21 Questions for the Coolest 5 year old on the Planet:

20 questions* : answered by Erik right after his 5th birthday 

1. What is your favorite color? Red- I don’t like pink anymore because everyone steals it
2. What is your favorite toy? Spiderman
3. What is your favorite fruit? Strawberries
4. What is your favorite tv show? Curious George
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Chicken Nuggets
6. What is your favorite outfit? Spiderman T-shirts
7. What is your favorite game? Skylanders
8. What is your favorite snack? Fruit loops
9. What is your favorite animal? Tigers at the zoo
10. What is your favorite song? “la la loo!” (this is the song that Don the Pteranadon sings on Dinosaur Train      at TV show on PBS)
11. What is your favorite book? Cat in the Hat
12. Who is your best friend? Charlie
13. What is your favorite cereal? FruitLoops
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Play soccer
15. What is your favorite drink? Milk
16. What is your favorite holiday? “Actually Christmas”!
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? My new Skylanders
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Fruit Loops
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Smash Burger
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? Astronaut
21.What was your favorite thing about being 4? Doing nothing, just staying at home!

 Happy Birthday Erik Blaine! It’s been a crazy year. There have been some big changes in our family and you have braved them all big heart in tact. I love you kid more than I could ever come up with the words to say.

The Fishy's

It is so funny sometimes the things that stick with your kids. Erik really likes to play in the water. He plays in the kitchen sink when I wash dishes, the water table on the porch, the bathtub, you name it. If there is water he wants to play in it. He especially loves to play in running water, from the faucet in the kitchen for instance. Sometimes when he has been playing long enough I begin to fear the water bill. In order to get him to turn it off I will tell him, "We need to turn it off because the fishy's need water too. We need to share." Well, I think that really stuck with him, because tonight when I was running the water for his bath, when it got to the right depth he started yelling, "Mommy, The Fishy's" until I caught on! What a cutie....He was worried the fish wouldn't have enough water so he wanted me to turn the water off. I love that kid!

Erik's Preschool Christmas Pageant

Erik Blaine had his first ever Christmas Pageant today. He did really well. There was no singing for him, but there was no crying either so I think it was a winner. At one point he saw me being one of those bad parents who kneel up at the front to video, and then at another point he started waving. He is such a good boy, he stayed right in place.

First Day of Preschool

Bittersweet perfectly describes Erik Jr's first day of Preschool. I was so happy to see him grow up and be out there doing his own thing, and then it made me really cry. I was able to hold it together until we got in the car and drove away. When I looked back I could see him getting on a smock to play in the water table. Somehow that moment tore down the wall.

These pictures show the journey to school and back in reverse. You may notice a couple things. One: He has on different clothing from begining to end. You would think he had a potty training accident, but you would be wrong. He just likes playing in the drinking fountian. Two: He left with a bump on his head. I think that he didn't know that it wasn't a good idea to run directly into moving bicycles. Now he does.

We have completed week two of school today. He is going two days a week, half the day. Now I am not the one crying. When EJ, his dad, picked him up on day two, one little boy shouted, in greeting as he left,"Bye Screamin Kid!"

Ride Horsey?

This past Sunday Erik Jr.got to ride on a horse for the very first time. His cousin Amy has a horse named Hawk that lives at a ranch out in Pine Valley. Our cousin Liesa's Family and ours met out at the horse resort, and Amy showed all of the little ones the ropes. Erik Jr. even got to ride Hawk. He wasn't super comfortable with the idea, but he tried it and did a great job.

Erik Jr. was very excited and talked about the horseys for days before we went and all the way there. Even now he tells random people we see in our comings and goings, "Ride Horsey!" Thank you Amy and Aunt Gwen for sharing your horses with us. It was a great, outing.

Happy Halloween!

It was yet another crazy fun Halloween. We went Erik's little buddy Simone's house for dinner and trick-or-treating again this year. We had a great time seeing them all play together. It is crazy to think that these kids were just babies together not long ago, and now they are the big kids you see here.

Two Years and Counting....

Erik Blaine Johnson Jr. is now two years old. I can't even believe it, but not in the tired way that everone says how time flies. For me it feels like two things in one. Part of me feels like he has been in my heart my whole life, even before he was concieved or I even knew his dad. The other part feels like I can't belive I ever lived a day without him. Like looking back on the days before he came into our lives seemed so sad and empty. He has been an amazing blessing to me. Seeing how he was made, how he grows, and how he learns just proves to how amazing God is.

My good friend Penny is a photographer in the making, so she offered to take picture of Erik for his second birthday. We had her eldest son, Rowen come along to offer some great entertainment for Erik Jr. hoping we could catch some good smiles. Quickly we both realized that they both move way to fast. =) So here are some beautiful shots she created, and then we hope to try again soon.

Enjoy!