Birthday Pre-Show

I am trying to wrap my head around the fact that Wes is one year old already, and I just can't do it. Where did the time go? When he was born, I thought that three months would never come... and now it has been a year. Wow.
Wes's birthday isn't for a couple more days, but my family does a birthday party once a month for all of the birthdays in that month. This month it is Wes's and my little brother's birthday, so we had a big party for them on Sunday. It was Wes's first experience with a cupcake, and he just went to town on that thing!

Wes with Grandma and his birthday buddy, Dan.
He is not quite sure what to think of the candles.


Our cute little family!

Just shovin' the whole thing in at once.

What a delicious mess!

Trying to get daddy to have some.

Wes and Dan had a great birthday party. Everyone was so nice, and Wes loved the presents (and the attention.) My family rocks.

Shower Doors No More

Finally! We got rid of our obnoxious shower/tub enclosure doors. They were so in the way. I couldn't really get around them to clean, the doors themselves were impossible to keep clean, and the worst was that we couldn't bathe Wes properly. We couldn't reach him very well, and Wes (who normally loves the bath in his little blue infant tub) would cry and fuss the entire time he was in the big bath tub. I think he just felt insecure and would slip and slide around because we couldn't keep a good hold on him. My fantastic father used some of his newly found retirement free time and came up to remove those hateful shower doors. I am so happy they are gone!! Wes has made the successful transition to the big tub and he loves it. All thanks to you, Dad!!

Before:

Let's face it-- Wes is just too big for his beloved infant tub.

After: A very happy boy in a bath.

Friends in High Places

Wes and Will: stair climbin' fools.

Peek-a-boo!

Just sharing a snack.

Whew, what an exhausting day.

Just Sayin' Good Morning

These days, when Wes wakes up in the morning or for a nap, Oscar feels the need to rush right in and say good morning (or whines outside the door until I let him in.)
Wes doesn't seem to mind. He loves his doggies!

Happy New Year!

My first official post of 2009! Hot diggity dog. Where does the time go? It feels like New Years Eve was just yesterday.
Our good buddies Brian and Clara invited us up to their family cabin for New Year's Eve games and New Year's Day outdoor fun. After we dug our way into the cabin, the good times began. We had hot chocolate, a delicious dinner and some fun games. Meanwhile, Wes and Will (Brian and Clara's son who is only nine days older than Wes) crawled all around the floor and made a huge mess of everything. It was great. Thanks Brian and Clara for an AWESOME trip.


Me and Clara with our darling boys.


Wes playing on Daddy's tummy and having a great time.
(Lately, when he gets excited about something, he clenches
his fists and flexes his arms and makes this grunty, growling sound. It looks like that is what he is doing here.)

Here's Clara making the most amazing lemon chicken for dinner. Yum!

These boys are so similar in size it is hard to
tell who's who from the back. Can you guess?


Wes's first time sledding. He seemed to like it!

Our little fam. I am about to push Grant and Wes
down the hill for another run.


With all of our slippery snow clothes, it was really hard to hold Wes.
This was Grant's idea. I was sure Wes would cry, but he loved it!


The easiest way to get from here to there... by being pulled on a sled by the four wheeler. (I preferred to be on the four wheeler, myself.)


The gang: in back- Staci, Steve, Brian, and Charles
in front- Grant, me, Wes, and Clara.
Will was napping, in case you were wondering.

Christmas Eve... and Day

Christmas Eve was spent at my Aunt's house with almost the whole fam. My aunt makes this fantastic shrimp dinner and then we all have a "sharing time" where we can read a story, sing a little song, do a little dance, play a game, or whatever we feel like doing. Grant and I read a funny story, my brother's family had us play a game with chocolate, there were some magic tricks, and songs... even some presents! It was such a fun night. Wes seemed to enjoy the singing by his cousins the most. They sang a rousing rendition of Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, and Wes was riveted.


Me-- looking a little scary-- and my little Santa

My aunt has this great tradition of reading a cute story and then making all of the kids something to go along. This year it was gloves!

Wes was fascinated with his!

We got home at a pretty decent hour, however Wes was having a rough time with his teeth and a little cold, so going to bed (and staying asleep) were rough for most of the night. Yet we were all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed in the morning, ready for Christmas Day! This was the first Christmas Grant and I had alone in our little house. It was nice and cozy with our sweet baby boy and our funny little dogs. Santa was good to Wes (as were his grandparents, aunts and uncles!!) He got a ball, and a big-boy toothbrush, several books, and his own phone that talks to him when he pushes the buttons, his own set of kid car keys, clothes, more toys... he was so happy!
Grant made us a wonderful Christmas Breakfast, and after a nap for Wes (and the rest of us) we went to visit our families. We hung out and Grant's mom's for a while, and then made a stop at my parent's place as well. It was so nice to be with our families, but the weather was getting nasty, and a big storm was predicted for the evening, so we had to head back home. All in all, it was one lovely Christmas.


Just chillin' on Christmas morning.

Wes sees his present...

... but thinks the ribbon is far more interesting
than what is in the wrapping paper...

...then finally figures out it is a ball!

Yay! His own keys! Now he can stop stealing mommy's!

Wes just being happy with his book.

'Tis the Season

I don't think a woman is truly broken in as a mother until her kiddo has a cold for the first time.
To carry around a pocketful of Kleenex, to constantly have a slimy shoulder thanks to a baby who rubs his adorable yet snotty face all over it before the aforementioned Kleenex can even be accessed.... that is what true motherhood is about!!
Yes, Wes has a cold for the first time. And just after he got over his four top teeth coming in at the same time! Oy, that was rough. My Christmas Eve (after the fun family festivities) was spent trying to get Wes to bed.... again.... and again.... the fun didn't end until about 3 in the morning. But enough about that stuff! I would much rather tell you about all of the fun festivities! Let me back up a bit. A couple of weeks ago, my brother, his fiancee, and my nephew all came up to go on a hay ride in the park near our house to see The Lights Before Christmas. It is this super short hay ride through the most random lights display imaginable, few of which have anything to do with Christmas. It was a blast! A good, old fashioned, rip roarin', freezing cold, good time!

Wes was so bundled up it was hard to hold him!

Dan and Corrie, Wes and yours truly

This is Wes's opinion of the lights display.

Giving Thanks

Ok, some I'm a little behind on my blogging. Sorry about that. This years Thanksgiving was one of our favorites.
Here is the story:
We decided to keep things very simple this year. Traditionally I come down to my mom's the day before Thanksgiving to help polish silver and wash crystal and china... the whole nine yards. Then we come down again for the actual holiday. Also, Grant had to work the day after Thanksgiving, so to save a lot of time and driving, we decided to use this great promotion Marriott is having, and stay at a hotel downtown. It felt like a mini vacation.


Wes thinks we got this bed just for him. Forget watching TV... eating the remote is way more fun!
We took Wes swimming for the first time Wednesday night (he seemed to enjoy it.)

Look at this chub in his swimming trunks! He could double as a sumo wrestler.

Though Wes LOVES water, the pool was a little cold, and he just wasn't sure about it at first.

He liked it more after a bit.

Wes looking very suspiciously at the pool after we took him out.


On the morning of Thanksgiving, we took a long walk around Temple Square.

It was practically empty, except for the missionaries and a few visitors. It was so quiet and peaceful. There was such a wonderful spirit there. The Christmas displays were all set up (they turn on the lights the day after, but I would take our experience any day over the crowded, noisy nights once the lights are on.) We talked to the missionaries, and stopped in the visitors center. Grant was so sweet with Wes and talked to him all the way about Jesus and His life. We saw this darling little family going around and giving packages of M&M's to all of the missionaries, and saying, "today we are thankful for missionaries." How awesome is that? What a great example that was... to not only be thankful, but to show that we are thankful.
We had a delicious dinner at my parents, including my dad's famous stuffing. Then Grant and my brothers and nephews went to the park for some football to work up an appetite for pumpkin pie! We topped off the evening with a visit to Grant's mom's, and then took a very tired and cranky baby boy back to the hotel to go to bed. Nothing like a big, soft, comfy bed to fall into after a hard day's eating... Ahhhhhh.
It was so nice for Grant to be closer to work, since he had to be there at the crack of dawn Friday morning. I was able to take Wes to visit my old work, and the pick up the dogs (and yummy leftovers) from my parent's house. What a great time! I love Thanksgiving. It is my favorite holiday. I love that it can't be commercialized. (Have you noticed how all of the stores go straight from Halloween decorations to Christmas stuff?) It is just a great day to spend with family, eating good food, having a good time, and pondering all we have to be thankful for. What a perfect day.

Wes playing with Grandpa and Mitzu.

I Hear Wedding Bells!

Just a quick congrats to my little brother and his new fiance! They just got engaged last Thursday, and I am so stinkin' happy for them that I can't even stand it. Dan and Corrie make one great couple. I look forward to having Corrie in our family! She is one great gal. Good work, Dan.

Halloween

I know, I know, I am a little behind on the whole Halloween thing, but things have been a little crazy. Grant had to fly out to Maui to help settle his dad's affairs, and so I thought Wes and I would just hang around at home. Wes is just too little to care about dressing up, and can't even eat any candy! But that plan was very boring. Things also get pretty lonely around here when Grant is out of town, so I headed down south to hang out with the fam.
Grant's mom gave Wes a darling little bear costume to wear on Halloween. I took him to my dad's office Halloween party. Then I stopped by mom's house, followed by a nice visit to Grant's mom's house where we hung out with Grant's sisters and Wes's one and only cousin on Grant's side (until February, that is!) It was so nice to see everyone.


Wes the bear cub

Cousin Jada, the peacock.


Jessie and cousin ? the pumpkin!

Who knew peacocks and bears were such buddies?


Wes giving big smiles to his Aunt Sheri.

Sad News

I am so sorry to share the news that Grant's father passed away suddenly and unexpectedly in his sleep early Thursday morning. It is such a shock to everyone that he is gone. We are so thankful that he was in town visiting. (The above picture was taken just last Saturday.) In fact, we were with him on Wednesday night. He took Grant, his brother Tom, and me (with Wes, of course) to the Body Worlds exhibit. He rushed through the exhibit, then came back and took care of Wes so Grant and I could take our time and enjoy ourselves. That was just the kind of person he was. He was such an fantastic Grandpa, wonderful father and a kind and loving father-in-law to me. I am so thankful for the time we had with him while he was here.

Here is his obituary:

David William Johnson 1955 ~ 2008 On October 23, 2008, our beloved father, spouse, brother, son, grandfather and friend, David William Johnson, passed away in his sleep in Park City, Utah.Born August 3, 1955 in Salt Lake City, Utah, David lived in the Salt Lake area most of his life and later moved to Lahaina, Hawaii. David loved music and was an accomplished pianist, composer and arranger. He worked for Daynes Music and other businesses in the music industry for many years, and then later worked in real estate. Employed by Marriott Vacation Club for the past 13 years he has enjoyed working both in Park City and Lahaina. He was recognized with many awards for his dedication and success, enjoying his final working days with the Ritz-Carlton Club. An active member of the LDS church, David served a mission to the Fresno, CA mission and has held many callings including counselor in the bishopric, member of the high council, teacher and organist. David was extremely generous and kind. He rarely thought of himself and always made time to make others around him feel safe and happy. He married Helen (Tami) Fields in 1978 and had five children, Jessica, Grant, Sheri, Tom and Elise. They later divorced. He married Janette Crouch Randall in 1996. Survivors include his five children, Jessica (Shane) Powers, Grant (Kate) Johnson, Sheri Mata, Tom Johnson, Elise Johnson, and two grandchildren. He is also survived by his wife Janette and her three children Sunny, Beau, Cam, god-children Marvin and Uilani Tevaga, his mother, Cherill (Barlow) Gilbert, siblings Jill (Richard) Rowley, Stephen (Ruth) Johnson and Mary (Bill) Thorup. David's greatest love was his family. He will be sorely missed. Funeral services will be held 1 p.m. Wed. Oct. 29, 2008 at Linquist's Bountfiul Mortuary 727 N. 400 E. 1 pm. where friends and family may call Tues. from 6-8 p.m. and 11:45-12:45 prior to the services. Interment at Lakeview Cemetery. Condolences may be shared at http://www.lindquistmortuary.com/

[from Grant: I just wanted to say how touched you all have made me feel. I have received so much love and support from my friends and family. Thank you all for your kind words, thoughts, and prayers. I have recently been going through my father's old music files that he recorded and saved on his Kurzweil 250 keyboard that he left me. I have saved one particular song that I wanted to share. I'm not sure when it was written, but it must have been about 20 years ago. I'll never be as good as he was. He was my inspiration in music. Click the link to listen: http://www.grantandkate.com/Jazz_Song_(by_Dave_Johnson).mp3 ]

Multitasking

This is a picture of the ultimate multitasker. Grant is watching football, working on the computer, and reading a book to Wes all at the same time. Evidently Wes takes after his dad in this regard. Lately Wes has been trying to nurse and suck his thumb at the same time. As I am sure you can imagine, it doesn't really work, but he tries to anyway... every time.

The Best Sound in the World Part II

Wes was teething at the time of this video clip, and had been grumpy, crabby, and cranky all day. That evening Steve and Staci came over for a visit and they turned his frown upside down! Man, was I grateful they came over. It cheered us both up!