The slide show below consists of pics from our first few days visiting Denver, including pics from Dinosaur Ridge. I had to get funky with filters on a few of them, but ended up pleased with the results. So check ’em out and enjoy. Wedding pics will be next!

Viva Las Vegas! I know, really cliché, but really true! Chris and I spent 4 wonderful days in Sin City, celebrating our TENTH wedding anniversary. We planned it for a year, actually followed through, and had one of the best vacations ever. Maybe because the kids were back at home? 😉 For those of you interested in our fantastic trip, or if you just want to hear about a totally cool, new off-strip resort and see some fun photos, read on!

I will probably spend most of this post discussing a fabulous place called The M Resort. ((Of course it’s fabulous–it’s named after me 😉 )) I came across the resort while trolling the web looking for great Vegas deals. And a deal I got! We paid $74 a night (including Fri and Sat) and even though the resort tacks on a $25 resort fee per day, our deal actually gave us a $25-a-day hotel credit to be used anywhere in the hotel! Of course Chris and I had NO problem spending that!

The M is truly a beautiful place and we were thrilled to see $5 minimums at the craps table, and find that the six restaurants offered competitive pricing. I guess being 9 miles off the strip you have to make some concessions! We spent our first evening (Thursday) really just hanging out and enjoying being a) in Las Vegas and b) kidless! While Chris went to play in the 6:00 Hold ‘Em tourney, I was anxiously awaiting the arrival of two of my eFriends (who I am proud to call my friends now), Perpelina and Cajun Vegan.

We hung out at the Lobby Bar enjoying a pitcher of something very summer-ish and just chatting. I truly felt at ease with them both and was disappointed when the time came to say good-bye. ((I was on vacation, and they, unfortunately, were not.)) Believe it or not, our first night in Vegas ended pretty early (by Vegas standards). That 3-hour time difference is a bitch!

Good morning Friday and Happy 10^th Anniversary! Chris and I spent a leisurely morning reading in bed. Yes, reading in bed! No kids, no work, no nothing. We could do whatever the hell we wanted! After an über-delicious breakfast buffet we hit the pool. AND WHAT A POOL! I felt like I had just walked on to the set of a movie. Sweet cabanas in the middle of the pool, ivy-lined walls, gaming tables outside…it was pretty fantastic. We grabbed some chairs by the water, grabbed a few drinks ((Hey, we’re on vacation!)) and proceeded to do more of nothing!

Our anniversary dinner at Hugo’s Cellar in the Four Queens casino on Fremont street was amazing. Chris and I made our own surf ‘n turf. I ordered seafood, he ordered steak, and we chowed down. It was great enjoying a meal in a place where I’m not allowed to write on the table with my crayons. 🙂

We did make it to The Strip on Saturday thanks to The M’s free shuttle. Of course it dropped us at the Fashion Show mall and the Puma store was just calling my name. So was the iPod custom wrap cart and Sephora. 😆 It was definitely hot, but we certainly weren’t complaining. No humidity!

Chris also scored us a free dinner at The M’s Japanese steakhouse at the top of the resort by charming the pants off of the craps pit boss. We may not have come home with any money, but we certainly came home with some great memories!

Viva Las Vegas!!

Maybe this sweeping blog change is a reflection of all the other changes we’ve been going through as a family. 2008 has proved (thus far) to be a very challenging and whirlwind year for the Johnsons.

We’ve had some personal crises to overcome. There are a few of you out there who know what I’m talking about. For those of you who don’t, just know that we are overcoming them and that things are going well. As Longfellow wrote, “Into each life a little rain must fall…“. I also like Lord Byron:

The thorns which I have reap’d are of the tree
I planted; they have torn me, and I bleed.
I should have known what fruit would spring from such a seed.

Of course, if you want better fruit, you simply plant a better tree.

I will not wallow, nor will I expound upon the situation. It’s done and we are moving forward as a family. So, let’s talk about the family in June:

Zachary

Zachary turned 5. We spent the evening at grandma’s pool having a picnic, opening presents, and swimming. It was a great time and Zachary loved his gifts. Then, the next day he got to go to Chuck E. Cheese with his cousins. So far I’d managed to avoid that place for 5 years, but now that he has a taste of it, I’m sure there are more excursions in my future. Is this place one of Dante’s 9 circles of hell?

On the same day as his birthday, Zachary also “graduated” from preschool. He’ll start kindergarten in August. Unbelievable!

Jonah

Jonah continues to be a source of pleasure and a source of frustration. While he is SO smart, and really funny, he does have a temper. There’s usually at least one tantrum a day over taking away something he’s not supposed to have. Thankfully, the tantrums don’t ever last very long and he’s easy to divert. He loves playing with Zachary, and of course all of Zachary’s toys. They do play together well and both love to build with the big legos.

Chris

This year we celebrated Father’s Day at the zoo. It was hot, but it was nice. Zach didn’t want to feed the animals at the petting zoo, but Jonah loved it. Chris loved the elephants, and Zach’s favorite part was riding the train at the end.

Chris and I also celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary. We went to Universal Citywalk to see the Blue Man Group, then had a wonderful steak dinner. It’s always so odd having an “adult” dinner without the boys. I’m already looking forward to next year. Chris promised that we’d spend our 10th anniversary in the place where it all started—Vegas baby!

As always, there are more pics and slideshows on the Eye Candy page. I’ve uploaded a ton of pictures since the last 2 posts.

Whew, that’s a lot to catch up on. Happy July everyone!

Jonah

Jonah is getting bigger everyday. He started to do the Frankenstein walk–hands straight out and all stiff-legged. He gets about 5 or 6 steps then drops back down to his hands and knees. And why wouldn’t he? He moves like the speed of light on all fours! He’s sneaky, too. You’ve got to worry when you can’t hear him–he’s like a ninja. Much of his time is spent:

• trying to keep mommy from working;
• making his big brother laugh;
• climbing on, in, or over, anything in his path.

Right now his vocabulary consists of turtle, uh-oh, cracker, cookie, pretty and juice. These are the words I know he understands and speaks back. He definitely mimics and jabbers incessantly (he has to, to get a word in edgewise with this family.
Zachary

Zachary continues to be his wonderful 4-year-old self. His vocabulary never ceases to amaze me and we’re working on his “sight” words. He has twelve words he knows and can read (STAR WARS not included) and we’re adding more every week. It is the most amazing thing to see your child begin to read.

Zach has started at the pre-school program offered by the elementary school he might be attending in the fall. Of course I’m biased, but I think he’s way ahead of the other kids. We may be sending him to private school with his cousins Amanda and Megan–it’s sad that private school is one of the only alternatives to a good education in this country.

As you can see from the pictures, it’s not all schoolwork for Zach. He has become quite the little builder with daddy. Over the last month they’ve built a rocket and an “earth mover” from tinker toys, and a real birdhouse in the garage. Mom is even working in the garage, refinishing an old dresser.

Wildlife

With spring approaching it’s not unusual to see a variety of wildlife out my office window. The lizards are always in abundance and entertaining, but lately we’ve had some furry friends explore our yard as well. With the cat that chases birds on the roof of our garage, the raccoons that are out in the afternoon, the owl that hoots as loudly as possible at night, and a myriad of other wildlife, our yard has become quite the hot spot!

Chris’s Birthday

Chris celebrated his 38th birthday (I know, can you believe it’s 38 years??) over last weekend and this one. Last weekend Mary was in town and we had a great dinner at Vincent’s with Mary, Pam, Dave, Ivonne, Amanda, Megan, the boys and me. Tonight we’re going on a dinner cruise on the St. John’s River. I’m really looking forward to it. It should be a nice night. The weather’s cleared up nicely.
Heading into March

As we head into March, Zachary continues to love T-ball. We had opening ceremonies this morning, but they were shortened due to rain and his first game was postponed. That’s not a bad thing–the beginning teams need all the practice they can get!

Work is still keeping me and Chris busy. Thank you eCollege–I love my job!

That’s about it for the first two months of the year. Look for updates after Zachary’s first T-ball game.

Love to you all!

“Here is a test to find out whether your mission in life is complete. If you’re alive, it isn’t.” – Richard Bach

Zachary’s Fourth Birthday

Zachary’s birthday party was a definite success. We rounded up the usual suspects and bounced around IPEZ. Kids of all ages had a blast playing on the big bouncies and sliding down the huge slide. Of course the birthday meal consisted of pizza and birthday cake, and Zachary received so many great gifts. Thank you for all of the wonderful presents. I’m enjoying them more than Zachary–he actually stays busy now for more than 10 minutes at a time!

Father’s Day

We spent Father’s Day on Singer island with Nana where we relaxed and drove down to Miami to visit Uncle Cory, who was under the weather. (Zachary still wants to know why Uncle Core lives in “your ami.”) Daddy received the Special Edition U2 red and black iPod (a steal on eBay). He seems to be enjoying it quite well and is now often seen doing a mean air-drum solo while doing household chores.

Tattoos

Towards the end of June, I went and got my fourth tattoo–a sunflower on the top of my left foot. I’ve been wanting it for awhile, so when I came upon the perfect picture, decided finally where I wanted to put it, I decided it was time. The artist did an amazing job and I’m pretty thrilled with it. It looks pretty sweet with all of my Florida-y shoes!

Baby Loves Disco

Lastly, there was the dance party.

It’s pretty surreal to take your child dancing in a nightclub. There’s a group called “Baby Loves Disco” and they sponsor dance events at local nightclubs, where you bring your kids. Of course, since Zachary LOVES to dance I had to take him. We had a pretty darn good time, once he warmed up to the idea. He was all for going to the dance party until he got there and saw so many people. It took about 90 minutes, but he finally got his groove on. Be sure check out the video–it’s on the Eye Candy page.

As always, the slideshows are updated to include June activities. No, I haven’t forgotton Jonah. This month, however, we remembered that there were other people in our family 😉

All that’s really happened in the last seven weeks is Jonah. He’s growing like a proverbial weed. At his 6-week checkup he is now 12.5 pounds. He’s gurgling, cooing and just being downright adorable, like it’s his job or something. Of course we can’t help comparing him to Zachary at his age. He’s as great of a baby as Zachary was, just a little more mellow. While the Z-man loved being in the carseat, Jonah hates it unless the car is actually moving. Even then he fusses a little for good measure. Zachary is a binky man–something we are going to be working on soon. Jonah’s not such a fan. He’ll take it when he’s too exhausted to put up a fight, but lately he seems to really prefer his hand. I caught him with his thumb today. NOT what I want to see!

Segue to the adults. Chris just celebrated his 37^th birthday last month. Wow we’re getting old! We had a great dinner at Kobe. Mom was in town, so she joined us. So did Mary, Tricia, Ashley, Dave, Ivonne and the girls. Dinner was yummy and everyone had a great time.

Of course there are more pics of everyone. Check out the latest slideshow for Zachary’s green tongue (thank you Ms. Laurie!) and the charming Jonah-penguin (thank you KB!).

Hopefully someone will read this. Even if they don’t, Life is Good…