The Johnson Family 2012

Happy New Year to one and all from the Johnson home, now featuring a party of five. And boy is it a party - never boring and with guaranteed volume!

To be honest, for reasons I'll spare you Aaron and I are happy to see 2012 pass and eagerly await better days ahead. On the up side, the two of us had a wonderful getaway to Atlantis in the Bahamas to celebrate our sixth anniversary; the trip doubled as a "babymoon," as I was roughly 16 weeks pregnant at the time. We followed that with our second annual trip to Myrtle Beach with the Holbrook side of our family, and we had so much fun being together. Once things settle down with our new addition, I'm sure we'll get back to traveling as usual. Cruise brochures have been arriving in the mail and Aaron is getting antsy :)

 

This was a rough year for many reasons, but I am grateful for a wonderful wife, growing family and support of a great church home. Our Sunday school group has been a wonderful support and encouragement to us throughout this year, and we have so enjoyed sharing a babysitter and going out to dinner most weekends. I continue to be the principal broker for Marcus & Millichap of Louisville, specializing in the sale of large apartment communities. The commercial market has heated up finally; hopefully Obama's policies will not knock it back down. I have also really enjoyed teaching a Discipleship Curriculum course for 12 men. This is the second year of the 21-month study of the entire Bible, and I learn more each time through it.

 

I had a baby at 35 with two preschoolers in the house. Isn't that enough activity for one year? But, alas, life doesn't stop for the sleep-deprived. I finished the Discipleship Curriculum at Southeast Christian Church in the spring and am now co-leading a new group of ladies with my friend Mary Lang. Most of my days are filled with mommy-related activity, but I truly enjoy tinkering around with new recipes in the kitchen, reading a good book and catching up with friends. One thing I haven't done much of this year is write, as is evidenced by the lack of postings on this blog. The most I seem to be able to eek out these days is the occasional Facebook status update. I really miss writing and hope to get back to it as I regain some of that elusive free time. But here's the thing: I love being a wife and mom and wouldn't give it up for all the free time on the calendar. I think I've found my sweet spot, folks.

 

It's hard to believe our firstborn is 5! I mean, didn't she just have a birthday last year? Katie is growing into quite a spunky little lady. Always dramatic, Katie loves to communicate through the fine art of facial expression. One of her favorite things to do is to act out whatever is going on in cartoons she's watching, which is pretty entertaining. What's more amazing to us is how much of the characters' lines she recalls days later. With a memory like that, Mommy and Daddy can't count on her forgetting any promises of treats. While two previous rounds of swimming lessons yielded dubious results, Katie seemed to finally "get" swimming this summer. We're not expecting an olympic team to come calling just yet, but we're encouraged she can keep her head above the surface. She's a water baby nonetheless! We're not sure where she got her artistic streak, but Katie has been in constant production of colorful drawings and paintings - and we can even tell what they're supposed to be! Seriously, Aaron and I are pretty impressed by her creations and display them proudly in our kitchen.

Adam, 3, continues to be the sweetest boy known to his mommy, filling our days with cuddles and spontaneous declarations of his love. Adam loves playing with dinosaurs and crocodiles, and enjoys frequent hair cuts, probably because they usually end with a balloon and lollipop. Speaking of food, our son can down more waffles than a trucker at the end of a long haul at IHOP. He can't stand to be apart from his big sister and is fascinated by his younger one. As soon as the boy's eyes pop open in the morning, he's chattering away and busy. Where could he have gotten that? Some of my favorite utterings from Adam this year include, "It's snowing! It's snowing! That means it's Christmas," "I still wuv you," and "I'm not doing anyfing." (This, of course, is said when he has most definitely done something.). And one fun misinterpreted saying: From "Okie dokie artichokie," comes, "Okie dokie, already chokie." My word, could he be more adorable? I think not.



Nora Grace joined us Oct. 17 as our omega child, and we can't imagine not having her in our family. She originally weighed in at 6 lbs., 9 oz., making her the littlest of our littles, and she subsequently dropped a bit more weight once we got her home. But thanks to mother's milk and a lack of locomotion, she's rebounding nicely - she weighed 11 lbs. at her 2-month checkup. So enough of the stats. Let me tell you about this little sweetie. Nora loves to smile and coo, which illicits smiles and coos from any onlooker. Whoever claims third babies tend to go with the flow, not demanding constant tending, hasn't met mine. She wants to be held at all times, or there will be verbal reprimand. Nora was in heaven over Thanksgiving and Christmas, as she was always in the arms of a relative. Now that the holidays are over, poor Nora is back to reality. I love you, sweet girl, but you must embrace the baby swing!

 

Despite all of its stressors, life is good. We have a loving family and a mighty God who works all things for our good whether we immediately recognize it or not. He has blessed the Johnson house more than Aaron or I could have ever asked for or imagined, and as long as we have breath we will praise Him for He is worthy! We look forward to seeing what the Lord brings in 2013 not only for us, but for you as well.

God bless,

The Johnsons - Aaron, Tonia, Katie, Adam and Nora