and now a word from the mistress of the house...

eli all worn out after chasing chipmonks

and his favorite..flavored balls! (apples)

laurel in the new kitchen...can you see the lovely faux rock walls?

and a close up 'cause she's so darn cute

here i thought that i'd get on and finally update our blog and surprise! kevin already did it.

but i wanted to add that if anyone has some great ideas for paint colors i'm accepting suggestions. you saw the paint color brochures...there are way too many and i'm way too incapable! :)

and since kevin didnt put any new laurel pictures i thought i'd throw one or two up for you :)

maybe even an eli shot.

and just a note for you trolls and chicago people...now is the time to visit the UP! the colors are starting to pop and the weather has been amazing.

Life style for the not so rich and not so famous

Well Hello my people,

First off I must apologize because it has been so long since I have personally sent out a letter to all fans that are out there. Life up here in the north woods is busy. More than I have expected. You know there is more to it than just sitting around drinking beer and talking about the thirty pointer. So, things have been really busy for us. Laurel has started to let out some small laughs which are so fun. And she is also realizing that she has these little fingers. Its so fun and funny to watch here. As for linnea and I. Well we just bought a small fixer upper house. Nothing special but enough to keep us well below our means and in our own house for a couple years. But don't worry, this house is not move in ready. No way. This is like what you see on the tv. Walls need to be built. Flooring tore up. Kitchen need to be gutted. Oh yes. It will be a project. Here are a couple pictures. Don't laugh. The house is right in town with smaller yard but we will make it work for some time.

Hope all is well and I will try to write more to all my peeps out there. And if you are watching from Schupans. I miss all you people.

-johnsons

an eli update for elisabeth :)

poor eli...

he get so lost in all the baby bustle! it's so nice to know that there are still people interested in him :) one of my preschool students from kalamazoo requested a new picture of eli. eli was was as much an interest to the class as kevin or the baby :)

so here's a picture of eli watching down on us as we take off for a pontoon boat cruise. actually, the first time i took a little ride with phil and pearl (neighbors) eli ran along the shoreline trying to keep up with us :) we had to go back towards the Hudson's and then head straight out into the lake so he couldnt follow us :) silly eli.

we've been here for more than two months, but i dont think he's relaxed yet. poor guy's been through a lot of change. the good news is that he is great with laurel. in fact, if she's laying on the floor he often comes and lays down next to her. how sweet.

three months go by quickly!

this is laurel's first dip in hagerman lake

heading out to the campfire at CPBC

last weekend was the Grace Covenant campout and kevin led some singing around the fire

grandpa johnson is holding laurel up so she can study all the interesting things on the fridge

does anyone remember lily tomlin sitting in a giant rocking chair? i cannot remember what that is from...some children's show?

oops, mom didnt notice that i spit up all over myself! but look at me stand! :)

today laurel is three months old!

there are somethings we miss about when she was tiny...but let me just say three months is way better than three days!!!!

let's see...for those of you who havent seen laurel lately let me fill you in on her three month accomplishments. (i'm sure these are very common for babies her age, but we are thrilled with every new skill) :)

1. holding her hands and using her hands to hold things

2. blowing bubbles and spitting (very accomplished in this department)

3. responding to her name

4. pushing her paci back into her mouth (if it hasnt gone too far)

5. standing with someone holding her for balance

6. before she stopped to work on her bubble blowing she was talking up a storm...we hope that returns soon...it's much more charming than getting spit at :)



i wish we could say that we'v conquered sleeping through the night...but we havent. oh well.

here are some pictures from today and a few from the weekend.