Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes

Dun, Dun, Dun, Another One Bites the Dust!

Noah says that his tongue keeps slipping out now - he swears he can't help it!

Noah lost another tooth! We are so excited, not only because he's growing up, but because that means that we don't have to pay the dentist to pull them out. Noah had a crevice in the side of one of his molars that we stopped and had the dentist fill the other day. While we were there, I asked about his front teeth because I could see the new/permanent teeth coming in. He told Noah that he had to get them out and had three weeks to do it or he would have to come back in to get them pulled. He was concerned that the new teeth would alter their course with the old ones still in the way. We told Noah that if he could get them out within two weeks we would buy him a toy. We figured a few dollars on a toy was much cheaper and much less traumatic than a double tooth pulling at the dentist. Noah now has a new Transformer toy.

Goose Eggs and Webbed Feet

Last time cousin Trevor was here visiting he taught Oliver how to canter like a horse. I don't know if Trev actually knew he was teaching Ollie but the student was watching every step. Oliver was cantering through the house, tripped (he must have had the wrong lead) and hit the corner of our bedroom door. I don't think he could have hit it any more centered. That goose egg was instant and has gotten uglier as the bruise reveals itself! Luckily, it looks worse than it is, it really didn't even seem to bother him much.


Big brother got some new swim gear and while he wasn't looking, Oliver tried it on. I tried to get some video of him walking around in the flippers but my batteries were going dead in the camera.

The Decemberists

Joel and I, along with our friend's Chris and Amy, went to the Edgefield last night to see "The Decemberists" in concert. It was a very fun concert, great music and a great outdoor venue. I am not sure how to describe their sound but we really enjoy them. You can go to http://www.decemberists.com/ to find out more about them.

Dog!

The other day I wasn't paying attention and when I took a step back I stepped on Buddy's paw. He let out a yelp which, at first, startled Oliver. Oliver decided that, just like when he gets hurt, Buddy needed some comfort. This is a picture of Buddy barking his appreciation.

One Year Ago Today

Okay, I was out checking Blogs and one that I check had this title to one of their posts. So out of curiosity I went back a year in our pictures (luckily my husband is the king of computer organization so it wasn't difficult) and found these of our boys. Noah hasn't changed much to me but Oliver sure has! Hope people don't mind me copying their blog ideas, what were you doing a year ago?

Which One Were You?

There are two kinds of kids with loose teeth. There is the kid that at the first sign of ANY wiggle or looseness goes at it. They wiggle, pull and twist until the tooth succumbs to their torture and finds a new home under the child's pillow. Then there is the second kind, like our Noah, who will not touch it, not wiggle it, and pretty much try to hold onto the tooth until they are of legal voting age. Last night, after watching the tooth flap while he talked, I finally convinced Noah to give me one last try at pulling his tooth out and I succeeded. There was a momentary look of horror on his face but then was pretty excited about it. As you can see, it was beyond time for that front right (your left as you look at the picture) tooth of his to come out. The new permanent tooth has already come in quite a bit. This is his fifth tooth lost and I cannot wait for the rest to come out. This is not a pretty stage! All those new, bigger permanent teeth coming in are pushing and shoving those baby teeth all over the place. So fess up, what kind of loose tooth kid were you? The pull it out as soon as you can kid or the teeth flopping while you talk kid?

Happy "29th" Birthday Auntie Su! =)

Enchanted Forest

Joel took yesterday off and we went to the Enchanted Forest in Salem, OR. We had a lot of fun and I found out, on the way down, that this was Joel's first time. I didn't realize that he had never gone as a kid or with Noah before. Noah usually gets to go twice a summer, once with me and once with a grandparent. I don't think he minds too much. Check another item off of Noah's summer to-do list.

Staying cool in the pool

I don't normally try to pose the boys for pictures. I like the candid, action shots that you get when they aren't looking. However, I try every once in a while to get a picture that I think would be funny or interesting. For instance, when they were in the pool Wednesday they were taking turns looking at me through the clear top ring. I decided to try and get one of both of them looking at me at the same time. Turns out that was a lot harder than you'd think. One would look and the other would swim away, or turn away or pop up above the ring. After MANY attempts the picture below is the closest I got. I'm thinking I should stick to my "no pose" rule!

Noah coming up from a "torpedo dive."

Oliver playing "uh-a-BOO!"

Just Inji

Inji is just too sweet looking to not have her own post/picture on the blog.

Zoo Pictures

Noah feeding Akeem...

Oliver feeding Akeem...

Howler Monkey on the way to pet Judy the Agouti...

Noah and Ian checking out Inji...

My Fearless Swimmer

This swim season is going to be a labor intensive one. Oliver really has no fear of climbing right into a pool. Even at Christie's the other day he would just walk up to the edge and then walk right into the pool. I thought that when Noah was young he was a water bug but I guess I was wrong. Okay maybe Noah is the water bug and I just haven't found Oliver's fish gills yet! So far, if I keep the back door locked, he can't get out unless I'm with him. I try not to let him see me unlocking the door because I fear that he will figure out how it all works! On a different note, I was at the grocery store a while ago and I realized that the smells of summer have changed. I remember a lot more coconutty, lemonade and fresh melon smells. Now as you walk through the stores, parks, etc. all you smell is sunscreen! That's how I know summer has officially started.

Zoo Fun!

Sorry, I don't have any pictures yet...we took off this morning and left our camera behind. But don't worry pictures are on the way from another camera. We met up with our friends Chris, Amy and their son, Ian at the zoo. Amy works there as a Zoo Keeper and she offered us a behind the scenes peak at some of the animals. It was incredible! First, she took us to see the Orangutans, we were literally about a foot away from their door. Amy fed them some apple juice while we sat there in awe. Inji, who blew raspberries at us when she wanted more juice, is one of the zoo's original residents and is 47 years old. Her grandson, Kutai, is also in the exhibit and is a strapping young 14 year old with the cutest cheeks! Oliver took the cue from Inji and blew raspberries right back at her. She then took us above the primate exhibits to see Judy the Agouti. Along the way to Judy, we peaked in on some Ocelots and a howler monkey or two, again so incredible to see them up close, or at least closer than you can from the normal visitors vantage point. Anyway, Judy is a large rodent! Amy fed her some pieces of plum and we all got to take turns petting her. We took break for lunch then headed over to the giraffes. I know that they are tall animals but I guess I never really knew how tall until we fed Akeem some carrots. He took them right out of our hands through a chain link fence and if you held on tight enough he would wrap that big ol' tongue of his around the carrot and pull it right out of your hands. The kids had a great time and if you can't tell, I was just as excited if not more than the kids were. I hid it from the adults well but won't pass up the next invitation to see more. I will post pictures of our incredible day when Chris gets me the disk. You can get information on all of the animals by going to www.oregonzoo.org they have a section called "About Our Zoo" and in that section they have animal fact sheets.

Crawl, Backstroke or Doggie Paddle?

Oliver chatting with Uncle Ben about the weather.

Noah diving into the deep end.

Trevor striking a swim pose for me.

Ben's friend Christie and her two sons Christopher and Zach invited us over to go swimming yesterday. It was a great day for swimming and we had a wonderful time. Her pool and yard are beautiful and I keep trying to figure out how to put something similar in our small backyard. Thanks again Christie!

Noah's Auto Body Shop

Noah decided to build a car today. I did help but only after he came up with the design plans and told me exactly how to do it. Notice all the details...

Windshield wipers (that go back and forth), headlights and grill. It's hard to see but he also wrapped the windshield in plastic wrap for the glass effect. Then the steering wheel, which

actually turns and the all important cup holder, which does indeed hold one of our cups. We tested before installing it. We also have side mirrors wrapped in foil for the reflective look, white wall tires and on the back a license plate, rear lights and a tailpipe.

Love These Things

I am going through Noah's school work from Kindergarten, taking pictures, keeping the few things that I want to keep, etc. I came across this one and thought that Dad would enjoy seeing what his son had to say about him.

Happy Fourth!

We hope that all of you had a happy and safe fourth. Noah wasn't feeling well yesterday so we stuck close to home. Luckily, our neighborhood goes crazy with fireworks so we had a ton to watch. Oliver decided, much like his dad did when he was little, to be completely scared of all the noise. Since the fireworks were going off all day I pretty much felt like Mama Kangaroo with her little Joey in her pouch all day. I would put him down and just as he would start to settle and play, "Boom" another one would go off and back on me he'd go. Noah and Joel gathered all of our stuff and joined quite a few other families from the neighborhood and they all made one giant show of fireworks. I visited my friend Cherie, who lives a couple doors down, since she too had a scared little one...Chloe their puppy wasn't too sure about all the racket either. We had a great visit, a yummy cocktail then I headed home to turn on every noise maker in the house. Luckily with the washer, dryer, house fan and TV going Oliver fell right to sleep. I wish I had some pictures to post but like I said, my hands were full all day. What did you do on the fourth?

Starting July With a Big BANG!

Most families wait until the 4Th of July for their big bang but not us! Oliver decided to fall off of the couch last night, which really wouldn't have been so bad, but he thought that hitting the coffee table on the way down would be much more dramatic. Guess what, he was right! To top it off, after he hit the table, his momentum flipped him right over and he landed on his back. I'm not really sure how it all happened but this is the result. The top picture is just a little while after it happened and the bottom picture is what it looks like this morning. He keeps pointing to his eye and saying, "Ow."

Thanks for Having Us

Grandma Heidi offering a hand. We went on a great walk Sunday morning. Even though it was getting a bit hot out the trees and water along the path kept us all cool and comfortable.

GrandPop and Noah waiting for all of slowpokes to catch up during the walk.

GrandPop and Grandma Heidi invited the rest of the Johnson's over to visit with us on Saturday night. Barry, Esther, Bev, Becky, Clint, Blaine, Wanda, Christie and Marcus all came over for a visit. It was great to see everyone!

A whole lot of water gun fights, this is GrandPop getting a "free shot" after Noah got him while on base.

There was a lot of wrestling going on this weekend!

We went for a quick visit to see GrandPop and Grandma Heidi this weekend. It was a great visit. As you can see we got a lot in during our short stay. The first thing GrandPop did when we got there was to take Noah to the store to get some water guns. Of course this meant that the war was on for the entire weekend! Pop and H also invited everyone over for dinner on Saturday. It was great to see everyone, I enjoy the family get-togethers and hope to do it again soon. The walk on Sunday was beautiful and it wore the boys down some for the trip home.