Family Photos 2012

Just got a few photos back from our recent family photo shoot.  I'll post more after I get them back from the photographer but already loving Lila's shot with our cat.  

Summer 2012

Our usual Johnson vacation time in Bear Lake came around again this past July.  As you can see I take protecting Lila from the sun very seriously.  Liam and Lila had a great time seeing all of their cousins and getting turns riding in the boat.

Liam started 4th grade at Uintah Elementary.  I took several shots before he headed out to school but couldn't get a single one with him keeping his eyes open.  Luckily he has a couple of good friends in his class and is content so far.

Lila started preschool at the place she went last year so there was no drama.  She was very excited to go and have some play time with other girls.  She came home the first week and was ecstatic that she could write her name all by herself.  This is definitely the age of independence.

I had another birthday this August too.  Ben was very thoughtful and bought me a lemon cake, perfume and sweater.  He also got take out from a nice restaurant and we enjoyed having a quiet evening with the kids.  Lila was probably more excited about my birthday than anybody and kept jumping up and down asking me where my presents were.  It's nice to have kids around to keep birthdays exciting.

Also got to go out to one of my favorite restaurants with some friends to celebrate.

Tea Time

It is a rare event that I am able to get together with my cousins but we finally managed it.  After some texting back and forth and working out the babysitting situation we finally got together for tea at the Grand America.  We caught up and had a lovely time....minus the sugar overload!

Lila's Birthday Bash

So Lila woke on the morning of her 4th birthday and got into her new leotard, tights (underwear included) and ballet slippers to go to her first ballet class.  You can just see the pure joy in her eyes!  

Later that day we got together to celebrate as a family and ate some princess cupcakes.

When the weekend came we packed our bags and when to Logan for a real party!

We had just been to NYC and visited the Plaza hotel and were inspired to throw an Eloise party in Logan.  Not exactly NYC but we decorated in pink and black to help create the mood.

Luckily Grandma's patio was in full bloom and Lila had a bunch of cousins over for a water party.

I don't think anyone can question that these two are related!

Lila had such a good time turning 4 she has already asked me when she will turn 5.

Family Vacation 2012

Adam and Holly recently moved to Connecticut so we decided it was a great chance to visit them on the east coast and take a family vacation.  After flying into JFK we drove up to Redding, CT where Adam and Holly are currently living in Mark Twain's carriage house.  As you can see Adam and Holly were very welcoming.  They were great hosts and we had a great time hanging out with them.        

New York was one of our stops on the trip and although we didn't take the ferry ride out to see the Statue of Liberty we did walk down to Battery Park to see it from afar. 

We also took a tour of the 9/11 memorial and spotted the new trade towers under construction.

Here's a shot of our stop at the Natural History Museum.

We also had to take a stroll through Central Park and Time Square.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art was definitely my favorite spot in New York.  Liam really liked the Egyptian part of the museum.  I took a solo tour through their special exhibit Prada and Schiaparelli.

Another leg of the trip consisted of seeing some of the other towns closer to Adam's house.

Here we made a quick stop in New Haven to take a tour of Yale on our way to Boston.  

We also stopped at a great chocolate shop in New Caanan.

Lila was in heaven having a sleep over with her cousins night after night.  Holly was so nice to take care of her when we made an overnight trip to Boston.  Lila is going to have major withdrawals not being closer to her cousins.

Easter

So Lila is definitely getting the idea from her Grandma Johnson that every holiday is a major event like Christmas.  Easter started out with a search for the perfect Easter dress for Lila.  We found one for her in Salt Lake but then she got an even fancier one from her Grandma Johnson.  The day then started out with the kids waking to find a few things that the Easter Bunny left followed by a small hunt at our house.  After having brunch we then headed to Logan where Grandma Johnson had put together a massive feast and coordinated a major hunt with candy, money, toys and clothes.  After stuffing ourselves and piling our car with new things we headed to Grandma Morse's house to do a third hunt.  So how many Easter egg hunts is too many?  I'm pretty sure 3 exceeds the normal limit!

  

Liam's 9th Birthday

So Liam was really excited to turn 9 this year. He told me he didn't want a big party, just a sleepover with 1 or 2 friend. I was happy to hear I only had to manage a few boys and wanted to keep it simple. Liam, however, was so worried about hurting his friend's feeling that he kept talking me into adding more friends and before I knew it I had 6 very rambunctious boys running around my house. After getting together for pizza and cake they all headed to the latest 3-D star wars movie. Returning around 10 pm they settled down in the basement where I don't think they fell asleep until 1 or so. I was hoping they would all sleep in but instead they woke early and I'm guessing I sent 6 very cranky boys home to their families.

Liam is growing up to be a lot like his Dad. He loves a good argument and is constantly listening to music. He is a really sweet kid and turning into a pretty good big brother. Apparently when I'm not around he can be quite protective. He started piano lessons this year and just had his first recital. Can't believe how nervous I was for him but he did great with his teacher playing by his side. Although there was some reluctance at first he is also becoming a good swimmer and skier. Lucky, his cat, is the love of his life and life is pretty good at Uintah School with all of his friends. Glad he is part of our family. Happy Birthday Liam!