Rise and shine

Love seeing this first thing in the morning. Normally the second he sees us he starts smiling and bouncing up and down. I think the camera threw him off a bit...

Bailey

Today was a sad day for the Johnson household. After praying and talking about this for a long, long time, we finally came to the conclusion that we needed to find a new home for our dog, Bailey, that we've had since he was six weeks old. We are thankful to have found a loving couple who house a Yorkie Rescue Group to take him to. It ended up being the best type of scenario for a not-so-fun situation. We love and miss Bailey but are trying to keep in mind why we needed to make the decision that we did.

Beat the heat

Things have been busy in the Johnson household. We're enjoying the summer though and have been pleasantly surprised that it is slightly "cooler" than last year. In fact, it is hotter where my parents are at in Arkansas than here in Arizona. Who's laughing now!?!

Noah has gone through a whirlwind of changes within this past month from learning to crawl, stand, climb over things and even walk while holding onto us to getting numerous new teeth breaking through. Poor guy. I guess better all at once than to drag it out. I'm loving how Noah can crawl right up to me though and he'll even climb up us to give a big hug. So sweet. When Lucas comes home from work Noah spots him and gets a huge grin, then starts his long and eager crawl through the kitchen to greet his daddy. And I had to show this photo of Noah in his 4th of July onesie since I bought it to take with us to Minnesota and forgot it at home in the dryer! He's now getting to wear it for the 14th of July, the 20th of July and so on.

As for the adults in this family...not too many newsworthy things to share. I've discovered, or been sent, some coupon sites that have caught my eye so while I'm not the clipping kind normally (since they sit there never to be used once clipped) I might take a go at it again using some tips I've gained. I love the idea of saving money where we can and the whole "game" of it. We'll see how successful it is. And then of course just crafting and finding new ideas to utilize the little free time I have. Sometimes I daydream about how I'd go back to school to study fabric and textiles and such. Sigh.

Lucas, on the other hand, has been daydreaming about going hiking. He went this weekend for a short hike with a friend but the heat definitely makes it harder and cuts your day shorter.

Seven Months

Well, Noah is seven months old today...so what better way to be a month behind than to show you his sixth month photos that I just received! I was not at all planning to be involved in these photos, thus the shorts, but the photographer convinced me it would be cute with the blocks I had brought.

Standing up

Can you believe we have a little boy who is crawling and standing up? He loves it and gets so proud of himself. I totally am not ready for this. And to add to it all, it appears his top two teeth have broken through and looks like the next two are on their way. He'll be eating steak and potatoes in no time.

4th of July family fun

Thought I'd share a few of the photos I had from our 4th of July weekend in Minnesota. It was hard to say goodbye and we miss everyone already!

The kids ran in the Mini Piggy Mile run. Lucas and Bonnie ran to help encourage the kids along. They did great! We told Lucas he could be Grant's bodyguard and take the kids out that got in his way. Afterall, what are uncles for?

We have a crawler

I tried my best to catch him in action. The past couple of weeks Noah has done some crawling and scooting around but I think by the end of this week he'll have it mastered. Today is also the second time I've caught him sitting up in his crib and looking over the edge once he's awoken from his nap, so we ended up having to drop down the crib as well. The house is definitely not ready for this mobile boy. And I had to include this photo of Noah once he got to me and how happy he was since he was so frustrated in the video.

Our new ride

Well, the Honda is on its way to Mexico. That is what salesman Joe told us as we purchased our 2006 Mitsubishi Galant (sorry R&J, it wasn't a Bonneville). As we drove away I felt bad, like we should have had more of a good-bye with our longtime friend. It will be so nice to have another car that is more reliable. I was daydreaming the other day about how nice it would be to just need one car, or not even one at all. To just walk or bike down the street to the local grocery to get what I need for the day, some fresh flowers and of course the latest magazine. Perhaps its a result of the Beverly Lewis books I've been reading about the simple ways of the Amish.

I'm continually reminded of how good God is and how He provides for His children. Thank you, Lord, for who You are...for guiding us quickly to the right dealership with a kind salesman and our new ride.