Wild Animals

Earlier this week we met my grandma, aunt, cousin and her two kids at the Des Moines zoo.

It was great fun but, for me, the highlight was watching Ben and his cousin Nathan creep through the zoo after having their faces painted, growling and showing their claws to people walking by.

Because that's what tigers and dragons do, don't ya know?

A Blue Eyed Girl

I can't even count the number of times that people have looked at my three children and asked, "Where does Maggie get her blonde hair and blue eyes?"

I have also been told, quite often, "Maggie looks just like you, except with blonde hair."

It is possible to credit both sides of the family with these traits. (Virtually all of her Idaho cousins are blondes with blue eyes, after all).

That said, I might be a little biased when I suggest that the Johnson genes might be dominant in this case.

And, as evidence, I offer up Devin's baby pictures (see below).

Johnson's are known for their squinty eyes (just ask my brothers) and I think the first picture is a dead ringer for Maggie. The similarities don't end with hair and eye color--both have perfectly round baby faces and very, um, solid physiques.

And, as has been noted previously in this blog, Maggie also likes to put food (e.g., yogurt, cupcakes, cottage cheese) in her hair. If you look closely you will see that Devin also perfected this trait many years ago.

Mike (my other squinty-eyed brother) agrees with my assessment, adding that he hopes Maggie does not also inherit Devin's "freakish" height (his word, not mine) and end up 7 feet tall.

"Daddy! Airplane! Airplane!"

Monkey Business

Ben has always been a climber. He climbed out of his crib at 22 months and never looked back. He scales our cabinets, scrambles up bedframes and is convinced that if he tries hard enough he will be able to leap from wall to wall like Spiderman.

And he's recently discovered an innate ability to climb trees. I think he is part monkey.

Last week he climbed the giant pine tree (pictured here) in our backyard. When I took this picture I thought, "Good for him. He's climbing the tree but he's not too high."

I turned my attention to the girls, who were swinging, and by the time I looked backed at Ben he had climbed up another three branches and was probably 15 feet off the ground.

I started to get a little nervous but I didn't want to shout for fear he would lose his balance and fall to the ground.

We hadn't been to the Emergency Room in a while (knock on wood) and I was envisioning broken arms and fractured collarbones if he tumbled from the tree.

Clearly I underestimated Ben's climbing prowess because he slowly and carefully climbed down the tree.

When he reached the bottom branch he shouted, "Hey Mom! Did you see me?"

Yes, my little monkey, I see you.

Milestones

Cate can now swim the length of the pool, without help. Next she wants to learn how to dive. She can also get ready in the morning---shower, shampoo, dry off, get dressed---all by herself. She even taught herself how to tie her shoes.

Maggie's favorite phrase is, "I DO!" and if it appears that I'm still trying to help her she says, "I DO SELF!" In fact, last week she threw a tantrum because I wouldn't let her change her own diaper.

And Ben. Ben lives to jump off the diving board and do "canyon"balls. He no longer fits neatly in my lap and has to squirm around for a few minutes to find a cozy spot, his long legs dangling over mine.

Then today Ben took all of this growing and changing to a new level when he learned how to ride a bike, without training wheels, while I was buying paint at Sherwin-Williams.

First Day of Preschool: My Crew

And possibily our 2011 Christmas card photo since the odds of us ever capturing another moment where all three kids are looking at the camera and smiling are one in three million.

(If you're wondering why Cate is dressed like a pumpkin, Tuesday was also "Crazy Hat Day" at Vacation Bible School. Of course).

First Day of Preschool: Ben

Although he had some doubts on the way to school, telling Chris, "I might be a little nervous Dad," he walked into preschool like he'd been going there every day of his life.

And, since he was 18-months old when we started taking Cate to preschool, I guess you could say that he has been.

He couldn't wait to get into the classroom and knew instantly what he was going to do first (use the tools in the art room, then paint, and hope the hermit crab would leave his shell). And once he hit the door of the art room he didn't look back.

It was a bittersweet moment. On the one hand, I was happy he wasn't crying and clinging to my leg (some kids were). On the other hand, I missed him already and couldn't help but wonder how my sweet baby boy had, seemingly overnight, transformed into this independent little boy.

Chris picked him up to stellar reviews from the teachers--what a good listener, what a good helper, we are so thrilled to have him.

And, as he told Chris, "I didn't even cry!"

Miss Maggie: 17 Months Old

Maggie is 17-months old today.

It just so happened that Maggie and I spent the entire day together. Alone together.

I honestly think it's the most time we've spent alone together since she's been born.

We ran a few errands this morning, had lunch and then Maggie took a nap. When she woke up we headed downtown.

No agenda. Nothing to return. Nothing to exchange. Nothing to pick up.

I didn't even pack the stroller.

We started at the playground. Ordinarily I'm constantly scanning the crowd, making sure that Ben hasn't left the playground or that Cate isn't dangling from the fireman's pole. It's not uncommon for me to scoop Maggie up, interrupting whatever it is she's doing, to check up on Cate and Ben.

Today? No scooping. No interrupting. Maggie climbed up the stairs and went down the slide until she was tired.

Then she wanted to explore the Ped Mall. So we did.

She listened to the band warm up for the Saturday night concert. She picked up a plastic lid and threw it in the garbage. She saw a girl that looked like one of Cate's friends and waved to her saying, "Hi Lydia! Hi Lydia!"

I asked if she wanted pizza or mac-n-cheese for dinner. She picked pizza.

She picked up rocks. She laid down on the ground and looked up at the sky. She pounded a few notes on the piano. She opened the door to the containers that house real estate flyers. She paused in the doorway at Brothers, bounced to the music for a few minutes, and then (wisely) continued on her way.

On the way to the car Maggie spotted some stairs. We walked up the stairs. Then down again. Up and down. Again and again.

And, without two other little chatterboxes taking up the air space, I could listen, really listen, as she narrated the entire day: up, down, I go slide, doggy, pizza, more milk, dance, dance, I lay down, uh-oh, go bye-bye now.

They say it's the little things in life and, to a 17-month old, it really is the little things---a slide, a pile of rocks, dancing to music. Right now everything, even a trip to Wal-Mart, is full of wonder. Babies notice things that we, trying to remember laundry detergent or figure out what's for dinner, miss. A barking dog. A siren. The sound of an airplane flying overhead.

But Maggie will not always be 17-months old.

It won't always be the little things. Watching Maggie today, I hope that she will somehow maintain that sense of wonder. That no matter how old she is that she will continue to find pleasure in the little things.

And I hope that I will remember to take the time to listen to my children and try to see the beauty in the barking dog and the buzz of an airplane engine.

Big Girl on a Little Elephant at City Park

Third Bath of the Day

Maggie: Mama! Mama!

Me: Yes Maggie?

Maggie(giggling): Yogurt hat!

Go Fly a Kite

We spent Memorial Day weekend with Chris' family and the kids were thrilled to have the opportunity to fly kites with Grandma Joan, Grandpa Jerry and their cousin, Ava.

They loved every minute of it and it just goes to show that sometimes the simplest things really are the best.

Mo

Daddy's Little Helper(s)

Yesterday Chris did a little bit of landscaping in our front yard. It was a relatively small project and we figured that if he got an early start we (well, okay, he) would be finished in about two hours.

All of our little people (including Maggie) wanted to "help" which put the total project time somewhere around 3.5-4 hours.

Given all of the help we have at our house, it's a miracle that we ever get anything done.

"Goody Good Gumdrops"

Cate, post dance recital, June 2011

Cate: Mom, next year I want to be in more dances. Like three or four. Or maybe all of them.