cousins.

we are hoping these two guys will follow in their daddies footsteps and be best buds for years to come!

introductions.

lj has had the sweet privilege of meeting lots of family in these first few weeks. he loved all the snuggles! and even the occasional bop in the nose... ;)

syrup.

while nj was on paternity leave/spring break, he & kj took on a project to tap our maple trees & make some yummy maple syrup! the first year was a success despite some odd temperature swings, and we are already cheering on the trees for a repeat performance in sap production next year...

siblings.

and then there were two! it's awfully fun to watch the beginning of this new sibling relationship... we get asked all the time: 'how's big sister doing??' and it has been mostly sweet watching kj learn to express her love for her little brother. we are still learning not to bother the little guy while he sleeps and while he eats, which is, unfortunately for her, the majority of the time right now. =P but there is no better toy in the house than her very own, live baby when he is awake & available! it is such a gift to watch them together. here's a glimpse of the dynamic duo in these early days.

clean.

the obligatory first-bath pictures! of course he screamed. then right after that warm-and-cozy-finally-in-the-towel photo, lj pooped & peed. in the towel. on my lap. classic.

little.

little guy with his adoring daddy--

home-time.

time to go home!
(note the same bear outfit that kj wore home from the hospital. also, you can't tell in the picture, but it was 60deg out this particular march day! only 55 degrees warmer than when we entered the hospital 36hrs prior. ;))

here.

he's here!
greet luke william johnson.
born 4:17am, 3/9/12.
8lb, 21in, red hair.
loved by his big sister, mama & dada, and all who've met him thus far... ;)

soren.

yesterday, soren oscar was welcomed into this world. welcome, cousin soren! due two days before baby jj, our anticipation has paralleled nj's brother & sister-in-law's. hurray for m&r! we're so excited for you three! and we know that nanna & poppa are elated... now if we could just get this baby movin'... ;)

activities.

a typical week's worth of activities for kj include:
monday -- nature nook at hartley park
tuesday -- cbs
wednesday -- playgroup & ecfe
thursday -- music class
friday -- kidswap with the askers
it was fun to take gramma along to some of our activities this week! a few glimpses from her perspective...

handles.

and today is the day when a certain little girl has conquered the door handles in our house. in other words, she can now escape from the bathroom while mom takes a shower... yikes! keep on growing & learning, kj, in the small & big ways-- we consider it a privilege to be on this "growing up" adventure with you! hope we can keep up! ;)

snowshoes.

we're trying to carry on like normal here... which means dragging gramma out to hartley park with us! after a nice warm storytime, it was kj's first time trying snowshoes and having a winter picnic in the woods. what fun! and thank goodness for grammas who have more stamina than 40+ week preggos...

tried.

can you call this the first time singing in front of church if she didn't actually sing?? well, it was worth a shot anyway... ;) what a big girl!

due.

we have now reached our due date for baby jj -- march 4th. each day now we are feeling more & more ready to cuddle this little guy in our arms! i'm doing my best to embrace these "bonus" days and be glad he can grow bigger & stronger with every passing hour. we are praying for and trusting in God's perfect timing.

we have already escaped a couple of late-season blizzards here in which i told nj that i could be a minnesota woman and, "if i go into labor, just put me on the sled & push me downhill the whole way to the hospital!" to which he responded quite practically, "uh, maybe we should borrow the neighbor's truck instead." and then went to snow-blow the driveway one more time. thank goodness he takes care of us so well. ;)

leap day.

while we thought it would be awfully fun to have baby jj make his grand entrance on leap day, it was probably a blessing he didn't come amidst the wild & blowing leap day blizzard of 2012. he also bypassed the second large snowstorm of the year that happened on march 2nd. thankfully, gramma flew in right between the storms & managed to work a camera for us... check out what our late winter looks like around here!

phew.

aaaannddd she SLEEPS! and so does mama. and baby jj. and even gramma. ;)

these sleeping-photos never seem to get old, at least for this doting mama!