wedding.

o&c (aka, uncle o & aunti c), congratulations! 
cj, welcome to the family, sista!  so glad to have you!

the wedding festivities were beautiful & meaningful.  the time with family & friends was precious.  the introductions to so many people from o&c's friend- & family-base was encouraging.  the italian & mexican dinners were delicious.  the baseball & brewery were pre-wedding highlights.  the pie baking smelled delightful.  the kidnapping of the bride for bacheloretting was exciting.  the sharing of kj with loving friends & family was treasure.  the first dance for daddy & kj was heartwarming.  the exploration of so many free st. louis sights was memorable.  the sunshine kept us smiling.  and the best thing of all:  seeing the bride & groom happy as all get out.  we are so thankful that o&c let us be part of it all!

i really should credit a whole myriad of folks for these photos -- source photographers include, but are not limited to, terri, joann, ole, micah, rebekah, heather -- thanks for sharing these mementos with us!

roadtrip.

kj spent a lot of time in this position last weekend:

and she was suuuuuch a trooper!
7 adults & one babe made the journey southward to st. louis for o&c's wedding.  the johnson family are veterans to long drives, but adding a babe to the trip was a whole new ballgame.  what is normally a 12hr drive stretched into just over 15hrs, completed in one day (sunrise to sundown!) each way -- not too bad!  everyone was remarkably patient, let the baby be in the lead, and enjoyed this new form of entertainment & challenge.  thanks thanks thanks, johnson family!!

just for the record, favorites of kj's for this trip included a plastic cup, singing, sucking mom's finger to sleep, snack breaks, and watching whoever's face happened to appear over the edge of the carseat (all were welcome!). 

drinky.

not sure if she's grasped the concept of drinking out of a cup yet, but she sure seems to enjoy the imitation of it...  of course we think it's pretty hilarious as well, as it transforms her mouth into a sort of cartoon character. ha!

toes.

oh how she loves her toes these days!  especially when cloth diapers don't restrict the desired leg movement of foot to mouth...  too cute.  check it out.

dessert.

nanna & i had a colossal baking day a couple of weeks before o&c's wedding.  it was all in prep for the dessert reception, to be held the evening before the big day.  here's what came out of two ladies, one kitchen, a few guys in & out, a babe to help, and one long, sweet day:
-3doz brownies
-2doz gingersnap gems
-4doz lemon squares
-8doz oreo truffles
-4doz mini cheesecakes
-3doz meringue kisses
plus
-a lasagna dinner
-a sloppy joes lunch
-a mother's day special: lemon meringue pie

all in all, the baking extravaganza included only three trips to the supermarket (bringing home cream cheese each time!), and i was pleasantly surprised that my mother-in-law welcomed me into her kitchen for the full day.  indeed, we had a ton of fun!
a few scenes from the day--

twins.

can you see her daddy & her poppa in her?? ;)

discovery.

our time spent outside in our yard & nearby woods, plus a few garage sales, yielded several discoveries this weekend...
+ our very own stands of lily-of-the-valley & wild leeks
+ the battle we began against our bamboo invasion, is actually one against a Japanese Knotweed take-over, yuck
+ there are loads & loads of very fat earthworms around these parts
+ getting a great deal on 25+ saplings/seedlings also means a lot of digging, and quite a bit of patience
+ if you are lucky, for less than $3 you can bring home a bouncy seat, an Anna nursing pillow (best treasure find of the day!), and a toddler-sized sled
+ hot days turn into sweetly cool evenings in the state of minnesota
+ sweetly cool evenings in the state of minnesota are not without mosquitos ;)

school's out.

i just have to document that school's out for summer (last day of classes for nj), and it's currently snowing.  on my daffodil blooms.  are you as confused as i am?? 

welcome to minnesota!

joy.

we didn't know when we picked kj's middle name how fitting it would be.  she has such a joyful spirit, and we often see spontaneous joy in others' faces because of her.  not to mention how our own hearts just swell with joy as we love her daily.  we thank the Lord many times a day for her, and that's the truth. 

this wide open smile is one of my favorite sights right now.  oh what joy!!

touch.

kj is exploring her sense of touch these days... last weekend was her first time touching a fish, a lamb, and a kitty cat.  her daddy was so proud that she had that fish smell on her hands!

sink.

kj had to break in nanna's new sink!

baker.

baker, baker... 

 

bake me a caramel roll, or two, or a couple dozen...

then bake me a lemon meringue pie... 

then we will be haaappppppyyy campers!