Tulip Time Adventures

 May means lots of things to me ... beautiful spring weather, blooming flowers, the end of the school year (from my 4 years of teaching, it's still exciting to think about) and arguably most important...TULIP TIME in Pella!  I asked Jed to take this Friday off from work several weeks ago and wanted to make a family day trip to the quaint little Dutch town.  I loved Tulip Time when I was in college at Central for 4 wonderful years - the people, the food, the tulips and the costumes - I love it all.  My senior year I even got to borrow a Dutch costume and scrub streets and walk in a parade.  It was like a dream come true.  You might think I'm being sarcastic, but I'm actually not.

Here is my sweet friend Heather and I back in 2007.  She is actually Dutch but if my memory serves me correct, we both "borrowed" babies to walk in the baby parade...  She has her own now and got to walk with him this weekend! :)

Julie shared my love for Tulip Time.  I got to see her this weekend and her and her husband were decked out in beautiful costumes and walked in several parades!

 This is my cousin Melissa and her 3 boys ... I got to babysit these 3 little guys during my years at Central and summers I stayed in Pella.  Melissa is a truly amazing mom and her boys were SO much fun to hang out with - I have learned a lot watching her love and serve her family over the years.  Scroll down below to see how her adorable crew has expanded....!

Here is my cutie pie at Tulip Time THIS year!  Just waiting for the parade to start!

 Lainey adores her Dad.

 Here is Melissa, my aunt Barb and Melissa's crew of 5!  4 sweet boys and then they were blessed with a baby GIRL this February!  Dara looked especially adorable in a little teeny tiny baby Dutch costume.  I wish I had gotten a picture of her!

 It was HOT!  Gotta stay hydrated!  We rounded out our day with a trip to visit my Grandma in Knoxville.  It was such a fun family day!

Saturday, we ran a few errands (Lainey got a baby pool!) and Jed worked hard in the yard much of the afternoon.  Jed got a text at about 4:30 and his plans for the evening changed SO we were able to join some of our friends for another night at Tulip Time!  It was a mad rush to get out the door in 20 minutes but we did it.  

 Lainey and Penelope's first Tulip Time together.  Probably not their last!

 You might recognize my friend Julie from above.  Bo thought it would be a great idea to ask some people dressed in Dutch garb to hold the babies and take a picture.  Luckily, we didn't have to ask strangers since we ran into Julie and her husband, Jeremy!

 These are 2 great, great Dad's!

 I mean... this is just the cutest.

 Lainey LOVES our friend Rick.  Actually, Rick is a favorite among many children at the DTC.  He is so great with kids and we are thankful for his friendship.

As the sun set, it was time for the lighted parade!  

I loved sharing my love for Tulip Time with my little family and with our friends this weekend.   I can't wait for next May already - we'll get to introduce the new baby Johnson to all of the fun festivities!

May Day!

 May Day is a fun day in our neighborhood.  We received a May Day basket bright and early this morning around 7:30 from our sweet neighbors.  (I need to get on the ball next year I guess!)  This afternoon, Lainey and I had some afternoon playtime outside on a blanket in the yard and enjoyed part of our May Day basket - a sucker!

 Yum Mom, this is good!

 Look at that sweet smile!  I love her little teeth - they are so cute.  We are still waiting for the top ones to come through.

Mmmm...

Lainey's News!

Keeps Getting Better!

Lainey's week just keeps getting better!

Yesterday, she got her first taste of blueberries in her mesh feeder.  Not just any blueberries, but frozen blueberries straight from her Grandma and Grandpa Johnson's blueberry patch in Wisconsin!  They were a serious hit.  I'm not sure Lainey has ever enjoyed a food so much, nor has she ever gotten so incredibly messy!

 Then today after lunch, we spotted a big brown truck -- the UPS truck!  They dropped off a little package for Miss Lainey from Grandma and Grandpa Johnson!

 Some new toys and new snacks!  Yeah!

After nap time, we enjoyed some of her new baby cookies on the porch!  What a great day!

Lucky Lainey

I don't know about you, but Lainey is having the best week ever....

It all started this weekend when her Dad gave her half an....

 OREO!

 And this is what you call "crazy cookie monster" face...

 First, an oreo...then today we went to the ZOO with our friends Carla, Kaisa and JJ and enjoyed a GORGEOUS spring day!

The truth is, Lainey didn't pay much attention to the animals.  She would much rather watch other kids.  Someday she will LOVE the zoo.  Here's Lainey and Mr. JJ ... stuck in their strollers, while Kaisa got to check out the fishies.  These two will be running around and chasing each other soon enough!

 Lainey was also not interested in wearing her sunglasses today, instead she held them and stuck one end in her mouth with a very inquisitive look on her face as we walked through the entire zoo.  She's a character!

Who knows what else Lainey's great week holds ahead.  I hope you are having a fabulous week so far as well!

A Johnson Family Favorite

It's always a special treat when we get to go out to eat as a family. Truth be told, we haven't tried it super often in the past 8 months...usually a cozy night of quality time at home sounds better but last week I had Lainey bat her sweet eyelashes and ask her Daddy if he would take his girls on a date for some Mexican. How could he say no to her? :) And how could he say no to MONTERREY?!?
We love Monterrey. It is delicious, relatively cheap and QUICK! Not to mention the unlimited chips and salsa and great fountain pop. Perfect for a dinner out with our sweet pea. Lainey was just as excited as I was! She sat in the high chair like a pro and loved when our waiter would come by and pinch her cheeks. There were lots of people for her to oogle at as well, she's definitely a people watcher.

(Forgive the pictures - they were taken with my old point and shoot)
Our little book worm was loving the colorful menu!
"Hmmm...I'll have THIS please!"
"Daddy, won't you PLEASE share your burrito with me?"
Some day Sweetie! I can't wait to introduce her to the yummy chips and salsa in the future!

Family pictures, friends and my 8 MONTH OLD BABY!

It's been a great, busy week here at our house. First, I must share that we had some family pictures taken this week by the wonderfully talented Justin Meyer. I think it's fair to say that he is officially our family photographer. I could say a thousand complimentary things about Justin himself, his wife who I love dearly and his artistic talent behind the camera. I am a picture person - I like taking pictures, looking at pictures, framing pictures, etc. The memories that Justin has captured from our engagement, to our wedding, when Lainey was a teeny tiny newborn and just this week are truly special to me. Here are a few of my favorites... You can see the entire album here.
Simon was less than cooperative but we never get a picture with him and I always slightly feel bad so we tried...


I love love LOVE that these were taken in our own yard. I'm sure some day when we have moved I will especially treasure that!


My sweet, sweet girl. I LOVE this one.

Today, we got to hang out with Miss Penelope for a little while. I could go on and on about how thankful I am for the Laehn's - it is so much fun to share these seasons of life with good friends! This was the first time Lainey and Penelope genuinely interacted. They kept swapping (aka stealing) toys and putting them right into their little mouths. Precious. Lainey was just tickled pink - she squealed the entire time they were playing. It was so sweet.

"See Penelope, this is how you clap!"
"Cute shirt girlfriend!"

Lainey is 8 MONTHS OLD today. I'm not even going to mention how I feel like it's impossible for her to be that old already...again. Today's photo shoot was especially difficult. I guess she was all modeled out from last night.

Most of the pictures turned out like this, with Lainey attacking the foam letters and shoving them in her mouth. Sigh. Oh well.
So thankful for a great week. So thankful for my sweet family and all that God has blessed us with!