was as perfect as it could be with 3 3 1/2 year old flower girls and an 18 month old ring bearer, ha! The girls almost had a fight going down the aisle and the little boy cried almost the entire ceremony.
Ben was pretty excited and found it humorous to squeal during prayer and scream during the music solo, so Danny thought it appropriate to stand outside. (Owen stayed with my mom and Chip and went to a birthday dinner fro my Aunt Debbie.)

They actually have the same scowl in this picture...
The mini-family picture...should've taken my glasses off.
Danny's BFF Darwin...
Ben in the car at the Urban Target uptown. It was a pretty hot day and I forgot to apply deodorant, so we had to make a pitstop. It was pretty hot at the reception as well, so I am very glad we stopped (I imagine her guests were equally as glad!)
Kate and Darwin (she's expecting a little arrival in October... We can't wait to meet Liam Quayde Brandis!!!)
The stunning and ever so yummy cake!
A gorgeous and tasty reception at Pewter Rose Bistro (which just happens to be the same place I had dinner before my senior prom.)

Picture share

My little model!
His room has a long way to go, but he likes it!
Morning hair, a phone call to dada and sweet Ella.
Getting cuter by the minute!
Molly is not as interested in sharing her glass door with Ben as Sam was.
Musical air vent...

13 months... REALLY?

Ben celebrated his 13th month of life today by taking his first several steps! It was so exciting for him and us and I can only imagine what he has in store for us next. Better get my running shoes ready!!!

It's so hard to believe it's been 1 month since his first birthday and even harder to believe how much he is growing and changing. He is quickly, too quickly, becoming a little boy right before my eyes.

What the little tot has been up to, in to and on to as of lately...

- playing in the cabinets (none of which have locks and contain things he should not be playing with nor placing in his mouth!)
- climbing the stairs
-playing very well independently
favorite toys:
- flipping pages in books
- Parents Bee Bop Band
- BALLS
- Clipo table
- my pots, pans, and plastic ware
- Owen's letters! uh-o!!!
- Busy Ball Popper
- Pound-a-ball
- Starting to really enjoy being read to.
favorite books:
- Mirror Me
- Mr. Brown Can Moo
- Black & White (picture book)
- Still loves the Baby Einstein bath books!
- Violet's House
- That's not my Truck and That's not my Puppy
- is making TONS of sounds and will repeat ones that you do (baba, dada, mama, hey, bye bye, dudu (for duck).
- will also make animal sounds with you. He and Owen are my little dueling Cow-o-tees! He'll also do a cow and sheep.
- makes the cutest clicking sound with his tongue and an even cuter one with his lips! He will switch them back and forth and will imitate you.
- tries to snap his fingers (makes a clicking sound with mouth while rubbing finger and thumb together.)
- loves, LOVES music and dancing. He'll babble to the tune with you when you're singing or attempt the next verse on his on. He's also just started bouncing along to music. Very cute!
- is very silly and love to giggle and for you to laugh with him. He'll get so tickled that he'll throw his head back and hold his breath.
- has a very deep voice in comparison with Owen at this age.
- still likes to crawl under, over and behind things.
- loves to play chase and hide-and-seek
- enjoys chasing Molly and Sam out of their dog beds and sitting and rolling around in them once he has them all to himself.
-7/31 started facing forward in his car seat
-8/7 had his 1st hair cut
-8/9 beginning to walk
-wearing 12 month clothes and size 3 diapers
- eating lots of new foods and will try anything! We stopped buying baby food, but started back again once he discovered feeding Molly and Sam was more fun than eating himself, to only be starving later!

**Ben's hair is looking a little greasy from the cradle cap care I put on his head the other night. I had no idea it was so greasy!

BIG DAY for the Johnson Boys!

Today was a pretty BIG day for my little guys. One of those "bittersweet" days!!! My babies are growing up!

We had been wanting to move Owen into a twin bed for sometime and with his crib being recalled, we figured now was a good time. We got really lucky and sold our replacement crib pretty quickly on Craig's List and used that money to buy Owen a twin mattress and box spring (with a great hook up from one of Danny's clients.) We already had the headboard and foot board (it goes with the furniture we have divided between both boys rooms, which was my furniture at mom's before she put a queen bed in her guest room.


Here is a picture of the room just after the mattress was delivered. I put an old quilt on the bed and put his crib mattress down to use as a step stool/landing in case of a fall.
(We have since bought him a new comforter and I am now on a mission for dinosaur sheets to match along with a few accessories. All the farm animal decor will be making it's way to Ben's room or Craig's List.)

We also took Ben for his first hair cut tonight. I was a little worried at how he would react to a stranger touching him, but he did GREAT!
Paul at Carmen!Carmen! was super patient and very gentle with my sweet Ben!
My little Rod Stewart!
Yes, he's chewing on a comb. I know it's gross... the comb was clean and it kept his hands busy (that is until it fell on the floor.)
Look how handsome!
He was so interested in the hair dryers, mirrors and ladies oohing and awing over him that I don't think he even realized what was going on.

Just for fun, click HERE to see Owen and his 1st haircut.

a new view

Since Ben is officially ONE and 20 lbs, we went ahead and turned his car seat around. I have been putting it off (trying to keep him a baby for as long as I can and too, it's supposed to be safer), but Danny was just ready...I think Ben was too!
He smiled the whole ride to Mom's house...
He had room to wiggle his toes and shake his feet!
And SQUEALS and GIGGLES for mommy every time I turned around.

a boy and his dog