Meredith's Photo Shoot

Last weekend, we took Meredith to get her pictures taken....the photographer is a friend of a friend, and she did a great job!

Meredith was 12 days old at the time.

Here's a link, if you would like to check them out!

Click Here to Access the Slideshow

Play-Doh!

Aunt Heidi bought Caleb a play-doh set for his birthday.
And, this rainy morning was the perfect time to get it out and go to town.

I wasn't sure what to expect...and was a bit nervous that Caleb might try to throw the play-doh, maybe even eat the play-doh, or have no interest in it at all.

But, it was a successful endeavor. I had Caleb pick out three colors to play with (didn't want to get too ambitious just yet). He picked "bown", "puple", and "orange". We had a really fun time...we cut the play-doh, rolled the play-doh, made shapes, and smashed the play-doh. Caleb (and Mommy!) really enjoyed it....and, it took up a good chunk of the morning.

He kept asking me to roll the play-doh into a ball, so he could smash it...


Making shapes with the cookie cutters...


Cutting it up...

Happy 2nd Birthday, Caleb!

Our "little" boy is growing up!

We celebrated his 2nd birthday today and I personally am not quite sure where all the time has gone!

August 26th, 2007


August 26th, 2009


We celebrated this afternoon with our friends Jack, Coralyn, Ella, Matt, Maddie and Aubrey.

Waiting for friends to arrive...he was so excited!


Theme - Elmo!


"Happy Birthday to you..."


He only took abut 5 licks of icing before deciding he was done...he is not a huge fan of sweets, and definitely did not like that there was frosting all over him!


Tonight, my parents, and Heidi came out to celebrate.

In his "Thomas the choo-choo train" gear....


He thought the Thomas cake was pretty cool...although, he was frustrated that the train didn't actually move along the frosting tracks. =)


Blowing out the candle!


Caleb continues to amaze us every day and we are so very thankful that the Lord has given him to us.

We love you Caleb!

Thomas!

This past weekend, Grandma and Grandpa McCarty took Caleb to see "Thomas the choo-choo train"! The Illinois Railway Museum is currently hosting our good buddy the tank engine and for a small fee, Thomas fans can spend a Day Out with Thomas!

Posing with Grandpa, and Engine #1!


All aboard!


"Gamma" and "Gampa" bought him this VERY adorable hat! He loves to wear it!



Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa, for taking Caleb on this very special outing!

Happy Birthday, Papa!

Happy Birthday to our wonderful Dad and Grandpa Johnson! We love and miss you! Thanks for being a fantastic dad and "papa". Have a great birthday!

Brandy, Shawna, and Meghan + 8

If you look back to this post, you'll recall that I had promised a photo of ALL of the kids, once our little one was born. Well, since Meredith officially arrived, Brandy and Shawna and all the kiddos came to visit!

Here's a photo of the 8 of them....

From Left to Right:
...The Millens (Ozzy - 7 weeks, Haley - 4 years, Sydney - 22 months)...
...The Johnsons (Caleb - 23 months, Meredith - 1 week)...
...The Sipes (Owen - 2 1/2 years, Lawsen - 7 months - , Jensen - 2 1/2 years)...

One Week Old

I can't believe it has already been one week since Meredith was born! While I am tired, and still learning how to balance life as a mother of 2, I continue to feel so blessed. Meredith is healthy (and so far pretty happy!) and big brother Caleb is doing great with her. We have wonderful family, who have been such a great help and a faithful source of encouragement over this past week and great friends who continue to amaze us with their willingness to bring meals (we are going to be eating GOOD for the next month!), pray, encourage, and help.

Here are some pictures from our little "photo shoot" this afternoon. I don't claim to be a great photographer, or have the fanciest of cameras, but I do think we have a beautiful little girl.

Enjoy a few of the many....yes, there were more. I can't help it!

Walk to the Park

We set out on our first "family of 4" walk tonight....the weather was perfect, and it was so nice to get out and get some fresh air!

cool guy...


having fun with daddy...


checking in on little sister...


enjoying the evening...in true newborn fashion!

Meredith Grace

Here are some more photos from days 1 and 2...

She's Here!

Meredith Grace Johnson
August 10th, 2009 - 5:37 p.m.
7 pounds, 9 ounces
20 inches long

**Sorry the picture is blurry.....I didn't want to use the flash. =)**


She is beautiful, doing well, and eating like a champ!

We are so blessed, and are thankful for those of you that have been praying for us. God is good and we are just amazed at His provision and protection over us, this pregnancy and our sweet baby girl.

We'll get some more photos up tomorrow....

Weekend with "Gamma" and "Gampa"

While we were enjoying our weekend and its wedding festivities (see post below), Caleb enjoyed spending time with his Grandparents.....

Playing Outside...




He loves to ride the tractor with my dad...


Shh....don't tell Kris. =)

Wedding!

Our good friends Scott and Nancy got married yesterday!

My parents took Caleb for the weekend, and while we missed him a lot, it was nice to have a weekend "to ourselves".....and, Caleb loves going to see "Gamma" and "Gampa" and of course, "Cubby!"
**Check back later for some photos of his fun weekend.**

Here are a few photos from the weekend.....unfortunately, my "pregnancy brain" somehow deleted all of the photos from the ceremony. Oops. But, you can take our word for it...it was a beautiful, God-honoring ceremony, and both bride and groom looked stunning. Their reception was held at Cantigny Park and it was just as lovely! It was a beautiful venue, we had a fantastic dinner, learned some swing-dancing moves (and in the process, also learned that dancing is not our strong suit...to say the least. ahem.) , spent time laughing with great friends, and of course, just loved being able to celebrate our dear friends!

Congratulations, Scott and Nancy!

I never realize how large I look until I see a picture like this.....


Before the delicious meal...


Good friends Becky and Nick...

Sand!

Today, we went with some friends to the Bartlett Aquatic Center. Not only did they have a really nice, kid-friendly pool, but they also had a great sand/water area! I felt like we were at the beach!

I realized that this was the first time that Caleb has actually played in the sand, so of course, I just had to snap some pictures.

Caleb had fun making "castles"...well, smashing the ones I made. And the boy just loves buckets and shovels, so being in a place where buckets and shovels abounded was just fantastic! After tiring from the castle-making (smashing!), he set to work digging up sand, and transferring it from the bucket, to the water, and back....in wonderful "Caleb-style".....focused and determined.

Eventually, he discovered the "park", which was a big-pirate-ship-looking-thing with a slide...he loves to "drive", so the steering wheel in the play area was perfect for him!