Chattanooga!

Harper and I went on a mother-daughter trip while Jeff was at Jazz Fest in New Orleans. It was so fun to visit my best friend Kristin and her sweet little fam.  Her son David is two, so he and Harper had a blast playing! He ran circles around Harper though and she came back walking better, talking more and being more independent. It's amazing how kids can learn so much from older kiddos! So fun!

Harper was a champ on the plane and only cried a little when we were taking off. She's in love with Barney these days, so having a DVD player helped so much!

When we got there, we grabbed lunch for the kiddos and then they had a nap and then the fun began!

We loved their big screened in patio!

Dinner outside on the deck was fabulous! Love these two stinkers!

This picture cracks me up. David was always in motion and Harper just stared in awe. ;-)

Two peas in a pod. David kept calling Harper "Farpo" and it made us laugh every time!

Fun on the roller coaster!

We walked across the windy Tennessee River one day in downtown Chattanooga!

 

 My beautiful bestie and her sweet boy

Me and my girl!

I love the fish face in this one! :-)

 The dogs were as exhausted as we were. Two kiddos kept us all pretty busy! 

 

 David was such a big boy jumping off the steps in his cool Air Jordans :-)

Harper tried to look cute, even in her sleep, for her boyfriend David! ;-)

Love the Pratt family, Harper did too! :-)

Sweet kiddos on their last day together. Didn't want to say goodbye!

We had to wait for our plane to arrive, so we had quite a bit of time in the airport. 

Finally got a little nap on the plane. It was a great trip and we miss our friends so much already!

Kristin and I had a great time catching up and even got a little Mom time and left the kids with her babysitter, which was awesome! It's awesome when you have a friend that you can be 100% yourself with, and no matter how much time passes in between your visits, you pick right up where you left off.  Although I'd give anything to have her back in Dallas, I'm so grateful for her friendship and support, even if it's from Tennessee!  

Thanks so much for a fun vacation, and we hope to see y'all again soon! 

Love you Pratt Family!

Johnson Girls Updates!

Hi friends,

It's been a while. I kinda took a break from blogging, not that I was that great to begin with...but anyway!  Life is good in the Johnson home - just BUSY! Harper is growing like a weed and Miss Kylie is keeping us busy with all her extra-curricular activities.  So here's a little update on each of our girls.

Harper is just over 14 months.  She's walking like a champ, and talking like crazy! She loves to try and say just about anything you ask her to, and it's adorable.  Here's a list of her favorite things to say right now:

• HI! (And she says it with such enthusiasm!)
• Happy
• Harper (it's so cute to hear her say her own name)
• Mama!
• Dada!
• Tister! (Sister)
• Mar Mar (Marley
• Nack (Snack)
• Nana (Banana)
• Night Night
• Bye Bye
• Hop!
• Ba - Barney or Blanket (She says the same thing for both)
• Boo - Book
• Bubble
• Baby
• No no no (She loves to mimic me saying No to Marley, complete with shaking her finger!)
• Mimi
• Popo
• Pop Pop (Poppie)
• Tay Tay
• Apple

Here's a video of her saying "Happy" and a few other things... she definitely is a happy girl!

She's also a little smart thing. She can point to her eyes, ears, nose, mouth, hair, teeth, feet, hands, belly/belly button.  She's just an absolute joy to be around.  She has started making a fish face and leaning in to kiss us and it just melts our hearts.  She will pat us on the back when she hugs us and now likes to carry her own bag into school like a big girl.  They also started using nap mats, and Harper just loves hers. It's the cutest thing. When it's at home, she always wants to roll it out and lay down. Sweetest girl.

She's sleeping great and we have such a fun night time routine these days. We read a couple of books, drink some water, then she says "Ba" and I get her blanket and rock her for a few minutes. We say prayers and then she goes into bed.  She'll play for a few minutes and wiggle around the bed and then she's sound asleep! 

I weighed her the other day and I think she's about 22 pounds although it's hard to keep her still long enough for the scale to get a good reading!  She got in the pool for the first time this past weekend and loved it.  She's definitely a water baby!

We had her child dedication last weekend at church and it was a wonderful, beautiful service.  It was special to have friends and family there to celebrate with us although we definitely missed the family that couldn't be there.  Thank goodness for videos, right? :-)

Now on to Miss Kylie, our busy bee teenager!  

Our weeks have turned into an array of shuttle services and we realize how lucky we've been for so long with not having to be in constant motion...although we wouldn't change a thing! Kylie is so happy and we are loving watch her embrace her new role as a cheerleader!  She has tumbling on Wednesday nights, cheer practice at 7 am on Thursday mornings and then tumble and stunt class on Thursday nights!  

Kylie also just got inducted to the National Junior Honor Society and we are so proud of her! She is such a smart girl and has grown into a very responsible and well rounded young lady.  Keep up the good work Kylie! 

She has just two weeks left of school and is super excited for the summer.  She has lots of fun things planned, including a trip to South Padre with her friend Hailey and of course, our Florida trip at the end of July.  She might even have another trip in the works but we're not sure about that one yet. Lucky girl! 

I'm trying to catch up on current events so I'll keep posting pics/updates! 

Much love!

The J Crew

ONE YEAR OLD!

Of course I'm behind again but want to get this off my chest before too much more time passes, because I've been thinking about this post since Harper's birthday!  

Our girl is ONE! I can't believe how fast a year can pass.  It's scary and wonderful all at the same time.  Scary because this means that all the years will pass this fast and wonderful that we have a bright, beautiful shining light in our family that is growing and changing every day.  

Below are her one year pics that we did with our awesome photographer!

Dear Harper, 

I will never forget the day you were born.  You stole my heart (and Daddy's too) from the first moment we saw you.  I've never wanted to hold, hug, kiss and just never let go of something so badly in my life.  You were so tiny and I remember thinking "I can't imagine her being bigger than this sweet little nugget" but look at you now! Such a big girl, and a big ONE year old.  I am so proud and lucky to be your Momma.  It makes me teary when I think about my love for you. I am overwhelmed with gratitude to God for bringing you into our lives.  

The past month has been a big one! You've gotten more teeth, taken your first few steps and are turning more into a toddler every day! (Although you'll ALWAYS be my baby!!)  The two weeks before your birthday we started introducing whole milk to you and you weren't so sure about it.  You're starting to like it a little more now but it's not your favorite.  You're completely off bottles which is a good thing and you are a champ at drinking out of your sippy cup.  

You LOVE bananas and say "Nanana" when you want one.  You're getting very good about understanding what we are asking and shake your head yes or no when we ask you a question!  

You got a riding car from Grandma and Grandpa and we let you open it before your birthday. You LOVE the car and ride in it every day! You love to go on walks or even be pushed around the house. If we stop for a second you rock back and forth to remind us to keep going! :-)  You've also started this funny fake laugh when you hear or see Mimi.  You laugh extra loud and funny when you hear her voice. It's hysterical.  

You also got a rocking lamb from Coco and Popo.  They let you ride on it at their house a little before your birthday and you love it.  You love to ride it, and pet it, because it's super soft! You're still learning how to ride it by yourself but you have so much fun going "rocky, rocky rocky" :-) Nana and Papa sent you a Baby Stella doll and it's your first baby! You love to give her kisses and carry her around!

You also love to blow kisses, say and wave "bye bye" and clap your hands! Peek a boo makes you laugh so hard.  Some of your favorite books are "Giraffes Can't Dance", "I Love you So",  "Ten Little Ladybugs", and the "Little Pookie" books.  You really love reading with anyone who will read to you, and we do it often!

You are sleeping through the night and have been consistently for a month now. (Thank Goodness!)  You go to bed at about 9pm and sleep until 7:30 or 8:00.  You love your bath time and are taking baths in the big girl tub now! You have to stay in until the last drop of water is in there. You love water and playing with your bath toys!

We went to the doctor for your one year check and you had to get 3 shots. (No fun!) But you were a trooper.  We also got your latest "stats":
Height - 28.5 Inches (27%)
Weight - 20 lbs 2.5 ounces (32%)
Head - 18.75 inches (97%) *Smart girl! :-)

Harper, I love you more than you will ever know. I am so blessed to be your Momma and I can't wait to see what each new day brings.  Thank you for being such a fun, easy-going, loving and adorable baby girl.

Love you my angel, 
Momma

For those that are still reading - I'll post about her birthday party very soon! :-) That deserves it's own post for sure! ;-) (More on presents, party decor and more!!)

11 Months & 13 YEARS!

The beginning of the year has just been a whirlwind for me. I've been working on a huge project at work so I've had absolutely no spare time. I've been working late nights and early mornings and haven't had any days off.  Couple that with a sick baby for the first few weeks of the year and I am VERY  behind on my blogging, so please forgive me!

We also have been been very busy with a TEENAGER in the house! Kylie turned 13 on Valentine's Day and we had a super fun party for her!  We did a scavenger hunt at the mall followed by pizza at California Pizza Kitchen and then a slumber party at our house!  Kylie was so excited and had a blast - and the best part of it was her BIG surprise of Justin Bieber tickets!! Kylie and I will be going on July 3rd - BIEBER FEVER!!

I want to get right to it so I'm not a MONTH late on her 11 month post like I was on her 10 month post.  I can't have that because then she will be ONE YEAR old! Saying that just makes me sad, happy and in shock all at the same time.  It's absolutely crazy how fast the last year has gone.  

Here are pics from the last month...

Our big 11 month old girl!

Harper went on her first Carousel ride with Daddy!

Our sweet little Valentine!

Fun at Pottery Barn Kids during Kylie's party!

Harper's first Valentine's Day and Kylie's 13th Birthday! 

Harper gave out Valentines that said "When it comes to friends...we make the perfect "pear"!

 (and we handed out diced pear fruit cups!

We had a fun play date with Kate!

And fun bath time with Myka! :-)

Sweet girl in her fancy clothes :-)

Now for my 11 month letter...

My Sweet Harper,

You are such a big girl! I can't believe that you are so very close to turning one year old!  You've grown so much in the last month.  You are now standing on your own without holding anything for a minute or two! We are ready for you to take your first steps any day now!  

You had a rough couple of weeks in the teething department and finally had one tooth break through the gums - one of your top front teeth! Miss Shannon thinks you have 2-3 more coming close behind!

You had so much fun celebrating Sister's 13th birthday and you were such a trooper at the mall all day! You are pretty much a trooper in any situation, which is one of the qualities we LOVE about you! You are so easy going and adaptable.  

You still aren't taking a bottle from anyone and only prefer Momma in the milk department.  

You love to bounce up and down to the music and you love watching "Classical Baby Compilation". It's so cute to watch you so curious about the sounds and pictures on the TV.  Adorable.  You also LOVE your dog Marley and you think everything she does is funny! You crack up when she runs by and you love to try to get her to kiss you any time you can! You get a little allergic when she does so we try to keep you two from kissing as much as we can.  

You've been better about sleeping through the night although we're not at 100% yet. I'm hoping we'll get that ironed out before your birthday - for both of our sakes!

We celebrated your first Valentines and brought treats to all of your friends at school. You had a fun Valentine party at school and enjoyed celebrating with your friends.

I can't say enough how much I love and cherish you - my precious angel.  Your Daddy and I are overwhelmed with love and adoration for you each day.  You made our family brighter and more complete. We love you and can't wait to celebrate your first birthday in a few short weeks. Stop growing so fast, ok?!?  We want you to stay our sweet little baby as long as you can!

Love you to the moon and back.

Momma

10 Months! (Over a month late!)

CLEARLY I FAILED - THIS IS MY 10 MONTH POST!! But, I want to save it so I'm still posting!

I was behind on posting Harper's 9 month post so I'm hoping to do better this month.

Before I proceed, let me give you Harper's stats when we went to her 9 (actually 9 1/2 month) appointment!

Her head is now in the 94% -- we have a smart girl on our hands! ;-)
Her height is in the 44% -- so she'll probably be a shorty like her Mama.
Her weight is in the 32% -- weighing in at 18lbs 5.5 ounces.

Her weight percentage dropped quite a bit but the doctor wasn't concerned at all because she's still growing in length.  She's thinning out a bit because of her growth and all of her crawling! She's such a busy body these days and it's precious!

Now for pics from the last month...

Our good eater! You love lots of different foods!

So cozy in your poncho! :)

I just love this picture that Sister Kylie took of you!

I came in one day and found Harper reading in her crib!

Now for my 10 month letter:

Dear Harper,

You are 10 months old. It's amazing that we are in double digits now! Time flies when you're having the time of your life!  This past month has been great but it's also brought it's challenges for sure.

Right before Christmas you were diagnosed with RSV, a bad respiratory virus that causes cough, congestion, runny nose and overall yuckiness.  That was a bummer but you didn't let that get in the way of enjoying your first Christmas!  You finished up your "sick run" with an ear infection and had to take antibiotics for 10 whole days, and that was NOT fun for any of us...but we made it through!

You are hilarious. You are always cracking us up these days.  You love to turn your head to the side, clap anytime anyone says "yay" or pretty much any time that you do a good job at anything, you love to laugh and we've gotten into some giggle fests lately that have been so fun!  You love to crawl, pretty fast I might add, all over the house. We have to keep a close eye on you because you are quick!  You are also pulling up on everything and have started "cruising" along the couches and other furniture to get around.

You are eating like a champ.  At school, Miss Shannon started doing community meals and you love eating with your friends every day.  Your favorite is pumpkin bread but you've tried so many yummy things like pancakes, ravioli, pasta, oranges, cheese, chicken, bananas, lots of veggies, etc.  We are so grateful that you love to eat!

We are so glad you are finally starting to feel better. You are such a joy and a love.  You are amazing, sweet, fun and funny. We are so blessed to have you in our lives.  Happy 10 months baby girl!

Much love,
Momma :-)