17 Month Swimmers

At 17 months our boys were 5.5 weeks into their Infant Swim Rescue course (ISR) and were tested in their winter clothes to see if they passed the course. They were tossed in from the side of the pool to make sure they could get to floating position on their back, flip to their stomach and swim to the side of the pool. Both graduated and cannot get enough swim time each evening when we go to the pool.









They even adore inflatable pools!

Fowler Park - 16 Months Old

Photos by Noelle Brown

15 Months and Too Much Fun

We have been able to do so much more with the boys now that they are walking, talking, signing, etc. Did I mention they love to wrestle/cuddle? Too precious for words.

Roddic

Ryland

Daddy and Ry

Rod-man

"Born to be Wild"

Family picnic at Fowler Park

Ryland

Roddic

Life as a 1 year old

We've been kissed by an angel...

Roddic

Ryland

Playing in the park (Roddic-left & Ryland-right)

Watching Saturday morning cartoons

Roddic excited about school

Ryland's first spaghetti dinner

Christmas at 12 months!

A few snapsnots from celebrating celebrating the birth of our savior in snowy Virginia.


Roddic and Ryland's 12 mo picture with their monkey

Roddic's favorite place to play at Nanny and Papaw's

Ryland's first sleigh ride with Daddy

The Funny Side of Life

As we have just reached the one year mark of being parents, the lessons we have learned are more numerous than the amount of diapers these two boys went through over the last 365 days (which is a lot if anyone was wondering). One of the lessons that is the most crucial to any parent of 2 (or heck, even one) little boys is that you must learn to find the funny side of life. Without the ability to quickly laugh in the midst of the sheer chaos around us, Kelly and I would have been put in the nut house months ago. Instead, we have found solace and sanity in the increasingly regular moments where the boys, or something related to our family dynamic, makes us smile.

A recent example: Over the last month or so, Kelly has discovered a new hiding spot for certain items that she doesn't want the boys to obtain. You see, in the midst of taking care of the two tornadoes, you don't always have time to take your prized possessions over to the counter, high above the reach of the little guys. Instead, your 2 options are to find a hiding place near where you are entertaining them, or surrender whatever it is to the twenty fingers and two mouths below.

So, not long ago Kelly began storing any important items behind the cushions on our couch. It has even become so common that if we are missing something, say a remote control or a phone, we typically will go to the cushion and find it there, safe from the harm that an almost-13-month-old would cause to it.

The spot works quite well actually; that is, it works well for anything that is not perishable...

Kelly was planning to make a pie for our dinner tomorrow night using a rolled up, frozen pie crust from our great friends at Pillsbury. When the evening was ours (post-7pm when the boys were down) we ate dinner, got wrapped up in a movie and an hour or two went by. During one scene of the movie a pie flashed across the screen reminding Kelly her previous plans for the evening, and sent her on the hunt for the pie crust. It then dawned on her that the dough had been left behind the cushion on our couch in our hiding spot. When she retrieved it from behind the cushion, it was in no condition to be eaten; but it was a perfect catalyst to some uncontrollable laughter for the two of us, helping us close out another day in the life of the Johnson's on a fun note.

For more enjoyment, watch this video from today of Roddic talking at lunch.

We're 1!!!

We made it to our first birthday and celebrated with cake 3 times! We think it should be a primary food group.