Alex's 1st Birthday!

On Friday, May 28 Alex turned 1! We celebrated with his party on Saturday and had a great time with friends and family. Here is big brother Brady helping to mix up the cake.

Jen and Brady were my ladder creators. We broke up pretzels and dipped them in chocolate to make the ladder for the firetruck cake.
Here it is! My second 3D creation!

Our birthday boy was full of grins, giggles, and clapping for his big day!

As I mentioned in a previous post, this kiddos toy of choice these days is a ball. He got a couple of new ones for his birthday. One was from Brady. I laughed when I asked Brady what he wanted to get and he was very certain that it had to be a ball because that is Alex's favorite. This was one from Grandma and Grandpa Johnson.

Grandma and Grandpa Schwartzhoff got Alex a new Packer jersey. We are all set for football season this fall! He also got a CareBear, a stuffed Tigger, several outfits, some cars, a bubble machine, some books, pj's, and a savings bond.

Still can't believe Alex is getting so big!

The cake and singing was all a bit much for Alex. He wasn't sure what to make out of all the attention.

A little uncertain, but he went for it.

His first taste.

Alex was very cautious and very serious about eating his cake. No smiles to be found.

Soon after he got a little messy, fussiness began and then... came the tears. He was no longer having fun so it was time to clean up.

After a little clean up with mommy and grandma we were back in business.

Cake on Grandma's lap was MUCH better.

He actually enjoyed it!

Smiles from the birthday boy

Too cute for words

The birthday boy with daddy

The birthday boy with mommy

He polished off the night playing with his new activity table from mommy and daddy. Thanks to everyone who joined us to celebrate Alex's special day!

Glimmers of hope

Play time with the boys often means shouts and tears these days...mostly from Alex as Brady has taken something away or pushed him down. Occassionaly it is the other way around...Brady screaming because Alex is playing with something that is "his." The other night when I was cleaning up dinner, Brady climbed up on the chair by Alex and the two of them played catch with Alex's stuffed duck Quackly. They were both giggling and having so much fun together. It made my heart melt and I thought, "perhaps there is hope!"

Feeling better

After over a week of someone in our house being sick, we are finally turning a corner. First it was Alex, then Andy, then Brady, and finally me. We have all had horrible colds and I even lost my voice for a couple of days. There has been much sleep and countless boxes of kleenex... Here are a couple of pics of the boys as they were starting to feel a little better.

Alex is really into balls, definately his favorite toy. Doesn't matter what kind. He is beginning to play catch too. It's adorable!

Brady and daddy sharing a snuggle.

Into Mischief

Alex is cruising! He gets around so amazingly fast. Our new house isn't all child-proofed yet. Latches on many of our kitchen cupboards are yet to be installed...Alex has begun the discovering stage.

Innocent Men 25th Reunion Concert

Earlier this month the Innocent Men, an acapella group from UWEC, had their 25th anniversary concert. It was a great event. Andy is an alumni of this group. The guys put on an AMAZING concert! Several alumni groups sang and then there was a gathering for all the former members after the concert. It was wonderful to catch up with many old friends.

One of the surprises of the night was that my dad, who has advised the group since 1991, joined the guys for a song. He did a great job! So proud of you dad!
Here are all the alumni that were there for the concert.

Mother's Day

Mother's Day was a busy and fun day. Following singing at church, we had lunch with my family and then headed for dinner with Andy's. It was a great day filled with family time. I am so thankful to be a mom to my two wonderful boys!

The Johnson farm has baby chicks right now. They were a big hit with the boys!

Jen Graduates!

Saturday was a big day. Jen graduated from pharmacy school!! We are so proud of her!

The happy couple!
So proud of my little sister!!

Thanks to a willing husband, I was able to enjoy the graduation without the boys. The ceremony was at 2pm, so he stayed behind so that they could nap. Made for a better day for all of us. Here is the family photo, minus my boys.

It was great to have grandma with us to celebrate.

Jen and her girls

The proud parents

Following graduation, we went and picked up the boys. We celebrated by going out to dinner and then some bowling. This is Brady showing off his muscles.

Alex hanging out with grandma

Smooches for the grad!

Brady loved the hat!

Dress up time!

Alex needed in on the fun too!

May Day

We were in need of a little project and decided that in the first weekend of May we should make some May baskets! Brady thought this was great fun. Here he is showing off his creations.

Delivery time...
Grandpa sure was surprised! What Brady later told all his grandparents was "This basket is for you! I get to eat what's inside!" Yep...he ate all the treats from the baskets at BOTH houses.

"Walking"

A little over a week ago, Alex discovered he could push Brady's garage around the kitchen and walk behind it. He thought this was the best thing ever!

A little fun with the sliding glass door

It will be a matter of time I am afraid before this one pushes his way through our screen door! Andy and Brady were outside grilling up dinner tonight and Alex wanted in on the action. He was pushing and banging so hard on the screen that Andy closed the sliding glass door. The images below are what followed. We thought it was hilarious!

There are many more, but these are a few of the highlights. Silly little monkey!