Summer part dos

Well it's about time I posted a few catch up posts.  I loaded these pics into the posts awhile ago but never got around to writing much for the rest of the summer, Lainey's bday, the fall or Wyatt's birthday.  I figured with Tiegan's birthday just a few days away and Christmas next week I better get moving and get this thing caught up by the end of the year!

Summer 2015 treated us well.  Life with 3 kids got a little more manageable and Tiegan was the easiest go with the flow baby which helped a ton.

After a morning playing at the park or swimming at the pool or splash park, many drives home ended like this.

We went to a wedding in August - Jed accompanied Lainey as his date and I met them at the reception after nap time with the littles.

Wyatt loves a wedding -- mostly for the cupcakes or cake.

Kiddos and the guys cuttin loose on the dance floor.

This picture cracks me up.  Everyone is looking, but not everyone is smiling.  But they were all dressed so cute for church I had to at least try.

Lainey has not always allowed us the easiest bedtime routine (ahem, requests of us singing Christmas carols on repeat, every stuffed animal and doll in JUST the right spot, etc) but as of late it's gotten a lot easier.  I never necessarily enjoyed that hard season and hoped and prayed it would indeed be just a season.  And now she barely needs tucked in but one night in particular the week of her birthday she asked me to lay with her and scratch her back.  It was easy to comply with such sweetness.

Tiegan didn't struggle with stranger danger until about 10 months so all summer she would pretty easily go to anyone, let anyone touch her or talk to her, etc.  We love our chiropractor Dr. Ann and love seeing her for our monthly visits.

With Lainey loving the sweet summer splash park days most of all, Tiegan came in a close second.  

We took a trip to Minnesota right after Lainey's birthday in August.

"Enjoyed" a suuuuuuper hot morning at the Como Zoo.

T didn't seem to mind the heat.

We took in the seal show while we were there!

Naps typically go real well at Ma and Papa's house!

Ma went above and beyond grabbing some party decor to celebrate our big girl along with the other lovely August birthday gal, my Grandma Carey.

Sweet August birthday girlies!

The last morning there we hopped over to Farmington to the Dakota County Fair!

Lainey talked Papa into letting her do a pony ride.

Wyatt was in heaven among all those tractors!

Ice cream "lunch" at the general store!

More splash park fun!  Lainey and my friend Allison's daughter Gwen would literally swim and play all day if it weren't for those pesky afternoon naps their moms insist on!

We did a lap around Gray's Lake one evening.

Lainey rode her little heart out around the whole lake!

Summer in all of it's splendor requires lots of baths!  Not sure how much longer I'll fit 3 in that tub but I'm gonna keep trying!

June Minnesota Trip

We traveled to Minnesota in June to visit my parents and my sister and niece and nephew who had just arrived.  They are staying in MN for most of the summer as my brother in law is currently deployed.  We had a fabulous time.  I'll let the pictures tell the story of our trip.

These two were attached at the hip for all 4 days we were there.

Even sleeping together each and every night in the living room.

And these are just the two most handsome toddler dudes that have ever been!

One reason we traveled up that weekend was to take my Dad and Jed to the Twins versus Brewers baseball game for Father's Day.  We left the boys at home with Emily's mother-in-law and took the big girls.  They had a FABULOUS time and lasted until the 7th inning!

Their favorite part may have been the light rail rides.  It was a late night but well worth it!

We took advantage of our Blank Park Zoo membership and went to the Minnesota Zoo the next day (tickets were half price).  I have many memories going here as a kid.  It's a really nice zoo, much bigger than ours :).

I think Jed likes the zoo as much as the kids.  

It was a great trip over all.  The kids are awesome travelers and did a great job being flexible with sleeping and napping.  Can't wait for our next trip up north!

Enjoying June

I know I say this every month but June really did fly by.  Summer is in full swing for the Johnson family!

We've enjoyed many trips to the splash park so far.  In my opinion, if it's going to be hot and sunny, I'd most definitely prefer being by the water.  I'm loving watching them play and enjoy the shallow pool.

Summer is perfect for picnics.  We enjoyed a beautiful morning and lunch time with my good friend (and former roommate) Haley and her girls, Harper and Willow.  I moved in with Haley almost exactly 5 years ago and lived with her for that year (in the house she and her family live in) before I was married.  It's always so funny to think about how fast life changes.  I never could have imagined back then that if I could fast forward 5 years, this would be my reality.

I remember a few times growing up when we would travel down to Iowa to visit family, visiting Classic Frozen Custard.  Now, we're lucky enough to live very, very close to the delicious spot.  We could not believe the size of these "junior" cones. Let's just say we threw the kids in the tub right when we got home!

One of our favorite spots downtown is the library and outside the library are these walking water fountain paths.  I've now learned my lesson to make sure I have full changes of clothes for both kids if we stop here and they LOVE it.

We've enjoyed getting the pool out a few times.  Always need to enjoy a freezy pop too!

Lainey helped me plant some flowers too.  She was so proud and LOVES helping me water them!

Our builder provided a little landscaping in the front yard last year when we moved in but I had no idea what any of the plants would look like come spring/summer.  These were a pleasant surprise!

Lainey is quite the helper in the kitchen.  She loves to stir and scoop up everyone's plates.  This particular night we enjoyed a cold tuna pasta salad and fresh canteloupe.  Love super easy and fast summer meals (especially since I'm still not a fan of actual cooking and raw meat these days)!

We're still using and loving our zoo pass to the best of our ability!  It's always more fun with friends!  Lainey and Oscar love Member Mondays with free train rides!