Preschool...

Preschool? Really? Is my little guy really old enough for preschool? Ok, so it's not really a preschool, but more of a pre-preschool. But still, isn't he supposed to stay home with his mommy forever? :) I put the application in the mail today. I'm partly excited and partly sad. I get so excited when Søren learns something new, but I know I can only teach him so much. I can't wait to hear about all he is learning in his new class which will start in the fall. I know he will do a great job and I have a feeling he'll be the type of kid that actually likes school. It makes me a bit sad because I know it means he's growing up. Can't I keep him this little forever?

Greek Easter Bread

I made my first loaf of bread, from scratch, for Easter. This is definitely one of those foods that I have always been intimated to try for some reason. I chose the perfect recipe to face my fears. Greek Easter Bread just looked delicious and beautiful and it was given 5 stars in it's reviews. I now know why no really makes bread anymore, or at least very often. It is time consuming! From start to finish it took me 4 hours. It wasn't difficult at all, I just had to make sure I was around the house for all the steps of rising, kneading, rising, braiding, rising and baking. The result? Perfection. Soft on the inside, crusty on the outside. I don't think it could have turned out any better. It was a hit Easter Sunday and there is still enough left over for breakfast. If you have wanted to try to make your own bread, but are like me. Start with this recipe. You'll do great!

Easter '10

Mom isn't as exciting to get a picture with.

Lots of sweets for mom and dad, er, for Søren to eat.

He didn't keep the "monkey suit" on too long.

Lots of goodies in the Easter Baskets.

We had a fairly laid back attitude towards Easter this year. No rush to the mall to meet the Easter Bunny and no stressing over what would go in the Easter baskets. We did attempt to participate in our city's Easter festivities for the kids on Saturday, but our easy going spirit got us there when things seemed to be wrapping up. We were told the Easter Bunny was in the tent on the field. What we found was a tent filled with plastic bins and the Bunny's head on a chair. Maybe it was better Søren didn't see the Easter Bunny, especially after last year. The Easter Egg hunt consisted of an 8ft x 8ft space of eggs where Søren could only pick six. The eggs at least contained Søren's favorite candy, Smarties, or "farties" as he calls them.
Sam played in all three church services on Sunday morning and we had lunch at his parents with a handful of extended relatives. We sent Tyler and Jen out to hide some Easter Eggs, only to have it rain. We waited for a break in the weather and made a go of it. I think this will have been the easiest hunt for Søren ever. He had 6+ adults helping him.

As laid back as it was we had a great holiday. I find myself each year being more thankful for the people I spend the holiday's with than what we actually do.

City on Stilts

With babies due in May and July, new jobs starting and a busy school schedule, the Johnson family summer family vacation was looking as if it were not going to happen. So, we made it happen. Where could we go that it would be warm in March, yet central to everyone flying from Seattle and NYC. Somehow we came up with Galveston, TX. It was a bit of a gamble because the city was pretty much wiped out from Hurricane Ike in 2008. We didn't know if we would come upon a dead city or one that was rebuilt. We found both. Except for being 30-40 minutes from anything, we had such a great time. The sun shone each day and the warmth was there. Our rented house was a stones throw from the beach and fit all 10 of us comfortably. OH! We discovered that they sell Graeter's Ice Cream at Krogers in TX. We of course bought some. :) I treasure each moment I have with my family, whether its watching Planet Earth or having good conversations. I am so thankful for the way my family interacts with Søren. I love that he learns new things from more people than just Sam and I.

i heart faces: angles

This Weeks Theme: Angles

Smoothie Pack

I was planning to blog about these great popsicle molds I got at IKEA. Just a simple post about a simple product. I'm not a huge stickler about all the stuff that is in the food Søren eats, but if I can have control I'll try my best to make it healthy. I whipped a smoothie of yogurt, berries and orange juice and froze them into popsicles. Great! Done. One less unhealthy thing I have to worry about. Then the popsicles came in handy for another purpose. Søren was playing in the gazebo the other morning and fell and gave himself at fat lip. How do I ice an injury when Søren won't come within 5 feet of an ice pack? That's when Sam suggested giving him a smoothie pop. It was perfect.

They're yummy and great for icing an injury, but....

they are messy!

The fat lip.

4 years!

4 years ago today I married "the only good guy left in the Harbor," as someone once put it. We met at a camp one of the first weeks I was in Washington, we were friends for a year, dated for 10 months, and engaged for 10 months. Now we've been married 4 years, have a 2 year old and one on the way. It has been a true joy to be married to Sam.