Holiday Cheer!

'Tis the season to be... BUSY!! This time every year, Ryan and I collapse on the couch and swear that next year we're going to stay in our PJs the entire Christmas holiday and not leave the house. But it's never that easy. And honestly... even though I get a little stressed over shopping, traveling and getting the annual Johnson postcard sent out, I love every minute of it. Christmas with Rayna this year was a lot of fun to say the least. We baked cookies, saw Christmas lights, sang Jingle Bells, watched Rudolph and Frosty about a billion times and she even sat on Santa's lap (for two seconds). It was definitely a Merry Christmas! Below are a few "fun" outtakes from the Holiday postcard photo shoots. See you all next year!!

Many Thanks

OK... I know Thanksgiving was like two weeks ago, but things are crazy this time of year. Still, it's my duty to include a blog entry about our Thanksgiving festivities. This year we had much to be thankful for, including our health, family and friends and especially surviving our first year on basically one income. We were also very thankful for the beautiful 60-degree weather we had in Ocean City over the holiday (In case anyone was wondering why I have pictures of Rayna at the beach in winter clothes for our Thanksgiving entry). Rayna's list of things she's thankful for is very long, but here are just few I'm guessing top the list: Playing with Sugie, Gummies, Diego, Cooking with Papa and Rocking with Mama (that would be rocking in a rocking chair... sadly my head-banging days are over).

Snow Much Fun!

As I was suiting Rayna up to go play in the snow this morning, I had visions of The Christmas Story. Between her puffy jacket and her big boots, she could barely move. But I think I may have created a monster. Now she understands what snow is and that you can play in it, so every time she saw it snowing today she started begging to go outside and play. That would be fine, but after being outside for five minutes, she wants to take off all her clothes! I guess that's what I get for letting her run around outside in her diaper this summer! Well, here's to the first snow of the winter!

Fall Family Fun!

Lucky for us, Fall seemed to last a little longer this year. Otherwise, we probably wouldn't have had the chance to squeeze in a Fall family photo session this year. Even the day we picked ended up turning overcast and dreary. But we managed to find some areas that still had beatiful colors. As you can see from the pictures Rayna loves the outdoors as much as her Mama and Papa. We've been doing little hikes with her here and there. And when I say little, I mean little... and slow. A typical hike begins with us starting out all together keeping a good pace, then suddenly Rayna sees something on the ground that she wants to investigate, which usually takes 10 minutes. I carry her on my shoulders so we can catch up to Papa, and the we start the process all over again. It's worth it though... we love seeing her explore and learn what different things are in the woods.

Trick or Treat!

Funny Farm

Rayna loves spending time down on the farm. Her favorite is riding on PaPa's tractor, but she also loves seeing the cats and ponies. During a recent visit, Rayna had fun horsin' around with Aunt Kendie while she posed with Uncle K-K for a close up.

Breaking news: Dad gets stuck in play house

I'm not sure what made Papa decide to go in Rayna's play house... maybe it was the eggs and peas with ketchup that she made special just for him to eat. He never could turn down a free meal. To everyone's surprise he did fit (sort of). The best part was watching him trying to get back out. I almost thought I was going to have to call 911! Oh the silly things parents do for their kids.

Time to Play

Now that Rayna is VERY mobile, it's a lot harder to get those "perfect" photos that were so much easier when she couldn't run from the camera. So now, I've been having fun just following after her and getting whatever pictures I can. Here's a taste of playtime with Rayna...

Taking "Chicken" out for a stroll.

Looking for ants.

And of course, playing with Mama!

It's In the Genes

My grandfather had an infamous habit of sticking his tongue out when he was in a state of deep concentration. I can still picture him sitting there putting together puzzles or shelling peas, with his tongue clenched between his teeth. Over the years, it's been the running joke whenever any of us kids would be caught doing the same thing, we'd hear or say, "Oh they must get it from Grandpa." Lately, I've noticed Rayna doing things with her tongue sticking out. Usually when she's running, which scares me that she'll bite it off if she falls. But I've also caught her doing it while she's reading books or playing with her Backyardigans' Circus. I love the idea that it's a family gene that she inherited from my grandfather. I know he'd get a kick out of seeing it, too. Whoever she takes after, she's full of personality that's for sure. I find myself biting my own tongue every day to keep from laughing out loud at some of the naughty things she does or says, like holding her finger up to me and saying "No, no, Mama!" or "Top (stop) it, Mama." Usually when she's naughty I blame Ryan saying it's his side of the family. When she's sweet and gentle, like playing with our cat Fred, and saying "Awww Fwed, awww Fwed" she totally takes after me!

Go Eagles!

If there's one piece of advice I could give to a new mom, it's to make sure you have an extra outfit packed somewhere deep within the diaper bag for yourself! Let's just say I found out the hard way. As you can imagine taking Rayna to her first Eagles football game was a big day for her ... and her Papa. But if I would have had to guess who the first Johnson would be to throw up in the Linc, it wouldn't have been Rayna! Yep that's right... the poor little Eagles fan had too much excitement and at the very tippy-top of the stadium she decided to let it all out. Luckily we managed to escape being on the big TV! But, I think it's safe to say it will definitely be a memory we'll never forget. So for this year I think Papa will be watching the rest of the games from the couch.

An Ernie Obsession

In case you've been sitting on the edge of your seats wondering who Rayna's favorite Sesame Street character is... drum roll please... it's Ernie!! I'm not exactly sure how he managed to beat out Elmo and Abby Cadabby, although they do come in a very close second and third. Over the last six months we've watched as Rayna sort of developed a slight obsession with Ernie. Besides the fact that she carries around a little stuffed Ernie doll (which she stole from her cousin Nick Nick), she squeals when she sees him on TV, refuses to wear anything but her Ernie T-shirt, and God forbid we cover up the T-shirt with a bib! And then there was our recent trip to Sesame Place where she got to meet Ernie! She actually walked right up to him and gave him a hug. At 18 months old, my daughter is an Ernie groupie! Still, it makes us laugh to see her enthusiasm and her eyes light up with excitement over a little orange puppet.

It's Potty Time

So this is the type of picture that 16 years from now Rayna will absolutely despise me for, but oh well. It's my job to capture every "first" moment, from eating her first spoons of baby food to sitting on the potty. Actually, I never thought it would be happening this soon. A few friends and family had asked me whether I started potty training, and I sort of brushed it off because I figured 18 months old was too young. But what do I know. She decided last week that she wanted to sit on her Elmo potty and to both our surprise, she took her first "tinkle." I believe her exact words were, "Uh Oh" as she realized what she was doing. Now she loves letting me know when she has to "pee pee," which is usually 10 times a day. Most of the time she just likes to sit on the potty with her diaper on. She still hasn't actually had a second successful "tinkle." During this particular trip to the bathroom, she was having so much fun trying to get her baby to sit on the potty, that she ended up going too... on the floor beside the potty! Still it's fun to watch her explore this new milestone, although I try not to get too excited about the thought of diaper-free days because with her rapidly approaching the terrible twos, I'm well aware it could be a long way off.

Rayna's BFF

I knew one of the things that would be challenging with staying at home with Rayna would be exposing her to other kids her age on a regular basis. Fortunately, I've been lucky in that our next door neighbors watch their granddaughter, Syndey, who is 2 years old. It's been so much fun watching them play and grow together this summer. Their personalities are very similar yet different at the same time. And with Sydney being almost a year older, she's doing things that Rayna tries desperately to keep up with. Rayna has always been a bit reserved around other kids, but after spending time with Sydney, I've seen a difference in how she plays with other kids. It still takes her a while to warm up, but she's more adventurous and not so quick to run to Momma. That was especially evident last weekend when she had the chance to play with her 2-year-old cousins from Connecticut. I thought she'd be shy and hiding behind me the entire time but she was actually really social and had a great time. It definitely helped that they had just about every kind of outdoor toy you can imagine!

The Beach

Last year when we went to the beach, Rayna was barely sitting. It's amazing the difference just a year makes. We weren't sure how she was going to react to the sand, the ocean and just the overall excitement of the beach, but she LOVED it! It was a tough call on what her favorite thing was, but I'd have to say it was splashing in the ocean waves. She had no fear...although I had enough for her! She wanted to just run right into the ocean without holding our hands. She would get knocked down and just get right back up. Rolling in the sand was probably her second favorite. Each morning we would go through the routine of getting sunblock on and then her bathing suit. As soon as the suit was on she was at the door saying "side" (outside) or "wawa" (water). She wouldn't rest until someone would take her to the ocean. I was a bit worried that she would go through withdraw after we got back, but she actually seemed happy to be back home with Sugar, Fred and Bam Bam.

Fun With Family!

Holiday weekends usually mean lots of family gettogethers. And Rayna loves playing with all of her cousins. She had a chance to play with almost every one of them, including the Gaumers, the Huxtas, and Big Alex! It's so fun to see her and Abby growing up. With only three months between them, it's only a matter of time before they'll be inseperable. It was the same way with me and my cousin when we were little. It's so weird to think that last year at this time she was just learning to sit by herself. For those of you who have lost track, Rayna is 16 months old now! She's running all over the place, rolling in the grass, trying to blow bubbles, playing in the dirt, and getting boo boos! I just had to make a run to the drugstore to stock up on bandaids. I've been trying to get her to run in the grass instead of full speed down our walkway.

Busted!

Yesterday, while visiting her friends on Sesame Street, Rayna was stopped by the Toy Car Patrol. She was charged with a DWJ... Driving With Juice. Rayna had to pass a few tests. She had to say her ABCs and she had to demonstrate her spinning abilities. Although the spinning was a little suspect, she passed with flying colors and was given a warning to keep her juice in the cup holder. Wheww!!

These Boots Are Made For Walking

Finally... Rayna is starting to like shoes! I mean, what fun is having a little girl if she doesn't get excited over shoes?! Serious though, I might have created a monster, because now all she wants to do is get into her shoe cupboard and try on all her shoes... even the ones that are three sizes too big like her pink cowgirl boots Aunt Kendie got for her. I couldn't resist taking this picture... especially with her belly sticking out over her diaper!

Mountain Adventures

The mountains hold a very special place in my heart. I still have very vivid memories of my family's annual mini-vacations to the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon. With my dad being a farmer he usually was only able to break away for a couple days at a time. But it didn't matter to us. It almost seemed like time stood still once we pulled up to the rustic hunting cabin we loved so much. Collecting smooth rocks, holding orange salamanders, thinking the outhouse was the coolest thing ever, sleeping in bunkbeds, leaving scraps out for bears, spotting deer...just a few of my favorite memories. I was excited when Ryan became an equally big fan of the Pine Creek Gorge area of Tioga County. And now I want it to be just as special for Rayna as it is for her Papa and me. Our trip this year was a lot of fun...excluding the fact that she wouldn't sleep in her pack 'n play. I actually think it was because she was so excited. She had a blast being the center of attention by Katlyn and Alex. Her favorite thing was when I showed her how to throw stones into the water. I serious ly think she would have done it all day. Although, I really regret teaching her

that, now that we're home and she keeps

throwing garden stones into our fish pond! We biked, hiked, played in mountain waterfalls, and watched Papa kayak. A wonderful time had by all (except Sugie...although she was still having fun with Grandma and Grandpa on the farm.)