Little Miss Smarty Pants

Liv figured out how to clap and wave over the last couple of days which, according to the Internet, is more of a nine to ten month old milestone. Brett and I finally figured out how to download videos from our camera which was a major milestone for us as well. Here are a couple of videos to celebrate!

She started clapping last night with Grandpa Carl. Coincidentally, the Utes were playing on television (and winning). The waving started when we would pass by the mirror in our hall. She always loves to see her reflection.... Hope she always feels that way.



Six Months

You continue to be the best baby! Your dad and I wonder how we got so lucky. You are happy, easy-going, and so much fun to be around. If only we could guarantee that all our babies would be just like you...

This picture shows your cute, little dimple above the left corner of your mouth

Here are a few of your developments over the last couple of months:

You love to hear yourself talk and you are learning to make funny noises with your little voice. You will squeal or cough repeatedly just to hear the sound it makes. We were grocery shopping and the lady in line behind us was giving me strange looks because you were coughing over and over again. The other morning I was nursing you and you kept wanted to give me raspberries… funny kid!

You will sleep in the funniest positions. You love to sleep on your side just like mom and dad. Unfortunately, diapers aren’t made for side-sleepers so we often have to do a complete wardrobe change at 4am which is not your favorite thing to do.

Some things that make you giggle: Mom and dad’s dancing and singing, peek-a-boo, belly tickles, raspberries on your belly, nibbling on your thighs. Jessie (our dog) can make you laugh almost as much as mom and dad. We are loving this wonderful weather because you really enjoy being outside, taking stroller rides and playing with the dog. You also love little kids. It is so funny how you will marvel and laugh at small children but you still don’t warm up to adults easily.

You are starting to give kisses.... which we do a lot of at the Johnson house. You will give your stuffed animals giant hugs and kisses. You have a little toy mirror and you will bring it up to your mouth and give it kisses.

Daddy can send you into a trance by softly rubbing your chin… it is so funny to watch you zone out. You also love to lie on your side and have your back scratched.

You have really taken an interest in our food and want whatever we are eating so we think you are ready for solids. We tried brown rice cereal for the first time. It was hard to tell if you liked it or hated it since most of it ended up on your face and bib. We have given you some mashed-up peach and you love it so we have been adding a little to your rice cereal and you will take a few big bites. So much for starting with vegetables. You got your hands on a piece of black licorice, played with it for a minute and then stuck it in your mouth. You loved the taste and threw your first tantrum when we took it away from you.

You can spin around on your belly really well. You are attempting to crawl but, at this point, you use your head to propel you rather than your legs. Sometimes we allure you forward with a new toy or interesting object but we try not to work you too hard since we have been told to enjoy the immobility of an infant.

We think we can see your first bottom tooth starting to pop out. We haven't noticed it bothering you yet but we have the teething gel ready to go.

You especially love your daddy!

What we are up to....

We have had a busy fall and I don't see it slowing down any time soon. It's crazy to think that the holidays are right around the corner. I am really looking forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. All I could think about at this time last year was that we would have a little addition to our family. And it's every bit as exciting as I imagined. Brett and I can't wait to continue and start new family traditions with Liv. I am really excited for Halloween. We bought her the cutest little costume... lots of cute pics to come.

I have been doing some canning...mostly just salsa, strawberry jam and peaches. I don't know what it is about this time of year but I always get a strong urge to cook. Brett loves it. We have been working on stocking up the pantry ever since this lady gave a presentation at my work. I signed up for the weekly shopping lists and have been saving tons of money. I am not usually a big fan of Wal Mart but since they will price match all the local stores' deals, I only have to go to one store to get all the deals. I know... I am a total nerd. I told my neighbor about it and she said, "I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but you are the most Mormon non-Mormon I have ever met."

Yummy peaches from the Murray Farmer's Market

Our garden was pretty pathetic this year. I blame it on a certain infant and the weather being slow to warm up. It snowed into the last week in May. We had some great tomatoes, basil, squash and peppers. Our cherry tomatoes re-seeded from last year which was pretty cool. We had a new garden design this year but Brett wants to completely revamp the garden for next year. 

Brett is funny... he has a really inventive mind which is good in the sense that he has a lot of great ideas. He can see things in an entirely different perspective. On the other hand, he will spend a lot of time and money planning and carrying out a project. In the middle of the project or once the project is complete, he will come up with a better plan or idea... One that involves even more time and money. I am the type of person that will take a long time to decide on something. I will weigh all the pros and cons to make the best, most cost-effective decision. Once my mind is made up, I am done and I don't like to have to do "things" twice. In the past, I would let his ideas overwhelm me but I have learned to just listen to his ideas and not be critical while in my head I am thinking, "Are you nuts? You just painted your motorcycle and now you want it a completely different color?!" Or, "No way are we adding a third level to our house so that we can optimize our view of the mountains." Or, "You must be ridiculous to think that we are going to tear apart the front yard so that we can add another window in the basement!" Love him... he is always making me laugh.

OK... back to the garden. Here is our one pumpkin we harvested. I haven't decided if we will carve it or not.

I have a lot of fall clean-up projects to do in the yard and garden. Last night I was out in the yard at 8 pm after Liv went to bed.... it was nice and chilly. That is the only time I can find time to get the yard in order. I couldn't see what I was doing since it was so dark. Would wearing a head-lamp be ultra dorky? We have been wanting to plant some trees since last Spring. Brett did a great job transplanting this Maple tree from our parkway to our front island.... let's hope it lives! Not a great picture... I know. Brett is a great photographer and he is constantly giving me pointers. But I was trying to take them quickly since I feel a little weird taking pictures of my yard. Oh... and I had to snap a shot while the neighbor had his BYU flag down... I guess four losses in a row will do that to fair-weather fans. The flag is back up now (after one win) but I am sure it will come back down after they lose miserably to TCU. Really?!

These are the new parkway trees (another terrible shot). They are London Plane trees or Sycamores. We hope they will be big and gorgeous and provide a lot of shade from the hot afternoon sun... of course, that's about 50 years away. One of my neighbors caught me snapping some shots and asked me if I was taking pictures so I could remember how spindly they were. Funny. I do appreciate sarcasm more than fair-weather fans, though.

We will be having our very first family pictures taken in a couple of weeks. I am crossing my fingers they turn out. You will know if they don't because I won't be posting them. And what would this post be without an adorable picture of baby Liv! I just love that milky, white complexion... she nearly glows in the dark.



And this is the view from the third level that Brett added on to the house to optimize the view...hahaha.