Happy Birthday to Isaac

Isaac turned one back in August, but it was just too busy that month to celebrate in style. So we waited till September and threw a big bash for the little guy. We invited friends and family for a backyard BBQ and had food, music, and conversation. Isaac had a blast, thanks to all the fun kids that came and played in the dirt with him. Here are some pictures:

 Isaac's robot cake. It says "Isaac 1" if you could see it 360.

 Isaac is excited for his party. He's actually dancing here.

 Ain't he a cutie?

 I love my handsome boy.

 Isaac says, "Dad, I can't believe you have this on your playlist! I'm going to change it to something more appropriate."

 Here's the cake surrounded by cake pops I made. Tutorials for these have been all over and I really wanted to try them. So now I can say I did, and I am never doing them again. The how-tos all made them seem soo easy and fun. They were not. But they were really cute, huh?

Here's our awesome robot we made out of rice krispie treats, fondant, and candies. He's cute, huh?

 Here's cute Johnny.

 Jonas. He ate the robot.

 The big boys like to pick Isaac up and carry him around. Here, he has been dropped. James snapped pictures while I laughed at my child.

 Yeah, we're winning the parents of the year award. Hands down.

 Allison and Michael enjoying the festivities.

 The cute Bonnett family.

 Some of Isaac's favorite playmates, our former neighbors the Dusbabek boys.

 Isaac and his cake.

 Isaac's favorite portion of the party. Playing in the dirt with Evan.

Thanks to everyone who came. To those who couldn't make it - we missed you.

May the Course Be With You

Race course, that is.

On Sept. 11, the culmination of months of hard work and sacrifice finally arrived. James spent several months getting up early and running in the wee hours of the morning to prepare for a half marathon. He started out running 2-3 miles daily and worked his way up to 11 miles over several weeks. The hard work may have been on his part, but the sacrifice was all mine. I had to give up my sweet, happy husband for a grumbling, crotchety one. He hates running. And yet, he did it. Every. Dang. Day. And then came home and told me how much he hates running. And how bad his legs hurt. And how he was sooo tired. No, but really, he was still sweet and happy, just a little extra complainy. It was cute. Mostly.

Anyway, it all came to an end that day when James ran his 13.1 miles in 2 hours and 30 minutes. What did I do all that time? Well, it was hecka cold, and I was not prepared, so Isaac and I booked it outta there before the race even began. We wanted to stay and see him off to a running start, but they kept delaying the race time, and poor Isaac was all red-cheeked and sad. So, we left, went home to sleep for an hour, then got all bundled up and came back. By that time, the race organizers had started cooking pancakes and waffles, so I dug in while my dogged husband was pounding the pavement. I'm all about being supportive. So, after I had my fill, and Isaac had spent a good half hour playing at the playground, we wandered over to the finish line and cheered James as he crossed the line like a champion. I was immensely proud. Even though he claims to hate running so much, he had made a goal and he had achieved it. My husband is awesome. And you know what? He says no more half marathons. Hurrah. ... He's now set the goal of running a marathon next year. Can someone say masochist?

Here's the handsome man on race day:

 Stretching before the race.

 More stretching.

 You can tell Isaac is loving this.

 Bad Mom forgot a jacket for baby, so we improvised. 

 Luckily, James got a t-shirt from the race, so he gave Isaac the one he had come in.

Excited anticipation? Rueful disbelief that he's actually doing this to himself? You decide.

 More stretches.

 Here he is lining up to race. Right before I took off like the awesome wife I am.

 And here's the reason they kept delaying the race. They wanted every one to get a chance to use the bathroom. Did they not have toilets at home? Come on, people!

 I tried to get James to pretend to start running, but he thought it wouldn't be convincing, what with all the people standing still behind him.

 See, Isaac, I got you a jacket. I'm not so terrible a mom.

 Isaac, smile. You love the swing.

 You love it.

 I swear.

 Yeah, Mom, whatever you say.

 I tried to get a shot of him crossing the finish line. That gray dude is him. Getting his chip clipped off his shoe. It's not the best action shot, I'll admit.

 Checking his time on his awesome watch.

He is the champion, my friends.

Aunt Martha's Tea Party

In August, we celebrated Aunt Martha's birthday with a tea party. We got all dressed up in hats and dresses and enjoyed delicious finger foods, including real English scones and clotted cream. Delicious. Here are some pictures of the event:

Disney Land Trip

Waaay back in July, we took a trip out to California for an awesome Johansen family reunion in Anaheim, California. We got to spend some quality time with our newest niece, Mila, and have some awesome fun with the entire Johansen clan. This is pretty rare, and we totally lived it up. We stayed in a really great house that miraculously fit all of us and allowed us to eat, play, talk, and tackle the children all in the same place. We spent two days at Disneyland, and the rest of the time doing what we do best - eating and playing. Here are some of my favorite pictures we came away with:

We took a trip to the Newport Beach temple. James was keen to see it, since it was still under construction
while he was serving his mission in Anaheim.

 

 

Here are a few shots from Disney:

 Me, AJ, and the baby... waiting in some line. We try to keep it real.

 It's a small world. Isaac actually liked this ride, thought you can't tell from his expression here.

 Isaac munching on something waiting to go on the tram.

 Dad, James, and Isaac in line. I'm sensing a theme here.

 While waiting to go on the Winnie the Pooh ride, the ride actually broke down so a 2 minute wait turned into a 20 minute wait. We were too stubborn to leave, so we just found ways to entertain ourselves. Isaac favored acrobatics.

 And making funny faces.

 My cute family :)

 Here I am with Eli and Isaac - they're one year and one day apart. :)

 Cute Ainsley on the Cars ride.

I made James buy and Indiana Jones hat. Cuz he's so cute in it.

 Isaac enjoyed taking it off more than putting it on.

 Isaac fell asleep in line for Star Tours. Auntie AJ was sweet and held him so we could go.

 Here I am with my favorite C3P0.

And here's James with a very dark R2D2. :)

All in all, a really fun time, and many thanks to my mom and dad and all the family members that made it happen :)