Baby, I love you

2010-10-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite adventures was to the Chaffee Zoo. Dashiel had so much fun seeing the animals. We took him to a petting zoo for his birthday and he wasn't so sure about the goats then, but he really got a kick out of them this time.

2010-10-18T13:27:00.000-07:00

We are back in Mesa but I have pictures of some of our adventures before we left Fresno. We wanted to go camping at Yosemite but we were running out of time, so we just went for the day--the day before we drove out of town! It was kind of crazy, but totally worth it! It was a beautiful day and we saw so many things. Yosemite is huge!! We had no idea!

We found this beautiful hotel that was built several decades ago and remodeled in the '40s. We got some adorable pictures of Dashiel.
These are two different views of Half Dome Rock. The scale of the place is unbelievable and absolutely gorgeous.

More Pismo Beach Fun

2010-09-09T09:35:00.000-07:00

We picked the most convenient day in our schedule to go to Pismo, but the weather didn't really pick us. It only hit a high of about 80 degrees. That is a little cold for the Pacific Ocean. However, we were determined to go in the water anyway--well, I let the water get up to about my knees, but Trevor was determined to enjoy the waves. Dashiel was even too curious to let the cold bother him for a while. So we enjoyed the water and had fun in the sand. Trevor tried to build something in the sand, but instead experienced the hand of destruction--namely, Dashiel. So he gave that up and we buried Dashiel in the sand up to his waist...and then we buried Daddy in the sand and gave him a merman tail! Ha ha! And Dashiel was so tired he slept for a whole 45 minutes on the 3 hour drive home...that was not so much fun.

Oh yah, I forgot to mention. Dashiel thought it was very important to try out the sand and see if Pismo Beach sand tastes different than the sand box...yech!

Pismo Beach and All the Clams You Can Eat!!!

2010-09-08T15:18:00.001-07:00

Years ago when Bryan and Becca were getting married, Trevor passed Pismo Beach with his family and suddenly he and Jeremy, in unison, quoted, Pismo Beach and all the clams you can eat! Apparently they have a better memory of the adventures of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck than I do. Anyhow, we had to do just that. So we found a little cafe and got our yummy clam chowder and fish and chips. It was fun!

Dashiel loved the fish and chips! Go figure! =)

Greek Festival

2010-09-02T12:58:00.000-07:00

This weekend we took some time to stop by the Fresno Greek Festival. We both love Greek food and it was a great opportunity to get outside and enjoy the crowd. We met some interesting people, went inside the beautifully painted church a nd listened to the youth choir, ate great food, and enjoyed the dancing--which I think was Dashiel's favorite part. He was bobbing to it and when we set him down he was just turning in circles with his arms up until he lost his balance and fell down on his little derriere. It was so cute!

I really love this picture of the three of us. A couple at the table we were sitting at offered to take it for us.

2010-08-31T10:00:00.000-07:00

I know lots of people are huge fans of the Suzanne Collins series, The Hunger Games. I am a little behind and alas, I have read only the first so far. Hopefully I will be getting book two from the library shortly. Anyhow, when Trevor and I were recently at the library we were looking at the DVDs and he found the 80s Schwarzenegger film, The Running Man, complete with an I'll be back quote. I had never even heard of it. It has a flavor similar to The Hunger Games, and seems like possibly some inspiration for the series.

2010-08-29T10:00:00.000-07:00

Dashiel is a boy who loves his cucumber! I have to share these pictures, because they are so cute! He really is a character! Enjoy!

Fun at the park!

2010-08-27T23:19:00.000-07:00

Trevor recently had a day off that happened to be the same day Dashiel and I always go to the park. So since Daddy was able to go with us we decided to try a new park that has lots of water features and I had heard a lot about. At first Dashiel was timid and content to simply watch the other kids, but once he got going with Daddy at his side, he had a blast! I love parks like this. Lots of fun followed by a good nap!

2010-08-18T07:51:00.000-07:00

This Johnson Family has had some big changes over the last few weeks. A friend of ours was working in California as a technician as part of a summer sales program and he was being moved to a new area in the middle of July leaving a void and asked Trevor if he wanted to capitolize on the opportunity. So with four days notice, we packed up and moved to Fresno, California to finish up our summer. We are still here for a little while and it has been a great adventure and opportunity. Trevor is working hard six days a week, but still managing to find time with his wife and son.

Dashiel is doing very well. He is getting more and more steady on his feet all of the time as he toddles after Mom and Dad--or ahead sometimes. And occassionally he will surprise us with a new word. He is right on the cusp of talking. He loves dogs, cats, and kids and thankfully there are plenty to entertain him here at our apartment complex. There is a particularly friendly Tabby cat that he has given hugs to. He also loves swimming or perhaps I should say splashing. It is one of his favorite things to do. We have recently found a park that we go to on Fridays. There are always lots of other kids running around that he enjoys watching. There is a really cute stream that has an area specifically for kids to play in which Dashiel loves because there are always about half a dozen kids to splash around with. We usually end up leaving with him in soaked shorts, but he loves it!

2010-07-01T14:05:00.000-07:00

Well, it's summer in Mesa now and summer is all about spending time inside or at the pool. This is still a relatively new activity for Dashiel, but he loves it. He was splashing in the water with his cousins with smiles all around and kicking his legs. At one point he was reaching toward a cousin as though he could simply swim to her--yikes! Not quite there yet! He had a great time and was so worn out he was falling asleep on his Uncle Sol and then crashed as soon as we got in the car followed by a very long nap. A tired boy he was!

Hair Cut

2010-06-29T17:29:00.000-07:00

Dashiel's hair kept getting longer and longer but I was so nervous to cut it. I have no experience cutting todder's hair. And for heaven's sake, he doesn't want to sit still long enough for me to change his diaper let alone his hair. I had tried to trim it in little bits, but he still had bangs and it was far from being finished. So on Saturday while I was gone to a baby shower. Trevor grabbed the boy and pinned him down--no, wait, he didn't do that. All he had to do was give Dashiel an empty water bottle to play with and he cut Dashiel's hair with his beard trimmer. It looks so great!

By the way, did I mention it is getting harder and harder to get good pictures of the boy? As soon as he sees me with the camera he wants it. Nothing anyone can relate to, I'm sure! =)

2010-06-19T23:28:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I've been getting some flack about not posting in a long, long time. Let me explain. I tried to get creative with my blog and just plain got frustrated! So now I've got a generic background until I figure out what I want so I can meanwhile keep in touch with the world--so to speak.

So it has been almost a year since I last posted and so very much has happened. First of all, we recently celebrated Dashiel's first birthday! Holy cow it has been a year! We had a lot of fun and he really enjoyed his cake experience--or should I say sugar rush. He was so hyper after all that sugar. He kept darting back and forth and laughing, and then when bedtime came he crashed.

Dashiel is also walking. He has been taking steps on his own for about a month now. Often Trevor and I would try to help him by holding his hands but he is a stubborn little boy and only wanted to do it when it was his idea. After weeks of just taking a few steps here and there but rather defaulting to crawling, something suddenly clicked 10 days ago and he has now switched to preferring the upright position. He is such a character.

Well, can't spill all the news right away or I will bore everyone. More later! Enjoy pics!

New pictures of Dashiel

2009-07-06T09:10:00.000-07:00

On Saturday Dashiel had a little portrait session. Trevor's cousin Brittney is a great photographer and she came over with all of her equipment and took some adorable pictures.

Learning New Things Everyday

2009-06-22T10:52:00.000-07:00

I am learning what it means to be a mom, and it is definitely an adventure. I have learned that I need to plan at least a half hour more to get ready to go anywhere--or I should just plan to be late. I have learned that my house doesn't get cleaned as quickly as I would like it to because I am constantly pulled away from my task--though it is a welcome face that pulls me away. I have learned it is okay if it takes me three hours to fold one basket of laundry--it will still be there when I get back. I have learned that I can be very talented with just one hand--I can cook, clean, type, and even sort of iron a shirt. These are things I have learned in just three weeks. Just think what more I have to learn! And it is all worth it!

Sleepy pictures

2009-06-22T10:38:00.000-07:00

This little boy is changing everyday! These pictures are at two weeks of age. Trevor had just finished changing his diaper and was trying to put Dashiel to sleep. After a rough night and only getting about 2 hours of sleep, he ended up putting both of them too sleep. They looked so adorable, I couldn't resist sneaking a few pictures.

2009-06-03T20:55:00.000-07:00

Baby Dashiel is here!

2009-06-03T20:20:00.000-07:00

Dashiel Knight Johnson was born Sunday, May 31 at 7:35 am. At the time of his birth he was 7 lbs 8 oz and 21 inches long. We were very blessed to have the opportunity to have our precious little boy born at home with the assistance of a midwife. It was such an amazing experience. Our midwife, Mary, was an incredible coach and took such good care of us. I was able to have a completely natural child birth. After one hour of pushing, with my husband at my side the whole time, our son was placed on my abdomen. Our son looked up at me and I knew we would name him Dashiel Knight. I pulled Dashiel to my chest and held him close. Suddenly, in one moment, the nine months of carrying him all came to a close as we got to experience the joy of that moment. We are so happy to have our little boy and we love seeing his personality shine in just the few days since he was born.

Pretty Bling

2009-02-28T16:04:00.000-08:00

I first starting making jewelry when I was a teenager, and then abandoned it for a few years. I recently started doing a lot more of it last year. I keep talking about making a business out of it, and hopefully I will make that happen this year. It was really exciting last year to make so many beautiful pieces and even sell a few. For Christmas last year my manager commissioned me to make a necklace for her mother and it turned out pretty amazing, so I just have to share it.

The main bead on the string is ruby Swarovski Crystals, and the dangles are made of a mixture of beads, garnet, blue topaz, red tiger eye, onyx, silver pieces and more Swarovski crystals (peridot, smoky topaz, a light yellow, and clear) on silver wire. Tell me what you think!

Golf Land Adventure

2009-02-28T15:24:00.000-08:00

Trevor and I decided one night that we hadn't been on an actual date in too long. So we skipped making dinner at home and our date with The Office. So we went to Cafe Rio (I'm so happy we have one here!) and mini golfing. Trevor originally wanted to take me to Golf Land when we were dating, but we got engaged so quickly, we didn't have time. So we made a point to go. And the best part is, on our first round, we were head to head 37 strokes!!! Who knew I have a hidden talent in mini golfing, however, it didn't seem to last to the second round. Oh yah, and Trevor even made a new toady friend.

Long Awaited Pics

2009-02-28T15:06:00.000-08:00

22 Weeks24 Weeks 26 Weeks (cooking in our newly painted two-tone green kitchen!)

Pregnancy is good

2009-02-09T20:23:00.000-08:00

The last few months have incited a lot of change for us. For those that don't know, I am 5 months pregnant and apparently I finally look pregnant instead of just gaining weight or sporting a "bloated belly" as I have heard it described. Of course, I love the comments that, "Hey, pregnancy looks good on you!" What pregnant woman doesn't like to hear that? And I have a wonderful husband who constantly reminds me how beautiful he finds me.

It has been funny to watch people's behavior though. At work people walk by me and as they say hello their eyes go from my face to my belly back to my face, unsure if they should say anything. And at church people are still wary of saying anything in case they are wrong. The last few weeks I have begun to understand what women feel when they are prego. I feel like suddenly my abs disappeared one day and I have a hard time getting out of the sofa, and I'm not even that big, or at the end of my work day my tail bone hurts, sleeping is getting to be a challenge, and I'm in the lovely transitionary period where most maternity clothes are still a little too big, but my regular clothes are getting too small. However, despite all of these new things, we are simply blessed that this baby is growing healthy and strong.

The weekend

2008-11-15T12:26:00.000-08:00

Another work week is done and I'm so happy it is the weekend. However, as I was leaving work Friday I stopped in the break room and saw a flier on each of the tables. It was for a rally of some sort for equal rights. I was intrigued and read on. Apparently it is in support of California's Prop 8 that recently passed. This was the second time the definition of marriage has been voted on in California and the people have voted that it is between a man and a woman. I was disturbed that one, this is being advertised and supported in Arizona (which had a similar proposition voted on). This is California's issue and should be dealt with in that state. Each state has their own issues, and I don't think other states should get involved. Secondly, the people voted, this is what the majority of the state of California wanted.

Anyway, enough of me on my soapbox. On a completely different note, today was the primary program in church. It was done very well and there was obviously a lot of work put into it. And it was great to be able to see so many nieces and nephews involved. However, the best part was watching the Sunbeams in the very front wave to their parents every time they stood up for a song. So much fun. =)

And Friday we had such a great night. We decided we hadn't been on a real date in quite some time. So we went to Cafe Rio for dinner and then to the dollar theater after (sound like a familiar date spot?). It was so fun and carefree. It reminded me of when we were dating. We seemed to speed through that part so fast and it's nice to remind ourselves why we are so in love. (I know it's cheesy, but it's true!) Hope everyone else is having a great weekend!

America

2008-11-06T19:00:00.001-08:00

This has been an interesting few days since Election Day. First, let me say how thankful I am to live in a country where we can vote for our leaders. One thing I kept thinking about on Tuesday is how amazing our Founding Fathers were. They outlined so many important things for our government, and one huge thing was voting. Another huge part is checks and balances. Of course all day long on Wednesday were discussions about the President-elect and what McCain is doing now. Some people are ecstatic and others, like my Grandmother, are a little depressed. However, the beautiful thing about our government is checks and balances in place for the country to function properly and smoothly. I appreciated the opportunity to not only vote for president, but also several propositions that I felt were very important. I am anxious to see what the future brings.

In addition to all of that, I must say how thankful I am that we did not have to wait two weeks to know who the president would be! I will never forget walking to the polls in 2000 with Melanie thinking out loud, Wow. By the end of today, we will know who the next president is. Two weeks later... So it is nice to know our voting systems are working a little better every election too! =)

Halloween Scrapbooking

2008-11-06T18:48:00.001-08:00

Well, I told my mom and Emilee that I was doing some digital scrapbooking with our Halloween pictures. Now they aren't near as fabulous as Emilee's, but I think they are pretty cute. I'll just keep practicing and looking to Em for inspiration...or to steal ideas! Hee hee! Enjoy! =)

Halloween 2008

2008-10-31T21:15:00.000-07:00

What better way to spend Halloween than hanging out at home carving pumpkins and handing out candy to kids? I'm not as much the "pumpkin-carving-connoisseur" as Trevor, but I still managed to pick out a pretty good pumpkin and an idea for what to carve. The best part of carving pumpkins is pulling the goop out of the insides and we did have fun tonight.

It was so fun to see the costumes of the tricker treaters. We were just a little disappointed at how few kids there were. We had a bit of a surge after the family stopped by. We had a 5 year old Wonder Woman with her 3 year old side kick who kept asking after the dogs that left with Trevor's parents. She just kept saying, "Gog? Gog?" We were out on the drive way and she started venturing toward the door searching for the dog until her parents collected her. It was a little awkward there for a minute. It definitely seemed to be a super hero filled night though. We also got visited by batman and superman. All the while having fun carving our pumpkins and ending the evening with way too much left over candy. All in all, we had a great night, and we loved our pumpkins!

And we're back!

2008-10-11T12:40:00.000-07:00

Okay, so here is my really lame excuse why I haven't posted in months...I forgot the password. I could have just re-set it, except I used Trevor's email and I didn't have his password. Now that I have that password, I went into try again today and ta-da...I remembered the password! Anyhow, Trevor and I just recently got to celebrate our 3-month anniversary. Okay, okay for those of you who have been married for 6 years or 30 years, that doesn't seem like much, but it seemed like a marker for us! What was even better though was last night Trevor's sister got married. She and her now-husband got engaged on our wedding day. Hearing the words that were spoken and celebrating with the family made me reflect on our wedding day and how happy we were. The look on Sol's face last night exactly reflected how I felt on our wedding day. Utter and complete happiness. I think the best part , except for the ceremony of course, was tiring myself out dancing with Becca, Skyler, Andrew and Alan on the dance floor. I came home and crashed!

Thinking back on our wedding day I have to share some pics. My friend Evelyn was our photographer and she was amazing!! Enjoy!

2008-05-30T13:17:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Trevor and I had a great adventure going to Utah. He met my parents and brother previously, but he still had plenty of people to meet. So we took advantage of the Memorial Day weekend for a road trip. I figured if we could handle being around each other that long, we can survive being married. ;)

Well, we had a bit of a hard time getting started. We packed the car Thursday in the rain. The trunk decided not to close. It just didn't want to latch. We worked on it for a 1/2 hour, finally drove to Trevor's to use his tools--yes, without the trunk latched, before it finally closed. Trevor didn't do anything. I just said another quick prayer, and suddenly it latched. I told him we weren't opening it till we got to Utah. Then the next morning it was still a little rainy and overcast, that is until we hit Flagstaff. Holy cow! We hit a white out snow storm! It was May 23rd! Are you freaking kidding me?? I was so miffed. But we still made it.

We had a great time with my family, and they of course love Trevor--how could they not. He easily won over Elizabeth ( 5 1/2) and Dallin (4 1/2) even though they were skeptical. They decided he could join the family after all. Why? Because he is too tickley! Yah--I know!

Saturday morning we too our engagement pictures. We went downtown to meet up with I have known Evelyn since our Freshman year of college. We met in ballroom dance class and we were both into photography, but she has obvioulsy developed the talent farther than I have. We haven't seen them all yet, but check out our sneak peak. She is a great photographer!!

www.frecklesphotography.blogspot.com

How We Met!

2008-05-30T11:50:00.000-07:00

Our Story?

Such a cliché beginning. We met at institute. Nothing too exciting. My friends had been planning a big "date-only" (yippee!) shindig on the weekend--only it wasn't really planned, and one friend, Lisa, and I were a little skeptical it was going to really come together. On my way to find the planner, I found another friend in the group. When I asked if he was going, he wasn't sure if he was invited because he didn't have a date. I seized the opportunity and invited him as my date to check it off the list. When I found the planner she was talking to some guy I didn't know. She stopped me from rambling and introduced me. Brenda, this is our new friend Trevor. I wish I could say something romantic that I was swept away in the moment, but in all reality I simply turned to him, smiled brightly and stuck out my hand, Hi, new friend Trevor. I'm Brenda. I'm sure he was left breathless or something. I mean, this is me we are talking about. Ha!

The next night I was helping Lisa recover our fabulous $5 sofa we found at the thrift store. Her roommates come over with said new friend Trevor to set up for the shindig the next day. I noticed him, and I thought he was attractive, but I've never been one to compete with other girls or vie for attention, so I didn't interact with him much at all, but just kept doing my thing. Of course, being interested in design and piqued curiosity about me, Trevor did come talk to Lisa and me a little here and there, but nothing happened--yet. ;)

Prior to decorating, the girls who were entertaining Trevor decided to show him Ferrets: A Pursuit of Excellence, as some sort of initiation. There are some really annoying songs, and we needed something to get it out of our heads. Deciding to be random, as usual, I started singing If We Hold on Together from the first Land Before Time. Trevor appreciated the song, and I simply thought prissily (is that a word?) to myself, Yup! He loves my voice! Hee Hee!

The next night was the big shindig. Trevor met up with his date who lived at the house, I met up with my date, and we were sitting on opposite ends of the table. I was having fun just living in the moment and flirting with my date and another friend. Though neither of us were interested, we were both enjoying the date. However, the odd thing was, though I wasn't paying much attention to anyone other than the people around me (there were 12 people around the table), I was caught off guard a few times by Trevor laughing or commenting specifically at my joke/story and flashing a big smile just at me. Now I'm not completely dense, I knew he was flirting with me. This just made me enjoy the night even more.

As the night drew on, people left, and people were mingling. Trevor started talking to me, a few people joined the conversation for a little bit, but it was mostly just the two of us. We quickly found we had a lot in common. We both have a background in cabinetry and tiling--just different spectrums. I had the design experience, and he had the practical experience with hands on design, but more than anything we developed an appreciation for each other's appeal for design.

After that night we saw each other at institute and I teased him that I didn't know if I should talk to him as I had gotten in trouble for apparently monopolizing his time. He misunderstood and thought I was backing off because a friend of mine might be interested in him. Finally after seeing each other at instutite, five weeks later he got my phone number.

Just before our first date he called to see where I live--just to find out we had been living 3 blocks apart from each other for 9 months! It was such an easy fun date. He was the perfect gentleman, opening my door for me to get in and out of the car, at the restaurant he asked what I wanted and ordered for me, and he was completely enthralled with whatever bit of randomness came out of my head.

Our date lasted 7 hours! That is a long time for a first date, but we had such a great time, we didn't want the night to end. And the night, of course, ended on a high point-- The Star Wars Holiday Special. Oh yes, it exists. It came up in an earlier conversation. Trevor, being the avid Star Wars fan that he is, had heard rumors, but never anything substantiated. When I confirmed it, he set out to find it online. It was almost painful, and if it hadn't been for the fact that it was our first date, I don't think we would have made it through it!

And that is the story of how we met and how it all began... =)

2008-05-17T22:26:00.000-07:00

May 17, 2008

Who'd ever have thought I'd say yes to this goofy looking guy? I just couldn't help but fall in love with him! He's so adorable and I love him more and more everyday. He is always making me laugh and smile and I just know that the life we build together will always be filled with happiness and laughter.

Really, I never thought I would meet someone so easily and be inseparable so quickly. I couldn't ask for someone better or for it to work out so wonderfully and happily. He is amazing. He makes me laugh and I can completely be myself with him. He is so thoughtful, he has great faith and integrity, he is a hard worker, and he loves his family very much. Those are just a few of his qualities--I could go on, believe me! :) I just hope that I can reciprocate all that he does for me.