One going on five...

It's hard to believe that our little princess turned one almost two weeks ago. Things have been crazy with student teaching and being a wife and mama. I have been spending all my extra time with my family which means that this blog has been slightly neglected (sorry). We had a big party for Johanna's birthday. Between both of our families and close friends we had a total of 40+ people! There were quite a few kids, so being the genius that I am I hired two babysitters to play with all the kids under 10 in our playroom. I provided them with special kid-friendly food, games with prizes, and a craft. It was a GREAT idea! The kids had a blast and it left the upstairs more roomy for the adults. I highly recommend this idea for a b-day party where you have the parents and the kids.

I was an emotional wreck for basically the entire week before and after Johanna's birthday. It is so hard to believe that she is not a little baby anymore. The three of us were playing on the floor one night right before her birthday. I was tickling Brian and telling Johanna to "get daddy!" She came over laughing and started jumping on and trying to tackle Brian. It was hilarious! As I watched her and her daddy I realized how much she had changed, even within the previous few weeks. She was no longer a little baby- she was now a little girl. It's not that I don't want her to grow up. I do look forward to her future- learning how to ride a bike, catching her first lady bug, camping out in the backyard etc... But, this past year made me realize how fast it all goes and that makes me sad. I just think about my parents reading this- their littlest baby writing about her baby. It all goes just too fast. So, I have been trying to savor every moment, every silly word or action, every hug and kiss.

Oh yeah, another cool thing that we did at Johanna's party was create a time capsule for her. We invited guests to bring something to add. Some people wrote letters or brought little gifts of love. Brian and I both are writing letters to add. I say "writing" because mine is still not done yet. I am on three pages single spaced and counting!! She will be able to open it when Brian and I deem it necessary. It will be some point in her life when she needs to be reminded how much she is loved, even by her totally uncool parents. Let's not think about that for now!

So, the basics of what Johanna is up to. She is almost 32 inches (off the charts again!) and weights appox. 22 and 1/2 pounds. She is saying so many words now, that I won't take the time to write them all. Her favorites are "duck", "dog", "bye-bye", "night-night", "ball", and "roll". The "roll" come from doing patty cake all the time. She took her first steps on Super Bowl Sunday, and can now walk all the way across the kitchen without falling. She loves to dance to and make music, and she loves to play with her big rubber ball (thanks to Matt and Amy!). She's had a strange affinity for putting everything on her head (including food) and for jumping in her crib before bed (this makes me nervous). She is in such a fun time of her life. She is truly the joy of our lives, and I can't wait to see what God has in store for her next!

I have a four day weekend from school, so stay tuned for some more posting (hopefully!).
Oh- here's some pics from her b-day party! I suppose I should mention that we did a "groundhog" theme since she was born on groundhog day, and she is too young to care! So, that's why the cakes and cupcakes have groundhogs on them. A huge shout-out to the amazing cake-lady, Jackie. She is AWESOME!! The smaller cake with pink on it (and one groundhog in the middle with a party hat) was Johanna's smash cake. How cute!















That's all folks!