Date #2 with #2

Today was Gavin's date at the Baltimore Aquarium.  He had a hard time deciding on the aquarium (that has sharks) or the zoo (that has monkeys) but in the end I think he made the right choice.  On the whole ride up he was quizzing grandma and I all about the different types of sharks and his mouth never stopped moving.  When we got to the aquarium all he wanted to do was go see the sharks, forget about the other fish!  Eventually it was time for our special tour.  We did the Shark Immersion tour which takes you behind the scenes where they prepare the food for the sharks and out onto the catwalk where we got to watch them feed in the sharks and they swam around all around our feet!  Very cool.  We also got to see where they treat them if they're sick and learned about the new black tipped reef sharks and zebra shark that will be arriving in a week or so.  After the tour we did the dolphin show and headed to the all important gift shop for a souvenir.  Even after a day full of walking Gavin wanted to stay longer.  He already can't wait to go back to see the new sharks.  It will be interesting to see how long this shark obsession lasts but I love it!

Mason the White Cap

Mason's developmental swim team had their mini meet on Monday.  He participated in freestyle, backstroke and a relay race and did great!  He loved having Coach Conner and made some great progress.  We sure are proud of our little dude!

Tsunami Swim!

Our family swims in the summer.  Like it or not, it is a great way to get outside and stay active during those slothful summer months.  Plus, swimming is a lifelong skill that they will always be able to use.  Cameron and Gavin are on the swim team this year and Mason is on the developmental team.  They all practice together in the mornings and the big boys are often also there for the afternoon practices as well.  They hate the practices, I love that it wears them out, they love the meets, I hate that we have to get up at 5 am on a Saturday to sit out all day in the heat and wait for their 2 minutes in the spotlight.  I guess that makes us even.  I really do love it when they win their heat and get the coveted orange heat ribbon which can be traded in for a candy of their choice at the concession stand.  They are so proud!  Also, you know who your real friends are by how loud they will cheer for your kid, nothing chokes me up more.  We only have one week left of the swimming season and I just love the hard work these boys have put in.  They make their mama proud!

Date With Kid #1

So, many of you will remember our zoo outing a few months ago that did not go as planned.  One who will remain nameless refused to go into any of the "stinky" houses and complained about how much he had to walk nonstop until he had ruined it for the rest of us.  There and then I decided that this summer I would take my kids out one at a time to do something that only they would enjoy.  Cameron was lucky enough to be first and he chose the spy museum in DC.  We have never been there before and I had heard from friends that it was really for older kids so it would be perfect for Cameron.  Not only did he have me to himself, but Grandma as well and it could not have gone better!  We rented the new Skyfall the day before so he could watch a real Bond movie and learn all about spy gadgets.  The museum did not disappoint!  We chose a "cover" as we entered and had to memorize certain information that we repeated at checkpoints in the museum.  There were all kinds of gadgets from lipstick guns to button cameras, to dog poop microdot containers.  We learned how to recognize suspicious behavior, and heard about real life spies as well as those in the James Bond movies.  Cameron loved seeing the souped up car from the movie he'd just seen, and crawling through the ducts like a sleuth.  He even got to design his own lair and make his own disguise as well as hang from a beam with the wind blowing at him trying to beat Bond's time.  It was this little boys dream, but would not have been appropriate or interesting to his little brothers.  So glad that we did it.  Afterwards we had our first ever lunch at Shake Shack with the yummiest burgers and shakes for our very hungry tummies.  It was a trip well worth it and hopefully to be remembered for a long, long time.

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Johnson Family Reunion 2013

Over 4th of July, Jeremy's family had a reunion at his parents ranch in Cushing, Texas.  We drove the 20 hours over two days there and two days back.  Surprisingly, the trip was not as bad as anticipated and the kids were stellar.  New movies from the library and books on tape were lifesavers! When we got to the sprawling 150 acre ranch, we were welcomed by aunts, uncles, and many new cousins.  There are 17 cousins of which Cameron is the oldest, and 12 of them are boys!  This place was perfect for all of these little boys, there was so much to do!  We enjoyed using the 4 wheelers to explore, used the paddle boat on the pond, rode horses, helped grandpa feed the 80 head of cattle, hiked, went on a wagon ride behind the tractor, had a bonfire, made an industrial sized slip and slide, jumped on the trampoline, climbed the hay bales, and had a great time getting to know each other.  We also saw fireworks and did some tubing at Lake Nac.  These boys of mine were in heaven!  And Baldwin got to come along and roam the prarie like a real farm dog! Gavin loved riding his horse, Chica and is a self proclaimed horse pro now, Cameron could not get enough of the 4 wheelers, and Mason loved being pulled behind the boat on the lake.  Bruce and Jamie had this planned perfectly and we ate like royalty.  We left all too soon and made some lasting memories with our far away family.  We are all really looking forward to another reunion soon!