LAKE OKOBOJI

The blog has been on a little bit of hiatus - and rightfully so...we have been way too busy enjoying summer!  But, now that the extreme heatwave has hit (again), we are spending some more time inside these days.   During our Memorial Day weekend in NW Iowa, we found an afternoon to spend in Okoboji - Arnolds Park, Queens Court, the Pier, the Emporium, and Terrace Park Beach....oh, how we love Okoboji!

Ethan won the water balloon race game - his competitor, you ask? Mom. 

His very own Boji Bear!

Ethan and Mom at Arnold's Park

Eating ice cream at the Queen's Court

Hauling water and sand for castles

Playing in the sand

GOING TO THE CHAPEL

On May 19th, Jon and Jess's big day finally arrived - Wedding Day!  I had the role of bridesmaid, Mike had the role of groomsman, and Ethan had the role of being cute, well, a really cute ringbearer!  It was a very memorable, fun, and love filled day - it couldn't be any other way with a Johnson party!

THINGS MY KID SAYS

Ethan continues to make us laugh day in and day out - well, and if you can imagine, he about makes us pull our hair out too!  What a multi-talented child!  Enjoy some of our recent conversations.............

Setup:  Walking from the car to the Doctor's office building.
Mom: Oh, Ethan, look at all the pretty flowers.  I love the pink ones!
Ethan: Oh, Mom!  Look at the yellow flowers.  I wuv them.
Mom:  Ha! You do?
Ethan: Yes, I just wuv them.

Setup: Just a normal day at home
Ethan: Mom, I wants a snack
Mom: Uh, no, not right now
Ethan: But, but, but, but, but I wants a coooookie (imagine the pouty face)
Mom: You don't need a cookie, we will be eating dinner soon
Ethan: But, I wants a cookie, I just wuv them.
Mom: (chuckles), I know you do, but if you eat all of your dinner you can have one later.....

Setup: Bedtime - time to say our good nights and I love yous........
Dad:  Good night, Ethan!
Ethan: Good night, Daddy!
Dad: Don't let the bed bugs bite
Ethan: No, YOU don't let the bed bugs bite (pointing his finger at daddy with scrunched eyebrows)
Dad: YOU don't let the bed bugs bite
Ethan: Ah! I a bed bug - rah rah rah rah rah (those are supposed to be pretend biting noises - and he is pretending to attack Dad as a bug)
Dad: Ah! No, no, no don't bite me!!!!
Ethan: (belly laughter)
And.....repeat, over and over and over, night after night after night!

Setup: Packing and planning for our first camping trip
Mom: Ethan!  Are you excited?!  What are we going to do when we go camping?
Ethan: Eat marshmallows and hot dogs!
Mom: Yeah!  And what else?
Ethan: Pick up sticks!  And go camping!  And eat........BUGS! 
Mom: BUGS?!  Uck!  I don't want to eat bugs!
Ethan: (laughing) NAH!  We no eat bugs! (he totally cracks himself up!)

Setup:  Random moments of singing...
Ethan: B-I-ES-ES-SHO, B-I-ES-ES-SHO, B-I-ES-ES-SHO (translation: B-I-N-G-O, and the song goes no further than this!)

Mom: Ethan - tell Dad what song you were singing to me in the car!
Ethan: (singing) Here's my nummer! (translation: Carly Rae Jepsen's super popular 'Call Me Maybe' song)
Mom: (burst of laughter - first I have heard this) Well, yes, I guess we heard that song too, but tell Dad the other song!
Ethan: Rumors has it, Rumors has it, Rumors has it! (translation: Adele's also super popular 'Rumor Has It' that is also played on the radio all the time)
Dad: (shaking his head, not sure if he should be proud or not)

Setup: The HUGE battle of picking up toys around the house
Mom: Ethan - are you listening?  Let's get your stuff picked up.
Ethan: (in la-la land)
Mom: Hey - you need to put your listening ears on
Ethan: (grabbing both of his ears - you, know, to put the listening ones on!)
Mom: Ok, come on, let's get this stuff picked up
Ethan: Mom?  Can I take them off now?
Mom: Take what off?
Ethan: My ears.
Mom: Sigh.......................(translation: I give)

Setup: Pretend play..........Mom is folding laundry, Ethan is playing
Ethan: (grabs empty hamper and puts over his head) I 2 be a wobot, I 2 be a wobot (in his amazing robot voice)
Mom: (laughing) Ethan, are you a robot?
Ethan: (walking stiffly with the hamper still on his head) I 2 be wobot, I2 be a wobot.........Mom! MOM! I a robot.
Mom: (still laughing) Oh, yes, you sure are!

Setup: Playing with his fellow 3 year old friend - neither of which want to share a golf ball (yes, a dang golf ball)
Ethan: (to his friend) I want the ball, give me the ball!
Mom: Ethan Michael!  You need to talk nice to your friend!
Ethan: (gets in his friend's face)  NICE!  NICE!
Mom: ETHAN! Don't just yell the word 'nice' at him, you need to use your nice words!  Just share and take turns.  UGH!
(all of the adults roar into laughter- I believe shortly thereafter the ball was taken away from both of them)

DIRTY THIRTY

What is the difference between 2012 and 1982?  Yep, you're right, 30!  Mike hit the big 3-0 on May 21st, and being the loving, caring, fun wife that I am - I sent him a singing telegram at work!  Grammy Ammy stopped by to visit and sing Mike a fun little song that she wrote about him.  She even brought him flowers and a birthday hat!  I do have the experience on video, but I will give Mike a break and not share right now. In-person viewings are available though!

TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME

I know, I know - it's been awhile!  We have had quite the fun-filled summer, and there are no signs of us slowing down anytime soon.  I will have to go back and time here for a little bit...... May brought us wonderful weather for outdoor activities - including baseball!  For Mike's birthday, we ventured out to the Iowa Cubs game in Des Moines.  We brought the Heidesch family with us for a nice evening out and showed Landon a good time at his first I-Cubs game!  Daddy bought Ethan a bowl of popcorn - it just so happened to come in a baseball helmet.  So efficient, a bowl and a toy all in one!  Here are some moments we captured that evening...

CINNAMON ROLLS

 Ethan got an opportunity to help Dad bake homemade cinnamon rolls recently.  Ethan really enjoyed his flour scooping job, but more importantly, he enjoyed eating one!  He inhaled that thing, I didn't even get a chance to think to take a picture.

SUMMER 2012 IS HERE

One of our favorite things to do in the summer time is to go on down to the Des Moines Farmers Market, as you probably remember from previous years.  We were right there opening weekend on May 4th this year, and we were joined by our new BFF, Landon.  Oh, and his parents, Matt and Mo, too!  

Ethan's popcorn - we don't think he came up for air

Ethan and Landon cruisin'

Planting a pretty sad looking flower

SIT BACK, RELAX, PUT A BUCKET ON YOUR HEAD

FAMILY PICS

In March we headed out for our way overdue family pictures.  I have been horrible at getting our "official" pictures taken over the years, but my goal is to make sure we get it done at least once a year - my goal is to get another set (at least of just Ethan) done this fall. Honestly, it's something I don't look forward too because Ethan just doesn't sit still and doesn't like to be told to sit down and be still to get his picture taken.  Thankfully, the posed family pictures aren't a necessity these days!  We went out and played around and the photographer grabbed some posed photos but mostly just candid and made them look cool.  Lemon Tree Photography has done some really great work for some friends of ours, so we knew she could make us photogenic!  Here are some of our favorites.......

SLUGS, SNAILS, AND PUPPY DOG TAILS

Introducing...Landon Peter!  Our friends Matt & Melissa had their first born child last week.  We went to visit the family and Ethan was really excited to hold the baby.  He thought he was pretty cool sitting there holding him.  And, as usual, this was the only 5 minutes of calm, cool, and collected, until Ethan turned into hell on wheels once again - running, tripping, yelling, crashing, climbing, not listening, being naughty.  I suppose Matt and Melissa got a quick glimpse into their future!

Ethan (3 yrs) & Landon (1 week)

WINTER BUCKET LIST - FINAL FRONTIER

Remember our Winter Bucket List posts...well, there were a couple things we didn't get to do because of our wonderful mild winter (we Iowans were overdue for a break this year). We didn't get a chance to go sledding - Ethan had gotten a new sled and everything!  In opening up the garage on a very beautiful day in early April, he sees his sled and drags it out.  It was such a nice day, that Mike was treating the yard and pulled out the sprinklers.  Ethan had also just gotten a new Spiderman sprinkler.  Might as well kill two birds with one stone - sledding and running through the sprinkler all at once.  Not sure that I would have put the two together, but it provided enough entertainment for the afternoon!

On a side note - we don't have squirrels where we live...we have ducks.  So instead of building a snowman this winter, we fed the ducks in our yard!

THINGS MY KID SAYS

My friend Kelly has been keeping a blog of her family and I always look forward to her posts "Things My Kid Says".  Her little guy, Miles, is the same age as Ethan, so it's fun to hear what she is going through as we are going through some of the same things.  I just have to follow in her footsteps and start documenting more of what Ethan says these days - it's pure entertainment and it will be fun to look back at someday!

Setup: Driving home from daycare...
Ethan: Knock Knock
Mom: Who's there?
Ethan: Ethan Dean
Mom: Ethan Dean Who?
Ethan: (annoyed) Ethan Dean!

Setup: The 3 of us relaxing in the living room one weeknight
Ethan: Look! I'm Daddy! (putting on Mike's shoes)
Mom: Oh, did you put on Daddy's shoes?  Are you going somewhere?
Ethan: I go present shopping
Mom: Oh, is that what Daddy does? That sounds great!
Dad: (rolling eyes and snickering)
Ethan: Bye! (pretends to leave by standing by the door and putting his back to us)
Mom & Dad: Bye, see you later!
Ethan: I Back!  Here, presents! (trying to walk in Mike's size 12 dress shoes)

Setup: Saturday morning, all 3 of us lounging in bed
Ethan: I wanna watch cars-toons
Mom: Ok, go get me the remote
Dad: (sleeping)
Mom: Ugh, why isn't this working? (trying to get the TV & satellite turned on)
Mom: Ethan, I don't know why this isn't turning...
Ethan: (interrupts Mom) MIKE!!!!!!
Mom: (bursts into laughter) Oh Ethan, you make me laugh
Dad: (still sleeping)
Ethan:  MIKE!  The TD (translation: TV) need batteries!
Dad: (still sleeping)
Mom: Shh...his name is Daddy and he's sleeping
Ethan: Oh

Setup: Just a random day at home
Ethan: I want hop-corn (translation: popcorn)
Dad: Ok, what do you say?
Ethan: Pweeze! (translation: please)
Dad: What kind of please?
Ethan: Retty pheez! (translation: Pretty please)
Dad: With???
Ethan: Sure on top (translation: sugar)
Dad: And...
Ethan: a Cherry!
Dad: And...
Ethan: Kinkles! (translation: Sprinkles)
Dad: And...
Ethan: Tisses on top!!! (translation: kisses)
(Ethan gives kisses, and gets his popcorn)

TYPICAL DAY

Here is just a look at a typical day in the life right now.....

Potty training is going well, except for the #2 part.  Don't ask...

Ethan's homemade rainbow out of torn up paint chips - idea from Pinterest, of course!

Ethan and Mommy enjoying the fort we built one night

Our new grill - burgers and eggs!  The removable gadgets are pretty awesome 

LITTLE SISTER

I dedicate this posting to my little sister, Jessi.  Turns out, family are the only ones that call her Jessi, while her whole life friends, teachers, coworkers have called her Jessica (or maybe Jess), and my Dad has always spelled her name wrong - Jessie.  Who knew it would be such a complicated name?  I suppose it's on me - when she was born, my parents had a few names picked out and let me pick out of the list.  Yep, I picked Jessica, whether she likes it or not.  And, I will always call her Jessi, whether she likes it or not.  Being the older sister, it's my job to tease her.  It wouldn't be natural if I didn't continue this teasing for the rest of her life.  She is getting married soon, and I hosted a bridal shower for her this spring.  Here are a few pictures from the Pampered Chef party we had for her....yep, I picked the funny ones!

Chew a piece of bubble gum for each question she answers wrong about her fiance!

Friends and family  - @ Northwest Bank Service Center facility

Click to see a larger picture - it's worth it to see the look on Jessi's face!

Chocolate Raspberry Trifle was on the menu - not beautiful, but tasty!

And the post wouldn't be complete without introducing my new brother-in-law, Jon!  I can't take credit for this poster - this is from her "other" bridal shower.  I'll spare you the pictures of her new undergarments as well as the festivities of the bachelorette party. See, I know how to be nice!

GO STATE

It's always on our to-do list to hit up an ISU Cyclone Basketball game each season.  This year, we didn't think we were going to make it to one.  The team was really good this year, and the games were selling out left and right!  We were fortunate enough to get tickets to the very last home game this season!  It was a great game, the Cyclones won, and the student section even stormed the court.  Mike and I were more than thrilled, Ethan on the other hand, was Crabby McCrabberson that day.  Knowing he was probably going to be difficult, we planned a variety of activities to keep him entertained.  Popcorn lasted most of the 1st half.  Then he had to go potty, we were in the upper level and the bathrooms are way down on the lower level, then we get there and he doesn't have to go *sigh*.  Then the iPad did the trick for most of the 2nd half, but towards the end, just needed to be held by mom (who needs to buff up a bit, this kid is 40lbs!).