Don't Blink!

...I did; and as of today, summer is now officially over. Ever since Labor Day weekend when all of the swimming pools closed, I have been in denial that summer has ended and now the calendar is proof. Summer is such a fun time of year. So many excursions to go on and play dates to be had with our neighbors. I'm not ready to be held captive inside my house with a one year old and a small dog both of whom are in heaven running around outside. Here is a little look back at some of the things we did this summer that I haven't gotten around to sharing:

Erik and I spent a wonderful weekend at the Zermatt resort in Midway. It literally was a piece of heaven. We spent two amazing days and one night at the hotel away from Claire (which was surprisingly easy). It brought back old times of me laying by the pool all afternoon and Erik golfing at the Homestead Golf Course nearby. It was such a nice break from "normal life" and the perfect way to re energize ourselves before the week to come.

I created a play date group with our neighbors/friends from church and we had many fun outings together. One of our last ones was an afternoon in the front yard playing in the blow up pool, chasing balls, and eating popsicles. Claire was the lifeguard on duty that day (j/k) and thought the boys (our next door neighbors, Liam and Owen) were pretty amusing. She even strut her stuff on the sidewalk for all to see. HA!

I think Claire had the most fun when we would go to the park and watch the ducks. I don't know why, but she LOVES ducks! Her favorite animals are ducks, roosters (weird) and dogs. She can pick them out anywhere! On this particular outing, we went to Sugar House Park, one of my favorites. We enjoyed a kids meal from Wendy's and then watched the ducks "quack" away. Claire even got partly in the poop infested water (kind of disgusting, but she had fun) and was furious when it was time to leave. Yet another fun day at the park. 

This summer has been particularly exciting because Claire's personality has started to shine and she now has "favorites" and really enjoys certain things. Two of which are blueberries and babies. Claire could eat blueberries all day long. I was probably at the grocery store once a week buying more and more blueberries. It's kind of funny to watch her shovel them into her mouth as fast as she can. One of her other favorites are babies and this summer brought her a new baby cousin, Vivian. She is totally enamored with babies and gets very concerned when they cry. It's adorable. I hope this means she'll be a great big sister someday.

One of my favorite summer activities are family hikes. EASY family hikes. :) Hikes that I can enjoy the scenery and not have to watch my step or get out of breath. 4th of July morning we joined Erik's family and my parents and hiked around Silver Lake. It was beautiful and very convenient pushing Claire in the stroller instead of schlepping her on one of our backs. She even fell asleep towards the end.

We took another family hike in mid-August somewhere up Millcreek Canyon. It was extremely short because we had other places to be, but Claire and Khloe LOVED the ride. Erik and I, on the other hand, got a little exhausted. It may have been short, but the incline and the extra weight we were carrying was definitely more than we were used to. Hey..."backpacking" isn't exactly our forte. :)

  

This summer we started Claire in swim lessons which were a blast! I was amazed how much she improved from week one to week ten. Her instructor said she did a wonderful job and Claire really began to love the water. She loved swimming under water and jumping in from the sideline. It was such a pleasure to watch.

One of the luxuries of living where we do, is that we get to see Erik's family so frequently. Claire loves spending time with her "Farfar", especially when he lets her play in the stream. Having playtime with her cousin, Emma, is one of her favorites as well. If Claire is ever cranky and I mention "cousin Emma", she usually calms down immediately. Emma has grown tremendously these last few months and is finally big enough to interact with Claire. I am so excited to see them play together in the years to come. 

One of the worst parts about this summer was how much Erik had to work. He only made it to the pool with us once or twice this year and hopefully he'll be able to enjoy more outings with us next year. It was such a special treat when he was able to join us at Murray Pool. Erik took her down the slide a few times, which didn't provide much of a reaction, but was still enjoyable of course. Maybe we have a little dare devil on our hands and it wasn't fast enough for her. She did enjoy jumping into Erik over and over and over again. :) Actually, she kind of just walked into the pool. So funny!

I'm going to try my hardest to accept the fact that the calendar now says Autumn, but in my heart, summer isn't really over. We still have five or six activities unchecked on my "summer to do" list that I've got to pack into our schedules within the next couple of weeks before it gets too cold. Wish me luck! 

Making Memories

last week of june

entire johansen family minus one brother-in-law (until the last day)

parent's house filled with constant laughter and commotion

claire thoroughly enjoyed all of the excitement and noise

notable moments...

tons of people available to push claire on the swings (finally a break!)

a good arm wrestle with my nephew (i can't remember who one, but I hope it was me since he's 7)

my mom baking cookies with all of her grandkids; it was a little chaotic to say the least

running around outside playing games and basking in the sun

claire helping her "mormor" and a few cousins water the plants

getting to spend claire's 1st birthday with all of her cousins (thanks for all the gifts...she sure was spoiled)

15 of us spending the afternoon at hogle zoo

claire getting so excited to see all of the animals

(well, the big ones that she could actually see)

having my trusty babysitter (niece, lindsay) willing to take claire anytime I asked

going to the draper pool on a somewhat sunny/rainy afternoon

watching my niece swim a few laps (she is an award winning swimmer!)



ending the week with an "adults only" family picture that turned out awesome

thank goodness, because we spent hours and hours picking out our outfits

seeing my family only a few times a year is difficult,

but we definitely make up for lost time when we are finally together

love you all!

Claire's 1st Birthday Party - (it's about time I post this)

In my mind, this post has seemed like such a big project that I have stalled writing it for almost 2 months now. Better late than never I guess. It seems like so long ago, yet it took place at the beginning of the summer, on June 25th. Being the first kids birthday party to take place in our house, I wanted to go all out. I was well aware that Claire wouldn't remember anything and that it was purely for my enjoyment. Sorry Erik, she only has a first birthday once. :)

I started planning the event months in advance (obsessive, I know). The theme for our little "Claire Bear" was of course, bears! By the time the day rolled around, I had a lot accomplished, yet there was still a million things to do. I'm glad I planned for so long because little did I know there was going to be a huge fiasco to deal with. Just days before her party, I remember telling my Mom that I wanted it to go really smoothly and for me to be calm and collected. The last thing I wanted was to be the crazy hostess running around bossing people and completely stressed out. I'm not really sure how I came across to most of the attendees, but for the first hour, I was acting a little crazy. Little did everyone know that we had a major disaster that morning.

Did you know that there are two parks in Sandy, within 1 mile of each other, both with the EXACT same name?!?! Yeah, I didn't either and I found out a little too late. We got to where I thought the party was being held, at Union Park just west of Hillcrest High School, and started to set up. When we arrived, there was another party under the pavilion and I was so irritated because I had reserved it months ago. Turns out I was in the wrong place, had to load everything back up, drive a mile down the road to the other Union Park and set up again. With the party about to start, guests arriving, curlers still in my hair and a brief meltdown seconds before, we managed to get everything set up pretty quickly. Thank goodness! Apparently the pavilion I had reserved was Union Park with Sandy City and the park I thought I reserved was Union Park with Salt Lake County. Ugh! My heart boils just thinking about the whole mix up. Of course it all worked out fine and the party went well once everything had settled. I couldn't have done it without the support of my family. Thank you too all of the family and friends that helped us gather extra tables, setup chairs and deliver food to the location. I owe you immensely! 

Now to the actual fun part of the day. Every year my two sisters and their families come to Utah for a week so we can all spend time together. Claire timed her birth perfectly last year and all of our families were able to be present. I think she just wanted to have all of her cousins at her future birthday parties. It worked out perfectly! Almost every member of our family was there to celebrate Claire's special day and that means so much to Erik and I. Claire didn't really "experience" much that afternoon, but I'm sure she enjoyed seeing all of you there. Hopefully there are many, stress-free birthday parties to come.

Here are a few...I mean a lot, of snapshots from her party: 

The Invitation

 


The birthday girl wearing her custom-made bear ears sewn by her mother, bear onsie, gold tutu and sandals. So adorable!


 

Decorations and Party Favors (bear coloring books)

 

Activities included honeycomb/honey-nut cheerio necklace making, bear paw tattoos, hula hoops, toss game, coloring, bear crossword puzzles, etc. There was even a special area for Khloe and five of her best friends in the "paw keeper".

 

 

Tons of friends and family came to celebrate with us!

 Food, Presents, and 5 Birthday Cakes!



 "Thank You" Card



Claire's birthday party was a huge success. We had so much fun and hope that those who came enjoyed themselves as well. See you next year at birthday party number two!

It Never Gets Old

Wheeler Farm that is. I think we've been there around 15 times this summer and it is still enjoyable every time we go. Us girls (Claire, Khloe, and I) love every minute of it.

Khloe whines when I make the turn through the entrance because she knows where she is. She jumps out of the car and can't wait to begin our walk through the park. Even though a leash is attached to her collar and fences separate her and the farm animals, it's as though she's entered animal heaven and finally gets to have another playdate with her friends. The geese, on the other hand, would prefer she stay at least 10 feet away.

What do I think is Claire's favorite part? She finds it especially interesting when roosters have escaped from their cages and are running around us frantically trying to dodge the random children chasing after them. Hmmm, maybe she should internalize that experience and think about how Khloe feels when she is running after her. :)

For me, knowing that Claire is enjoying herself while learning about animals, Khloe is having a blast running around outside sniffing poop (thank heavens she doesn't eat it), and I feel like a decent Mom who isn't holed up inside the house doing nothing are what I cherish most. Beats an afternoon sittin' on the couch!

A Moment I Will Never Forget

tuesday evening

sitting in Claire's room swaying back and forth on my glider

a warm summer breeze coming through the bedroom window

the sound of piano lullabies playing in the background

claire walking from one side of the room to the other

falling after every few steps and laughing

getting back up on her feet

taking a few more steps

and looking over at me with the most precious look on her face

smile so wide

eyes so joyful

i sat there as her life literally flashed before my eyes

i was sitting at her wedding reception as a video montage played

displaying a clip of her right at that moment

one by one tears ran down my cheek

her two little feet aren't so little anymore

if only that moment could last a lifetime

so many joyful experiences lie ahead of us

but i wanted those precious seconds to last forever

Past and Present

About 26 years ago, at the age of one, I sat on my Mom's lap for this family picture. I wore a beautiful smocked custom made dress sewn by my Mother. It is now one of my most cherished items from my childhood and I am so thankful to have it today. I now get to pass it on to Claire and hope she treasures it as much as I have.

This was the only picture I could find with me wearing the dress and all I can say is thank goodness for digital photography. I'm not even looking at the camera! :) A lot has changed from March 1985 to July 2011.

Lock Down

I kind of feel as though I have been on Photoshop lock down recently. Last month I took TONS of pictures for my family and I've been spending every spare moment editing the images.

Johansen grandkids, Olafsson grandkids, Ashlyn's baptism, Ashlyn's 8 year portrait, pictures of Avery, Blake, the three of them together, Soren, and lastly, my niece, Vivian. All in a span of about two weeks. It's exhausting just listing them all. Posting pictures of Claire's birthday has taken a back seat to it all while I get her cousin's pictures edited, but that's okay. It is such a joy capturing their adorable faces.

Below are some of the pictures I took in celebration of my niece, Ashlyn, getting baptized next month. She was born a couple of days after Erik and I got married. Kids grow up way too fast!

Smarty Pants

Every parent thinks their child is a little genius, and well....Erik and I have joined them. :) Claire is quickly picking up on things we have been teaching her and it is so exciting to watch her repeat them back to us. Take a look at her latest tricks:

Look How Big!

Claire's 1 Year Portrait

Claire Bear - 1 Year Old!

Our little "Claire Bear" isn't so little anymore. On June 30th she turned 1 year old! This post is more difficult than ones past because I don't even know where to begin. Coming to terms with the fact that I don't have a baby anymore is difficult. I feel like I didn't cherish every day as much as I should have. I should have smiled more through the tough moments, I dwelled on the difficulties too long, and I didn't spend enough time teaching and molding her tiny brain. Even with a few regrets, I am delighted to see how much progress Claire has made in one year and how happy she has made Erik and I. Children develop so quickly, it amazes me everyday. If only we adults could learn as much as children can in such a short amount of time. Seriously, what did I learn in the past year? Not much.

This past year has been one of such joy and happiness. Sure we had to figure out the ropes of welcoming a newborn child into our family, but I honestly wouldn't change a thing. When I did something wrong, I tried to learn from it and improve the next time. When I did something right, I relished in the results (Claire is such a good sleeper) and patted myself on the back. Before I had a child, I had no idea how much I would doubt myself and the decisions I make and just when I was getting the hang of everything, I have found myself in a new, unfamiliar territory. Yes, the newborn stage was hard, but I feel like now the real challenges have begun. For example, I used to think children learned how to hit from others. Um, not anymore. Claire has just started to hit out of frustration and I promise you, she didn't learn it from any adults or children around her. I read tons of baby books prior to having Claire and I guess I better get started on the pre-toddler books as well. Any recommendations?

This past month, Claire has become a little sponge and is beginning to show many new signs of learning and progression. When we read to her, she doesn't care about the words, she just turns the page as quickly as possible to see what's next. When we are doing something on the iPad, whether it be flashcards, playing the xylophone, or tickling an imaginary teddy bear, she always has to grab it and look behind it as if she wants to know where the image is coming from. Hilarious! When asked "Claire, how big are you?", she puts her arms above her head and waits to be tickled. As of a few weeks ago, Claire started swim lessons and has made a lot of progress. She no longer cries when she is dunked and the instructor says she has great breathing control. How funny! My absolute favorite thing she does is when she points to something and says "whas thaa?" (what's that). It is completely adorable! And as of a few days ago, she has started to sign "more" by patting her hands together (it looks like she is clapping). Claire also finds it very amusing if you ask her to put something away (meaning put it in the bucket). She drops it into the bucket and waits for your reaction. It's so cute.

We are thrilled to see Claire progressing so much lately and I hope we can keep the few negative aspects of her personality, like her new-found hitting, to a minimum. This past year has been one of the happiest years of my life and I anxiously await the next year of Claire's. What a whirlwind it is going to be!

12 Month Bear Picture

(to view the others, click here)

*Note: birthday party post coming soon!*

Exciting Update (I wrote/scheduled the post above last week) - on Wednesday, July 6th, Claire took her very first steps! While standing in the kitchen, she took three steps and then plummeted to the ground. We are so thrilled, yet also a little nervous to see her mobility improving.

Unexpected Results

Erik and I are constantly stubbing our toes on our bed frame and it always results in a second of pain followed by instant relief. Well, not this time.

Two weeks ago on a Sunday night, Erik and I were headed into bed early for the first time in who knows how long. We were so happy to get to sleep earlier than usual until something unexpected happened. The usual toe stub turned into a broken toe! Early to bed went out the window in a matter of seconds.

I have personally never broken a body part and since I have known Erik, he hasn't broken anything as well. We had no idea what to do. Urgent Care facilities were closed so Erik called his friend who said it was okay to wait until the next morning before doing anything. After an x-ray we were initially told that it was indeed broke, one of the worst kinds of breaks (a spiral fracture), and surgery was imminent. After an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon later that day, we were told that it could heal on its own after diligent wrapping. A simple toe wrap? Who knew breaking a bone could be taken care of so easily?! Because of our terrible insurance, we are crossing our fingers that Erik's toe will heal correctly and no surgery will be needed in the future. So far so good.

Festival Fun!

One of my favorite things to do during summertime is enjoy all of the festivals that happen around town. A couple of weeks ago we went to two in the same day. Erik went golfing and us girls (me, Claire, and Khloe) started our morning at The Gateway Mall where they held the "Chalk Art Festival". It is amazing how talented some people are. Drawing is at the very bottom of my list of abilities and so I am always fascinated at how good some people are at it. Claire and Khloe enjoyed looking at all the paintings, but I think their favorite part was the cookie we all shared before we left. Yum!

 

Later that evening, Erik and our nephew, Soren, joined us for the "Outdoor Festival". This is by far the coolest festival I have ever been too. They had so many attractions and activities and the best part was that they were all free! Soren had a blast sitting in the University of Utah's medical helicopter, going inside a S.W.A.T. van, and playing with the fireman's water hose.

Claire, on the other hand, enjoyed all of the girly attractions like touching a giant tortoise, going on a pony ride, visiting the petting zoo full of miniature buffalo, goats, and horses, and collecting as many stickers from the booths as possible. :) This festival is definitely going on my list of activities for next year. It was so much fun!