A Mystery

Do you remember when I posted about Emma Lee's really loose tooth? Yeah, that was exactly a month ago and at that point it had been due to fall out any day for two weeks. Guess what? IT IS STILL THERE! You can even see the "big girl" tooth halfway up behind it.

I'm beginning to lose hope of it ever coming out! I'm also reconsidering my promise to myself to never pull her teeth out but to let her decide when they come out (which I've already broken once!). She does have a dentist appointment tomorrow, so we'll see what they do about it. It's a mystery to me how it has lasted this long, I've joked with her about her putting super glue on it (if we didn't have any in the house, I might actually be considering that as a serious possibility at this point!). Here's a little video of her showing off her tooth's flexibility (sorry it's blurry in some parts - I'm still trying to get a hang of the manual focus in video mode).


Emma Lee's Loose Tooth from Michaella Johnson on Vimeo.

New Life

New life is so precious

even when it is LOUD! 

I'm so grateful for the chance I got to spend with my friend and her new precious little one.

(Not so grateful for the fact that the only time we stopped to take a picture of us was way after we should have been asleep!)

Detox

As cute and as sweet as she normally is . . . she does have another side (and I'm seeing more of it this week).

It's time for a little grandparent detox around here. I love how much fun they have with their Gigi and Granddaddy. I don't even mind them being spoiled rotten while they're with them, but it normally takes a few days of some little battles at home to re-establish that "Yes, Mommy is still in charge." Kerri's hearing that phrase A LOT this week . . .

3 Directions

Our family is spread out in 3 different directions this week. Andy is in New Mexico leading worship and games for a camp; I'm in Pennsylvania visiting my best friend and her family, including her newborn son; and the girls are spending the week at my parents' house (being spoiled, I'm sure!). I'm glad that we all have these opportunities, but I'll be really happy when we're all back under the same roof!

wii really like it

We borrowed a wii from friends who were gone on vacation this past week. We loved it! I laughed so much watching the girls (and Andy and I had some fun playing it after they went to bed). ;) We didn't discover the wii fit until the last night we had it. If you need a laugh, watch/play the balance games! It's pretty hilarious (well, maybe it's only if you're watching Kerri aka Little Miss Uncoordinated try to keep her balance). It's also pretty addicting. I'll admit it - I was the one saying "Okay, just one more" when it was really time for the girls to be in bed. (Of course, part of that was due to my competitive nature when Emma Lee beat me in a few games!) Guess what's at the top of our wish list now? I'm thinking that it sounds like a pretty good birthday present for the girls, but that's a whole 4 months away . . . well, if you need someone to wii sit while you're on vacation, you know where to find us! ;)


wii really like it from Michaella Johnson on Vimeo.

*disclaimer - Don't laugh at the girls' choice of clothes - bedtime is when I give them free reign to express their creativity in their sense of style. In case you are wondering, they do have really cute pjs that actually match and fit. For the most part though, they choose to wear mismatched things that are generally two sizes too small. This night they actually had some pretty tame choices. Usually their wonderful creations consist of anywhere from 4-7 articles of clothing from various seasons and in a wide range of sizes. ;)

Blast Off

The week the girls were in a week long piano camp called Blast Off. They were introduced to some basics and given the opportunity to see if piano is something that they are interested in or ready for. They came home the first day with a piano book. They were so proud of it and carried it around the house with them from room to room.

They played as a group, so rhythm was an important part of their lessons. They learned all the different types of notes and how many beats each one gets. They also learned the names of each key on the piano.They both really enjoyed it, but Emma Lee was much more into it than Kerri was. On the last day they wore their shirts they made and had a little recital showing off all they learned. Here's a little sample of their playing.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Blueberry Picking

With bucket in hand
and row after row of blueberries
bowing before me
offering themselves
their round fruit so perfect
so ripe

I can't help
plucking a few from bent branches
and popping them into my mouth

surprised at the sweetness
at the warmth

It will take a long time to fill my bucket
but I don't mind
I like the feel of the leaves between my fingers
I like the way the berries fall off of the branch
and into my hand
then into my bucket
to join the ripe
blue congregation
collecting at my feet

And when I squat down to lift those bottom branches
cooing with delight at hidden clumps of fruit
now exposed
I feel ancient and maternal
gathering the fresh fruit
the sweet food

It will take a long time to fill my bucket but I don't mind Poem by Jacqueline Dooley (See the rest of our blueberry picking picture here.)

Camp

The girls had a great time tagging along after all the "big kids" at camp this week. They had long days getting up at 6:30ish in the mornings and playing hard all day until about 11:00 at night. They managed to sneak a little nap in here and there, and we survived with only a few minor grumpy and whiny moments. I asked them what their favorite part of camp was and they both said everything, but having ice cream every day at lunch and dinner, pranking the boys, having sleepovers in our room, and making new friends are right there at the top of their lists.

Thirty!

I am 30 years old today! Wow! That sounds so much more grown up than I feel :) Here's a picture of me from way back when.

To celebrate my 30 years, I'm giving an inside look at 30 things about me. Riveting, I know, but it is my birthday! :)

Here you go - in no certain order:

1. I'm not a big music person - it usually just serves as background noise for me. Case in point - I was recently listening to my MP3 player while I was working out. It took me 45 min. to realize that it had been repeating the same song the whole time!

2. In a previous life, I was a high school English teacher.

3. I love being a mommy way better than being an English teacher!

4. I have a love/hate relationship with my cat. I frequently end up yelling at him and/or throwing things across the room at him and then snuggling up with him later at some point during the same day.

5. I love to drink from a straw.

6. My favorite place to go is the beach.

7. Two things I want to do before I die: go on a cruise, tour around Europe.

8. I'm making the previous one count for two. I think coming up with 30 things is harder than it sounds :)

9. Growing up, I always wanted twin girls that I could dress alike. I got my twins - just a year apart. I might cry the day they don't want to dress alike anymore.

10. Biggest lesson I'm learning right now: Part 1 - I can't allow what I think other people will think to control my decisions. I have to do what I think is right - regardless of whether it meets the "approval" of others. Part 2 - I'm realizing that I should never say "I'll never do _____" because chances are God has an opposite plan for me.

11. I'm a slightly picky eater. Most of it is either a texture thing (I don't like things too mushy or too gritty) or a mental thing (any kind of seafood really creeps me out!)

12. Every day I'm amazed at how wonderful my husband is!

13. I'm also absolutely sure that I somehow got the two sweetest, most precious girls in the entire world!

14. I'm pretty obsessed with decorating cakes.

15. I can't see anything further than a few inches in front of my face. I got my first pair of glasses when I was about 10 years old. They were very big and very round and very pink - not attractive!

16. I've never had a broken bone or a cavity, but I did chip off half of one of my front teeth by playing hide and go seek in the dark when I was younger. 

17. I'm the oldest of 7 kids and the only brown-eyed, dark-haired one in the bunch.

18. My favorite desserts include anything rich and chocolaty or cheesecake. 

19. I love to ride roller coasters and "scary rides" and don't understand why some people don't like them (right, Rachel?!) 

20. I've lived in 4 different states (Texas,  Virginia, Maryland, and North Carolina).

21. My favorite possession: my Nikon D5000!!

22. What I want for this birthday: a zoom lens! :)

23. What I hope happens before my next birthday: our adoption to be complete!

24. I get scared at night when Andy is away on a trip. 

25. I'm learning to trust in God's plan and provision on a daily basis.

26. I think that saving money is my hobby. :) (Saving money meaning paying less for things - I'm not very good at the not spending part of saving money!)

27. I love being around people, but I also need some quiet and space just for myself every day. I'll admit, there have been many times in my life where I've grabbed a book and headed to a bathroom simply because I need a few moments of peace and quiet.

28. All my life, I've loved the idea of keeping a diary/journal, but I've never been able to stick with it for very long. I love that my blog fulfills that and that I've been able to keep up with it.

29. I'm definitely not a morning person.  

30. I love creating family memories. If Andy has a free day, you better believe I'm planning something for us all to do! :)

Well, there you have it! Here's another picture since you made it through the whole list! :)

I'll be spending my birthday with a ton of kids at summer camp, so say a little prayer for me. I am getting up there, you know! ;)

Happy Fourth of July!

Real

I lost my partner in adoption today...

but for a very good reason!
Welcome home, Eli!!!

This just makes it all seem a little more "real."

Next Step

We submitted our dossier today, so we're officially on the next step!

Now, we wait.

The "Scoop" on Something Amazing!

I recently stumbled across a fabulous find from reading a friend's blog. It's called a Lightscoop. It was just what I was looking for - some help with my indoor pictures. Most of the time I feel pretty unworthy of my camera, and I'm still trying to figure out a lot about it. I have zero training or experience on any type of photography, so I get overwhelmed pretty easily. I know I need to just get out there and experiment and try new settings. For now, most of my pictures are taken using the automatic settings (and I've been really happy just learning how to get the most from those).

The Lightscoop is a cheap solution (I got mine for $20 plus free shipping) for (easily!) helping me get some amazing results! It is an attachment that fits over the flash. It has a mirror that redirects the light from the flash to bounce off the ceiling. This lights up the room with more natural looking light instead of creating an overexposed look from the flash. Also, by taking vertical pictures, it bounces the light off a light colored wall and creates I look I've absolutely fallen in love with.

I'm so excited about this solution for taking pictures in indoor situations where there's not a lot of great lighting. Here are some pictures I took to show the difference. I didn't do any editing on them, they are straight from the camera to the computer.  :)

(I posted them small so you could get a closer side by side comparison. You can click on the image to make it larger.)

Camera's Auto Settings

With Lightscoop

Camera's Auto Settings

 With Lightscoop

Hope you find this tip as useful as I did!