Johnson House

We got to spend Saturday night out at my sister's house for dinner and games. The weather here has finally reached nice temps with highs in the upper 40's-50's and my kids and I love it!! After dinner the kids went out on the deck to play in Amanda's "giant play pen". Amanda's deck is huge and it has a gate (with lock) at the top of the stairs so the little ones can go out and play without much fear that they will fall down the stairs. MY kids were in heaven and it was actually a struggle to get Madelynn back into the house. That girl is so much like her mama!!

Joshua was a total ham for the camera while he played at Auntie Amanda's house
I love this picture, below, he was asking God to make it rain on his face :)And here are the girls!!
Sarah cheesing it up for me-she is my little cuddle bug!

Beautiful Hannah-Boo

I'll end with this...it was so funny!! This is the actual order of events. Madelynn was not aware that the Cozy Coupe A.) had a door B.) the door could be opened and you could climb out. So how did she get out of the Cozy Coupe?? She climbed under the steering wheel and out the front...makes perfect sense right??
She makes me laugh so much, she is determined to do everything herself, even if it takes longer and isn't right, as long as she gets the end result it is all that matters...again she's so much like her mother!!

Playdoh Lovers

Today was Madelynn's first experience with playdoh. At first she was a little hesitant of the texture, but it didn't take long for her to warm up. And by the time we removed her from the table (1.5hrs after we began) she was loving it so much and she did want to stop and we had so many tears. But she loved it, never ate it. Looks like we will be doing more playdoh in the near future, even though mama isn't a big fan.

We poked the playdough

More poking from a distance
I just love this face as Joshua was telling daddy how the 'fry fry maker' works (he thinks this toy makes french fries)

Once Madelynn got comfortable with touching the playdoh she spent the rest of the time riping the playdoh into little pieces and creating a pile next to her.

When the clump of dough in her hands were gone, she'd squish the little pieces together into a ball and start again. She did this for over an hour
Such a sad, sweet face from the Moo
And this is the only smile I got from Joshua as he was 'too busy playing playdoh to take pictures"

So, now that it has taken me nearly 2 hours this morning to write this blog post, and it isn't want I had intended, I'm going to post it before one of my children hits the back button and deletes all my hard work.

LOVE---ME

So...today is one of my friend's birthday and in honor of her birthday I am going to blog using a few photos that she has taken of my kids. I know that she LOVES it when I use her photos, but the truth is *I* love that she takes so many while we are together. She captures things during parties that I miss in all the clean up and entertainment, and when we go out, she captures priceless interactions between her children and mine...LOVE IT!

So, Happy Birthday Shelley-I love you! Hope you enjoy today's blog :)

Madelynn SOAKED at the Children's Museum

Joshua laughing as he played in the maze at the Gibbs Museum
Joshua climbing trees at the U of M Landscape Arboretum
Madelynn chiling at the Mississippi Mile
Daddy and Joshua playing at the Mississippi Mile
Madelynn at Color Me Mine paint studio in Maple Grove

Madelynn in a bucket, worn out from Joshua's 3rd birthday party

and one of my all time FAVORITES...Madelynn and daddy reading stories before bed
Happy Birthday Shelley, you are a blessing and I love you to pieces! Thank you for all that you have taught me as a mother, wife, teacher and friend. I look forward to many more years of friendship and fun!!

Beauty

is one of the many things that sums up my Madelynn Rene'...
full of expression is another way to describe the Moo...
she is shy and sweet and SO happy all the time (well not so happy in tantrum mode)
But Madelynn is stunning, amazing, and above all else, she is a Moo, a child of the Most High God, and she is mine!

Spice Art

Joshua LOVES art, and saying this is an understatement! He also has a new found love of using glue. However, just to clarify, glue does NOT come in a stick (glue stick)-that's not called glue according to the 3 year old in my house. Glue must be white and sticky and lots of fun!! (unlike the purple glue stick that works just as well most of the time!!)

Anyways, I got today's art project from a blog I follow called House of Baby Piranha and Joshua absolutely loved it! Here is our breakdown:

You will need
Paper
Glue
Old Spices - we used salt, course black pepper, poppy seeds, minced onions, dried basil, pumpkin pie spice, minced garlic, and thyme (I think that's all of them)

To Make

1 .Drizzle or paint glue onto the paper

2 .Sprinkle the spices onto the glue

3 .Try rubbing the spices into the glue for a different effect

4 .Let them keep creating as long as they like - Joshua was hungry and wanted to be done after just one creation.

Paci Lover

I don't know what it is about my children and the need to sleep and have multiple pacifiers, but I love and hate it to death!! Luckily I only have Madelynn taking a pacifier now, Joshua gave his up a month before he turned 3 when he got his big boy bed (twin) as an early birthday present!!

I think this obsession started when they got to the age that they couldn't reach 1 paci in their bed so I was waking up/getting up multiple times a night to retrieve the paci from the corner of their crib, that I started putting more than one paci in there.

Well from that point, it became a NEED for both of my children. Joshua and Madelynn both REQUIRE(D) at least 3 pacis in order to sleep in their beds. One in their mouth and one in each hand. Again, so cute, yet annoying!!

With Joshua it took us loosing sleep over the constant 'clicking' of the nipple to try to keep himself awake that we weaned him down to only 1 paci. We could hear the clicking in our room with him in his (both doors open but 2 fans going!!) and then a week later he willingly gave up his paci all together, no fight!

Now Madelynn is left with this need for more than one paci, but yet she is not as attached as Joshua was. With Madelynn, I am still a human pacifier! She is still nursing strong at 16months and I don't plan on weaning her but leaving the choice up to her! But since she has me as a daytime paci (comfort nursing as well as nutritional needs) she is 98% of the time content with leaving her pacis in her crib.

This particular was Joshua's birthday party, and nearing her bedtime. My good friend Shelley and I followed Moo to her room where she pointed that she wanted her bed. Once inside the confines of her crib she found her stash of pacis! Shelley took these photos, and I just love them! They are perfect!!

Madelynn doesn't do the clicking like her brother, and she is just fine with having access to only one paci in her mouth and one paci in a hand, but if given the choice, she will ALWAYS take more!! I think it is safe to say, that Moo is a paci lover!

Officially 3

Where did my baby go?

Have you seen him? He's the most adoreable little guy, with the sweetest heart and the biggest smile. He's a shy, snuggler who loves to read stories with mommy and beat up on daddy...have you seen him? I think I have lost him!!

Wait...no, there he is...

...I see him, I think!

Wait, that can't be him-that's a big kid!

That little boy sleeps in a twin bed, is fully potty trained day and night, can get dressed by himself, put on his own shoes, drink from a regular cup, take supervised showers and is a charmer...could that be my baby boy?

I guess it is!! Wow the time has flown by. I can't believe that my little 6lbs 11oz baby boy is now 3!

Joshua had a great birthday party (one on March 5th, the other Feb 13 due to the size of our families) and is one spoiled little boy!

I spent many hours working on cake pops for both parties, making his birthday cake, and going out of my way to make sure he had a very special party day!

Joshua loved everything about his parties-the cake, the cake pops, the ice cream, all the people, the presents, the friends, the music, the singing! He loved it all!

It dawned on me 2 days before his birthday that he was in fact a big boy now! I asked him how old he was and replied " I'm 4!" I asked him how old he would be on his birthday, he replied "I be 5". Chuckling I told him, no you are 2, his reply "no I 2 yesterday!" Apparently we just skipped 3 all together. After a few days of laughs and giggles, Joshua has finally relented and has decided he is, in fact, 3 now! He is such a crack up!!

Since I am not exactly sure how long naptime will last with 3 sleeping children I'll get to more pictures from his party-I hope you enjoy them. We had a blast!!

Joshua's new bike from mommy and daddy:

Opening presents

Reading a birthday card

Singing Happy Birthday and enjoying some cake

Dancing to Mr. Kevin's crazy guitar playing

The coolest wrapping paper that Savannah colored for Joshua's Super Why party

And finally, Joshua and daddy and Joshua's new guitar